Once upon a time, Villa Park one of Trenton's most popular communities, was out in the suburbs. Quintin's race track was the main attraction in that neighborhood during the early 20th century. Then along came the Colonial Land Co., developers who changed the face of the area along the Trenton-Hamilton border. The above graphic is an example of Colonial Land's aggressive real estate advertising. Colonial also developed the land on which Camp Olden was situated, and called it "Colonial Park;" the area where I grew up. FROM RALPH LUCARELLA:
Hi Tom: I sure agree with that ad. My father bought a new all brick semi-detached house with a driveway on Bert Avenue in 1924 for $4,000. That's just about the time that Villa Park was fully developed. The only fault I recall about the area at that time were the streets were all paved with gravel except Revere Avenue. That street was paved with asphalt and that's where we kids gathered to roller skate and hang out. My father eventfully lost the house through foreclosure during the great depression and in 1937 moved to Franklin St. That was back to the Burg but close enough to Villa Park to remain in close contact with our friends.
Best regards.
Hi Tom: I sure agree with that ad. My father bought a new all brick semi-detached house with a driveway on Bert Avenue in 1924 for $4,000. That's just about the time that Villa Park was fully developed. The only fault I recall about the area at that time were the streets were all paved with gravel except Revere Avenue. That street was paved with asphalt and that's where we kids gathered to roller skate and hang out. My father eventfully lost the house through foreclosure during the great depression and in 1937 moved to Franklin St. That was back to the Burg but close enough to Villa Park to remain in close contact with our friends. Best regards.
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