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Edward R. Byrnes was a wood worker and one of my earliest memories ever is tied to this fact. In the summer of 1950 while I was working on completing my first year of life I remember two huge black barns behind my grandparents house, the house being on James Street next to the Byrnesville Hotel. Directly behind the house and a bit over to the east was my grandfather's woodworking shop affectionately known as the shanty. Behind that were two big old black barns. The back of the barns faced our backyard and a huge sliding door opened on the side nto a section of the barn which held a lathe and bundles and bundles of wooden dowels. I remember the doors opened at least three or four feet off the ground and I was allowed to sit in an open door in some of the sawdust. Hey, it was cool I was young, like really young, less than a year old. |
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I remember wanting to run around in there, grab some of those dowels and look around but I was too small. My grandfather would use these dowels to build nativity créches. He would saw dowels in half and use them on the roof. I don't have one of the creches made by Edward R. Byrnes but I do have one made by my dad, Edward J. Byrnes (the créche he built is pictured above). A bit more about that barn. My dad said they had horses, cows, and chickens over the years. He said he would find eggs. I will have to ask if he milked cows. There was another large barn across the alley which had been torn down before my time. The picture right is of a watch holder Edward R. Byrnes built for his father Thomas J. Byrne(s). As you can see, he made it look like a grandfather clock. It is quite nice work with details including a split pediment, brass chain, brass pendulum bob, and brass weights. Edward R. Byrnes also built whirly-gigs, advent wreaths, candlesticks, toyboxes, and wagons for his grandchildren. I was told he would split the bolts and bend them toward the nuts used to make toys for me so I could not take the toys apart. My family had a large toy box, 4 feet by 2 feet by 2 feet high which lasted till I was married and I made use of it for my boys. |
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