May 27, 2012
Memorial day 2102
One afternoon I stood on the corner of Armitage and Lincoln and watched Troops debark from the Red Rocket Street Cars and watched them as they marched East on Armitage Ave., I didn't realize my Dad was behind me until I heard him blow his nose, he had tears in his eyes and we waved good bye to every soldier that passed by, it was hours later and dark when we went home. as a kid I didn't understand what the big deal was, today as a Father and Grandfather I know how he must of felt. with Sons and Grandsons, Who served in Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan.
It was Summer 1942 I was 6 years old.
The war was on, we were issued ration books ( I still have them)
My Dad tried to enlist, but was told he was to old. He served in WWI, He was wounded in France. Mustard gas, The left side of his face was paralyzed and he was deaf in his left ear.
We always were very patriotic family, its in the blood, with direct linage on both sides going back to the Revolutionary War.
I had a pair of bib overalls and my mother sent away, for a patch in the shape of a shield
and on that patch it said "I AM AN AMERICAN"
Mom sewed the patch on the top portion of the Bib and I wore it proudly and would march up and down the street showing it to anyone who would look.
I had two chores that had to be done each day, Watch my little sister and roll cigarettes,
Tip Top or Bugler, on a cigarette rolling machine, after rolling I had to keep the supply in a cigar box.
That year we moved to Uptown and My Mom got a job at Advance Transformer, as a coil winder
within a year the War effort went into high Gear, Mom was proud that she got to help, They converted her coil winding machine to making Parachute shrouds
She earned an "Efficiency Pin" for putting in the extra effort, For her it was the Medal of Honor.
Our home was always open to any soldier or sailor that happened by, usually at dinner time.
We bought War Stamps in School and at the Movie theater,
It Was August 1945, I was away at summer camp, when everyone started shouting something about an Atomic Bomb.
We all packed our gear and went home.
it was over
The enemy didn't only have to fight our servicemen, It had to fight the entire Nation
Because we as a nation, we put all our thoughts, prayers and efforts into defeating him.
Behind each and every soldier was the community he came from, the town that, community was in, the County , the State and the whole Country
Every one pitched in and did their share or more.
We as a country collected our old weapons and donated them to countries, like England and Russia, where people couldn't own firearms. We sent them Through the Lend Lease Program and it was a damn good thing that our Founding Fathers foresaw the need to keep and bare arms.
Japan would never invade America, they knew the citizens were armed.
Even "Lucky Strike Greens" went to war. On a package of Lucky Strike Cigarettes where you now see the white background, well that used to be green.
The Government needed all the green pigment it could muster. Jays Potato chips used to be Japps, Kato went from Japanese to Filipino overnight,
We had meatless days, we had rationing, Black-marketeers were beaten, Hoarders were turned in, We collected scrap metal, rags and newspapers.
we saved bacon fat and turned it in for red and blue point chips
I never knew what chocolate was until after the war. Hershey Bars were for the fighting men and women
The woman next door, became Rosie the Riveter, the woman's labor force was as large as the Military.
Women Pilots ferried bombers and fighters across the Atlantic, unarmed and were in as big or bigger danger than any other flyer.
There was only one thought, one goal, No one person, No one Group, did it . We as a Nation did it
We are one Nation, Under God
Bill Matteson
Harvard IL
May 20, 2012
May 14, 2012
April 27, 2012
Clarendon Park Field house
Bill Matteson
Uptown Chicago History Correspondent
As I look back it was a long walk from Lawrence and Kenmore to The Clarendon Park Field House
and we thought nothing of walking that distance in the middle of winter. with ice skates tied together by the laces and flung over the shoulders.
About six block's there, then skate for a few hours, six blocks home, I don't ever remember getting cold .Now if it's under 70 degrees I wear a sweater.
As soon as it got cold in the late fall, we would speculate as to when "they" would freeze Clarendon, I always thought they had some kind of machine that put Ice down until I watched a city worker use a big fire hose, he was covered in Ice when he was finished, we all cheered him
It usually took a few days of applications, before we had a good skating surface, there were always big shovels with two handles in case it snowed, then we volunteered to shovel the ice.
We would go in upstairs , then down to ground level, put on our ice skates, leave our shoes under the bench, No one would ever steal them
after skating a while it was a treat to come back in the warm basement and have Hot Chocolate from the concession stand.
listen to the juke box at 5 cents a tune or 6 for a quarter. or play Ping pong, we could get the paddles and balls from the counter,
everything was free in those days.
Before it became the Clarendon Park FieldHouse It was known as the Clarendon Park Beach House because at one time the Beach was right on the east side of it. then progress and landfill pushed the lake even farther east to it's present location.
In and about 1949/50 time bracket someone decided to open a Teen Center in the building just south of the field house, we went there a few times
but our group didn't like it because there was to much supervision.
Uptown Chicago History Correspondent
As I look back it was a long walk from Lawrence and Kenmore to The Clarendon Park Field House
and we thought nothing of walking that distance in the middle of winter. with ice skates tied together by the laces and flung over the shoulders.
About six block's there, then skate for a few hours, six blocks home, I don't ever remember getting cold .Now if it's under 70 degrees I wear a sweater.
As soon as it got cold in the late fall, we would speculate as to when "they" would freeze Clarendon, I always thought they had some kind of machine that put Ice down until I watched a city worker use a big fire hose, he was covered in Ice when he was finished, we all cheered him
It usually took a few days of applications, before we had a good skating surface, there were always big shovels with two handles in case it snowed, then we volunteered to shovel the ice.
We would go in upstairs , then down to ground level, put on our ice skates, leave our shoes under the bench, No one would ever steal them
after skating a while it was a treat to come back in the warm basement and have Hot Chocolate from the concession stand.
listen to the juke box at 5 cents a tune or 6 for a quarter. or play Ping pong, we could get the paddles and balls from the counter,
everything was free in those days.
Before it became the Clarendon Park FieldHouse It was known as the Clarendon Park Beach House because at one time the Beach was right on the east side of it. then progress and landfill pushed the lake even farther east to it's present location.
In and about 1949/50 time bracket someone decided to open a Teen Center in the building just south of the field house, we went there a few times
but our group didn't like it because there was to much supervision.
April 10, 2012
treasure hunting the alleys
Bill Matteson
Uptown Chicago History Correspondent
As a treasure hunter the alleys were our gold fields
Things we could find that, became our treasure were.
An old pair of roller skates and a 2 x 4. this was the birth of modern day skate boarding
we would take the skate apart and attach the ends to the the front and back of a 2X4, this was a skate board
now to make a scooter we would take the 2X4 with the two pieces of skate wheels and attach a wooden orange crate to it
we then attached an old broom stick to the top of the crate, this became our handle, we would paint them if we could find paint.
old baby buggy's were prized for the wheels, we always wanted to enter a soap box derby but we never progressed that far
most of the time it was a cardboard box on top of a collapsed buggy.
A rare find was an old inner tube. we would find one and patch it up, this became our Lake Michigan Yacht .
If it was shredded and couldn't be patched we would cut it into strips and make rubber guns.
this was a carved piece of wood that resembled a rifle a spring clothes pin was the trigger and we would shoot a large cut piece of rubber out of it
Match guns were made by taking a spring clothes pin apart and reversing one of the handles with the spring on the out side
by pushing in the lever of the spring, it fit into a notch that we cut in on the inside of the pin, then when we inserted a kitchen match , and pulled the spring/trigger the spring shot out a lit match, this was great for burning down small forts we made out of popsicle sticks.
Finding bottles was the same as finding money, cereal box tops and the inner liner of a jar of Ovaltine was the same as a pot of gold.
Kellogs PEP sponsored Superman, Ovaltine, Captain Midnight, Ralston Tom Mix, Wheaties Jack Armstrong. Cherrios The Lone Ranger*
we listened to all their radio serial programs, 15 minutes each
When we found a piece of wood about a 2X2 we would taper it at each end them put numbers on it .1 on one side then 2 then 3 then 4
we then would hit the tapered end with an old broom handle, the piece would fly up and then when it landed the number showing on top was your score
We played to 21
Speaking of patch kits for inner tubes, which we could buy at the Dime Store, we would also buy repair kits for shoes A rubber sole the could be glued over the hole in your shoe, along with new rubber heels I even remember the "Cats Paw" brand.
Metal crescent shaped cleats were essential in oder to be noticed walking down the street, we would attach them to the heels and the tips of our shoes.
As young kids we developed a way of walking, double bouncing and dragging the cleat on the sidewalk that made a terrible racket.
especially in the School Hallways..
Most every kid in Stewart School collected trading cards, we would start out with an ordinary old deck of cards and the trade one of your cards for a different card from someone else, over a period of time, we would end up with a hundred cards all different, most valuable was any card that that had a scene on it. Pin ups were the best.
We did this for a couple of years, then some company started selling trading cards with an already mixed set and blank on the suit side, Well that took all the fun out of what we were doing. so we all quit. I think the Dime Store got stuck with a lot of inventory
thanks for reading
Uptown Chicago History Correspondent
As a treasure hunter the alleys were our gold fields
Things we could find that, became our treasure were.
An old pair of roller skates and a 2 x 4. this was the birth of modern day skate boarding
we would take the skate apart and attach the ends to the the front and back of a 2X4, this was a skate board
now to make a scooter we would take the 2X4 with the two pieces of skate wheels and attach a wooden orange crate to it
we then attached an old broom stick to the top of the crate, this became our handle, we would paint them if we could find paint.
old baby buggy's were prized for the wheels, we always wanted to enter a soap box derby but we never progressed that far
most of the time it was a cardboard box on top of a collapsed buggy.
A rare find was an old inner tube. we would find one and patch it up, this became our Lake Michigan Yacht .
If it was shredded and couldn't be patched we would cut it into strips and make rubber guns.
this was a carved piece of wood that resembled a rifle a spring clothes pin was the trigger and we would shoot a large cut piece of rubber out of it
Match guns were made by taking a spring clothes pin apart and reversing one of the handles with the spring on the out side
by pushing in the lever of the spring, it fit into a notch that we cut in on the inside of the pin, then when we inserted a kitchen match , and pulled the spring/trigger the spring shot out a lit match, this was great for burning down small forts we made out of popsicle sticks.
Finding bottles was the same as finding money, cereal box tops and the inner liner of a jar of Ovaltine was the same as a pot of gold.
Kellogs PEP sponsored Superman, Ovaltine, Captain Midnight, Ralston Tom Mix, Wheaties Jack Armstrong. Cherrios The Lone Ranger*
we listened to all their radio serial programs, 15 minutes each
When we found a piece of wood about a 2X2 we would taper it at each end them put numbers on it .1 on one side then 2 then 3 then 4
we then would hit the tapered end with an old broom handle, the piece would fly up and then when it landed the number showing on top was your score
We played to 21
Speaking of patch kits for inner tubes, which we could buy at the Dime Store, we would also buy repair kits for shoes A rubber sole the could be glued over the hole in your shoe, along with new rubber heels I even remember the "Cats Paw" brand.
Metal crescent shaped cleats were essential in oder to be noticed walking down the street, we would attach them to the heels and the tips of our shoes.
As young kids we developed a way of walking, double bouncing and dragging the cleat on the sidewalk that made a terrible racket.
especially in the School Hallways..
Most every kid in Stewart School collected trading cards, we would start out with an ordinary old deck of cards and the trade one of your cards for a different card from someone else, over a period of time, we would end up with a hundred cards all different, most valuable was any card that that had a scene on it. Pin ups were the best.
We did this for a couple of years, then some company started selling trading cards with an already mixed set and blank on the suit side, Well that took all the fun out of what we were doing. so we all quit. I think the Dime Store got stuck with a lot of inventory
thanks for reading
March 12, 2012
Of all the Grills I have known before
Bill Matteson
Uptown Chicago History Correspondent
Uptown was a place where you could get something to eat almost any where you went and at any time.
Every Drug store and dime store had a lunch counter. If I started out at Gary's Payless drug store in the Viceroy Hotel on the SW corner of Lawrence and Kenmore,
I could get a grilled cheese sandwich at the long counter that ran parallel with Lawrence. moving West the next door was an entrance to the Viceroy Restaurant
just pass the alley was the Ritz Grill, cheese burgers,fries and chili, further up the street next to the El was Marquis Lunch, next to the Riveria and the Uptown were soda fountains that served sandwiches, The best Hot Dogs came from the Deli in the basement of Goldblatts. On Leland and Broadway was Kresges Dime Store, they had a Soda Fountain and served food , complete with a menu, south on Broadway at Wilson was Woolworths, Dime Store, again counter and menu.
At Wilson and Kenmore was Square Burgers, next to the bank (old Wilson Theater) , SE corner was Angelos Pizza, NE corner was Thomsons Cafeteria. at Leland and Kenmore NW corner was Leibermans Drug Store with lunch counter . Wilson and Hazel had a Steinway Drug Store on the S.W. corner also a Steinway Drug Store on the S.W corner of Lawrence and Sheridan
Every Drugstore had a Lunch counter/ Soda fountain and on the soda fountain end was a Big Blue Bromo Seltzer jar. the counter attendant / soda jerk would turn a lever on the stand of the Jar and bromo crystals would come out into a little glass of soda water. The Soda jerk would then make a big display of pouring the bromo and seltzer water back and forth from one glass to another several times before he served it, this was the hangover cure of the day.
Uptown Chicago History Correspondent
Uptown was a place where you could get something to eat almost any where you went and at any time.
Every Drug store and dime store had a lunch counter. If I started out at Gary's Payless drug store in the Viceroy Hotel on the SW corner of Lawrence and Kenmore,
I could get a grilled cheese sandwich at the long counter that ran parallel with Lawrence. moving West the next door was an entrance to the Viceroy Restaurant
just pass the alley was the Ritz Grill, cheese burgers,fries and chili, further up the street next to the El was Marquis Lunch, next to the Riveria and the Uptown were soda fountains that served sandwiches, The best Hot Dogs came from the Deli in the basement of Goldblatts. On Leland and Broadway was Kresges Dime Store, they had a Soda Fountain and served food , complete with a menu, south on Broadway at Wilson was Woolworths, Dime Store, again counter and menu.
At Wilson and Kenmore was Square Burgers, next to the bank (old Wilson Theater) , SE corner was Angelos Pizza, NE corner was Thomsons Cafeteria. at Leland and Kenmore NW corner was Leibermans Drug Store with lunch counter . Wilson and Hazel had a Steinway Drug Store on the S.W. corner also a Steinway Drug Store on the S.W corner of Lawrence and Sheridan
Every Drugstore had a Lunch counter/ Soda fountain and on the soda fountain end was a Big Blue Bromo Seltzer jar. the counter attendant / soda jerk would turn a lever on the stand of the Jar and bromo crystals would come out into a little glass of soda water. The Soda jerk would then make a big display of pouring the bromo and seltzer water back and forth from one glass to another several times before he served it, this was the hangover cure of the day.
February 29, 2012
Children in Uptown 1980
The street is not identified in this image. Does anyone recognize it, or the children walking down the sidewalk? Currently on ebay, item 280835543126
February 27, 2012
Dr. S. P. Hedges, 4519 Sheridan,
Currently on eBay, item: 230751017649
Writing on back of image: Dr. S. P. Hedges, 4519 Sheridan Road, Chicago. Father and his electric, in which he was injured when struck by an electric street car.
February 25, 2012
Broadway and Ridge, 1939
48th Ward Alderman John Massen measuring sidewalks that will need to be removed and rebuilt in order to widen Ridge from Broadway to Clark. The buildings behind the group still stand, while the side of the intersection they're on now has a Walgreen's. Image currently on eBay: 160744313616
February 8, 2012
Protest in Uptown, 1966
Photo currently on eBay, item 270908767453.
This photo originally ran in the Sun-Times on May 15, 1966. Caption read: Marching in front of apartment building at 4107 N. Broadway are pickets from a group called the Join Community Union, an Uptown organization. They claim the building is in dangerous condition for the more than 30 tenants. A spokesman for the group cited faulty wiring and loose plaster. (Photo by Pete Peters)
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