Airline Drive-in, Chicopee, MA.

Last movie I saw here was Cujo, a Stephen King story. It was pretty scary. I remember watching the entire movie. So it probably wasn't a date.

(Photo of dilapidated drive-in theater by M. Longhi of Holyoke. The bulldozer is warming up.)

On Oct 8, 2004 at 9:55am, from cinematreasures.org/, MDRedDevil wrote:

I was born on Westover AFB in the late 60's, and remember Airline Drive-in with great fondness. It was the place were I watched features such as Western World, and several of the "Herbie The Love bug" movies. This drive-in was located on Memorial Dr. which was (and is still) an "American Graffiti-isk" setting for local kids drag racing. Today, Whenever I am filling up my SUV at Bj's, and the horizon is painted with the pink/blue colors of dusk, the warm summer breeze brings back fond memories of a time when playing with Gi Joe's and Sam Cobra in the woods behind Zarres, watching cartoons on Saturday mornings, and Roller-skating at United Skates of America on Saturday night constituted my whole weekend. One of my good friends has part of that great 50's era neon Airline Drive-in Sign.

Arial shot from 1971:

http://www.historicaerials.com/default.aspx?poi=8258

Cars in the woods

There is something ghostly about finding old cars in the woods. When I come across cars like this I can't help but try to tap back in time to get a sense what happened here. The imagination runs wild.

If it was a crash or stolen it probably would have been removed. It was abandoned. Pushed down the embankment. But why?

The old work truck has been here for decades. It belonged to a farmer before the government knocked on his door and made him an offer. The railroad was coming through. The farmer ended up in Pittsfield where he ran a bookstore for many years. Never married and childless, he died alone in 1974. Only one sister, Eunice from Caselton-On-Hudson, made it to the service.

This Ford Fairlane is at rest but not comfortably. After careening over the granite bridge wall it never really settled. But is firm in the ground.

The hood is gone. The driver side door is pulled open off the hinges like someone ripped at it violently. Maybe to pull someone out.

Someone smoked cigarettes here every morning on the way to work. WHYN 560 played Judy Collins, Both Sides Now. Unfastoned kids jumped around in the backseat. "I'm going to stop this car if you don't behave!" The car mostly ended up stopping for ice cream.

Bullet holes. It's now target practice. Here's an old Web site featuring some old cars in the woods in Farmington, Connecticut.

Children of the mill workers of Holyoke, Massachusetts, 1941

The kids play in safety in the FHA (Federal Housing Administration) low income housing project.

Plenty of room to hang laundry.

Balsa wood airplane, comic book. Must be Saturday!

This girl's mother is Lithuanian and her father is Polish.

There is plenty of fresh air and sunlight here at the housing project.

America from the Great Depression to World War II: Black-and-White Photographs from the FSA-OWI, 1935-1945 -- Library of Congress