Tell me what you know about Hartwell : ) (Cambridge, Caldwell: high school, tile)

[Wilson513]

This is probably the way all the world seems form Cambridge Massachusettes - what with "brars" and hillbillies and f*****g and fightin, and "persons of color in fear, blah, blah, blah.

Trouble is, I actually worked in Hartwell in high school (60's) or at least near enough at Cambridge Tile on Caldwell Drive. And ate my meals and cashed my check and got gas, many things a day, many weeks. And it wasn't anything like you described it. Hartwell was a real solid blue collar neighborhood, with fathers in the house who had a job and mothers who were out and about doing things appropriate for mothers to do. There was no public fornication and the toughest place in Hartwell was the Valley Tavern on Vine which had gambling machines. And, even as a youth of 17-18 from Hyde Park, I had no hesitation of joining my co-workers there when our second shift got off at midnight. And there were hot rod cars in Hartwell, but they were paid for by men who got their hands dirty making a living. And the youth of the era were invisible, not loitering on the streets intimidating the populace as you suggest.

[tiberon02]

I agree Hartwell in the 60's was a very family oriented area, very safe, never needing to lock house doors or your cars,having family picnics on weekends, sure your going to have a few problems, but who doesn't. I lived and worked and lived in Hartwell most of my life, now in Az. age of 60, very proud of growing up in Hartwell Ohio.

Originally Posted by wilson1010

This is probably the way all the world seems form Cambridge Massachusettes - what with "brars" and hillbillies and f*****g and fightin, and "persons of color in fear, blah, blah, blah.

Trouble is, I actually worked in Hartwell in high school (60's) or at least near enough at Cambridge Tile on Caldwell Drive. And ate my meals and cashed my check and got gas, many things a day, many weeks. And it wasn't anything like you described it. Hartwell was a real solid blue collar neighborhood, with fathers in the house who had a job and mothers who were out and about doing things appropriate for mothers to do. There was no public fornication and the toughest place in Hartwell was the Valley Tavern on Vine which had gambling machines. And, even as a youth of 17-18 from Hyde Park, I had no hesitation of joining my co-workers there when our second shift got off at midnight. And there were hot rod cars in Hartwell, but they were paid for by men who got their hands dirty making a living. And the youth of the era were invisible, not loitering on the streets intimidating the populace as you suggest.

[Hartwell Girl]

I dont know what happened in the 50's, 60's, 70's or 80's....but I DO KNOW what has happened in the last 10 years.....How you ask? Because I LIVE HERE. Hartwell is a great Cincinnati neighborhood. ALL neighborhoods evolve. They all go through their good and bad spells. Hartwell has a great selection of homes, has many new changes and great people who live in the neighborhood. Hartwell is my home, it is where i love to live, it is where i feel safe and it is where i have many good friends and neighbors.
I can bet many of you do not even know half the people on your street, we all do. Hartwell is not just another neighborhood, it's a hidden gem in Cincinnati. So please, if you have any questions about Hartwell, send me a message. I'll tell you about the neighborhood.

[t45209]

While I never lived in Hartwell, I sort of grew up with a little bit of the neighborhood in my blood. My fraternal grandfather's family lived in Hartwell for many years before WWII in a little bungalow over on Parkway Avenue along the railroad tracks. The ash tree that my great grandfather planted still grows in the front yard of that house. I know all of this because in the '70s and '80s I would go on Sunday drives with my grandparents down to the Valley where they used to live. They lamented that it wasn't the good old neighborhood it once was, but things obviously ebb and flow.

My great grandfather was a pipe fitter, the head of a blue collar family like so many others in Hartwell in those days. His three sons were typical of the Valley, working variously as mechanics and meat cutters, and one studying the accordian! It's funny reading old family letters and hearing stories over the years, you come to realize that Hartwell, Carthage, and Elmwood were like little Mayberrys...everybody knew everbody. Because of all his Valley contacts, my grandfather was hopeful of starting a successful concrete business with his brothers after the war.

Interestingly, my grandfather went to Hughes High School all the way down in Clifton, yet his younger brother went to Hartwell High. I guess I don't know enough of the history of the high school to know why that is, and maybe someone can shed some light on that for me. My grandfather would have been in high school from around 1929-1933 or somewhere in that range. My great uncle was much younger and graduated from Hartwell in 1944 or 45. He's still with us, but is out in California.

After having lost his father, mother, and one brother during the war years, my grandfather moved the family from Hartwell around 1950 for Springdale. Besides that, I don't think my grandmother liked the idea of raising a young son just a few feet from a railroad line with steam locomotives chuffing through the neighborhood.

It's been awhile since I have been up to Parkway Ave. I might just take a drive over there and see how the old ash tree is doing.

[goyguy]

It must be doing just fine, 'cause Parkway Ave fits its name. Regimented rows of trees line the space between the sidewalk and the curb on both sides and make for a shady oasis in warmer weather, all the way from Vine St to the circle. There are also some nice mature ones in numerous yards. The houses and occasional apartment buildings are all looking spiffy. But the trains are no less loud for not using steam locomotives any more. I guess the horns and the clattering, and the clang clang clang of the crossing signals, get to be "sonic wallpaper" after a while.
Hartwell as a community, IMHO, reached its nadir between the late '60s (not helped by the tornado which those of us old enough to remember still talk about) and the mid to late '90s. In more recent times it appears to be a more laid-back and neighborly type of place, with which Hartwell Girl I'm sure would agree. The Mayberry feel is definitely back; not that it ever left, it was only pushed out of view to outsiders thanks to the bad actors who were around for some years. It's definitely worth a visit. goyguy tip: Drive or walk past 223 Kearney St, the people who live there have an insane garden that gets written up all the time.

[Hartwell Girl]

Goyguy that pretty Hartwell garden is written up in a beautiful story in Cincinnati Magazine this month (July edition)....

[goyguy]

Saw it!
Nothing says a neighborhood's cool better than its being mentioned in Cincinnati magazine.

[newone7]

Hello i just move in hartwell and want to know how to enroll my 11 years old son to some sports activities around here.thank you for everything

[janweb]

Hello I worked at Cambridge Tile in Hartwell. 1957--1963. When did it close?

[Wilson513]

Originally Posted by janweb

Hello I worked at Cambridge Tile in Hartwell. 1957--1963. When did it close?

Hey, I worked there in 1965 in the set-fast line department. I was a board turner. I put a group together in the early 80's and bought the place. It was later merged intoanother company I owned a third of and the whole thing was sold to Sherwin Williams about 10 years ago by my former partners.