1937: WEST STATE AND WILLOW STREET

Here's a zoomed in view from the Duke University Library R.C. Maxwell file number XXX3527 which gives a beautiful closeup of the Stacy Trent and Hildebrecht hotels including the Llewellen corner drug store as it looked in the year 1937.

1955: JUST A FEW OF MY MEMORIES OF TEEN AGE "EATERIES"

Above is a column I wrote many years ago telling of a few of our teen age destinations either before or after a date with that special someone. Somewhere among the thousand plus columns I have written over the years is the story of a legendary hot dog stand known to many of my generation as "Dirty Bill's" up along the River Road in Yardley just a bit away from the bridge. These were years right out of the movie "Grease" where we were in the bloom of youth. We guys had raging hormones, and the girls had that special femininity which can be liked to fresh, newly matured gorgeous flowers. In those years before the in your face sex we find in the media, the girls were home taught in the area of social behavior while we boys CHASED girls that were CHASTE. Read the above article and let's go back for a very few precious minutes to a much simpler and less complicated time. 

1936: TRENTON'S "BROOKVILLE BRIDGE"

I will defer to old time former and present residents of the Brookville section of Trenton for any information on this vintage photo of "The Brookville Bridge," taken in 1936. The Brookville area is along the Riverside Drive-Sanhican Drive area. I was told that years ago, a tile manufacturing company was located in the Brookville area. That tile company was the predecessor of the American Biltrite Rubber Company. Perhaps a local visitor familiar with the area can fill us in.

1912: DEVELOPMENT OF THE CUYLER ST. AREA

Neighborhood development history is exciting. It gives one the chance to know when a neighborhood had it beginnings. Here's a plat map of the Cuyler, Cook. and Ardmore area which was quite suburban back in 1912.

1949: SOUTH BROAD STREET AT FRONT ST.

I really love this photo. It is an area of Trenton close to Goldberg's; which was my favorite place when I was a boy. Their "Toyland" was beyond compare. Later in my young life, I worked in the mens; wear department at Gimbels with Mrs. Whitebread, the mother of one of my Kuser grammar school sweethearts. Then, along came Swern;s and Santa's annual climb up the ladder to the second floor of the store, and finally, Lit Brother's took over. With the social unrest, rioting and pillaging of the town back in the sick sixties, all those great old landmark stores left town.

1949: NO. OLDEN AVENUE EXTENSION AT PENNINGTON ROAD

PETE SAPNAR, THANK YOU FOR CORRECTING MY ERROR!  It was I who gave the incorrect information that this was a view of Pennington Road "heading toward the city of Trenton." Thanks to the sharp eye of Peter, it is really North Olden Avenue Extension heading toward Parkway Avenue.


A CORRECTION FROM FACEBOOK 
VISITOR PETE SPANAR:
Pete Sapnar The photo captioned "1949: Pennington Rd at No. Olden Ave Extension" is mislabeled as the camera is looking up No. Olden Ave. The cross road is Pennington Rd. Note the sign pointing to the right leading to Ewingville and Flemington and pointing left to go to Trenton

Following is the re-written information which will correct the error:
 This was familiar territory for me back in 1952 when I was employed in the very beginning of what would be a dead end career at the Trenton Bearing Company at 1812 North Olden Avenue Extension. Frank Ayres' Esso station is on the right, and across the street one of my many lunch time stops, a littl shack on No. Olden Avenue where a guy I only recall as "Frank" offered the most delicious Italian sausage sandwiches you could imagine

1940: INTERESTING PHOTO ROUTE 33 AT GREENWOOD CEMETERY

Here's an interesting view of NottinghamWay at Greenwood Cemetery. In the distance you can see the continuation of Nottingham Way and Greenwood Avenue to the left. The "Cottage Counter" is on the right. today there's a pizza restaurant at this location, The Cape Cod style building housing the Cottage Counter is long gone.

1922: THE ROARING TWENTIES IN TRENTON NJ

This exquisite  R.C. Maxwell-Duke University Library photo taken from the area of Trenton's City Hall has remarkable detail. I have brightened up the dark areas and balanced the overall contrast in this photo with PhotoShop. It was originally scanned in color in the Maxwell Duke library  instead of gray scale. Converting to gray scale allowed for enhancement as seen in the photo.

1941: SO. BROAD STREET AT GREENWOOD AND CENTRE STREET

This is a beautiful R.C. Maxwell copyrighted photo of the "Green-Mar" area of Trenton, adjacent to Trenton's Sacred Heart Church; the oldest parish in the State of New Jersey which is celebrating its 200th anniversary in this year of 2014. Note the predecessor to Samuel F.B. Light. Note also the Gulf station that is long gone and replaced by a vacant lot.

2014: MY SUNDAY "SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY" COLUMN IN THE TIMES

Thanks to Mr. Dennis Hawver of West Windsor for this interesting link to the 1950's in the Delaware Valley.  

Dennis wrote:
 
Liked your Sunday column on earlier TV. Here's a video from only 58 years ago (only???)

Notice all the things and places that aren't there anymore!
Thought you might like to re-see a little history ---

This is a Mid-Fifties slice of life and landscape in Philadelphia and its surrounding towns, with excellent color footage of downtown scenes, neighborhoods, the Mummers Parade, Levittown, factories in Camden, NJ, and many other subjects that can no longer be seen.

It was produced at the time by WPTZ Channel 3, now known as KYW CBS 3. Pete Boyle Sr., father of Pete Boyle, cast member of Everybody Loves Raymond, had a children's show and is briefly shown in this clip. Some good shots of Dock Street as well. Notice too that all the cars shown are American!

CLICK ON LINK BELOW

http://www.archive.org/details/Miracleo1955

1946: "LEST WE FORGET:" VILLA PARK REMEMBERS

It took a little longer than I usually do to put together this graphic, but my admiration and respect for our men in women in uniform serving our country is a small sacrifice. Here we see that those citizens of one of Trenton's lovely neighborhoods also had respect and admiration for their native residents who served in World War II.

2014: "LOVE; IT'S WHAT MAKES A SUBARU A SUBARU"

Truer words were never spoken! My Impreza literally walks on the snow. Here's my two driveways that were made passable by my Subaru Impreza that is seen in my garage.

1941: GRAND OPENING OF THE WHITE HORSE BOWLING ACADEMY

I dare say that grand old bowling palace was the most popular venue back in the day. I wasn't and am not a bowling person, but most of my buddies were. Indeed, I would guess that most of the local community visited this legendary bowling academy at one time or another.

2014: WOW, THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS!

Bill Klek is, and has been a regular visitor to this website. He is also an accomplished researcher who has found numerous items for which I have been searching. Yesterday I received this email from Bill and was very pleased to see that we are considered a source. Thanks very much for this much appreciated "shot in the arm!"

MESSAGE FROM BILL KLEK:
 
Tom:

I finally got a reply from the library of congress. The researcher went above and beyond trying to find any diagram, picture, sketch; did a great job searching numerous resources. But in the end, no luck. But get this: She mentioned you by name, and said I should contact you!

Bill

2014: BLOGSPOT DID IT AGAIN! JANUARY 2014 LOST!

This website is hosted by Google. In all the years that I have been posting, I have only ran into one glitch which resulted in the loss of material which I have posted. In doing routine and necessary housekeeping I was prompted to erase errors of posts that were defective for one reason or another. I am still trying to find out what caused the loss, but unfortunately there is no peronal contacts; only "FAQ" type situations. I have gone to my most recent posts and post some of the recent graphics. You will note that the page following this dates back to December which means I lost most of January for the past 20 days. Sorry for the error.

Tom: I will repeat my post which obviously was victim of the "Google Gremlin" You never fail to hit the right key strokes with your postings. My favorite two subjects are connected herein. The " Fitzgeorge's who as the adv. noted as the selling agents for the Chambersburg lots, lived just in the 200 block of Jackson St. where my sister, and cousins once lived, just a block from our revered Sacred Heart Church. Ted Fitzgeorge; his grandson was a communicant at Sacred Heart while I was a regular attendee there. Ted a local attorney married a fellow student of mine from where else; Jr. 4 by the name of Joy Nabinger. See my 2 favorite places, all in one paragraph. Nice going Tom, and Thanks for all the wonderful memories. As I have said before, Performing the hundreds of wedding ceremonies, and reading your blogs, keep me from destroying some beautiful golf course with my inability to play the game. 
Best always Mike Kuzma

With the drastic and rapid change in the Chambersburg we all know and love, the history of that wonderful "borough" is a very apropos subject. With the advent of the personal computer and the ability to display graphics of historic interest, I find more and more historical material on the web. Facebook has many local interest historic pages relating to our local area. It's difficult to envision that very crowded area of Trenton as being farmland dotted with cornfields, orchards and open farm land. Above is graphic proof that indeed it was.