old brooklyn
the eastern district in the 70's
 

Around the old Union Baseball Grounds still linger some
of the pleasantest memories of my boyhood. The adjoin-
ing land was passing through that period where the farms
were rapidly changing into building lots. A fairly good
sized stream ran west of Marcy Avenue, and a pond of re-
spectable depth and dimensions still did duty as an "old
swimming hole." The neighborhood, however, was fast
building up, and the spectacle of unclad boys seen from
the near distance provoked frequent complaints to the
police. In addition there was the traditional enmity be-
tween the boys on the Harrison Avenue side, known as the
"Rocks," and the Marcy Avenue boys -who called them-
selves the "Roosters." If a kind Providence enabled the
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