QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS: tglover320@optimum.net
I spent a very pleasant hour or so at the Hamilton Library Local History Collection with Ms. Nancy Johns Fell who is a member of the class of '58 at Trenton High.
Most of us are familiar with those small photos that were so much a part of our high school yearbooks. Along came the computer, scanner and graphic imaging software and the ability to enlarge, enhance and generally tweak the originals bring us into the 21st century with photos such as this series of 3, 2 of which follow this post.
Here's photo number 2 from the 1946 Trenton Catholic yearbook, "Immaculata."
Here's the final yearbook post in this series of Trenton Catholic's 1946 baseball team.
Here's a photo of the beautiful interior of Bethany Presbyterian Church on Hamilton and Chestnut Avenues in Trenton as it appeared 72 years ago.
Back in a more casual and relaxed time, back when local schools had sterling graduation statistics, back when an education was fought for and treasured, there had to be some time set aside for leisure activities. Trenton High's "Sports Night" was an annual event that caught the attention of most Trentonians "back in the day." Here's a photo of some of those lovely ladies as the worked hard for the "Red" or the "Black" team.
Ralph Lucarella said...HI TOM.....SPORTS NIGHT WAS ONE OF THE BIG EVENTS WHEN I WAS AT TRENTON HIGH. IT WAS ONE TIME THE GIRLS HAD A CHANCE TO SHOW THE BOYS THEY HAD THE TALENT TO PERFORM BEFORE A LARGE AUDIENCE. THEY REALLY PUT ON AN OUTSTANDING SHOW AND THE CROWD ENJOYED IT VERY MUCH. BEST REGARDS.
West End Sal said...Hi Tom: I graduated from THS in 1955 and Sports Night was always a big event. We practiced our dance routines and the athletic events were always a big draw. The costumes were great and the gym was always packed. Sports Night was one of fondest memories.
Judy said...And, work we did! I was fortunate to be a member of Red Folk Dance Specialty in my junior and senior year in Trenton High. Tryouts were held in the end of October. The lucky few that made specialty knew they had a lot of work before them. We practiced at the school five days a week from 3:30 till 5:00 PM...without exception. As Sport Night approached in the end of March the pace picked up. We had night practices and weekend practices not to mention seamstress appointments as our costumes had to be made. It wasn't only our sweat that we put into this endeavor...it was our hearts and souls. It was truly a magical time when the annual five nights of Sport Night finally arrived. Spirits ran very high. I don't think people who never saw the event could truly appreciate what I feel was a (modestly spoken) first rate show. Top notch. How glorious were those days! I must end this by saying...very loud...very clear...GO REDS!!!
Judy Bingley Staed
We had "global warming" in the past as seen in the above article. To those of us who lived during that time, this year's lack of rainfall and extreme heat, is just another "been there----done that" thing for us. Those visitors who are old enough to remember that heat wave and the MANY that preceded it will agree that we didn't have room air conditioners back then, only electric fans and back yard galvanized wash tubs which we sat in as we "got under the hose". 
Unfortunately, my Sunday, July 25 Kuser music program was a complete washout. I am quite aware that these summer storms come and go quite rapidly. Around 3:30 or so, as the clouds thickened in the west, I knew that there would be a period of rain. There sure was! I made up a few "EVENT CANCELED; WET GROUNDS" signs, but wasn't really sure I would need them. At 5PM, I drove over to the park with the signs, not sure that I would use them. It was still drizzling, but the skies to the west were brightening and I knew that before long the sun would be shining, it cooled down considerably, and as I walked around the grassy area I noted that the grass was quite wet in the shady area under the trees where visitors sit. A trip to the gazebo sealed the deal. The floor was still holding puddles from the torrential rain. Having a bit of experience in radio-TV, and computers and the hazards attending them, I decided to cancel the program. I wasn't about to stand on a damp or wet wooden floor holding a mike and diddling with sound controls in a hazardous environment. 200 pound guys like me holding a microphone makes a great electrical conductor!
There was a controversy back in the late 1930's when Hollywood released a Hedy Lamar movie by the name of "Ecstasy." Hedy's heavenly body was seen in all of it's blurred glory in a scene in which she was seen swimming completely nude. A number of visitors over the past few years have asked about the location of the "VICTORY" theater. Now you (and we) know. Ralph Lucarella said...HI TOM.....I RECALL GOING TO THE VICTORY THEATRE IN THE LATE 1920S. MY BROTHER LOU'S WEDDING RECEPTION WAS BEING HELD DOWN THE STREET AT THE HUNGARIAN HALL. THEY HAD A MOVIE AND A SMALL STAGE FOR VAUDEVILLE. I BELIEVE THE ADMISSION WAS 10 CENTS ON MATINEES. THEY SHOWED OLDER MOVIES AND WEREN'T OPEN TOO LONG. REGARDS.
"New Albion," " "Lowry's (Laurie's) Mill, "Hutchinson's," and "Kirby's," are just a few of the names of mills that once reposed along the lake in Yardville. Years ago, a reader of one of my columns disputed a story I did relating to the area when there was a mill at Hutchinson's Pond. The writer understandably thought I was in error and pointed to Hutchinson's Mills on the other side of the township. Above is the story of Kirby's Mill, Sand Hills. I often wonder if there is a connection with the Kirby's Mill which is down in the Vincentown-Medford area of New Jersey. Perhaps a more knowledgeable visitor can tell us. 
George Case was a very popular guy back in the 1930's when he was one of the stars of the old Washington Senators baseball team. The Senators, like the old Philadelphia Athletics and St. Louis Browns, always seemed to be fighting each other to stay out of the cellar in the American League. George was a local hero.
Back in the 1940's when the Trenton Freeway was being constructed, Greenwood Avenue was dead ended at South Clinton on the east, and the Clay Street area in the west. SJBill said...The long red brick building on the left is still present. We had a firebox like that on our corner by Bodnar's Service Station. Everyting on the right is long gone. Folks in these properties must have been kept up all night during the Summer. They were up close to the Pennsy Main Line, and they blew whistles and horns all the time when passing through town.
It's amazing how many places were "on hard times" back then, but we didn't know any better. My family was not yet infected with prosperity, even in the early '50s.
I remember when S. Clinton was dug up like that. Mostly they were getting rid of the old cobblestones or trolley track remnants, and laying new pipe for water and sewers.
I recently posted a "then" and "now" photo of what I thought was the old Woodruff farm house which was on the site of today's Trenton Country Club. As you can see buy the correction I received from Mr. John Case, I am apparently in error. The revised graphic above dated March 15, 1931, was the source on which I predicated my assumption that the two buildings were the same. Many thanks for the correction, John. It is important that we be accurate in re-telling history. I have deleted the erroneous post and replaced it with the one above, and also retained the comments which were in the erroneous page.Trenton Country Club
201 Sullivan Way
West Trenton ,NJ 08628
HI TOM.....MY BROTHER CHUCK BELONGED AND LOVED HIS GOLF ALONG WITH THE DINNING FACILITIES. HIS DAUGHTER VANESSA HAD HER WEDDING RECEPTION THERE. I WAS TOLD, IN THE EARLY DAYS, THAT IT WAS HARD TO JOIN UNLESS YOU CAME OVER ON THE MAYFLOWER. MOST OF THE ITALIAN DOCTORS FROM THE BURG BELONGED BUT I'M TOLD THE JEWISH DOCTORS HAD PROBLEMS. THAT WAS THE BEGINNING OF THE GREEN ACRES COUNTRY CLUB IN LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP, WHICH ALSO TURNED OUT TO BE A FINE COMPLEX. I RECALL MANY KIDS FROM THE BURG WERE CADDIES AT BOTH CLUBS, WHICH HELPED DURING THE TOUGH YEARS.
The little vignette above and the "God's eye view" of Immaculate campus in the next post will surely warm the heart of the numerous members of "the Golden Wave" who visit this blog. This photo was edited and combined to make a vignette of various locations around the campus. Click on the graphic and come back to Trenton Catholic Boys' High School 1946. with me!
Here's a great Mill Hill photo that is familiar to many old timers who recall the intersection of Market and So. Broad Street. You are looking from a vantage point on South Broad Street. Across the street is the corner building that now houses the Mill Hill Tavern, and of course on the immediate left, the bank which always had a little shack on the corner at Market Street where a gentleman sold newspapers and magazines. Lord, am I getting old! Incidentally, Saturday's (July 24) Tom Glover "Sentimental Journey" column deals with an interesting look back at the early years of legendary Mill Hill; a community which has turned from an eroding neighborhood into an incredibly historic and beautiful neighborhood. THANKS TO MIKE MCNICOLL FOR THIS COMMENT: I recognized the Mill Hill at once,it still looks the same outside all these years later. The papers/magazines guy was there in my years working at the Welfare Department when it was in the old Sears building a few blocks away in the early 1980s:) Gotta also put in a plug for Felix's Deli a few stores down from the Mill Hill, outstanding Hoagies:)
THANKS, MACK; INTERESTING INSIGHT.
The Stacy Trent and the Hotel Hildebrecht were the two "IN" places back in Trenton's golden age of the 20's through the 40's. From the "HOTELS" folder in the Local History Collection, this combination of photos showing the late, great Stacy Trent, and the building which was demolished to make room for the new Trenton meeting, greeting, and living place. Ralph Lucarella said...HI TOM....I DELIVERED MAIL AND PICKED UP MAIL FROM THE STACY TRENT IN THE 1940S AND WAS ALWAYS IMPRESSED WITH THE LOBBY AND THE LOWER LEVEL WITH THEIR MARBLE STAIRWAY AND DECOR. REALLY AN OUTSTANDING STRUCTURE. REGARDS.
West End Sal said...I too loved the lobby. I remember going there for a function and saw a beautiful suit on display. My mother, Sarah Logan, could really sew and recreated it for me. The Stacy-Trent was such a classy place and so typical of Trenton when I was growing up.
Mack said...The same city that tore these down now wants to tear down Trenton High...the more things change the more they stay the same...
It was a most wonderful pool in its day. I was a regular visitor to that great old pool when it was known as "Woodlawn Pool," not a "Natatorium DeLuxe" as described in the broadside above, announcigy the opening of the pool on July 4, 1924. The pool is no more. There are 3 or 4 McMansions on the site today. 
Somewhere in my many files, I have an original copy of a receipt from Mr. Tenous, a Hamilton official who was in charge of a Hamilton organization known as "Overseer of the Poor." It is made out to my older brother Len, who apparently received it when he picked up our relief "dole" at the Colonial Fire Company.
The Glover family wasn't the only area family devastated the Great Depression. Like today, unemployment was rampant and the country was still battling back from the 1929 financial disaster that ruined America financially. Here's a Times photo of those who attended the picnic at the Italian American Sportsmen's Club. The print dress and apron as seen by the ladies was the daily "uniform of the day" for Mom Glover and many other mothers and grandmothers from that era.
I am currently going randomly through the many laminated articles in the vertical file in the Local History Collection. I am currently reading fascinating stories of the Delaware River and the old time paddle wheel steamboats, ferries, and even ocean-going vessels that once came up the river to Trenton's Municipal Wharf off of Lamberton Street. What fascinating history! As this digitized history project continues, there will be many more very interesting stories which are still buried withing millions of pages of local newspapers.
The history books and many novels are saturated with Mark Twain type stories of the romance of the Mississippi River. Paddle wheelers, river boat gambling, and other stories that spur the imagination. Our own Delaware River has a bit of romantic historical interest as well; perhaps even greater than that of the Mississippi. Paddle wheelers once plied the Delaware from points north and south. From George Washington's trip across the river in December 1776, Coryell's Ferry, McKonkey, remind us of the numerous stories of the ferries that once dotted the shoreline up and down the Delaware River. Trenton's Ferry Street in South Trenton got its name from the ferry boat landing at the foot of the street. Hotels, saloons, and other public meeting places sprung up along the ferry wharf where travelers could come and go into their facilities for an overnight stay at the Bloomsbury Hotel which is illustrated above in a very poor landmark photo from 1910.
It took a bit of cutting, copying, and pasting and tweaking to present this graphic detailing the fabled Trenton Country Club. As can be seen in the two articles, the property was the old Woodruff farm in Ewing across from the "State Insane Hospital." I did a presentation at the club a couple of years ago, but I have tried to recall the sponsoring group that invited me, but alas, I can't recall. The old homestead is breathtakingly beautiful. More interesting posts relating to the Trenton Country Club to come in future posts as they are uncovered. Ralph Lucarella said...HI TOM.....MY BROTHER CHUCK BELONGED AND LOVED HIS GOLF ALONG WITH THE DINNING FACILITIES. HIS DAUGHTER VANESSA HAD HER WEDDING RECEPTION THERE. I WAS TOLD, IN THE EARLY DAYS, THAT IT WAS HARD TO JOIN UNLESS YOU CAME OVER ON THE MAYFLOWER. MOST OF THE ITALIAN DOCTORS FROM THE BURG BELONGED BUT I'M TOLD THE JEWISH DOCTORS HAD PROBLEMS. THAT WAS THE BEGINNING OF THE GREEN ACRES COUNTRY CLUB IN LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP, WHICH ALSO TURNED OUT TO BE A FINE COMPLEX. I RECALL MANY KIDS FROM THE BURG WERE CADDIES AT BOTH CLUBS, WHICH HELPED DURING THE TOUGH YEARS.
"Hi Tom,
What a great time we had at kuser park last night!
Thank's again for another great job!!
Betty and family"
Last night's "Musicale" at Kuser Park was a slam dunk. (I refrain from using the term, "Concert;" a term that is associated with professionals, which I am not.)
The field was filled with cars and there was a really nice crowd who came out. Above is a message I received this morning in my web site guest book. It was just one of the MANY favorable comments I gratefully received from a very receptive and active audience. To those who chose not to come due to the 90-degree heat, once again, refreshing breezes waftied over the seated area. Not so in that sun-bathed gazebo! I was literally drenched through to my skin by time the program ended. It was a wonderful evening and worth every ounce of perspiration spent with a wonderful group of local citizens. Thanks for coming out. See you this Sunday at 6!
HI TOM....THOSE PHOTOS BRING BACK MANY FOND MEMORIES OF WETZEL FIELD AND THE MANY TIMES I SPENT THERE. 1946 WAS THE YEAR I WAS DISCHARGED FROM THE NAVY AND TRYING TO REGAIN SOME OF THE TIME LOST FROM PLAYING BASEBALL. THAT ONE PHOTO SHOWS THE GRANDSTAND AT WETZEL AND THE 400 BLOCK OF BERT AVE. IT SURE WAS A PLEASURE TO GET BACK. REGARDS.