REED'S PRIDE CIGAR BOX FROM I.W. READ MERCERVILLE

This delightful relic of the past could very well have resided on the shelves of the Hooper-Chamberlain-McCabe general Store back in the early 20th century. It is a beautiful relic of the past and holds a special place in the Hamilton Township Public Library Local History Collection.

1886: WHEN TRENTON WAS THE PITTSBURGH OF NEW JERSEY

From the "COOPER HEWITT - TRENTON IRON COMPANY" folder, comes this article that reveals the fact the South Trenton was alive with steel producers back in the 19th century and up to the early 20th. I highlighted area in a darker gray to point to the location of the American Steel and Wire Company as I recall it in the 20th century. Remember that walkway bridge that spanned Hamilton Avenue, giving workers access to the other side of the factory?

1960: HORSMAN DOLLS: ANOTHER TRENTON INDUSTAIL JEWEL CLOSES

Back in the 1950's and 60's I was in almost daily contact with Bill Jacobs who was the maintenance manager at the Horsman Dolls plant over on Grand and Elm Street in South Trenton. Bill was one of those "make do" type maintenance guys who could repair a broken sewing machine, replace an electric motor, or any of the other tasks necessary to keep the then viable doll factory running efficiency. Then along came the imports, higher wages and benefits demanded by unions, and the viable little factory began to tremble, then fall. The graphic above is a vignette which I "Photoshopped: The very rare and valuable "twin" Horsman dolls are on Ebay by a sophisticated doll hobbyist for nearly $500. The "BING" photo shows the location of what once was the Horsman factory which was taken over by a coat manufacturer. On the left is a 1960 article wherein the union attempts to purchase the inventory and assets and move down south where the economy is more financially beneficial. The Horsman Doll Company was originally known as the Horsman Art Doll Company and was taken over by the Regal Doll Company.

John E. B Good said...

My grandmother worked there. She was a great seamstress. Any items you could post about the nearby cigar factory?

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Tom Glover said...

HELLO "JOHNNY BE GOOD." TALK ABOUT A COINCIDENCE! I WAS WORKING IN THE LOCAL BUSINESSES FOLDER WHERE I FOUND THE HORSMAN DOLL INFO. THE NEXT ITEM ON MY AGENDA WAS THE HENRY CLAY AND BOCK CIGAR FACTORY AND I JUST FINISHED WORKING ON IT WHEN I SAW YOUR COMMENT. THE CIGAR POST IS ABOVE. THANKS FOR VISITING. I HOPE YOU RETURN OFTEN. TOM GLOVER

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Ralph Lucarella said...

HI TOM.....THE CIGAR FACTORIES, HORSEMAN DOLL AND SWITLIK PARACHUTES PROVIDED MOST OF THE FEMALES IN THE CHAMBERSBURG AREA AND ELSEWHERE GOOD STEADY JOBS DURING THE DEPRESSION YEARS OF THE 1930'S. IT WAS MORE DIFFICULT FOR THE GUYS TO FIND WORK AT THAT TIME AND MANY DEPENDED ON THE GIRLS TO HELP OUT. I RECALL JOINING THE CROWD LOOKING FOR WORK DURING THAT TIME. I GOT MY BREAK TAKING THE POST OFFICE EXAM AND FINISHING PRETTY HIGH. I WORKED NIGHTS FOR 2 YEARS AND FINALLY GOT PROMOTED TO LETTER CARRIER IN THE EARLY 40'S. IT WAS QUITE A TIME FOR ME BUT EVERYTHING WORKED OUT WELL. AFTER THAT ERA, I COULD WRITE A BOOK AND YOU PROABLY WOULD'NT BELIEVE IT. BEST REGARDS

Saturday, July 23, 2011

1941: John A. Roebling Galvanizing Plant,,Hamilton Township

The above graphic shows an aerial view of the area described in the 1941 article from the Library's "ROEBLING" file regarding a fire at the Roebling Galvanizing plant. This post is in response to Mr. Dave Briegel, who was looking for information on the Roebling-Hamilton connection. I would guess that this is the "Lalor Street Plant" that you referred to, Dave.

From Dave Briegel:

I live off of Lalor. A debate has been going round. Can anyone help! There was for a time, a John Roebling "Lalor Street Plant". I believe it to have been on the Hamilton side of Lalor across from the current Lalor Plaza Shopping Center along the railroad siding. Another local believes it to have been on the site of the shopping center. My recollection tells me that the shopping center site was a pottery, not Roebling.
We are aware of the Buckthorne Plant of Roebling which now is the Metro Center of Nexus Properties off Jersey Street on the Trenton side.
Can anyone help! And if so, does any kind of map,.... exist that could provide a visual.

AGAIN, WITH THANKS TO DAVE BRIEGEL:

Tom,

Thanks for the lead regarding Lalor Street Plant of Roebling and Sons. With your info, an aerial photo from a Roebling catalogue, and a drive down Hewitt Street, I believe the issue to have been settled. In fact if you drive down Hewitt Street you will still find the concrete foundation wall, a few red brick courses, and a stairway identified as a "North Side Warehouse". And from the aerial photo, a railroad siding appears to have entered the plant at Lalor between two buildings which are now enhabited by a moving company.

Thanks in advance!

1929: JOHNSTON INC.: MARMON AND PIERCE ARROW

Auto buffs who are visitors to this website will appreciate this beautiful ad from 1929 for Johnston, Inc. ad for luxury autos. They will look closely ath the autos, especially looking for the familiar "bull frog" headlamps on the Pierce Arrow. I always wanted to be an antique auto collector, but learned early on that it is a very expensive hobby. I had a 1940 Buick straight 8 4 door sedan back in the 1960's, but it needed work and the $$$ necessary to restore it was far above my meager salary. I sold it to Nat Adelstein who shipped it to a collector in Sweden. However, I am still always interested in the autos of yesterday and you can look for more similar posts of little-known local auto lore in the future.

Local auto Historian Ray Paszkiewicz has added additional information on William Johnston's automobile history. This was posted in my guest book, but I find that relatively few visitors take the time to sign the guest book or read the comments, and his auto expertise is a valuable addition.

Ray writes:

Hi Tom,
You are absolutely correct. This is the same William S. Johnston, who operated the Cadillac dealership at 1655 North Olden Ave. for many years.
The building shown, stood at the corner of Artisan St.

William Johnston was born in Trenton in 1899. The family home was at 602 Greenwood Ave. Both his parents passed away when he was a teenager and when he was 18years old, he opened his first dealership at 44 North Stockton St. He sold Marmons, Chalmers,and Maxwell cars, as well as Selden Trucks at this location. In 1929, he added Pierce Arrow to the Marmon franchise at 222 North Hermitage. Pierce folded in 1937, and in 1938, Johnston became the Cadillac distributor for the Trenton area.

Johnston was called up for service in 1941 and served in WWII for the next 4 and a half years. Ending up as a Brigadier General in the Army Air Corp. He served from WWI and was a rated Command Pilot, serving many years in the Reserves.

In 1946, he purchased the former Heinemann Electric plant on Olden Ave., totally renovating the building into the Cadillac dealership.

General Johnston's brother, T. Irving Johnston, was the owner of the local Oldsmobile agency, first operating at the Hermitage address, and then building a very modern facility near the corner of Olden and Prospect St. That is another story.

I might add that General Johnston's dealership was one of the most respected in the area.
Much of this information was taken from the December 1957 issue of Trenton magazine. My own experience with this story, is that I was helping my father (if you can be of much help at the age of nine) on a Saturday afternoon. He was doing some cabinet work at a home on Edgewood Ave. Restless, I took a walk to the corner of Hermitage, and saw the Oldsmobile sign, just up the block. I walked to the building and went inside. I picked up the latest sales literature and looked over the shiny new cars. My guess is 1948, but that was a long time ago. I do remember the wooden floor and potted plants. Neat old place. My Dad wasn't too happy about my wandering away.

Ray Paszkiewicz

1929: WHO REMEMBERS BONDERCHUK CHEVROLET?

Brother Bud bought his 1949, 1950, 1951 and 1952 Chevy's from Fred Bonderchuk; a local Hamilton Township auto dealer who shared the auto dealership spotlight with nearby auto dealers Hudler (Ford), O'Keefe Motors (Crossley), and Tiefenbach and Yetter (Kaiser-Frazer), all in the South Broad - Chambers Street area of Hamilton Township. The graphic is from that generation of offset photos which were very poor in reproduction quality. I have tried in vain to enhance the dark exposure, but in doing so, the entire photo deteriorates. This is early Bonderchuk

Mack said...

I remember seeing the name Bonderchuk on cars but did not know where the ole place was until years later:)

Monday, September 14, 2009

Ralph Lucarella said...

Hi Tom: When we had the Hamilton Bowling Lanes, we got the idea to give a new Chevy to the winner of a summer tournament we ran. This was in 1957, we asked Bonderchuck's and Patterson Chevy on Route 33 if they were interested. Of course, Patterson, which were right across the street from the Bowling Lanes, liked the idea better. It was a huge sucess and the winner was George Laird. I believe Bonderchuck's had hoped we would have considered them. Regards, Ralph.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Gary Lippincott said...

I bought the first Chevrolet Chevelle that Bonderchuk sold, it was a 1964 White Covertible, 283, 4spd. Blue Interior, "Kit" Carson was the salsman. Claire Dwier and I covered a lot of ground in that car.

Monday, September 14, 2009

JoeZ said...

Tom: My first car came from Bonderchuk's. It was located on Nottingham Way at the intersection of Klockner Road.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Anonymous said...

Got my first car at Bonderchuk's used car lot next to the new car dealership at Klockner Rd. and Route 33/Nottingham Way. It was a 1963 Corvair Monza convertible - silver blue with blue interior and a white top. Auto. trans. with a lever on the dash to change gears. Loved that little car!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Jim C said...

Bonderchuk's automobile storage lot was located on the corner of Adeline and Stanton Streets where St. Vladimir's Educational-Social building now stands. It was fenced-in and the new year cars were usually parked along the back fence along the alley. I remember riding down the alley with Dad to sneak a peek at the new cars before they hit the showroom.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Anonymous said...

I am a granddaughter of Fred Bonderchuk and I just found this site on the internet with the "Who

remembers Bonderchuk Chevrolet" piece. Loved the 1929 picture. Thank you.

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

1936: MOCK GERMAN WEDDING AT GEORGE'S HAMILTON LIQUOR STORE

Thanks to Mack McNicoll and "Jersey Girl Elizabeth" for this great addition to the GERMAN-AMERICAN folder in the Hamilton Library's digital folder. I can't say that I know what a "mock wedding" is, but I am completely delighted to receive these photos.

The George's Liquor Store was a regular stop for me in the later days of my father's life when he was unable to get around. He would call me and ask me to pick up a fifth of Seagram's on my way over to the Glover house, and when I brought it to him, he would hand me 4 or 5 dollars, not realizing that I paid 12 or 13. Of course, I never called him on it. He was living in the era of 19 cents per gallon gas and 25 cent packs of cigarettes.

THANKS AGAIN FOR THE PHOTOS, MACK, AND "JERSEY GIRL ELIZABETH!"

1945: HAMILTON'S -BAYER ASPIRIN PLANT

Here's the advance news of the new Sterling Drug - Bayer Aspiring plant to be built on E. State Street in Hamilton as it was announced in the Fall of 1945.

1935: Fire at Hamilton's Pocono Rubber Factory

I must admit that in all of my many years of researching local history, I had never heard of the Pocono Rubber Company. I will see if I can find a reference to it in one of my Trenton City Directories. The Boys at Hamilton Fire Company along with Enterprise battled the fire for over six hours. I note that among the injured in the fire was Walter Guy. I'm sure he is related to Dick Guy, "little brother" of my long time friend in the ball and roller bearing business, Bill Guy.

It is sheer speculation on my part, but I would bet that the Pocono Rubber Company was located on the same spot as the Nearpara Rubber Company.

1945: THE NEW BAYER ASPIRIN PLANT

THE WAR HAD JUST ENDED. HAMILTON TOWNSHIP WAS TO GET A NEW 1 MILLION DOLLAR BAYER ASPIRIN FACTORY. THAT BAYER PLANT WAS WITH US RIGHT UP TO THE 1970'S WHEN THEY "PULLED UP STAKES" AND ABANDONED US. WITHIN THE PAST 4 OR 5 MONTHS, A VIEWER WAS ASKING FOR ANYTHING I MIGHT HAVE ON BAYER. I JUST UNCOVERED THIS TODAY. FOR THOSE WHO AREN'T AWARE OF IT, THE BAYER PLANT WAS ON EAST STATE STREET IN HAMILTON TOWNSHIP.

1914: WHEN THE TRENTON AREA WAS NOTED FOR AUTO TIRES

HERE'S AN AD FROM HAMILTON'S THERMOID RUBBER COMPANY, TOUTING THE SUPERIOR "NASSAU" TIRE. 300-PLUS MILES AVERAGING 73.4 MPH!

UHH, EXCUSE ME, BUT SHOULDN'T THAT READ,

"DE PALMA AND BURMAN STAKE THEIR LIVES ON

"HAMILTON-MADE TIRES?"

1896: The Rothschild Factory

Hamiltonians who are familiar with that huge red brick building on the corner of Nottingham Way and Johnston Avenue will remember the building as being the home of Atlantic Products Corp., manufacturers of golf and luggage bags. The building was originally constructed as a textile mill for the Rothschild Company. The building has fallen into disrepair and is an eyesore today. However, I understand that in the near future there is a possibility that the building will be restored to its original splendor and become still another 19th century treasure.

1900: DeLaval Comes to Trenton

I believe the new De Laval factory was built on farmland owned by the Boyd family. It was big news back there in 1900 when the industrial giant moved into the city.....or did they move into Hamilton township? I don't know where the city line begins, but it is a close call.

1928: W&J Sloane Company

This venerable old line Hamilton Township industry has been operating in our area for many years. In 1928 it was known as W&J Sloane. A name change followed, and it became known as Sloane Blabon Company, Then Congoleum Nairn and ultimately into today's Congoleum.

1928 Yardville's Martin Brothers

We old time Hamilton residents well recall the Martin Factory in Yardville. My home is constructed of blocks which may have come from this old line factory.

Mercer Rubber Company

Here's an interesting invoice from the 1890's from my collection of local businesses. With Mercer Rubber Company currently in the headlines, one wonders if the alleged "dumping" of dangerous chemical debris at the Sayen property across the street began way back when this invoice was issued.

1906: E.C. Hutchinson Invoice

This great old invoice from my collection speaks for itself. The late 1800's and early 1900's was an era of exquisite steel engraved letterheads as displayed in the accompanying engraving which has been scanned in higher than normal "dots per inch."

1900" E.C. Hutchinson Milling Plant

How many local citizens know that today's Hutchinson's Mills section of Hamilton is named for the establishment ilustrated at the right? Mr. E.C. Hutchinson was a very prominent Hamiltonian politically and as a business man. The mill you see in the photo is in the area today occupied by Hamilton Supply Company on E. State St. and Klockner Road.

1896: Rothschild Factory to Open

First it was Rothschild as a manufacturer of textiles. Following that it became the Strauss Woolen Mills. Following that it was the home of Atlantic Products for many years. In the BUSINESSES, HAMILTON files at the Hamilton Library, there is a photo of the plant as it looked when it opened. For those unfamiliar with the location, it is on Roberts Avenue and Nottingham Way, just the other side of the mainload railroad, adjacent to the former DeLaval complex.