1981:FORMER MAYOR JACK RAFFERTY WRITES ABOUT KUSER FARM

In the early 1970's, Mrs. Edna Kuser, contacted former Mayor Maurice "Maury" Perilli, a fellow Democrat and a member of the Hamilton Democratic Organization. Edna and Fred Kuser were getting to the point where they were no longer capable of giving the attention necessary to maintain the property. Mrs Kuser didn't want the property to be turned into a housing development which would be a very negative change for the citizens who lived in close proximity to the farm. Maury referred Mrs Kuser to Mayor Jack Rafferty, and thankfully then Mayor Rafferty lost not time in working with the Green Acres authorities, and purchased the land for the enjoyment of future generations. Jack Rafferty has proved to be an ardent and enthusiastic supporter of local history.

2011: GARY LIPPINCOTT'S GROVEVILLE

Each of us has the desire to live in a bucolic community like Groveville; Hamilton's answer to Andy Griffith's Mayberry. Gary is a local expert on the history and lore that is one of Hamilton's more fascinating neighborhoods. Gary tells of the years when everyone knew everyone else, and his tales of hearing the Sunday Morning music from the Groveville M.E. church is completely charming. If you haven't visited Gary's site, you are missing a real treat. Click on http://www.grovevillememories.blogspot.com and return with us to "those thrilling days of yesteryear!"

2011: TOM GLOVER'S KUSER PARK SUMMER MUSIC CONCERT SERIES

I had intended to photograph the left side and the right side of the folks who attended the June 26th sing along program I am presenting at the Kuser Farm Gazebo. Unfortunately, the right side shows only a few of the attendees who choose to sit away from the main stage of the gazebo. When I swiveled to the left to photograph the other half of the area where most of the folks were sitting, "Shutting down; low battery" came on the screen of my little Canon "PowerShot" SD 630. However, you can see by the numerous autos that are parked in the background, you can see that we had a very nice turnout. A pleasant two hours went by far too quickly.

1911: MERCERVILLE SCHOOL ADDS 4 ROOMS

The committee preparing for the centennial celebration of the Mercerville School on Regina Avenue have requested information for their September centennial event. Accordingly I felt it would be much more convenient to post bits and pieces relating to that great old edifice in Mercerville which will allow the committee to right click and save these graphics for their use. At the same time, they are being posted here for posterity.

1893: MERCERVILLE SCHOOL STUDENTS VISIT THE CITY OF TRENTON

Up to this point, I have found nothing in my extensive research on the one room schools in Hamilton Township. I do know that our schools were numbered, and that Farmingdale was among the oldest. The above article was printed when Mercerville School was located on Quaker Bridge Road, but after it was known as "School No. 27."

1948: MERCERVILLE SCHOOL'S CLASS OF '48

In September, Hamilton Township's Mercerville School will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the construction of that beautiful building on Regina Avenue in Mercerville. The original Mercerville School was designated as "School No. 27" back in the 19th century. It was located on Quaker Bridge Road in the area of today's Quakerbridge Commons. I will be working with the area organizers of the celebration, posting additional material on the school in future posts. These posts can be be saved to the computers of those who are working on the 100th anniversary project. Mercerville is another of Hamilton's neighborhood schools that evolved from the classic one room school house to the two story schools which were popular in the early to mid 20th century.

1952: MOST OF US CHASED GIRLS WHO WERE CHASTE

How well I recall those innocent 1940's and 50's! The girls wore dresses, skirts and blouses, the boys wore shirts and neckties, and the teachers wore dresses, skirts and blouses, while their male counterparts wore a suit. There were no tie-dyed jeans, no bare feet peeking out of flip flops, and a self imposed dress code. Were you to have attended that "Peggy and the Pirates" operetta back in 1952, you would have seen all of the audience also dressed as described above. Wouldn't it be a delightful experiment to bring back some of those great old Gilbert & Sullivan, Rudolph Friml, Jerome Kern etc. operettas and expose our present generation to a bit of high school musical history? Dream on, Glover! Those simple and less complicated years are no more.

omad said...

But at least we DID have them and we can still think back and remember what they were like. We can share bits and pieces with our kids and grand kids and talk about those grand times with our friends. Makes for good conversations all around.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Good conversations, Eleanor, but sad conversations.

Tom

1911: Maybury Goldy's "St. Elmo," at Lakeside Park

The Goldy name is another old Hamilton family name, dating back locally to the mid 19th century. One can only imagine the beauty that was Charles Teunon's Lakeside Park when he began developing the community back in the first decade of the 20th century. Maybury Goldy was a Trenton coal dealer who resided on South Broad Street in the original area known as Chambersburg. He chose the beautiful environment of Lakeside Park, along the banks of Hutchinson's Pond, as it was known before Teunon gave it the name of "Lakeside."

Anonymous said...

Tom - Thanks so much for finding this article about my great-grandfather, Maybury Goldy and "St. Elmo"! We did know that he was very active in all Lakeside events and was an early homeowner. You have filled in some other history that we had no idea about! Thanks - you're a gem! Lakeside Girl

Thursday, June 23, 2011

1932: A HELICOPTER, RIGHT? WRONG! IT'S AN AUTOGIRO (AUTOGYRO)

At first glance the above aircraft would seem to be an early helicopter. However, the helicopter has rotary blades that are POWERED by an engine. The Auto giro's rotors are powered by air. Think of the seeds of a maple tree as the rotate to the ground rather than fall flat. The gas driven propeller on the auto giro give the aircraft the power to climb and descend, all aided by the rotation of the rotors through various air changes in the speed of the craft. Further fascinating information on this incredible aircraft is to be found right here in the Mercer County area, where the Garth Pitcairn auto giro is housed in a hangar at Robbinsville Airport. If you Google PITCAIRN AUTO GIRO you will find fascinating videos and info on the auto giro.

1945: HEY, THERE'S A KUZMA!

Fleetwings? When was the last time you heard that name? They were located across the river in Bristol and many locals including my neighbor Gordy Soffel had a job there during WWII. Mike Kuzma, is this a relative? And Ralph Lucarella, you probably know all these players.

Ralph Lucarella said...

HI TOM....YOU'RE RIGHT, I KNEW ALL THOSE PLAYERS AND I KNEW CHET WELL. I DIDN'T PLAY IN THE INDUSTRIAL LEAGUE CAUSE I WAS OUT OF WORK AT THE TIME AND IN 1945 I WAS IN THE NAVY. WHEN I GOT BACK I PLAYED WITH THE POST OFFICE TEAM. DURING THAT TIME MOST PLAYERS PLAYED IN ALL THE LEAGUES IN THE CITY WITH THE CJ LEAGUE BEING SEMI-PRO. REGARDS.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011 THIS FROM MIKE KUZMA: Hi Tom: Yes, Chet was a cousin,and ironically, I learned not too very long ago, that his Dad Pete, who was famous in the Trenton area for his pigeon racing prowess was raised by my grandmother, and assumed the Kuzma name when very young. Like many immigrants in the late 1800's, orphans, or children who migrated to the USA merged with families known to thier parents in the old country. In all the years, we always considered them as cousins, and still do till this day. Chet of course was one of Trenton's many outstanding atletes, but an equally nice guy. I never hesitated to brag about him. As an aside, back in the early 40's, there was an all American Michigan State Football player named Tom Kuzma who hailed from Gart Indiana. You can imagine my bragging about cousin Chet, and wow "Cousin Tom" the All American. In the late 1990's, while visiting Florida, I checked the phone book for "Kuzma's", found a Tom Kuzma, and was shocked to find out he lived in the same complex. Called his number, and met with his wife, who advised me that Tom had passed away a few weeks before my phone call. Mrs. Kuzma was kind enough to gather up some family papers, an send them to me. How shocked I was to learn, that this Kuzma clan came from the same area as us Kuzma's. More shocking though, I learned that Toms' dad had the same first name as my dad, and his mother had the same sur name as my mother!!!. You and your columns, have added so much to the history which we all seek. Thanks for the effort. Sincerely Mike Kuzma

2011: RETRACTING A RETRACTION ON THE TRENTON COUNTRY CLUB

The news photos above showing the original Woodruff homestead was modified by adding the huge columns as seen in the 1938 photo, also note the highlighted left side of the current building, and the chimney on the other side. Note also that the original doorway and lintel were also preserved. The large columns and "gingerbread" were added, as were the buildings on either side.

1938: THE N.J. INSPECTION STATION ON PROSPECT STREET IN TRENTON

The old inspection station on Prospect Street near Pennington Avenue was in the news in 1938. As you read the article, you will note that many new cars were being rejected due to defects that apparently came upon the new vehicles while they were in transit from the factor to the dealer. It is interesting to note that "nearly 200 cars were in line awaiting inspection as they lined up on Brooks Street.

When I was a teenager with my very first car, I remember dreading the trip over to Prospect Street in Trenton to have my car inspected. I had a 1938 Ford "Business Coupe." (That's a model that only had a driver and passenger seat, and a small area in the back for golf clubs, baseball bats, lunch boxes, etc. I paid 25 bucks for the car from a guy in Morrisville.The tires were bald (remember 600 x 16 tires?), the muffler had a leak, as did the radiator, and there were other defects that turned up as I began to drive that little flat head V-8. With all those defects, that little car could move! I discovered another very serious and unknown defect one night when I and my buddy Don Slabicki were exiting Atlantic Products, where I worked in the shipping department. I was all set to show the other folks who were leaving the parking lot what that old Ford had under the hood. I flipped her into 1st, spun wheels and headed toward Johnston Avenue. A car was coming along the road at the time and I slammed on the MECHANICAL brakes. I heard a loud thump, the clanging of steel and the silence of a stalled engine. Popping the hood, I found that the battery didn't have a lock down clamp and it flipped off of its tray and slammed into the fan which had a number of bent out of shape fins from the collision. Remember that inspection station on Prospect Street? Remember: how we couldn't afford a new muffler from Penn Jersey or Pep Boys, so we put steel wool in the muffler and wrapped it tape, the guy who slid that headlight testing bar in front of the car and seeing that the left beam was out of line with the right beam which was also out of line, the vacuum windshield wipers that made a pass across the windshield every 10 or 15 seconds.....Remember how you drove up to the wheel alignment equipment and your car was raised as the inspector wiggled your wheels to check for bad wear and out of alignment problems? Remember looking anxiously at the M.V. guys who seemed to be required by the state to not smile and be cordial, but be sure to take those nasty pills every morning before work.......Ahh, the memories are rather pleasant these 70 years later, but at the time, they were !

MIKE KUZMA WROTE:

Tom: Your description of us young guys with old cars going through the MV inspection was right on target. Some of us even kept a rosary in our pocket to pray for a passing grade. The station was on Prospect across from Oakland St.and backed up to the properties and alley on Pennington Ave. actoss from the old Westinghouse plant. My first car was a 1932 Chevie 2 door with bucket seats. Sat in the alley across from house in So. Trenton for a couple of years. Paid $10.00 and had "Frog" the neighborhood mechanic get it running for me for another $5.00. As an adjunct, you must remember "Fred Dearden's" Dealership on Hamilton Ave. just before the point where Hamilton Merged with Liberty St. Fred for years was the DMV agent, and if you had a "connection" like the guy I worked for, you got your license without ever having to take a test. Got it before I was 17, and was working for the Cracker Family who owned Broadway Moving & Storage, and a waste paper busines off Lalor St. in Deutzville. Shortly after getting my "license", they had me delivering furniture in Manhattan. What a trip. Regards Mike Kuzma

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Great story as usual, Mile. Yes, I remember Dearden quite well. I was in my neighborhood. I worked for Fred Kuser who was a Motor Vehicle agent. I spent many hours filing registration requests for license plates. One of the perks was to pick whatever number I wanted (from a regular listing.) I have saved my 1952 N.J. orange and black "JY711" for posterity. It hangs proudly on my wall today, a reminder of my courting years with my dear wife of 57 years Judy as in "JY."

Tom Glover

Anonymous said...

And they hardly changed a thing from 1938 till 2008 did they? Red dye and glass tubes or the wiper drill? Of course they have eliminated the safety part of the safety inspection and all they do is check the gas cap and tail pipe? I remember a family member saying the car was going to fail so "put on that mini skirt" and try to run it through. Some things never change do they? Skip

Hi Skip: Sorry to say I have no idea what red dye and glass tubes have to do with auto inspections. I would guess that it gave a heightened contrast visibility. Enlighten us if you will. Also tell us what a "wiper drill" is. I haven't been to the N.J. Inspection station in years. I pay a licensed N.J. M.V. approved gas station to do my inspections and repairs. Thanks.

Tom Glover

1859: CROSSWICKS

THANKS TO MY HAMILTON HIGH CLASS OF 1951 CLASSMATE, ALICE SCHMIDT MULLEN FOR THIS HISTORIC MAP SHOWING WHO LIVED THERE 152 YEARS AGO! ALONG WITH PENNINGTON AND GROVEVILLE, CROSSWICKS IS STILL ANOTHER TOWN THAT WOULD BE A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE.

1866: SURPLUS CIVIL WAR EQUIPMENT AUCTION

Civil War enthusiasts would love to attend the auction at the Trenton Barracks! As is apparently always the case, after the conflict, we found ourselves with an overage of inventory of military equipment. I experienced that at the end of World War II when millions of surplus military materiel were sold for consumption or salvage. I particularly recall a farmer in Columbus New Jersey stocking up on hundreds of military surplus items including a Grumman Avenger! As I recall his last name was Michaelchuk. I pass the farm field on which he stored the material as I travel Route 206 south.

THE SEARCH FOR QUINTIN'S RACE TRACK

Few people associate Edward Boyd with Villa Park. In my computer database I have a photo of him when he was very active on the Boyd Farm in the area Nottingham Way and the old De Laval plant. Boyd was one of the earlier persons involved with Henry N. Smith's old Fashion Stud Farm which was located where the old N.J. State Fair was located. Mr. Boyd sheds some hitherto unknown information on the location of the Quintin track in the short extract above. Until I am proven wrong, I speculate that the track was located between Quinton and Melrose Avenues from Hamilton Avenue to Jefferson Street (Today's Liberty Street.) Boyd lived at 837 Hamilton Avenue.

1875: MAP OF EWING TOWNSHIP

I have an intense interest in maps such as the Ewing map posted above. This map shows home sites and lists the approximate acreage of the landholder. This one is for those you "Ewingites" who are interested in the way the township looked in 1875, 136 years ago. It will also be of interest to those local residents to determine the approximate location of their current home. Have fun locating the streets and roads that still exist; you might even find the location of the land owner who owned the land that ultimately became your home!

1976: ""Identification of the vandals is being witheld because of their age...."

One Sunday last summer when I went to Kuser Farm Gazebo to set up for my afternoon sing along, I saw the "artistry" of whomever it was who brought chalk to the park and proceeded to scribble pink, white, and blue graffiti all over the concrete dance floor. It was only chalk, but there were no sources of water nearby to wash the stuff off. A harmless prank, right? WRONG! As I sat on the steps of the gazebo, I also noted that some little darling took a black marker and wrote on the newly painted, newly restored wooden post on the gazebo steps. The township spent many man hours bringing that beautiful structure back to its original state! Vandalizing teens who choose to deface public property should be held accountable and their parents held responsible for the financial damage they have caused. I took many photos which clearly showed what they did along the edge of Kuser Farm Park in the area of the windmill. Spray paint on Rusling Paving's relatively new concrete buildings is an outrageous insult to Hamiltonians as is the damage they did to a very large cinder block structure adjacent to Rusling Paving's facility along the Kuser property on Loomis Avenue. Were I a judge, they would be given a tooth brush to clean off their anti social graffiti, or their parents would be fined in the amount it would take to bring the buildings back to their original state. There needs to be vigilance on the part of the community to thwart these anti social acts of vandalism that are becoming all too common in "America's Favorite Home Town."

PUBLISH THE NAMES OF THE LITTLE DARLINGS AND WATCH THE VANDALISM DISAPPEAR!

Sally Logan Gilman said...

Tom: I'm sorry about the vandalism. Graffiti is vandalism and not some little darling's artistic freedom. Again, I'm sorry. Regards

Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Tom Glover said...

Unfortunately Sally, there are a number of miscreants running rampant in today's society, and their apologists are just as guilty as are the perpetrators. Tom Glover

Wednesday, June 08, 2011

omad said...

This site, the Kuser Farm, and buildings on it, seem very important to you and I'm sure to many. How disappointing. Is nothing precious anymore?

Thursday, June 09, 2011

Tom Glover said...

KUSER FARM PARK IS NOT IMPORTANT TO JUST TO ME, BUT TO THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY. IF THESE SENSELESS ANTI-SOCIAL ACTS OF VANDALISM ARE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE WITHOUT A CONCERTED EFFORT TO CATCH THESE BRATS, WE WILL CONTINUE TO COPE WITH BLACK SPRAY PAINTED TRAFFIC SIGNS, PRIVATE BUILDINGS, AND OTHER ACTS OF VANDALISM THAT JEOPARDIZE "AMERICA'S FAVORITE HOMETOWN."

Friday, June 10, 2011

1905: TRENTON POLICE DEPARTMENT CAPTAIN JOHN J. CLEARY

When the Trenton Police Department's new history book arrives later this summer, you will undoubted read about Captain Cleary, along with contemporary photographs. This is just one of the hundreds of files in the Hamilton Township Public Library's Local History Collection. More to come.

KUSER SCHOOL MEMORIES MUST INCLUDE THE JESSE ANDERSON FAMILY

JESS ANDERSON, DON SLABICKI AND I WERE INSEPARABLE BUDDIES BACK IN OUR YOUNGER YEARS. JESS' MOM AND DAD WERE VERY ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE KUSER SCHOOL P..T.A. AS SEEN BY THE CERTIFICATE IN THE GRAPHIC ABOVE. LIKE MY FATHER, JESS' DAD WAS ALSO AN AIR RAID WARDEN BACK DURING WWII. THE CERTIFICATES WERE SENT TO ME BY JESS' SON, ANDREW. THE GRAMMAR SCHOOL PHOTOS OF JESS ARE IN A TREASURED FILE IN MY PERSONAL FILES UNDER, "MEMORIES, PRECIOUS."

1868: TRENTON-MADE RIFLE PARTS

The folks over at the Camp Olden Civil War Roundtable can give a very detailed treatise on the weaponry of the Civil War. A few years after the war, the above article refers to the Remington Arms company playing a part in the local manufacture of gun barrels. The article above relates the details.

1897: REMEMBERING THE EVENING NEWSPAPER

There aren't too many of us around who remember the years when the Trenton Evening Times was just that: an evening newspaper. Our delivery man through all those years was Tony Olympio, a very happy man who loved his job and almost always had the paper delivered to our door step on time. It's difficult to imagine an afternoon paper in today's society. Indeed, the afternoon paper, along with the numerous "Extra" and "Late" Editions have gone the way of the passenger pigeon. All of which makes the above graphic very interesting as we look back on the way we used to obtain the daily news.

Ralph Lucarella said...

HI TOM....IF I RECALL CORRECTLY, IN THE EARLY DAYS, THE STATE GAZZETTE WAS THE MORNING PAPER AND THE TIMES WAS THE EVENING PAPER. IN THE 40'S THE TRENTONION TOOK OVER AND I BELIEVE THE GAZZETTE STOPPED. REGARDS.

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Tom Glover said...

Thanks for that input, Ralph. Tom

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Anonymous said...

Hi Tom & Ralph: Back in Virginia after a visit to Mercer County to see the little Diva; Emily Elizabeth Kuzma perform with her dance school. Took the time to lunch, and dinner with old friends; Bob Maida, Pete Radice,David Pone, Bob Lambert and Michael Kuzma Jr. Can't believe whats happened to our Town! Did see Sacred Heart Church the family parish, which incidentally was also home to the Jim Kerney's Publisher of the Gazette, Times, and the Sunday Advertiser. I can recall up until the late 70's, the times produced the "State Edition" which was mostly yesterdays news, "The late Edition" which was the afternoon, and finally what we all waited for at 4:45 pm, the "The Stock Final" Time to catch up on all the posts I missed. Regards Mike Kuzma

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Thanks, Mike. Sacred Heart is the church Judy and I attend each week. What an historic edifice!

Tom Glover