The Saint Elmo Hotel was a relic of a bygone era when I was a little boy in the 1940s. The Ground floor housed the Western Auto Store on the left, and Pop Brantners pool hall and bar in the center. Adjacent to the pool hall was a small room with a separate entrance for Lavonne Watsons barber shop. The Southeast corner served as an office where we paid the city water bill, and at one time it was also the Greyhound Bus stop. Still, the second and third floors were abandoned and I was told that they were condemned.

About 1948 we were told by two older girls, that someone had boosted them up to catch the fire escape and that they had entered the old mysterious hotel through a second floor window. They reported that the place was full of antiques and interesting things. We, of course, decided that we too, had to get in to satisfy our curiosity. So, in broad daylight, we got someone to boost us up to catch the fire escape, then we climbed the fire escape ladder up the brick wall and entered an open window to explore the innards of the Saint Elmo.

True as reported, the two upper floors seemed to be relatively intact since it had been closed many years before. Each room had an iron bed with metal springs and mattress, a dresser, chair, wash basin and water pitcher. There seemed to be no bathrooms or toilets. Each room was served, apparently, with a thunder mug.

As kids will do, we were not discrete in our explorations... running up the stairs to the third floor, etc. Of course, they heard our footsteps down in the pool hall, and before long we could hear someone coming up the stairs to catch us. I don't remember where the other boys hid, but I hid under a bed. I distinctly remember someone coming into the room with heavy boots on, but they did not look under the bed. I was praying that I could make my escape as I was sure that no explanation of this activity would be acceptable to our parents.

Whoever it was that was looking for us must have decided that the reported activity of trespassers upstairs must have been the result of too much beer... or that we had fled. We stayed hidden for some time. Then when we felt that the coast was clear we made our way back down the fire escape and walked home... all the way thanking our lucky stars that we had not been caught. Now, we too, could tell our friends of the wondrous and intriguing things to be found in the Saint Elmo.

To this day, I think that the upper two floors would be a great place to stage a "haunted house" Halloween party.