Under the Ashes

The Green Space Lewisburg, WV

In the heart of downtown Lewisburg, WV, there is a small city park on Washington Street where bands play in the summer, and the community gathers year round. It is known as the Green Space, and it once was the sight of a favorite comic book store called the King of Hearts from 1994-1997. From the 1960’s until 1994, the building was home to the Court Restaurant, serving $1 all you can eat spaghetti dinners.

13-year old Cameron Zobrist, of Greenbrier Episcopal School, did a bit of research about the this old building, and what happened to one of West Virginia’s best comic book stores.

“I just sometimes get sad when I think of it all covered in ash down there under the Green Space,” says Eddie Booze. Eddie Booze is a local comic book fanatic; he has been living in Lewisburg since his childhood and has fond memories of the comic book store called The King of Hearts, now the Green Space pocket park in Lewisburg. As a comic book fan, he was devastated when the building burnt down and entire collection of comic books was destroyed in a fire in 1997.

The comic book store wasn’t the only store on the lot that was lost. The Green Space in Lewisburg, WV started off as Bell’s General store, and after that it became Shaver’s Music shop. Court Restaurant was opened in the 1960’s. Court Restaurant had steaks, lamb chops, and seafood, but it was the spaghetti that brought the cavers.  All of the cavers who had just come from a day’s worth of caving in Greenbrier County would come and get the all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner, which cost $1. “But plates would get gradually smaller and smaller until the cavers got the message that they had eaten their fulfillment of spaghetti,” remembers one local caver.

Eventually, the owner of the Court Restaurant decided to sell the building, and the space became a comic book store. “It could’ve been little and small and it wouldn’t have mattered; it was little and small, I was just excited there was a comic book store,” said Eddie Booze.

In 1997 an awful fire struck the Green Space lot and destroyed the entire lot. The fire burnt the buildings down to the ashes. According to some, the fire burnt for days but was kept under control and was prevented from spreading to the rest of downtown.  The fire was started by an electrical fire in one of the neighboring buildings on the lot.

The ashes lay there, until a new parking lot was built, and stayed for a period of time. The Green Space was unkempt and hardly worth keeping, in my opinion, until the recent renovation when it became much more enjoyable with bright green grass, and a new statue. The lot is now a place of joy where people of all ages meet and enjoy themselves either in cold winter or hot summer in the spraying fountain.

-This article is by Cameron Zobrist

Sources:

Personal interview & recording of Eddie Boose, local resident and employed by O’Shea’s All About Beauty

The “Lot Book” at The North House, Lewisburg, WV

White Sulphur Springs Fire Department

Tags: Artists, Greenbrier County, tinypass

Category: Blog