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FROM THE BRYANT ROOM ARCHIVES
By Myrna Sloam,©May/June 2001
One of the unique features of the Bryant Library Local History Collection is the significant number of reminiscences written by residents and former residents, describing their lives in Roslyn. In 1994 former resident E. Arrell Pearsall, age 86, visited the library to examine our materials on the history of the African-American community in Roslyn, particularly the history of the school for colored children. Having attended this school, Mr. Pearsall was curious to see what information we had in our files and he was willing to share with me his experiences of growing up in Roslyn. Returning home to New Mexico, he soon began to write down some of his stories. Throughout the passing years, Mr. Pearsall has continued to write and continued to share his life story by sending copies to the Local History Collection. His autobiography has now grown to 100 pages. With Mr. Pearsall's permission, I would like to share this brief excerpt with the Roslyn community:
This is My Life
by E. Arrell Pearsall,©1994.
I am E. Arrell Pearsall, born September 15, 1908 in Roslyn Village Long Island, on Landing Road, to Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Pearsall, the last of eight children. My father was born in Roslyn January 1, 1865, grew up in Port Washington and moved back to Roslyn when he married. He worked for Conklin, Tubby and Conklin Lumber Yard for 42 years as fireman and engineer. He had to get on the job early to start the fire to get up enough steam to run the machines, oil them and check the belts and other parts. After they converted to electricity, he began filing saws, repairing and sharpening lawn mowers and many skates during the winter. The winters were long and cold then, and Silver Lake, which was twice as large as it is now, would freeze to a thickness of a foot to 18 inches. I was about seven or eight when my feet got frostbite just walking about 1/4 mile to school.
On East Broadway the Dessons had a butcher store and an ice house on the shore of Silver Lake. They used to take a horse out on the lake to cut ice, store the ice in the ice house, and then use it in the store to keep the meat cold. They would cut the ice in the morning, and that afternoon you could skate over the area, the ice would be so thick. We would start skating around Thanksgiving time and the lake would be filled with people from the surrounding towns.
About 1930 the [Lumber] Mill burnt down, putting eight or nine men out of work, including my father.... He decided to go into business for himself, sharpening tools, skates, repairing lawnmowers and filing saws. We moved into our own home in 1921which was on Power House Road near Willis Avenue, Roslyn Heights.... My father's shop was in the backyard. He did this until his death in February 1952 at the age of 87, after celebrating his 65th wedding anniversary in January.
..…My mother [Marcellena Hicks Pearsall] was born in Brooklyn and moved to Roslyn when she was ten. She did day work for about four families including Mrs. Moger, the mother of Roy Moger who wrote the book, Roslyn Then & Now. When we lived in the Village our yard was back to back with Bryant Hall on Bryant Avenue. Different organizations had dances at the Hall and my mother and father took care of the cloakroom.... There was a lot next to the Bryant Hall and Mr. Rinas put up a large tent for movies while his theater was being built. We had a barn in our backyard and we used to climb up on the roof and watch people go in. When they opened the flap, we could get a glimpse of the movies. When the theater opened, the colored people had to sit in the balcony. When I grew older and could drive, I would go out of town to the movies.
Roslyn was a very prejudiced town. I think it was the last place in the State
to desegregate the schools. The school for colored children was one small room
and one teacher, to teach from 1st through 8th grade. It was located across
from the Clocktower where the [former] Rinas home is [14 Tower Pl.]. My father,
Reverend Pierce and a third person went before the School Board to ask for desegregation.
This happened in 1917. I had six sisters and one brother who went through this
school into High School. Three of them graduated and my brother had six months
to finish, when he left. I went to the colored school through the third grade,
then into regular school, through second year High School.... In the summer
of 1926, I got a job with Lincoln Motors of Roslyn and decided not to go back
to school.
Note: Anyone interested in reading more of Mr. Pearsall's autobiography or contributing their own life story, please contact me (Myrna Sloam) in the Bryant Room, home of the library's Local History Collection.
Permission to reproduce, publish or display whole text articles must be obtained from the Bryant Library Archivist.
Email: localhistory@bryantlibrary.org