Selling Christmas trees from the front yard

Jerry talks of Ted selling Christmas trees from the front yard; corner of Coyle Ave and Broadway in Pawtucket. Ragman, iceman, and peddlers. Jerry also wants to check with his older siblings on some of these details.

Time: 4 minutes, 5 seconds



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Truckers, free bananas, paper route

Jerry talks of action by some truckers during the Teamsters recruiting days. They spilled a truck with bananas over the bridge onto the RR tracks and the kids got free bananas. He also talks of the family paper route.

Time: 4 minutes, 19 seconds



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Passing lunch buckets during the sit down strike

Jerry talks about when he and other kids in the neighborhood would pass lunch buckets through the windows to the workers involved in the sit down strike. Of his father's trip on the first bus to Providence. Of the man "at the end of his blood".

Time: 5 minutes, 48 seconds



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Working at Finast

Jerry talks of working at Finast, the First National Stores, a grocery store in the early 1940's. Talks about the hours and wages at that time.

Time: 8 minutes, 56 seconds



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Working after WWII

Jerry talks about getting work just after World War II. The veterans had umeployment insurance they called the 52/20 club. He talks of his father paying taxes before payroll deductions.

Time: 4 minutes, 52 seconds



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Roofing work

Jerry talks of his work on the roofs of a couple of familar buildings; Pawtucket City Hall and McCarthy's Dept Store, Woonsocket.

Time: 5 minutes, 27 seconds



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Note: the photo was added on a raw overcast day (40's) in March. The tower would have been much more forbidding in the middle of winter when Jerry was up there.

More Field Stories

More stories about the playing fields in Pawtucket while growing up in the 1930's and early 1940's. Women's softball. King and his Court. Hammond Pond. McCoy Stadium. Hank Soar.

Time: 6 minutes, 57 seconds



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Washtub lights, Ted

Jerry talks about games under the lights at the high school field (Tolman, St Raphael's), the washtubs used as reflectors, and his brother Ted, a great softball pitcher.

Time: 1 minute, 42 seconds



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Mayor of Broadway

Jerry talks about his grandfather, Henry King, who was called the "Mayor of Broadway".

Time: 3 minutes, 36 seconds



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More Boy's Club baseball, lighted field

Jerry tells more about Boy's Club baseball, about Rufus Gallagher, then about the lights at the old high school field on Armistice Blvd in Pawtucket

Time: 6 minutes, 2 seconds



MP3 File