Difference between revisions of "Cambridge Avenue"

Latest revision as of 16:46, 31 October 2013

Originally these houses were built and mostly rented to Grumman workers during WWII. Later they were purchased by many of the renters.

This was a rural area when we came to Cambridge Avenue in 1949. Our lot seemed endless. Nothing behind us as far as the eye could see, beyone Norcross Avenue the Bethpage State Park was our nearest neighbor to the east. Up and down the street it was one big yard, no fences or bushes between properties or the next street. It was one big family. Harder (a spray company) came, and he rode from yard to yard on his machine spraying the Japanese Beetles. We knew everybody by name and the children bonded. We had ordinary dogs, cats, turtles, rabbits and ducks. The ducks gave us some mighty interesting times. In the rain they took leisurely walks on Cambridge Avenue and the not to busy School Street (now Powell Avenue).

After our garage was built we had an overnight guest, a horse, Cheyenne belonging to my nephew Rick Acker. In the AM he was released and surprised the neighbors as he grazed on lawns. There were pheasants when we first came in 1949 that wandered around, while the chickens and roosters gave a wake up call. Frogs, crickets, bob white, owls and mocking birds are what we heard in the quiet night, no traffic!

The only school in town was the Powell Avenue School and it went up to the 8th grade, and high school meant being bused out of town.

As the town grew big houses and old trees disappeared from Broadway, and farms were sold off for more developments. Our town was changing! No more soap box derbys on Powell Avenue, a new fire house and a real post office. Mail delivery started in 1949, our first mailman was Bob Shackleton.

A high school, now JFK Middle School, was built. Paved roads and curbs took the place of dirt and blue stones. Assorted stores began to crop up on Broadway to join the ones already there for years. Fourth of July celebrations and fire works behind the Legion Hall faded. We had a circus that came to town, but the empty lots disappeared. No carnival anymore. Santa came to town in a helicopter and landed in the parking lot behine the Legion Hall. The community had a small town feeling-----then came 135 (Seaford Oyster Bay Expressway).

Submitted by Doris Steimer