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Thursday, May 16, 2013

1840's abd 1869: THE FABLED GREENE STREET MARKET

It took quite a bit of Photoshopping to bring more detail into this old news photo. However, one can get a good idea of the Greene Street Market. 

 
Back in the day it was not unusual to see a butcher, whip in hand, driving a beef steer in the rural streets of Trenton on his way to the slaughter house. Chances are the meat from that steer would end up at the Greene Street Market. It was a veritable supermarket of the 1800's where food, farm fruits and vegetables, and countless other stalls offered their wares to local customers. The Department of Health would cringe today if they saw the way perishable meat was on display. Many stalls selling perishable products wrapped some in newspapers, and the rest were on display and at the mercy of the flies and other insects that were drawn to the tasty food. I would bet that more than one customer became seriously ill due to the unsanitary conditions at that old downtown market.

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