Pictures from Whites Beach, c.1950s. Swimming classes sponsored by the Milford Rotary Club. Photos donated to the Mendon Historical Society by Frank and Geneva Dudley, 1995, and passed on to add here by Jane Lowell.
Taft Ave Memories
by Jim Grant
I lived on Taft Ave, directly opposite the entrance to the beach. I am pictured on one of the rafts during swimming lessons. I recognized Sandra Harvey as a swim instructor. She was Roger Harvey’s older sister, who lived on Taft Avenue.
Paul Bouchard, Roger Harvey, Sue and Bob Larson; we all lived on Taft Ave. George Murphy and his wife Nellie lived below us. I used to shovel the snow for George. Nellie Murphy was often up at my grandparents’ house on Taft, (where Dennis Grady lives). They used to do the Irish/Scottish sword dance at my grandparents’ house. George Murphy called us kids the Tobacco Road kids.
Living on Taft Ave was special. We played ball in the old parking lot next to my house. There was a snack bar underneath the main house where there was a jute box playing records. The teenagers did dancing. Great French fries.
There were three rafts. You couldn’t go out to the big raft unless you passed your swimming test. Of course we snuck out there. We would hide underneath the rafts.
In the winter we skated and played hockey there.
Paul Bouchard, Roger Harvey, the Larson’s kids, Dennis Blanchard (died) lived next to me. He was a year older. My father and his brother grew up on Taft Ave when my grandparents moved from Milford.
My father bought three lots from the Kelly brothers on Millville Street, who lived in the Taft House where Dave Lowell lived. This was in 1951. One lot went to his brother, Harry Raymond, one for us, and one for the Comolli family (my mother’s best friend). $100 for each lot.
I can close my eyes and remember us riding bikes on Taft Ave. I worked as a life guard summers at the beach. Also, I ran the wiffle ball afternoon games for Al Byrne.
We sold our house to the Beliveau family when we moved to Millville Street. The Beliveau family from Dedham were friends with the owners of the beach. Danny Beliveau played with us “Tobacco Road kids”.