Random Thoughts From Childhood-New Surroundings
June 21, 2009
Mat's Memories From Childhood
New Surroundings
What was this place called Ivy House on a funny name street called Conshohocken Avenue? The grounds had four buildings made of red brick surrounded by a half stone wall and chain link fence on top of the wall. The main building was at the only entrance into Ivy House and faced Conshohocken Avenue. I called that building the “office.” The other three buildings where set back to the rear of the office, running left to right in a not so straight line. These buildings where referred to as cottages. Moving left to right, cottage three housed the older boys (teens), cottage two was for older girls (preteen and up), and cottage one was coed six years up to twelve years of age. My brother and I would be calling cottage one home…
We arrived just after lunch and where permitted to explore the grounds. I spotted a set of play bars, a concrete play pipe, and a huge tree in an open field next to the office. In kid fashion, I put a b-line in that direction. I crawled through the pipe and swung on the bars, in this superhero type of speed. Then I stood looking up at this massive tree. There was only one thing to do…. Climb it! It was trickier to climb then I first thought. The bark was very smooth and made traction difficult to get up the tree. I made about four feet up into the tree and found myself stuck on a large slippery branch with not a single person in sight to help me get down. I began to cry… Sometime went by before an adult found me and helped me down. I was told the tree was called “The Running Tree.”
I was escorted with my brother to cottage one and as I entered the steel front door it opened into a commons area with a fire place on the right wall, TV on stand, and seating for about a dozen people. As I made it through the entrance, I was taken to the left into the eating area. There were four picnic type tables lining the center of the room. The kitchen was beyond this room, but I was not given a peek of that area. I was then introduced to the two adults that stay on the premises at all times. That was one adult for each hall that was in cottage one. They where referred to as “House Parents.” The first hall I passed was for all girls and the house parent room was at the entrance of the hall. The house parent assigned to the boy’s was named Tony. Tony had curly afro like hair and had a very stern demeanor to him. He escorted my brother and me to our new room. The hall was very long and narrow with all nine rooms on the left side. Our room was on the very end, just past the main bathroom on right. The room was small with a floor to ceiling built-in closet on the right and two small single beds arranged in an L shape. The beds had a single mattress placed inside wooden boxes. We were given sometime alone in our room and then told to come to the kitchen area to eat dinner and meet the other kids. I made my way to the bathroom first and as I was finishing, two kids entered and we just stared at each other. The silence was broken by one of the kids asking me if I “dime.” (Dime is slang for telling on people) Of course I never heard of such a phrase and figured they must be asking if I had a dime. So my response was yes. The two kids ran off down the hall yelling the new kid dimes! By their yelling, I knew my answer was incorrect. My anxiety builds…………
Ivy House-Cottage 1
Side Note: Ivy House was actually run by the Salvation Army. I later found out that it was not an orphanage, but designed to provide home like atmosphere for displaced kids. It allowed single parent mothers time to get treatment and recover from whatever their particular issue was (drugs, abusive boyfriend/husband, etc.) and then return the kid to the mother.
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Okay, this is really bizarre, but I was just looking you and your brother up on Facebook – at least I think it was you and your brother. Is your last name Haun or Hawn? Your brother’s name was Daniel or Danny? I almost got chills when I saw your picture because I’m almost certain it was you I was friends with. I just happened to have trouble sleeping tonight and randomly typed in Ivy House to see if there was anyone else out there that remembered being there.
My name is Kira – not sure if you remember me but I have the MOST vivid memories of you two. I have often thought of you guys and wondered what ever happened to you. I feel like the three of us were really good friends, but maybe you don’t remember me, I dunno. I know my mom came to take me for a weekend home visit and never brought me back because she was scared the people at Ivy House were trying to take me away from her for good. I never got to say goodbye to anyone. I have so many memories of that place – the Running Tree being one of the most vivid – and eating at the dining hall. I also remember Tony. So weird, cause after all these years you start to think, “Did this really happen to me?”
I would love to exchange thoughts or memories of Ivy House if you have time. – Kira Porter (ktpmonkey@hotmail.com)