Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

In 1960 my family moved from the Ball Square area to Davis Square. My parents paid $15,000 for the house. It was pretty run down and needed a lot of TLC. Not everyone was thrilled about the new digs especially my Uncle Joe. He was a firefighter on engine 7 on Highland Ave. He was against my dad buying the house. When there was painting and wallpapering to do my aunts and uncles showed up to help.

We had only been in the new house for a while when the unthinkable happened. A fire alarm was put in for Hall Ave. which was my street. What happened next was just pure chaos. My uncle Joe immediately thought that it was our new house that was on fire. It was actually a house away.

Uncle Joe freaked out saying things like, “I told him not to buy that house!” The firefighters were busy as the house continued to burn. By this time uncle Joe knew that it was not our house that was on fire but one house down. Unfortunately, a woman perished in the fire so it was pretty serious.

Having a fireman for an uncle was very cool. I remember trips to the fire station when we slid down the pole. Like many firemen, uncle Joe had a side job. He was in the glass repair business. We never paid for a broken door or window.

Here it is 2024 and I’m happy to say we’re still in our home near Davis Square. I have fond memories of my uncle Joe. I especially remember the cocktail parties at his house on Josephine Ave.