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Saturday, November 28, 2009

1916: DAVID C. MCGALLIARD

Along with the Cubberley, Tindall, Nutt, Chamberlin, McCabe and numerous other prominent families who were a large part of the heritage of Hamilton, I am posting this photo of Mr. David C. McGalliard whose family stands right up with the aforementioned list of Hamilton residents whose roots go way back in time. Apropos of the upcoming Christmas season, it is said that the McGalliards started the very first Christmas tree farm in America, cultivating the trees on their very stone filled acreage. Use the SEARCH BLOG above and enter the key words CHRISTMAS TREE and you will find the story of the McGalliard Christmas tree farm which I posted a number of months ago.

1919: HAMILTON SQUARE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH MEMBERS 1

This is a bit of a chore, but I feel it will be worth it now, and in future years. Above is a listing of the first 3 pages of the church, Albrecht to Ford, Edw. In order to reproduce this in a clear and legible manner, the pages have to be scanned, enhanced, then stitched together into a readable format. Next scan coming soon: Ford to Morgan.

1919: DIRECTORY OF PARISH MEMBERS

1919: Pastor Thomas Parker McKee was the Pastor. Here's the front page and the first inside page which lists those members of the Hamilton Square Presbyterian church during the World War I years. As time permits, I will scan the pages of members.

1988: FROM THE MERCER COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE

Here we have two former Sheriffs from Mercer County, along with an Undersheriff. My fellow alumnus and dear friend from Hamilton High '54, Gil Lugossy, and former Sheriff Sam Plumeri are shown with Gil's lovely wife Lee, as she pins a badge on Sheriff Lugossy,

1944: WALT BRONEK JR: THIS ONE'S FOR YOU

Hamilton's Walt Bronek's Dad is shown in the photo above, as is an old friend from my Kuser Family years, Bill Howe, brother of Edna Howe Kuser of Kuser Farm. Look for more WWII photos of the many heroes from "The Greatest Generation" who made the pages of newspapers from the past.

1989:KEEPING CHRISTMAS

Twenty Christmas seasons ago, these wonderful folks from Hamilton set an example of what Christmas is really about. It is wonderful to see our churches, the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen and many other community organizations bringing Thanksgiving and Christmas cheer to our poor. "When I was hungry, you gave me to eat, when I was thirsty, you gave me to drink, Now enter into the home of My Father."

Thursday, November 26, 2009

1909: HAPPY THANKSGIVING 100 YEARS AGO

Here's an ad from the Daily True American from 100 Thanksgiving Days ago. S.P. Dunham was one of the long time department stores in the Trenton area, and is sorely missed by those of us who were regular customers. Not being able to afford the upscale Trenton men's wear stores, yours truly found that Dunham's had quality men and womens' wear.

1901: THANKSGIVING-HOW IT ALL BEGAN

This 108 year old article recalls the events surrounding the establishment of the last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day; a time to give thanks to God for all he has given us. Many of us still adhere to the true meaning of the day and offer our prayers of thanks.

1873: THANKSGIVING DAY: An Economy in Shambles


"There's nothing new under the sun:" As you read the above Thanksgiving Day article from 136 years ago, the first thing you will realize that the country was in the throes of a very depressed economy, just as it is in this year of 2009. The only difference was we weren't dealing in TRILLIONS of dollars in debt which will ravish the financial future of our children and grandchildren.
The Daily True American was a Democrat oriented newspaper.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

1944: REMEMBERING SKATING ON THE "LOGGY"

That tired old father-son story, "Son, when I was your age, we had to walk to school. There were many mornings when the snow was up to our knees, but we still had school....." You all know the drill. But in retrospect, we did have a lot of cold and snowy winters back in the 1940's. Many of our younger generation have yet to witness an over 6 inch snow fall. The folks in the photo above are enjoying an old fashioned 1940's winter.

1944: TRENTON CATHOLIC THANKSGIVING GAME

The next post shows the photos of this renowned championship football team from Trenton Catholic High School. Once again, many familiar names. There are a number of alumni from the Golden Wave who visit this blog, and I would bet these two posts bring back sweet memories for them.
CATHOLIC WON THE GAME 60 - 6.

WHEN YOU REACH THIS PAGE AND THE ARTICLE APPEARS, CLICK ON IT
AGAIN AND IT SHOULD ENLARGE TO FULL LEGIBILITY.

1944: TRENTON CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL THANKSGIVING CLASSIC

teThese are the stars of the 1944 Trenton Catholic Boys' High School football team as they get ready to meet St. Peters of New Brunswick for the 1944 Thanksgiving classic.

1944: PERSING THE BARBER TELLS OF BARBERING IN THE OLKDEN DAYS

Here's an interesting look at the life of a veteran tonsorial artist, barber Frank Persing, Things were really tough on those who chose that profession in years gone by. When I was a boy, the Barber's union mandated that barbers take off on Wednesdays. Is my recollection correct, or was it another day?

1944: SGT. JACK POLITI


"There's no place like home for the holidays, and no matter how far away you roam. It's so nice to be happy in a million ways, for the holidays you can't beat home sweet home.."

Above is a photo of still another of our heroes from WWII. When this photo was taken before Christmas and after Thanksgiving, I would bet that Sgt. Puliti was doing his chores with memories of his family during the Thanksgiving-Christmas holidays of 1944.
As a soldier in Uncle Sam's regular army who spent 3 years away from the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, I know the very deep emotional longing for home our military men and women experience when the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas come around. Say a prayer of thanks and gratitude to our brave young men and women who are serving our country all over the world in this year of 2009; especially those in harm's way in middle east. I know I will.

THE FOLLOWING RECEIVED FROM JIM POLITI, JACK'S BROTHER: (AUGUST 4, 2010)
Tom: thanks for your work, always admire your wonderful energy, and active life.

Posted a comment under anonymous regarding my Brothers photo, cleaning the barrel of his machine gun in Italy WWll in 1944 . I was out of high school in 43, and in gunnery school at the time of the photo. I'm a bit confused in signing in for a comment to any article, so I signed as anonymous. Regards and keep it going. I do have the clipping from the Trenton Times paper, of this picture

1964: A GLOVER FAMILY THANKSGIVING

These are the Glovers; except for those of us who were out of the picture. Each Thanksgiving we would take 3 large tables end on end from the living room to the dining room and the sizable Glover family would take our places, say the prayer of thanksgiving and enjoy a wonderful holiday banquet. The little toddler in the top of the photo is my daughter Julie. In the back on the far right is my father, and over on the right, standing, is mom Glover. It's memories like these that keep me on this journey of remembering our past.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

1939: HAMILTON POLICE HARRISON AVENUE STATION

Unfortunately, many visitors who sign my guest book leave a question but they do not give their email address. As a result the email comes to me as "anonymous no reply." I received an email responding to a post I entered months describing the groundbreaking ceremonies surrounding the building of the "new" Hamilton Police station on White Horse-Mercerville Road. The visitor asked where the original was. I am posting the answer with this post.

GROVEVILLE: BORDEN'S MINCE MEAT

Just in time for Thanksgiving:

I hand colored this graphic from Elma R. Borden's book, "FROM LOCUST GROVE -1695 to GROVEVILLE 1980. Ms. Borden was the unofficial historian of Groveville.
It now reposes in the digital database of the Hamilton Library Local History Collection.

2009: HAMILTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY ANNUAL WASSAIL PARTY



The public is cordially invited to the free annual Hamilton Township Historical Society's "Wassail Party" at the John Abbott II house on Kuser Road at the entrance to Veterans' Park, Sunday, December 13th from 2 to 4 PM. Refreshments will be served and the public is welcome. Once again this year I will be leading those who like to sing in a program of old fashioned Christmas Carols. Come on out and enjoy an old fashioned Christmas!
I hope to see many of
my friends there.

Monday, November 23, 2009

1931: ROSALIE FRENKING, CATHEDRAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

In keeping with "Local History With A Personal Touch," one of the features of this blog, herewith a photo from the "CATHEDRAL HIGH SCHOOL" folde in the Hamilton Library Local History database. I will be hearing from loyal visitor Ms. Candy Jens to let me know if this lady is part of the locally famous Frenking's Florist from years past.

1931: SOUTH TRENTON, HORSE RADISH, AND TOBACCO

I have always had an interest in the South Trenton area, along the Delaware, and the years when Lamberton and Bloomsbury were thriving communities. Mr. McIntire was one of the members of that community, and his story of Cochran's Island, horse radish and tobacco culture are completely fascinating.

1931: AN OLD FASHIONED THANKSGIVING IN TRENTON

IN THE MIDST OF "THE GREAT DEPRESSION:
A Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixen's for $1.00,1.50, 1.75, and at the Hotel Hildebrecht, a "FULL COURSE THANKSGIVING DINNER FOR $2.00 with a live orchestra and dancing at 6:00 P.M. Bring back the good old days!


Apologies to those visitors who are using a "CRT: (cathode ray tube) monitor. The page is too large to allow for a smaller scan. Even with a high definition LCD monitor, it is a challenge to read the small print.

1900: REV. HOWELL'S ANTI NJ STATE FAIR MORALITY

Back in the 20th century at the Hamilton Square Presbyterian Church, The Rev. Joseph Howell was the local watchdog for public places which he felt violated community decency standards. There are many articles in the press of the past where he fought against the location of saloons, gambling places and as seen above the New Jersey Interstate Fair. One wonders what Rev. Howell would think if he were to witnesses the culture war that has been raging in these"enlightened years" in which we now live. Where are you when we need you, Reverend?

Sunday, November 22, 2009

1912: MY ONGOING SEARCH FOR CAMP OLDEN

I have been searching for definitive information on the actual boundary of Hamilton's Camp Olden for many years,. Bit by bit pieces of the puzzle come together only to complicate the mystery. From Henry Lawton's suggestion that a monument be placed at the Johnston-Hamilton-Liberty intersection, to the establishment of Colonial Gardens, the plot thickens. The above article referst to 100 acres at Liberty and New Street (today's Newkirk Avenue.) It is interesting to note that the names of the developers are memorialized today with street names of Watson , Miller, Ellwood, and I would bet the a future discovery would list Beal Street. If Colonial Gardens was 100 acres, and if the aforementioned streets were included in the 100 acres. is it possible that the Camp extended from the Pond Run area over to Sylvan Avenue" South Olden Avenue? My search has been a fascinating project for a very elusive subject, and I certainly intend to persevere.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

1900: THE NEW BUILDING AT ELLIS ISLAND

My father, and countless other mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, and friends went through this building as they embarked on a new life in the land of the free and the home of the brave. My father, his brother and their two sisters passed through after debarking from the "Baltic" where they crossed in steerage. Steerage? That's the bottom of the ship, where many who couldn't afford first class passage were placed.

1900: A TRENTON THANKSGIVING 109 YEARS AGO

Thanks to Hamilton Library Director George Conwell and his dedication to local history, I have a "tabloid" scanner with has a scanning bed large enough to scan a full Trentonian page, but just a tiny bit short of a large format Trenton Times page. I felt that the above page from the DAILY TRUE AMERICAN of November 30th 1900 gives a pretty good idea of the holiday as it was celebrated
the previous day.
THIS PAGE IS BEING PUBLISHED WITH THE ASSUMPTION THAT MOST VISITORS HAVE UPGRADED THEIR MONITOR TO AN LCD WHICH WILL RENDER THE ENLARGED COPY CLEAR, EVEN THOUGH VERY SMALL. IF YOU HAVE ONE OF THE OLDER "TUBE TYPE" MONITORS, YOU MAY HAVE DIFFICULTY READING THE SMALL TEXT. MAKE SURE YOU CLICK ON THE IMAGE ONCE, THEN AGAIN.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

1925: THREE HAMILTON COMMITTEEMEN FACE GRAND JURY

Wow! What fascinating, interesting, and heretofore unknown snips of history I find as I page through the millions of pages in my newspaper collection! Who would have thought that 3 Hamilton Committeemen would be charged with neglecting a site in Broad Street Park where there was apparently a dumping area. Read on.

1925: COHEN AND DRIVER: SCHOOL MARBLE CHAMPS

From the "Wilbur" folder this article on Cook School, and in keeping with my custom of posting familiar local family names, herewith the surnames Driver and Cohen. Somewhere down the road, a genealogist will be searching for one of the names and voila! There's my grandmother or depending on how far into the future this web blog survives, my great grandmother.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

1925:HAMILTON TOWNSHIP: "THE BLACK SPOT OF MERCER COUNTY?"

From the "CRIME-MORALS-SOCIAL VALUES" folder in the Hamilton Library digital folder comes this intriguing tale of Prosecutor vs. Committeeman replete with houses of disrepute, illegal beer, stills, gambling, and all the makings of a local scandal. Politics: Don't 'ya love it?

1884: DEMOLITION OF THE ABRAHAM HUNT HOUSE

I will never understand the town fathers of yesteryear, as they systematically destroyed so many incredibly historic buildings in the city of Trenton. Like Philadelphia's "Old Town," Trenton could have also been a city with buildings which were preserved and maintained as an extensive historic district. Can you imagine any contemporary historian who would approve of demolishing a Revolutionary War landmark like the Hunt House? Or the old Academy? Or Mahlon Stacy's Mill? I cringe at the thought. Gone forever, replaced by a huge Masonic building, then a bank.

1912: PENNINGTON ROAD DEVELOPS

From the EWING TOWNSHIP digital folder, this article on the evolution of the Pennington Road from Trenton to the Pennington area. It is interesting to note the names of the real estate developments: Woodside Park, Parkside Terrace, Green Curve, and Brookfield.

1898: TRENTON SCHOOLS IN THE 1860'S

I have a strange almost consuming fascination with the one room school house of the 19th century. So few photos remain, and so few physical examples of those old school houses give a very lucid glimpse at the life of the students and teachers in those small buildings with a wood or coal burning stove. Many years of reading about these early schools reveal some events that are difficult to imagine as we compare today's modern buildings with the austere one room facility. There are stories of teachers who had to get to school early to chop wood or shovel coal for the stove, Janitors who shirked their duty of preparing the school for a new day, and other very interesting lore.
While the article above deals with the Trenton schools, I added the insert of Hamilton Township's Edgebrook School, also an austere little edifice. It was located on the north west corner of today's Klockner Road and Route 130.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

1901: THE NEW TRENTON HIGH SCHOOL

(When you click on the image to enlarge it, click again and it will reach a legible level.)
After the closed the original old Trenton High School on Trenton's Mercer Street, but before the constructed that beautiful contemporary Trenton Central High School, there was the incredibly beautiful Trenton High School which once was located on Hamilton and Chestnut Avenues. Ain't she a beaut/?

1898: COOK SCHOOL

(When you click on the image to enlarge it, click again and it will reach a legible level.)
How I love these very old photos of landmark structures! The above is from an original antique edition of the Trenton Times from November 1898. The detail is very acceptable, considering the fact that most offset photos from the early 20th century were sadly lacking in detail. The last time I looked, venerable Cook School was still over in the Wilbur section of Trenton near Walnut Avenue.

Monday, November 16, 2009

A NOTE FROM TOM

Emails such as those below are what makes all the work on building a digital local history repository here in the Local History Collection of the Hamilton Township Public Library so encouraging. It is, and has been my goal to bring together history and nostalgia relating to Hamilton and Trenton and other Mercer County areas, to young and old alike. Below are only a few of the hundreds of emails and guest book messages I have received since the establishment of this blog in mid-November, 2005. Many visitors have spread the word among family and friends all over the globe. There are many emails from retirees down in Florida who get those nearly spiritual, bittersweet nostalgia feelings as they re-visit their youth with the photos and articles of very familiar persons, places and things from the past. Sincere thanks to those visitors, now numbering 185,000+ and counting; I hope you all return often.
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Tom, I now live in an adult community at the shore and 8 out of 10 here are on line frequently. Anyone with an interest in Trenton/Hamilton is now reading (this blog) since I spread the word. My former classmates in the Trenton area are always talking about your items. When I am at my house in Fla I go on line and bring up articles for relatives and friends down there to check on. So, you see, you are well read and a source of information (for) the Golden Set in lots of places. Keep up the good work.

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I enjoyed reading about Trenton-past. Am now living in Florida, but have many fond memories of growing up in Ewing and Hamilton. Graduated Hamilton High class of '57. Would like to hear from any of my classmates.

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Love this site and your Times column--thank you for today's tribute to Hamilton Township teachers-I love every day of my 32 years at Reynolds and "East"

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Tom Glover, you are amazing! I've been engrossed by local history for years and have been looking for little scraps and nuggets in local libraries, always amazed to find something new. I'd always been focusing on historical figures who passed through and did this or that and moved on - that's where I got my 'thrill' from, so to speak. But when I found your site, I was first of all floored by the sheer amount of great material - almost an overload for me compared to what I could access normally. And second of all, I've now been really turned on to the day-to-day minutiae of our area from days past; that has become fascinating to me. So, just wanted to say: Thanks very much for this!

1887 - 1888: QUINTIN'S RIDING ACADEMY


The 3 graphics above (Large photo and 2 articles) are an excellent example that proves that my program, "Computers and Local History: Perfect Together" is such a verity. Over the years I have scanned, transcribed, and otherwise preserved and saved information on various subjects and filed them in the appropriate folder in the Hamilton Township Public Library's Local History Collection. It took 6 years for the above 3 graphics to meet and come together in a very interesting story of the Quintin Riding Academy.
It was the era of the equestrian arts. Horse and buggies, plow horses, harness racing, and just plain horse racing. Along with Henry N. Smith and Bud Doble, David Quintin was a very prominent stable owner back in the 1880's. Above is the story of Quintin's Riding Academy in downtown Trenton. Villa Park folks will recognize the Quintin name, not only for the street which bears his name, but for the race track he once maintained in the pre-Villa Park years.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

2009: THE OUTRAGE OF GRAFITTI


I took these photos this afternoon while I was walking my dog in Kuser Park. More and more, the area is being polluted with this outrage perpetrated by the dregs of our society. Imagine if this were your property! This vandalism was done on the outskirts of the Kuser Farm property. The Kuser gazebo was beautifully restored by the folks at buildings and grounds. As soon as the finishing touch was put on the structure, a black marker desecrated the clean, white railing. (Not shown in the photo). How sad that certain individuals have no respect for the property of others, and get off so lightly when they are apprehended. One only wonders how long it will be before the Kuser mansion becomes a victim. Were I a judge, these criminals would spend a few months cleaning up the many litter-strewn streets and roads, and if juveniles, their parents would be responsible for restoring the damaged property to its original condition.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

1966: ACME HAMILTON MFG. STOCK CERTIFICATE

Here's a stock certificate from the former Acme Rubber Company which once reposed between East State Street and Walnut Avenue in Hamilton. When Acme-Hamilton closed down, it left us Bromley residents with an eyesore of overgrown weeds and who knows what else. It's almost as though the people responsible for keeping the vacant property assume it is just a block or so away from the city of Trenton where unkempt properties are too numerous to maintain. An exception is the Switlik plant, a stark example of beautifully maintained property when compared to the slum-like vacant lot left by the Acme plant. I thought there was a township ordinance that required citizens and other land owners to maintain their property, but apparenlty I am in error. It remains a mystery that the land owner has been allowed to let the property become so overgrown and unsightly, and a greater mystery that the town fathers have not acted to see that the land owner maintains the area just as it is required of local property owners.

1954: THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF HAMILTON SQUARE

Hearkening back to the years when banks were owned and operated by local community citizens, I prsent herewith the statement the from First National Bank of Hamilton Square. I have no idea of the lineage of that classic locally owned and operated bank, but it was probably taken over by one of those huge conglomerates which in many cases sacrificed that special hometown personal touch. Today, Roma Bank has managed to maintain that old fashioned rarity, "owned and operated by local citizens."

1917: WESTINGHOUSE COMES TO TRENTON

There are few who don't know at least one person who worked at that huge factory on Pennington Road. Back in the early 1950's, I made numerous deliveries to the maintenance department. It was a thriving and very busy plant during the war. Like other industrial giants, off shore lighting came into the country at prices that were impossible for American manufacturers to compete with, and Westinghouse was no more.

1941 HAMILTON'S "COTTAGE COUNTER"

Just up the street from 2090 Greenwood Avenue and the Hamilton Municipal building we found this ad for the "Cottage Counter." I immediately tried to place the actual location of that little Cape Cod restaurant, but not having been a traveler to that area at the age of 8 years old, I can't imagine where the building would have been located. Was it on the triangular point where Greenwood Avenue intersects with Nottingham Way? Was it located where the pizza place is today?

1938: MONTGOMERY WARD COMES TO TRENTON

This store was gone by the time I came of age and ventured into "Downtown Trenton." However, I would bet that a number of my senior citizen visitors recall that store. I do remember seeing bicycles sold by Ward's, but I can't remember the brand name, (nor can I recall the Sears-Roebuck bicycle names. Anybody wanna volunteer that info?

1933: GIMBELS: A TRENTON CLASSIC

Downtown Trenton: How I miss it! This ad was published 2 weeks to the day before my September 29th birthday. As can be seen by the NRA (National Recovery Act) logo in the upper left, we were in the heart of what became known as "The Great Depression." Gimbels will always hold a special place in my memory. It was here that I worked part time in the "Mens' Wear" department back in the early 1950's. Gimbels, along with Swern's, Goldberg's, Yard's, Nevius Voorhees, Hurley Tobin, Dunham's, and too many other first class stores fled the city as the first half of the 20th century came to an end. Instead of crowded buses and difficult automobile parking, the merchants decided to flee to the suburban malls, and the wonderful years many of us spent visiting downtown Trenton are only pleasant memories.

1910: HERE COMES CASTANEA DAIRY!

The above graphic tells of plans which were ultimately completed for a building to be constructed on North Broad Street in the Battle Monument area of Trenton. Castanea is a well known name in the area, especially to those of us in the senior citizen community. The little graphic I inserted at the top left shows a rubber tired horse drawn delivery wagon the company used in the 1930's. Like many Trenton area residents of my generation, the Castanea Dairy was a familiar visitor to us every morning. I can still remember getting those 2 bottles of milk on a very cold winter day; so cold that the cardboard caps popped off and the wonderful cream rested on top in all its frozen glory.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

2009: A NOTE FROM TOM

A COUPLE OF VISITORS HAVE TOLD ME THEY DOWNLOAD THE PHOTOS AND ARTICLES ON THIS SITE AND MOUNT THE PRINTED COPIES IN SCRAPBOOKS. ON THE OTHER HAND, THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF VISITORS WHO SUGGESTED THAT IT WOULD BE LESS LABOR INTENSIVE IF I JUST SCANNED THE MATERIAL IN AND LEAVE IT IN A DARKER GRAY SHADE.

I HAVE OPTED TO ENHANCE THE IMAGES. I WOULD MUCH RATHER SEE A FULL WHITE BACKGROUND ON THE ENHANCED PAGES THAN POSTING MATERIAL AS IT COMES FROM THE SCANNER. I'M SURE THE SCRAPBOOK FOLKS OUT THERE WHO ARE PRINTING MY MATERIAL WILL AGREE.

1938: THE N.J. INSPECTION STATION TRENTON

This and the following post represents varying types of memories for those of us who remember the N.J. Inspection Station on Prospect Street off Pennington Road. In future years, I became one of the 50% who failed inspection, and I did it numerous times. So did my buddies as we tried to hold our cars together.

1938: GETTING THAT INSPECTION STICKER

The only guy in our gang that didn't grmace in fear when inspection time came around was Dick "Mousey" Wilson who drove his dad's beautiful red 1946 Dodge convertible. The rest of us were holding our jalopies together with spit and baling wire. I remember my 1938 Ford business coupe had a bad muffler. Who had $12.00 for a new one? Solution? push a handful or more of steel wool into that gaping hole, flatten a tin can and strap it around the hole. When we went on that wheel alignment checker, we held our breath, because many of our relics were way out of line. How many of the visitors to this site remember that N.J. Inspection station on Prospect street near Pennington? I sure do. I dreaded the passing of 12 months when once again I and my buddys would have to go to another "physical" for our cars.

1903: BLOWING SMOKE RINGS IN 1903

I have been known to pick up a five pack of "Black and Mild" cigarillos once in a while and enjoy the "nasty habit" of imbibing in the forbidden world of tobacco,. I don't inhale, I don't smoke where other non-smokers congregate, and I certainly don't smoke to excess. But I find a calming, soothing and comfortable sense of well being as I take a drag from that now forbidden fruit we know of as tobacco.

1886: OBSCENE LITERATURE PROLIFERATES

I am currently going through the "CRIME-MORALS-SOCIAL VALUES" folder in the Hamilton Library Digital folder which I have been compiling over the last 10 or 15 years. The next few posts will reveal the fact that we will always have crime, immorality, and anti social values in certain segments of our society. What an comparison it would be to compare the "impure press" of 1885 to the printed pages we see today!

1935: PURSE SNATCHERS AT LARGE

`Didn't someone say, "No matter how things change, they always to stay the same?" If they didn't I will claim the honor. There will always be those slugs in our society who prey on defenseless citizens; the older the better. Here's another article from the "CRIME-POVERTY-SOCIAL VALUES" folder in the Hamilton Library Digital collection.