1940: THE NEW LINCOLN HOMES - IN THE VERY BEGINNING

I have a number of the old "TRENTON" magazines in my collection and it is a bittersweet journey back to the years when Trenton was a thriving community with factories, retail stores and neighborhood development. The article above was  enhanced and tweaked via Photo  Shop graphic software. It is an interesting look at the new Lincoln Homes that were just completed. Note especially the lower part of the first column: "Lincoln Homes, designed for negro residents...." A good in your face example of what was known as segregated housing back before the middle of the 20th century. Today, I have "negro" (I hate that word) neighbors all around me here in the Bromley section and we get along beautifully; our colors don't rub off.

1800's - 1900's:SEGREGATED TRENTON SCHOOLS

The history of the African-American community is and has been one of the subjects that has some very interesting historic facts. One of those subjects relates to the segregation of the African-American population not only nationwide, but locally here in the Trenton area. I have been researching material on local schools for a presentation for the Hamilton Township Historical Society which I will be making in the fall of this year. Along with such intriguing names as Friendship School, Edgebrook, etc. there are the schools which were set aside for the black children who lived in Trenton at the time. Thus far, I have found that there was a segregated school for the "colored" in the mid 1850's on Trenton's Hanover Street. Bellevue Avenue was originally known as Higbee Street. The teacher's log book shown above was from the time when the "Bellevue Avenue Public School" was located there. It is believed that this school was not a school for black students. The Lincoln School, then the Nixon School succeeded it and were schools for black children. Note that this is SPECULATION on my part, and subject to correction if someone should have information that will further enlighten those who are interested in researching the subject. 

 RALPH LUCARELLA said...

HEY MIKE, THIS IS RALPH, LETTING YOU KNOW I,M STILL AROUND. I'M GONNA BE 95 YEARS OLD IN AUGUST AND LIVING UP IN THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTH CAROLINA. IT'S A CRIME THAT MY BROTHER CHUCK PASSED AWAY SO YOUNG OR ELSE HE WOULD HAVE GONE ON TO BE SOME DOCTOR. BASEBALL WAS THE BIG THING IN BOTH OUR LIVES UNTIL THINGS CHANGED ALL THAT. I OFTEN RECALL THE HAMILTON BOWLING LANES ON ROUTE 33 IN 1954 AND WHAT MY BROTHER LOU AND I DID WE WENT OUT TO INDIANAPOLIS IN 1948 TO SEE CHUCK HELP WIN THE AMERICAN LEGION WORLD SERIES. MAY GOD BLESS HIM AND MAY HE REST IN PEACE .

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

 

 Anonymous said...

Ralphie:

Glad to hear from you, and learn you are still with us.

Chuck was 2 years ahead of me in school, and I knew him as a super nice, and very accomplished guy.
I was in Jr. 4 when the Schroths won the championship. Ronnie Holford, Andy Greener and Gino Silvestro as I recall were his teamates. They too were friends of mine. I also knew his wife, and her twin sister.
All great people in a far better time of our country.
Where are you in No. Carolina. I'm in Virginia, about a half hour from the State line with NC.

Be well, and Cent Anni.

Mike Kuzma

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

 

1904: NURSERY CLUB FOR TRENTON'S LINCOLN SCHOOL

Apropos of Black History Month, this article from the growing "AFRICAN-AMERICAN" folder in the Local History Collection, this article detailing the activities of the Lincoln School Nursery which was founded by the parents in the original Lincoln School when it was located on Bellevue Avenue.

1897: REV. RANDOLPH OF SHILOH BAPTIST CHURCH

From the growing "AFRICAN-AMERICAN" and "SHILOH BAPTIST" folders in the Hamilton Township Public Library, this interesting article and engraving from the early years of Trenton's legendary Shiloh Baptist Church with at the time was located on Perry Street. With February recognized as "Black History Month," there will be numerous posts on the aforementioned folders. Stay tuned.

1917: TRENTON'S FIRST BLACK POLICE OFFICER

As I followed the exploits of Vincent Harvey and his desire to be a Trenton police officer, it became clear to me that nasty, nasty racism was alive and well in the early part of the 20th century. The pages of the Trenton papers from that era held many articles detailing the off duty and on duty negative behavior of white policemen. There were obviously many local Trentonians who didn't like the idea of a black man assuming the role of protector of the people. Interestingly, the candidate who replaced officer Harvey, a young man named John Green was also dismissed on a number of accounts including intoxication while on duty.

1945: THE AFRICAN SCHOOL HOUSE

Over the past few years I have been encapsulating and digitizing the John Cleary/Harry Podmore "Trenton in Bygone Days" articles. Many years ago I checked the Trenton Library's collection of these articles and found that they were pasted into scrapbooks where over the years the paste that was used wrinkled the pages into a "corrugated" state. I wouldn't be surprised if my collection is unique in that the originals lend themselves to pristine digital copies as seen above. Microfilm was not the answer. In all my years working with Fred
Kuser's "Simplex Acme" 35 millimeter movie projectors, I learned that constant passage of the film through the sprockets, and past the lamp house on those projectors, caused the very fragile film to develop irritating scratches when projected on the screen. It is the same with microfilm. Constant motions going forward and rewinding of the film reels take an unfortunate toll on the article or image, resulting in unsightly vertical lines and scratches.

2011: SHILOH BAPTIST CHURCH

1902: TRENTON'S NEW SHILOH BAPTIST CHURCH

Events surrounding the dedication of the legendary Shiloh Baptist Church of Trenton is described in detail in the article. Unfortunately, there is no indication of the source of the article, but it is believed to be from Trenton's Daily True American.

1902: GENESIS OF SHILOH BAPTIST CHURCH

DID YOU KNOW THAT SHILOH BAPTIST CHURCH WAS ORIGINALLY LOCATED ON TRENTON'S BELVIDERE STREET? SHILOH BAPTIST CHURCH IS STEEPED IN HISTORIC TRADITION. THERE ARE NUMEROUS SHILOH ARTICLES IN MY "AFRICAN-AMERICAN" FOLDER.....THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF THEM

MORE ON SHILOH BAPTIST CHURCH

Years ago, one of my columns involved the fictional newspaper reporter "Lawson Tattler." Lawson's assignment was to interview the movers and shakers from the Mercer County area in the long ago. Here, he sat down with Rev. J.B. Randolph, the founder of Trenton's historic Shiloh Baptist Church.

1898: Shiloh Baptist Church

Once again in recognition of Black History Month, this early article from from the "AFRICAN-AMERICAN" folder in the Local History Collection of the Hamilton Township Public Library. Here is an early article relating to Trenton's historic Shiloh Baptist Church.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 1918: Shiloh Baptist Fund Raiser

 

With February being Black History Month, I dug into my "AFRICAN-AMERICAN" folder and came up with this, and other interesting memorabilia relating to the Trenton area's African-American community. There will be more posted during the remainder of the month.

 1902: Groundbreaking for the Legendary Shiloh Baptist Church

With February celebrating Black History Month, it is appropriate that my site bring you some of the files in the AFRICAN AMERICAN folder at the Hamilton Library's Local History Collection. As all local citizens recall it was the home church of S. Howard Woodson, one Trenton's most beloved men of God.

1992: FEBRUARY IS BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Racism was alive in well back in19th and early 20th century Trenton as the above article I wrote back in 1992 will attest. The idea that a black Union soldier not be allowed to be interred in a white cemetery is an incredible example of rampant racism that was once practiced not only in Trenton, but all over America.

1928: OBIT OF JOHN HERBERT, EARLY LAMBERTON RESIDENT

Men like John Herbert, a pioneer South Trenton African-American citizen, was descended from a black family whose roots go back to the years when the Lamberton-Bloomsbury-South Trenton area was the home of numerous Delaware River boatmen. It is interesting to note Mr. Herbert's educational background as he attended both Roman Catholic and Lutheran parochial schools in the boyhood.

1902: TRENTON'S NEW SHILOH BAPTIST CHURCH

Events surrounding the dedication of the legendary Shiloh Baptist Church of Trenton is described in detail in the article. Unfortunately, there is no indication of the source of the article, but it is believed to be from Trenton's Daily True American.

1935: SLAVERY FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A TRENTON TEACHER

Here is Ms. Mills' interesting article on the genesis of slavery, traced back to Africa and including the 17th century when the colonies continued the custom.

1938: "SEPARATE BUT EQUAL"

HERE'S A CLASS PHOTO OF LINCOLN SCHOOL'S CLASS OF 1938. IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO REALIZE THAT WE IN THE TRENTON-MERCER AREA HAD A SCHOOL DEVOTED TO EDUCATING THE BLACK COMMUNITY. THE ORIGINAL LINCOLN SCHOOL WAS LOCATED ON HIGBEE STREET, WHICH WOULD ULTIMATELY BECOME BELLEVUE AVENUE. THANKS TO ONE OF MY FAVORITE VISITORS, TOM REED, I RECEIVED AN EMAIL ADVISING ME THAT THE PHOTO ABOVE IS THE LATER LINCOLN SCHOOL IN NORTH TRENTON IN THE BATTLE MONUMENT AREA, BELIEVED TO HAVE ULTIMATELY BECOME "JUNIOR 1." THANKS TOM. GET BACK TO ME AND LET ME KNOW IF I AM CORRECT IN IDENTIFYING THE BUILDING IN THE BACKGROUND AS JUNIOR ONE.

1929: Trenton's Lincoln School Class of 1929

From the "AFRICAN-AMERICAN" and "LINCOLN SCHOOL" folders in the Hamilton Library's local history collection comes this article listing the recipients of various honors for Lincoln's class of 1920. Genealogists will probably find this listing of names of interest in their research.

1931: REV. ROUNDTREE

FROM THE "AFRICAN AMERICAN" FOLDER IN THE LIBRARY COMES THIS INTERESTING ARTICLE ON A LITTLE KNOWN BLACK LEADER FROM TRENTON'S PAST. THE MT. ZION AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH IS AMONG TRENTON'S OLDEST.

1934:SEGREGATION REARS ITS UGLY HEAD

ON MARCH 18, I POSTED AN INTERESTING ARTICLE REGARDING U.S. CONGRESSIONAL SEGREGATION WHICH WAS ALIVE AND WELL IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY, WHEN CONGRESSMAN DE PRIEST WAS DENIED ACCESS TO THE CONGRESSIONAL LUNCH ROOM. COLONEL JIM ROSS U.S. ARMY, CAME UP WITH FURTHER INFORMATION WHICH IS VERY INTERESTING. TO READ THE COLONEL'S ADDED INFORMATION, PAGE DOWN TO THE POST OR GO TO THE TOP LEFT OF MY MAIN PAGE AND IN THE SEARCH BAR UPPER LEFT OF THE PAGE, TYPE IN SEGREGATION AND CLICK ON "SEARCH."

1943: IKE WILLIAMS, LOCAL BOXING LEGEND

IKE HAD AN INCREDIBLE BOXING CAREER. HIS NAME WAS NUMBER ONE BACK IN THE 1940'S WHEN HE WAS IN HIS PRIME. I REMEMBER HOW NEAT WE THOUGHT IT WAS WHEN HE BUILT A BEAUTIFUL HOME ON THE CURVE AT CENTRAL AVENUE AND PARK AVENUE IN FOREST VALLEY RIGHT HERE IN HAMILTON TOWNSHIP.

1946: The Tuskegee Airmen

It was a shameful period for the American military during the second World War. The thousands of black men who served our country were treated as inferior to their caucasion brothers. Here three soldiers, including a Trentonian by the name of Elwood Driver, receive a welcome to Tuskegee Air Field in Alabama. It took nearly a half century for the military to be fully integrated.

1915: Princeton's BRIGHT HOPE AFRICAN BAPTIST CHURCH

As this article reveals, austerity was priority number one among some members of Princeton's Bright Hope Baptist Church.

1918: WWI Hero Neadom Roberts

Still in keeping with Black History Month, another file from the Local History Collection's "AFRICAN-AMERICAN" folder, tells of the awarding of the War Cross to a Trenton man from the African-American community of Trenton.

1946: Trentonian Tuskegee Airman

Captain Ellwood Driver of Trenton joins two other airmen as they are appointed to the U.S. Army. Are there any other Trenton area living or deceased members of the Tuskegee Airmen? If so, it would be a welcome addition to this website. If you have anything locally relating to that heroic group, or any interesting African American history which you think might be of interest, to local viewers, email it to me at thomglo@verizon.net.