Lawton Ave

Lawton Ave runs from Essex Street to Western Ave., It is one way heading East from the corner of Rogers Ave to Essex Street. The entrance to the Martin Estate is along this one way stretch.

Many of my oldest friends lived here. Ritchie at 17 Lawton. Charlie at 25, I could reach out the 2nd floor window in my house and touch his basement wall. I used to escape out this window, when I had to get out of the house. It lead right into Charlies driveway. And Bruce lived futher up the street on the hill across from this church.


That stone step at the entrance to the church was used to bounce a rubber ball in a game called outs. You tried to bounce the ball off the angle, the corner of the stone to simulate fly balls or grounders. Your opponet need to catch the ball to make an out. You had three outs. This church was empty except Sundays and had a number of different congregations and denominations.

They had a couple of good Church Fairs in the fall and at Christmas and in the back was a fenced yard with a large metal fire escape. I once made the mistake of taking Hope there to make out. We had a good time and she had no problem climbing the fence. But my 'friends' were viewing from the many hiding places afforded in the back yards. They gave me a blow-by-blow of my private moments for weeks. They caught us again up the Martin Estate sequestered in a cozy den of trampled grass between some trees. More agony for our neophyte Romeo at the hands of his droogies.