Tales of Cape Cod Interview with Mary Gould IV 124

Mrs. Gould was born in New Jersey in 1897.  She came to the Cape in 1905. Her mother was a widower with relatives in Orleans.  Her mother was a music and voice teacher who had a music room in her house (01:30).   Mrs. Gould remembers the trip by ship from New Jersey to Fall River and the train ride to Orleans (02:15 – 04:00).  She describes the commercial center in Orleans during her youth.  It included. W. H. Snow’s, Jim Eldredge’s Store, O’keef’s Grocery Store owned by Lester Quinn, and the Higgins Variety Store which had a two lane bowling alley and pool tables which were considered off limits for ladies (05:30 – 07:45).  She remembers the train station and freight station as being a busy place.  She remembers her mother using the Sears and Roebuck catalog or “wish book” and collecting the packages at the freight station (08:10 – 09:20).  She describes the Wilcox movie theater which was also sometimes used as a roller skating rink and basketball court (09:55 -10:45).  She remembers other businesses in the town (10:45 – 17:30).  She remembers fondly the yearly visit of the Chautauqua which included plays, dances, singing and lectures 17:30 -18:25).  As a young woman she worked for her uncle in the Post Office for 18 months and then she worked for Captain Oscar Nickerson at the Nickerson Lumber and Coal Yard (18:30 -24:00).  She worked for several years playing the piano with Finn’s Orchestra, playing at dances and movie houses (24:00 – 29:45).  She describes how they would use music scripts for different parts of the movies.  She earned $7.50 for three shows on a Saturday. Mrs. Gould recalls church socials called Apron and Neck tie parties (30:00 - 32:00).  She also recalls children’s parties at the home of Ruben Austin Snow who would entertain them with jokes and songs.  Mr. Snow would sometimes dress up like a woman at his performances (32:00 – 34:00).  She also remembers Ruben Austin Snow going from house to house selling opened shell fish out of a wooden bucket (34:00 - 35:30).  She recalls fondly family picnics on the beach and describes what woman bathers would wear (35:45 – 38:45).  Mrs. Gould recalls May Basket parties as a young woman (39:50).  She describes family activities during the holidays that included the Fourth of July, Christmas and Halloween (41:50 -54:15).  She remembers keeping a bucket of water beside the Christmas tree on the night they used candles to light the tree (46:45).  She also remembers a Halloween prank involving an outhouse being moved out to a corner and seeing Elmer Taylor’s cow tied to it (53:10).  She describes how when her children were growing up, they would make molasses candy and homemade ice cream.  When asked to describe any town characters, she recall Bill Isaac Small who had a reputation as a Peeping Tom.  Mr. Small cleaned outhouses and would go from house to house with a wheel barrel, bucket and shovel.  The outhouses would be cleaned every six months.  Mrs. Gould remembers listening to the radio as family gatherings and enjoying Amos and Andy and Kate Smith.    

This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.

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