The purpose of this page is for members of our N & 6th group to write their impression of growing up in South Boston. Anyone who wants to write anything from two sentences to two pages is welcome Please e-mail any writing to Paul Mancuso***************************************************************************************************** Southie from Alice Thank God, it is the short term memory that goes first and not the long term. I can take up some where Eileen left off. Five of us girls, having gone to school together for so long became the “Orchid Angels”. Because the guys at N&7 were the “Crimson Warriors” we needed a name. Betty, Peggy, Judy, Maureen and me. I don’t know if it was smart for girls to have a name, because the next thing a bunch of girls from the City Point project wanted to fight us (The Excaliburs). Well after getting a phone call from one of the guys, I didn’t go down the corner for a few days. It may have been the result of one of us girls dancing with one of their boyfriends at “Archies” dance. That fight never happened. But there were some. I had the –it kicked out of me for liking some girl’s ex boyfriend. Then poor Betty took my place in another fight that half of Southie showed up at. The cops, seeing so many kids on the beach stopped by. They took Betty and the other girl (they called her “the cat”) to the MDC police station. We had to run up and tell her mother that the cops would be calling, that was tough. I think that was the end of the fighting. I know for me it was, being a little chicken that I am. But Southie is the only place to grow up and we all did great. Like Ray, I remember jumping off the horseshoe, boy you had to clear those rocks or else. It was hairy. And jumping off the boy’s L Street fence and racing to the horseshoe to see who was the better swimmer .We never made it, got as far as N street. Couldn’t tell which one was better, we were both crazy. We did it in March. Swimming from N Street to Thompson Island, not a good move with Richie Burke (the life) coming after us and making us swim back. He offered to pick us up, but the guys said don’t get in the boat. Of course we were barred from the beach for a week, but just sitting on the Greenie was as much fun. I remember doing errands for a lot of the guys so I would have enough money to go horseback riding with them. Dickie always rode a black horse named Count and Issy (God keep him) rode Mistletoe, Issy was warned the horse liked to roll in the mud. Well he did with Issy on him. Most of the time I earned enough to go with them, and I would ride a horse named Saturday. I remember Tom King (may he rest with God) meeting me at Nazareth High at lunch time on Friday because he had gotten out of Shirley (school for wayward boys) and was hungry. My mother would make his lunch, I would go back to school, Tom to the corner, and back to Shirley on Monday. Riding the bus to the football games on Sunday, to see the Chippewa’s, and then the South Boston town team play. I think we won all the games, the guys were great. The Boston cops kicking us of the corner, telling us to go down the beach, The MDC cops kicking us off the greenie and telling us to go were we belong (which was N&7).The cops taking me home one night (that back seat was so big, it seemed that was to me) I thought my Mom and Dad would kill me. It was a hot summer night with all the neighbors sitting outside, but they didn’t. My Mom was embarrassed that so many people saw me. Thank God it was only one time. The beach parties out at Castle Island, going to Sunset lake, going to watch the guys in the band play at the Sportsman’s lounge in Dorchester. They were great. But I forget what they called themselves. Boy, we had so much fun. There are so many more great memories, We had the best friends in the whole world. God Bless you all.
Growing up in Southie Coasting on “O” St. hill
before the Sand Trucks came
********************************************* Growing up in Southie was wonderful. As Cuso said, we lived in an insulated neighborhood and before we found our way to N&6th, five of us girls lived and played on East Third Street between N & O Sts. We are Marsha, Diane, Betty, Alice and me, Eileen........ Early Spring the girls that attended Nazareth School would participate in the "Irish Show" run by the nuns. During grammar school years, we would attend the 8:30 Sunday Mass and sit with our class in the downstairs chapel. If you talked during Mass your teacher would come and pick you out of your seat and have you sit beside her........May processions..... Remember the carnival which used to be set up on 'little Broadway' where the library is today. You could see all of Southie from the top of the ferris wheel. And bowling was very close. Take the South Station bus and go downstairs inside the station............. We joined the CYO and on Friday nights we would be transported to the Coed Roller drome in Allston, chaperoned by Fr. Kelly ....You hoped your favorite beau would ask you to skate and if he didn't you waited for the 'All Skate, all skate slowly". Remember??????????? Going to the Strand theatre......$.14 on Saturday, $.20 on Sunday, double feature,( I loved the cowboy & indians) cartoons and newsreel and walking home in the dark................. Saturday's lunch at my house would be 'Spuckies' from M & 2nd......best small baloney for $.15......I remember the train that ran along 1st. street early in the morning.....I always loved the whistle of the train.... Remember the vendors??? The ice man, the 'ponyboy' ice cream, the rag man, he slush, the man that sold the cooked crabs.....(The older boys would buy them and share with us), the produce man. "Sweet Watermelon" was his cry during the Summer........... . As Spring turned into Summer we would go the Farragut beach.....When I was young, it was not a lagoon and the water was very clear. One Summer I swam from City Point Beach to Castle Island....Us Judge girls would stay there all day and watch our younger sisters and brother. Our mother would meet us across from Farragut and bring us lunch. When the tide was out we would go to the Aquarium. Some of us belonged to the Girl's Club and during the Summer we went to Camp Lapham............. On Sundays during the Summer you could go to Marine Park and listen to the band concert......and yes, I remember going out to the Island to listen to the Irish music.....My Dad would teach us to dance. July 4th we went up the park and got hoodsies....sometimes two......and later that night the big boys would build a bonfire in the ball field...... Third St. between N & O is a hill and during the Winter after a snow storm the city would put saw horses with kerosene lanterns attached at the top and bottom of the hill and we would coast safely. (There were only about five cars on our street back then)....We would also build snow forts and have snowball fights across the street. Usually the girls against the boys.... Do you remember the lamplighter that came by every night to light the street amps......We had a lamp right outside my house............ As we got older, we found our way to N & 6th but that is another story............
Growing up in South Boston
The two stores were not the only venues where we" hung out".
It was a seasonal thing- in the summer time we went to the beach
and watched all the girls go by. We also went to the green where we would lay on a blanket and play cards or
just talk. Another favorite summer place was the Perry School
yard where we had some serious games of poker, or drank a few
bottles of suds. When it was high tide we'd we often go to
the "Horseshoe" and dive or jump off the wall. I liked the
summers so much that after graduating high school, I took
my first three summers off from work .
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