These two photos are views of the State and Broad I knew as a youth. The graphic on top is an enlarged view taken from the bottom photo in order to get a better view of the store fronts of the legendary Trenton "5 & 100 cent store, or as they were more familiarly known, "Five and Dimes." The "S-Spruce Street" bus is clearly in view. What a joy it was to be part of those crowds that once swarmed into center city Trenton. Warm memories come to my mind as a look at the top photo and see that bus at the curb. Were this a Thursday night during that era, one would see a blue 1941 DeSoto idling behind the bus stop, where officer Chet Hughes let me wait until a few minutes after nine O'clock when my wife to be Judy would hop in for a ride home.
Thanks Tom,
ReplyDeleteI know you do this as a labor of love and it reflects your great heart. The pictures bring back wonderful memories as I have not been back to my home town for over 50 years. But I remember State and Broad, Trenton Junior College and the most beautiful Water Power Canal which Route 29 destroyed. And Stacy Park which was emasculated for parking lots and buildings. Trenton had so much going for it (and still has some things) but very poor decisions were made by leaders without vision to change the geography and ecology of a beautiful city along the Delaware.
Again, thanks for your soulful
work.
Thank YOU! It's messages like yours that makes all the effort worthwhile. Even though we don't seem to be recognized by neighboring libraries and educational institutions, we sure do light the lamps of nostalgia with the nostalgic segment of this website.
ReplyDeleteTom
HI TOM.....THOSE PHOTOS SURE SHOW HOW MUCH THE PEOPLE OF TRENTON SHOPPED DOWN TOWN. THE FIVE AND DIMES WERER PROBABLY THE MOST POPULAR STORES AMONG MANY DEPT SHOPS AND JEWELERY PLACES. AS A KID, GOING DOWN TOWN WAS LIKE A BIG ADVENTURE AND MUCH DIFFERENT THAN HANGING AROUND CHAMBERBURG. I HOPE THE CITY RETURNS TO THE GREAT THRILL OF THE PAST. REGARDS.
ReplyDeleteHi Tom: What a treat to open your website this a.m. and find this wonderful picture of downtown Trenton. I loved it and miss it still. It was clean, safe and always a great place to be. We all owe you so much, Tom, for keeping our memories of our Trenton alive. I too loved the Water Power, "Shaky Bridge,'' the log basin and other spots of my youth. It broke my heart to drive Route 29 from West Trenton to downtown and see what was done to our city. I do not know if I will ever get back to my hometown. So, I visit through your website. Regards
ReplyDeleteHi Tom: What a surprise to open your website this a.m. and see the wonderful shot of one of my favorite spots. Downtown Trenton was clean, safe and always a great place to be. We all owe you so much, Tom, for keeping our memories of Trenton alive. I too loved the Water Power, "shaky bridge,'' log basin. It broke my heart to drive Route 29 from West Trenton to downtown and see what has become of my hometown. Tom, I do not know if I will ever be able to visit Trenton again so I rely on you to keep me in touch with my Trenton. Thank you so much. Regards
ReplyDelete