In the early sixties I was one of the two
lifeguards at The Wilson Ave Bathhouse. The other was a character
that had worked all the Newark pools for years. he was known as
"Charlie the lifeguard'. The bath house was located on Alyea
St between Wilson Ave and Patterson St.
There were two bathhouses in Newark. The other was on Morris Ave,
which runs from Springfield Ave to So. Orange Ave, in the vicinity
of Prince and Hunterton Streets. I worked there for a while also.
They were called bathhouses because they were built around the
turn of the century when many people did not have baths or showers
in their homes. So the bathhouses were built and the fees were very
small so people could bathe and take a swim, if they wanted. Even
when I worked there in the sixties it only cost a dime, and you
got a small cake of soap and a clean towel. There is an office building
on the site now, but I notice they utilized the same marble that
had been the steps to the bath house.
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