My research indicates that Mr. Taylor's Pork Packing plant and the surrounding stock yard was located in the area of today's Perrine Avenue between North Clinton Avenue and today's Trenton Freeway. The body of water and the bridge in the left of the engraving makes it very difficult to place the actual building and stock yard using Google Earth and other current maps of the area. However, I think it is safe to speculate that the canal in the photo placed the Taylor plant site in an area of Perrine Avenue that must have been eliminated in future years.
Interesting that Mr. Taylor's employees are herding cattle and not pigs. Was it Taylor Beef Roll back then?
ReplyDeleteBill:
ReplyDeleteHaving grown up in the "slaughter house ( packing house) industry, and in later life owning the Old Marvel's slaugnter house at fulton and Hudson Sts. Having a stockyard for various breeds was typical. Back than, and even today they slaughter all, but specialize in a particular product. Today, the pork butts are shipped in by the big packers in t he midwest, and little if any slaughtering is done locally save for Ethnic types like Waqgner's old slaughtere house on Roebling Ave. that specializes in Hallal;Muslim counterpart of Kosher.
Hi, Mike,
ReplyDeleteAround the corner from Rocco Marvaldi's slaughterhouse was our home on South Clinton. We were across the street from your apartment building on the corner, just a few doors up from Gliba's.
As a youngster (in the late 50s/early 60s) we visited Rocky's to purchase pork livers to use as catfish bait down the river by the Marine Terminal. The secret process, of course, was to let what was fresh liver sit in the sun atop our garage to dry it a bit and let it get just a bit more fragrant.
We kids used to go into the main room of the slaughterhouse "where the action was" and sit on the steps that lead upstairs just watching. Can't say that we enjoyed the spectacle but we kids knew where our meat came from, whether it be pork, veal or poultry. A special part of living in the Burg was these experiences that showed every aspect of food close to home.
Gardens with tomatoes, corn, zucchini & flowers. Folks with neighborhood grown chicken coops and rabbit hutches. Ferriers and blacksmiths on Swan Street. A slew of fishermen down by the river - Ernie with the Jeep from Hudson Street and Adeline. John the Baron from nearby. The Russian fellow that spoke no English that walked down to the water and fished with watermelon rind as a bait. I too was a fisherman that donated carp from the Marine Terminal area to a Jewish fellow from Market Street where he resold the fish to his customers.
There was a rhythm where we all got along helping each other out. Times weren't "good" but we made do. I loved growing up there. I learned life.