A Memories Project submission by Paul Chiampa
It has been sixty years since our Grandfather sold the house that is known as the Thomas Howe Estate at 9 Little Nahant Road, so our memories may be a little fuzzy and not totally accurate, but we will do the best that we can to remember those years.
Anthony “Tony” and Paolina “Polly” Cola bought the house in 1951 as a place where their three daughters, Olga Stevens, Irene Chiampa, and Gloria Cimaglia, all of Melrose, MA, could spend some time in the summer with their growing families. The Cola name was originally Colameca, but my Grandfather had it shortened as did many immigrants at that time. They sold the house in 1963.
The house was a veritable playground for the eleven grandchildren. You could sprint end-to-end through the grand hallway. The first room on the right as you entered through the front entrance was the billiard room. My Grandfather either bought a magnificent, ornately-carved, wooden billiard table for the room, or inherited it when he bought the house. That’s where the men would congregate after dinner, and where a few cousins fell victim to a misspent youth. We would spend hours, either on the wrap around porch or in the turret, both of which had panoramic views of the ocean, watching the weather roll in over Egg Rock and waiting for the amphibious craft from the Coast Guard station to make an appearance on Short Beach.
Paolina “Polly” and Anthony “Tony” Cola
Our Grandmother suffered a stroke on April 16, 1954 in the first room on the left, which left her paralyzed from the waist down. The house had a manually operated elevator going to the second floor. I don’t know if my Grandfather had it installed, or it was already there, but the grandchildren would take turns pulling the ropes that would get my Grandmother up and down from her second floor bedroom. It was obviously an unfortunate situation, but it was great fun for us.
My cousin, Warren “Stevie” Stevens of Elijah, GA, and I would head to the beach every morning to collect the bottles left by the previous night’s party goers. Small bottles were worth five cents and big bottles were worth ten cents in those days. We would take them to Irene’s convenience store on Little Nahant, and cash them in. Eveyone spent almost every day on the beach and in the ocean, even on those days when the water would freeze our outer extremities.
The three cousins, from left to right: John Cimaglia, Warren “Steve” Stevens, and Paul Chiampa. Taken around 1952, notice the color of the stairs, which were green like the entire house before my Grandfather had the white siding put on.
On Friday nights, we would watch the Revere Beach fireworks from the second floor bedrooms. Occasionally, we could even get the Red Sox game on a small, black and white TV. The cousins would have dinner every night in a small butler’s pantry adjacent to the dining room. The parents would eat in the dining room. Every night after dinner, we would pile into my uncle’s truck, and go for ice cream just over the hill on Nahant Beach.
I have a vague memory of seeing some of the damage caused by Hurricane Carol in 1953. My family was trying to evacuate, and get back to Melrose before the storm got too bad. A chimney came loose, and went through the roof of my father’s car, almost hitting the car seat with my sister, Ellie Chiampa of Golden, CO, still in it.
Hopefully, we will all be able to get together in Nahant once the restoration project is completed, maybe get a tour, and do a little reminiscing.
More information on The Restoration of the Howe Estate can be found here: nahanthistory.org/news/howe-estate