Thursday, November 12, 2015

Throwback Thursday - The Great Northeastern Blackout

Tuesday November 9, 1965. 5:15 PM EST the lights went out all over New England, New York and parts of Eastern Canada caused by a power station failure in Canada.

I was 10 years old and was playing over at a neighbor friend's house when the world was plunged into darkness. Mrs. N. lit some candles.

Ma worked, but got a ride home from Boston from her friend who lived down the street from us. She probably wasn't home very long when the lights went out. She must have known I was playing over Ls house because shortly after the lights went out, with flashlight in hand, she came to get me. It was spooky walking though Himself's backyard to get to our house. I wasn't afraid of the dark, and Ma held my hand.

I remember her telling me she had just finished frying chicken for supper. She was relieved because at least we would have something hot for dinner.

I don't remember much else. A vague recollection of reading by candlelight. We had a fireplace so Ma probably got a fire going so we would be warm. Don't know whether Dad was on the road trying to get home or where The Brother was in all this.

Do you remember where you were when the lights went out?

4 comments:

  1. I didn't go through that storm but this week always reminds me of the sinking in Lake Superior of the Edmund Fitzgerald 11/10/1975 and the song that Gordon Lightfoot wrote about it. Gotta watch out for those November storms.

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    1. The 1965 blackout wasn't caused by a storm. Just some sort of failure at the power station that cascaded down the Eastern seaboard.

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  2. I do remember! I was in the Midwest, so I wasn't directly affected, but it sure made headlines.

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  3. I've always felt left out! We were living in Maryland at the time and it didn't reach that far south. All my old friends in NY got to have all the fun! ;)

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