WEBVTT 00:00:02.000 --> 00:00:48.000 Peter Gottlieb: Was there-- the gang that you would [unintelligible]? Joseph G.: Oh yeah. They call me in that place here [unintelligible]. Gottlieb: Once-- your department were-- Joseph G.: Oh no. Because in chipping there were four men. Two men _______[??] I remember two other fellas had this job, try to offer it, buddy, [unintelligible]. Gottlieb: Were those white fellas who [unintelligible]? Joseph G.: Oh, they [unintelligible] 00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:57.000 Joseph G.: Relationship is very good. That is, 49. [unintelligible] But I don't know about the other fellas. 00:00:57.000 --> 00:01:22.000 Joseph G.: I can't teach them. More than anyone. Gottlieb: [unintelligible] Joseph G.: No, no. But I had a very good bond, too, with them. All the way through. He want the job done. He mad if you didn't. [unintelligible] Better than all the things. 00:01:22.000 --> 00:01:45.000 Joseph G.: If you did something wrong, he ____[??] you. You did a good job, he commend you. He said to us one day, You ___[??], I know what you gonna do. Now when I leave here, you're gonna miss me. And we did. He worked until he was about 58. [unintelligible] Gottlieb: [unintelligible]? 00:01:45.000 --> 00:02:18.000 Joseph G.: No, no, no. He is-- he born forgiver. But the man died the 14th of December. Course he had out that's when I came up as foreman. The man that came in an all me was an Englishman. Gottlieb: An Englishman? Joseph G.: Yeah. Man before him, the one, he-- he was American all the way. 00:02:18.000 --> 00:02:32.000 Joseph G.: He said you guys gonna miss me when I leave. When I leave. Gottlieb: Did you like your job like after you [unintelligible]? Joseph G.: Oh yeah. I was afraid. 00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:51.000 Joseph G.: They'd ______[??] Know how. Course that job was a very ____[??] job. [Unintelligible] Wasn't on the list, you see. 00:02:51.000 --> 00:03:16.000 Joseph G.: See what happens is. You pick a place. [unintelligible] Today. Pick one up. You wait. Then get. 'Fore that's-- ____[??] today. Look the break. You never know how they're going to break. Well, now, here's a funny one. 00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:24.000 Joseph G.: We picked up something like 30,000 pounds of steel, move that on the pile. 00:03:24.000 --> 00:04:04.000 Joseph G.: And on the way back, we came back to the packing pile. After gettin' this job. Just came back [unintelligible]. Gottlieb: [unintelligible]? Joseph G.: [unintelligible] plates, just one of them. [unintelligible] 00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:12.000 Gottlieb: Where-- where did you live in Homestead? [unintelligible] 00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:38.000 Joseph G.: I first lived on Sixth Avenue. [unintelligible] Gottlieb: That's been one of my problems with talking to people, they'll talk about Second Avenue, Third Avenue, I heard that, when I come across the bridge now, I start at Eighth Avenue. Joseph G.: Yeah. Start with [??] 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:52.000 Gottlieb: But you go right down to the river. Joseph G.: What? Gottlieb: The town used to go right down to the river. Joseph G.: Right. Gottlieb: It's not there anymore. Joseph G.: Second Avenue, all that. 00:04:52.000 --> 00:05:10.000 Joseph G.: But now, Sixth Avenue is a starting point now. Because they do have a five on Sixth Avenue. [unintelligible] Gottlieb: Was that, was that a boardinghouse? Joseph G.: Yeah. Gottlieb: Was it run by, uh, run by Black people? 00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:14.000 Joseph G.: Yes. Gottlieb: Will you tell me 00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:26.000 Gottlieb: Something about the boardinghouse? What kinds of rooms you were staying in and how many other men were there? 00:05:26.000 --> 00:06:36.000 Joseph G.: They had rooms from. Well, put it this way. They have several beds, of course you have two kinds of beds. This group is working 7 to 3. Get up in the morning go to work. Now the rest of the seven crew coming in ____[??]. So there's always room, you know, you got out, so at this house where I live, she was telling me that she had at one time 58 men. When the mills were down and the new came, [unintelligible] She didn't want to rent to the roomers [unintelligible] Because back then the mills were boarding places ____[??] the men were sent down on Saturday night [unintelligible]. The problem was 00:06:36.000 --> 00:06:56.000 Joseph G. Sunday night or off Monday night. Some time off. [unintelligible] So now they wouldn't be adequate today. Anytime you want to go to bed, was no place to sleep. Beds were all filled. [unintelligible] 00:06:56.000 --> 00:07:27.000 Gottlieb: So it was very crowded. Joseph G.: Oh yes, always. The food, and [unintelligible]. They would deduct that from your pay, then that would be [unintelligible]. Gottlieb: When you would get a job in a mill, would they give you an address to go to, or they-- Joseph G.: Oh yes. Gottlieb: [simultaneous talking] [unintelligible] Joseph G.: Oh yes. 00:07:27.000 --> 00:07:32.000 Gottlieb: As well as people who came on their own. Joseph G.: All for the ones that came on their own. They didn't do that. Just the transportation. 00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:39.000 Gottlieb: So a person like you paid your money to go-- Joseph G.: Yeah not me. That's up to you. 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:55.000 Joseph G.: Now, you were coming up transportation, they would arrange for you here somewhere. You didn't have to worry about it. [unintelligible] They take it out of your pay. But that was [unintelligible] 00:07:55.000 --> 00:08:02.000 Joseph G.: I remember when I was hired, the guy said, Now you come in tomorrow morning, we'll give lunch. 00:08:02.000 --> 00:08:16.000 Joseph G.: And I said, Where will I get the lunch? He said, That's up to you. [unintelligible] 00:08:16.000 --> 00:08:30.000 Gottlieb: How long did you live down on Sixth Avenue? Joseph G.: Oh, about a year. Just about a year. So then I-- Fact I went to some other 00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:54.000 Joseph G.: Address in Homestead and finally moved to East Liberty. I stayed East Liberty for while, and then after that. Gottlieb: Were all these places boarding houses or places that you-- after you leave Sixth Avenue? Joseph G.: No, no, no. It was private rooms [??] 00:08:54.000 --> 00:09:02.000 Gottlieb: So you would be living with another family? Joseph G.: Yeah. Because after I went-- $8.05 would be a room, room and board. 00:09:02.000 --> 00:09:11.000 Joseph G.: But after I move from there, I pay five dollars a week for room. [unintelligible] 00:09:11.000 --> 00:09:17.000 Gottlieb: How did you get to know these people? 00:09:17.000 --> 00:09:55.000 Joseph G.: Oh, it was everything. Gottlieb: Oh, I see. Joseph G.: Yeah. Cause, you rent a room, you want that-- word of mouth. A lotta people there, a lotta houses, they're gone. Old enough to displace about ten thousand people [unintelligible]. And some wanted to come back. Now I would living in this place [unintelligible]. Of course, the steel work. 00:09:55.000 --> 00:10:45.000 Joseph G. They made it possible for anyone [unintelligible] for houses out there. That's where I lived. I stayed there. [unintelligible]. About a year. [unintelligible] Finally one day I go to check another. ____[??] open income. [unintelligible] But here they owed me some money so I went down to talk to them. They said, you didn't talk to me. Said, [unintelligible]. 00:10:45.000 --> 00:11:18.000 Joseph G.: You paid according to earnings over there. But it's not at the steel mill, making [unintelligible] But at the end of every year they would ____[??] If you overpaid your rent you would get refund. [unintelligible] Well, here they were making this survey. [unintelligible] 00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:21.000 Joseph G.: So I went to the office, I went to get paid. 00:11:21.000 --> 00:12:19.000 Joseph G.: Didn't get it yet, but [unintelligible]. Higher rent and paid my printer rent and I got this notice the next day. [unintelligible] $96. [unintelligible] I went back to talk to them [unintelligible] Gottlieb: What kind of things did you like to do, after you were living in Homestead? During your off hours? [unintelligible] 00:12:19.000 --> 00:12:39.000 Joseph G.: Well-- Oh very little. [unintelligible] To be fair, I. Back when I lived in the city, I lived in North Side. I lived in the North Hills. At that time, where the arena is now. 00:12:39.000 --> 00:13:05.000 Joseph G.: And you can walk across the bridge. [unintelligible] 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:34.000 Joseph G. So we went over there one day and ____[??] and I don't remember, I had 52 cents _____[??] 00:13:34.000 --> 00:13:36.000 Joseph G.: The other dime. 00:13:36.000 --> 00:14:05.000 Joseph G.: Lined up at the end of the 88 line.A buddy of mine was working out there. Gottlieb: [unintelligible] Joseph G.: [unintelligible] And on the way back, I walked up Oliver Avenue. And it lifted on Oliver. 00:14:05.000 --> 00:14:27.000 Joseph G.: I picked up the first. [unintelligible] Went on up to where I lived. [unintelligible] 00:14:27.000 --> 00:14:28.000 Joseph G.: Before too long, I had 50 cents, I walk over to the neighborhood. [unintelligible] 00:14:28.000 --> 00:14:54.000 Gottlieb: Did you ever go to the, uh, club that they have where they play live music? I know there was quite a few people-- 00:14:54.000 --> 00:15:02.000 Joseph G.: No, I didn't. Gottlieb: You didn't? Joseph G.: No, I didn't like it. No, I didn't like it. Gottlieb: Were there other places [unintelligible] in your neighborhood? Joseph G.: Oh yeah. Gottlieb: Were they real popular? Did you know a lot of people who liked to go there? 00:15:02.000 --> 00:15:55.000 Joseph G.: Yeah. [unintelligible] I was there, the Leader House. Gottlieb: [unintelligible] Joseph G.: Yeah. Gottlieb: I know there was quite a few with music there. Joseph G.: Yeah. [unintelligible] Gottlieb: So all of these were places in Homestead. Joseph G.: At that time, yeah. Quite a few joints. Gottlieb: There was more places, the club _____[??] Joseph G.: Yeah, that was on McClure Street. There was the Hollywood Room on Sixth Avenue. 00:15:55.000 --> 00:17:44.000 Gottlieb: Did these places get a lot of people? Joseph G.: Oh, ____[??] They was called the good old days. Gottlieb: From what other people have told me, Homestead was a pretty live place. Why do you imagine of all the places in Allegheny County Homestead was the [unintelligible]? Joseph G.: [unintelligible] They come here from all over. [unintelligible] We go away, say, where you from? I from Homestead. [unintelligible] There was anything around here. The steel mills were enormous down here. [unintelligible] Gottlieb: I heard that [unintelligible] Joseph G.: [unintelligible] Because it's still intact. See, Homestead is [unintelligible] 00:17:44.000 --> 00:18:42.000 Gottlieb: Now when you talk about Homestead, are you thinking about the area down where the mills are down, they used to call the ward? Joseph G.: Yes. Up as far as Sixth Avenue. Far as Sixth Avenue. That went up to Sixth. Gottlieb: Did you learn anything at the mill, power or anything, wouldn't have wanted to not replace? [unintelligible] Joseph G.: [unintelligible] 00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:53.000 Joseph G.: They'd have a ___[??] to use a crane. People that was, people-- [unintelligible] 00:18:53.000 --> 00:19:00.000 Gottlieb: Did you used to ever watch the Homestead Grays play? Joseph G.: Yeah. 00:19:00.000 --> 00:19:32.000 Joseph G.: That was quite a team back there. Oh. Quite a team. They came all-- ______[??] for the majors. They didn't make it, for the managers. Gottlieb: Do you remember a man back at that time who was in charge of helping Black people at the mill? Joseph G.: [[unintelligible] Yeah, he was a minister. 00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:41.000 Joseph G.: Grover Nelson. Gottlieb: Can you tell me what his work involved after he got the folks from the South in here and settled down? 00:19:41.000 --> 00:19:48.000 Joseph G.: Well, he was actually the welfare agent employed by the steel mill. 00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:53.000 Joseph G.: He was. He was offered the other [??] 00:19:53.000 --> 00:20:49.000 Joseph G.: You needed something and you couldn't find, you go to him. Fact, he was brought here for that purpose. He's often went on these excursions for the transportation. He went off and brought to Homestead. And for the steel workers, he was ____[??]. They would go down and ________[??] He'd ______________[??] go down with the train and everything. Gottlieb: You said they were bringing white workers in? Joseph G.: Oh yeah, oh yeah. But the majority were Black. Workers didn;t matter if you were ___________[??] [unintelligible] 00:20:49.000 --> 00:20:59.000 Gottlieb Did most of the people from the South actually go to Grover Nelson for help when they needed it or did they [unintelligible]? 00:20:59.000 --> 00:21:22.000 Joseph G.: Well, yes and no, because there were cases where I'm told they'd go to him. And he'd get [unintelligible]. if you went to her they didn't question it. 00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:36.000 Joseph G.: You know I need some clothes, some food. Because I think she understood. [unintelligible] 00:21:36.000 --> 00:22:17.000 Joseph G.: Apathetic. He wouldn't do what he could have. Of course after the [unintelligible] He was the foreman of the _____[??] Gottlieb: Was he looked upon as a boss, [unintelligible] or did Black people tend to see him as one of their own and a friend? Joseph G.: He was ____[??] I think. Course you had the ______[??] who wanted and he didn't. 00:22:17.000 --> 00:22:32.000 Joseph G.: His hand wasn't tired [??]. [unintelligible] 00:22:32.000 --> 00:23:09.000 Gottlieb: Did you join a church [??] after you came here? Joseph G.: Clark Memorial. Gottlieb: Clark Memorial? [unintelligible] Joseph G.: [unintelligible] Gottlieb: Had you thought of going to churches, at the same time, you would come to Homestead or [unintelligible] for the first year you started going? Joseph G.: [unintelligible] 00:23:09.000 --> 00:24:19.000 Joseph G.: About a year. [unintelligible] Gottlieb: Did you belong to any clubs or, uh, fraternal bodies, or, [unintelligible]? Joseph G.: [unintelligible] Gottlieb: Were you involved in church work once _________[??] Joseph G.: Oh yeah. [unintelligible] I sang in the choir. [unintelligible] Gottlieb: [unintelligible] Joseph G.: [unintelligible] Gottlieb: [unintelligible] 00:24:19.000 --> 00:24:55.000 Joseph G.: All right. Well, what happened was, a lot of times, there no one. What I mean [unintelligible] Gottlieb: [unintelligible] look at Homestead now and [unintelligible] 00:24:55.000 --> 00:24:56.000 Joseph G.: Well, let's see what track we're on. [unintelligible] 00:24:56.000 --> 00:25:03.000 Gottlieb: You know, I just. Well. Yeah, well. 00:25:03.000 --> 00:25:24.000 Joseph G.: You know, as I said, as I said before. There's nobody here anymore. There seem to be [unintelligible] back then. 00:25:24.000 --> 00:25:34.000 Joseph G.: Beginning, but that was a slow start. [unintelligible] 00:25:34.000 --> 00:26:04.000 Joseph G.: It didn't pick up speed until about 1950, 52. [unintelligible] But before that time we didn't get a material. We got a job ___[??] [unintelligible] 00:26:04.000 --> 00:26:33.000 Gottlieb: You were talking about [unintelligble] Did you ever used to go down to the YMCA, anything like that? Joseph G.: No. I'd've been there. But I wouldn't go down there. Gottlieb: You didn't regularly. Joseph G.: No. Gottlieb: 'Cause I've been in there, what kind of programs they had at the YMCA, offered for the people in [unintelligible] 00:26:33.000 --> 00:27:17.000 Joseph G.: Yeah. Well, I understand now that they had quite a bit of activities back there. But I think what has happened today. Due to the acceptance in the other Y, it just now, they activities here. Because back then, you wasn't accepted at the ____[??] now you are. And that's a matter of having _______[??] Then before that, you had school. [unintelligible] 00:27:17.000 --> 00:27:54.000 Gottlieb: Did you ever come in contact with anybody who ___________ [??] Joseph G.: No. Gottlieb: [unintelligible]. Well, that's about all the things that I had on my mind to ask you about. If there's anything that you have thought of while we've been talking that stands out in your mind that you remember you could tell me about, like what it was like to be in Homestead, a mill town,I'd love to hear it, but, uh. Otherwise, I don't know that. 00:27:54.000 --> 00:28:54.000 Joseph G.: Well, I said, I don't know too much. Couldn't write it down. Gottlieb: Well.
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