Recorded near Boston, Massachusetts.
This snapshot was gathered in conjunction with the Museum on Main Street program at the Smithsonian Institution. Their "Stories from Main Street" initiative is intended to capture Americans' impressions and stories about their small-town and rural neighborhoods, waterways, traditions, and personal experiences.
What was your first job?
"My first job was in a locally owned hardware store. I was a sophomore in high school and I use to walk from school, down to the hardware store where we'd sell everything from screws, to paintbrushes, to woodworking tools, to my personal favorite kerosene. And we, at this point, did not have a gauge on the kerosene, so we'd have to listen to the five gallon containers to try to get the right amount of kerosene in there.
And so often, the kerosene ended up spilling all over the place on the floor. And being a sophomore in high school, I didn't think anything about cleaning it up with newspaper or paper towels and just throwing them right in the trash. It's a good thing it never caught on fire.
Oh, good. Oh, good."
Asset ID: 7227
