Today is not financial. The Plymouth Review is going to be doing an article on the City Club Rooms and I was asked what I remembered about it. Before it City Club Rooms it was Central House. All my references are to Central House. Here is what I remember.
The Central House is just that. It is on the central intersection of town. It has always had the prime location in town. Even today! If you have to name the most prominent intersection it would be Stafford and Mill Street. It was named Central House for a reason. It was central to everything that happened in a small and growing town. It is close to being a historic treasure. It has been witness to the evolution of Plymouth.
There were no Walmarts or Fleet Farms on the outskirts of town. The A&W Root Beer Stand did not exist. People were “out and about” everyday. And everyday took them past the main intersection in town. Thats right. They had to go past the Central House. The grocer was downtown located on a corner opposite the Central House. The drugstore, the dentist, doctor and Ben Franklin store were within a block of Central House. The Lutheran Church and the High School were blocks away.
If there was a parade (and still today), it passes the Central House. Early stagecoaches, a trolley system from Sheboygan to Greenbush, and truck traffic going north and south or east and west had to go past the Central House. There were no four lane highways diverting traffic around Plymouth. The Central House was alive. It was vibrant.
Friday nights were a happening. It was the night each week that rural society went to town to do the shopping. Would you believe that the stores stayed open until 9:00 PM. Not just mom and dad but kids too. Thats right! You might just meet that special someone you had seen in science class. Many people would stop at the Central House just to say hello.
Saturday nights the Central House would come alive. It was a major “haunt” for an evening of entertainment. Fun times.
Lower, middle and upper class America stopped at the Central House. It could have been for food, drink, a haircut, a pool game or just plain comradery. The point is people stopped often and it was a hub for activity. The Andrews Family was involved for over 50 years. Chalk and Myrna Andrews were the perfect hosts. Chalk had charisma. He had an infectious chuckle, a hearty laugh and a way of relaxing those who stopped. Myrna was hard working, caring and the perfect compliment to Chalk. Damn nice folks! People wanted to stop because they liked the warmth of the Central House. It was a shame that Chalk passed away so early because he had built the Central House into a special place. It had it’s own personality. Slowly things changed as new generations began to get involved. The Andrews charisma is still undeniable. The gene pool has been good to the clan. Good folk with a sense of humor, warm chuckles and hearty laughs.
Bob and Helene? They saved the Central House for another generation. Even though they had moved away to pursue a different vocation, their hearts remained in Plymouth. Central House has held something for them always. Bob and Helene breathed life into the business. And Myrna, she got to live out her life in a place full of good memories. She was part of the Central House fabric.
For Plymouth, the Central House has witnessed 100 years of change. And no, it is not the hub of social activity that it once was but it has retained its place on the prime corner in town. And some semblence of the past remains. The hosts are very cordial. The sandwiches are excellent and if you listen real close, you can hear Chalk telling a story and chuckling in the background.
And me, I was named after Chalk. Ain’t that special.
Love,
Dad