Parade in a Small Town

[bigtree]

I put together a small gif slideshow of 5 pics from a homecoming parade in Charleston, W.Va. that my father participated in sometime at the later end of the 40's.

I think the mix of races in the crowd is fascinating. Dad told me that, on the way home after being shipped to New Guinea and back to the base out West, he had to change train cars on the rest of the way back home to Pennsylvania from the integrated train to the 'colored' rail line when they reached the segregated towns.

This parade and the obviously interested crowd is pretty unique (for the time) with its unit of black soldiers, and the old and young folks who came out for this fascinating procession.

I've always named the one photo with the single soldier strutting out in front 'Proud Soldier' for the one fellow's sense of pride and the apparent appreciation shown by the mix of residents of the town looking on . . . (wait for it to change)




(Dad, in stride, third photo)

[zuul]

1. Your dad sure was a handsome guy!

[spooky3]

19. With a great smile! Nt

[Emile]

2. Wow, I love these pictures! K&R

[grantcart]

3. Great pics

[Karadeniz]

4. I think we see where your family gets its good looks....!!!!

[Walleye]

5. Those are wonderful, thank you. Are they from the local paper?

[bigtree]

7. no, personal family photos

...really small pics from a simple camera.

No telling who took them.

Thanks for checking them out. They're snapshots of a time we can only imagine now.

[Walleye]

8. I have family snapshots like that go way back. They are more detailed than you think at first

[bigtree]

15. right, the details aren't always noticeable right away. It helps to put these in context of the time

...it looks like whites on one side of the street and blacks on the other... all of the children on the one side look to be in their Sunday best and on their best behavior.

I love the American flag hanging on the porch.

It helps to have some idea of the history of your snaps, to put them in context. I really wish now I'd listened closer to the stories.

[niyad]

6. Oh my. Those are some wonderful photos. Thank you for sharing.

[republianmushroom]

9. LIKE IT

[MagickMuffin]

10. Thanks for sharing your dad and his memories with us

It still boggles my mind that skin color causes so much damage. And nothing culturally changes just more hate filled mind numbing buffoonery because of skin color.


I’m glad your father was able to participate in this small town. Looks like he didn’t skip a beat!

[onetexan]

11. 💕😍 Love!!👍🌞

[3catwoman3]

12. What a wonderful smile..

…your dad had.

Photos to treasure, for sure.

[MLAA]

13. Fantastic. Damn, those soldiers look good! Best they melted some hearts that day.

[NBachers]

14. If only I could go back and watch the parade in person.

And then step into one of the local cafés!

[bigtree]

18. there's the rub

...the town pictured was still segregated.

There were still struggles to integrate their department stores and lunch counters, not to mention the cafes. There was a thriving working class of black residents who were basically 'allowed' to build their own community up with their own hospitals, schools, and the like. It existed alongside of the white working class there with all of the comity that separate-but-equal could offer.

[calimary]

16. Just WUNNNNNNNNNNderful!

A big Thank-You to your dad and his fellows for their selfless service and the victory they helped to bring home.

[Lonestarblue]

17. Great photos for family memories.

When I look at old photos like these, I always notice how slim and trim most people were back then. Our reliance on fast food and prepackaged/precooked food has wreaked havoc on our diets—and our excess weight!

[whathehell]

20. VERY nice!

Thanks for sharing!

[Hermit-The-Prog]

21. Thank you for sharing!

[cyclonefence]

22. I grew up in Charleston,

and when I traveled by train with my grandmother, there was a plaque at one end of the car that was put in and out of its slot as we passed through the state, the "colored" plaque, that meant that African Americans were allowed to sit in that car.

Jesus. The "good old days." Insane.

What possible difference could it have made where people sat? Move out of the car, come back into the car--insanity.

[kwolf68]

23. Nice photos

Love these snapthots in time

[Rhiannon12866]

24. K&R! Fascinating look back, great job! And kudos to your Dad for his service!