River Portraits > Oak Square
Swimming Treats
By Jim Lyons,
Watertown
I grew up in the Oak Square Section of Brighton in the 40’s and 50’s.
On hot summer days about six or seven of my friends and myself would decide
to go swimming. We would walk down Faneuil St. left on Brooke St. all the
say to the end. Just before the end where the R.R. Bridge is, there was
a building on the left next to the tracks which we called the “Donut
Factory”. We would pool our change to see if we had .25 or .30 cents
to buy a box of 6 donuts. Powered sugar was our favorite and everyone got
one or a half of one. I believe the company was “Gebotts donuts” or “Gebotts
Bakery”. Then it was under the bridge unto Nonantum Rd. and to the
left to a small beach on the river called “Baby Beach”. It
was located between the present Daly Field and Newton Yacht Club and behind
the Daly Skating Rink, all of which were not there at the time. It had
a Bathhouse, Restrooms, Lifeguards and a float which you could swim to
and jump and dive from. We spent many a summer afternoon there.
The big challenge was to see who would be the first one to swim across
the river, but every time someone would try, the lifeguard would whistle
and stop us. We were lucky he was there before something tragic happened.
When you’re young you do foolish things.
As we got our first bikes, we ventured to other places on the river,
such as “Forest Grove” in Waltham. It also had a float and
beyond the float was a tiny island which was about 200-300 feet from
shore and which we could swim to. This was a very nice beach set in a
pine grove.
Another beach was in Watertown, whose name escapes me now, which was
located behind the present MDC Poll on Pleasant St.
Another area was Norumbega Amusement Park in Auburndale which did not
have a swimming area, but had some secluded coves where you could sneak
a swim after spending the day on the amusements.
We even swam in the river in Cambridge at “Magazine Beach” which
was also located behind the present MDC Pool on Memorial Drive. At this
beach we could watch the Pleasure Boats passing by.
Another place was the Riverside Pool adjacent to the river in Auburndale
also known as “The Wreck”. It had a high diving tower and
diving boards and a small sandy beach area. I believe the water was from
the Charles.
But one of the nicest and most secluded areas on the river was a place
called “Hemlock Gorge” in Newton Upper Falls. Again no swimming
was allowed, but many times we were the only people there and you guessed
it, we went swimming. It had tall trees all around and even though it
was next to Rt. 9 you could not see or hear the traffic. It was as if
you were transplanted from the city to the wild. We would explore the
whole area. Including the falls above the gorge and the small falls below
the gorge. There was a huge arched bridge of granite blocks and it carried
an MDC water supply pipe to Boston. In the water it had a long narrow
float about 2’ wide attached to the shore which you walk on. It
was only about 2” above the water and if more than 2 persons were
on it the float would begin to sink. To us, it was like walking the plank
on a pirate ship.
Then sometime, I believe, in the late 40’s all swimming was banned
in the Charles River because of the high pollution contaminations. It
was a sad day for us kids. However, our sadness was short lived, because
the MDC opened their new pools which were located alongside the river.
The first one being in Brighton at the circle where North Beacon St.,
Nonantum Rd. and Birmingham Parkway merged. It was great and it only
cost one cent to get in. It was open until 9:00 PM and had underwater
lights in the sidewalls of the pool. We would swim in the afternoon,
go home for supper, and return at night. As kids we had a blast and after
a long night of fun a large group of us would hike it back to Oak Square.
When it wasn’t warm enough for swimming there were other activities
which we did on the Charles such as fishing:
From the east in Brighton at an area just behind a racetrack on Soldiers
Field Road where they used to train “Sulkies”. Sometimes
I watched them with my Father. This track is long gone but was located
across the street from the WBZ TV and Radio Station.
To the west along Quinobequin Rd. in Newton with stops along the way;
such as the dock at the end of Brooke St. in Brighton; the dock in
Watertown Square; below the falls behind Lewandos Laundry in Watertown
Square when the herring run was on; in Waltham behind Grover Cronin’s.
we caught everything from eels, sunfish, hornpout, carp and bass. It
was always exciting to see what was on your line.
Another activity included renting Canoes and paddleboats at Norumbega
and one of our favorite activities was renting speed boats from a small
cove just around the bend from Forest Grove in Waltham. To enter the
cover you had to go under a bridge which I remember was an old wooden
truss bridge.
These boats were small two seaters about six feet long with 6 H.P. motors
that had governors on them to control the speed. We were always trying
to remove the governors but never succeeded. We would cruise around and
race each other all day and then return them when our time was up.
I have the best memories of the Charles and have lived in Watertown
for the last 43 years and live within 500 yards of the river.
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