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I remember that storm!!! My folks had a dairy farm in Elk Creek NY. During the storm, the lights went out and we had no idea what was going on until it dawned on me that my Dad's old boat of a Buick had a radio in it so we did hourly radio checks.

I was about 18 months old that night and the couple that was killed were my Grandparents.

I'm sorry to hear that karyl. Were they from Norwich? I really didn't mean to bring up any bad memories. That was not my intention. The fact that we had parked there earier really was a wake up call for me.

Frank and Daisy Hendrickson were the couple that were killed that night under the Chapman Turner Bldg. They also were my grandparents. My mother was their youngest child Edie.

Your memories of Norwich are very interesting.I have lived here all my life and had forgotten some of things you bring to mind,and you present them so nicely.Keep up the good work....

I agree Heavonbound I love his stories..I remember that storm well..I was about 8 yrs. old we lived on a farm outside of Oxford...It was a very scary night...I remember before the storm hit it seemed we could smell it coming a sort of floral and fruity kind fo scent (maybe it was my imagination) and all night long we could hear trees falling in the woods...Scary indeed ...

Pappy I look so forward to your stories of days gone by. I am the granddaughter that left the the comment telling who the couple was that died that night and I hope you don't regret telling your story. I never got to meet them because I wasn't born yet but I know every detail of that night from my family. Please keep writing!

Yes, I remember well. A large tree fell on our house. Luckily, we were in the cellar.

My Mother was Frank's Daughter LaHoma. I really like your posts. I haven't lived in Norwich for 2o some years but really enjoy the stories. They bring back memories.

My dad ran the elevator at Chapman & Turner's at the time of "Hazel". I was only 10 at the time. I can remember him getting a call and having to go down to the store to open it up so they could get to the roof. Part of the roof had rolled up due to the wind and when it got to the chimney it had no where to go. It finally forced the concrete top off the chimney and it fell on to the car. He told us about it and the next day we went down to see the car for ourselves. I can't help but think about the incident from time to time and have always felt sorry for the folks who were killed.
Hazel did a lot of damage around our area on West Hill. It put about 4 large poplar trees down on to the Guinn farm next door. Our plum trees in the back yard were never seen again.
Mother nature can be rough at times.
Keep up the interesting posts Pappy.

I recall being amazed, as a five year old, at all the tree branches down and the distress, obvious even to a youngster, of all the adults, and especially around those killed.

I'm new to this blog and enjoying it very much. I left a comment on the memory of Christmas shopping in 1949--the year of my birth in Norwich. Graduated NHS in 1967, lived other places but have visited family often. Someone mentioned a hobby shop on King St. I lived on King St. from about 1955 t0 1967 and don't recall one. Was it on the Cortland St. end?

Have many fond memories of swimming in the Canaswacta Creek swimming area before pool was built too.

Pretty sure it was King St. and not Miller, but I might be wrong. It was about half way up on the left and I believe it was a converted garage. I bought my balsa models there and plaster of paris to make cars cast in a rubber mold. Wish I could remember name, but I'm going back 60 years.

Spent many days at the old swimming pool. They had a building where you could change and you put your clothes in a wire basket and hooked a pin on your trunks with the number of your basket on it. Remember the weird steps going into the water? Always slippery...

Re: the hobby shop on King St. I'm thinking it might have been Miller St., which runs from Pleasant up to Newton Ave. As mentioned, I lived on King St. (three doors from Cortland) from 1955 to 1967 and don't remember a commercial location there. About halfway up the street toward Pleasant is a playground on the east side of the street and a large lot with a house or two set back from the street on the west. Still on the flat land at that point, the hill not developing until just before the intersection with Pleasant St. Only place I could think of that might have been commercial location.

I loved going to the old swimming area in the creek. It was much more interesting than the pool, although I suppose far less sanitary. They dammed the creek just under the (now gone) footbridge to create an area deep enough to dive into, then several roped off sections upstream became progressively shallower for the little ones. Used to turn over stones, looking for crayfish and so forth.

After the new pool was built and they no longer boarded up over the base to make a pool, the concrete section of the dam remained. There were two sluice ways that bigger, daring boys could jump across and doing so was a rite of passage growing up. On mornings after a few days of rain, we would beat it down to the creek to watch the swollen waters roar through the sluice ways, and as we got bigger, play in the current or shoot through on inner tubes. Adventurous fun for 10 year olds.

Was also was taken by my folks to swim under the Red Mill Bridge just upstream where Pleasant St. crosses the creek. When the official area downstream was dammed, this gave some depth to the Red Mill Bridge swimming hole. Lots of fun to explore under the bridge and fool around.

Anyone have memories of the Stone Quarry? This was another one of those rite of passage experiences, to climb the hill and "explore the caves" formed in the piled rocks. All gone now, of course, as the stone was sold some years ago. Still the best view in town, though.

Sounds like we did the same things growing up. All of the above. Lived on West Hill so very familar with Red Mill Hill. Swam under the bridge too. Got a nasty cut from all the beer bottles from the bridge. I didn't know the stone quarry was gone. We would also explore all the caves. Most of the sidewalks in Norwich came from the quarry. There use to be RR tracks running down the hill leading to West Main St. What is the name of the little St. that connects Miller and King? I'll be coming down to Norwich and will take a ride up that way to see if I can remember where the shop was.

You know, as we discuss this, I think I have mis-identified Miller and Howard Sts. Miller, as I think of it, may be the street that runs from Cortland (site of Cortland St. School I attended but was torn down in the 60's brick by brick) and Pleasant where stands St. Paul's church. It would be Howard that runs from Pleasant to Newton. The little street that connects Miller and King is Auburn St, which passes by the playground I mentioned above. There is a house on the corner there, fronting on the northwest corner of Miller and Auburn which has a garage opening on Auburn and somewhat lower than the house. Could that have been the hobby shop? Across the street was the rear entrance for one of the bigger houses fronting on North Broad.

The Stone Quarry stones were sold off in the late sixties, as I recall. They bulldozed a new road up there to haul them out. The path when we were kids led up obliquely to the mounds in front. And yes, there was a gravity railroad which ran down between the mounds when the quarry was in operation (I've seen photos.) The loaded car rolled down and drew the empty car up the hill, then it was repeated. I think the stone was taken away on the Chenango Canal, another one of my obsessions from Norwich history.

As a little kid, I lived at #5 Turner St. which is now the entrance way of the new YMCA, most of Turner street now gone. (The canal ran close to there, hard by the Maydole Hammer Factory, then north along what is now Lee St where the old GLA building stands.) Remember as a four year old watching them build what was then the new swimming pool in my back yard. Learned to swim there as a kid and later earned my block "N" as member of the swim team.

Yes, I think you nailed it. It was Auburn St. and sounds like the house that had the hobby shop.I too went to Cortland St. school for one year. We lived briefly on Henry St. I had a paper route in the Miller, Pleasant St. area. The good old Norwich Sun.

The quarry stones were taken by canal and the railroad. I also enjoy reading about the Chen. Canal. Meads pond was a parking lot for the barges carrying ore to the factory on Borden Ave.Many barges were sunk in Meads when the Canal closed down. There is a large drawing of the canal upstairs at the Historical Soc. on Rexford St. A lot of artifacts also. Highly recommend a visit there.

Yes, it begins to come back now. I also confirmed the street names by looking at a map (I know, that's cheating) and we have it now. The hobby shop must have been gone by the time I was walking those streets.

Went to Cortland St. a year, first grade, then up to the brand new Gibson school for second grade through sixth. Walked to school up that hill and back through all kinds of weather. You could cut through the St. Paul's parking lot at that time, now no longer. Had a Norwich Sun paper route myself, down in the Division St. area, also the Binghamton morning paper for a time out on Bartlett Road. This seemed to me like the country because you had to cross the creek to get there. Was never much of "businessman" though, so was never consistent about the paper routes. My parents moved from King to Bartlett for the latter part of their lives and loved it out there. Now it seems so close to town.

My grandparents lived on Newton Ave, the second house built up there in the late 30's. When I was a kid, there was no Gibson school or Sunset Drive, just a meadow with a dirt road leading up, where he would take us for a walk. In my grandfather's youth, that meadow was the site of the largest hop yard in New York. He remembered horse and wagon transport for that, the advent of the first motor car in town, and lived to see live television pictures broadcast by men on the moon. In one lifetime!

The museum is a good visit, you're right. Haven't been there in some years, always mean to visit when in town but never do.

When I rode the bus on West Hill, it went down Crandall St. and then down Bartlett Rd. The only name I can remember on Bartlett was the farm at the top of Bartlett. Titus was their name and they had a lot of kids.
Spent most of my life on the hill, but did spend a year or two on Gold St., next to tracks. There was another quarry at the top of West Hill that we played a lot in. It was a parking spot for young lovers, and we would be up on top of quarry and watch the goings on.
My kin were mostly masons and bricklayers. Built a lot of houses in Norwich and built hundreds of fireplaces.

There was a popular parking spot where Crandall met Rt. 10, near Red Mill Rd. and just before Hale. You could see the lights of the town, it was generally pretty quiet. The drinking age was 18 in those years and it was pretty easy, in the days before photo driver's licenses, to fake it if you looked a little older. Many a family sedan packed with kids and a couple of six packs ended up on that corner--not that I ever did any of this, you understand (ahem).

Along the Lackawana RR tracks between Mitchell and Mechanic Sts. was another popular spot to stash the illicit goods too. It was close to the YMCA, the Bluebird and other popular hangouts for the underage set.

I've remarked to a friend who grew up with me, also NHS '67, that we wandered all over that town, boys and girls, up and down RR tracks and dark alleyways on nights out and never once felt unsafe. As far as I know, no teen or kid--boy or girl--ever got assaulted or molested during my youth. Have lived in some bigger cities since where you wouldn't do that as an adult. Perhaps things happened on the streets I never heard about, but it seems like a small town Golden Age in my memory.

Did a couple of summers of construction work in Norwich during college--just a general laborer. Worked for Bert Olsen and his son Carl; had a hand in the Elk's Club renovation, Colonia Theater and the transformation of what was the W.T. Grant building into the office space it is now. Helped build a house up on West Hill too,as I recall.

Speaking of downtown businesses--loved the old variety stores, as some have mentioned in another post. Especially the Woolworth store, with the smell of old, oiled wood floors and the roasting nuts right by the front door. Fishmans, with the lunch counter, Grants with the ramp downstairs to the toy department. Throw in the Imperial Tea Room, several shoe stores, two men's stores (Winan's and Hirsch's), the Army/Navy store and you had a fun downtown. Would walk up and down there Friday evenings when the merchants stayed open late, looking for friends and fun.

Might as well mention this too--anyone remember the Lackawana Hotel? It was right on the tracks between Lackawana Ave. and Mechanic St. Gone now, but a real old guys' bar back in the day. My old man would take me in with him sometimes when I was a tyke. It had a separate ladies section, smelled of beer, cigarettes and working men--very colorful. Always regretted it was gone by the time I could have had a drink there.

Those were the days when Norwich had a thriving light industrial economy--long gone South and then overseas.

I remember the Lackawana Hotel. My grandfather and uncle always ended their working day with a shot of rye and a couple of beer chasers. I too, remember the smells and great talk from the bar.

They was a lot of industries back then. My dad was "over there" fighting on Iwo Jima and my Mom worked at Pharmical Co. My uncle worked there also as well as drummed at Randalls and the Alquonquin (I murdered the spelling) nights to make ends meet.

My wife worked in the shoe factory for a while and then the NPC. I worked mostly for Victory Makets and Smith Ford for a while.

At the Army and Navy Store, I bought a pair of blue slacks with a pink stripe down the sides and a pink shirt to match. White bucks and a DA haircut. Boy, if I wasn't the cat's a.. walking down the street. Look out ladies........

Nowich was a great town to grow up in. Could go to the movies for 16 cents, see 26 cartoons and a double feature and stay and see them all over again if you wanted to. Abbott and Costello were my favorites. You could walk home at night and never worry about some of the stuff that goes on today.

Wasn't it great to see all the stores right on both Main Sts.? You could spend all day shopping and still not see everything. The ramp in Grants was my favorite. Down stairs held every kid's dreams. No blister packageing. Every thing was loose so a kid could feel all the toys and dream on.

There are just some things you would like to never see change. But, we can still reminisce, can't we?

The fascinating part of the Lackawana Hotel, for me as a tyke anyway, was a large print of "Custer's Last Stand" hanging on the wall, swirling with charging Indians and troopers being scalped, etc. Very lurid, melodramatic, and dynamic. Imagine sitting there playing cards with that over your shoulder? Also, lots of photos of guys on fishing trips holding up strings of trout, that kind of thing.

I remember Randall's, which I believe became Beadles and then probably several other names too--the place with the round windows, right? I'm betting that if your uncle was a drummer who played there, he might be the mason with whom I worked laying brick as we changed the storefront of W.T. Grant to the office building it is now. Initials D. C. perhaps?

(I'm being coy about this because I'm not sure about the protocol on these blogs, not sure if people want their personal names hanging out here?)

My dad was in the Pacific too, came home to deliver mail for many years, and if your uncle is who I think he is, a personal friend of my father, who everyone knew as "Lefty."

We must be about 10 or 12 years apart in age. The Colonia was charging 25 cents when I attended. I looked at the older guys with white bucks and DA haircuts thinking they were pretty cool. The white bucks had these slide fasteners instead of laces and pink rubber soles. I could never persuade my folks to buy them for me, as they rightly said I would have them filthy within a week. The practicalities of life (sigh!)

You're right--the toy department down the ramp at Grant's was like entering into another world and stuff was loose in the bins. Prices were probably ten times lower then than they are now, and for better quality. It was with a sense of nostalgia and sadness that I walked down that ramp into an empty space when I worked on a construction crew in 1969 or so.

There is a store near where I live in the Boston area that still bills itself as a "5 % 10." The fixtures, the merchandise, the basic clothing, the toys, the atmosphere is like a step back in time. Things loose in the bins, no peg board, no blister packs. How it has survived, I have no idea but I love going in there.

What wouldn't you give for one more Friday walking Broad Street, cruising from the Bus Terminal, the Bluebird and the "Y" on the north end, past "The Grill" and Prindles, the park, Woolworths, down to the Army/Navy store, then crossing at the A&P and Grants to walk up the other side, past the Imperial, Fishmans, shoe stores, stop at "Smitty's Smoke Shop" for a peek at the "naughty magazines," sit in the park for a minute, then maybe up to Western Auto to find a part for your bike, then back to the "Y" again?

I have a picture somewhere of your Dad and my uncle Don when they where young men, taken on West Hill. Randalls had the round windows like you said. The Tavern was my folks hangout. A friend of the family was a waitress there. I drank cokes till it came out my ears.

I miss the old Conroy's Drug Store on the corner of South Broad and East Main. They had an old soda fountain in there and a counter with stools to enjoy a drink. Smittys was around the corner, one of my favorite spots. You could buy comics, gags and joke items there. Bought cigar loads there one time and put one in Moms cigarette. Didn't do that again. I caught holy he.. for that dumb trick.

A little farther down was the old shoe store run by a little Italian fellow. Loved the smells fron the leather, yes, shoes were actually leather then. One pair of shoes could last a long time if you had them reheeled and soled.

A few other places that come to mind:Smith Taxi Co., Hirsch Men's Store, Scarcella's Diner, Sonnes Gift Center, Benedict Cadillac, Pontiac, Paino and Distefano Grocery Store and The Fair Store.

Will be on the road for a few days, heading north. All invited to post their memories of the older Norwich.

MOM AND POP STORES

I was just in Norwich for a day or so on family business and was thinking about the various mom and pop stores that used to dot the town before the big supermarkets completely killed them. Of course, they were holdovers from the days when not so many people had cars and you needed a store every few blocks. People wouldn't buy a week's supplies at a time, just a few things.

Here are a few I remember: Reilly's, on Henry St. Jackson's on Plymouth and Pleasant corner.
Shaheen's (name may be wrong) at the bottom of West Hill, Canasawacta and W. Main, John's Grocery on Division St. (I worked there in '66) Welch's on Silver St. Sheldon's on Mitchell St. and another Sheldon's (?) cor. of Rexford and Lee. I'm sure I've missed a couple; anyone else remember some more?