Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Before there were so many car washes in town, there were as many drive -ins along Bridge Street too. But no one could beat Mrs. Carver’s! Mrs. Carver’s had the best chili dogs in town. She was located where Inner Banks bicycles is located and her home was located next door where Backwater Jacks is now standing.

Then along came Hardee’s! It began in Rocky Mount and quickly spread to Greenville then to Washington. Hardee’s had low prices and chargrilled burgers and was located at the original U Haul area. Complete with a circle drive and we used to patrol that circle drive with our cars. It was nothing to see Tommy Langley and Lee Drake (Burger) ride by Hardee’s on Highway 17 in Tommy’s car.

Burger King was next. It started at the original location and never moved. They started with the Burger King burger, and it was smothered in onions and charbroiled and we had French fries along with it.

Along came McDonald’s which bought out Hardee’s. It remained in the same place for a while, but it moved before too long. The restaurant stayed open long enough and has been constant in the fast-food business.

Then across the bridge on the right-hand side was The Little Mint. Its main menu was much the same as Hardee’s, McDonald’s and Burger King’s. The fact that it was located on the river edge was crazy enough!

They never replaced Charlie Bells, Miss Carver’s or Radio View Grill. They came and they went but none of them could stay long enough to replace the big three!

They were the best of times with the best of friends in the best of places…The Original Washington!

Harold Jr.