By Danny Crownover
Charles P. Ward, a native of Centre, was a product of the Old South by right of birth and breeding and was a shrewd businessman. He ran a successful store and invested in property that reaped profits. In addition, he opened and operated one of the most famous country hotels in Alabama, the Ward Hotel.
Ward’s family had been prominent since the early 1850s. His parents, Sam and Lavinia Ward, came from pioneer stock and played an important part in the material and cultural development of Cherokee County.
As a youth, Charles Ward became a clerk in the Gadsden store of Sibert & Banet. Ward eventually returned to Centre to establish a store with his brother Sam, the firm to be known as Ward Brothers.
Charles Ward’s hotel venture proved successful. He was always neatly dressed and always smiling. The men and women who stopped at Ward’s hotel did so because it was first class and served old fashion southern cooking. Ward always made his guests feel at home.
One of the area’s most popular dancers, Charles Ward frequently attended the military hop at the Kittrell Hotel during 1886. At the time, he was a resident of Gadsden. In the 1890s, he formed a partnership with his cousin, Charles S. Ward, of Gadsden, and the duo conducted a local grocery store for some time.
Charles P. Ward’s brother, Will W. Ward, was one of the pioneers of Centre and owned the old Ward plantation on the Coosa River. Charles P. Ward’s son, Charles P. Ward, Jr., was mayor of Centre.
Contact The Vagabond at dkcrown@bellsouth.net.