One of the wonderful aspects of researching local history is uncovering long forgotten and in many cases little known features that were in newspapers of the past. All historians agree that one of the best places to unearth little know historic facts. Such is the case with the "CHAMBERSBURG" section which was a weekly feature in the teens. The graphic is a partial scan of the page dedicated to persons, places and things in the burg of yesteryear.
I do wish the entire page was included. I was born and raised in the Hungarian section, just down S. Clinton from Roebling's. The main indicator was neighborhood bars and butcher shops featuring smoked and preserved meats. Within two hundred feet of each other were St. Stephen's Church and Stephen Parichy's Bar on Genesee St. Parichy's was the home of Ernie Kovac's mother. Stepien's pickle works was a garage operation across the street. We all were within earshot of the bell tower of St. Stephens Church, and the kids reciting catechism in the afternoons.
ReplyDeleteOn the secular side, Gliba's Bar on Clinton and Hudson had live entertainment every Friday and Saturday night featuring violin, cimbalom and the voices of beer drinking, cigar smoking revelers.
The Hungarian Home on Genesee and Hudson was another landmark. The parishioners of St. Stephens would gather every Friday for Bingo and music and mass consumption of sausages and stuffed cabbages.
Men in the neighborhood prepared szalonna using small charcoal pots. If you haven't had it, I won't explain. The top-tier butchers and smokers: Vargas, Tindik's and Steve Thomas.
You earned fame on each city block by how good a cook your wife was. Palacsintas and nut rolls were the ultimate tests. Industrial strength chicken noodle soup with home rolled noodles was to die for. You grew and dried strings of red peppers and dried them for use all year round.
The Italians had their fame over on Butler, Bayard, Mott and Elmer, but so didn't we Hungarians and Germans on S. Clinton, Genesee, Adeline, Jersey St., Hancock St., Beatty St. It was heaven for all of us.