Our Garage

Shortly after my family moved into 9 Arch St. in 1941, they built this garage on Walnut Ave., that street being the only practical vehicular access, Arch being a stairway. The stairs down to our house started on the far side of the garage. In my memories, the garage was home to a 1949 Hudson, a 1956 Rambler and finally a 1966 Rambler. The newer door with the windows is from our era, but after 1987, new owners added the more substantial concrete deck. The closest portion has more recently been shaved off to accomodate a parking deck for the new house at 8 Arch St.

The row of cotoneaster bushes along the street side of the garage is trimmed as a neat hedge in 1955, but that varied from year to year. They're still there, but pretty overgrown. Growing along the railing was an enormous Belle of Portugal climbing rose.

You don't see a garbage can up here in 1956, because it's down at the house. In our day, the garbage man actually trotted all the way down the hill to pick it up. In the 1956 shot, the telephone pole down the street holds a fire alarm box. The same pole is still there, and still bears remnants of the bands of silver and red paint where the box was mounted.