Federal Street

My dad worked for the Lynn Fire Department from approximately 1949 until the late 70's when he retired on disability. The first fire station he worked at was Federal Street in West Lynn. It no longer exists. I remember getting to slide down the fire pole in the station. I became adept enough that I could come down the pole upside down.
Federal Street was a huge barn of a place. It smelled of canvas and rubber. I liked watching the apparatus for the fire alarms and the arcane bell system it used.

He worked there probably 10 years as I remember sneaking crosstown to peek in the car to get a hint about Christmas presents. I had to be 11/12. Federal Street was almost entirely made up of parts of the GE, General Electric. At that time they were tearing down buildings so I had to low crawl through the empty lot used by the firefighters.

Everyone worked at the GE at one time or another. My father worked for GE, my Mom, my Grandfather, my Uncle, my cousins, my friends. Bob C. used to amaze me with tales of goldbricking on the 3rd shift. I knew Hell's Angels, Tommy A., who ran huge machines at the River Works. Lynn is a company town.

I was shanghaied into Advanced Engineering for my one and only GE job. I went there applying for a sweepers job so I could hang with my friend, the Cros. But, it was off and away to doing stress analysis on helicopter rotor blades with the elite. The job didn't last long. I was doing table hockey and half gallons of Bali Hi wine with me droogs all night. I wasn't ready to settle down at 19 and do my 30 at the GE.

This was within 3 months of getting out of the Naval hospital. Under the constant nag of me Mom. Her answer to every problem was a job. A job for you, that is. She was constantly sending me out on cold calls for a job in High School. On her nag, I worked for Mike A. at the lunch spot on the corner of Washington and Essex St. My job was to empty the swill bucket out back in the city container. I did this my senior year. I emptied Mike's swill and my breakfast 5 days a week before I went to school. But I digress.