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Grist for the MillA bimonthly Publication of the Freeport Area Historical Society - June/July, 2007 |
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MEETINGS MEMORIES Grist: You have lots of memories of Freeport, can you share some with us? Marian: Some are my memories, and some are my Dad's. He and mother moved to Freeport when they were first married, in about 1911. He remembered going to see a play at the Seitz Building, then an opera house. One of the actresses came out with cotton stockings that had a big hole in the front that was darned. The actress said, “Oh, Gwendolyn, I am in know a sent.” (innocent, but mispronounced). This struck him as being so funny. We later lived in the Seitz Building. Another memory of his happened in a house on Market Street, two houses down from Second Street. My mother's 8-year old brother was visiting them and had to get up in the middle of the night to visit the bathroom. He went into my parents' bedroom and woke Dad up saying, “Nick, Nick, tell me I'm not seeing what I think I'm seeing!” Dad got up to see what had him so perturbed. Out the back window he discovered a circus train had stopped on the tracks and some wild animals in cages were in the backyard. Grist: What do you remember about businesses in town? Marian: There was McKees Print Shop – there was a miniature of a steamboat in their window, it looked a lot like Noah's Ark and fascinated me as a child. On Market St. there was Kincaide's Drugstore, Dr. Roger's office, next to Shoop's. Of course the post office was on the other side of the street. There was Mohr's Restaurant where the library is now and underneath that was a hardware store. The entrance was on 5 th Street close to the railroad. We would get fireworks there for the 4 th of July. Despite it being the depression, there were so many stores in town. There was Zahnizer's feed store, Girardi's, Crestani's Meat Market, Trettle's, Fuhrman's mens' store, Ralston's, Thompson's Drug Store, Gillespie's; Rowley's had a small store. Mr. Rowley sat out in front of that store. There was Burford's 5 & 10, Seislinger's Market (after repeal it became a bar, in about l932 or 1933), Williams and Kaul, I think was an electrical store. There was a beauty shop where Toy's barbershop later was and I got my 1 st permanent wave there. One time it was Earl McGraw's store. The library started out underneath the bank that is still in town; you went down steps into the basement. Mary Brenneman was the librarian and she always walked her dog with a real long rope on it. There was Brenneman's store; Brownie Haines had a restaurant that later became Ma Kamer's restaurant. Jessie Nixon had a candy/magazine shop beside the train station. Next to the bank there was a little shoe store owned by Charlie Benewitz; I can remember getting blue wedgies there when I was in high school. Two men had a tobacco store in the vicinity of Dr. Hotham's office when it was on 5 th Street. They were gay and that was pretty well frowned on in those days. Later there was a dress shop in that same property, run or owned by a Mrs. Landell. I'm not sure of the spelling. Grist: Was Saturday night a big night in town? Marian: Oh, yes, the farm people would come in and there would be people all over the streets. Daddy would take me up and I'd get a sundae at Thompson's. We'd have a wonderful time, he loved to talk with people and he'd be out on the street talking until I thought my little legs would fall off. Grist: Did you have a best friend as a child? Marian: Yes – Mary Margaret Easley; her aunt and uncle were the Steislingers who ran the meat shop that became a bar after Prohibition. Her great-grandmother was a Civil War widow and she lived up on the 2 nd floor near Steislingers. We went to visit her and she was having her supper at 3 in the afternoon; she invited us to stay and eat with her. She got some ridiculous amount of money to live on – something like $8.00 a month. She was having baked beans, bacon and bread and butter. So we had “dinner” with her. Grist: What do you remember about fun things? Marian: There was a park at the riverbank down off of 5 th Street; it was like a beach at the ocean. People would go down and lay out blankets and the place would be full of people swimming (among sewage!) There was a carnival each year that every kid looked forward to – it was the highlight of the year. They had a Ferris wheel and carousel. One time I ate 4 or 5 hot dogs at the carnival during the evening and my mother was sure I was going to die! On Sundays we took a really long walk – we didn't have a car. Momma and I stopped a couple times at a hot dog shop that was on Water Street (Riverside Drive), down near the bridge. I remember going to the Wiseman Theater – 10 cents for children, 25 for adults. There would be two shows a night for two nights in a row, then something else would start to play. Once there was a stage show and to attract patrons there was a live steer in a pen in front of the theater. Another time a youngster named “Baby Rosemarie” did a tap dance. On the side of Wiseman Theater, there was a hot dog shop and you could buy one and take it into the theater. Grist: You are living in a house formerly owned by Dr. Hotham. Marian: Yes, I've been told my den was where his office had been; there is a side door going out of it. I've heard that he did some operations in an upstairs room, tonsil removal, etc. There were other doctors in town, Drs. Rogers, McCafferty, McLaughlin. One story I heard about Dr. Rogers was that he had read up on psittacosis, which is parrot fever. Elaine Shields, up on Buffalo Street, got it (and rumor had it her mother also was afflicted with it) and he was able to diagnose it correctly. He became somewhat famous for this because it was so rare. One time mother decided that my sister and I needed shots for something. Of course there were no disposable syringes then. Dr. McCafferty was the doctor and his needle wasn't very sharp. I can remember him sharpening it with something that I now think was emery paper! Grist: You attended school in the building next to your home here on Fourth Street. Do you have any particular memories from those days? Marian: I was late a couple times and had to go and sit in the office with Marie Hilliard – she was the office girl. This was a type of detention; you had to go in early. She helped me learn how to tell time. The school ended at the gymnasium in those days. Some teachers then were Miss Seitz, Miss Hill, Mrs. James. I believe Mr. Reisgin was the principal. Grist: Did you always live at the Seitz Apartments? Marian: We moved from there in about 1934 or 1935 to what is now the Redmond Funeral Home. It was divided down the middle and Claypools lived in the other half. In the late 1930s Daddy was out of work for 3 years. My mother and I lived with her family out in Cambria Co. for my last two years of High School. My class here at Freeport has always been kind enough to include me in their reunions. Grist: One more question – tell us about your family. Marian: I met and married Bob in Cambria Co. and we later moved to Freeport. Bob worked at Penn Builders Supply Co., he was in charge of the block plant there. My mother died in 1953 and my Dad in 1971. My husband died in 1987. Bob and I had 3 boys, the oldest is now deceased. Editor's Note: We sat in Marian's kitchen to talk. This room has an old fashioned look to it and is quite charming, as is Marian. We thank her for the time she spent with Grist. When you see her next time, ask if she still likes hot dogs! TIDBITS IN TIME APRIL MEETING ANOTHER BUILDING RENAISSANCE DONATION MASSY HARBISON SIGN HOW FAST IS YOUR GRASS GROWING ? |
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