Thanks for stopping by. Welcome to my Front Porch. Many of you are too young to have experienced the value of a front porch while growing up. I grew up in the 40’s and still remember it as the meeting place. Neighbors would come by to chat and enjoy the Summer Evenings. In those days there was a lot of camaraderie and friendship.
Everyone seemed to know each other, and this provided a feeling of family.My front porch was located on the Northwest Side of Chicago. I lived in a three story brick building and the porch was impressive. As you approached the house you would find a wooden fence with a gate. As you go thru the gate you walk up five wooden steps, as you reach the top there were two doors. The door on the left was for the first floor apartment and the door on the right led to the inside stairs for the second and third floor apartments. As you reach the top of the porch you notice benches on the left and right. Steel railings were on each side of the stairs. On the sides of the doors were mail boxes. There was a stoop that led to each door. The porch was painted red, to match the red brick, and the railings black. This porch differed from other structures that were attached to frame homes or brick houses with brick stairs. Each was unique, but still provided the comfort to meet and talk.
Most front porches had benches where you could sit, for overflows there were the stairs, stoops or railings. I can still feel the freshness of those warm summer evenings. Sometimes the mosquitoes would be a nuisance and we’d buy punks to keep them away. Neighbors would come out around 7PM and stay out until 8:30 or 9. Most people worked in factories and had to be up by 6AM and at work by 8AM. It wasn’t unusual to hear the factory horns or whistles each weekday to signal the start or end of work.
During the summer months you could smell the city’s stockyards. It seemed to cover the City and would last for hours. Speaking of odors, there were plenty of smokers in those days. They would light up their Luckies or Camels and sometime a cigar. In July you could hear the fireworks from the different festivals. The one that was the loudest was the Italian (Dago) Fest. In those days people weren’t politically correct and used their adjectives freely to express themselves.
In my opinion the 40’s was the era of the front porch. After the 40’s we saw different styles of homes built that didn’t have front porches. Older homes were knocked down and fewer front porches remain. Neighborhoods changed and it even became dangerous to sit outside. I feel lucky to have experienced this time in history and cherish the remaining front porches.
I invite you back next week, to My Front Porch, to discuss the neighborhood and its people.
Your Sasaid – (Shun-Shad) Neighbor in Polish
