Recently we went to Erie and stopped in Olean on our way. Jim drove by Nanny and Weenie's house for me at 206 Tompkins Street. This is what it looks like today:
Looks pretty much the same. The fence wasn't there in those days but otherwise nearly the same as I remember. I expect I'm not the only one of us that has fond memories of this place, but the very first thing that comes to my mind when I think of it is the stale smoke smell. And even though the words "stale smoke smell" generally do not make me smile, somehow that olfactory memory is a fond one. The other general impression I remember is one of darkness or muted light. I don't remember lots of sunlight streaming in and the furniture was dark wood with that richly colored Oriental carpet softening the patter of little feet.
A little bit of research indicates that house was built around 1930 which means it was fairly new in house years while we were visitors. It didn't have a "new" feel to me. It is still rental property today. I can't help but wonder why Nanny and Weenie rented all those years.
Nanny and Grampie's house on Haskell Street in Gloucester looked like this in recent years:
It has changed hands several times since Nanny and Grampie lived there. It also changed its number: from 34 to 24. My memories of this place are hazier--we didn't visit often but it seemed relatively big to me and more open that the Olean house. Records seem to indicate it was built around 1900 so it had lived a pretty significant life before we descended upon it. Nanny and Grampie did not live on Haskell Street in the 1930 census but did so in the 1940 census. At that time, they reported they lived in the same house 5 years earlier. These records also state they owned the house, worth $3500 in 1940. Anyhow, every time we go to Gloucester we drive by it and I smile at the memories.
Judy shared the news of her impending move after many years on Alice Street. Since it is the home the boys grew up in, I'm sure there will be many memories encased within those walls. That house will hold those memories always just as the Olean and Gloucester houses did for our parents and for us. In that regard, I'm not sure the song lyrics have it quite right. "A house is not a home" is 100% true but can you deny the faint smiles you generate when you see these pictures? If the walls could speak........
Good luck to Judy, Patrick and the boys. Empty nest feelings might be somewhat softened by your new surroundings. I hope so.
1 comment:
I loved our turns at Nanny and Weenie's house in Olean! I actually never knew that they rented. I hadn't thought of the stale smoke smell until you mentioned it. That was a very real thing, for sure. Do you remember both Mom and Dad, and Nanny and Weenie had bowls of vinegar set out in hopes of absorbing any offending smells? I really wonder if that does any good at all. I'm very grateful that my house doesn't have that smoke smell.
My most vivid memories of the Tompkins Street house was the dining room... SHOCKING! No, really. We used to empty Weenie's "shift gear chair" of it's loose change and we would set the money aside to go shopping the next day. We would put it in cups on the window sill in the dining room. I loved that there was a swinging door to the kitchen. We didn't have one of those on Dennison Road. It would swing, or if you pushed it far enough, it would stay open. I was facinated by that. Perhaps my early interest in design?
I remember the windows being high up off the floor. I couldn't see out of them just standing there. I had to get up on a chair, or on the couch to see out. Maybe that is why it was darker.
I also loved the little porch off the kitchen. I don't see it in that picture, but there was a tiny little porch off the kitchen that we would blow bubbles off of. Nanny would make a mix of dish soap and water, and give us a wooden spool and we could blow bubbles! I loved doing that.
There are many more memories of that house for me, but I guess I've rattled on long enough. I don't have many memories of the Haskell St. house. Again, I remember the dining room. Oh, this is ridiculous! All my memories are related to food! I remember the big stained glass light over the table. I remember a pantry. We never had one of those in Silver Creek either. Nanny would put the pies to cool in the pantry. The kitchen was bright and bigger that Nanny and Weenie's kitchen. And they had a good size back yard to play in.
Thanks for bringing those long lost memories to the front of my mind!
Best wishes in your new home, Judy and Pat! Time to make some new memories!
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