EventsOral History Project
Members of the Hoboken Historical Museum and the Friends of the Hoboken Public Library initiated the Hoboken Oral History Project in 2000. The initial focus of the Project was to capture, through the recollections of longtime residents, “Vanishing Hoboken”—the working-class identity and tradition of multi-ethnic living that has been disappearing as the city has gentrified over the past twenty years.
Interviewees told stories about mom-and-pop shops, the city’s many movie palaces, vaudeville performances, political campaigns, ethnic traditions, and factory jobs. A second series in the Oral History Project was introduced, “Hoboken Memoir,” when it became clear that there were notables in the city willing to talk about their personal experiences in addition to the topics mentioned above.
Some transcripts were edited into short texts that were published (with images supplied by the Museum, the interviewees, and the Hoboken Public Library) into small booklets called “chapbooks.”
A more detailed explanation of the Hoboken Oral History Project and the origins of the word “chapbook” may be found at the end of each of the booklets.
We hope you enjoy reading these Hoboken stories online. There will be more to come! Click on a cover to open a Portable Document File (PDF) read each chapbook. It will take 1 to 2 minutes for the PDF to load.
Kid: Recollections of Patsy Louis Freda
In its pages a single interviewee conveys the story of two lives intertwined—of Patsy Freda and his “bride and best friend” Edna (McLaughlin) Freda, the woman he called “Kid.”
Boats, Ships & Everything
Jack Quinby (1930-1995) was a marine engineer at Hoboken’s Lackawanna Railroad Terminal and worked as a fireman on coal-burning tugs and ferryboats.
We Did Have Wonderful Times
Two former Girl Scouts and Scout Leaders Lee Raines (1924- 2006) and Catherine Ruchhovansky remember the fun they had.
In the Terrace: Recollections of Joan Cunning
Joan Cunning recalls over 50 years in the life of one extended Irish-American family, on one small Hoboken street.
Sweet Cigar Charlie, Rigger Specialist
Charles Kosbab (1915-2001) was a rigger at the Bethlehem Steel Shipyard in Hoboken (and its predecessors, W. & A. Fletcher Co. & United Dry Docks) for 53 years.
Always Helping People, Recollections of Evelyn Smith
Evelyn Smith recalls the contributions of her parents, Leo and Sarah Smith, to the Civil Rights Movement and trade unionism.
Hoboken Circus Maximus at all Times
Judge Charles DeFazio, Jr. (1905-1996) was an attorney and self-described “political gadfly”
The Simple Dialogue of My People
Louis LaRusso II(1936-2003) was a Hoboken-born playwright who featured the working class people of his beloved city in over half of the 70 plays he authored.
A Nice Tavern, Remembering the Continental Hotel and the Union Club
Paul Samperi describes his father's ownership of the Union Club and the Continental Hotel during Prohibition and beyond.
Everybody Seems to Know Me by the Paper Hat
Albert “Heget” Hegetschweiler (1914-ca. 1990) was a woodworker at the Soborg Woodworking Company on Clinton Street, which specialized in work for the maritime industry.
Club Zanzibar, Recollections of Dorothy McNeil
Dorothy McNeil worked at Club Zanzibar, an African American nightclub at 601 First Street in Hoboken.
The Fruit Truck, Recollections of Domenick Amato
“The Fruit Truck, Recollections of Domenick Amato” focuses on the peddlers who used to sell produce from trucks parked on Hoboken street corners.
Schackenberg's Luncheonette, Never a Plain Coke
Betty Silvani one of the daughters of Schnackenberg’s Luncheonette, founded by her parents in 1931 on Washington Street.
Soup Spy, Tea Acolyte
Carol Ann Wilson discusses the after-school jobs she held at the Maxwell House Coffee and Lipton Tea factories in Hoboken.
I’d Rather Lose a Clam than a Customer
“I’d Rather Lose a Clam than a Customer, Recollections of Michael “Brother” Yaccarino" tells the story of Biggie’s Clam Bar, founded in 1946.
A Form of Doctor, Recollections of Marvin Stemple
Marvin Stemple is now retired as a second-generation Hoboken pharmacist.
The Minute I Walked into the Place, I Was Home
Paula Millenthal Cantor is the great-granddaughter of one of the founders of Congregation Adas Emuno and an alumna of Stevens Hoboken Academy.
We Were Downtown, recollections of MarieTotaro
“We Were Downtown, recollections of MarieTotaro“ growing up and living on the west side of Hoboken
Spirit of '76, Recollections of Jack O'Brien
Jack O’Brien has been playing the fife in various Hoboken fife and drum corps for over 65 years.
It Takes Fifty Years to be a Chef
Owner of Giorgio’s Bakery, Giorgio Castiello, and one of his daughters, Mary Grace, discuss Mr. Castiello’s introduction of traditional Italian pastries to Hoboken residents.
The Pigeon Guys, recollections of Vinnie Torre and Lynne Earing
“The Pigeon Guys, recollections of Vinnie Torre and Lynne Earing” on the sport of pigeon racing.
When People Got Together and There Were Feasts
Tom Olivieri a former tenant’s rights activist and city cultural affairs official, has long been at the center of cultural and civic activities in Hoboken’s broad-ranging Hispanic community.
Hoboken Was Just Like Heaven for Us
Hoboken educator Amada Ortega remembers how she and her husband Manuel were welcomed by their neighbors when they arrived from Cuba in 1948.
We Were Not As They Thought
Angel Padilla describes his migration from Santorce, Puerto Rico, to Hoboken, in the 1950s,and his ties to St. Joseph Church, the first parish in the city to do outreach to the Puerto Rican community.
