Chapter 26: The Parsonage Playroom

Although not a typical example of the style, the old First English Lutheran parsonage in Great Falls was of a 'four-square' design.  Walking through the front door, you enter a hallway that extends to a stairway leading to the second floor.  To the right are the living and dining rooms, though there is very little separation between these two spaces.  (I have a dim memory that this side of the first floor was all living room when we first moved to Great Falls from Auburn, but I'm sure we didnt' have enough furniture for such an arrangement.)

To the immediate left was the playroom, which was connected directly to the kitchen, the last of the 4 first-floor rooms on a tour.  (The only bathroom was on the second floor.)

The playroom was sparsely furnished.  Outside of the little card table and two chairs, I don't recall any other places to sit.  The room provided an excellent location for the playpen, as Mom could keep an eye on Barb from the kitchen.

It's clear from these two photos that my favorite Christmas gift was the model car that, apparently, I would not let out of my sight.  By 1960, I had become proficient at naming cars by their make, model, and year.  In fact, in Warren, I used to take a chair from the front porch, along with a pad and pencil, sit myself at the corner of West Third and Conewango, and tally the cars that passed by.  Chevrolet always won tallied the highest number.

I recall the service station with great fondness. This toy kept me occupied -- not so quietly, perhaps -- for many hours. I'm sure I made plenty of engine noise for effect.

The sight of the record player in the first pictures reminds me of how often Mom would tell the story of how, even before I learned to read, I could identify each and every record by sight.  It doesn't appear I had much of a collection, though.