My Childhood Home

Date: About 1947 to 1962
Location: Anaheim, Orange, California, United States
Surnames/tags: Anaheim Palm_Street Harbor_Bl

Built around 1947, my childhood home still stands on what is now Harbor Blvd., Anaheim, CA. My parents bought this newly-built house in Anaheim after the war. They decorated it, landscaped the lot and added onto it during the 15 years we lived there. I don't know exactly when we moved in but it was around the time my sister was born in January 1948. My parents were very proud that it had a raised hardwood floor (new homes were mostly being built on cement slabs) and lath and plaster instead of drywall. But they put carpet over the wood! The house had 3 bedrooms and one bathroom. There was a tub and a separate shower; the basin was free-standing and there was a small corner cabinet. The living and dining rooms were large. We had a huge dining table. Against one wall was a wooden fold-down desk with numerous cubby holes for bills and stuff. The heater was in a partial wall between the two rooms. That's where my sister and I dressed on chilly mornings. By 1952 my dad had a slab poured in the back yard which would eventually be the floor of a "family room." He worked on on weekends so it took a few years to finish. As soon as the walls were built and windows installed, we started using it. It had a fireplace and a wood closet accessible from outside and in. At the point the living room became a formal room for adults and most events happened in the family room. Then my dad built a nook for the water and dryer and the "back porch" became a dining area, thus enlarging the kitchen.