Washington Street
(at the Boatyard)
1940s to 1950s
Mike Todd built boats down at the boatyard on Washington Street Extension. His business was housed in a cement-block structure that he began to build by digging out the creek mud and filling in with sand to lay the foundation. Todd impressed his fellow townspeople, among other ways, by driving around in a yellow Cadillac convertible, later used in the highly successful film The Solid Gold Cadillac.
Robert
McGrath tells this story: “Tony Dias, Mike Todd, and I were driving around
in Mike Todd’s yellow Cadillac, looking for something to do. Tony’s
father had a new billy goat in the yard, so we
went by and picked it up, put it in the back of the car, and drove to town.
The goat was getting restless, so as we drove by the Baptist Church on Summer
Street we decided to take it in and tie its hind legs to the rope that rang
the church bell. The bell rang like crazy, and the neighbors finally called
the police. Chief John Gibbs showed up and found us hiding, and gave us a
mouthful. The billy goat meanwhile had gotten free and made its way down Surfside
to find its home.”
