Maurice Clayton, Leah Edwards

Description

Lived at Dean and Utica Streets in the 1920s and 30s; longtime Brooklyn resident Leah Edwards was born in1926 in Brooklyn. She grew up in a house located at Dean Street and Utica Avenue. She is interviewed by her grandnephew, Maurice Clayton. In this recording, She recalls the neighborhood as being racially diverse. Near Rochester Avenue, she recalls a large hill which was the site of High School 210. Leah and her friends called the hill “210 Hill”, but it is possible it is the same hill identified as “Cheathum’s Hill” by Sylvia Johnson and others in the 1970s oral histories. Leah attended PS 178. She recalls, like the Williams’ oral histories and many others, that her mother made most of the family’s bread and maintained a fruit and vegetable garden in the backyard. She also mentions her mother’s use of an icebox and room in the back of the home as a place to store and preserve food, before refrigeration. The family ate mostly fruits and vegetables from their garden, including apples and peaches. She also recalls eating shrimp and biscuits for breakfast, when shrimp was inexpensive and not considered a delicacy. The family also had a fireplace where they would roast different snacks. Leah recalls the desire to go to the Apollo Theater when she was young, and only being allowed to go when she was accompanied by her sisters. She also recalls the bakeries and department stores in the neighborhood and downtown Brooklyn.

Record Contributed By

Weeksville Heritage Center