Product Description

Were there really four airports here? Was the Staten Island Airport shut down each night to ensure no peril to the patrons of the drive-in theater? Did rides and trolleys really exist on the South Beach - Midland Beach Boardwalk? Were there restaurants with a huge hot dog on its roof or one built like a chuck wagon, a jolly trolley or a windmill. Were farms prevalent on the Island and did wildlife roam our backyards? Can it be that there were two movie theaters on New Dorp Lane? Were the beaches so clean that you actually paid to use them? Was fresh milk and bread actually delivered to our front door? Did Santa really ride the Christmas Train and stop at Jersey Street and Richmond Terrace and give out presents to the kids? Was there really a home for orphaned kids (Mount Loretto) (where once a month my mother promised to check me into)? In the 1930's, Which of Staten Island's best known restaurateurs, bought a house across the street from his famous restaurant and built a 200-foot tunnel between the house and the restaurant so that he could safely carry the day's receipts from the restaurant to his home. Did such rock legends, like the Allman Brothers, Vanilla Fudge, Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath and the Kinks really play the Island? Did John F Kennedy, sip coffee at the St. George ferry terminal? Can you believe that a famous Island milk company resorted to rowboats to delivery milk to areas from Oakwood to Midland Beach during some of the worst storms to every hit that area? These were some of the many questions I had as my interest in Staten Islands past grew. In recent years I have come across so much information about our Island's rich and diverse past, that I wanted to share with all Native Islanders and people who have called the Island home. But I did not want this to be another history book on Staten Island, though; at times it may look that way. I will not go into details about the British occupation of Staten Island for seven years, or the draft riots during the civil war, or the burning down of the Quarantine Station. I will try my best to make this a lighthearted look at memories that we have of a place that was and is still close to our hearts. I will try my best to make you say, "Wow, I remember that". . . .

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #161398 in Books
• Published on: 2009-01-28
• Binding: Paperback
• 228 pages

From the Publisher
Being a native Staten Islander, I thought I knew all about this Island. In my later years I became very interested in the Islands history. I wondered about all the things I was told about Staten Island but never had the opportunity to personally see. This work is a collaboration of many people and many sources of information.

From the Author
It was my love of Staten Island and a desire to see again how the Island used to look that led me write this book.The Island then and now is a relief from the frenzied atmosphere of the rest of the city. It's really been a learning experience for me. Staten Island has such an amazing history.

About the Author
Born and raised in Midland Beach, now residing in South Beach and living all my life on Staten Island. I always had a love of the Island and a desire to learn about this Island where I was born and raised. This led me to write this book. I have terrific memories of growing up here, particularly of my Mom bringing me to the beach as a child. I had a burning desire to find out the history of this Island before I was born and to learn about some of the wonderous tales that I was told. This all led to a website called "StatenIslandHistory.com" which I created almost five years ago. Many of the visitors sent email of memories and stories of their childhood on Staten Island. Many of the stories energized me to do more research about them. And before I knew it , I had loads of stories and information about the Island.

Customer Reviews

Staten Island, A Walk Down Memory Lane
As a life long Staten Islander I found this book accurate and a great read. it brought back great memories of my childhood and all we've lost.

An Excellent Work!
I love John's website, and I love his book. If a reader is interested in "more pictures," they are free to enjoy them on his website. Anyone who loves Staten Island can easily meditate on any of the segments and be happily engaged in thought for quite some time. I am not a native Islander; however, my husband, two sons and I moved here in 1972. We have made many wonderful memories here. John's work is a labor of love, and we appreciate it very, very much. So far, we purchased 3 copies, and they are worth every dollar. We gave one of the copies to a friend of ours who grew up in Midland Beach, and he loves the book. There is every reason to praise the author for his efforts that have gone into this book.

Staten Island: A Walk Down Memory Lane
I loved the book so much that I purchased 5 additional copies to send to my friends that have moved away from Staten Island. They all called me and could not thank me enought for the great gift and the memories it brought back> They couldn't put the book doen. Great job John!