Visitors Nostalgia & Memories

(Archive #81: December 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010)


Date: 12/30/2010, 2:26 pm, EDT
Name: Robert J. McKelvey
Location: Cape May, N.J.
Old Neighborhood(s): Happy Valley
Schools Att'd: #24, Warner, WHS
Employers:
Message: The trackless trolleys were a big improvement over the old trolleys. The rubber tires and cushioned suspension made for a smooth ride. The older trolleys with the iron wheels transmited every bump. I remember the old ones were a nickle and the new ones were eight cents.


Date: 12/30/2010, 1:09 pm, EDT
Name: Shirley Hudson Jester
Location: Newark DE
Old Neighborhood(s): Price's Run Area
Schools Att'd: Geo Gray, Warner, PS duPont '51
Employers:
Message: I loved the transfers on the Delaware Coach Co. buses. We would get on at P.S. duPont HS, then visit Whelan's Drug Store, or Govatas, for a while, use our transfer to get home on the #5 Vandever Avenue Bus. Had to use our lunch money, but that was OK. Had an uncle who was a driver, and sometimes we were able to ride from Vandever Ave to Newport/Silview and back. What a big deal that was! Good, clean fun when we were young!!! Shirley Hudson Jester

Date: 12/30/2010, 10:03 am, EDT
Name: Delmer Nicholson
Location: Cincinnati
Old Neighborhood(s): Bellevue, Bellefonte
Schools Att'd: Mt. Pleasant, AI
Employers:
Message: Wow! What nostalgia! I just visited Harry's site about the Wilmington trolleys and enjoyed it very much. How many times I rode some of those! Especially the routes to and from Bellefonte and to the end of the #10 line to AI. I think the picture identified as "North Market Street" Turn-Around is actually located on Duncan Road in front of the Mt. Pleasant school.
Thanks, Harry, for all the memories.
Delmer

Date: 12/30/2010, 6:37 am, EDT
Name: Pat LeVan
Location: Port St. Lucie, FL
Old Neighborhood(s): 9th Ward
Schools Att'd: St. Patrick's, Ursuline
Employers: duPont
Message: Thanks, Mr. Webmaster, for guiding me to the page about the trackless trollies. What a trip down Memory Lane! I rode the #4 from Marsh Road to the duPont Building from 1953 to 1961. Also rode the #10 to Ursuline from 1949 to 1953. A neighbor of ours on Tatnall St. was a driver for the DCCO and when we were little he would let us ride in the back of his #5 Vandever Ave. bus to the end of the route in order to cool off on hot summer evenings. When I was riding the "car checks" as we called them cost eight cents each. Thanks for the memories. Pat

Date: 12/29/2010, 7:56 pm, EDT
Name: Pat (Stillwell) LeVan
Location: Port St. Lucie, FL
Old Neighborhood(s): 9th Ward
Schools Att'd: St. Patrick's, Ursuline
Employers: duPont
Message: I believe the colors of the "trackless trolleys" as my Dad called were green and a kind of creamy yellow. Anybody remember that?

Date: 12/29/2010, 5:38 pm, EDT
Name: Budo
Location: N WIlm
Old Neighborhood(s): 34th & Van Buren
Schools Att'd: PS
Employers:
Message: Al re: the trolleys. They were driven straight into the barn (the overhead wires were of course were lower in the barn) and the pole would lower as they drove it in. When they were ready to bring it out the one pole would be lowered and hooked in place then the other pole raised and it was ready to be driven back out. I can still picture the barn as it filled the width of what is now the Trolley Square shopping Center. Can't remember what color scheme the cars were.
Budo

Date: 12/28/2010, 2:04 pm, EDT
Name: Al Minne
Location: Temecula CA
Old Neighborhood(s): Lancaster Village, Sherwood Park II
Schools Att'd: Lore, Oak Grove, A.I. DuPont H.S., Conrad
Employers: F&M Scientific (Now HP Avondale), Spitz Laboratories,
Message: SAM: I used to watch in fascination. I was always interested in electrical stuff and eventually became an electrical engineer. Didn't they have some kind of turnaround system near the trolley garages that required them to bring the poles down and then back up?
SHIRLEY: Your post was OK. “Confessions” are alright as long as they are nostalgic!

Date: 12/28/2010, 1:04 pm, EDT
Name: Shirley Hudson Jester
Location: Newark DE
Old Neighborhood(s): Price's Run Area
Schools Att'd: Geo Gray, Warner, PS duPont '51
Employers:
Message: I was one of the "bad" kids who pulled the trolley wires down. After all, they were right there in front of our house on Vandever Avenue. It was fun, though! Did we get punished? You betcha!!! Shirley Hudson Jester

Date: 12/27/2010, 5:22 pm, EDT
Name: Sam jacobs
Location: Florida
Old Neighborhood(s): DuPont Street
Schools Att'd: Warner, Brown Goldey B
Employers: DuPont/Realtor
Message: Al

Now there is a memory to cherish. I would have traded my Mickey Mantle Rookie card to do that.

Do you remember cracking up every time the Electric Trolley Drivers had to get out and get those poles back on the wires? Just something that popped into my head just now.

Have a great New Year


Date: 12/26/2010, 3:07 pm, EDT
Name: Al Minne
Location: Temecula CA
Old Neighborhood(s): Lancaster Village, Sherwood Park II
Schools Att'd: Lore, Oak Grove, A.I. DuPont H.S., Conrad
Employers: F&M Scientific (Now HP Avondale), Spitz Laboratories,
Message: SAM: You are right in suggesting we get back to the intended purpose of this site. Our Webmaster has struggled with our tendency to abuse it for a long time. He created the Wilmington Blog in the hopes that it would provide a place for non-nostalgic discussions. In response we all seem to put both nostalgia and current events on both sites probably because we forget which site we are on. I know I do that. We all need to clean up our act. (Including myself) Let’s agree on a few rules. First when we get the urge to jump on the bandwagon let’s first make sure we are on the right site. If not then let’s agree to simply say “Check the Blog.” Then move to that site to express ourselves.

I remember the Wilson Line. As a very young boy I was allowed to take the helm of one of their ships, the “Bay Bell.” It was not based in Wilmington but sailed the Chesapeake out of Baltimore to the Eastern Shore at Betterton, MD. I was too short to see out the bridge windows so you know someone else had to maintain a grip on the wheel!


Date: 12/26/2010, 10:50 am, EDT
Name: Connie
Location: Wilmington Suburbs
Old Neighborhood(s): Brandywine Village
Schools Att'd: George Gray
Employers:
Message: Sam - have you ever heard of the Dan Dee Drive In? (I hope your version of the name was an 'oops.'
The Holocaust DID happen and I send food boxes to some of the survivors in the areas of the former Soviet Union through the IFCJ.


Date: 12/21/2010, 10:22 pm, EDT
Name: RALPH PRYOR
Location: TARPON SPRINGS .FL
Old Neighborhood(s): 9TH. CLAYTON
Schools Att'd: WHS VFM
Employers:
Message: I REALLY FEEL BAD OVER THE PASSING OF MY GOOD FRIEND HARRY BRAND, HE AND HIS WIFE WOULD SPEND MANY WINTERS HERE IN TARPON SPRINGS , FL HARRY AND I WOULD GET TOGEATHER FOR LUNCH AND TALK ABOUT WILMINGTON ,AND HOW IT HAS GONE DOWN HILL. TARPON SPRINGS IS A GREEK VILLAGE (ABOUT 60% GREEK ) SPONGE CAPITOL OF THE WORLD . . BUT ALSO GREAT FOOD AND GIFT SHOPS. HARRY COULD SPEND HOURS SITTING ON A BENCH WATCHING THE SPONGE BOATS AND SHRIMP BOATS COME AND GO . HE LOVE TO VACATION IN THIS AREA. I AM SO HAPPY AND PROUD TO HAVE BEEN HIS FRIEND , TO HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN , I AM DEEPLY SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS. AND HARRY I MISS YOU .GOD BLESS YOU .

Date: 12/17/2010, 5:02 pm, EDT
Name: budo
Location: N wilm
Old Neighborhood(s): 34th & Van Buren
Schools Att'd: PS
Employers:
Message: Dave-Yes that was a Woolworth that was in the Concord Mall and we wish it was still there.It was a great store and they had a variety of items that are not available in the mall.

Date: 12/17/2010, 3:53 pm, EDT
Name: DAVE CAUFFMAN
Location: HOCKESSIN
Old Neighborhood(s): 25TH&MADISON ST
Schools Att'd: BROWN
Employers:
Message: WAS THAT A WOOLWORTH'S THEY HAD IN THE CONCORD MALL ? I KNOW YOU COULD EAT THERE.

Date: 12/17/2010, 11:46 am, EDT
Name: Wayne
Location: New Castle
Old Neighborhood(s): West Side
Schools Att'd: Brown
Employers: Du Pont
Message: About Woolworth's .. I don't think that's what caused it to close (the robbery.) It was about that time that all Woolworth's that remained became Woolco stores when the Company reorganized under bankruptcy. My neighbor in Woodshade was the manager of the one in University Plaza, and it became a Woolco. That didn't last too long either. They're all gone now.

Date: 12/17/2010, 10:29 am, EDT
Name: Connie
Location: Wilmington Suburbs
Old Neighborhood(s): Brandywine Village
Schools Att'd: George Gray
Employers:
Message: Remember when all the 5 and 10 cent stores sold loose Christmas balls for 5 - 7¢ apiece? They also sold loose pencils for as low as 3 for a nickel, and you could choose the color or print on each one. :-)
In the mid 70s there was a Woolworth at the Prices Corner Shopping Center. We used to go up and have something to eat in their dining area. Then some deviant held up one of the cashiers and within a couple of weeks the store was advertising their ’going out of business’ sale. It only takes one misfit to ruin something for thousands of people. :[

Date: 12/13/2010, 5:14 pm, EDT
Name: Bill
Location: Delaware
Old Neighborhood(s): 4th & Harrison
Schools Att'd: yes, I did
Employers:
Message: Has anyone ever discussed Vince Lombardi playing for the Wilmington Clippers, maybe in the 1929-37 time period?

Date: 12/13/2010, 4:09 pm, EDT
Name: Ray Jubb
Location: Killington De.
Old Neighborhood(s): Hedgeville
Schools Att'd: WHS
Employers: City & DuPont
Message: Bruce, I don't think there are any more of the type places selling Christmas Trees of which you speak, but there are a few of the smaller places such as the the Boy's Club on S. Union Street. I to remember the
places on the corners in the City selling trees. You never needed a car to go get a tree, there were always several in the neighborhood. Ahh, the good old says.

Date: 12/13/2010, 3:50 pm, EDT
Name: Bruce
Location: Sugar Land, TX
Old Neighborhood(s): N Franklin
Schools Att'd: Sacred Heart
Employers:
Message: Jim,
I remember the "Mom & Pop" Christmas tree lots. Are there any still around? In the Houston area they are all sold at chain nurserys and grocery stores/Walmarts.

Date: 12/13/2010, 11:57 am, EDT
Name: jim rambo
Location: mexico
Old Neighborhood(s): 3rd and Connell
Schools Att'd: Bayard/ Conrad H.S.
Employers:
Message: I remember selling Christmas trees on Connell, in front of the car storage garage around 1955. My grandfather used to sell them every year at Front and Union Sts. Pop would keep stopping into the local bar to get warm and, before we knew it, we would have to go pull him out of the trees. It now seems it was an annual Yuletide "event"!

Date: 12/11/2010, 11:51 am, EDT
Name: Connie
Location: Wilmington Suburbs
Old Neighborhood(s): Brandywine Village
Schools Att'd: George Gray
Employers:
Message: "1950 Seven foot Christmas trees were being sold at the Wilmington Ball Park for $2."
Ah, for the good old days when a Christmas tree was called a "Christmas" tree.

Date: 12/9/2010, 9:47 pm, EDT
Name: RALPH PRYOR
Location: TARPON SPRINGS,FL
Old Neighborhood(s): 9TH. CLAYTON ST.
Schools Att'd: WARNER W.H.S. V.F.M.
Employers:
Message: JUBBY , I THINK I AM COUPLE YRS. OLDER THEN YOU ( 78 ) AS A TEENAGER , I REMEMBER THE CHICKADEL MURDER CASE , IT WAS HEAD LINES . HE HAD TAKEN A EXTRA JOB OPT. A TAXI CAB, TO MAKE EXTRA MONEY , FOR XMAS. GIFTS FOR HIS CHILDREN THE WEAPON USED IN HIS DEATH WAS A KNIFE.THE PEOPLE OF WILMINGTON TOOK IT REAL HARD.

Date: 12/9/2010, 8:32 am, EDT
Name: Connie
Location: Wilmington Suburbs
Old Neighborhood(s): Brandywine Village
Schools Att'd: George Gray
Employers:
Message: The one I'm talking about is Chickadel. The youngest was named Paul, I don't know the name of the oldest.

Date: 12/9/2010, 5:29 am, EDT
Name: webmaster
Location: Wilmington/Perryville
Old Neighborhood(s): Wood'n Flats, Willow Rn, Oak Hill, Rich'n Park, Longview Farms
Schools Att'd: Lore, Oak Grove, Conrad
Employers: WDG, DuPont
Message: Harry Brand passed away Dec. 5, 2010.
Harry posted many entries on the Forum over the years. This is his first one, June 17, 2003:

"If my memory serves me right the bus that went all the way up to Duncan Road was the 4-1. The #4 stopped at the bottom of Penny Hill and there was a turn around where the old Penn Fruit was located. There was a bowling alley there before Sears and Penn Fruit.

Harry Brand
Wilmington, De USA - Tuesday, June 17, 2003 at 11:30:43 (EDT)"


Date: 12/8/2010, 9:11 pm, EDT
Name: Pat LeVan
Location: Port St. Lucie, Fl
Old Neighborhood(s): 23rd and Tatnall
Schools Att'd: St. Pat'sand Ursuline
Employers: duPont
Message: Connie, I remember a family by the name of Chicaloo in the Price's Run area. Perhaps I have the name wrong, but it was something like that either Chicaloo or Chickalou. I distinctly remember the little boy.

Date: 12/8/2010, 9:38 am, EDT
Name: Connie
Location: Wilmington Suburbs
Old Neighborhood(s): Brandywine Village
Schools Att'd: George Gray
Employers:
Message: I don't know N from W - actually for some reason I thought they lived somewhere around Pine Street near Prices Run Park.

Date: 12/7/2010, 3:33 pm, EDT
Name: Connie
Location: Wilmington Suburbs
Old Neighborhood(s): Brandywine Village
Schools Att'd: George Gray
Employers:
Message: I don't know why I think this - but I think the Chickadel's lived near the North end of Price's Run Park.

Date: 12/6/2010, 4:33 pm, EDT
Name: Bob LaFazia
Web: http://bobscustomclubs.com
Location: Wilmington
Old Neighborhood(s): Union Park Gardens
Schools Att'd: Lots
Employers: Golf Club Maker over 25 yrs.
Message: Always remember my Mom writing me when I was in Germany back in early 50's that my cousin Sammy was killed while trying to make ends meet driving a cab. He was a nice human being...hope the person that did it had a terrible life, if not, hope he died a terrible death!

Date: 12/6/2010, 3:54 pm, EDT
Name: Butch Schilling
Location: Aiken, SC
Old Neighborhood(s): Brandywine Hundred, Happy Valley
Schools Att'd: Alfred I, Silverside, Mt. Pleasant
Employers: DuPont, Snow White Ice Cream
Message: May have mentioned this before, but think the murder of Morris Nolly in 1960 at Gilpin Liquors was also never solved; anyone know about this?

Date: 12/6/2010, 1:48 pm, EDT
Name: Ray Jubb
Location: Killington De.
Old Neighborhood(s): Hedgeville
Schools Att'd: WHS
Employers: City and DuPont
Message: Wayne I remember hearing about the Chickadel Murder from his son who was on the Department with me and has since retired. However, it was fourty to fifty years ago that I heard the story and I have trouble remembering what I had for breakfast let alone something from that long ago.

Date: 12/6/2010, 12:23 pm, EDT
Name: Wayne
Location: New Castle
Old Neighborhood(s): West Side
Schools Att'd: Brown
Employers:
Message: I found a little bit written about the murder. His full name was Samuel P. Chickadel,and as stated was a part time cabbie. He had been beaten and robbed and left to die in 1953. Police linked Dover roberies to his murder through fingerprints in 1957. Since it was merely a report on what your tax $ and the police are doing for you, there was no further information to be obtained from that writing. There was no reference as to who commited the crime or what happened to them. I will look for more info elsewhere.

Date: 12/6/2010, 11:51 am, EDT
Name: Wayne
Location: New Castle
Old Neighborhood(s): West Side
Schools Att'd: Brown
Employers:
Message: About the Chickadel murder, I am almost sure, but not positive that it would have been Christmas time of 1954. He was employed in some other profession, but working as a cabbie to earn extra money for Christmas as I was led to believe at the time. As far as where he lived I have no idea. To the best of my knowledge, the case has never been solved. Ray might be able to shed more light on that.

Date: 12/6/2010, 10:16 am, EDT
Name: jack degnars
Location: newcastle
Old Neighborhood(s): 2nd & ford behind greenhill dairy
Schools Att'd: lore,bayard,WHS
Employers:
Message: If I remember correctly Danny Norris wore glasses,
and he played baseball on the prison team,around
the mid fiftys.If that helps any.

Date: 12/6/2010, 10:05 am, EDT
Name: Connie
Location: Wilmington Suburbs
Old Neighborhood(s): Brandywine Village
Schools Att'd: George Gray
Employers:
Message: The Chickadel murder was between 1952 and 1956 as I was in high school at the time. We went to the teen dance to benefit the family.

Date: 12/5/2010, 11:21 pm, EDT
Name: Wayne
Location: New Castle
Old Neighborhood(s): West Side
Schools Att'd: Brown
Employers:
Message: Ray, the guy I remembered knowing as Danny Norris was rather small as men go. He would have been about 5'6 to 5'8 and maybe 140 to 150 tops, but somewhat muscular. Something like a Chuck Norris build. (funny about the name) Dark haired and almost an Italian appearance. The age would have been close to the reply which would have made him 30 ish at that time. It reminds me of an unsolved murder a few years later (again around Christmas.) Closer to the mid fifties. The part time cabbie named Chickadel. They had stated all Ferris wards were in house at the time, but I know that was not true. My cousin was incarcerated there at the time because his Mother was unable to care for him and somehow he wound up there from the time he was six years old. By the time of that murder he was about 16 or 17 and had been at our apartment that night. I guess that is why I've always remembered that particular incident. I really don't believe in their accounting of the inmates then and surely not now.

Date: 12/4/2010, 11:45 pm, EDT
Name: Ray Jubb
Location: Killington De.
Old Neighborhood(s): Hedgeville
Schools Att'd: St. Paul's & WHS
Employers: WPD and DuPont
Message: Wayne, I'm pretty sure Norris was in jail in the 50's,
I seem to remember him getting paroled sometime after I went on the Police Force and that was 1959.
The reason I think that is because I seem to remember a lot of fuss and carrying on about them
letting the Bastard out. But things are a little Fuzzy
on the subject after all these years so don't take it
as a sure thing.

Date: 12/4/2010, 9:21 pm, EDT
Name: Butch Schilling
Location: Aiken, SC
Old Neighborhood(s): Brandywine Hundred, Happy Valley
Schools Att'd: Alfred I, Silverside, Mount Pleasant
Employers: DuPont, Snow White Ice Cream
Message: I read somewhere that Norris was on a Xmas furlough from Ferris at the time and was 16, so that makes him about 80 now.

Date: 12/4/2010, 7:39 pm, EDT
Name: Wayne
Location: New Castle
Old Neighborhood(s): West Side
Schools Att'd: MCIW, Warner, Brown
Employers: Bancroft, Haveg, DuPont, CitiBank
Message: Does anyone out there have a physical description of Danny Norris, and his approx age? I knew of someone by that name around the mid to late 50's, but he wasn't in jail at that time.

Date: 12/4/2010, 10:50 am, EDT
Name: Bill
Location: Delaware
Old Neighborhood(s): 4th & Harrison
Schools Att'd: not very well
Employers:
Message: The anniversary of the murder of Thomas Conaty, the Wilmington policeman killed on Christmas Eve 1946, is coming up. Does anyone know what happened to Danny Norris, who was sentenced to life for the murder?

Date: 12/2/2010, 1:09 pm, EDT
Name: Shirley Hudson Jester
Location: Newark DE
Old Neighborhood(s): Price's Run Area
Schools Att'd: Geo Gray, Warner, PS duPont '51
Employers:
Message: Went to many Blue Rocks games at the old ballpark, and the PS/WHS games every Thanksgiving while in high school. Does anyone besides me remember when you could get into a Blue Rocks game free if you brought a bag full of ragweed? We saved burlap bags full in our basement from the vacant lot next door, just to go to the games free. Didn't know my father suffered from hay fever! Found out quick enough! Shirley Hudson Jester

Date: 12/2/2010, 12:45 pm, EDT
Name: jim rambo
Location: mexico
Old Neighborhood(s): 3rd and Connell
Schools Att'd: Bayard/ Conrad H.S.
Employers:
Message: Bob and Kitty, Your posting of the WHS/ PS game in 1950 was, in my opinion, what this site is all about. I used to watch games at the old ball park back then and it revived those memories, for sure.