2012: A SCRAPBOOK CELEBRATING MY 60TH REUNION

For Lee Belardino way out there in California, and any other Hamilton Alumni who are not in the local area, and indeed, for the pitiful few of my generation who are able to surf the internet, I am posting the link below with photos, articles and memorabilia from my HUGE Hamilton High School (West) collection.

TO VIEW THIS SLIDE SHOW: CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW. WHEN THE PRESENTATION LOADS, KEEP YOUR CURSOR IN THE ORANGE FIELD. IF YOU SEE A SLIDE WITH TEXT YOU WANT TO READ, MOVE IT TO THE GRAPHIC AND CLICK ON THE PAUSE "II" COMMAND. AFTER YOU HAVE READ THE TEXT OR EXAMINED DETAILS IN THE PHOTOS, PRESS PLAY TO RESUME AND MOVE BACK TO THE ORANGE FIELD TO REMOVE THE CONTROL BAR. PLEASE IGNORE THE SLIDE WITH A POOR OUT OF FOCUS VIEW OF THE HHS FACADE. I TRIED TO DELETE IT BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. THE LITTLE SQUARE ICON IN THE EXTREME LOWER LEFT WILL ENTER "FULL SCREEN" WHICH IS THE BEST WAY TO VIEW THIS PRESENTATION. ENJOY!

http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4d7a41334e7a67304e546b3d0d0a&blogview=true

Lee Belardino said...

Tom
Thoroughly enjoyed the presentation.Terrific job. Emotions ran high on those that passed.Hard to take. We had such great class mates and teachers.
Thanks for sharing the greatest memories of my life.
Lee

Sunday, April 01, 2012

Thanks, Lee. I posted it for you and any other classmate who are using the computer. Unfortunately, there aren't too many of us. I will be posting more now that I have found a logical software program.

Tom

2012: OLD FRIENDS ARE THE BEST FRIENDS

When I go to my 60th reunion tomorrow, March 31 at Mercer Oaks, these two guys and my dear wife Judy, all from Hamilton High's class of 1951, will be with me in spirit. None of them can make it. My buddy Jess went to be with the Lord, and my buddy Don and wife Judy are physically able, but the lengthy stay makes attendance impractical.

1927: THIS WAS HAMILTON SQUARE IN THE "ROARING 20's"

At the very top of this page is a very nice and I might add, relatively rare photo of Nottingham Way as one approaches Foley Park at the intersection of Nottingham Way and Yardville-Hamilton Square Road. Below is a Google Earth view of Nottingham Way a bit closer to Foley Park but still showing the long gone trolley tracks.

1919: DOWNTOWN TRENTON AT CHRISTMAS TIME

How I love these old vintage photos of our area as it was in years past! This photo shows State and Broad Street as it looked 93 years ago. Future generations will be interested in these seldom seen photos and articles and in the distant future will probably seek them out even as I am currently avidly chasing rarities of our local history.

RALPH LUCARELLA said...

HI TOM...1919 IS THE YEAR I WAS BORN AND I'VE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE TO SURVIVE A LONG LIST OF EVENTS THAT BEGAN IN CHAMBERSBURG AND IS STILL GOING ON. MAY GOD BLESS ALL THOSE THAT HELPED ALONG THE WAY.

BEST REGARDS.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Tom Glover said...

You are a Floridian Ralph, but a local treasure.

Tom

Thursday, March 29, 2012

2012: HERE'S A NEW HAMILTON "PULSE-TAKER"

I just received volume 5 number 3, the March-April copy of Hamilton's community newspaper. I actually received it back at its inception, but like many newer ventures into local journalism, waited until I saw what appears to be a steadily growing community news concept. Check it out at www. hamiltonpulse.com.

1861: THE MERCER COUNTY HOTEL - MILL HILL

One of the more fascinating aspect of this history project involves circling in on subjects in a specific folder; in this case, the "HOTELS" AND "CIVIL WAR" folders. The Mercer County Hotel was located across South Broad Street from the Mercer County Court House for many years.

1933: CUBAN CIGAR CO. - HENRY CLAY AND BOCK

The old Trenton Chamber of Commerce magazine "TRENTON" has many very nice photos and articles on Trenton during the time of the city's lively business climate. The Cuban Tobacco Company = Henry Clay and Bock companies seem to be among the numerous calls I have for information. This article is a very good source.

RALPH LUCARELLA said...

HI TOM...THAT CIGAR FACTORY ALONG WITH ROEBLING'S AND THE DOLL FACTORY WERE THE MAIN SOURCES OF EMPLOYMENT FOR MOST OF THE PEOPLE IN CHAMBERSBURG DURING THE PERIOD OF 1920 TO 1940, THE WOMEM IN THE CIGAR FACTORY WORE BLUE SMOCKS THAT SMELLED OF TOBACCO AND IT SEEMED THEY ALL WORKED THERE. MY MOTHER WAS A BUNCH MAKER AND MOST OF THEM WERE PAID PIECE WORK AND THEY WORKED IN GROUPS. MY FATHER SMOKED ONLY A PIPE AND HE USED THE CIGARS THERE, THE MEMORY OF THAT CIGAR FACTORY WILL FOREVER LINGER. BEST REGARDS.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Michael said...

Tom:
I can still visulize the three (3) cigar factories I remember; College and Division St. just behind Trenton Catholic, late became a furniture warehouse for Johnny Koslowski's stores.
South Clinton Ave. where Whittaker ave terminates, believe it became an pipe organ factory some twenty thirty years ago.
And of Course The "Grande" on Grand St. across from the Doll factory. Such an elegant building. Used to admire it while passing through to get to Jr.4 in the 40's. The elegance of that building.
Had a chance to buy it when the Tobacco company moved to Wilkes Barre PA, or was it Scranton. American Tobacco wanted to take a tax write off, and offered it to me for $50,000. closing before the end of the year. Could not convince anyone to take a shot with me, and a group bought it through Steve Segal the Commerical Broker. Last I heard it was turned into Condo's which were not selling very fast.
After my last visit to Trenton, I can understand why.

Can still smell the aroma.

Regards

Mike Kuzma

Thursday, March 29, 2012

LEON AND THIRZA MCGALLIARD HOME, WHITE HORSE

We are indebted to Mr. David McGalliard of Cheshire, CT for sharing many photos and artifacts relating to one of Hamilton Township's most prominent and historic families. Thirza (Sterling) McGalliard was the Principal of Homedell School for many years. The photo above is a "GOOGLE EARTH" view of the home as it is today, on the corner of White Horse Mercerville Road and Exton Avenue.

1905: WHEN HAMILTON WAS REALLY A RURAL COMMUNITY

WE'VE COME A LONG WAY, BABY!

2012: SUMMER'S COMIN' ON!

Above is a page from one of the handout sheets that I used in my summer sing along presentations at the Kuser Park Gazebo. Plans are in the works to start the summer season in June this year. In the meantime, all you visitors who are old enough to remember these songs, and all of you who can carry a tune, sing one or two to your grandchildren!

1855: THE ORIGIN OF RUDOLPH AND ROASALIE'S KUSER FARM,

The rare re-formatted clipping above is from 1855 when Timothy and William Lord acted as Administrators in selling the Benjamin Lord farm (Originally the John Lord Farm in Colonial years.) The photo is the entrance to the Kuser Farm on Kuser Road as it looked long before it became Chick and Nello's in 1939. This bit of history will be included in an onscreen presentation that I will be presenting at the Kuser Mansion some time in May. Details will be forthcoming.

1915: TRENTON INNS AND HOTELS IN EARLY YEARS

These little known historical articles are what will make this local history website invaluable now, and in future years as scholars, historians and other people who are delving into the historical heritage of Trenton, Hamilton and indeed, in Mercer County. My catch phrase, "Local History With a Personal Touch" melds very conveniently with the scholarly and historic past of our area with history that is buried incredibly deeply into those old newspaper files in my collection.

1930's HOMEDELL SCHOOL BASKETBALL TEAM

The two Dietrich are in the photo, there's a McKeever, an old neighbor of mine when I lived in Greenwood Village, George Deuringer, and I would bet that the Kalapis in the middle was from the family who had a gorcery store at the corner of Beal Street and South Olden Avenue.

1914: EAST TRENTON HEIGHTS - TODAY'S CORNELL HEIGHTS

This interesting real estate map advertising the Humbrecht Company's real estate venture, "East Trenton Heights." Over the years, the area has been re-named Cornell Heights.

2003: HISTORICAL SOCIETY TENT ON THE JOHN ABBOTT II LAWN

Were it not for Historical Society members like Georgiana Smith, Gordon Kontrath, and Dr. Jim Federici, there would not have been the successful lawn exhibit during my time as President of the Hamilton Historical Society. The above is one of the walls on the huge tent that the aforementioned members were instrumental in procuring. A selection of encapsulated (laminated) "headline" and advertising pages were posted on one wall of the tent and was very well received. 2003! NINE YEARS AGO! My Lord, how the time does fly!

2012: I REMEMBER RADIO - BROADCAST, AMATEUR, AND INTERCEPT

http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4d7a41334d6a51324f54633d0d0a&blogview=true

(In order to read some of the text in the above slide show graphics, use the PAUSE ("II" button.)

I spent 3 years in Uncle Sam's Army back in the 1950's in Uncle's Super Secret Cloak and Dagger outfit, the ASA, which was better known and still known today as the Army Security Agency. I was trained as a radio intercept operator, originally assigned MOS 1717, and later changed to an MOS of 058.3. (The 3 being the level of proficiency in receiving Morse Code. I finished with 32 WPM (Words per Minute) and my buddy Eric Wilkinson beat me out with 35. The regular army guys didn't like us too much. To counter their disdain for us, we would sing this song every morning on our way to the big red signal school building at Fort Devens. It is to the tune of "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean:"

"They call us the campus commandos,
Just Boy Scouts in Khaki are we,
But you ought to hear when we shudder,
Whenever they mention K P.
Boy Scouts, Boy Scouts, just boy scouts in khaki are we, are we,
Boy Scouts, Boy Scouts, just boy scouts in khaki are we."

I spent 9 months at Fort Devens, Massachusetts learning the ins and outs of the Collins R390 radio receiver and the various Hammerlund short wave receivers,at the same time learning to type as I learned the Morse code and upped my speed week by week. My typing speed had to keep up with my Morse receiving speed.....'twas a challenge, but being musically inclined, I was told by my instructor that my proficiency in reading Morse code was directly related to my musical abilities. I will be forever grateful to the U.S. Army for teaching me to type, for giving me the ability to get my amateur radio license, and for making a man out of me. GO ARMY!

2012: TRY GOING "FULL SCREEN"

TO GO BACK TO NORMAL VIEWING, GO TO
THE UPPER RIGHT CORNER OF YOUR SCREEN

AND CLICK ON THE SQUARE ICON (NEXT TO THE "X")

I will begin posting occasional on screen slide shows from selected folders using a "SMILEBOX" web link which you will click on and the slide show will be presented. The show is set to change graphics every 5 seconds. In order to hold the graphic, use the PAUSE icon in the lower left of the page.

Click on the link below to get an idea of "Previews of Coming Attractions:"

http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4d7a41334d5441784e6a493d0d0a&blogview=true

ALSO:

I am currently working on restoring all the many graphics that the "GOOGLE GOOF" laid on me. There are hundreds of them, and the process of restoring them requires digging back to the folder in which the deleted graphic is stored, uploading it, deleting that damn black square with the "!" in it, re-formatting the post, arrowing back to the next deleted graphic and starting the process all over again. This is a herculean task that will take quite a long time. I am repairing approximately 20 to 25 deleted posts per sitting; each sitting depending on when I find a convenient time. In the meantime, I ask ANY and ALL visitors who try to access a site with the missing graphic to email me at tglover320@optimum.net, and simple re-type the "TITLE" as I entered it on the missing graphic title page.

Omad said...

Tom, your dedication is amazing. Good luck with this project.

Monday, March 26, 2012

1935: COOK SCHOOL SAFETY PATROL

Many familiar family names in this photo of the boys on William G. Cook School in the Wilbur section of Trenton.

1909: DOWNTOWN TRENTON A CENTURY AGO

As you probably know by now, I am completely enamored by views of the city of Trenton, Hamilton, Ewing, Pennington, Hopewell, Titusville and other locales in Mercer County. This gorgeous old 1909 post card view of South Broad Street looking north is one of those objects of my affecion.

1906: E.C. HUTCHINSON OF HUTCHINSON'S MILLS

Aha! So now you know where Hamilton's fabled Hutchinson's Mills came from. This 106 year old invoice for 100 pounds of flour for Hamilton Square's Doctor Wilbur shows the incredible price of $2.00. That's not two dollars a pound. Two dollars per hundred pounds. Talk about inflation!

1936: THE KLOCKNER AREA MINSTRELS

This is a nice reproduction of an August 1936 photo of the minstrels who performed for area residents at the Klockner School. Once again, numerous familiar family names are listed along with applicable photographs

1945: A THANK YOU NOTE FROM HHS 1945

Miss Louise Baird was the vocal music teacher at Hamilton High School. Among the countless things she taught us was the ability of music to raise the human spirit and elevate it to an incredibly wonderful experience; lifting the soul to unimaginable heights. This year, I will once again try to raise that spirit in the few music lovers who will come to Kuser Park for an afternoon of good old fashioned sing along music; indeed, as my program is known, "THE MUSIC WE GREW UP WITH." The graphic above came from a class of '45 Hornet who was on the committe for the HHS 1945 reunion. Over the years, I have presented the program to the Trenton High Class of 1942, Hamilton's class of 1942, Hamilton 1949, and perhaps more, but time seems to dim those memories. Misty eyes proliferated as we sang the songs that brought back pleasant memories of that first dance, first girl or boy friend, and the songs that were on the "Big Top Ten" during those years. Music does indeed have a soul touching ability. It is one of the many gifts our Lord has bestowed upon mankind.

RALPH LUCARELLA said...

HI TOM....I CAN RECALL THE DANCE FLOORS AT THE MANY CARNIVALS BACK IN THE 1930'S. THE CHARGE WAS 10 CENTS A DANCE AND THE FLOOR WAS PACKED ALL NIGHT. THEY MUST HAVE DONE WELL TO AFFORD THE BIG BANDS IN THE RADIO DAYS. I NEVER LEARNED TO DANCE UNTIL MY GIRL FRIEND TAUGHT ME. THEN I SLOWLY PLAYED LESS BASEBALL AND GOT TO WATCH THOSE DANCERS AND LISTEN TO THOSE BIG BANDS. BEST REGARDS.

Friday, March 23, 2012

1945: BILL COLLIS - A HAMILTON HIGH FAVORITE (ESPECIALLY WITH THE GIRLS!)

While all of us guys were admiring the countless lovely HHS coeds back in my high school years, those same girls got that warm fluttering heart feeling when male faculty members Harold Bills, Howard Parrish, Dick Watson and the gentleman above made an appearance in their uniforms. Bill Collis, along with those aforementioned male teachers were the perfect role models for those of us males who were just evolving toward manhood.

2010; KUSER FARM PARK BLATANT PARKING VIOLATIONS

Will the 2012 season at Kuser Farm Park continue to experience these blatant parking violations? How any driver can ignore that very prominent "NO PARKING ON BOTH SIDES" sign and not be ticketed is a true mystery. The white car in front is less than 3 feet from the sign! Throughout the week, Hamilton Township workers at Kuser Farm spend hours diligently maintaining the lawns, flower beds, and other amenities at Kuser Farm Park. Here we go with another season, and as in the past few years, strategically placed and PROMINENT no parking signs will be glibly ignored. With the proliferation of parking violations on weekends, the township is passing up the financial benefits of moneys garnered with any fines imposed on the violators. During the past few years, this blatant parking situation has been a common practice, making one wonder why not remove the signs all together?

Sally Logan Gilman said...

Hi Tom: Speaking of Kuser Farm Park, that's a gorgeous spring pix of the park in all its flowering glory at the top of your web page. I love the green background too -- so fitting for this beautiful season. I'm sorry about the cars on the grass -- people are so careless and they are probably well aware that as violators, they will not be penalized. Regards

Friday, March 23, 2012

VISIT TOM GLOVER'S HAMILTON HIGH WEB PAGE!

I am (and have been) exercising "author's privilege" over the past month with my Trenton Times "Sentimental Journey" column and my posts here on "Tom Glover's Hamilton Scrapbook" centered on Hamilton High School ("West-Watson). Be patient, all you non HHS alumni, it will be all over after March 31st when journey over to Mercer Oaks for what could be our final reunion. Anyone who has followed my "The Way We Were," "A Look Back," and "Sentimental Journey" columns over the past 30-plus years know that I have written extensively as I took a retrospective look back at my Kuser Grammar school and Hamilton High school years. It's an emotional and nostalgic thing. Apparently my writings have had a modicum of success or I certainly wouldn't be tolerated in today's competitive journalistic society. So bear with me, all you who are "ho humming" my school retrospectives. I am still injecting my normal historical photos and articles. In the meantime, any newcomers to this site can take a look at www.hhs51.blogspot.com. It not only covers "The Class with Class." (1952), but all other years as well.

REMEMBERING THE TRENTON GIANTS

Many baseball-minded visitors to this web site who have silver in their hair will remember the late, great, Trenton Giants Class "B" Interstate League team whose home field was on the Brunswick Circle and known as Dunn Field. The Trenton Giants team was the farm club of the New York Giants who played at New York City's Polo Grounds; another memory for those of us with silver or no hair. How I loved to listen to those games on WBUD, 1490 on the dial with studios on the second floor of the Prior Drug Store on the corner of Bridge Street and South Pennsylvania Avenue in Morrisville, Pennsylvania. Bus Saidt and Bill Hildenbrand's broadcasts were as good as any big time radio announcer of the day. (Byrum Saam, Mel Allen, Red Barber, Vince Scully, etc.)

Here's a little quiz for my fellow old timers:
Wilmington, Sunbury, Lancaster, York, Hagerstown, and Harrisburg. Assuming that you understand that Pittsburg is the PIRATES, Cincinnati is the REDS etc., finish the team names in the listing above. Also let me know if I forgot any of those interstate league teams.
No fair using Wikipedia! I took these out of my head and I expect you to do likewise!

RALPH LUCARELLA said...

HI TOM...I COULD RECALL WHEN WILLIE MAYS WAS SCHEDULED TO REPORT TO THE TRENTON GIANTS AND HE DID'NT SHOW UP. WHEN HE FINALLY SHOWED THEY WERE SHOCKED AT HIS ABILITY IN THE OUTFIELD. WILBUR JACKSON WAS THE PLAYER I ADMIRED. BEST REGARDS.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Tom Glover said...

I remember WIllie's time as a Giant. I was a fan of Mo Cunningham and Wilbur Jackson. Remember Pete Pavlik?

Tom Glover

Thursday, March 22, 2012