HISTORY – how it began
My Dad, Joe Guzzetta, was the youngest of 6 siblings so he became the caretaker of the land at the dairy. When he retired in 1963 from his fence business, he started Guzzetta’s Trailer Court. Some of the Residents are still here at Guiseppi’s Park! When my Dad died in 2012, I took over management of the park and the rest is history.
Way way back…
THE DAIRY LADY
Many years ago, the property where Guiseppi’s Park is located is where the old Guzzetta Dairy used to be and my Grandma Salvina from the old country of Sicily took care of the cows, goats, and chickens. She also had a garden where she grew Japan plum trees, fig trees, banana trees, corn, tomatoes, grapes, and many other vegetation common to Sicilians back in the day.
She’d wake early every day and walk to the dairy from her home on the corner of 3rd Street & Pacific to milk the cows and shuck the corn. When Dad would claim he had to walk 3 miles to milk the cows & shuck corn before school, it was only a few blocks! How he and his brother, Nina, could exaggerate!
THE SHOEMAKER
My Grandpa, Guiseppi Guzzetta, was a shoemaker and he also repaired shoes for the community in his shoe shop in his home. I guess you could say he was the ‘stay at home dad’ while grandma worked outside the home at the Dairy! Boy were they pioneers, and hard workers!