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February 08, 2001 - Looking back at the librarySuffolk Times • February 8, 2001 ooki"n ack at the 11*bra WE'LL STOP OUR TRIP DOWN Memory Lane at the Cutchogue library on the south side of the street, where I go back a long-way to when I was president of the board. There was so little lighting in the Old Congregational Church, who owned it at that time, that the librarian, Mrs. Lynch, had to use a flashlight sometimes to see books on the sagging shelves. Many will FOCUS remember the blast of hot air as you entered on ON THE cold days and walked PAST across the big square register over the heater by Paul right in front of the desk. and Barbara Prior to my time Mrs. Stoutenburgh Edna Morrell, wife of the service station owner in town, was the librarian for many years. I became involved after Mrs. Morrell's, time but before the modern -day building and technology. I remember having library card , No. 1 when the card system first started, as I was the'town representative at that time to the Suffolk County Library System. Years ago we'd often visit Harrison Case's sheep lot across from the homestead on New Suffolk Lane. The pasture was behind the Old House next to the library. The house was in disrepair then and it was the first time I ever saw seaweed used in the walls of a house as an insulator against cold winter winds. Now let's go back in the village at the light on the north side of the street, where the Cutchogue Drug Store is now. "Doc" Kollmer was the druggist then. You could sit at the counter and have a soda while you waited for your prescription to be filled that you had eotten from Dr. Jones or Dr. Bergman. Photos by Paul Stoutenburgh The Cutchogue library in the late '70s, before the new addition. 1 � w M Photos by Paul Stoutenburgh The Cutchogue library in the late '70s, before the new addition. Alongside the drugstore Myron Dixon had a deli where his sister, Madge, could be found behind the counter. Then there was Tomaszewski's Barber Shop with its red - and -white striped barber pole outside and as Adolph Rysko, now 87, says, "There was a room in the back where the locals played bil- liards." "B h" Tuthill had a butcher shop along this side —of the street and Champ McCaffery ran a "Sweet Shoppe" at one time along this side. Barbara remembers when they had a bull- dog that had puppies and because bulldogs have short tails they would take them up to . "Butch" and he would trim the tails off right on his butcher block. Of course, it was his bulldog that was mated with theirs so he was involved in it a little bit and he saw that the nine little puppies had their proper trimming. The building where the Country Delicatessen of Cutchogue is now goes way back as a general merchandise store. Some remember Ambrose Terp, others Mr. Mehl, and others we've been told go back to Johnny Griffing, known to some as "Johnny Jip." People of all ages will remember the buckets sitting around the store when it rained. Some will remember Palmer Gris- wold, Mrs. Anderson and others who were there to help you with your purchases. Adolph Rysko says, "The street the post office is on now was named Griffing Street after Mr. Griffing who ran the store and whose home was where the street runs now." As we leave Cutchogue Village for the end of our nostalgic tour of town, none of us can forget the store known to all of us as "Peaches" at the edge of the road across from the library. Those of us raising children depended on Peaches for last - minute stops for Easter Sunday patent leather shoes or everyday work clothes and shoes for the men in the family. No one who shopped there will ever forget the dogs or parrots or even the monke, that greeted you when you It was the first stopped in. time I ever saw Just for fun we've been Seaweed Used on a trip down Memory Lane in an area we remem- in the walls of ber from growing up in a house as an Cutchogue in the '30s, '40s and '50s and stories from insulator. others before us who gladly helped with their memories. We thank everyone who added to our story. We hope you have enjoyed it, too, if not for what we remember but for the memories'it will bring back of your days growing up in your hometown many years ago. It's good for us to be reminded now and then of where we came from and those we've met along the way. Note: We'll run a few nature columns to catch up on what Mother Nature has been doing while we've been taking a look at the past. Then, since so many of you have called, written or spoken to us about your memories, we'd like to share them with all our readers and will do that in a few weeks.