Old Streets in Berwyn

[berwyn senator]

Remember back when the side streets were all brick? They were hard on he feet when roller skating with the old metal wheel clamp on your shoe skates. Even bicycles were bumpy on those streets,the el strip was also all bricks,along with the old street car tracks.

[berwynson]

When I was very small, maybe about when you were born, Senator, the "Ell" still passed over Harvey, Highland, Cuyler, etc., stopping at last station on Oak Park Ave.  My folks always pointed out and warned me about that mysterious "third rail". My Dad had seen a dog electrocuted trying to crawl under it. Since the trains had to pass freely through, there were openings in the fencing to allow that; each street had a little "hut" with a watchman.
The streetcar tracks were still present along the center of Cermak Rd. 70 years ago, guy!    berwynson

[berwyn senator]

Didn't the tracks go west to Desplaines !Ave. turning south to Woodside in Riverside? A undertaker used to have his funeral home on Woodside,people used to arrive by horse and buggy or the El. After the area was paved over the Federal Government wanted to build low income housing on the old El strips,Berwyn bought the property,making a park,developed some the others are now parking.

[berwyn senator]

We used to roller skate on the old brick streets,with clamp on roller skates with metal wheels.~The wheels would actually wear out and would either be replaced or a new set of skates.Wheels were much cheaper,over to Kubrick's Hardware on Roosevelt Rd. in Berwyn,we would only buy wheels to replace the worn ones.25 each. Up until a few years ago several of us used to roller skate out to Oak Brook and back on the bike paths!!!!!!