The acculturation of North Brookfield, MAss. Little Canada continues!
I return to Forrest Street regularly and enjoy the company at the Senior Center. Better yet I imbue my spirits in my familial ROOTS. Forest Street was the main street of a bygone era: Little Canada. There once was a hotel, barber shop(Leopolds) a French Catholic Church and a ton of kids. The Power of the Cradle prevailed with Father McGillicuddy and other tyrants of the cloth. Poverty prevailed. Mother related OBSERVING SEVEN PAIR OF KIDS SHOES ALL LINED UP AND POLISHED EACH DAY! The Poulin kids prevailed in their decorous ways.
Industry in North Brookfield was essentially "shops." Quaboag" Came in with H.T. Mason 100 years ago. Many of my forebears worked for a pittance. Further, the ASBESTOS was the anathema of good health. Mother related seeing their screen door "snowy white" from the residual of asbestos . Imagine all the shit breathed in!
"John-The-Jew" Feldman exploited Oscar Poulin's back garden on Benoit Street with Scrap iron to be sold to JAPAN. This was in the 1930s. In the 1940s dad had a massive VICTORY GARDEN for FDR's war effort. Yet, it was home.Joe and Rita enjoyed living at 44 Forrest Street for 9 years. Mother recalled many times 'When we moved to South Main Street it was like a death in the family."
The younger Poulin kids emerged as adults: Jeannette, Francis, Blanche in particular. Florence, Del, Albert and Rita were older.. most working for H.H Brown Shoe, Grand St. Worcester.
The War Years on Forest Street were raucous with Morrisson's Café along side Hart's Café. The Home Front had its own wars. Town drunks included Bob Kelly, Kennybunk and later Vincent Egan. Yet, the posture of our "Canadian memory" was sound. Men served their Country while Rosie riveted planes.
Today, Little Canada is but a memory. RODZIK was the butcher and "Butch" Rodzik climbed to the top in his food enterprises. My forebears were small potatoes in comparison to Clover Leaf and IGA.
Lithuanian, Polish, French and some Italians melded with the earlier-settled Irish and WASPS... all AMERICANS living loving and eventually dying.
Memories will linger for a few more moments but with all of the social changes and mores.. it is doubtful, Little Canada North Brookfield, will be an identity recognized in the years ahead!
ROCK SOLID IT WAS
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