This month’s Back in My Day takes a look at Hotels and Rooming Houses that populated the landscape in the middle of the 20th century. At that time, the main routes between the Northeast and Florida was Highway 15 that traveled through Walterboro and US 301 which stretches through Allendale. As you travel today along these highways, you can see remnants of days gone by in the form of abandoned gas stations, tourist stops, and roadside hotels. In some areas of the US, such as Route 66, they have embraced the nostalgia and restored these sites, a backwards glance into a lost form of Americana.
With the introduction of the interstate highway system on June 29, 1956, when President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. The bill created 41,000 miles of roads that would eliminate unsafe roads that would enhance and expedite transcontinental travel. With this bill, Interstate 95 was built and locally, Walterboro received two exits on the interstate which opened for travel in 1975. This was fortunate for Walterboro as a number of towns, bypassed by the interstate did not recover from the redirection of traffic. I-95 through South Carolina parallels Hwy. 15 below I-26 and US 301 North of Santee.
A number of notable hotels dotted Walterboro and were a frequent stop for weary travelers, looking for a good meal and a comfortable place to stay. They had numerous choices from cabins to elegant rooms. Traveling from Charleston you may have stopped and rented a cabin in Mashawville at Drawdy’s Cottage Camp. These were individual small buildings that allowed a comfortable overnight stay.
In Walterboro, one of the hotels, took up almost the entire block. The Lady Lafayette Hotel was located at the Corner of Wichman Street and Jefferies Boulevard. With a stop in the downtown area, the building had nice rooms and restaurants such as the Lafayette Grill and the stores on Washington Street within walking distance. The Lady Lafayette building no longer exists but the Lafayette Grill building is still standing and in use by the McLeod Law Firm. Remarkably the building largely maintains its original look.
Mrs. Towles Tourist Home was more of a family rooming house with its ornate columns in the front. It was not a large building but was a great stop for families looking for a quiet place to stay.
The Hotel Albert located at the corner of West Washington and Wichman Street was another local hotel which offered full service to its guests. The hotel was operated by Albert A. Wichman and Son. The building still stands today. After the closing of the hotel, it became a furniture store, and today it has been turned into apartments. This building is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Isaac Hayne Hotel opened in 1937 and boasted the first elevator in the area. The hotel reached the height of its popularity in the 1950’s. One of the selling points of the hotel was the building had “Hot Water Heat”. This maintained a more consistent temperature. The hotel also offered a restaurant and ball room on the first floor. The building, later known as Hargo House was purchased by Colleton County in 1980, had a fire in 1981, and was torn down in 1982. Notice in the fire photo, the Charleston Fire Department and SCE&G bucket truck were called in to assist with fighting the fire.
The larger hotels are gone today but were a major part of Walterboro and its tourist trade. The locations were enhanced by the restaurants and access to car repair, restaurants, services, and gas stations located in the area of center of town.
The majority of these building have been torn down but photos remain, a glimpse into our past and a simpler life when travel was an adventure and slowing down and taking in the scenery was part of the vacation.
