Visitors Nostalgia & Memories

(Archive #82: January 1, 2011 to January 31, 2011)

Date: 1/26/2011, 12:36 pm, EDT
Name: Robert McKelvey
Location: Cape May, N.J.
Old Neighborhood(s): Happy Valley
Schools Att'd: 24 school, Warner, WHS
Employers:
Message: I remember Tenth Street park and the childrens pool and also the pavilion with the large sandbox that sat next to resevior. Winter we would learn to ice skate on the frozen pool. Ice skating on the Brandywine, Twin Lakes and 40th and Washington street. Much fun!

Date: 1/22/2011, 12:48 pm, EDT
Name: jim rambo
Location: mexico
Old Neighborhood(s): 3rd and Connell
Schools Att'd: Bayard/ Conrad H.S.
Employers:
Message: For Jim, looking for info regarding Gilbert Nichols. I believe he is the same Gilbert Nichols who was married to my Aunt Edith. I know he served on an airplane in WW II. He was a plumber and lived with his family in the 1300 block of West Fifth Street in Wilmington. Known as "Gibby". Had a son, Gilbert, who recently retired from the National Guard...taught dancing with his wonderful wife, Diane. The father was murdered in Wilmington (imagine that!) many years ago. Murderer was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Gibby had been a great plumber but was out of work, divorced from my aunt, and down on his luck. His son, Gilbert (Buddy) now lives in Newark, I believe.
Date: 1/21/2011, 3:32 pm, EDT
Name: BOB
Location: WINDERMERE
Old Neighborhood(s): CONCORD AVE.
Schools Att'd: #30,WARNER,P.S. UD
Employers: AMOCO,HERCULES
Message: TO JIM WHO WAS LOOKING FOR THE RADIO OPERATOR ON A B-17. IF YOU KNOW THE AIR FORCE UNIT(8TH AF,SUCH AND SUCH BOMB GROUP) YOU MAY BE ABLE TO FIND A WEBSITE LISTING NAMES ETC. I'VE BEEN FASCINATED WITH THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THOSE CREWS AND WHAT THEY ENDURED ON THE MISSIONS.
Date: 1/20/2011, 9:32 pm, EDT
Name: jim
Location: newark
Old Neighborhood(s): limestone gardens
Schools Att'd: Sanford
Employers:
Message: Looking for information on Gilbert Steven Nichols who served aboard a b17 as a radio operator.
Date: 1/20/2011, 12:42 am, EDT
Name: Bill
Location: Delaware
Old Neighborhood(s): 4th & Harrison
Schools Att'd: yes
Employers:
Message: From the obituary [in the Sunday Star] of Harry McDowell, who died in 1929: "In the olden days, when Wawaset Park was popular as a track for harness racers, Mr. McDowell used to take over General [T. Coleman] du Pont’s champions, “Little Lady” and “Rejected Stone,” which took part in the matinees every Saturday."
Date: 1/19/2011, 2:18 pm, EDT
Name: bill rogers
Location: belmont pa
Old Neighborhood(s): madison st
Schools Att'd: St Peters whs
Employers:
Message: I was raised at 714 Madison St Im 87 and I remember the farmers very well.They put us on their horses and we rode them to the stable at 7th and VanBuren Wonderful times
Date: 1/19/2011, 12:16 pm, EDT
Name: Ray Jubb
Location: Killington De.
Old Neighborhood(s): Hedgeville
Schools Att'd: St. Paul's and WHS
Employers:
Message: Sam, I remember the Market but don't have any pictures. I lived at Read and Jackson Streets and used to have to follow along behind my Mother pulling a wagon to load the produce in going up Madison Street. I can still remember the smell of the bakery shops and fish markets, hated the smellof the fish markets.
Date: 1/18/2011, 6:55 pm, EDT
Name: Richard Stat
Location: Wilmington
Old Neighborhood(s): Ninth and Monroe (father)
Schools Att'd: Wilmington High School
Employers:
Message: My Dad remembers the Madison Street [not King Street] farmers market, running up to Ninth Street. I believe the market may have existed at least between the 1920's and 1940's, and maybe earlier or later. Does anyone have a photograph of this market? Others have posted that farmers' trucks would line up on the west side of this narrow street.

Thanks!

Date: 1/17/2011, 10:17 am, EDT
Name: Connie
Location: Wilmington Suburbs
Old Neighborhood(s): Brandywine Village
Schools Att'd: George Gray
Employers:
Message: Remember someone mentioning a park at Wawaset Park on this site. This is on This Day in DE history - "1872 Schuetzen Park (present site of Wawaset Park) in Wilmington offered stabling for 40 horses for those who wanted to sleigh ride around the track."
Date: 1/16/2011, 4:22 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: SHARONRAE: You are correct, it was Father Burns. Don't know what me me think father "Frank".
RAY: No judgement intented. Just telling a story which at the time was well known. However I do agree with Connie.
Date: 1/15/2011, 10:55 pm, EDT
Name: SharonRae Faulkner
Location: De Beach
Old Neighborhood(s): Brwntown/canby pk/boxwood
Schools Att'd: St E's/ WHS
Employers:
Message: Jim Rambo
Was that Fr Burns (Francis Burns)? He became the High School Principal. He left the priesthood around 1969 and married his secretary I think.
Date: 1/15/2011, 9:26 pm, EDT
Name: Al Minne
Location: Temecul 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: Father Frank and yes he married either his secretary of the rectory housekeeper as I remember. He once removed me and my dancing partner physically from the dance for dancing too close. She was 4' 8" and I was 6' 2" which made it ackward to dance close. I quess he saw it as dirty dancing. Niether she or I had a drivers license so we we're stuck (unsupervised) on the steps till our parents came.
Date: 1/15/2011, 3:30 pm, EDT
Name: jim rambo
Location: mexico
Old Neighborhood(s): 3rd and Connell
Schools Att'd: Bayard/ Conrad H.S.
Employers:
Message: And who was the priest at the St. Elizabeth's dances who walked around with a ruler, placing it between dancing couples? Wasn't he the one who later married a very young girl??
Date: 1/15/2011, 12:56 pm, EDT
Name: Pat LeVan
Location: Port St. Lucie, FL
Old Neighborhood(s): 9th Ward
Schools Att'd: St. Patrick's, Ursuline, Goldey-Beacom
Employers: DuPont
Message: Ray, I did go to lots of CYO dances -- St. Pat's, COK, St. Paul's (after we graduated from highschool, they had a group of singles called "The Lucian's"}. Also, I think St. Anthony's had some CYO dances. Every year, there was a big CYO dance at the Gold Ball Room. I was chairman one year. Tucker Mulrooney was head of the CYO for all of Wilmington. I saw in the Wilmington obits where he died not too long ago. He was a wonderful man. I believe the offices were in the same place as the Catholic Welfare Guild around Shipley St. Then they moved to a beautiful old home on Baynard Blve. That all seems a million years ago.

You are right, Ray, from what I hear and read, Wilmington is no place to go walking at night. We were lucky to have grown up when we did.

Date: 1/15/2011, 11:13 am, EDT
Name: Ray Jubb
Location: Killington De.
Old Neighborhood(s): Hedgeville
Schools Att'd: St. Paul's & WHS
Employers: WPD & DuPont
Message: As you well know Pat that if you attempted to walk those area's of Killington these days we would be reading about you on a certain page in the NJ rag.
Did you ever attend any of the CYO dances? I remember and went to all the dances you mentioned,
they were great times, we don't know how lucky we were to have come up in that time, we never had to worry about where we walked or at what time of the day or night we walked it. Day's gone forever!
Date: 1/15/2011, 8:05 am, EDT
Name: Pat (Stillwell) LeVan
Location: Port St. Lucie, FL
Old Neighborhood(s): 9th Ward
Schools Att'd: St. Patrick's, Ursuline, Goldey-Beacom
Employers: duPont
Message: Bob D, I certainly do remember the Sallies Friday night dances at 8th and West. I went from 1949 to 1953. I remember the priests at the time - Father Dougherty, Father O'Neill, Father Kelley and, of course, Father Lawless. As I remember, the Sallies students provided the music with live bands. Maybe also records. It was always a fun night. Also, we went to St. Elizabeth's on Sat. night and Sacred Heart on Sunday night. Sometimes, we took the bus (no kids had cars in those days). Most times, we walked. We even took shortcuts through the Brandywine. As Archie Bunker would say: "Those were the days". A lot more innocent time and a lot more fun!
Date: 1/14/2011, 12:02 pm, EDT
Name: Bob D.
Location: Pa.
Old Neighborhood(s): Richardson Park
Schools Att'd: St Matthews; Sallies
Employers:
Message: How many left who remember the weekly dances at sallies in the '56 '57 era?
Fr Daugherty, Fr Kenny, etc.
Most fun girls? Fun in the ok way.
I remember every Friday night (Sat. when there was a ballgame on Fri). I am talking the old Salies at 8th and West.
I would love to have conv. with folks from that time.
Date: 1/8/2011, 7:17 am, EDT
Name: Robert J. McKelvey
Location: Cape May, N.J.
Old Neighborhood(s): Happy Valley
Schools Att'd: #24, Warner, WHS
Employers:
Message: There is a picture on Delaware Online of a foot path next to the race being cleared of snow. Never saw a plow any where near my neighborhood clearing a street of snow during the '30's or '40's and winter of '51. Did see a few cinder trucks doing hills.
Date: 1/6/2011, 8:54 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: SCOTT: I have a recent memory of seeing a picture of Goldenberg's building with the plane on the roof. I thought it was on OldWilmington.net or in Harry's book "Wilmington Picturing Change" but I can't find it. Funny though, while searching I found one of your old Posts in 2003 mentioning Goldenberg's and the plane. http://www.oldwilmington.net/nostalgia_archi...
Date: 1/6/2011, 4:01 pm, EDT
Name: Connie
Location: w
Old Neighborhood(s): Brandywine Village
Schools Att'd: George Gray
Employers:
Message: Was that Goldenbergs across the street from the Dan Dee?
Date: 1/5/2011, 3:11 pm, EDT
Name: Scott
Location: De
Old Neighborhood(s): Northeast Wilm
Schools Att'd: George Gray, Warner, PS DuPont
Employers: IBM
Message: I remember Goldenberg's with the airplane on the roof on the Governor Printz highway.
Date: 1/3/2011, 7:42 pm, EDT
Name: Pat LeVan
Location: Port St. Lucie, FL
Old Neighborhood(s): 9th Ward
Schools Att'd: St. Pat's, Ursuline
Employers: duPont
Message: Dave, you described those tokens or "car checks" exactly as I remembered them. I couldn't remember what was in the middle, but I do believe it was a "W" - probably for Wilmington. They were eight cents in the 40's and early 50's.
Date: 1/3/2011, 4:08 pm, EDT
Name: DAVE CAUFFMAN
Location: HOCKESSIN
Old Neighborhood(s): 25 TH & MADISON
Schools Att'd: BROWN
Employers:
Message: I WENT TO BROWN 51 TO 54 AT THAT TIME I THINK WE ONLY USED TOKENS ,WE COULD GET THEM AT THE OFFICE EVERY FRIDAY FOR THE NEXT WEEK AND ONLY FOR THE DAYS OF SCHOOL WE HAD. BUT BACK THEN WE DID NOT GET A BUNCH OF DAYS OFF THE WAY THEY DO TODAY, AND WHEN WE WERE OUT CO OP WE COULD NOT GET THEM AT ALL. I THINK THEY WERE ABOUT THE SIZE OF A DIME WITH A W CUT INTO THEM.
Date: 1/3/2011, 2:38 pm, EDT
Name: Wayne
Location: New Castle
Old Neighborhood(s): West Side
Schools Att'd: Brown
Employers: Du Pont
Message: If memory serves me right the regular bus fare (without tokens or tickets) was 15 cents at the time. You could get the tickets either by purchasing a book or buying one from a friend, for 8 cents and the tokens were a dime. I couldn't afford to ride the bus all the time so I walked from Thirteenth and Market to second and Rodney. If the weather was real bad I would scrounge up 8 cents and buy a ticket from another student who could afford to buy the books. If you didn't get the first bus at 3:12, the bus would be so packed with students from P.S. that someone would get on, and go to the back, and step on the tread for the back door. This would open the back door alowing others to get on free by accessing the bus through that door. I'm sure the driver's knew what was going on, but it happend so infrequently that it was overlooked.
Date: 1/2/2011, 1:38 pm, EDT
Name: Wayne
Location: New Castle
Old Neighborhood(s): West Side
Schools Att'd: Brown
Employers:
Message: While I was at Brown (13 th & Market) 1956 through 1959, they sold bus tickets in the office. They were eight cents apiece but came in book form. That is to say you couldn't just go in and purchase one, you had to purchase the whole book. They were tickets made of paper, kind of a blue grey color as I remember, rather than the tokens that were also available to the public at the same time. I think they were a little more expensive maybe ten cents each. Near the end of my school years (59) they channged the collection devices on the buses and the tickets had to be handed to the driver. The new device would count the change that was put into it, and bells would ring. It must have driven the drivers nuts by the end of their shift.
Date: 1/1/2011, 3:54 pm, EDT
Name: DAVE CAUFFMAN
Location: HOCKESSIN
Old Neighborhood(s): 25 TH & MADISON ST
Schools Att'd: BROWN
Employers:
Message: I BELIVE THEY HAD TOKENS JUST FOR SCHOOL KID TO RIDE TO AND FROM SCHOOL BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER HOW MUCH THEY COST. I KNOW I WOULD RIDE THE #11 IN TO MARKET ST THEN WALK DOWN MARKET TO BROWN.
Date: 1/1/2011, 12:49 pm, EDT
Name: Budo
Location: N wilm
Old Neighborhood(s): 34th & Van Buren
Schools Att'd: PS
Employers:
Message: The trackless trollies ran right past our house on Van Buren and I remember I was very impressed when I saw my first female driver go by on the nr12 bus. Found out later her name was Evelyn Blood. Also remember the tokens they had which were good for an 8 cent ride.
My buddies and I had a great time tossing a tennis ball over the wire. And if the driver took the corner too fast or too far out he would cause the poles to pop off.
Date: 1/1/2011, 11:37 am, EDT
Name: Sam jacobs
Location: Florida
Old Neighborhood(s): DuPont Street
Schools Att'd: Warner, Brown Goldey B
Employers: DuPont/Realtor
Message: Wow! The one common experience all of us had growing up in Wilmington was the Buses. I am sure each of us has more than one indelible memory while riding the buses or waiting at the bus stops.

The Webmaster has given all of us an amazing gift. Those photos take us all back to a simpler time. A time and special experience only we can appreciate. Thank You. I can't wait to hear some of your stories.