![\"The](\"https:\/\/stephendanko.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/07\/PHO-Hupmobile-1924.jpg\")
<\/a>The 1924 Hupmobile<\/p><\/div>\n
Ma and Pa owned a three decker building on Prescott Street and operated a grocery store out of the first floor in a neighborhood that included a mix of all nationalities .\u00a0 Their building is the only building left standing on Prescott Street today .\u00a0 The building was located close to the American Steel and Wire factory where the people would work from 6 AM to 6 PM .\u00a0 The whistle would blow at 6 PM and a stream of people would come out and walk down Byron Street and past their house.<\/p>\n
The family found ways to save money .\u00a0 When the children were young, Saturday was bath day .\u00a0 Ma would heat water on the stove and everybody would take a bath in the same water .\u00a0 Pa would resole their shoes himself and would make moonshine in the kitchen which he would barter with others in exchange for haircuts for the boys .\u00a0 The boys would go to the dump and find copper, brass, lead, and aluminum that they could sell .\u00a0 They would pick through the dump with 5-10 other kids and earn about $5 a week for their efforts .\u00a0 In hindsight, Ray marveled at the fact that they never caught serious diseases picking through the dump.<\/p>\n
Later, Pa worked for Worcester Pressed Steel .\u00a0 The company owned land behind the factory and the employees were given a plot for a garden .\u00a0 Pa had one of those plots .\u00a0 At the time he worked for Worcester Pressed Steel, Pa owned a Hudson .\u00a0 In the winter, Pa would come home at night and drain the radiator so the water wouldn’t freeze .\u00a0 At the time, antifreeze didn’t exist and so people either had to use alcohol in the radiator to prevent freezing .\u00a0 To save money, Pa just drained the radiator at night and refilled it in the morning .\u00a0 He had preferred employee parking as a machinist at Worcester Pressed Steel and so he was able to park in the company garage during the day so the radiator wouldn’t freeze at work.<\/p>\n
John Woodman Higgins, the owner of Worcester Pressed Steel, opened a steel museum known today as Higgins Armory .\u00a0 Although Worcester Pressed Steel is no longer in business, the Armory still exists .\u00a0 Pa worked at Higgins Armory for a while, and Pa gave my mother a cigarette lighter in the shape of a suit of armor .\u00a0 I plan to visit Higgins Armory during my visit to Worcester later this week.<\/p>\n
Copyright \u00a9 2006 by Stephen J. Danko<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
After telling me of their war experience, my uncles Ray and Henry talked about a few other details of their family life when they were young .\u00a0 Everyone in the family, including children and grandchildren, called my maternal grandparents “Ma” … Continue reading