© Jerry F. Couch

These photos were taken during the week of April 22, 1971.  If the photos bring back memories, please share them with the rest of us.  To see a larger version of any photo, just click on it. 

In the header photo, members of the St. Paul Volunteer Fire Department struggle to prevent a fire from spreading to a nearby home.  Unlike today, the firefighters had no protective gear and very little equipment.  However, they had heart and courage – and with those things, they worked wonders.

The Sears Catalog Store in St. Paul is pictured at left.  It was located in the former Halls Drugstore building on Broad Street and had recently opened for business when this photo was taken.  Can you identify the little girl standing in front of the store?

Johnson’s 5 & 10 on Fourth Ave is pictured on the right.   After 25 years at this location, Johnson’s was preparing to move to the larger Turner Building on Fifth Avenue.  Notice the Town of St. Paul’s trash compactor parked in the alley.  A portion of the adjacent Western Auto store can also be seen

The Turner Building is pictured on the left. At that time, Charles and Edith Blakeley lived in Apt. #1 and Virginia Tompa lived in Apartment #2.  The windows of these apartments are visible in the picture.

The Clinch Valley Times hadn’t completed its move to the old St. Paul Post Office on Broad Street.  It was still owned & operated by Eugene and Gladys Stewart, and was located in the basement of the Turner Building.  The CVT’s sign can be seen near the basement steps. 

The lady walking past the Lyric Theatre and carrying a shopping bag may be Anna Hillman Barbee.  She was a life-long St. Paul resident.

Taylor Furniture, pictured at right, had recently opened for business in 1971.  This was the first store to be built in what is known today as Milton’s Shopping Center.  The store remained in business for years, later becoming Colony House.  Both stores provided quality furniture and service to local residents.

In the picture at left, a 1961 Buick Special has just struck up an acquaintance with the porch of the St. Paul Hotel on Broad Street.  Hopefully, the acquaintance was of short duration, leaving no one worse for it.

At right is a fine view of Broad Street before construction of the Southwest Bank of Virginia.  Broad Street was lined with stores and professional offices, all of which were very busy at that time.  Those businesses are gone now, but not forgotten.  That nice 1959 Chevrolet Impala may have belonged to June Marcum Minton.

Pictured at left, an illegal trash dump beside the highway on Red Oak Ridge was an eyesore for years.  The dump was eventually cleaned up.

The aftermath of a chimney fire is pictured at right.  Timely arrival of the fire department probably saved the house from destruction.