You Know You Are From NutleyPage Six |
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More - from email contributors Enjoyed reading all the entries & don't think I've seen mention of these: Jacquemin's Candy Store (Corner of Stager & Prospect) Al's Sweet Shop (Center St, near corner of Prospect) Waring's Cleaners (Corner of Center & Prospect) Riley's Butcher Shop (Corner of Stage & Franklin) Modern Tred Shoes (was to the right of the Jannette Shop) Dante's Bakery (Franklin Ave between Stager & Center St) Beck's TV (where they are now rebuilding Bell Paese) Nutley Gift Shop (was on the corner next to Jannette Shop) Pep rallies in the Oval the night before football games Looking forward to reading more Born & raised in Nutley, currently physically live in Belleville, but my heart remains in Nutley. Who ever the Avondale res is brought back so many memories. I am also from Avondale and miss so many of those things. Thanks for reminding me of all those good memories. Avondale res. if you read this please e-mail me. Would love to talk to old Avondale residents. I saw that someone lived at 10 Humbert St. Well so did I. Theresa E-mail me at tbveltre@veltre.net I enjoyed reading the old memories. We left in 1971, I was 11. I remember Scotto’s Pizza, one of my favorite places. Does anyone remember don’t cook tonight call Chicken Delight? I remember the TV shop. What was his name? I remember the kids always hung out there. I took swimming lessons at the ITT. I remember the carnivals at the back of Yantacaw school. Is it still safe to let the kids run around Nutley like we use too? I’d love to hear about my old house at 28 Terrace Ave. Mrs Dalucca was my 5th grade teacher before I moved to Jacksonville, FL. I remember going to Costas Deli Thanks Ruth (Miller) Womack I lived in Nutley from 4th grade till 11th, but my mother
lived there The sirens from the fire station on Chestnut St. Every
house got a I can't seem to find any information on the orphanage that was located on Washington Avenue West and nearer to Kingsland Street. Do you have any information? norma j long
All historical information and Sons
of Italy Archives are
located at:
Immigration
History Research Center
University of
Minnesota
Elmer L. Andersen Library Suite 311 222 21st Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55455
(612) 625-4800
It would be best to contact the
Archives and see what information they
have on file.
Orphanage was founded in 1923 by the Grand Venerable of the New Jersey Lodge, Francesco Palleria who served as the orphanage's president until his death in October 1963. The orphanage was inaugurated on Sunday, June 24, 1923. Major renovation of the interior occurred in the early 1960s. Also known as Mazzini Orphanage - 1923-1970 Greetings. Just saw your website and would like to see any pictures of trains that once rode through Nutley. I know there is still an active train there that runs at night but any pictures from the train stations in Nutley would be nice. Thanks Ken I love this site.... I lived in Nutley from the age of one -until 20. Didn't realize how many places I forgot about until others jogged my memory. I remember Jackman's candy store on Prospect St. Mrs. Jackman was the sweetest lady and always had a smile on her face -Mr. Jackman NEVER smiled-in fact he hated kids. Miss Maureens school of dance on Center St. I never took lessons with her, but I would go and watch while she taught class. I took dance lessons with Mrs. Riggen who was employed by the town of Nutley and the lessons were in some town garage bordering Belleville. On Center and Prospect was a candy store run by a guy named Himey. The Hickey boys (twins) also lived on Center St. if you ever wanted to get a workout just pick a fight with either one. Pete's deli was a neighborhood favorite -at Christmas the line would be out the door with people waiting to buy the best Italian food-Paramount bread, homemade mozzarella, tadalles, antipasta. it was a popular spot on Sundays when people walked home from the Polish church. Father Henry and Father Funk were the only two priests for the church and mass would be every hour on the hour starting a 6AM, my brother and his friend Johnny would fill the chalis all the way to the top and by twelve o'clock the priests would have a pretty good buzz going, which would help with Father Funk's stuttering.... I had the therapy inducing pleasure of attending Saint Mary's school. With Sister Edna's constant eye blinking tic, Sister Agnes made the witch in the wizard of oz seem like Mother teresa, and then there was Sister Mercedes the meanest most abusive teacher I have ever encountered-she called all of us "a bunch of dumb knuckleheads" and would think nothing of banging your head into the blackboard if you got the answer wrong. She's probably giving Satan a run for his money....... I remember the Western Scoop which burned down under suspicious circumstances.... Swimming lessons at ITT or how to induce hypothermia in children-that water was COLD. I always remember the story that someone jumped from the tower-myth or reality? Keep the stories/memories coming in - what a great read..... WOW...what a revelation! An old timer from Nutley...moved out in 1975, moving to Whippany in Morris County. Went to St. Mary's, and I remember those wonderful bazaars as a high point of youth! Trying to remember the name of the large ice cream store on the corner
of Chestnut St. and Also, I recall the opening ceremonies and festivities for Styertowne.
A huge man named Tiny Indeed, I do remember the car barns, Tozzi's, etc. As a teen, I worked at the Hoffman's Bakery, which was located on Center Street, just below Franklin Ave., next to the Nutley Cab stand...who remembers that place? Had a mad crush on one of the drivers there. Also, the Onyx Room, that someone else mentioned. I think it is now a diner...Nutley Restaurant, or something like that. It was across the street from Hoffman's. There are SO MANY memories of my childhood in Nutley...what nostalgia lurks in these postings. Thanks for the walk down memory lane!! I just remembered...Bell Lap Tavern on Washington Avenue...the best
tasting pizza in the world. The grease dripped down your arm, as the thin,
soft crust folded gently into itself...YUM!! Great Old Nutley Memories, Anthony,
The Old Nutley website has certainly jogged some long dormant remembrances of my early years growing up in Nutley.
For what they’re worth, here are some additional tidbits.
My Dad, who was born in 1910 and lived in Nutley for over 70 years, used to tell me about some of his boyhood experiences growing up in Nutley in the late teens and early 1920’s. I remember him telling me about a Nutley High School football team in the early 1920’s that was known as the “Wonder Team” because they went unbeaten and un-scored upon for an entire season. I also seem to recall him mentioning that a fellow by the name of Jack Speary was a notable player on that team. And if my dimming memory serves me, I also seem to recall him telling me that back then there apparently was no age limitation on players, and that some of the players on the team were in their early twenties. But don’t hold me to it. Maybe some of the older, old timers from Nutley can amplify or rectify my recollections on this.
He also told me about how he and his friends would swim naked in the Third River (?) that runs through what is now Booth Park that lies behind the houses on Ravine Ave. I believe their swimming escapades took place around 1920 or so, before the park or any houses on Ravine Ave were built, and the area was still mostly wooded. He said that he and his buddies would dam up the river to form a pool and called the spot “Bare Ass Beach” for obvious reasons.
I remember buying gasoline at Mike Vitterito’s Tydol station that used to be on the corner of Bloomfield Ave and Center Street and also at John Christopher’s Sunoco station at the southern end of Bloomfield Ave near Harrison Ave.
I also remember buying Italian Hot Dog sandwiches at Mastro’s luncheonette on Franklin Ave across from the High School. I always thought that theirs were as good as Jimmy Buff’s.
The summer between High School and college I worked at George LaMont & Sons paper mill that used to be on Kingsland Ave. One of my co-workers there was Bobby DeLitta who eventually became a Nutley police officer and ultimately the Chief. And speaking of police officers, I remember being stopped for speeding early one morning on East Passaic Ave by officer Sal Dimichino, who also became chief, and who let me go with a warning only because he knew my mother. He asked me if my mother would appreciate knowing I was speeding in her car in the wee hours of the morning. That question scared the crap out of me because I knew that if he told my mother, there went my car privileges. (He didn’t) I was actually more fearful of my Mom’s wrath than getting a ticket. And if my Dad had found out, fuhggedaboudit, a smackin’ around was guaranteed.
I owe a debt of gratitude to the Nutley School System and the great teachers who taught in it because even though I was an average student, I eventually did very well academically in college as well the business world. I attribute much of my success to the quality of education that I was fortunate to have had in the Nutley School System. I guess I absorbed plenty of knowledge just by being immersed in the system.
When I would occasionally mention to acquaintances that my High School had a Rowing or “Crew” Team, the initial inference they drew was that I had gone to a private school. That caused me to wonder just how many public schools still have or had Crew Teams.
All for now. More to come as my ungracefully aging brain resurrects additional memories.
Ed Mr. Clean I grew up on Bloomfield Ave and went to Spring Garden School. My friends and I used to defile the school song by singing the first verse as "Dear old Spring Garbage School, worst (actually 'best') in the land." And thanks to Miss Pompadour, the music teacher, I learned I had a tin ear when it came to music. I also remember Glynder Fowler, the boys Gym teacher and Miss Byers the girl's Gym teacher who eventually married my 6th Grade teacher, Karekin Bakalian. We could see that marriage coming, and whenever a bunch of us would see them together, we used to chant, "Beeky (our nickname for him) loves Byers! Mrs. Kramer, Miss Potter, Miss Siddons and Miss Weischaedel were some of the other Spring Garden teachers that I remember. I also remember a Flanagan's Market used to be on the corner of Bloomfield Ave and High Street diagonally across from Newmark's Liquor Store. A junk man used to periodically come down Bloomfield Ave with a horse drawn wagon and holler out: "Rags! Rags! Junkman!" He was the precursor to recycling I guess. Even before he called out you could hear the clip clop of his horse's hooves on the pavement. It was the early 1950's but this guy still had this horse-drawn wagon. Another guy used to come around with a step-in van who sharpened knives, scissors or any dull cutting tool you had. And there was the guy who came around with a produce truck selling fresh fruits and vegetables. The truck actually had awnings on the sides to protect the merchandise from the sun. I also remember sledding on Beech Street where the police would put up wooden barricades at the bottom of the street to keep out all but the cars of residents of that street who knew it was OK to maneuver around them. One day, a Spring Garden student, who is an Attorney in Nutley (if he hasn't retired yet), broke his arm after sledding into a tree. Seems we used to get a lot more snow back in the 1950's than we do now. We also used to try to trick the younger kids into putting their tongues on the runners of their sleds a-la the scene in the movie "The Christmas Story" and sometimes it worked. Ouch! Playing a form of Stickball was a fun passtime where we painted squares on the back, outside wall of Spring Garden School and used those pink Spaldeen balls and cut-off broomstick handles for bats. Ah, The Good Old Days. (Ed) Anthony,
I grew up on Bloomfield Ave and remember when a Junkman used to come around in an old horse drawn wagon. You always knew when he was arriving because you’d hear the clip clop of his horse’s hooves on the pavement before he called out: “Rags! Rags! Junk Man!” This was in the early 1950’s and he still had a horse drawn wagon. Another guy used to come around in a step van who sharpened knives, scissors or any other cutting tool that needed sharpening. And then there was the produce guy who came around in a long, kinda narrow truck that had awnings on the sides to protect the fruits and veggies from the sun.
From the time I was about 10 years old my folks would send me to Bernie’s Deli at the corner of Bloomfield Ave and Raymond Ave to buy them cigarettes, and Bernie knew they were for my parents because of the brand I asked for. One day when relatives were visiting, they sent me to Bernie’s for a couple of packs of Camels, and when I asked Bernie for the Camels, he glowered at me and asked me who they were for as he remembered that my folks smoked Pall Malls.
The Yankees’ Gil MacDougal lived up the hill from us on Ridge Road, and he would wave back at you if you were walking by and waved to him.
I always looked forward to sleigh riding on the Western side of Beech Street. The police used to put up wooden barricades at the bottom of the street to keep out all but the cars of Beech St residents. I recall one day when a Spring Garden School classmate, who became an Attorney with a practice in Nutley, broke his arm after sledding into a tree. It seems to me now that we had more snow back in those days.
Speaking of Spring Garden School, I remember Glynder Fowler the boys Gym teacher and Miss Byers, the girls Gym teacher who married Karekin Bakalian who was my 6th grade teacher. I also remember Miss Weischaedel, Miss Siddons, Mrs. Kramer, Miss Potter and Mrs. Pompadour, the music teacher. For amusement, we used to play a form of stickball where we used “strike” squares that had been painted on the Gymnasium side wall of Spring Garden School, and we used those pink Spaldeen balls along with sawed off broomstick handles for bats. Any pitched ball that landed in the strike square was, of course, a strike.
And who can forget the trips to Holsten’s in Bloomfield in the much earlier, pre-Soprano days, for their scrumptious ice cream sodas. My wife, who went to Immaculate Conception High in Montclair, class of ’62, used to frequent Holstens, and we occasionally muse that we both could have been in the place at the same time back in the day.
And then there was Crecca’s Tavern – which is long gone – on East Passaic Ave. where my Dad would go to play, “Scoop” and “Briesch” (SP?) (card games) with his Paisan buddies, in addition to having a “few” beers. My Pop also used to frequent Duck’s Tavern on Bloomfield Ave, which I noticed is now under a new name. He was a friend of “Greenie” Marcione who owned the tavern at the time of my youth.
I used to buy nearly all my shoes from Al Lepre’s shoe store on Franklin Ave (another one of my Pop’s Paisan buddies.)
And there was Mike Testa, the Tailor, with a shop on Franklin Ave. who charged 90 bucks back then to make a custom tailored suit with my choice of material.
There was also the Reinheimer’s Boy’s Club (I think it was on Passaic Ave.) where a guy by the name of “Smock” Simpson would teach boxing skills. I remember the boxing gloves were so big; they were like big pillows on your hands.
I also remember bowling at Bigelow Lanes. Bigelow’s, which was a small, old operation, had alleys on the first and second floors, and even though automatic pin setters had been in use for a while, Bigelows still had Pin Boys who set the pins by hand.
At Nutley High, I remember taking Driver’s Education with Mr. John Suffern, a math teacher, and for practice driving we had to use this big, 1955 Buick, 4 door sedan, which had an extra brake pedal for the instructor. Driving that beast was like maneuvering a barge. I also have fond memories of Maxine Hoffer, my senior year English teacher, who, with her beaming, bespectacled countenance, would inform those of us “wretched miscreants,” who had failed to turn in a paper on time, that we were “…going to Hell in a hand basket.” And for me that was an all too frequent occurrence as I recall. I guess that’s why I remember it.
I remember Friday nights at Bonds in Styertowne and the drag races that were arranged out of there. The rich kids from Upper Montclair would come down with their fuelie Vettes and the races would take place on McCarter highway, or Route 21 if you prefer.
Growing up in Nutley in the 1950’s was a wonderful experience: Lots of very fond memories.
Ed I lived on Coeyman Ave and went to Spring Garden School where my Mom & Dad worked every year at the Strawberry Festival. Went to Junior High at the old High School on Franklin Ave Senior year at Nutley High we had a staggered schedules for science labs. Spent every lunch at Nick's eating BLT sandwiches, except on Fridays. The day after I graduated from Nutley High in 1965 I moved to Amherst New Hampshire. I have some wonderful friends that still keep in touch with each other even after all these years. A NOTE TO ED: If you’re from Nutley and start reading this its hard not to throw your two cents in: Cherry Cokes at Dollys Walking the tracks to get to Rizzuto/Berra’s to bowl Did you hang at the Dairy Queen or the Franklin School steps or just walk the ave Drinking boones farms at boys park The senior courtyard Air raid drill laying against the wall at Yantacaw school Yantacaw school patrol guards Taurus those black shirts with the bull on it The 2 percent Watching football games on the hill by the end zone The 12 o clock whistle on Saturdays Ducks, The Brook, Joey G’s Going to Clifton because the bars stayed opened another hour The red chimmey after church on Sunday A trip to two guys in Harrison Being served at Rocky’s over the bridge all senior year 0-0 tie with Westfield I think the largest crowd ever at the oval Sunday morning bar league softball Nutley Tavern Champs When driving on Passaic Ave the light at center st. is never green Hitting balls into the grave yard in left field at Boys Park Eddie keeping score at the high school baseball games Buying bats at Savino’s from his downstairs stash Anybody have Dr Rogoff as a dentist Luigi the crossing guard at Yantacaw School My brother used to let me drive around the circle at brookdale park when I was 14 instead of going to church Father Golding and Father Hennessy at St Mary I remember Father Golding getting a standing ovation for homily he delivered in the late 60’s or early 70’s during a time on unrest in the country The peace march down Franklin ave. Don Now a popular Facebook Group |
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