On Easter, we went hunting for the house Gene and Bob lived in when they were in elementary school. Their father, George, was a labor organizer for the boot and shoe union and he was the leader of the union at the Selby Shoe Company in Portsmouth, OH. They lived in a small, tiny town called Coles Park. We found the house they lived in and introduced ourselves to the current owner who has been there since 1974.
Gene and Bob played with the family next door and the family still lives there. We were hoping to meet the son of their friend in this yellow house. Alas, no one answered the door.
Then off to find their elementary school. Here it is, all boarded up and filled with trash. It seems like the school building had been leased to a sewing factory? or something like that? But it’s just really shut down and unoccupied.
Then a little Easter egg hunt in a nearby park and an outdoor lunch.
We did try to find the factory in Portsmouth where George worked, but it seems to have been torn down. We did enjoy frozen yogurt there though.
Then finally, home.