Gone

2007-01-21T05:10:00.000-08:00

1458 Chestnut is an empty lot this January 2007.

We've forgotten a lot about living at 1458 Chestnut. This January 2007 exchange of emails is some of what we remember:

from John
to BOB, Bill
date Jan 9
I don't know why, but when they tear down a building that was part of
your life, it seems a little sad. This time it was 1458 Chestnut.

East Chestnut Street was an o.k. neighborhood when we lived there in
the 40s. The Einstandings lived on one corner and the Malooley's on
the other and we were in the middle of the block on the alley. You
will have more memories of it than will I because we moved on my 5th
birthday when you guys were 12 and nearly 15.

What do you remember, Brothers?

John

from Bill
to John, Bob
date Jan 9
My, what a clear view of Baldsley's house to the left of 1458. If that is how you spell it. That man painted my bicycle red white and blue for free. I remember the kid on the right of the alley was swinging on our grape arbor. He fell and caught his eye (maybe eyelid) on a nail or something and his eye came out. It really sounds too gruesome to be true. Is it Bob?
Bill

from Bob
to Bill, me
date Jan 10

John -

Thanks for the picture. I have many memories of living in that house.
The house to the west was Balsley's, the famous Balsley that John asked to
come over and untie him, because that damn ole red headed woman had tied him
to the clothesline. We got our first bikes when we lived there. The house
across the alley, their name started with M and he was older than I and was
some kind of athlete at Tech. A boy lived across the street, played the
guitar, and told dirty jokes I didn't understand. I was in the Boy Scouts at
the church at the corner of 14th and Chestnut. I used to stand on the curb
and play baseball games by throwing balls against the porch and catching the
balls that bounced back. The empty lot on the corner of 15th and Chestnut
was where all of the football games were played. Jack Burke lived up the
alley, his Dad made him high jump and pole vault pits in his back yard and
we did that quite often.

Bob

from Bob
to Bill, me
date Jan 10

Bill -

I don't remember the grape arbor even, so I don't remember the kid catching his eye on it. I caught malaria when I was in the 8th grade in the summer. Sickest I was ever in my life. I was in bed on the side porch for about 2 weeks.

Bob

from Bill
to Bob, me
date Jan 10

I liked the picture too. I didn't have such good memories of the neighbors though. I do recall the kid across the street that sang the dirty songs. He also sang "Old Shep". I remember the ones that lived upstairs better, I suppose. One family made jewelry from old tooth brushes. Another was the Pitners and he was an engineer on the building of Hulman Field. Then Jo Stoops lived downstairs during the war before she went into the waves. I wonder if Hogie Carmichael recalled that house and his time in Terre Haute.

Bill

from Bob
to Bill, me
date Jan 11

Bros

One of the families that lived upstairs I thought worked on building the
two war plants that were south of Terre Haute, one was later a drug plant
( Pfizer ?). A single man that lived up there was the manager at Two Legs.
One had a son the same age as John, he was about half John's size. That is
where we lived when I had my paper routes.

Bob

twtd

Gone