Friday, February 1, 2013

30 West Street, by Aunt CB



We on the Cousins Blog first wrote about 30 West Street, the Taylor homestead in Geneva for a time, back in October of 2007. Take a look at what we were covering then:


http://taylorbakercousins.blogspot.com/2007_10_01_archive.html

We were reading of Uncle Harold’s boat he created—Tubby, we were hoping my sister Sue’s ankle got better, AND, we enjoyed a wonderfully full story of 30 West Street as told by Mom.

Later, in 2010, she wrote again—more of Geneva as a small town in the midst of WWII:

http://taylorbakercousins.blogspot.com/2010/01/30-west-street-genevasmall-town-america.html

Now, in early 2013, she again thinks back to 30 West Street for a snippet in time:

At 30 West Street, Geneva, in the early to mid 1930’s Doris and I shared a bedroom, while baby Harold slept in a crib in Mom’s room. Our bed, a double one, had a head board with a slot about six inches high between the mattress and the top of the bedstead, so we could peek into Mom’s room.

And, in this same bedroom, down near the baseboard, there were large cracks in the plaster and wallpaper. Picked away, could be seen, little pockets behind the baseboard. That is where Doris would shove my paper dolls when she got mad at me. We so often wished we’d been around when they tore down 30 West Street to garner them!

After growing up in 30 West Street, I have concluded that everyone should have a BIG old house with a front and back stairway! [how Mom ever stood our chasing one another up and down and around in that house I will never understand!] Also, another plus--a huge attic, although the lack of floorboards was a minus and resulted in Mom once putting a foot and a leg through the ceiling of Ruth and Esther's bedroom. It was great to play in though!

Our home at 30 West Street was taken down to make way for West Street Elementary School, so it exists only in my and my baby brother’s memories now, but I remember it still.

2 comments:

Pat said...

Mom,

Thanks again for sharing your memories!

It must be so strange to know that YOUR 30 West Street only exists in the minds of you and Harold. Even the building is no more.

My homestead, 2846 St. Paul Boulevard, still exists as a building, but that is it. It has been too changed to call it my 'homestead' anymore. But, yes, in my mind and in my dreams, and in the memories of my family, it still IS the place we loved and called home for so many years.

Just last night, when I awoke from a dream I could tell I had been in the kitchen of 2846. What was I doing? Making cookies with Grandma Kinsella? Watching the boys get their hair cut on the Taylor stool as Dad told his Indian story? Hard to say.

We each have our 'homes' that we carry with us, even when they no longer exist.

Love you,

Mom/ CB said...

Pat, so good of you to remind us of our "homeplaces"! No other place never meant so much until we had the place we raised our family! In the main it was "2846" but i'd never go back after it has been "Modernized " by new owners. I can understand what it means to you kids tho! Just as 427 Main st , Waterloo, never meant much to us Taylor kids. Maybe to Harold but even that I doubt It was just Mom and Daddy's last home.
Yes, we carry the early homes with us as we age! !