LET'S GO BACK IN TIME
Back in the 1800s, when someone asked a resident from The Bronx where he
lived, he or she most likely would have answered: "I'm from Mott Haven, West Farms, Williamsbridge, Tremont, Kingsbridge,
Westchester", or whichever village they happened to call home at the time.
Some of the villages were small and yet others were much larger.
A typical village was about a few city blocks long and wide. They were separated from each other by empty lots
and fields of unplowed farm land.
The streets were made up of narrow, dirt roads. The "main streets"
were also made up of dirt roads but were much wider. Every village had at least one street where a general store
could be found. Larger villages had a few streets with stores offering a variety of shops, goods and services.
At that time, no resident of The Bronx would consider himself poor.
Instead, Bronxites saw themselves as being part of a growing middle class. Most owned their own houses instead
of renting them.
Back then, a Bronx village was a tightly-knit community. Everyone
knew who their neighbor was. Most people who lived in one village, also worked in the same village.
Boys would have fun by playing a variation of baseball. They
would also fish and hunt. Fighting was usually discouraged. However, when some fights did take place
among the local kids, they would usually end within a few minutes with a smile and a handshake.
Girls were raised with a view toward becoming good housewives and loving
mothers. It was normal for all girls to learn to sing or play the piano. For fun, girls would play
jacks and play with their homemade dolls. They would also play with their jump ropes. The center of life
for the kids of that era was school.
For example, boys and girls from Hunts Point had to walk through miles
of fields of empty lots to reach their classes in Mott Haven. No school was actually close to home, no matter
where you lived. In those days, elementary school lasted until the eighth grade and provided a student with an
education which was sufficient to deal with the world in which they were expected to work upon graduating.
Everyone seemed happy with the comfortable village life in The Bronx.
Familiar scenes included home-owners living in single family houses with chickens, goats, pigs and cows roaming in the back
yards. Many had vegetable gardens for family consumption.
Slowly but surely, all this would come to an end. The culprit?
Public transportation. In those days, a resident of The Bronx, had only a limited way of getting around.
For a quick, local trip around the village and within a few miles of it, most residents either walked or rode a horse and
carriage. If it was necessary to go somewhat far, they would hop on a horse car service. These horse car
services would take riders to other connecting places.
As time went by, the residents of The Bronx were introduced to another
method of traveling. In the new century, steam locomotives were the "in thing". This quickly became the
traveling method of choice for many. The old horse and carriage were being gradually replaced by the steam locomotives.
Soon after, electricity was introduced in The Bronx. And with
it, came a new way for the residents to travel. The trolley cars were fast replacing the huge steam locomotives.
People would pay five cents to ride these trolley cars. They would eventually connect passengers to other train lines
which were being built. Thanks to electricity also, construction on the Third Avenue Elevated train began.
Electric trains were now popping up all over The Bronx. Trains and subway lines were now replacing
the trolley cars.
It was 1910, when the first automobile hit the streets of The Bronx.
The century was only ten years old. Its roaring engines, horns and occasional back fire, made these new machines
very interesting to all the villagers of The Bronx.
There was innocense in the air. Children growing up at this
time, looked at their world in awe. Most children grew up and remembered their childhood fondly.
What about today's children? Are they growing up with fond memories of their past childhoods?
Well, Bronxites still provide lots of fun, entertainment and education
to its youth today. Most live in caring homes where they too will have fond memories of their childhood years.
But the days of true innocense are gone forever. The Bronx has changed dramatically with time. Even though The
Bronx has changed, one thing however never changes. The people of The Bronx are proud of their borough and their accomplishments.
And they wouldn't trade The Bronx for anything in the world.
The Bronx is simply AMAZING!
