1941: NORTH BROAD STREET AT THE BATTLE MONUMENT

The high definition photo of one of Trenton's most historic spots also shows an historical photo of the Monument House; a popular local gathering place back in the late 19th and up to the mid 20th century. It is believed that the building was constructed in 1888 by a gentleman named McClurg. The Google Earth view below shows the current site; a vacant lot.

1926:WILBUR'S GETHSEMANE BAPTIST CHURCH

This gorgeous vintage photo of Trenton's Gethsemene Baptist Church, like neighboring St. James P.E. Church has been vacated and is now the home of the Macedonia Baptist Church community. The tree in the foreground is long gone. A CVS pharmacy now occupies the lot on the left, out of the picture. The graphic below shows the home page banner of the current tenants of what was Gethsemane Baptist Church at 1300 Greenwood Avenue. Macedonia Baptist Church acquired the property on November 2, 1980.

 I have removed all comments relating to my original post wherein I mis-spelled Gethsemane, (Thanks Alan W. for the correction.) I have removed the comments that revolved around my choice of words and re-posting the entire page for the benefit of future visitors who are using the net to search for "Gethsemane Baptist Church." I didn't like the direction in which my original description was written and the veiled controversy accompanying it.

1946: WEST STATE AND WARREN STREET

I have a tremendous soft spot for photos of the downtown Trenton of my youth. It is truly an wonderful experience to maximize the size of these beautiful Maxwell photos. With a bit of imagination which is innate in most of us who knew and loved the Trenton of the 30's, 40's and 50's we can spend a few fleeting moments gazing upon a scene that will never again be experienced.

IN 2013 MY DEAR WIFE JUDY AND I WILL REACH THE GOLDEN AGE OF 80. WITH AGING COMES MENTAL LAPSES. WHY AM I TELLING YOU THIS?  

WELL, IN A CLASSIC CASE OF SENILITY, ABSENT-MINDEDNESS, OR JUST PLAIN STUPIDITY, I LABELED THIS PHOTO AS STATE AND WILLOW AND I KNEW AS WELL AS ALL YOU FOLKS WHO CORRECTED ME THAT IT WAS WARREN STREET. 

 THANKS TO ALL YOU FOLKS FOR KEEPING ME HONEST! PLEASE KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR FUTURE GOOF UPS BY THIS AGING BRAIN! 

This R.C. Maxwell/Duke University Library closeup of the intersection of Calhoun Street and Bellevue Avenue is a pristine view of the area as it appeared 63 years ago.Each time I post one of these beautiful photos of various Trenton neighborhoods, I am reminded of a time when Trenton and its environs was a beautiful place.

1909: GROPP'S LAKE READY FOR MEMORIAL DAY

Here is another of those poorly defined offset photos that are so prevalent in early 1900's newspaper photos. However, one can get a general idea of the scene depticed. In the background can be seen Mr. Struble's Lakeside Hotel; a very popular location which was once located on South Broad Street at Lakeside Boulevard.

1949: CONSTRUCTION TO BEGIN ON NEW ST. ANTHONY CHURCH

Let me see.....I started out as a parishioner at St. Paul's P.E. on Centre Street church way back in 1939. Then it was on to St. James P.E. Church on Greenwood Avenue until the mid 1940's. Then, I was attracted to that little church on Liberty and Wesley in Hamilton where I stayed for a year or so and left after I felt that then Pastor Rev. Graham was rabidly anti-Catholic and stopped going there. Then, in the early 1950's when I married into an Irish Catholic family., I became a convert to the Roman Catholic faith. The Britton family's youngest daughter Judy became my wife and with the Brittons being among the first parishioners at St. Anthony's, I was impressed with their steadfast devotion to devotion and took "instructions" with then Father Leonard Toomey, the man who should have been a Bishop. Unfortunately, shabby treatment of our singing group "Wings of Song" led to our family moving on to Sacred Heart, which fittingly is the oldest parish in the state of New Jersey.

1897: ST. FRANCIS HOSPITAL

This delightful early engraving of St. Francis Hospital is an exquisite view of the legendary Trenton landmark during the time of Sister Hyacintha. Indeed, her greenhouse can be seen in the lower right in the graphic. In 1897, the Daily State Gazette did a multi-page feature on the city of Trenton. The pages have been encapsulated in crystal laminate and preserved for posterity.

1931: 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF ROEBLING ARRIVAL IN TRENTON

The front page says it all, but there is a continuation of this article (Page 2) which has yet to be digitized. It is a multi-column continuation, and will require substantial time to format into legible content. Almost every old time resident of the Trenton area had a relative or friend who worked at the John A. Roebling plant on South Broad Street in Trenton. During my time at a ball and roller bearing company, I was on a first name basis with Paul Toth who was the Purchasing Agent in the 40's and 50's. I also remember C.G. Benninghoff, one of the upper management personnel.

1909: TRENTON EXPANDS IT BOUNDARIES

Here is an interesting 1907 map by Abram Swan that shows the various "neighborhoods" that were annexed and became a part of "Greater Trenton." Even though it looks like a huge metropolis, many of the annexed areas were moving gradually from rural status.

1935: CATHEDRAL HIGH SCHOOL PRESENTS " A CHRISTMAS FANTASY"

Chances are pretty good that at least one visitor to this site will recognize one or more names in the photo arrangements above. Unless a visitor corrects me, I believe that Cathedral was "Co-ed" during this time.

1876: "PATRIOT'S WEEK" 1876

This fascinating look at the events surrounding the 100th anniversary of the Revolutionary Ware and the town of Trenton gives a pretty complete portrait of the activities that were part of the celebration. Unfortunately, the page had a hole in it and a small part of the original text is missing.

1916 and 1925: FROM MY "POLISH-AMERICAN" FOLDER

My best friend today, and growing up as a boy was Don Slabicki. Don and I lived just around the corner from me on Sylvan Avenue. We both worked for Fred Kuser as young boys, doing odd jobs and caring for the Kuser Mansion when the Kusers were away at Jackson, New Hampshire in the summer, and wintering in Florida. Don taught me to appreciate Polka music, and taught me a number of Polish words, even teaching me to count from 1 to ten. "Yeden, Dva, etc.." The Polish immigrants like the Italians andmost immigrants during the early 20th century, came to this country for a better life. Unlike today, many of them attended night school in order to become more familiar with the English language and the customs of their new country. The graphic above is an example of the mark these wonderful people made in the city of Trenton. Wenczel Tile, N.J. Porcelain, and I'm sure many others were responsible for the success to those of Polish extraction.

1893: DEDICATION OF TRENTON'S BATTLE MONUMENT

 

The above graphics have been extracted and enhanced using the available engravings and information from the 1893 October "MONUMENT EDITION" in the Trenton "DAILY TRUE AMERICAN" newspaper. I have added the color and other outside graphics. The week following Christmas will be Trenton's annual celebration of "PATRIOT'S WEEK."

1934: CROSSWICKS AND CHESTERFIELD MINI HISTORY

For years, I, and countless other historians, have maintained that one of the best sources of local history is found in our local newspapers. My treasured collection of bound volumes of the Trenton Times, Daily True American, and Daily State Gazette are providing a treasure trove of little known historic treasures. The above graphic is an example. Just over that covered bridge in Groveville lies the historic town of Crosswicks. The above graphic has been painstakingly re-constructed, tweaked and reduced in size to give you an exquisite view of a full page from the Trenton Sunday Times Advertiser. In 1934, the Advertiser devoted front page sections to towns and villages in the Mercer County area. There will be more full page histories in the future.

1909-1911: EVOLUTION OF NEIGHBORHOODS IN THE "LALOR TRACT"

These two graphics show the evolution of the area along Lalor Street that includes Remson, Home, Virginia, and other familiar South Trenton neighborhoods whose real estate planning was laid out in the year1909.

 

1911: THE NEW JERSEY STATE FAIR

In the early years it was known as the Interstate Fair. Indeed, over the years it has been known as "the fair," "the state fair," "George Hamid's State Fair," and I'm sure there are numerous other names that come to mind. We just called it "the fair." What a sad day it was when the fair left Hamilton Township and set up came in South Jersey. We lost a wonderful attraction that spanned the calendar year from January to December, with July 4th fireworks, the annual September fair, and of course, nationally televised auto races. 

1936: THE ABRAMS BROTHERS: MARSH TRAPPERS

We've all heard scary stories relating to the Abrams brothers who lived hermit lives in a shack way back in "the marshes" a in the Broad Street Park area. For all you folks who remember these two unusual characters, here's the full story on what they do and how they do it. On a personal note, I find something fascinating about living in the wild as free spirits as those two boys did back in the 1930's and 40's. I would assume that they made a respectable living with the wildlife they trapped. 

The First Baptist Church on Centre Street in South Trenton has a splendid historical heritage. The article above, gleaned from my collection gives a very interesting look at what was originally known as the Trenton and Lamberton Baptist Church. It took a fair amount of cutting, copying and pasting to bring this history into a single readable page. The original full page of this article has been permanently encapsulated in laminate and preserved in pristine condition.

The ground laying ceremony for the new Trenton City Hall was an exciting event for local citizens back in the years when Trenton was a viable, beautiful, and safe city. We old timers who recall the Trenton of yesterday long for a return to civility and hope the old girl, like Phoenix,  with the assistance of the countless Trentonians who care, can rise from the ashes. 

2012 Marks the 20th year that I have been searching for definitive information on Hamilton Township's CAMP OLDEN. Back in 1992, I wrote a column relating to the Lawton brothers and their service record during the Civil War. In that article, I quoted Henry Lawton and his hopes that a monument would be constructed on the approximate site to commemorate this historic Civil War location. Henry's idea was a boulder or other marker at the foot of Johnston Avenue and Hamilton, adjoining the Lawton farm. Almost immediately after my Mercer Messenger column was distributed to the public, I began receiving emails and phone calls, and the result was Hamilton's current monument at the intersection of Hamilton and Liberty Streets in Trenton. As to my search for Camp Olden, it has evolved into a very very deep search into very very obscure venues, and will continue onward. There was a hand drawn map of the camp, but the local True American newspaper didn't have the ability to reproduce graphics and the drawing slipped into oblivion; what a shame. 

1946: GROPP'S WHITE HORSE TAVERN

THIS IS ONE OF THE LATER VIEWS OF THE WHITE HORSE TAVERN AS IT APPEARED IN 1946. IT IS A SAD FACT THAT MANY OF HAMILTON TOWNSHIP'S HISTORIC LANDMARKS FELL TO THE WRECKER'S BALL. THE BROMLEY INN IS NOW BOARDED UP AND ON THE ENDANGERED LIST. 

Circa 1921: SOUTH BROAD AT FACTORY STREET LOOKING NORTH

This photo gives a relatively clear view of the merchants who once peopled "the hill" area of South Broad Street. You will notice miniscule variations in contrast and brightness in this modified photo, as I tried to bring out the names and details on the signs. A beautiful photo of downtown Trenton during the roaring 20's!

1912: PENNINGTON AVENUE IN THE INGHAM AVENUE-RESERVOIR AREA

This isnteresting old photo from the Gazette is relatively clear when compared to many offset photos from the early 20th century. As to the actual location on Pennington Avenue, a Google search showed that we are in the area of the reservoir, Ingham Avenue, and environs. The Monument Pottery was located on the Trenton side of Ingham Avenue.

From the ever-growing "CIVIL WAR" folder in the Hamilton Library's Local History digital collection, this article relating to the veterans of the Second N.J. Brigade. Like today's WWII generation, survivors of the war between the states were dwindling.

VISIT THE LOCAL CAMP OLDEN CIVIL WAR ROUNDTABLE SITE  WWW.CAMPOLDEN.ORG 

1912: WILLIAM PATTON HOWE'S PENNINGTON

I had the privilege of knowing this gentleman from my numerous visits to Pennington with Fred "Fritz" Kuser, husband of Edna Howe Kuser and Fritz's father in law, whom he always referred to as cordially as "Mayor." Mr. Howe was the consummate gentleman. His calm and soft spoken manner genetically passed along to his children. Edna was one of the most wonderful women I have met in all my years, and she was a true influence in my life. I miss her with that incredible disarming smile and personality. Note: This clipping has been painstakingly tweaked and otherwise enhanced from a very poorly aged original. You will note that the lower part of the text is missing; a testament to the fragile pulp paper stock which was used during the early 20th century.

1912: WASHINGTON A. ROEBLING, TITANIC VICTIM

Included in the huge collection of bound Trenton newspapers in my collection is a number of pages detailing the horrible Titanic disaster. One of the victims of the disaster was a lady who resided in the Bromley section of Hamilton Township. Eventually there will be digitized graphics relating to the disaster posted in the "TITANIC" folder of the Hamilton Library's Local History Collection and also on this website.

1905:MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM KAUFMAN'S

When I was a boy, Goldberg's had the only "Toyland" that a kid wanted. Everything from the lusted for "Red Ryder" bee bee gun, to a Gilbert Erector Set, a Gilbert Chemistry Set, a Gilbert "American Flyer" train set, or a Tom Mix cowboy outfit. This 107 year old ad for toys from Kaufman's Department store is enough to warm the hearts of those who collect antique toys. Everything on that page would be worth a small fortune today.

1923: NOTTINGHAM WAY AT HAMILTON AVENUE

Perhaps other visitors can verify the orientation of this 88 year old photo of the intersection of Hamilton Avenue with Nottingham Way. I believe the lower view was taken with the camera man standing on Hamilton Avenue and looking toward Nottingham Way. The auto in the top photo is heading toward Trenton and points west, according to that the LITTLE sign in the top photo, (next to the telephone pole) which gives directions to Pennsylvania and the bridge. This is an incredibly interesting and early Hamilton Township photo. The directory lists the NOTTINGHAM GARAGE as being on Hamilton Avenue, even though in the photo it appears to front on Nottingham Way.

1887 TAYLOR OPERA HOUSE

During its heyday, the Taylor Opera House was THE entertainment venue for those interested in Vaudeville, theater, and other thespian endeavors. It was located on the site of  Trenton's Capitol Theater. Many nationally known performers appeared at the Taylor Opera House which was originally known as Taylor Hall.

This closeup view of East State Street opposite the U.S. Post Office on a rainy day is a fascinating glimpse of downtown Trenton during the height of the Great Depression. In the distance the old railroad crossing can be seen, running along Canal Street.

1872: BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF CHAMBERSBURG

This incredible view of the Borough of Chambersburg as it appeared scarcely 90 plus years after the battle of Trenton, show just how rural that highly populated area of today was. During my many many years of historical research, I have read about and chronicled the reminiscences of many old time residents of "the Burg" who told of the corn fields, orchards, and wild life in what was once a very rural area of Trenton. This is a huge graphic, and takes up an equally huge portion of my computer's hard drive; however, maintaining the high resolution is imperative in order to give you, the viewer, a pristine illustration of that historic Trenton district..

1916 MOTT SCHOOL MINI HISTORY

 The Mott School was the successor to one of Nottingham Township's first school houses in South Trenton. When Hamilton Township was formed in 1842, that section of what was then Nottingham Township wa annexed to the city of Trenton. The above story by young Mott student Jeanette Willey tells is a mini history of that great old school which still stands today on Trenton's Centre Street.

1909: THE NEW KUSER SCHOOL

As a loyal "Kuser Kat" going way back to 1939, I have had a consuming interest in that great old neighborhood school on Newkirk Avenue in Hamilton. It was here that I learned not only the fundamentals of the ABC's but also penmanship, music, poise, confidence and above all, discipline and self control. I hasten to add that most of my generation also were gifted with these fundamentals and the added grammar school advantages during their respective attendance at their grammar school. Above is an article detailing the opening ceremony attending the new *Rosalie Kuser School in Hamilton.

*This name persisted for a short time; named after the wife of Rudolph Kuser whose farm was across the Pond Run Road from his son Frederick's farm. 

1902: TRENTON LIBRARY 110 YEARS AGO

Here's a composite vignette showing various locations in the Trenton Free Public Library on Academy Street in Trenton. The quality of the originals we quite "washed out," and with a bit of Photoshopping, there is at least a better view of the various departments. 

1935: THE DONNELLY HOMES UNDER CONSTRUCTION

They tried awfully hard to furnish affordable housing to Trentonians back in 1940. Those homes lasted quite a few years, but as I understand it, they fell into serious dis-repair. This development was constructed at the same time as the Lincoln Homes on Old Rose Street.

1935: SITE OF THE FUTURE GLEN CAIRN ARMS APARTMENTS

Back in my younger years, the Glen Cairn Arms facility was peopled by the more affluent citizens of the city of Trenton. My wife's Aunt and Uncle lived there for many years. Here's a rather pristine Times photo which was tweaked and enhanced for digitization and presented herewith. Today, those old apartments have fallen into disrepair and are no longer the home of our more affluent Trentonians. More on the Glen Cairn Arms can be found in the "LABELS" (Index" column over on the right side of this screen.

This is an interesting view of North Broad and Acadamy Street, 1922. King's furniture store was a very popular shopping venue for those who were looking for quality furniture, as was "Smith's" across Academy and a bit up North Broad.

1922: BEAUTIFUL R.C. MAXWELL VIEW CENTER CITY TRENTON

The top graphic above is a closer view of the Wilson store that stood on the southeast corner of State and Broad for so many years. I tweaked the darker with contrast and brightness controls to bring out as much detail as possible from the pristine original seen below. This is center city Trenton 90 years ago; truly a "todelin' town," to borrow a line from Frank Sinatra.