Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Woodlawn Pool, Hamilton



Woodlawn Pool, Hamilton
I never knew about this in my Burg area days so folks who
know its history or went to it please chime in:)

UPDATE:

My Dad Ed MacNicoll said...
This was the summer place to go for kids from the Burg.
Your Mom and I both swam here in the 50's great
picture Great memory.

Skip said....
The route for me was down Olden to Clinton and Mulberry
and then on through Tom's beloved Bromeley. Johnson to
Norway and Greenwood all on my trusty Royce Union
English racer. I may well be in that photo. Looking
down the pool, the entrance and lockers on Connecticut
would be to your left. The shot is facing Quncy Avenue.
My sister lived in the house that is just out of the
photo on the left side. It may have been a year or two
that I had a pass at the pool. I was too little to stay
"home alone", but not too small to ride a bike through
all that city traffic. Mom was paying my sister "to
watch me" which meant she made lunch. I was supposed
to stop and "check in" but I often just left and headed
home. I knew Mom would call her for a report and could
only imagine the panic when they couldn't find me. The
best years were starting for me and that three speed
English could beat any old Schwinn. Mack, I thought of
you the other day going down to Carella's for some "old
guy shoes", I drove by Bernie's bicycle and remembered
Bernie himself and going in to look at the new Schwinn
offerings in October, just like the new cars. Bernie was
for years in "Little Burg" on the corner of Paul and
Brunswick. I believe that the pool was the last "hooray"
for what was left of Woodlawn Amusement Park, well before
my day but I thought I saw a reference to it in Tom's
Bromley section and remember some uncles speaking of it.
There were long gone mystery places that only lived in
the memories of the uncles and aunts. I believe the other
side of Bromley was the .. "Bear Swamp" and the "Baby
Pond".

Ralph Lucarella said...
MAC...THAT POOL WAS ONE OF THE FEW PLACES THAT PEOPLE
FROM THE BURG AND THE TOWNSHIP COULD GO FOR A SWIM. I
BELIEVE THE PEOPLE FROM THE CASINO RESAURANT RAN IT FOR
QUITE SOME TIME. WE LIVED ON CONNECTICUT AVE. IN 1948
AND COULD WALK THERE. WE OFTEN WENT THERE WITH GROUPS
FROM THE TOWNSHIP BUILDING WHEN WE HAD THE HAMILTON
BOWLING LANES IN 1956. REGARDS.

9 comments:

Ed MacNicoll said...

Mike

This was the summer place to go for kids from the burg. Your mom and I both swam here in the 50's great picture Great memory

Anonymous said...

The route for me was down Olden to Clinton and Mulberry and then on through Tom's beloved Bromeley. Johnson to Norway and Greenwood all on my trusty Royce Union English racer.

I may well be in that photo.

Looking down the pool, the entrance and lockers on Connecticut would be to your left. The shot is facing Quncy Avenue. My sister lived in the house that is just out of the photo on the left side. It may have been a year or two that I had a pass at the pool. I was too little to stay "home alone", but not too small to ride a bike through all that city traffic.

Mom was paying my sister "to watch me" which meant she made lunch. I was supposed to stop and "check in" but I often just left and headed home. I knew Mom would call her for a report and could only imagine the panic when they couldn't find me. The best years were starting for me and that three speed English could beat any old Schwinn.

Mack, I thought of you the other day going down to Carella's for some "old guy shoes", I drove by Bernie's bicycle and remembered Bernie himself and going in to look at the new Schwinn offerings in October, just like the new cars.
Bernie was for years in "Little Burg" on the corner of Paul and Brunswick.


I believe that the pool was the last "hooray" for what was left of Woodlawn Amusement Park, well before my day but I thought I saw a reference to it in Tom's Bromley section and remember some uncles speaking of it.

There were long gone mystery places that only lived in the memories of the uncles and aunts. I believe the other side of Bromley was the .. "Bear Swamp" and the "Baby Pond".

Possibly a baby drowned?

Skip

Ralph Lucarella said...

MAC...THAT POOL WAS ONE OF THE FEW PLACES THAT PEOPLE FROM THE BURG AND THE TOWNSHIP COULD GO FOR A SWIM. I BELIEVE THE PEOPLE FROM THE CASINO RESAURANT RAN IT FOR QUITE SOME TIME. WE LIVED ON CONNECTICUT AVE. IN 1948 AND COULD WALK THERE. WE OFTEN WENT THERE WITH GROUPS FROM THE TOWNSHIP BUILDING WHEN WE HAD THE HAMILTON BOWLING LANES IN 1956. REGARDS.

Mack said...

Thanks Dad Skip & Ralph:))
I will some of the comments to the
post:)

Anonymous said...

The people in Hamilton never like the Burg people.

Anonymous said...

Teens were very territorial no matter what section you were from. If you were going to the Burg, Paul Avenue (Little or North Burg), The Saint Hedwig's Polish section or wherever, you showed some respect. If you saw a few gals you dare not make catcalls or lewd gestures.

To do so was inviting trouble. Not necessarily a bad thing. Being polite that is. :) ;)

Skip

Mack said...

Many people from Hamilton were former Burg peope or had family
in the Burg.

Vince said...

Hi Mack, Ralph is right. My grandfather, Tony Goes, did own that pool for some years. I'm not sure of the dates, but do have some old pics from there which I'll email you. I believe he sold this in the mid 50's and then opened theParadise swim club on Rt 1 in Princeton Twsp.

Anonymous said...

A boy from my eigth grade class at St.Anthony's, Phillip helmich, drowned at Woodlawn pool shortly before our graduation. It was a very sad graduation day for us.