1934: HAPPY NEW YEAR TOMMY GLOVER AT 4 MONTHS OLD

Trenton was THE place to be on New Years Eve back in those dark days of the Great Depression. Few indeed were those Trenton area residents who were affluent enough to partake of the fantastic prices and countless activities from movies to night clubs to restaurants as they bid farewell to 1933 and celebrated the new year of 1934.

1905: CHRISTMAS PAST

This 110 year old editorial is fraught with words of wisdom for those of us who are of the Christian faith.Read it and you will find your beliefs confirmed! To paraphrase the Holy Bible, "Let the little children come to me.."

1915: ONE HUNDRED CHRISTMASES AGO IN THE "THEATRES"

This would have been a page that grandmother and grandfather would have read in the Trenton Evening Times of 100 years ago. How fascinating it is to peruse through the millions of pages in my Trenton Times-Trenton State Gazette and Daily True American and find truly antique treasures such as this page extract. MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM 1915 AND 2015!

1905: HAMILTON TOWNSHIP'S WASHINGTON SCHOOL

 

This is one of the very interesting and little known grammar schools that were located in various areas in the rural township of Hamilton in the 19th century. This school was located on today's Hughes Drive near today's entrance to Mercer County Park and in close proximity to the old Tindall Farm.

1915: CHAMBERSBURG SECTION OF THE TIMES

One of the wonderful aspects of researching local history is uncovering long forgotten and in many cases little known features that were in newspapers of the past. All historians agree that one of the best places to unearth little know historic facts. Such is the case with the "CHAMBERSBURG" section which was a weekly feature in the teens. The graphic is a partial scan of the page dedicated to persons, places and things in the burg of yesteryear.

1939: THE LITTLE KNOWN "NEW ERA BREEDING FARM"

This is an interesting photo of rural Hamilton Township in the years before our population exploded into the megalopolis we have today. That huge building in the lower photo was located on Route 33 east. I speculate that it was on the southeast corner of Route 33 and White Horse Mercerville Road.
Years ago I procured a few "TRENTON" magazines from my old friend, Meredith "Med" Havens who was largely responsible for the Trenton Fire Museum. These old magazines are a treasure trove of Trenton industry and commerce in the 20's through the 40's.

CHABERSBURG MAP SHOWING WHO WAS WHERE - UNDATED

I found this map in an old scrapbook that has been reposing quietly in the many, many historical photos, articles and digitized documents I have yet to uncover and categorize. I find this to be an incredible artifact as it shows many very historic "Burg" persons, places and things.

1955: TOM GLOVER'S CHRISTMAS IN THE GERMAN ALPS, JUST A FEW MILES FROM HITLER'S BERCHTESGADEN

This photo brings back painful memories of my first Christmas away from home in my 22 years of life. It was taken in the little story book town of Bad Aibling Germany, high up in the German Alps. I was so very homesick; even more homesick as I realized that it would be over 900 more days that I would have to be away from my Hamilton home. Country boy that I am, I almost immediately struck up a close friendship with Phil Kincaid, a farmer from Springfield, Illinois.

1941: CHRISTMAS AT "Sun Ray" DOWNTOWN TRENTON

Here's a Christmas shopper's dream! Check out those prices!

1909: ST. MICHAEL'S P.E. CHURCH

I was "confirmed" in this church way back in my very early childhood. Even though St. James P.E. Church on Greenwood and Logan Avenues was the church my family attended after leaving Christ P.E. Church on Hamilton Avenue and Whittaker Street in Trenton. My conversion to the Roman Catholic faith back in the early 1960's was a very easy, indeed almost a lateral move as the doctrine of the Anglican faith is very close to that of the Roman Catholic faith to which I converted. AS to St. Michael's that grand old historical treasure is a tribute to the remaining parishioners and equally importantly, the church is steeped in Revolutionary War history. It was here that the British commandeered the church for sleeping quarters for the Hessian troops during their occupation of Trenton.

1877: A TRENTON "DAILY TRUE AMERICAN" CHRISTMAS EDITORIAL

Only a few of us in the senior citizen community remember this somewhat obscure Christmas song:
"Let's have an old fashioned Christmas
Dress up an old fashioned tree.
Let's make the spirit of Auld Lang Syne, the same as it used to be.
Hearts will be light as a feather,After some old fashioned cheer
So let's all be good people together,
Let's have an old fashioned Christmas this year."
I spent some worthwhile time putting this graphic together. It was published in the Trenton "Daily True American" on Christmas Day, 1877. Sure, Christmas is that new I Pad, or I phone or I watch or video game, or other material treasure but we must never forget the spiritual gift of the new born infant who is the "reason for the season."