These two young boys are enjoying a summertime respite that was shared by many of my contemporaries back in the 30', 40, and 50's. What fun it was to get out in the pouring rain and take one of Mother Nature's cooling and refreshing summer showers. Did you ever experience the fun of floating a home made boat in the puddles along the side of the road as the rain poured down? No? You had to be there to understand the thrill!Clay Street? Ask any old time resident how Clay Street was involved with the re-alignment of Greenwood Avenue back in the 1940's when the Trenton Freeway cut through numerous area neighborhoods. Greenwood Avenue once continued from South Clinton Avenue to South Broad Street.
- Anonymous said...
Tom. that was a hot topic in a course I took. The impact of the Trenton Freeway for one and how it divided neighbors, made it harder for workers who walked and such.
I was looking at Cherry and Plum Streets the other day and how they were divided.
Ed Millerick
- Anonymous said...
Tom:
Growing up in South Trenton, and attending Sacred Heart, I certainly do remember Clay St.
Clay Street houses were primarily frame, whereas most of the remainder of "Mill Hill" was of solid brick construction.
I can remember as a kid, cutting through Greenwood Ave,on my daily WALK to TCHS right through to South Clinton Ave. There was a huge coal yard there. On Clay St. was a small Amoco station owned by the Gambino's who went on to own the yellow cab company.
When I proposed the first residential rehabilitation projdect in NJ, it was the Mercer-Jackson project that was bounded by Livingston St. South Montgomery, and included both Mercer, and Jackson Streets and bounded by the north side of Market. Due to it's overwhelming success, it sprawled over Market St. and became known as "Old Mill Hill" As a City Planner in the early 1960's, I saw the wisdom of the man made barrier known as the "Rt. 1 Freeway" Much like the City of Seattle, where I-5 and it;s 12 lanes sever the highly successful all commercial downtown from the heavily urbanized residential neighborhood. No one out there dare steal a pocket book and try to cross thos 12 lanes to get back to their crew in the neighborhood! Sometime we can't see the forest for the Trees.
BTW, half way down Greenwood Ave. between Jackson and Mercer Sts. was St. Paul's Lutheran Church. After mass at Sacred Heart, I would walk over and sit in on Sunday School which always had great treats for those good little Angles! LOL
Best regards
Mike Kuzma
John & Robert were before me but i knew their families well. Picture looks like late 1930s.
About 12 homes on Clay Street were torn down to make way for the freeway. Lewis Street was also cut off at the same time with homes torn down also.I remember walking across the RR bridge on my way to THS before it was closed. Clay Street was a grand old neighborhood.
Noel Goeke
Thank you, Noel. I was thinking of you when I posted this and was expecting your expertise on the neighborhood.
Tom
Tom. that was a hot topic in a course I took. The impact of the Trenton Freeway for one and how it divided neighbors, made it harder for workers who walked and such.
ReplyDeleteI was looking at Cherry and Plum Streets the other day and how they were divided.
Ed Millerick
Tom:
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in South Trenton, and attending Sacred Heart, I certainly do remember Clay St.
Clay Street houses were primarily frame, whereas most of the remainder of "Mill Hill" was of solid brick construction.
I can remember as a kid, cutting through Greenwood Ave,on my daily WALK to TCHS right through to South Clinton Ave. There was a huge coal yard there. On Clay St. was a small Amoco station owned by the Gambino's who went on to own the yellow cab company.
When I proposed the first residential rehabilitation projdect in NJ, it was the Mercer-Jackson project that was bounded by Livingston St. South Montgomery, and included both Mercer, and Jackson Streets and bounded by the north side of Market. Due to it's overwhelming success, it spraweled over Market St. and became known as "Old Mill Hill" As a City Planner in the early 1960's, I saw the wisdom of the man made barrier known as the "Rt. 1 Freeway" Much like the City of Seattle, where I-5 and it;s 12 lanes sever the highly successful all commercial downtown from the heavily urbanized residential neighborhood. No one out there dare steal a pocket book and try to cross thos 12 lanes to get back to thier crew in the neighborhood! Sometime we can't see the forrest for the Trees.
BTW, half way down Greenwood Ave. between Jackson and Mercer Sts. was St. Paul's Lutheran Church. After mass at Sacred Heart, I would walk over and sit in on Sunday School which always had great treats for those good little Angles! LOL
Best regards
Mike Kuzma
Hi Tom,
ReplyDeleteI, too, grew up in the Mill Hill area. Born at 244 Mercer, we moved eight years later all the way to 245 Jackson St., one block over. There was a church on the corner of Mercer and Greenwood. Mike Kuzma recalls it as St. Paul's Lutheran. I remember the stores in the neighborhood: the candy store on Mercer near the corner of Market but at the alley just before.,the butcher shop at Market and Mercer owned during my time by Mr. Tkac.(sp?)The grocery store on Mercer and Market Sts. on the opposite corner from the butcher shop. The drug store on Market and Broad Sts. The mom and pop store on the corner of Jackson and Livingston Sts. As an aside from stores, there was a uniquely Trenton quoit league located at Jackson and Greenwood on the side toward what would become the freeway. The 10th Prebyterian Church at Mercer and Market Sts. across from McKinley Elementary School, formerly Trenton High School, which became St. Vincent DePaul's Salvage (?).
Warren:
ReplyDeleteThe brick 3 story homes in the 200 block of Jackson (and Mercer) St. were of incredible construction.
Imbedded in my mind is my elementary school teacher Betty Farley whose family owned 263 Jackson St. that magnificant huge single home on the corner of Jackson and Greenwood. Bill Bentz's garage was across Greenwood Ave. where it deadended.
Behind the Farley house across the alley fronting on So. Broad, and Greenwood, was Benjamin Light furniture company. The now famed Hollywood actress Judith Light came to her father's store as a kid and played in the neighborhood.
Judith starred in "Whose the Boss" and has appeared more recently in the "Law and Order" series. Her Cousin Karl a Princeton Realtor made a name for himself on Broadway.
Across Greenwood Ave. on South Broad St. was a small Gulf Oil Station.
Omad mentioned the biforcating of neighborhoods. However as I recall "Jewtown" was bounded by Broad Market, John Fitch Way (River Road) and the railroad.
Does anyone remember the footbridge across the Railroad at the end of Lamberton St. On the other side was in reality the 3rd Italian enclave in Trenton. Everyone remebers the Neopolitans and the Roman's from Chambersburg, and the Scisilians,&Calbrese, from St. James in north Trenton. They often overlooked the large number of Italian Families living along Bridge, Ferry, Daymon Asbury, and Lamberton Streets. Names like the Crackers of Broadway moving and Storage, Carlucci's, DiMemmo's, Ponticello's etc.
The neighborhoods had ethnic boundaries, not brick and wood.
Everyone felt comfortable and secure back in the day among their own. Most importantly, they respected each others religion, and ethnic traits. No one had to go to City Hall or the County for help when things got bad, the friends and neighbors pitched in to carry them through the tough times. I know how often we had strangers in our house, and at our back door. Fortunately for us, Dad worked in and aroung the Slaughtehouse industry, and we alwsys had meat on the table, and enough to share. Oh how I long for those days to return when government got our of lives, and we became self sufficient once more.
We as Americans have come to accept mediocrity as the norm, We have lost our way.
Regards and Good wishes
Mike Kuzma
Darn Warren, I got carried away in my reverie. The Church on the corner of Mercer and Market ultimately became the St. Georges Greek Othodox Church, who after many years, moved to that beautiful edifice on Klockner Rd.
ReplyDeleteMike Kuzma