What was it like in July in the 1940’s or 1950’s??
My earliest memories are of picnics at Lucy Crotty’s Cottage (former schoolhouse) in North East. This is now the home of Lucy’s niece, Judy Hart Coughlin and her husband Mike. I remember the cherry tree, the porch and I recall a big open area in the house.
I remember later years with picnics at Turnwald. There was always a constant theme to the food. My mother would make her baked beans, Julia would make potato salad and Anna brought the Planters Peanuts in the shell. Plenty of beer and Ox Roast and of course pop for us kids.
Other fond memories are of taking Nolan’s ferry to the peninsula to swim, and also going to Chestnut Street Pool to swim. Julia and Harry’s house was our ‘home base’ for these excursions.
I seem to recall that the stores in downtown Erie were closed on Wednesday afternoons.
Each July, my parents and I would hop in the ole family jalopy and head east to Avoca, Pa. To visit my grandparents, the Jacksons. It was a trip I looked forward to every year.
Johnny and Norma would have family picnics at the house on Charlotte Street. Norma always made sure us kids had plenty of treats.
Conneaut Lake Park……..nickel day……..spaghetti dinners aftewards. I also remember the trip we took with the Callahans and Anna to Niagara Falls. David and Bumpy and I had a good time buying souvenirs and enjoying a picnic lunch that our Moms had made.
I guess the most significant memories of summers past were just the families getting together…
CROTTY 15 - Click below for slide show
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4 comments:
Tommy, Pat, Harry and I used to play in the large cherry orchard next to Lucy's. We also played a lot in the barn across the road.
We always called Turnwald 'Turner's Farm'. Again, Tommy, Pat, Harry and I played down along the creek, and along the unused pine-tree road by the parking area.
At our house, downtown Erie was always called 'uptown'. I remember one hot summer evening in 1956. Tommy and I took our bikes up to the Record Bar at 12th and State St. We spent a lot of time that Friday evening looking at the records trying to decide which one we would buy. We also listened to a lot of them as they had record players there for that purpose. We decided just before closing time (9 PM) to spend our 98 cents on the Elvis record Hound Dog. The flip side was Don't be Cruel. It was like getting two records for the price of one! I remember coming down Parade Street as we rushed home on our bikes. We went into the house and played it. It was great!
Tom says: Two recollections of picnics we had at Lucy's in North East: There was one time when a police officer relative (thinks state police)had his service revolver and he was shooting at a rope tied high in one of the trees. "I remember him letting some of us shoot the gun while he was helping to hold it too", says Tom. That always seemed like a pretty awesome experience, and I highly doubt that anyone would do that today. Second recollection: Always really looked forward to playing cowboys and indians there, and being able to play in the barn across the road. The people who owned the barn were kind enough to let us enjoy it. Third recollection: I lied! I can still picture, in my mind, some of the adults that were at the picnic. I really didn't know who they were, and they didn't seem especially friendly. Oh Well!!!
Judy said...
The schoolohouse was built in 1898 and closed in 1946 or l947 and Lucy bought it that fall and it took 2 years to remodel it to what you knew. She designed the whole thing. No one lived here full time until we moved in in 1998. Through the years we have added a pool, and a garage/bath addition with a loft above. The main part of the building is exactly as it was when she finished other than paint, etc.
We just love it as our home.
Take care,
Judy
Dede said...
we always called it turners farm too. what a nice place it was....
i also just remembered rusty rusterholtz and his calliope thing out there when i was about 5. i heard the music and ran to see what it was. i tripped over an exposed tree root and fell on a broken bottle and cut my knee open. a nurse (ruthie daily, maybe) looked at it and told my parents i needed stitches. they bundled me up and took me to st. vincents. i don't remember them putting any numby stuff on it and i screamed bloody murder. my father had to hold me down. i still have the scar....'bout an inch to inch and a quarter long. gosh...i had forgotten that!!
do you remember the 'fire truck(?)' rides that they had thru the lane of pine trees near the entrance??
do you remember the families chipping in to buy a keg of beer for the picnics? do you remember what your mom brought to these picnics?
also remember going down to the creek and roaming thru the woods...........
i also remember a picture your dad took of kevin out there looking at a soap bubble that somebody had blown. he was about 2 and 1/2.
da da callahan fell off the swings out there (i think) and broke his collarbone....gotta ask mary ann about that.
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