For nearly half of a century, Gene Compton was linked directly to one business. It was a family business, and business was generally good.

 

The business was Compton Lanes situated on the outskirts of Clarksburg and at the foot of old Bridgeport Hill, roughly a five-minute drive from the City of Bridgeport. Gene Compton worked there for 48 of his 76 years on this earth.

 

He was there until May of 2012. It was a month after his family sold the business to a family friend, the late Jim Smith of Bridgeport, in April of that same year.

 

Gene Compton, despite leaving the business more than eight years ago, was still intimately linked to Compton Lanes, if for no other reason the name. But, as this story will show, it was more than that.

 

Earlier this month, the Compton Lanes Facebook page announced it had closed. It was, unfortunately, a victim of COVID-19. Despite the circumstances, it rocked Gene Compton.

 

“It brought tears to my eyes and still does thinking about it,” said Compton. “I sat back in a lounge chair and started thinking about the good times and the people and the employees. We had so many good people come through those doors and we had so many good employees; many that did great things. We had a couple of employees that ended up becoming multi-millionaires.”

 

Having multi-millionaire employees coming out of an employment pool for a bowling alley probably was not in the thought process when Compton Lanes opened its doors in the 1960s. How it opened its doors is a unique story as well.

 

Gene Compton said as a child, his family traveled a lot for business as his dad Otha was in the coal business and then an insurance agency. He said it was in those early years of his father noticed businesses were closing in the big cities as closed storefronts and deteriorating buildings were become more commonplace.

 

“What he noticed was the trend of businesses moving outside of city limits, which at this time was prior to the existence of malls and shopping centers,” said Compton. “That led him to purchase the land in Despard, thinking some local businesses might want to come to a place where there would be adequate parking and land to build new buildings. He had foresight to see what was coming.”

 

His father’s plan, he said, was no secret. He said the City of Clarksburg, which still had a booming downtown at the time, was not pleased.

 

“The city fought him on it,” said Compton. “The plan didn’t happen, but I remember some of the businesses considering coming out there ended up shutting down within 10 years. Maybe they would have lasted out there. Who knows?”

 

With the land’s use in question, Otha “Junior” Compton was approached by a man named Jack Reeves. Gene Compton said Reeves was a big-time local bowler who suggested the land be used for a bowling alley.

 

“My dad checked into it, and we decided to do it,” said Compton. “Ironically, my dad never played sports. He was a farmer from Grafton who worked on the farm and when school was over you worked. He sure did love sports and was an outdoorsman.”

 

The arrival of Compton Lanes was the second bowling alley in the area. Jewel City Lanes was on the other side of town (where Village Square Conference Center is located today). Compton said the presence of so much industry made it feasible.

 

“You had so much industry and so many people wanting to bowl; I bowled there,” said Compton. “There was so much league play that people couldn’t get in, so we had a crowd pretty much immediately.”

 

The business opened quietly in September of 1961. The grand opening was in October of 1961 and Gene Compton, then a senior at Bridgeport High School, was able to get the school’s majorettes to show up and help on the grand opening as hostesses.

 

“We were jam packed, and it was a great opening day with one problem that sure is funny looking back,” said Compton.

 

When the first ball was thrown, there was a bang. When the next few balls were thrown, the bangs continued. The only thing that did not happen was that the balls did not return. The reason?

 

“The carpenters forgot to saw the boards off where the balls were coming back so we fixed it quickly,” said Compton with a chuckle. “After that, things went smoothly.”

 

Things went smoothly for decades. In fact, Compton said their business and Jewel City prospered. Otha Compton expanded from 16 lanes to 24 lanes to allow the casual, non-league bowlers a chance to participate and have some fun.

 

“We had a lot of factories and where you found factories at the time, you fond bowling centers. We even had daytime leagues and double shifts on the evenings,” said Compton. “Our lanes and Jewel City’s were both filled.”

 

Eventually, there was a lull. And the lull ended up hurting both businesses.

 

“Things started slowing down when the glass factories moved out. Jewel City decided they wanted out, and we were left,” said Compton. “We worked hard at it to keep it going, and we were able to do that.”

 

Gene Compton worked hard at it from day one. Back in his high school days he would occasionally be there until 4 a.m. The exceptions from work came when BHS basketball would begin and only a weekend or evening shift came into play.

 

The family survived the closing of all the factories in the area. By 1987, Otha Compton, who is alive and “alert” according to his son, retired as proprietor, president, and treasurer. Otha’s wife Betty, who was secretary, stayed aboard and remained with Compton Lanes until the family sold out. From 1987 until 2012, Gene Compton, who had been vice president in the 70s, took over his father’s positions.

 

Everything worked. And while they had plenty of help, they had plenty of family working there too.

 

“All my kids and my wife worked there at times. They helped out at the snack bar as well,” said Compton. “She was a youth league instructor and we found ways to get a lot of people to the lanes.”

 

And they came. The bowlers were still going strong in 2012 when Compton decided it was time to sell. It did not have to do with any failings of the business, but rather the concerns with upgrading what was already in place.

 

“When we decided to sell, there were improvements that needed to be addressed. I didn’t have the capital to address them, but mainly at my age and with my health issues, I was not willing to go into debt to make the improvements,” said Compton. “They weren’t things that could be visibly seen but were vital to maintain a top-notch product for our bowlers.”

 

That led to the sale. However, Gene Compton’s son Jonathan stayed aboard after the sell of the business to Smith, who was an early worker at the facility. Gene said Jonathan had a complete knowledge of the industry and stayed until roughly two and a half years ago.

 

“We were successful because we were family oriented and our customers were like family … It was just an amazing atmosphere,” said Compton. “Up until COVID, I would see and hear from the bowlers regularly, some would even ask me to come back. I know they loves us, and we loved them. Sure, we had problems, but I wouldn’t trade my experience at Compton Lanes for anything.”

 

Gene Compton thinks there is a future for bowling in a post COVID-19 era. He said it will take someone with tenacity and the ability to fill leagues with people of all ages. He said leagues are the “bread and butter” of any bowling business.

 

“I would love to see it reopen. I’d go back, even though I said after we sold I wouldn’t go back, but did on occasion,” said Compton. “I usually went in to see my son or visit with Jim, but I missed it. It’s still tough to know it is closed, but it sure made for a lot of good memories for our family. I think we made good memories for other families too.”

 

Editor's Note: Top photo, from left, shows Otha Compton, Jr., Gene "Jocko" Shiplett, Tom Harris, Ralph Shiplett and Robert "Bob" Mitchell at the snack bar.