Sometimes it's hard to know what passing thought or scene will trigger long ago memories. Coming out of the courthouse on a recent afternoon I paused for a glance at "downtown Jackson" before descending the wide concrete steps to the sidewalk level.

In that instance, my mind took a quantum leap of a half century plus backward in time and I was remembering the people and businesses of downtown Jackson a half century ago in the early 1950s. Perhaps the recent announcement of the closing of The Colonial Restaurant contributed to these thoughts.

Really, the broad outlines of downtown Jackson have not changed that much, even though the expansion of commercial activity out on the East Main Street strip has resulted in competition for the established stores in the downtown business district.

But the broad outlines of the downtown area are much the same, anchored by the Memorial Building and the big bank building (now National City but then First National) on Broadway and courthouse square and the town's tallest structure, the Cambrian building, on Main Street.

On courthouse square, the "old jail" building is gone, replaced by the Allison Health Center and the "old jail No. 2" is replaced by a parking area for county employees.

The Cambrian is no longer a grand old hotel, but now houses residential apartments subsidized by a Metropolitan Housing Authority.

The retail and office storefronts downtown present about the same facade, but for the most part, the businesses are different.

I can think of only a handful of downtown business places still operating in the same locations and under the same familiar names as when I came to town in the early 50s. Lewis Drug Store is still a fixture on Main Street, as are Coll Auto and Carlisle Insurance and Jackson Implement Co. on Broadway and Water Streets.

The Fashion (women's wear) is still operating but under different ownership. M&E Jewelry has the same owners but a different name - Engraving Plus. On the other side of Broadway, it's now A. L. Terry's Jewelry instead of Jake Jenkins. The Markay name is still prominent on Main Street as a cultural arts center instead of a movie theater. Wood Furniture Co. has moved from Portsmouth Street to Broadway.

There are probably other long-time downtown businesses dating back to the early 1950s which have escaped my memory. If so, let me know and accept my apologies.

Some notable downtown landmarks are gone; Abraham's Confectionery; The Playhouse; The Cambrian Restaurant; Grimes Restaurant; George Simmerman's Restaurant; Harbarger's Restaurant (in its later years under a succession of names); Stiffler's Store and Luckoff's Store; Murphy's Store; Michael's and Elberfeld's were big downtown retail operations and there were many other smaller operations now gone.

The expansion of the East Main Street commercial area has provided strong competition for the downtown area. Many other changes have occurred in Jackson over the past half century, many of them progressive and beneficial moves adding assets to the community.

To mention just a few of these, we have three brand new schools, two elementary and one high school. The old high school is being renovated for a middle school and the current middle school will become an elementary school.

Jackson now has a long needed hospital and excellent outpatient care is offered by two large and well staffed medical clinics; the Markay Cultural Arts Center, Lillian Jones Museum and a fine public library serve the cultural needs of the community.

Both the city and the county have added handsome new buildings; churches in the community have added new facilities over the past half century.

Recreational facilities have been expanded (including a fine new high school stadium financed by donations from the community and private businesses).

I guess the key word of my impressions of the last 50-plus years in Jackson is "change."

When I came to Jackson 50-plus years ago, the economic health of the city was based on heavy industry - the DT&I car shops; Globe Furnace, Jisco Furnace, Crown Foundry and Furnace Foundry.

All of these are now gone. But Jackson remains, unlike many small towns over the nation; Jackson didn't fold up and die when our long-established heavy industry shut down or moved away. The community actively sought and obtained new industries, largely in the plastics, cabinet production and food processing industries.

Jackson remains a vibrant, busy community with a diversified industrial base, including Bellisio Foods and MASCO Corporation (formerly Merillat Industries). Many local residents are employed in nearby industrial operations well within commuting range, such as the Pike County atomic plant and the General Mills food processing plant in nearby Wellston.

"Change" is the key word. Americans are a restless and mobile people, especially since the days of the Great War (World War Two) and its aftermath. Many men and women have left Jackson to settle over this country. And many others have come from all parts of this nation to settle in Jackson and Jackson County.

For better or worse, Jackson and Jackson County are changing each decade. I think and hope the change is for the better, but change we will.

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For the Sunday, October 3, 2004 Jackson County Times-Journal

Courtesy of journalist and former editor Ed Clark