Our Gang--South Hawthorne Lane (1929)

The cycle of life is very evident along streets in neighborhoods.  For decades, blocks can be noisy and filled with the voices of children.  Then, they grow quiet as the avenues are inhabited with the middle aged and the elderly--and then noisy again with the arrival of younger families.  I can only imagine how lively South Hawthorne Lane must have been in 1929 when this photo was taken.  Several Irvington families including the McKeands (136 South Hawthorne Lane), the Bruckmans (141 South Hawthorne Lane), the Shermans, the Moores, and the Heffernans were represented in this picture.  The children were standing in front of the Duff home at 135 South Hawthorne Lane.  Three children have been positively identified thus far.  Christine Bruckman can be seen standing in the top row, the fourth child from the left. Her brother, George Bruckman, is the second child from the right in the middle row.  Joan Bruckman can be seen standing next to the little boy with the dog in the front row.   The historic image is courtesy of Don Rouse.  His mother, Christine Bruckman, is in the photo.  The contemporary photo shows that the area around 135 South Hawthorne Lane is quiet today although the voices of children could be heard further up the block.

The gang is all here!  Children stand in front of 135 South Hawthorne Lane in 1929.

135 South Hawthorne in 2013