Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society
History Quarterly Digital Archives

Source: April 2000 Volume 38 Number 2, Pages 63–64

Life in Cedar Hollow

Emil Capetola

• Self-contained Community
• Supplementing the Quarry's Meager Wages

Page 63

If there is an underlying theme about life in Cedar Hollow during the mid­20th century, it is that the community was self-contained and its resi­dents were self-sufficient. What follows is a glimpse into that existence.

Self-contained Community

There was no reason to leave Cedar Hollow. Salem School was as far east as the children needed to go for schooling (for the lower grades). The quarry was the farthest west the men had to go for their jobs. Children walked to school, men walked to their jobs, and all walked to church.

There were two general stores, one at each end of the main village street (Yellow Springs Road) - Jaffe's to the west at the bottom of the hill, and Forcine's to the east across from the Men's Republican Club. There were three bars in the village: Luca's just east of Jaffe's store, Torelli's just west of Howell Road in the center of town, and the basement of the Men's Republican Club where the men gathered on week-ends to play cards, bocce and socialize. The second floor of the Club contained a stage with a piano, and large open floor area the entire length of the build­ing. Wedding receptions were held there, and a minstrel show or other entertainment was brought in periodically from outside. There were also basketball nets at both ends of the floor to accommodate the youth during the cold winter months.

Page 64

All homes on the north side of Yellow Springs Road were privately owned. All homes on the south side were built and owned by the Warner Company. Rent for the bungalows was $7 a month. Electricity was $1 a month. A community water well was dug behind Jaffe's general store and is still in existence. Today it has only one customer, Melchiorre Construction, residing in the old Forcine general store. There were few if any phones.

Supplementing the Quarry's Meager Wages

Gardens: The majority of residents had gardens where they grew tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, onions, garlic, lettuce, celery, fennel, eggplant and pumpkins. Fruits included peaches, apples, pears, plums and grapes. Beginning in late August of each year, as much as possible of the harvest was canned for the winter, and included the majority of the above fruits and vegetables. Tomato paste was also made. Everyone raised chickens for meat and fresh eggs. Many also slaughtered hogs each year and made sausage which would last the winter. Some made prosciutto.

Traveling vendors: Traveling vendors filled the needs not met by the general store and the residents' gardens. Jim Weaver delivered fresh milk twice a week from his dairy farm on Morehall Road at Valley Store. Nick Schettone from Norristown (II Siciliano -- "the Sicilian", naturally from Sicily) came around every two weeks in a large green van with compart­mentalized shelves containing all manner of canned goods, olive oil, etc. Congens "Connie" Aquilante toured the village every Thursday (pay day) with fresh beef, pork and lamb in a white van equipped with ice boxes. Mr. Hemowitz made the rounds monthly offering socks, pants and shirts. Huckster Mike Rinaldi from Phoenixville brought produce from surrounding farms and sold, out of the back of his truck, items not grown in the gardens or to those few who did not have gardens. II Panetiere - "the Baker" brought fresh bread twice a week. Service vendors included trash and hardware pick up. Orville "Pop" Thompson was custodian at Salem School and also collected trash in the village. Leroy Johnson made a living visiting periodically to collect metal and scrap iron.

The self-contained community, and the self-sufficiency of its residents, tended to reinforce the geographic isolation from surrounding towns. At the same time, the unique mutually shared experiences of the residents has produced an extremely strong bond among surviving residents and descendents today.