Mabel Crosby and Etta Allen Palmer

Comments made by Etta Palmer and Mabel Crosby while riding along Main Road and Drift Road).

While riding along Drift Road with Mabel

That was Mr. Cabral’s son who made that (house).

There is Mr. Cabral’s (Joseph) house.

David Cabral built that house with the columns.

Mr. Cabral’s son, Manuel, built this one.

One of the Earls built that one. (William)

Kennisons is over there.

I don’t know anything about this one.

Mr. Chace, the plumber, lived in this one. He died.

Over there is the one Mrs. Allen owns.

I don’t know about this one.

Way in there – that’s the Betsy Cornell place.

All of that woodland was Everett Cornell’s part and Betsy Cornell’s part.

I don’t know who owns that yellow house. (Ardagh)

This used to be all woods and they’re building it up so fast.

Now this driveway goes way up in there. Forrest Howland owns what was Betsy Cornell’s place. He has cows and hens.

That’s an old house – maybe as old as mine.

Let’s drive back and look.

Aren’t these woods quiet and beautiful, and the stonewalls. That’s what I like. I bet the old folks built them walls. I imagine that way back that was meadow land. That’s the house over there. There’s a little pond and a little brook. It’s so pretty and quiet in here – seems more like when I was a girl.

I’ll to see her and see whether she’s willing to tell me anything about the house and all.

Well, I’m glad to have seen that. I’m sure it’s 18^th century. It is owned by Forrest Howland and they bought it from the Cornells who had lived here about 100 years. I didn’t know Priscella was related to them. Maybe they just called her ‘Betsy.’ This is really old, maybe as old as ours.

Now when Everett Cornell was selling milk.

That was a Mr. Manchester selling milk.

James Manchester. That’s where the house came up that Mr. Cabral moved down there. This house is where my mother used to come to learn how to weave. It was this old house here and it was upstairs that we went. I brought her down here in the horse and wagon. The name of the people was Pierce; we used to call them ‘Perse.’ This one that learned us was Pierce too. This one is newer. It was built for one of Elmer Pierce’s children. That was built before we came down.

This curve goes into the Costa-Rozinhas. Back in there is the Delano house. I remember coming there when the Feenans lived there – maybe they rented. There were coming up a tempest and I knew my horse would be afraid. You see, I was peddling fruit – and I knew the horse would be afraid and Mrs. Feenan said to come and put the horse in the shed and come and stay with her, and when I went home – we had corn that year – the hailstones from the tempest was that big, and the corn was all laying flat. I’m glad the horse was in the shed. If that hail was hitting his ears, I guess he’d have gone some.

Here we’re coming to 88 (Route). Babcock lived there – John and Emma Babcock. Mr. Babcock – the old house – is where I came with the horse and wagon and delivered wood. We’d cut wood and I brought it down. That’s the Drift Road to the cemetery. If he (Mr. Babcock) were home, he’d unload the wood when I carried it with the horse. If he weren’t, well I’d unload it where his wife told me.

We’re going to turn off to get on the Main Road. This house belongs to Mr. Paull now. They are both 20^th century. That house is called the old Baker house by Lucia Paull.

I don’t know where most anybody lives now.

These were built a long time ago because I can’t remember myself. This one is Warren Stevens’ father and mother. I used to come and see her. I remember that. That must be old, and this white house across the street – we’ll have to ask Etta (Palmer). I used to know them all when I was peddling. That one’s the parsonage. That should be old too.

Here’s Dorothy Giffords – there – and this is Etta’s.

(Enter Etta Palmer) – Well Mabel – here’s the little old lady. I’d like to be back by 4:00 o’clock if I could – near as that – ‘cause Raymond – Well, my old friend, Mabel (they kiss) – this I never expected. What a surprise. I can call out, but you can’t call in, so I didn’t know. I called the office (telephone) and they said they would fix it just as soon as they could.

I don’t know when our house was built. Peter White built this a good many years ago. He owned all the farms around here. I don’t know whether this was built before or after Dorothy Gifford’s. He (White) had a big farm here – had cattle and everything. There was a big cupola on the top and stairs you could climb up to it, and that cupola got so loose, they had to take it down. That was where the wives used to go to see the Sea Captains – and there was a lantern hanging there at night, every night for all the seamen to tell about how far it was to come in by their compass. We felt terrible to have to take that cupola off. I had a nephew come here last summer hunting for the house and kept going by looking for the cupola.

That was Judson’s garage, and they made it into a cottage. Mr. Judson built a garage here and he closed it in. (Where Norma Wilber lived just previous to buying Mary Giles’ house).

The Yucabians live down this lane and houses galore go way back in there. Mrs. Preston lives here all alone. She’s here and she isn’t here half the time. She goes. Her son married Basil Halls’ daughter. She’s very pleasant, but she’s away most all the time.

Mr. Cote bought that land. That was from our farm. And that lot – oh! It used to be beautiful down in those meadows. Grandpa Palmer owned that land and our place.

This is Walter Broadbent’s house. He built it. It must have been 30 years ago.

This is Kohlenberg’s. It’s not too many years old – built a bit before prohibition. I know it was there when I moved up here to my home on the hill. I used to live way down the street. Across the street is where Truebloods, recently built. Mrs. Fish (Richard) lives next. That’s where Priscilla Mulligan used to live. They had it built. You don’t see your neighbors much down here like what it used to be years ago.

This is the little Art Group building on land given by Betty Yeomans. The building was moved here.

Mabel Crosby – I remember I used to peddle wine berries – stop at one place and then go ‘round to all of them.

Etta Palmer – Raymond has some land up Hall’s laneway.

Across the street from the big house the Yeomans live in, is Manny Cabral’s. Mrs. Messier lives here in this next house – all new houses here. The next house is B. Manchester. He was the Town Clerk.

Things have changes so, it’s hard to recognize.

That’s the old Macomber house – Elisha Macomber – the one that brought Priscilla Mulligan up. He took her as a little girl and brought her up. Her aunt lived with her. There were two brothers. That’s an awful old house ‘cause I can remember seeing that house when we used to come down with the stagecoach. I used to go up to Mary Brown’s for two days and one night. You see Mary’s grandmother and my grandfather were brother and sister. I loved to go up there, but I could only stay one night. Then I wanted to go down to the Point – to the house down at the Point.

There’s Edward Dunham’s house. We sold our oxen to him. He has a window’s walk on top too. This is younger than yours. Our house is put together with wooden pegs. These are all 20^th century houses – all new through here. Betty Graham’s was the first. This is Piccinini’s. She’s very nice. This belongs to Mary Howland and this is Chet Gifford’s. She was Theresa Macomber – Nason Macomber’s daughter.

This is building up fast anyhow. This is Priscilla Mulligan’s. She does get out and she shouldn’t. She can’t remember. She lost two sets of car keys. That’s one of the Tripp boys – I think its Bill (Gllen G.). This is Albert Palmer’s – my son. An auctioneer, Brad Sherman, lives next door to him.

Here’s Mary Hix Brown’s right over here and that lane goes down to Emerson Howland’s. That’s an old house way in there. It’s old. It’s a beautiful place way in there. Now it’s Mrs. Brayton’s. She isn’t well at all. They have caretakers. Mary’s (Brown) house is quite old.

These are new homes – John Bettencourt’s is one.

That’s Scotch Pine Lane, the Halls and Wicks’ lane. Mrs. Robb lives down in the village farther – not here. This is where the Judson girl built – way back in.

I wonder where this lane goes – looks like a long lane. I think Mrs. Robb’s son built a place up in there.

That’s one of Elmer Manchester’s boys – Raymond, I think. B. Manchester had a daughter.

I can see just as well without my glasses. They don’t do any good anyhow. I can’t see any name here.

This isn’t where Mary Sowle used to live is it? Gosh, I can’t think where Mary Sowle lived when she was a little girl. That used to be the schoolhouse and that was made into a house. That’s where my organ came from. This nice little old house is where Mary Sowle lived when she was a little girl. Tillinghast Sowle and Lydia – and then they moved to the Point. I forget the name of the old lday that left the house to Lydia down at the Point. It was Pardon Sowle who left this house to Aunt Lydia. People in New Bedford built this and every year they have a picnic in the back yard. Mary goes to it. Mary would know all this and who owns them now. I remember when she and her sister would come up and go across my farm to go over to Edna Tripp’s.

Lovely old people built this. They were so nice. He gave me some religious poems. I can remember his going to church and he was tired, and he’d go to sleep in the pew there. Why I can almost speak his name.

Here’s Tony Costa’s. Who lives across the street? It used to be Carl Woods. Roland Tripp lives in there when he’s home. His wife works in St. Luke’s Hospital – one of the secretaries there. Carl Wood built it.

Nice little goats live here. That is John Davis’ in there and this is George Hart’s. My youngest sister lives there. She married George Hart.

There’s where my son, William, lives. He’s the Chief of Police.

Is that your son going in now?

It’s company then.

Here’s the Country View Motel. And that’s where Bob Petty’s wife lives over there.

If I get two more bangs on my head, I won’t remember anything.

Here’s where Ella Sherberg lives. It used to be the Santos’. It changed hands two or three times.

I remember coming up here and chasing the cows over here. They used to come from our place over here. That’s an old house. I don’t know whether this was one of the houses Humphrey Allen took the land in – was this one?

Humphrey Allen is what’s on the deeds. Humphrey’s what it’s got to be. How could it be on the deeds if he took it from the Indians? Did they call it a deed then?

I don’t know anything about these houses.

Here’s the Santos’. The Santos son lives in this house and his mother’s house is across the meadow. They have five children. Here’s their big barns.

This was Elizabeth Lees’. It was her husband’s barn where he used to keep his horses. His house was there where the Santos’ barn is. That was an old house – it had a gambrel roof.

Elizabeth Lees lives over on Horseneck Road in South Westport when she’s home. She’s in and out of the hospital every little while.

Here’s where Arthur Allen’s house was. I used to come over there so much. We used to go through your place to the Stedman’s place just north of where Billy Hart’s is. That’s all that’s left of Arthur Allen’s house. Many’s the time I’ve been there with Lizzie. Asey Allen built this after his wife died. He was Arthur’s father. He came across the road and built this house. There’s the barn. That lot came to Edith.

That’s the roadway to the Boulds. Arthur Briggs, Mary Allen’s sister’s boy lives there. That must be an old house where the Boulds used to live. Some woman from New York bought that – an actress. (‘Midge’Donaldson and Betty Ann Metz).

These are all new places. We used to call it ‘coming through the trees.’ All the trees they are cutting – soon we’re not going to see any trees.

Here’s the Raposa’s. Dr. Macomber lived there, but it was originally an Allen house.

There’s Mr. Feio’s garage. Hannah Macomber used to have a cow in that barn. I remember Sammy going across to his sister’s to eat and going back home. That house next to Feio’s garage was where Hannah Macomber lived – and her brother lived over here. In another part of the house, (there were two apartments in the house) the Doctor was in one apartment and Sammy was in the other. The Doctor was in the South.

That was made into two tenements, but I guess Mrs. Brown (Willa) has all of Hannah Macomber’s.

This little cottage in here, my husband (Mabel’s) built. He built it for Alva and then Mr. Borden bought it. That’s been built since Jim died. I don’t know who built that. The little one was for Alva. He lived all alone. Alva was a brother to Samuel (Macomber). He was all alone and then when he come sick, and couldn’t take care of himself, Mrs. Feio took him over and she took care of him ‘til he died.

This is new – I don’t know.

Isn’t that where Mrs. Perry used to live?

Before Mr. Swartz’ package store, it used to be a George Pearce in the house. I remember him as a little child. He used to like children and he gave them candy.

When they come to me, they get cookies and milk.

This is George Raposa’s father’s house where George grew up. That’s Howard Vincent’s house. That old house was Uncle Everett Schuyler Smith’s house. She was Lucy Allen. That’s one of the earliest houses in town. One of the first Town Meetings was held here.

Uncle Edward lived in Fall River and he took the trolley and then the bus down here.

This is George Perry’s father’s brother who runs the fruit stand. One of the young Albert’s uncles lived here. He’s dead. His wife, Beatrice, lived here. It’s not very old. There never was a Perry that started the bakery. Mrs. Leuvelink started it.

This (across from the cemetery) always belonged to the Costa’s. Mrs. Costa – wasn’t she lovely? Her son, John, lives on the Adamsville Road and he’s all crippled up with arthritis and his wife is not too well at all. That’s quite an old house (John Costa’s). His grandson Charles is in the town (Selectman).

We’d better start home and then another day we can go in to see Mabel’s old home. I’m supposed to have a rest period.

Yes, a stagecoach always came down here from Lincoln Park. A Mr. Lawrence drove it.

I do think they tried a bus from Fall River one time. It didn’t pay. It was quite late. So many people had cars. The bus went up to the trolley to go to New Bedford or Fall River.