This is a 1939 picture of the house that I grew up in and spent most of my life until six years ago living in. The photo was taken by the WPA sometime between 1939 and 1941. They took pictures of every single piece of property. You can head down to the St. George Library and make copies of any of them if you know which block and lot you're looking for. It's a great resource for seeing what Staten Island looked like in its pre-bridge heyday.
My family bought the house in 1969 for a song and it's still in my family to this day. It's not a great shot but I like it. I remember when I was three and we moved in. Not a lot of clear, linear memories but plenty of distinct moments and sights.
The backyard seemed huge when I stood in it. I looked up at the immensity of the unpainted stucco house with brick red window frames and then at the woods rising up on the hill behind the garage. Then there were the men from Post Exterminators spraying for wasps in the attic and sinking holes in the foundation to make sure termites didn't show up.
It was beautiful and it still is even if the neighborhood around it's changed and the woods across the street from it have been murdered and filled crappy (I mean structurally) townhouses.
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