The 47 Dodge

While my grandfather started with nothing but a wheelbarrow and some tools back in the early 1930’s, it wasn’t until 1947 that he purchased his first and only truck. The 1947 Dodge Dump truck was bought at Clausen’s garage (Now Hynds auto body) in Chestnut Hill. This World War 2 era truck spent the next 45 years on the streets of Newton and Brookline.

This truck worked everyday, including the snow! The plow would be raised by a pump jack that sat on the floor of the cab and if you wanted to angle the blade, you got out and moved it by hand! No power steering, no four wheel drive. As a teeneager, I was reminded of this every time I complained about something not working fast enough on my fancy electric hydraulic power angle plow truck.

As the truck aged, my father kept it up by painting the body with a can of rustoleum paint and a brush. It always looked good and was as reliable as he was. The truck was part of the family and a big part of our lives growing up. We knew the sound of the brakes when my father arrived home from work. My sisters and I could imitate the funny honk of the horn, or the unique sound it made while backing up into the garage.

Originally the truck door had the words “Gardener” and “Newton Centre” but over the years it became easier to just keep up the name and phone number with a paint brush. The “DEC” was for 332, one of the original Newton phone exchanges. The “atur” was just used as a handy way to remember the number. This was before the use of area codes, so you would just dial 332-0947.

My father (Domenic) kept his father’s name on the door throughout his time with the truck, so many people would call him Peter.

Poppy and Granddaughter Grace visiting the truck in storage

The 47 Dodge was retired in 1992 when it became difficult to maintain. Family members offered to store it, but eventually it rusted away and was salvaged.

Last pictures of the truck.

The truck was very special and to this day, people ask me about the old truck and remember it well. I am always heartbroken to tell them that it’s long gone. Throughout my life I could spot a 47 Dodge from a mile away if I ever saw one. I became a collector of anything that had an old Dodge truck in the picture.

A few years ago I came across some pictures online of a truck in South Dakota that looked exactly like the old 47 Dodge. Turns out, it was the same year, make, model and even color.

When the owner said it was for sale, I could not pass it up. I brought it home and had the goal of restoring it to resemble the family truck. Hoping that someday it could once again appear on the roads of Chestnut Hill.

My daughter Anna on the day the new truck arrived in MA.