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120 Washington Avenue, Downingtown, PA July 2002. Our old apartment building stills standing Our family lived here on the second floor front from 1948 to 1954. Our playground was the street out front or the railroad yard out back. |
My brother Isaac now lives in the family house in Pennsylvania. Our parents built that house in 1958. It is only a small ranch house (1,100 square feet) with one bathroom. However, it was the first house our family ever lived in. Before they built that house (for $14,000), we had always lived in second floor apartments. I remember how much I used to envy my classmates when I walked to school in Downingtown (a town of 5,000), Pennsylvania. They had a backyard to play in. Me and my brothers played in the road, down by the railroad tracks or any other place where we weren't chased from. More than once we heard "Hey! You kids get out of there!" or "Hey! What are you kids doing there!?" Thus, it was a real treat when we finally had our own house, and I had my own bedroom (being the oldest and all). Alas, it was only to be a year for me because I graduated from high school in 1959 and after a stay in the hospital for six months (a subject of another blog posting), I joined the Army. And after three years in the Army I got out and moved into my own apartment until I met Bill.
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Me (the tall one in the middle) and my brother Isaac (on the far right) at 120 Washington Avenue with our friends - 1953 Billy Smith, Pee Wee Mack and Chubby Shores (he was my buddy). Those were the days - we had the best childhood us Townies. This picture was taken in front of what is now the multi- glass windows in the top picture. |
Here are more pictures from that era, the early Fifties when the Tipton Boys were the Terror of Washington Avenue.
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Me and my brothers John and Isaac on the stoop of 120 Washington Avenue with our friends Johnny Johnson and Patty Robinson (I don't know who the little girl sitting on the steps in the far back is) - 1950 |
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My brother Isaac riding his wagon on Washington Avenue 1948 (my father obviously took this pictures because he liked to get 'cute' with his angled pictures which are just annoying now) - check out the vintage vehicles in the background - priceless. |
Ron,
ReplyDeleteInteresting, you had a friend named Billy Smith too. So there was a Billy Smith at each end of Washington Avenue, although by 1953 my Billy Smith had moved away to Coatesville. In 1948 you were riding a bike on the sidewalk, I was then wandering alone about a swamp catching tadpoles and snakes for friends.
I hate those angled photos. I've taken some, but not to be cute. It was trying to get everything in the picture.
Lar
My 'Billy Smith' (which I think was his name, I could be mistaken) was a very nice kid. I met your 'Billy Smith' but if I remember correctly he was a wisenheimer, aka "Wise Guy." I didn't like him. I've always hated those angled shots. Pop loved to take them. I never understood that fascination.
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