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."

1848:THE HISTORIC ALLINSON FAMILY OF HAMILTON

More "Hard Core Hamilton History:"
This is Josiah Allinson, son of Samuel Allinson who founded the New Jersey State Home for Girls in Ewing, and also the State Home for Boys in Jamesburg. Mr.Josiah Allinson is shown in the graphic I composed with an accompanying 1848 advertisement for fruit trees which the his father, Samuel Allinson cultivated on the Farm which is on today's Yardville-Hamilton Square Road in the development known as "Locust Hill.". The family home was known as "Burholme" The derivation of the name "Burholme" is unknown. There is a Pennsylvania connection to that name. The Allinsons were ardent followers of the Quaker religion and were regular attendees of the Crosswicks Meeting.

1909: THE POOR CLARES COME TO BORDENTOWN

That beautiful old red brick building fascinated me every time Judy and I made a trip to her sister's Bordentown home. The article is from 1909 but I don't have the actual date.

1849: MILL HILL WAY BACK IN TIME

Here's Mill Hill, 1849; the year of the California gold rush. This incredible Trenton neighborhood has a splendid historical heritage. Back in the early 19th century, hotels, blacksmith shops and numerous other merchants made up a very attractive community which has succeeded even today to maintain some of the charm it had in years past.

1940: TRENTON CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL

He who opens a school door, closes a prison. ~Victor Hugo

They were our nemesis all through my years at Hamilton High School. They were also the epitome of good sportsmanship. No one was more disappointed than I when I heard that the building had to be razed. In my uninformed mind, the red brick structure could be preserved and an interior renovation with new material being brought into play to re-design the interior with classrooms, and add the more modern rooms necessary to the back of the interior restored building. However, I ultimately found that it was beyond preserving. Thus another local Trenton landmark goes the way of the passenger pigeon. Even though I am a Hamilton High graduate, I followed their activities during my school years as did many non Trentonians who were interested in their annual Sports Night, Operettas, and other social outreach programs served up by Tornadoes from the golden years.

1856: MILL HILL; IN A WORD, "FASCINATING!"

 

For over 20 years since the advent of the personal computer, I have been diligently researching that area of Trenton that I consider to be the cradle where "Littleworth" or today's Trenton was born. Mill Hill is a fascinating study for those who are interested in the oldest area in the city of Trenton. Before I returned to St. Anthony of Padua parish recently, I had been attending Mass at Mill Hill's historic Sacred Heart parish. Each Sunday morning as I ministered to the folks at Trenton's VIllages I and II down on Lalor Street in Trenton, I would pass through that incredibly historic Trenton treasure and breathe deeply of the always present sense of history. Though I only have some 300 files in my Hamilton Township Public Library Local History database, I find myself taking a break from other local historical research and journeying back in time as I read the reminiscences of old timers who were around when there was a Lee Blacksmith shop, a Whittaker, Corey, Quintin Washington Retreat, and countless other fascinating stories from an illustrious past. Here's just one of those fascinating Mill Hill historic favorites. One can just imagine sitting on a bench and having a refreshing dip of ice cream at the bucolic retreat.

1870's TO THE EARLY 1940'S: AN HISTORIC TREASURES

Take a very close look at this photo. It is the very first row of my personal collection of VERY RARE Trenton Evening Times, Daily State Gazette and Daily True Americans that will be the property of the Hamilton Township Public Library's "Hamiltonia" collection when I am forced to retire and no longer able to perform the physical and mental requirements of Township Historian. While you are taking that close look, you will see through the first row to the second row which houses the collection from the 20th century....1900 to the early 1930's, and around to the front row as seen in the photo which starts in the mid 1930's and ends up with those volumes you see in the lower right which are only a small part of the 1940's. Not seen in the photo is the very back of the room in which these valuable volumes are carefully stored in a temperature controlled, insect free room (that would be my Library Local History workshop.) That back row houses the 19th century volumes from 1870 up to the 20th century. I got tired of patting myself on the back for having the foresight to preserve these treasures. When I acquired them, computers and digital imaging technologies were just evolving. "MICRO FORMS" (Microfilm) was the flavor of the day. Bell and Howell took on the monumental task of photographing trillions of pages from daily newspapers all over the world and selling them to the libraries all over the world. The libraries were delighted to be able to get rid of those huge, heavy bulky bound volumes and the space they took up. They sent them to the recycle bin and replaced their collections with a cabinet full of 4 inch 35 millimeter reels of microfilm; which over time and use develop vertical scratches as they pass through the film viewing gateway. I have never heard any librarians mention it, but I would bet that many if not most librarians regret the destruction of their bound newspaper collection. I have become moderately proficient in using "PhotoShop" computer software and digital reproduction technology. Indeed, there are some photos in those older newspapers that have been scanned into the computer, enhanced and tweaked and are superior to the original copy on the original source page.
BOTTOM LINE: This collection will be a gold mine in the future of Hamilton Township insofar as historical preservation. Indeed, the sheer volume of pages in this collection renders it an impossible feat to copy (digitize) all those articles and photos that exist within all those millions of pages. My successor, then his or her successor, and yes, even numerous successors well into the future of the Hamilton Township Public Library's Local History Collection will still be unearthing historically valuable news articles and photographs.

1902: POINTS OF INTEREST ON THE LALOR TRACT

Here's a chance for all you arm chair historians to delve into the history of one of the more historic areas and families in the Hamilton-Trenton area. The "Lalor Tract" once encompassed a very large part of the southern part of Mercer County from the Riverview Cemetery area to So. Broad Street, along the canal and river, right up to the Broad Street Park-Cedar Street (Cedar Lane) are. the map immediately below the article shows property owners as of the year 1875. The numerals indicate the acreage and the little squares when present, is the approximate location of the home of the land holder. This is one of those "Armchair Historian" types of graphic that will fill a very pleasant evening during the upcoming cold wintery nights!

1875: MERCERVILLE AND HAMILTON SQUARE

Here's still another extracted and enlarged map showing Hamilton Square and Mercerville from the 1875 Evert & Stewart Atlas. Fascinating to travel those roads on the map and comparing them with today's towns.

1849: TAKE A BIRDS' EYE VIEW OF CENTER CITY TRENTON

This extract from an 1849 "Dripp's" map of the city of Trenton is a gold mine for historic researchers. A mere 73 years away from 1776! Whenever I find a pertinent article in the press of the past, I can use this map to pinpoint the location. assuming it is within the year of the date of the map. 

1941: Among the first to be inducted into WWII, January 1941

Here are just a few of the members of the "GREATEST GENERATION" who were inducted into military service mere weeks after the December 7, 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor.

1986 AND 1896: A COLLISION IN TIME!

I am a hopeless romantic. Way back in 1986 I wrote a column dealing with "Lifebuoy," Palmolive, and other soaps of the day; all of which were commonly available in almost every store. One of them was the fabled "IVORY" brand that thick rectangular bar that unlike other bathing soaps, floated. I liked that and so did many. So here we are in the 21st century and across my desk comes this folio filled with Ivory engravings as Proctor and Gamble celebrated the centennial of the classic brand. And guess who wrote an article about Ivory? You guessed it: Tom Glover back in the 1980s. The Ivory lady in the photo is a classic example of what I call the "feminine mystique;" she is absolutely physically gorgeous, and wears the classic dress that was common during the era of the "Gibson Girl." Yep, hopelessly romantic and not ashamed to say it either!

1822: RISING SUN TAVERN

Much of what I have read and studied relating to the history of the city of Trenton indicated that Warren Street was the main thoroughfare during the early 19th century. While trying to find very elusive information of the Hezekiah Anderson Farm that once reposed in the area of today's Greenwood and Woodlawn Avenue just a bit from the Trenton city line on Logan Avenue. During my search I come across ads as shown above rouse the love of local history in me. Imagine a stage coach office in center city Trenton back in those primitive early years as well as the steamboat landing that was at the foot of Ferry Street; delightful antiquarian Trenton!

1989: DO YOUR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING EARLY!!

They aren't wasting any time starting the advertising blitz for Christmas, 2015! Unless I miss my guess, Ms. Patti Krzywulak (Che-Vo-Lahk) is already amassing a group of volunteers to bring the Christmas spirit ot Hamilton's beautiful Kuser Mansion. Here's a file scan I did from the HAMILTON OBSERVER, December, 1989.

015 HERE COMES NOVEMBER!

Memories of crisp fall evenings, Judy rising at 5 A.M. to put that turkey in the oven, scraping the ice off the windshield of the car, witnessing the first snowflakes of the season, remembering our military veterans....ah yes, it's November; time for bittersweet memories.

1909: THE LEGENDARY JERSEY DEVIL; JUST IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN!

I spent many hours researching this early 20th century version of today's "Big Foot" All the newspapers of the day were telling stories of citizens from Bordentown to Groveville, to Morrisville and other local appearances of what was originally known as the "Leeds Devil" then the fabled "Jersey Devil." It all started in South Jersey.

 At the request of my Editor and friend Wayne Davis for one of my MERCER MESSENGER Halloween columns, artist Sharon Tondreau was kind enough to furnish this exquisite drawing of the Jersey Devil based on the many descriptions of those who claimed to have seen the creature. Like the Loch Ness Monster, and "Bigfoot," many persist that the creature was and is real.

1929: BROMLEY BEFORE THERE WAS A GOOGLE EARTH!

This fascinating photo shows the Bromley area as views from an airplane looking down on Greenwood Avenue. Fellow Bromley resident Bobby Shinkle was kind enough to locate all the many friends and neighbors he had back in his youth where he lived on Dickinson Avenue. FASCINATING INDEED!

1984: THIS COLUMN SHOULD BE CALLED, "MUSIC THEN AND THEN"

I'm still scratching my head as I try to understand the trend in music over the last 50 or so years. I am hopelessly stuck in the genre that contains happy, sad, bittersweet, beautiful lyrics and melodies. Thank heavens there is still a WBCB 1490 in Levittown, WFJS 1260 in Ewing where civilized real harmony is still in style!

2015: TOM GLOVER'S KUSER FARM:

I have established a sub-folder in my KUSER FARM master folder and named it

 "TOM GLOVER'S KUSER FARM." It will be a pictorial look back at the COUNTLESS places with which I have become so familiar over all these years. I mentioned to Ms. Patti Krzywulak ("Che-vo-lock") who is Curator of the mansion, that I would like to do a walking tour of the Kuser property, pointing out the many interesting stories that will be re-told in a number of stops on the tour. The scanned photo below was taken yesterday as my dear little dog "Daisy Mae" and I took one of my many walks in the place I love so much and the place where memories of the Kusers are alive and vivid in my memory.

ST. ANTHONY GRAMMAR SCHOOL - THE WORD WAS "AUSTERE"

Back in the 1980's I was approached by the County of Mercer to write articles throughout the Sesquicentennial year relating to various Mercer County persons, places and things. Above is one of the columns I wrote, part of a 4 part series of that wonderful old parochial grammar school which is no longer in existence.  How ironic that those closed parochial schools who took pride in the fact that their students far out performed those in the public school system, but were doomed for failure for financial reasons!

1946: Route 25 (today's Rte 130) at the Route 33 turnoff

How this intersection has changed! Back when I was a daily commuter to New Brunswick, I opted for Route 130 as opposed to alway clogged Rte 1.
Down Route 33 to 130, stop for coffee and a donut at Russert's Deli, then north on 130 to Adams Lane in No. Brunswick, Adams Lane over the mainline railroad bridge to Route 1 and then to 600 Jersey Avenue. Back then there were two traffic lights on 130. The first at 33 and 130, then to Princeton-Hightstown Road at the Old Hights Inn. Look at it now!

2015: YOU'RE ALL INVITED FOR A VERY PLEASANT HOUR AND A HALF OF MUSIC AND MEMORIES

Remember the "bouncing ball" on screen sing alongs we saw at the movies back in the 40's and 50's? This Thursday night from 6 to 7:30, my singing partner Jack Pyrah and I will be bringing "NOSTALGIA NIGHT" to the Hamilton Library's "Little Theater," Room 3. The program is free and open to all who are within driving range of the Hamilton Library. Quite a few of those who attended our summer "Kuser Koncerts" expressed an interest in a continuing program, and Jack and I will be going for a monthly program until the 2016 season begins. Come on out this Thursday night for an hour and a half of music and memories!

Circa 1900: THE MERCERVILLE ROADHOUSE

Today, this historic old tavern is known as "Bill's Olde Tavern." Back in the Late1800's and early 1900's it was known as the Mercerville Road House. Mercerville was originally known as Sandtown. George Washington marched from Trenton along today's Hamilton Avenue (then the Sandtown Road) on his way to the battle of Princeton. He never made it to the old tavern as his march veered to the north west (think Mercerville School area) thence to Quaker Bridge thence to Princeton. A note about this photo. Offset printing was in its early stages and most old news photos from this era where of poor quality; this one is relatively better than others from the era.

1909: The Poor Claires Arrive in Bordentown

I always loved that old convent. Each Sunday as Judy and I made our way to my sister in law's Bordentown home, we passed by that classic old architectural treasure.

Sorry...the text on the article is a bit faded. here's an adjusted version:

 

1949: SOUTH BROAD STREET APPROACHING FRONT ST.

Here's a splendid view of a very familar downtown Trenton view. A trip to Gimbels or across the street to Goldberg's or perhaps a Saturday night at the RKO Capitol with that significant other.

2015: STILL A LONG, LONG, LONG WAY TO GO IN MY DIGITIZATION PROJECT

I remember so many local newspaper columnists who have devoted their output to the history of Trenton. John Cleary, Harry Podmore, Bill Dwyer, and many others among whom is my favorite local historian, Ms. Sally Lane. Sally's columns were always accompanied by very interesting graphics. Unfortunately, in today's newspaper industry, graphics take a back seat to written content. Be that as it may, some time ago, I began digitizing some of Ms. Lane's columns. Details follow.
So many subjects, so much fast fading history, so little time! I envision myself standing at the edge of a heavily forested area trying to identify each tree; an impossible task. My computer is a Dell Precision M6400 which was manufactured to replace that huge tower those of my fellow computer users have on their desk top. There are 46,542 files on "TOM'S HISTORY" computer found in 1,199 folders. Indeed 53 gigabytes on my hard drive are taken up by the aforementioned files and folders. The graphic shows just one of those folders; in this case my favorite local historian, Ms. Sally Lane. As of the present time, I have succeeded in digitizing 48 of Sally's past newspaper columns. My point? Go back to that forest to the trees I referred to. It will give you an idea of how much more yet to be digitized local history is to be added to the hard drive on my M6400 Dell Precision computer. Please Lord, let me have 10 more years to keep adding!

1968: TRENTON LAID TO WASTE. CONVERY'S FURNITURE STORE DESTROYED

The venerable old Colonial town of Trenton was changed forever on that fateful April of 1968. Gone were honest, respected businesses that had survived in the downtown Trenton for decades. Convery's Dunham's Elsie Gallivan, and many other anchor stores fled the city to the safer suburbs as their downtown stores were looted, burned and destroyed. Innocent business owners' buildings were decimated, valuables looted and Trenton was left in chaos. The carnage was done as vengeance for an unspeakable incident with which those downtown merchants had nothing to do with. 

1939 - 1960: MEMORIES OF MY KUSER FARM

What a wonderful gift God has given to me! At the much too rapidly advancing age of 82, I have been gifted with the ability to digitize my life! Well, not only my life, but many of my fellow citizens as I am able to bring photos, articles, ephemera, nostalgia and countless other physically visible memories of years gone by. Above is an example of a small remnant of time relating to my beloved Kuser Farm. One of the many questions people have asked me over the years relates to the fabled dining room which doubled as the Kuser Farm little theater. Today. As can be seen in the October, 1931 news clipping from my collection, William Fox was helped along in his efforts to establish a motion picture company. With the recent addition of the "talkies" in the late 1920's, the industry mushroomed and many film companies were established. The Kuser boys were instrumental in giving William Fox a financial interest in his film company which over the years would evolve into 20th Century Fox films. One of the perks the Kuser family got in return was the privilege of screening any and ALL movies released by the studio before they were introduced to the public. New York City's famous "Roxy" theater was the flagship theater for 20th Century Fox. The Glover connection to the Kusers began way back in 1938 when my brother Bud worked at odd jobs at the Kuser Farm. Bud went to to become an operator of the Kuser 35 millimeter Simplex-Acme portable projectors; a task he quickly learned.  When brother Bud entered the Navy in 1945, I assumed his position at the farm. During our years of working for Fred and Edna Kuser from 1945 up to adulthood, when my best buddy Don Slabicki and I married and started our families. I didn't have the very necessary ability to run those projectors as did my brother. However, my buddy Don Slabicki was the one who became the replacement for my brother. I hope to do a Kuser Mansion program in the future, relating to my years at a place I consider to be my "outdoor chapel." Stay tuned.

1983: COLONIAL VFD "BIG JOHN LENHARDT

1983: COLONIAL VFD: THE FIRE COMPANY OF MY CHILDHOOD It was there when I was a boy during WWII. The scary Colonial siren went off every time there was a fire in our neighborhood, and during those frightening "blackouts" that were part of the scene during the early years of the war when there was thought to be the possibility of an enemy air attack. It was there when I was a teenager and my dear friend Jesse Anderson joined as a volunteer at the tender age of 17. I can still see that blue light and "COLONIAL VFD" emblem on the front of his 1940 Pontiac sedan. Memories of Chief John Lenhardt with the stump of a lit cigarette burning every closer to his lips. "Big John," who was the consummate Fire Chief; always ready, any hour, day or night. It was the boys in his family, all of whom I seem to recall becoming dedicated fire fighters. It was young John, moving to the Mercerville area and becoming Chief of that fire company after serving at Colonial. The memories just keep on coming. 1983: COLONIAL VFD: THE FIRE COMPANY OF MY CHILDHOOD It was there when I was a boy during WWII. The scary Colonial siren went off every time there was a fire in our neighborhood, and during those frightening "blackouts" that were part of the scene during the early years of the war when there was thought to be the possibility of an enemy air attack. It was there when I was a teenager and my dear friend Jesse Anderson joined as a volunteer at the tender age of 17. I can still see that blue light and "COLONIAL VFD" emblem on the front of his 1940 Pontiac sedan. Memories of Chief John Lenhardt with the stump of a lit cigarette burning every closer to his lips. "Big John," who was the consummate Fire Chief; always ready, any hour, day or night. It was the boys in his family, all of whom I seem to recall becoming dedicated fire fighters. It was young John, moving to the Mercerville area and becoming Chief of that fire company after serving at Colonial. The memories just keep on coming.

1912: GROVEVILLE'S WESLEY GROVE.

My dear friend, the late Bob Simpkins was the real, genuine Hamilton Historian, Bob passed away at the ripe old age of 102 and left behind the legacy of being one of those responsible for the restoration of Hamilton Township’s colonial treasure, the John Abbott II house on Kuser Road. Bob often spoke of the Yardville-Groveville area of Hamilton, and in my files I have found this graphic telling of the legendary “Wesley Grove” which I put together a number of years ago.