ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

The Friends and the Hoboken Historical Museum co-sponsor an oral history project focused on "Vanishing Hoboken." This project is designed to record, through interviews with long-time residents, business owners and workers, aspects of local life--cultural, industrial, professional--that have disappeared or are threatened because of continuing physical and demographic changes in Hoboken.

"Vanishing Hoboken" is an ongoing project that continues to need and welcome volunteers, both volunteers to interview more of the fascinating people who are part of Hoboken's rich history as well as skilled typists/listeners to transcribe interviews from cassette tape.

Your participation as an interviewer or transcriber would be most welcome. No experience is required; all you need is curiosity about Hoboken's past and a willingness to commit a few hours to the project. We provide the recording equipment and how-to instruction. Please contact us at info@hobokenfol.org.

A number of chapbooks (small booklets) containing excerpts of interviews have already been produced:

• Hoboken: Circus Maximus at all Times, Recollections of Judge Charles DeFazio, Jr. (2002)
• Everybody Seems to Know Me by the Paper Hat, Recollections of Albert “Heget” Hegetschweiler (2003)
• Schnackenberg's Luncheonette: Never a Plain Coke, Recollections of Betty Silvani (2004)
• A Form of Doctor, Recollections of Marvin Stemple (2004)
• When People Got Together and There Were Feasts, Recollections of Tom Olivieri (2005)
• Spirit of '76, Recollections of Jack O'Brien (2005)
• Sweet Cigar Charlie: Rigger Specialist, Recollections of Charles Kosbab (2005)
• The Simple Dialogue of My People, Recollections of Hoboken Playwright Louis LaRusso II (2006)
• Club Zanzibar, Recollections of Dorothy McNeil (2006)
• Boats, Ships & Everything, Recollections of Jack Quinby, Marine Engineer (2006)
• Soup Spy, Tea Acolyte, My Hoboken Summer Jobs, Recollections of Carol Ann Wilson (2006)
• The Minute I Walked into the Place, I Was Home, Recollections of Paula Millenthal Cantor (2007)
• It Takes Fifty Years To Be a Chef: Recollections of Giorgio Castiello (2007)
• Hoboken Was Just Like Heaven for Us, Recollections of Amada Ortega (2007)
• We Did Have Wonderful Times: Hoboken Girl Scouts and the Little House on Garden Street: Recollections of Lee Raines and Catherine Ruchovansky (2007)
• Always Helping People, Recollections of Evelyn Smith (2008)
• A Nice Tavern, Remembering the Continental Hotel and the Union Club, Recollections of Paul Samperi (2008)
• The Fruit Truck, Recollections of Domenick Amato (2008)
• I'd Rather Lose a Clam than a Customer, Recollections of Michael "Brother" Yaccarino (2009)
• We were Downtown: Recollections of Marie Totaro (2009)

These chapbooks are a benefit of Friends membership; if you’re a member and have not received a copy, please contact us at info@hobokenfol.org.