>>The "Northeast" pretty much ended at Oxford Circle in those days.
No, that's where the Northeast essentially began, not ended. That was the area that was developed as a result of the boom in post-war tract housing -- the (in)famous fifties "Air-Lite" homes. There were large sections of the Northeast that were settled en masse well before that point, mostly between the two World Wars. That's especially true for Rhawnhurst, Lawndale, Oxford Circle, and a number of other neighborhoods (especially those between Oxford Circle and Cottman Ave.). That's why both of the junior highs which were feeders for Northeast High School (built in 1957*) -- Woodrow Wilson and Fels -- were built between the wars. Closer to the Delaware (e.g., Frankford and Torresdale), you had sections that had been built out in the late Victorian period, with clusters of post-WW1 housing thrown in. By 1960, the build-out had extended as far as Pennypack Creek, on both sides of the Boulevard, with new developments opening almost daily and heading further north each year. The "Far" Northeast was usually perceived as anywhere to the North of Pennypack Park -- essentially, the border was Welsh Rd. on the West side of the Boulevard, and Holme Ave on the East Side. The sign that the "Far" Northeast had truly become settled was the construction of George Washington High, at Bustleton & Verree. (I can't find a date for its construction, but believe it was opened around '63, since my Scoutmaster at the time was a teacher there.) *As a general rule, a good way to determine when areas were developed and well-populated is to look at the opening dates of public schools at all levels. That's especially true in places like Philly, where you have patches of settlements that go back to pre-Colonial times in just about every part of the city. On Sep 22, 2011, at 1:49 PM, William H. Magill wrote: > > On Sep 21, 2011, at 9:07 PM, Wilma de Soto wrote: > >> I hate to admit this, but when I was pre school kid and early student in the >> 60's, at City Line Ave. and Monument Rd. there was NOTHING there except WCAU >> Channel 10 TV station and farms and wood. Impossible to imagine, even for ME >> and I do remember that although it's kind of a hazy memory.ll > > That's how WCAU was able to produce "Action in the Afternoon" … a western, > set in a frontier montana town ... from its back lot, circa 1953s, only > occasionally interrupted by the sounds of traffic. > > http://www.broadcastpioneers.com/action1.html > > As a kid growing up, the "far Northeast" was "unsettled territory." My Aunt > and Uncle built a house in 1949 on the street behind the Methodist Church in > Bustleton… surrounded on three sides by a cornfield! The "Northeast" pretty > much ended at Oxford Circle in those days. > > William H. Magill > Block Captain > 4400 Chestnut Street > > > > > ---- > You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the > list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see > <http://www.purple.com/list.html>. ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.
