1905: FOREST VALLEY, CEDAR LAWN, BROAD ST. PARK

I have a special fondness for old maps. Indeed there are a number of digitized maps in the Hamilton Library's Local History Collection dated back to the 1840's and earlier. However, one of my favorites is from a 1905 Atlas of Trenton, New Jersey with only a smattering of Hamilton Township which is shown in the map above. Over the years, I have been asked to define the boundaries of Forest Valley. The adjoining community of]
Cedar Lawn makes the task impossible for me. Perhaps a visitor familiar with the area can determine which streets fall within which neighborhood.

1895: CEDAR LANE PARK

On the left is an extract from an 1875 map of Hamilton Township. I have added the street names in red in order to simplify identifying the area known as "Cedar Lane Park." As you can see by the real estate ad, the development was carved out of land known as the "Wright Farm;" the approximate location of which is indicated in the superimposed arrow and shaded area in the map. The Wright Farm is believed to have been in close proximity to the Hutchinson Farm, where the cemeteries are located today. (Hutchinson Avenue off Cedar Lane). Note also the school shown on "Cedar Street" which was the old Hamilton Township "Friendship School." Can it be that Cedar Lane Park became what we know of as Cedar Lawn today? Without knowing the actual boundaries of the Wright Farm, it would be easy to assume that Parkinson, Berg, and other streets off of Cedar Lane near Lalor were a part of the Wright holdings. It's fascinating to see how our neighborhoods evolved, don't you agree?

THE 40'S AND 50'S GENERATION WILL RELATE TO THE AREA AS THE LOCATION OF KISTHARD'S AUTO BODY, PETE'S STEAK HOUSE, O'KEEFE MOTORS, AND BARTOLINI MOTORS; THE LATTER LOCATED ON THE CORNER OF CEDAR LANE AND CHAMBERS ST.)