A bit of family history first. We, my father and mother, Jim and Billie Taylor, my older sister Karen and my younger sister Sondra, went to Sewell in July 1946. My first continuous memories are of riding the autocarril on a cold, snowy day, arriving in Sewell in time for the Fourth of July celebrations. Fireworks on a cold winter night are something wonderful!
We moved into our house, #49 in Campamento Americano and I promptly backed into a wall heater and burned the seat of my aquamarine snowsuit. The scorched part was covered with a leather patch, the first of many to come on many more snowsuits.
Our house was long and narrow, two stories high, with the front and back facing on sets of stairs. On the hill side, a retaining wall built of rock formed the side of our yard, another formed a small garden on the lower part of the house. For many years, my bedroom overlooked this small garden. From the front, entry was through a glassed in porch area where my mother grew enough houseplants to resemble a small jungle, a welcome bit of greenery in a very barren environment.
The porch had stairs going down to the basement level, and a doorway leading into the living and dining areas. Between the dining area and the kitchen was a breakfast nook, which we used for most of our family meals. Beyond this was the kitchen, where for years we had a big wood stove that kept us clustered around on cold days. We also had an ice-box, with ice on the bottom shelf to keep food cool. From the kitchen a small utility room led into the back yard, a bare spot with the high rock wall and a gate leading to the other set of stairs.
There were two bedrooms and a bathroom on the upper floor, another bedroom and bath under the porch area, a long room, alternately used as a playroom, a party room, sleeping area, a storage area and then the maid's bedroom and bath under the kitchen area. For years that was home, made comfortable and welcoming in spite of snows and wind and hailstorms.
As a child, my life was bounded by home, school and the club - the El Teniente, which acted as social gathering place, auditorium, recreation center with its big swimming pool, and ballroom, plus restaurant and kitchen. We were allowed to go to the movies, under supervision, and to friend's houses.
There were multiple nationalities represented in Sewell. For those children whose fathers were paid in dollars, there was the American School, a Calvert System taught by Mrs. Jarrett, Mrs. Glover, Mrs. Smith and Miss Jury who taught kindergarten. Multiple grades used the same classroom, as some years there might be only one or two children per grade.
For more photos, personal memories from the Taylor family and others, please read these Memories of Living in Sewell, Chile