This pristine view of the intersection of Liberty Street and Chestnut Avenue at Lalor Street is a familiar scene to those who traveled the streets of the Trenton of yesteryear. The intersection hasn't changed much since then, to today there would be no R.C. Maxwell sign visible. Our automobile historian Ray Paskiewicz will identify that "torpedo" auto with the fender skirts we see on the right in the photo. At first glance it looks like it could be a Buick, but I am not a reliable source of identity on this particular view. Ray? He could see a red tail light on a 1937 Ford and identify the car!
6 comments:
Tom:
As mentioned earlier, my son Mike Jr. the antique collector, brought me an old (1800's) City of Trenton Engineers plat for my recent birthday. Liberty St. as you describe it in this post, was known on the map he brought me as "Pond Run" The plat also shows Pond Run (Liberty St.) with it terminus at Lalor St. at the St. John's RC Cememtary which we both know as Sacred Heart.
Regards
Mike Kuzma
Hi Tom, I had to go on Google maps, to check out Chestnut and Lalor, I couldn't picture it in my mind. Two famous names, if you have been around Trenton for as long as I have, Duffy Tire and Tilden Brakes. Remember them well. As regards the 1941 Buick Sedan, it is a Special or Century series. No difference from this view. However, Tom, it has no fender skirts. When that double spear molding is at the rear of the fender, as on this car, it never came from the factory with skirts, as this molding would be on the skirt. No hubcap either: he lost it going over one of the Trenton winter pot holes. LOL rayfromvillapark
The only major change between 1948 and today is the billboards are missing. The corner lot and properties are pretty much the same. Across Lalor, to the ledft is St. John's R.C. Cemetery. I'm pretty sure that Lalor Garden Apartments had not yet been built. That land existed as open fields until the 1950s or so.
Not too far away were The Fields that lead to Sturgey and the Swamps that ran outside of Deutzville. This was the gateway to our beloved "wilderness" where we behaved as boys do when not in sight of their parents or other adults. ;-)
Bill: Isn't St. John's Cemetery to the right and across from Stokely Avenue to the south of Route 29? I sort of lost my directional bearings here.
Tom
Hi, Tom,
Merry Chrsitmas and Happy New Year!
I had to check, and am pleased to report my brain was OK - this time, anyway. ;-) St. John's is at the point where Liberty and Chestnut meet Lalor. To the west a bit (across the tracks, which was another huge point of reference for us) is Riverview Cemetery - across from Stokely Van Camp's cannery. Riverview Cemetery ran all the way from Lalor St. south to the Trenton Babe Ruth field and the Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Training Center (where I enlisted).
There were nice piles of composting leaves at the back of the cemetery property where we dug red wiggler worms. After a short walk, we were at the Marine Terminal drowning them on a hook, trying to catch channel catfish.
It was really the grand life for kids, back then.
Tom:
I sent in a detailed post on this item, and again, it seems not to have arrived. Is there a problem?
I noted that on the old Engineering plat that my son Mike Jr. brought me down for Christmas and originated in the 1800;s, it shows Liberty St. than known as Pond Run. It the intersected shows it runs in to the RC Church Cememtary that was known as
St.John's which we now attend (when up north) as Sacred Heart.
Mike Kuzma
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