Memories of My Northeast Philly, circa 1966-1974

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Center of this Universe: Ashton & Willits Roads
Frankie Masters, Joseph’s Delicatessen, wiffle ball, Holme Circle, Winchester Swim Club, St. Jerome Church & School, Father Dougherty, 25-minute Masses, “Winchester, Colfax & Narvon lines …”, EJ Korvettes, Crown Cork & Seal, friendly football games, Angus Road, nasty football rivalry, Grant & Ashton, Grant & Academy, John Byrnes GC, the fence along Torresdale CC, Pollock School & playground, softball, FlatIron, chain-link basketball nets, the “Big A”, turtle jungle gym, huge angled sheet-metal slide, Route 20 & 88 bus, Philadelphia Electric Co substation (Ashton), North(east) Philadelphia Airport, Ryerson Road, Ryerson Circle, the 5 & 10 cent store (Willits), Shop ‘n Bag(s), “Free Soviet Jews” (B’Nai B’Rith??), 15-cent burgers at McDonalds (Frankford Ave.), Linden Avenue projects, I-95, Roosevelt Boulevard, Roosevelt Mall, Thomas Holme School, Cannstatters, Father Judge HS, dances in the gym, Cottage Green, the original intersection of Ashton & Willits, Lincoln HS, the football bowl, Thanksgiving football games, concrete roads, Bluegrass Shopping Center, grass median strips, Nazareth Hospital, Pennypack Circle, jungle-themed miniature golf, concrete underpasses (before and after), Shriner’s Hospital, Pennypack Park, beer parties, cops, running, beer-dumping parties, street hockey, Flyers Stanley Cup street celebrations, Holy Family College, Nazareth Academy, girls at Archbishop Ryan/St. Huberts, robin-egg blue police cars (post-’74?), PTC, Crispin Gardens, pee wee football, little league, The Evening Bulletin, newspaper shack on Ashton near Winchester SC …  

(Disclaimer:  Dysfunctional memory may result in not-completely-correct recollections.  Please feel free to correct any inconsistencies via Leave a Comment/Post a Reply below.)

88 thoughts on “Memories of My Northeast Philly, circa 1966-1974”

  1. Mike

    I’m an old timer from North East. I lived there from 1945 to 1958 then moved to Feasterville. Not been in the best of health lately, but this has made my day thanks. Found this by accident looking for an old friend.

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    • Glad you enjoyed it. I lived in NEP from ‘65 (Holme Circle) to ‘97 when we relocated to Horsham. Graduate of Father Judge (‘74) and spent our early child-rearing years on Comly Road around the corner from Archbishop Ryan.

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  2. I worked at NorthEast Airport for a few years. I would take all the pilot’s to Joe’s Del. For a treat they had dent had. I’m from Burhome Cottman ave. Near Jardel rec. center that had the best sock hops.

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    • I’m interested in how you are. My name is Ron, I’m from Burhome, I also lived on Cottman Street and went to the sock hops at Jardel rec. What years were you exploits. The funniest thing of all is I was the ground serves manager at North East Airport.

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      • I am fine and currently live in Horsham. I grew up in the Holme Circle area. Never went to the dances at Jardel, but attended quite a few at Father Judge. We moved to NE Philly from Germantown in the mid-‘60s. So from ‘67 to ‘74 (graduated from FJHS) were my exploits. Visiting the North Philly Airport is one of my earliest memories of moving to NE Philly.

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  3. Moved into 2700 block of Tremont St on Dec 18,1961.I believe I was Joseph’s first employee, aged 11, hired to sweep and mop at closing. Our entire family worked there at one time or another, Mom worked there for 20 years. I also worked at Frankie Master’s as a dishwasher and remember their crab cakes. Nerf football sized and shaped, breaded, delicious. The cook (in the basement) started to teach me how to cook them, but never showed me how to make them. I wished he had. If anyone knows please let me know. I would greatly appreciate it. I also worked at Gary MArk’s Atlantic gas station, when high test gas, Atlantic Imperial, cost $0.36.9 a gallon. Lincoln HS graduated 1969, 4 years Navy Air Wing, Bell Tel, AT&T, Lucent, Avaya for a total of 38 years and 11 months before being laid off. Moved to Florida in 2004, divorced in 2022, moved back to PA . Now living in Langhorne.
    I was in the first graduating class of Pollock school after it was built, where I was introduced to Frank Stallone, who I still talk to occasionally today.
    All the things and places written about in the mail article, I remember, fondly. Sadly, things have changed over the years, and maybe not for the best, but what a wild ride!!!

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  4. Hi Mike. I just came across your blog. Great stuff! I’ve gotten into a Twitter conversation with Larry Shenk, who’s a long-time Phillies exec. You referenced Double Distelfink Day. I still have mine from when I was a kid. Do you by any chance recall what year that was? Was it around the end of Connie Mack or in the early years of the Vet? I just can’t remember. Thanks for any help!

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  5. I SAW FLATIRON BEAT EDDIE FEIGHNER AND KING AND HIS COURT 5 TIMES AT BUSTLETON & MAGEE. THEY NEVER GOT A HIT OFF OF GEORGE ULMER IN ALL 5 GAMES. THEIR WAS 15,000 PEOPLE AT MAX MYERS PLAYGROUND WATCHING THE GAME. AWESOME !!!!!

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    • Thanks … which dead-end? Funny how kids remember physical features as memory markers. When I lived in Germantown (birth-10 yo), we would wander – all of 100 yards from our house – to a place we simply called The Crack … because the pavement was buckled and “cracked” by a huge chestnut tree.

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  7. Troop 395; Treasure Island Scout Reservation; the little candy store behind Mayfair elementary (where my buddy Billy Seltzer, who was the Captain of the Safety Patrol (I was just a patrolman), and I would go after my shift and drink sodas and eat candy; Hargrave St gang and football behind the houses; buck buck and jailbreak in the streets around Hargrave; Park Guard station in Pennypack Park (Woods)…fishing in Pennypack crick; Greenwood Dairies; Tillie’s Pizza (first pizza I had at around 6 years old was from Tillie’s); my Dad’s name on the Levis’ wall (not NEP, but it had our address on Macon Street); Acme parking lot on the Boulevard (Ken L Ration dog school for my half lab-half setter in the parking lot); Valle’s Steak House (second real job — and I was there for three years!); B bus; Farrell, Pollock, Mayfair, Lincoln; Little City; Merben and Mayfair theaters; the “punk” test; Camp William Penn (1967); YWCA at Holme Circle; Branch Free Library on Cottman; leaving unlocked outside Korvette’s my brother’s English Racer bike he earned selling newspapers…yes, it was stolen; Belcher’s accordion studio; police cars we called “red cars”; Murray the mailman; mowing lawns / shoveling snow ($5 per house); annual summer trek to Atlantic City (Diplomat Motel) or to Ocean City; special occasion dinners at Fisher’s Restaurant (my Mom’s favorite) or at Philip’s (in South Philly; when I was in the Navy, and my ship (Saratoga) went to the shipyard, one night I had dinner at Philip’s and the owner remembered my mom and dad…he gave me a bottle of Brunello gratis…the best). There’s so much more, but specifics will come with the use of spare brain cycles and maybe a couple of Rolling Rocks…

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    • I, also was aboard the Saratoga with VF103 F4 Phantoms. Made part of a Med Cruise and went to Vietnam aboard her in ’72. Years later, while cruising the Delaware in my 26 foot Cruisers Inc , I pulled up to the side of the Sara, reached out and touched her hull. She was in the beginning process of scrapping, but I told my son that this is where I lived and worked for many months and had visited many ports aboard her.
      When were you aboard?

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      • I never served. Worked for 35 years in civilian service supporting everything the Navy flies and of course programs associated with the carriers. Thanks for your service and sorry for the tardy response. Just ran across your comment …

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  8. Hi my name is Lynda Master Santaniello … When I found this website, it made my heart not hurt, as much for those who knew of my parents. This is the week we lost them. So many of the memories our softball team, pollock school, Lincoln, Holme circle, joes deli next to our restaurant. So many made me smile this week. It is very hard on our family. Thanks for the memories!

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  9. Hi I’m
    Lynda Master Santaniello It was so nice to see my name in this memories along with many more … our schools, our softball team, flatiron and so many more memories. This is week we lost both of our parents, and this made me feel good to see these memories. Holme circle lived right down street along with so many others. thank you so much ❤️.

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  10. I remember the miniature golf at Stanwood and the Blvd, the last hole had a seal with a rotating ball. Sink it in the spinning ball and the seal would bark, “arrrh arrh.arrh — free game, free game !” or similar.

    Then I d go to KFC nearby and have some hamburgers for 25 cents each which they’d inexplicably wrap in clear plastic.

    Then take the bikes back home riding in the brick gutters along holme ave.

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  11. Harry W. – I remember when FLATIRON played at CONNIE MACK STADIUM for their home games in the seaboard coast league. Teams from CT,NY,NJ,DE,VA.GA,FL,NC,SC,LA,TE,OH,IL,MO, and TX. – FLATIRON drew more fans than the Phillies did back then for home games at CONNIE MACK.

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  12. FLATIRON A.C. SOFTBALL – In the 60’s,70’s and into the 80’s they were unbeatable as they won league titles every year. They played the best teams in the entire country and came out on top. THE GREAT GEORGE ULMER was their top pitcher. Many games he would have 19 or 20 K’s. BIG GEORGE was clocked at 110 to 120 miles an hour. In one regional tournament GEORGE pitched 5 no hitters and fanned 101 out of 105 hitters. The entire team was the class of the leagues they played in.They played as great as their uniforms looked and they looked awesome.

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  13. IN THE EARLY 70’S MY DAD TOOK ME TO SEE FLATIRON PLAY CARLINGS BEER OF BALTIMORE . THEIR PITCHER WAS CHARLIE SLAVINGS WHO WAS 66-0 AT THE TIME .GEORGE ULMER , FLATIRONS PITCHER STRUCKOUT 20 OF 21 OF CARLINGS BATTERS. FLATIRONS CENTER FIELDER BOB MILLER THREW OUT A GUY AT FIRST BASE IT WAS UNREAL,WHAT AN ARM.FLATIRON WON THE GAME 1-0 ON A LOU CATALINE DOUBLE IN THE BOTTOM OF THE 7TH INNING . THEIR WERE ABOUT 10,000 PEOPLE AT MAX MYERS PLAYGROUND. I WAS 12 AT THE TIME AND I’LL NEVER FORGET IT, THANKS DAD.

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  14. MY DAD TOOK ME TO SEE THE CLEARWATER BOMBERS PLAY FLATIRON .THE PITCHERS WERE GEORGE ULMER AND BILL MASSEY FOR THE BOMBERS. I NEVER SAW A 100 MPH PITCH UNTIL THAT GAME . THE BOMBERS WON BOTH GAMES 5-2 AND 2-0 IT WAS AWSOME.

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    • YOUNG MAN YOU HAVE THE RIGHT SCORES BUT FLATIRON WON BOTH GAMES AS I WAS AT WHITEHALL PLAYGROUND FOR THE GAMES. FLATIRONS SPONSER WAS BOOKBINDERS SEAFOOD RESTAURANT IN PHILA.

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      • FLATIRONS SOFTBALL TEAM WERE TREATED LIKE KINGS BY JOHNNY TAXIN THE OWNER OF BOOKBINDERS. HE LOVED HIS PLAYERS. THEY ATE AND DRANK FOR FREE ALL THE TIME BUT THEY LEFT HUGE TIPS .I WAS THEIR BARTENDER FOR 4 YEARS. THEY WERE ALL GREAT GUYS AND BY THE WAY THE TEAM HARDLY EVER LOST A GAME. THEIR PITCHER GEORGE ULMER WAS CLOCKED AT 120 MPH IN 1966 AT CONNIE MACK STADIUM. THEY WERE FLAT OUT A GREAT TEAM ,THEIR UNIFORMS WERE AWESOME. EDDIE.

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        • FRANK CURRAN, I WAS MR. TAXIN’S #2 MAN AT BOOKBINDERS FOR 26 YEARS. JOHNNY LOVED HIS FLATIRON SOFTBALL TEAM AND HE HELD GREAT XMAS PARTIES FOR THEM. THEY WERE ALL SUPER GUYS AND GREAT TIPPERS ,THE BEST THAT CAME INTO BOOKBINDERS BY FAR.

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          • MY NAME IS HENRY FERRIS I WAS THE DOOR MAN AT BOOKBINDERS FOR 32 YEARS AND I REMEMBER THE GUYS ON THE FLATIRON SOFTBALL TEAM THAT MR. TAXIN SPONSORED. THEY WERE ALL GREAT TIPPERS AND FINE GENTLEMAN. THEY WERE LIKE THE YANKEES OF FASTPITCH SOFTBALL. I SAW THEM PLAY RAYBESTOS AT CONNIE MACK STADIUM IN FRONT OF ABOUT 22,OOO FANS IN THE SEABOARD COAST LEAGUE. FLATIRON WON THE FIRST GAME 1-0 AND THE SECOND 3-0 . GEORGE ULMER HAD 20 K’s IN THE FIRST GAME . CHARLIE BOZARTH HAD 15 IN THE SECOND. THEY HAD THE BEST LOOKING UNIFORMES IN THE LEAGUE AND WERE ALL GREAT GUYS AND A LOT OF FUN TO BE AROUND.THOSE WERE THE DAYS!!!! .HENRY.

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        • KATHY McCOOL, I WAS A SERVER AT BOOKBINDERS FOR JOHN TAXIN FOR 31 YEARS AND I REMEMBER FLATIRONS SOFTBALL TEAM THAT MR. TAXIN SPONSORED. THEY WERE THE BEST TIPPERS THAT CAME INTO THE PLACE BY A LARGE MARGIN. THEY ALL WERE VERY NICE GUYS AND FUNNY AS ALL HELL. THEY DRANK AND ATE ANTHING ON THE MENU FOR FREE ALL THE TIME AND BOY COULD THEY EAT . MR. TAXIN WAS VERY PROUD OF THEM AND LOVED HIS TEAM. ONE NIGHT THEY CAME IN AFTER WINNING A TOURNAMENT IN ST. LOUIS AND LEFT ME A $ 1,150.00 TIP AND I ALMOST HAD A HEART ATTACK. THEY WERE ALL GENTLEMAN ALL THE TIME AND GREAT GUYS AND HAD BEAUTYFULL UNIFORMS REAL CLASSY. MY HUSBAND AND I WENT TO SEE THEM PLAY ONE NIGHT AT CONNIE MACK STADIUM AGAINST THE RAYBESTOS TEAM FROM CT. THEIR WERE OVER 20,000 FANS IN THE STANDS, IT WAS UNREAL. MR. TAXIN WAS AT THE GAME AND FLATIRON WON BOTH GAMES 2-0 AND 3-0. FLATIRONS PITCHER GEORGE ULMER STRUCKOUT ALL 21 BATTERS IN THE 1ST GAME AND THE STADIUM WENT WILD.

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  15. I left NE Philly for South Florida in late 1979. My friends down there were baffled by my “aggressive” driving. But impressed with my skills.

    They have no idea what the Blvd does for driving skills. Frankfort Ave, Torresdale Ave. Old Delaware Ave……12 lanes of cobblestone, railroad tracks and vehicular anarchy. I also learned to ride a motorcycle on these roads and had a job under the Girard Point Bridge. Everyday rush hour….95, off at Allegany (95 didn’t go all the way through yet…remember that?), Packer Ave back onto 95, off at the airport and back roads to a tug and barge dock. I was 18.

    When I taught my kids to drive we did a loop. Out of Holland, through Langhorne up 95, 95 to Taylorsville and then 532 back home. Once they mastered that it was 95 down into Philly, Cottman or Girard and back. But the real test was the Blvd. Langhorne to Adams and back.

    5 very competent drivers, they can all out drive a Dominican taxi driver down Broadway.

    Now…..Dinosaur Lake. Let’s see a show of hands. BTW, it’s still, there minus the dinosaurs. Napoli Village Pizza on Torresdale. The Hatcheries. Byberry…and it’s tunnels. Road grit encrusted pretzels handed to you by a guy that roaches ran away from. Whalers from Burger King. Pantry Pride. Fights, one on one, no posses, no homeboys…and the matter was settled.
    Decatur Rd drag racing for those afraid of Front St. Hanging onto bumpers in the snow. Bad weed. Good weed. Cops who knew the difference. Keg parties in the woods at the end of Greenmount Rd. The Bricks (come on…fess up….)

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  16. Okay so I got all those memories down, being a swimmer at both Winchester and PAC, also hanging out at Pollock which offered two versions of stickball. One played down in the schoolyard with base running and the other fast pitch under the A with either 1 on 1 or 2 on 2. The strike zone was a painted square and it sure taught you how to hit line drives because anything up hit the underside of the A roof and was a sure out. Not much launch angle. How about the can lunchers we made with tin, yes tin, either soda cans or tennis ball cans taped together, all ends removed except the bottom can that received lighter fluid and lighter to launch the balls? These morphed into PVC potato launchers. That wide, angled, sliding board someone mentioned could burn you when the sun was shining directly on it.
    Now, growing up closer to Pennypack circle I have to bring up the Bowling alley with pinball machines, air conditioning, and refrigerated water fountain. A reprieve from the heat when playing for Rhawn Sandyford baseball. Rare, not like those porcelain one’s at Jerome’s. Now next to it, before the Gino’s was a miniature golf course. CAN ANYBODY REMEMBER THE NAME? It was across the Boulevard from the old Open Hearth that seemed to burn down regularly. And don’t forget Joe’s barbershop on Rhawn next to Perna’s pizza. None of that is there anymore. Apartments took over the baseball field and Gallo’s restaurant does decent seafood and burgers where Gino’s was. I know some people who got pieces of the bowling alley when they tore that out.

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    • We always played stickball down in the schoolyard. With the school building and the high wall in right, you could pretend you were playing in The Vet. Never had a can/potato launcher … Used to play at the Pennypack Circle mini-golf all the time. Remember it having an African jungle theme. When it was maintained, it was one of the better courses. Also remember the “gentleman’s club” right on the circle … Thanks for the post!

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  17. Max Myers field, buselton and bowler police district, boulevard dance. Ron diamond sunday night dance (frankford ave. Skating rink- forget name). Parkwood shop etc.

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  18. Went to Jeromes 64 -72. Hung at Pollack, drinking behind the backstop, Hardee’s Fast Food at Home Circle was perfect after a night of partying. LOL, or Slim Jim sandwiches from 7-11 across the street!!

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          • Mike, That was it !!! Thank you. My wife was lived just beyond Holme Circle and I lived in Olney. Both worked at Film Corporation of America on the Boulevard behind the IRS. Summer college job where I met her. We used to go Gene’s alot back then but then moved out of Phily after being married. She went to Ryan then LaSalle and I went to Roman then Villanova. Those were good times for sure.

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            • Remember Film Corp. My dad worked at Philadelphia Steel, which was close by the northwest edge of the NE Philly Airport. I went to Judge and LaSalle. Carol to Ryan and Penn State via Frankford Hospital’s School of Nursing. Was NEVER in Gene’s (that I recall) … Though I may have patronized one of it’s later iterations. ; ^)

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  21. I lived on Stamford street. Went to Pollock and loved the chain link nets at Pollock. I live down the shore now, but miss the NE.

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    • I remember the Big A structure. We used to run up the angled sides to get up on the roof of it. Also that bizarre angled sliding board thing that is probably banned now in half the States as a fall and injury hazard!

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  23. Moved to 2700 block of Tremont St in Dec ’61. Joe and his brother opened right around then and I helped carry rolls in and got a job sweeping and mopping at closing time. Mom worked there for years, Dad worked there when laid off from PTC (later Septa). Older brother worked there for a while. Joe made the best hoagies!!! Later, Joe’s uncle, Carl was the head cook, and a great one. Lot’s of neighborhood kids worked there. Frankie Masters (dishwasher for a few months) wonderful crab cakes on Friday nights. Gary Marks Atlantic station……worked there as well, I could go on& on. Great time of my life!

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    • Good memories! Knew a lot of guys who worked at Joe’s (’70s-’80s), but I wasn’t one of them. Absolutely the best lunchmeats and sandwiches … hands down!
      I worked as a dishwasher at Frankie Masters … but only for a week or two. Rough job …
      We used to take our cars to the Texaco across the street from Marks’.
      Had The Bulletin route across Ashton from Joe’s and Master’s on Tremont and Maxwell for years. My brother had an Inquirer route on the other side of Ashton.
      Good memories!

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  25. St. Jerome’s School, 1960-68…
    Thanks for the memories, I’ll add a few more: Snow plow coming to clear our street after a blizzard in 1960, sledding down Winchester Hill in the winter, hot dogs at the 5&10 store, donuts on Sunday from Al and Lou’s market on Welsh Rd (I think I got the name right!), selling Christmas cards, exploring Pennypack Park…Sally Starr, Happy the Clown, Pixanne (children’s TV hosts), May processions, school carnival in June, “mischief night” (Oct. 30), playing football in the street, staying out until 9 PM in the summertime, old Ashton Road (shortcut to the swim club), Winchester swim team…so many memories!

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  26. Wow, Those fit my experiences. It is funny how a word or phrase brings back so many memories. Powder blue police cars…Getting chased for standing around, walking from Oakland and Pratt st all the way up to Father Judge HS when the busses were full due to snow. Catching a ride with your thumb at 5am on Roosevelt blvd to get to rowing practice on the River drive. Ginos on Frankford ave. Chipping in change from our pockets to the lucky people who had cars and cruising anywhere. way to go with those words…

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