Monday, August 18, 2008

1868: LOCALTRENTON AREA NEWS AND OTHER EPHEMERA

THE NEWSPAPERS OF THIS ERA WERE PRINTED ON "RAG" CONTENT PAPER AND SHOW HARDLY ANY FADING OR "FOXING." (FOXING IS THE NATURAL TENDENCY OF PAPER TO TURN TAN THOUGH OXIDATION AND OTHER NATURAL CAUSES. THE PAPER FROM WHENCE THIS LOCAL NEWS PAGE WAS EXTRACTED IS ONE OF COUNTLESS LATE 1860'S AND COMPLETE 1870'S RAG CONTENT PAPERS IN THE HAMILTON LIBRARY'S LOCAL HISTORY COLLECTION.


1944: WAAC RECRUITING IN TRENTON


BACK IN THE EARLY PART OF THE WAR, AMERICAN WOMEN WERE CALLED UPON TO JOIN THE "WAAC," THEN KNOWN AS THE WOMENS' AUXILIARY ARMY CORPS. THE NAME WAS CHANGED TO "WAC," AND BECAME KNOWN AS THE WOMENS' ARMY CORPS. LITTLE ATTENTION IS GIVEN TO THE THOUSANDS OF WOMEN WHO SERVED VALIANTLY DURING WORLD WAR II.


I ALWAYS LOVE IT WHEN ONE OF THE PICTURES OR ARTICLES INCLUDES A VISITOR OR A VISITOR'S FRIEND. THIS MORNING I RECEIVED THIS EMAIL FROM MARCIA SHERMAN DAVIS WHO IS PICTURED IN THE TOP PHOTO. I HAVE RE-DONE THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT. THANKS SO MUCH FOR WRITING, MARCIA!


MARCIA WRITES:

Hi again Tom, Very surprised when I opened your site this morning. I remember very well the WAC recruiting event. That's me in the middle of the front row in the WAC uniform. My grandmother was a seamstress and made the uniform to exact detail and the WACs gave me the hat, bars and insignia. My family had a restaurant right across the Hamilton from a Fort Dix motor pool and all the soldiers used to come in to eat. They kinda adopted me as their mascot. I remember sitting in the lead jeep with the Commander in a victory parade up Broad St right around the same time, wearing my uniform. I think the girl to my right in yuor picture is Eileen Kelty, then of McKinley Ave, who was a good friend. Going into your site always brings back good memories of Trenton. What is amazing to me is that 45 yrs later, while having worked for the Dept of Defense for many years all over the world, DOD transferred me to Fort Dix from Europe because my mom became critically ill and I had to care for her. Somehow felt that WAC experience was a forecast of my later career.

1944: TRENTON HIGH SCHOOL MUSICALE

I THOUGHT I WOULD LEAVE THE TWO "COMMERICALS" IN THE GRAPHIC. THEY GIVE A CERTAIN NOSTALGIC AMBIANCE AND ALSO ALLOWS FOR A NICE, EVENLY SPACED GRAPHIC.

1944: TRENTON PAROCHIAL PTA OFFICERS

Here are the "movers and shakers" from the era of the 1940's who served as officers in the various Roman Catholic grammar and high schools.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

1914: S.P.DUNHAM: A SUPPLIER TO HAMILTON SCHOOLS

S.P. DUNHAM WAS A REGULAR SUPPLIER TO THE HAMILTON BOARD OF EDUCATION IN THE EARLY PART OF THE 20TH CENTURY, AS WAS CLAYTON TRAVER OF TRAVER'S BOOK STORE. HERE'S AN INVOICE FOR AN AMERICAN FLAG.


1915: SCHOOL WROUGHT IRON FENCES

KUSER SCHOOL HAD ONE OF THESE BLACK BEAUTIES ON THE FRONT LAWN WHEN I WAS A STUDENT THERE IN THE 40'S. APPARENTLY THEY WERE STANDARD WITH THE TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS.

1944: Fire Hazards Addressed by Hamilton Town Fathers

I still miss the smell of burning leaves on a crisp, cool day in autumn!



1944: REMEMBER THOSE HIGH SCHOOL CANTEENS?

I don't know for sure, but I have been told that the Saturday night canteens we all loved and enjoyed are no longer listed on the high school local calendar. I was told that it was necessary to have police in attendance due to the fights, drugs and alcohol in certain areas. If that's true, it is really sad.

1944: WWII LOCAL BROAD ST. PARK AND KUSER MEN INDUCTED

Here's a list of those men who were inducted into military service. There are many familiar names on the list.

1914: Edgebrook School - on Today's Route 130 and Klockner Road

Those who travel to the Hamilton Market Place have passed the corner on which the old Edgebrook School once stood. It was most recently that red brick building housing a VFW post. Here's an interesting graphic I created which is an ad placed by the township requesting quotes on the construction of a two room school.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

GEORGE GOLDY: PHOTO REVERSED?

ABOVE IS A REVERSE PHOTO OF AN EARLIER POST WHICH IS QUITE CONFUSING. I HAD A TOUGH TIME GETTING ORIENTED. I RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING EMAIL FROM YARDVILLE OLD TIMER GEORGE GOLDY. HE SUGGESTED THAT MAYBE THE PHOTO WAS ACCIDENTALLY REVERSED AT THE TIME OF PLACING IT IN THE PAPER.
-------------------------------------------------
GEORGE GOLDY WRITES:
Tom:
As a former Lakesider and after looking at the picture is it possible that the negative was reversed? If you flip it over the mill would be on your left, the store at the lake would be in the correct place and the bridge to Yardville would be in the correct place.George GoldyHere is a reversed copy of the photo. I have made a few notes. Any other comments welcome.And George, many thanks for the e-mail and the suggestion. Let me know if you can now decode the mystery.

THANKS FOR THE SUGGESTION, GEORGE.
LET'S SEE IF THIS MAKES THINGS CLEARER.

2008 UPDATING THE OFFICIAL HHS WEBSITE

Dear Class of 1951 (and other Hamilton High West Classes:)

Please use this link to update your email address with the Hamilton West website. We are updating our site and will be removing the old information soon. (Please pass the word to anyone else in your class.) --
http://209.18.101.124/hamilton/Schools/Hamilton%20High
%20School/Alumni/SUBMIT%20YOUR%20EMAIL%20TO%20
THE%20ALUMNI%20EMAIL%20DIRECTORY


Thanks,
WestWeb


Christa Varacalli
Chairperson
Business & Info. Technology Department
Hamilton High School West
2720 S. Clinton Avenue, Hamilton, NJ 08610
609-631-4168 voicemail 5945

1911: The Broad Street Theater

Not to be confused with the RKO Broad Theater which was also on South Broad Street, the original Broad Street Theater is illustrated above in a graphic I created especially remembering the late, lamented RKO Palace Theater which replaced the Broad Street Theater. I remember there was a little novelty shop across the street from the Palace when I was a boy. It was filled with all types of inexpensive novelties: magic tricks, cap guns, fake ink blots, fake broken glass, and other "junk store" stuff that we kids loved. The Palace? I was only there once, way back in the late 40's.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

1916: Insurance Value of Hamilton Township Schools

Here's another fascinating document listing the insurance value of all the schools in Hamilton Township in the year 1916.
In this year of 2008, the figures are astounding!

1912: The Interior of St. James P.E. Church, East State Street

This incredibly interesting photo of the interior of the original St. James P.E. Church on East State Street has been reposing in my "St. James P.E. Church" folder for a number of years. It was from a glass slide, taken around during the Christmas season circa 1910-1912. Note the wood/coal burning stove.

1896: The New St. James P.E. Church Dedicated

I have been posting interesting historical graphics from St. James P.E. Church. The one hundred plus year old church started with a small group of Wilbur residents back in the 1890's, where they held their services in a place called the "Wigwam" on East State Street near North Olden Asvenue. The nearby area known as Millham (today's East Trenton) and Wilbur had many English immigrants who came to America to work the many potteries in the neighbhorhood. The little congregation grew rapidly and it soon became apparent that a more spacious facility was needed. The article above recalls the construction of their first real church building, built on a plot of land on East State Street, near the intersection of Garfield Avenue. The building is still there occupied by the Rehoboth Church.

The Glover family were followers of the Protestant Episcopal persuasion. My mother and father were married in Christ P.E. Church on Whittaker and Hamilton Avenue in 1923. Before I converted to the Roman Catholic faith, I attended St. James and a number of other P.E. churches. My very early years were spent at St. Paul's P.E. on Centre Street. I was confirmed at St. Michael's on No. Warren Street. With St. James Church being located closer to our Hartley Avenue home, I became a parishioner back in the 1940's, when Rev. Gerald Minchin was the Pastor.

1937: Lalor School Project

"Projects" were a very important and popular part of the educational process when I was in grammar school. If our Geography subject was Holland as in the photo from Lalor school, we would all get together and decide what our project would be. How I remember that "sandbox" on the right in the photo! For me personally, it fired my imagination. I recall a sandbox project we had back in the 5th grade while we were studying knights, castles, serfs and vassals. We built a medieval castle complete with a moat. There are a number of classroom project photos from Kuser School in earlier posts.

John Stinger - Roots in Trenton and Trenton's Famous "Post 93"

THANKS TO JOHN STINGER FOR HIS REMINISCENCES OF HIS EARLY YEARS IN TRENTON. JOHN SENT ME THE FOLLOWING EMAIL ALONG WITH A LINK TO HIS ART WEBSITE. THANKS, JOHN.
=================================
Hi Tom:
We have never met but I really enjoyed your web site and all that fun history about my hometown! My mother and father were born in Trenton too. Dad was a city fireman and so was my uncle, Captain Art Stinger, Engine 10.I grew up with lots of great police and firemen who use to catch me in between the baseball season. (I had the good fortune to pitch and play baseball for the American Legion team the Trenton Schroths Post 93 way back in the 50’s under Coach Kelly Polumbo.) I am 71 now, live in Stewartsville NJ and retired from corporate life but work every day as a landscape painter exhibiting and selling my paintings. Please visit my web site http://www.stingerfineart.com if you are interested. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to re-visit Trenton’s good old days while I’m taking a break from my painting!

Best regards, John
Ps -please add me to your email list!

1933: Attendance at Hamilton Schools

(SORRY FOR THE SMALL TYPE IN THE GRAPHIC; THE ORIGINAL WAS
SET UP IN WHAT APPEARS TO BE 6 POINT TYPE.
Herewith a listing of the students who attended Hamilton Schools back during the Great Depression. My two Williamson cousins are listed in the Kuser School listing, as are many other familiar neighborhood names. Neighborhood schools were, and are the best!

1922: TRENTON'S "STATE THEATER"

It wasn't nearly as sumptuous as the Mayfair, Lincoln, Capitol, or Trent, but I attended many
"second run" (as opposed to "first run") movies at the State and the Stacy. It's strange, but many old time Trentonians approach me whenever I write about the theaters which were scattered around Trenton in the 30's and 40's, and recall their attendance at a theater I may have neglected to mention. Does anyone know anything about the "Majestic" theater? I just uncovered an old faded newspaper photo of the place, and without checking my Trenton City Directories, I wondered where it was located.

ST. JOACHIM'S TRENTON PARISH PRIESTS


Lawrence Historian Bob Immordino and I have been working on a very comprehensive multimedia presentation on the history of Chambersburg from the early rural years when it was orchards and cornfields, up to the many years when the American-Italian community made the neighborhood locally famous. This is one of the graphics which are included in the presentation.

1915: TRENTON'S LEGENDARY TAYLOR OPERA HOUSE

That grand old edifice was long gone before I came along, but in its heyday it was the venue for performers from all over the country. It hosted everything from old vaudeville programs to dramatice stage plays.

1910 Circa 1910 Photo St. James P.E. Church

This is an interior photo of the original St. James P.E. church which was located on E. State Street near Garfield Avenue. The building is still there. See the following post for additional information on the history of the church. Note the wood/coal burning stove in the front of the church.

1907: St. James P.E. Church, E. State Street

Back in the 1890's, the St. James Wilbur area Protestant Episcopal mission was organized, meeting in a building known as "the Wigwam" on E. State Street in Wilbur. As the congregation grew, a larger building was constructed and served the parishioners until 1913 when the So. Logan and Greenwood Avenue church was built. This building still exists on E. State Street, diagonally opposite Garfield Avenue. It is currently the home of the Rehoboth Church.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

1897: TRENTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

This is a fascinating glimpse at the Trenton public school system as it was in the 19th century. A map of the South Trenton area is on by website. I remember wondering what the school was which was adjacent to the First Baptist Church on Centre Street. The article helps to clear up the matter.

Monday, August 11, 2008

1914: LAKESIDE PARK: A BUNGALOW COMMUNITY

Many Trentonians found Lakeside Park to be the ideal summer getaway back in the early 20th century. These "bungalows" could be had for a price which today seems incredible. I wonder if there are any Lakeside Park visitors to my website who can identify this house.
THIS EMAIL RECEIVED FROM "LAKESIDE GIRL."
Hi Tom - I believe this house is the former home of the Vogt family on the corner of Lakeside Blvd and Dancer Drive (formerly 6th Ave)Lakeside Girl.
THANK YOU, "LAKESIDE GIRL;" YOUR INPUT IS APPRECIATED.

1922: "LAKESIDE" IN 1922

Amateur photographer Warren Donaldson took this photo of Gropp's Lake as it looked in 1922. With the very limited number of photos in my collection, I have to admit that I have a really rough time identifying the building in the background. That mysterious building in the upper right is a real puzzle. I do have a very old and very faded photo of the building once on the site when it was Lowrie's Mills, but I can't seem to tie it in with the building above. Perhaps local residtents of the area such as Gary Lippincott or Harold Yaede can enlighten us.
==================================

Sunday, August 10, 2008

1914: EWING TOWNSHIP'S LANNING SCHOOL

HERE'S AN ARTICLE ON THE LATE, LAMENTED LANNING SCHOOL. A NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL THAT DIDN'T SURVIVE THE WRECKING BALL. LANNING SERVED COUNTLESS OLD TIME NATIVES OF THE EWING TOWNSHIP AREA FOR MANY YEARS.

1906: EWING PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: A CRY FOR HELP


LIKE THAT OLD OAK TREE IN THE POEM ABOVE, THE EWING PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH HAS ALSO STOOD SILENTLY AND STATELY THROUGH HUNDREDS OF YEARS. THE RAVAGES OF TIME HAS TAKEN A TOLL ON THAT
MAGNIFICENT CHURCH. IT HAS BEEN STRUCTURALLY COMPROMISED AND THE TOWNSHIP WAS FORCED TO PLACE IT OFF LIMITS TO THE PARISHIONERS. SAY A PRAYER THAT FUNDS CAN BE FOUND TO RESTORE THAT HISTORIC PLACE OF WORSHIP SO THAT IT WILL STAND FOR ANOTHER CENTURY.
WOULDN'T IT BE WONDERFUL IF THE EVER-GENEROUS UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WOULD CHANNEL SOME OF THE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF FOREIGN AID FUNDS BACK TO AMERICAN AREAS WHICH ARE IN REAL FINANCIAL NEED?
HOW ABOUT A FEDERAL DEPARTMENT ESPECIALLY DEDICATED TO FUNDING PROBLEMS SUCH AS EWING PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IS EXPERIENCING? I EVEN HAVE A SLOGAN FOR THE NEW GOVERNMENT AGENCY:
"CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME."
(THERE I GO, DREAMING AGAIN!)

1931: Lawrenceville's Morris Hall

Next week I will be presenting one of my "The Music We Grew Up With" to the residents of Morris Hall, the historic "home for the aged." It, along with St. Michael's Orphanage in Hopewell, were part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton's effort to provide for the less fortunate in the area.

1914: The Deutzville School

If memory serves me, the Deutzville School was built in 1905. Above is an invoice for services perfomed on the school by carpenter Mahron from nearby Jersey Street.

1875: DEUTZVILLE: THE FORGOTTEN COMMUNITY


Tucked away on the border of both Trenton and Hamilton, I have always felt that Deutzville was the forgotten community. During the early years when the Deutz family operated the nationally known gold jewelry factory, it was much more prominent. Except for the very viable and locally popular Easter festivities at St. Jehosophat parish, we hear very little news coming from that section of Hamilton. The map was scanned from an 1875 Evert-Stewart Atlas in my collection, now in the Hamilton Library Local History Collection.

1888: When "The Burg" was out in the country

In the 19th century, much of Chambersburg was considered to be somewhat rural with cornfields, orchards, and a number of smaller farms. With the expanded industrialization of Trenton, housing developments began to spring up and the area began to draw immigrants from Germany and Italy.

1918: TWO WORLD WAR I SERVICEMEN

Each week during the "teens," the Trenton Times dedicated a page to Wilbur on one day, and Chambersburg on another. They have provided a fascinating incite to the activities of those communities. Hamilton's Bromley neighborhood was often included in the Wilbur page.


1888: Chambersburg Law and Order League

No, they weren't vigilantes. Rather they were community-minded citizens. Rather, they were there to make sure that the punishment fit the crime. "Law and Order Leagues" were commonplace in many 19th century communities.

ANY INFORMATION ON LALOR SCHOOL IN THE 50'S?


I RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING EMAIL FROM MARIE MURAWSKI REQUESTING INFORMATION ON HAMILTON'S LALOR SCHOOL. UNFORTUNATELY I DON'T HAVE ANY MATERIAL FROM THE 1950'S. IF THERE IS A VISITOR WHO HAS ANY MATERIAL RELATING TO MARIE'S CLASS OR ANY OTHER MORE RECENT LALOR MEMORABILIA,
IT WOULD MAKE AN INTERESTING ENTRY TO THE WEBSITE.

MARIE WROTE:
Dear Tom,
I read with interest your article on the upcoming Kuser School Centennial celebration. This will be wonderful and hope that all goes well and you and the others enjoy this special event. I was wondering if you would, when you get the chance, research if Lalor School would be having a celebration event in the future. I attended Lalor School 1955 from kindergarten thru grades 1-6. After that I went to Grice Jr. High for 3 years and Hamilton High School West for the last 3 years and graduated in 1968. I attended Hamilton High's 75 year celebration event and if I live to be 80 years old, I hope to attend their Centennial celebration. If plans are in progress for Lalor School to be honored, I would be interested in volunteering for that effort. I hope you enjoy your celebration as much as I did at Hamilton High's 75th. Your columns are wonderful. I look forward to reading them. Thanks for your help. Take care. Stay well and safe. Marie Murawski.

Saturday, August 09, 2008

1914:


1914:


Friday, August 08, 2008

1909: DRAINING HUTCHINSON'S POND


WE'RE DEALING WITH GROPP'S LAKE HERE, FOLKS. MANY VISITORS TO THIS SITE MAY BE SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT THE BEAUTIFUL SPRING-FED LAKE ON SOUTH BROAD STREET IN THE LAKESIDE PARK-YARDVILLE HEIGHTS AREA HAS AN INTERESTING HISTORY. ONCE KNOWN AS LOWRIES' MILLS, KIRBY MILLS, AND HUTCHINSON'S POND, IT WAS A VERY POPULAR SWIMMING AND BEACH AREA BACK IN THE 30'S AND 40'S WHEN WE ALL CALLED IT "LAKESIDE." TODAY IT'S GROPP'S LAKE; NAMED FOR THE PROMINENT GROPP FAMILY FROM THE WHITE HORSE-LAKESIDE PARK-YARDVILLE HEIGHTS AREA.
FOR FURTHER INFO ON THE AREA, ENTER THE KEYWORDS GROPP'S LAKE IN THE "SEARCH BLOG" AREA ON THE TOP LEFT OF THIS SCREEN.