[Old Goat in FL]

I am retired in Florida. Grew up on 12th Street between 5th & 6th Aves in the 30's 40"s & 50"s. Went to PS 124, PS 40's and the REAL Manual, not John Jay. Attended 12thst Reformed Church. Is there anyone out there from my neighborhood and era?

[veets]

Well yeah.. I live in the neighborhood and in curent Park Slope parlance I am an old timer but I don't get back that far in this neighborhood. Have you read any of Pete Hammil's memoires about growing up here?

[KhuntienNang]

wow, that's very far back. how was it like then?

you may have a better chance of knowing someone at "brooklyn back when" section :
http://www.brooklynian.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=175

[Old Goat in FL]

I have read some of Pete hamil's writings as well as seeing some documentries with him. What was it like back then? In the late 30's and most of the 40's most people were still recovering from the depression first and then the war. So few cars parked on the street that we played stickball whenever we were not in school right in the middle of the street. Two sewers was a pretty good hit! Fifth Avenue was all stores and there were trolleys, the Fifth Ave trolley which ran all the way out to the 90's.

I have looked in "Brooklyn back when" but it seems to be all people from the streets from 20th out higher. "Our neighboorhood was basically 9th street to 15th St." Prospect Theatre and the Avon on 9th and the Globe on 15th. There was the Minerva on 7th Ave and I believe 14th st. We also had the 16th St Theatre which was only an occasional stop out of our hood. The Sanders was up the hill but we hit it sometimes too. I read a lot about the bars that are on 5th Ave now. There were just as many back then but they had names like, Loftus, Murphy's, Finnerty's(6th Ave and 13th), MikeGoldens etc;.

[Flexichick]

Old Goat - those sound like fun days. I'd love to see some pictures, if you have any to share.

Have you seen the neighborhood lately? You'd hardly recognize it!
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Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball!

[Old Goat in FL]

I will check for photos. Mostly family pictures but I may have some from the neighborhood. The biggest store in the neighborhood was Germain's on 5th Ave and 15th St. Post Jewlers was on 5th and 12th ST. I know that they are long gone. I worked after school and Saturdays in the Palace Meat Market across from germains making deliveries and cleaning up.

We get up to Brooklyn every couple of years (health Allowing). My wifes Mother still lives on 13th St. She is 93 and has been in the same house since she was 3. She went to PS 124 and so did all her children and her Grandaughter. When I went there Miss Hawkshurst was the Principal. In PS 40's (it was on 16th st, long gone) the principal was Mr Campbell. I could name a dozen teachers but I am sure they are all long since gone to that school in the sky. In those days it seemed like a big trip to Prospect park but it was only three blocks. We used to walk through the Park to Ebbets Field to see the Dodgers or go to the Brooklyn Museum or Botanical gardens. NO CAR!

[veets]

keep talking... those are great memories.

I moved in 1980 and germaine was still there and remained for at least another 10 years.

[Old Goat in FL]

Okay Veets, let me know when I bore you.

12th Street was like one big family. Every nationality imaginable. There was the Hickeys, Websters, Draddys, Carsons, Cash, Martin, Jaworski,Strozyk, Murphys, Fiorellos, Placido, Petito, Highlands and so on. At the end of WWII we had a block party with food & Beer in the front yards. When we played stickball a lot of the adults would sit on their stoops and watch us and cheer us on. When there were not enough for stickball we played boxball, Triangle (2 people) or "Off the point" off the front of 310. During WWII there was an Artillery regiment stationed in Prospect Park. The Guns were on top of what we called Lookout Mountain. The neighborhood girls were up there flirting eith the GI's quite often.
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Old Goat in FL-Warren

[Hamilton]

Hamills neighborhood heros were Unstoppable Joe, the owner of 12th Street Bar at 12th and 7th ave. and Noonan Taylor the top fist of the Tigers, a street gang in the 50's.

[Old Goat in FL]

In Old Goats days the street gangs were the "Smittys', and the "Garfield Boys". The best thing was to have friends in each gang and when you met up with a gang member or two be sure to mention the right guy you knew.
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Old Goat in FL-Warren

[Hamilton]

A few years ago I spoke with a woman who lived on 11th st in the late 40's and early 50's and I asked her about the gangs of that time , she mentioned an incident where one of the So. Brooklyn Boys was sitting in her hallway waiting for her brother,who was a member of different gang.
She said she was told to advise him if he returned to Manual High School he would have a big problem, needless to say Mom signed him out of school the next day.

[Old Goat in FL]

I see no reason to disbelieve that story about the gang member. Manual had many gang members but more people that did NOT belong to gangs. Most of the violence was gang on gang and did not interfere with school that much. I went to Manual 47-51. Had no personal gang related instances. I had two brothers. One went to Manual and the other to B'klyn Tech. Guess which one had a gang incident happen? The one that went to Tech. The only incident I rememnber IN school was when one of the gang members slapped a Gym teacher. The Gym teacher slapped him right back and knocked him on his butt. The teacher offered to meet the member & his gang one on one after school. The teacher showed up but the gang did not and that Teacher had no more problems. Today they would probably lock up the Teacher for child cruelty!
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Old Goat in FL-Warren

[Flexichick]

[remybklyn]

Definitely some great stories, Goat! My mother went to Manual Training, back when Joe Pepitone was shot in the hallway. That was after your time, but it sounds like Manual Training was always a tough joint!

[Old Goat in FL]

Manual was mainly tough for those who looked for trouble.( Not that some innocents did not get in the way sometimes) It was a great football school. The big event of the year was the Manual-Erasmus game on Election day EVERY YEAR. It was held in Ebbets field along with a Boys High-Brooklyn Tech game. We used to get about 20,000 people to those games. The night before there was a big pep rally for Manual students in the Prospect Theater with cheer leaders, the band, the whole works. The place would be packed. There was a lot of School Spirit!

[Flexichick]

[Old Goat in FL]

Does anyone out there recall Belmont's Clothing store for Men & Boy?. Anytime you bought something you got a free gift. It could be a baseball, football or a Baseball glove. The gift value was according to what you spent. It was on Ffith Ave between 9th & 10th or 10th & 11th St. Also there was a Bickfords Cafeteria on 9th Strret as well as a place called the "Cube Steak". The served a square steak sandwich!
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Old Goat in FL-Warren

[Hamilton]

Pete Hamill wrote an article for this weeks New York Magazine ,which is available on the magazines internet . The article is Brooklyn Revisited and compares Park Slope in the 40's,50's and today.
It may bring back some memories.

[scarlett]

Yup. You should read it and tell us what you think! Here's the link http://nymag.com/anniversary/40th/50654/

[Old Goat in FL]