Moyamensing Prison

[bospress.net]

Hi,
Here are some photos of the prison where Bukowski reportedly spent some. It was torn down in 1963 and now houses a dunkin Donuts and Ritas water ice.

There are surprisingly few photos of this place.

Bill

 

[Father Luke]

a donut shop and ice house. classic

Thanks Bill !

 

[bospress.net]

Rita's Water Ice is a Philly area thing. Water ice is like melted Italian Ice, if that makes sense. It is also like a slurpie (or slushie).

Bill

 

[Father Luke]

okay. got it.

 

[bospress.net]

Notice the peeling white (lead based) paint.... That place would have been a dangerous demo site.

Bill

 

[mjp]

It's funny that you posted those, I came across the same pics just last week and tucked them away for some future use.

 

[MULLINAX]

Up The River

Notice the peeling white (lead based) paint.... That place would have been a dangerous demo site.

Looks to me like the remnants of the "ticker-tape" thrown during Bukowski's triumphal 'release parade'.

I always thought that 'Moyamensing' was a clever euphemism for 'Sing-Sing', even though they're in different states. And isn't 'Sing-Sing' a sort of pun on Ossining. Or something.

 

[number6horse]

I always thought that 'Moyamensing' was a clever euphemism for 'Sing-Sing', even though they're in different states. And isn't 'Sing-Sing' a sort of pun on Ossining. Or something.

I think you're right. "Sing-Sing" was a nickname or derivation of a Native American word as I remember. I would suspect that Moyamensing qualifies.

Terrific photos.

 

[pichon64]

Nice.

 

[Rekrab]

Cool photos, Bill. Reminds me of a tour I took of Alcatraz. Very interesting place, worth catching if you go to San Francisco. I heard there's talk of tearing Alcatraz down. That would be stupid. In addition to being a classic prision, it's a civil war fort and a historical site. But you know how that goes. Maybe they'll build condos or a huge mall there.

 

[Bukfan]

Maybe they'll build condos or a huge mall there.

Right! Or a new Disneyland theme park...:D

 

[MULLINAX]

Is it in Marin County or S.F. County? If it's in Marin then it'll become the Sri Chinmoy Performing Arts Center. If it's SF it will become Harvey Milk Memorial Hall.

 

[bospress.net]

I think that there is too much draw and money to do anything but preserve it. How many visitors do they have every year? Certainly more than they would have as a mall or performing arts center....

Bill

 

[Rekrab]

I saw a Yahoo news headline about Alcatraz being in peril but was too busy to read the article. There are many visitors -- it's a popular destination. The place is rich in history, multiple layers of it, as a civil war fort, then a prison, then, once it was abandoned in the 60s, a site of a long Native American protest occupation. My great (or great-great) grandfather, a civil war soldier, was injured moving a canon there, got on military disability pension.