Wilmette Public Library Local History Digital Collection

W. Henry Huffman (1911-1997) oral history

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Track 2, Transcript p. 2-4: Track 2, Transcript p. 2-4
Transcription: Track 2 HH: As indicated earlier, we moved to Wilmette in 1918 and at that time we lived at 1135 Lake Avenue. My early recollections include going to school at the Byron Stolp School through eighth grade and some of the things we did then aren't done today. One of the games we used to play was marbles. Everybody seemed to have marbles. And we'd get to school early and one of the favorite games was one called "ding" where we'd draw with a stick in the playground area, a ring about seven or eight feet in diameter, and Henry Huffman, cont. p.3 then we'd put certain marbles in the middle and then try to shoot them out. M: So the playground was not paved at that point - it was all just dirt. HH: That's right. The playground was not paved. It was just a sandy, limestone surface. And another game we played with marbles was "Putt." And we'd dig a hole into the playground with our heel and then lag the marbles and try and get 'em in the hole. And we were playing marbles for keeps. This was no just "fun" game. M: Oh, if you won the game, you got to keep the other guys' marbles? HH: You kept the marbles. And I can recall some of the so-called tough kids at that time - lived up around The Ridge - and I happened to be quite proficient at playing marbles and when I'd win their marbles I'd have to head for home on my bicycle or they'd take them away from me. M: Oh, I see. So you rode your bicycle. MM: Rode the bike to school. Yeah. M: Was it fairly well developed in that area at the time? HH: Well, east Wilmette really hasn't changed an awful lot, in my opinion. There are some new homes. And every time I'd see a new home, I'd be surprised Henry Huffman, cont. p.4 because I never thought there was a lot there, but there were. The larger homes had two or three lots and then a new house was built on it. Actually, Wilmette - well, from the tracks east - was pretty well built up to the way it is today. And from the tracks west, maybe to Fourteenth Street, was fairly well developed, but The Ridge was the end of the world in Wilmette in 1918, 1920. Absolutely nothing but farmland, say, from two blocks - no, more than that -- two blocks west of The Ridge was farmland. M: Would you like to tell me about your paper route? HH: The paper route was a lot of fun. The location where we picked up our papers was on what was called Electric Place and was adjacent to the North Shore Railroad. As a matter of fact, it was very close to where the present Wilmette bank is located. And we would get our papers in the morning at about five o'clock - Tribunes, Herald Examiners, and Auben-Posts, the German paper. MM: The German paper?
Creators: Huffman, W. Henry, 1911-1997, Interviewee; Maselli, Briggs
, Interviewer
Media Type: Audio; Image; Text
Item Type: Audiocassettes
Description: Interview with Henry Huffman by Briggs Maselli in Wilmette, Illinois, on January 24, 1977.

Abstract:
Wilmette 1918
Tornado 1920
New Trier High School
Northwestern Railroad history
Purdue Engineering School
Christmas parties of Mrs. Huffman
Place of Publication: Wilmette Public Library
Date of Original: 24 January 1977
Subject(s): Oral histories
Wilmette (Ill.)--History
Wilmette (Ill.) -- Residents
Personal Name(s): Huffman, W. Henry
Local identifier: R977.31 HU
Language of Item: English
Copyright Statement: Protected by copyright: Uses other than research or private study require the permission of the rightsholder(s). Responsibility for obtaining permissions and for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Copyright Date: 1977
Copyright Holder: Wilmette Public Library
Copyright Holder Contact Information: 1242 Wilmette Ave.
Wilmette, Il 60091
Recommended Citation: Huffman, W. Henry, 1911-1997, and Briggs Maselli. W. Henry Huffman. Wilmette, Ill: Wilmette Public Library District, 1977.
Contact: Wilmette Public Library
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