A Story Of "atco" Speedway
For Trailhead and All,
Best to go to the horses mouth when you still can. I took the time yesterday to go see Angie Coia about the speedway. I will wander a little to hit a couple fun notes. I know I go on at times. Aside from being Friends with my one Aunt, Coias live next door in Hammonton to another aunt and uncle of mine. ( I come from two large families and am sick with aunts & uncles ) Ironically they(Coias) live a short throw from Amotol. While as soon as I was of age I have always wanted to plant my roots in the Waterford/Pestletown area I am originally from Hammonton/Elm. Here's a fact by the way you can take to your grave. If you are from Hammonton you are related by blood or marriage to EVERYONE else in Hammonton as far as the old families go. This is why I never dated in Hammonton for fear I would already be related to the girl! As it would be, My father's sister is married to Angie's cousin, their neighbors.
Country Farm Market owned by Coia is one of fond memory I will share. I hope many of you had little joints like this around. It wasn't the farm market proper that was any big deal. pretty plain actually. My Dad in fact used to sell them some produce he grew, hot peppers and such. It was the Custard stand. And for a short time the mini golf course ( cheesy as all get out but fun just the same ). From the stops with mom and dad in youth to that first BIG time I was able to ride on my bike there and then on to drives, dates and eventually to bring my own kids there, what memories. Getting your Twist or scoop with all the trimmins! They closed the custard stand part before Jason was born so Angie never saw my little one and of course before we went on to the track the usual "how's the family" and picture swapping and tail telling had to take place. She is a very sweet woman.
Sorry 'bout that. Now. The track.
I kept my Pic in the car at first so as not to take up the conversation too far along too soon. Ed Coia actually knows less of course because the Track was Angie's father's property. Her Maiden name was DiNatale, well known in the region. So, her dad.. Jimmy "The Brute" Dinatale is who the story is built around. Now, depending on who you know and who you hear it from regarding his family, the tales of Jimmy The Brute, as everyone called him may have been a little I don't know how to say it, rough maybe. But his daughter's version is pleasant and colorful. From Trenton originally, he ran away from home at age 11 ( No need to tell reasons for this story ) to head West and he did so on the rails, in the company of Hobo's and such. Learning to fend,care,cook, and support himself on the rails themselves! He did make his way back to Jersey and settled on Pine road in Hammonton near an Aunt & Uncle. He had a produce company and had a route and had a big old truck called the Brute. The story is simple. One day while changing the motor obviously laborious and heavy he had asked for help from a number of people and got none. He wrangled this heavy old thing together his self and to him and the truck from then on was coined the name "The Brute".
Jimmy also in the course of his life had 9 Bars/tap rooms & such. Knew how to make them go but in the end Angie tells me he died not very well off because of generosities to others. ( sounds nice on paper anyway ). based on her age and when she was born and her respective accounts to me, I can give you the facts within one year safely of the following ( I of course will not be rude enough to repeat lady's age ) Jimmy purchased the property in 1949 or 1950 and originally had it as a Horse racetrack. The property had a fine house on it that was converted to the Bar/Hotel. ( while being a sweet grandmother and proper type, she had no problem telling me that the "hotel" was a little more of a, well I'll not use her word. We will say meeting place for men and ladies O' the 'eve.) She began to describe the property to me when I stopped her. Went to my car and brought back the Panoramic. It is actually a 3 sectional job done on the bend in front of the entrance and even though the years have revealed the seams, the work especially for that time rivals today's best. The seems that overlap do not give away at all the blend of the house, it's grounds, even tree details. The pic is 7 x 28 in a 12 x 30 fragile wooden & glass frame sort of Sepia toned. I do not even dare wipe the dust from the frame of backing. So I say, " does this look a little familiar?".
Well, the tears she barely kept back but the light in her eyes was invaluable as she looked at her youth there before her. You see, even though she was Friend and even relative to my Uncle she not only did not know he had this pic but never knew nor believed anyone in her family would know that this ever existed! This particular uncle you see was a collector of things, not because of their value but due to what they may be used for and might mean to someone else one day. Here his efforts paid of from beyond the grave. The bar you see was named "The Evergreen" literally shown painted on the horse paddocks building. My pic is PRE-SPEEDWAY. She told me many anecdotes but I'll give some really good ones. She showed me the porch where they had a doorbell and a little pony trained to step up on a washtub and ring the bell at someone's arrival ( and later he used this knowledge to summon up someone for food or drink ). During the Horse track period they also trained Boxers and Wrestlers in the paddock buildings. They would hang heavy bags and other training gear. On weekends, she showed me the area of the courtyard where fancy chairs and umbrellas would be set and a boxing/wrestling ring was put for people to come from all around to spectate and have a family day. She recanted as a little girl the memory of a Black man of immense size with Diamond rings on every finger that came down from New York to play piano at the bar. She used to be allowed to sit with him and play at the piano! Around 1955 the horse track was finished and Jimmy The Brute shifted the track back a little toward Hendricks Ave, elongated it and began to run a car track. Suffice to say it thrived till it's end. So it was the Atco Speedway and the Bar was the Evergreen Tavern. Side note, my Dad can not remember ever seeing a race but did go to the Bar near it's end as a youth. Eddie has an arial pic at the Country Farm Market of the track the day of the memorial gathering. I intend to get a copy of that. He told me of so many old track participants that came back to relive the track and of so many artifacts of their time there. Sounds awesome. Sadly enough, the day they held it, Angie was not able to attend. Angie did not even hint at wanting the pic and demanded I keep it in thanks that I had even shared it with her. She wants to pay me for professional reproductions for her children. I would not take money but my real trouble is I do not want to "F" with this thing. Any of you photog experts here got any ideas who could be trusted with this task? This thing is "FRAGILE" I also want to share it with the site.
Talk about a "GUY" type before and after. There is nothing at all today that would give you the image that the place in this pic ever existed.
So Trailhead, There's the story of one of your tracks and You and I have passed it on many occasion never being aware of it's colorful past and stories. This account is not from someone who knew someone but from a little girl who lived it herself. A thread that reaches out and gets me to embark on a mission as many here have is thrilling enough, but we reached out and touched someone else this time. Thanks once again to Ben and NJPB. Sorry guys, I did it again. Hope it weren't too long.
Just another little piece of the puzzle even if on the frayed edges of the Pinebarrens. Good day all.
G.
