1952 TO 2014: MERCERVILLE'S NORTH HAMILTON AVENUE

 Here we have a splendid example of how a neighborhood changes over 60-plus years. You are at the intersection of Nottingham Way, Hamilton Avenue and North Hamilton Avenue and heading toward Mercerville's "five points." Ironically two of the cars in the photo, the 1940 Nash on the far left, and the Hudson in the foreground were the two auto marques that I lusted for back in 1952 when I was a young driver. However, the budget only allowed for the $25 1937 Ford "Business Coupe" that I bought from a guy in Morrisville.

1935: NOTTINGHAM WAY APPROACHING THE BROMLEY INN

This photo shows the Bromley Inn in the background, and a concrete Nottingham Way in a very sparsely settled area as it was 78 years ago when I was a two year old toddler! Note the open spaces on either side of the road, and the gas station on the left.

1947:2090 GREENWOOD AVENUE IN FRONT OF THE HAMILTON TOWNSHIPMUNICIPAL BUILDING

I really like this photo. The truck on the left is an old International dump truck. To the right of the building you can see a vacant lot. Below is another photo from just up the street in front of Greenwood School giving an even better view of the vacant lot adjacent to the town hall. .

1949: ROUTE 33 AT YARDVILLE-HAMILTON SQUARE ROAD (??)

 

I always tell the younger folks how many open farm fields there were back in the day. Huge farms sprawled all over Hamilton Township. These two photos are identical, except for the fact that I have enlarged and changed the focus in the top photo. I will ask for visitors to affirm my belief that this is the intersection of Yardville-Hamilton Square Road with Route 33. The area has built up so much in the ensuing years that I must admit, I wasn't really certain. My premise is based on the "Yardville" sign and the "Hamilton Square" sign located over the larger sign that points to Trenton.

On Thu, May 16, 2013 at 3:43 PM, Zehape1@aol.com wrote: Tom,
 It looks more like Whitehorse Hamilton Square Rd and Rt 33. Building  on the left looks like Lockwood's Marine Service and building on the right could  be Veldof's. The houses just beyond Veldof's could be the ones on Herbert  Avenue.
 
Harry Z. 

Thanks Harry: I have made the change as above.

Tom

Hi Tom, I believe you were  right, from the beginning, on identifying the location of this photo. It is The Yardville Hamilton Square Rd. Check out the distance to Veldof's and Lockwoods. It is way too far in the distance to be the White Horse Hamilton Square Rd. On the right, there would be Patterson Chevrolet, then the intersection. Then, Hamilton Chrysler Plymouth, now closed, the car wash, the strip mall and , on the corner, the Citgo gas station. There is plenty of room on the left, for the Wells Fargo Bank, the intersection, and the whole shopping center. One other thing, I now know why that same 1941 Chevrolet Club Coupe is in so many of the photos, it is the photographers car! Ray Paszkiewicz


Harry, Based on Ray's comments above, I agree and I am going back to my original observation that this is the Yardville-Hamilton Square Road.
Tom 

1945: HAMILTON AVENUE AT NORWAY HEADING TO NEWKIRK AVENUE

I published a similar graphic to this one some time back. This is very familiar territory for me....indeed, it is one block away from Kuser School, my grammar school alma mater. Up the road to the right is Atlantic Avenue, the street on which I have been living for 50 plus years.

1941: BEFORE THE WHITE HORSE CIRCLE

This familiar intersection is very familiar to me. The intersection in the photo is completely unfamiliar to me. I can honestly say I do not recall Route 206 merging with South Broad Street at the White Horse Avenue (White Horse - Mercerville Road). How very rural we were back when I was 8 years old! I must admit that I don't even remember this intersection 10 years later when I was a senior at HHS and often traversed South Broad Street.

1949 Ca. SOUTH BROAD STREET APPROACHING THE CIRCLE AT WHITE HORSE

Emil's Bake Shoppe, the White Horse Diner, and Gropp's White Horse Tavern; What more can we ask for in this splendid view of the South Broad Street-White Horse area? Note that this and the photo below are not from the Duke University R.C. Maxwell collection, rather they are in the "HAMILTON-VIEWS OF" folder in the Hamilton Library Local History Collection.

That reminded of some fishing trips with my Dad. We would take the bus to the circle and walk down the hill of 206 to a place on Crosswicks Creek. I believe it was a fellow who rented boats and sold live bait of killies and worms and his name was Ray Londhal or Londell.

Ed Millerick

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

SJBill said...

Ed, is was Ray Londahl, and the freshwater little fishies were minnies (or monnows). Killies were for fluking in salt water.

My Dad and I fished just about every inch of Crosswick's Creek before I was five, then we began exploring the ponds out beyond Allentown.

Remember Capri Kitchens just beyond the White Horse non-circle?

Who went horseback riding at Carney Rose's?

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Anonymous said...

I had family who lived down the road from Carney Rose and we loved to walk down and look at the horses. Family lived on Dewey so I suppose The Rose Riding Academy was on what became Independence Avenue? Also we were amazed at the new sewage plant and put a damper on our fishing down there.

Ed Millerick.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Cathy J said...

My parents used to get horsemeat from Carney Rose's to feed our cats. This must have been in the early 50's. EWWW.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Circa 1940: 1800 BLOCK OF SOUTH BROAD STREET

This original post of this photo has been removed and re-formatted. I enlarged it, lightened the darkened areas and darkened the lightened areas and brought the overall view into clearer focus. This is brings out the best in this nostalgic look at this popular "go to" place of the 40's and 50's.

Didn't we get our Hamilton High School class rings at Heitz Jewelers? My age has finally caught up with me. I will need Jim Colello or another Broad Street Park area old timer to tell me whether I am correct in identifying the street corner on the right as Sewell Avenue. My memory failed me on this photo. I always thought that Heitz Jewelry story was on the south side of South Broad Street. Comments, Please, so I can set the record to historic accuracy. Regardless of the historical accuracy, this is a beautiful photo of the road I have traveled countless times.

Tom, this photograph is wonderful. Thank you for posting. The street to the right with the fire hydrant in the foreground is Sewell Avenue. The street center background below the billboard is Lily Street. The corner occupied by Heitz Jewelers, Orlando Tailoring and Ely Radios is occupied by the building once occupied by Bob Lang Appliances and today is occupied by The Salvation Army Thrft Store and the studios of WIMG AM 1300. The three men are standing in front of Sam's Liquor Store. The image of the Park 5c & 10c further down is priceless. Jim C.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

THANKS, JIM. I KNEW YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO I.D. ALMOST ALL THE BUILDINGS.

TOM

Lee Belardino said...

Tommy
We got our rings from Heitzs jewelers. I still got mine. I lived one street behind Broad on Genesee. Heitz was across the street from Tiltons bakery. Asterino's liquor store was on the corner Holy Angels was down the street.Freidman and Fromkins was our drug store down from Tiltons bakery.Broad street park was my neighborhood from Rowan to Hamilton.Great place to grow up.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

THANKS, LEE. I WAS PRETTY SURE THAT'S WHERE WE GOT THOSE RINGS.

TOMMY

So glad to see this photo! My uncle Dr. John Dzienis and my aunt Vera lived on this corner in the 1940's. They bought the big white Victorian house because it was the perfect location for a Doctors office right next to the bus stop and on the corner of a main street (Broad and Sewell)
When I was a toddler we stayed here briefly until my parents bought their home in Broad Street Park. I remember watching the sign on the jewelry store blink on and off at night. There was a Barber shop and a dress shop across Broad Street which my parents patronized. The other corner of Broad and Sewell had a grocery store where I got my cherry ice pops! Near Tiltons bakery there was a doll repair shop and a Drug store at Harrison St.

Lyric

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

GREAT TO HEAR FROM YOU, LYRIC! THANKS FOR THE INTERESTING COMMENTS.

TOM

1927: THIS WAS HAMILTON SQUARE IN THE "ROARING 20's"

At the very top of this page is a very nice and I might add, relatively rare photo of Nottingham Way as one approaches Foley Park at the intersection of Nottingham Way and Yardville-Hamilton Square Road. Below is a Google Earth view of Nottingham Way a bit closer to Foley Park but still showing the long gone trolley tracks.

1948: HAMILTON AVENUE AT NORWAY

This is a very familiar view for me, as it is in the general neighborhood in which I grew up. If you climbed to the roof of that duplex home in the background, you would be looking into the Kuser School yard. That open area is still there, and the last time I looked, still hosting advertising signs.

Sally Logan Gilman said...

Hi Tom: If I remember correctly, and it's definitely a toss up, my father's parents lived on Norway Avenue -- he was Russ Logan and his parents were Ava and Stephen Henry Logan. Regard

Thursday, March 08, 2012

1947: IN FRONT OF 2090 GREENWOOD AVENUE

Here's another exquisite photo from the R.C. Maxwell Collection, Duke University Archives. Note the open wooded area next to the Municipal Building. An old International truck in front of Greenwood School adds to the charm of this 63 year old treasure.

Ralph Lucarella said...

HI TOM....WE WERE IN AND OUT OF THAT BUILDING PRETTY OFTEN DURING THE TIME WE HAD THE HAMILTOB BOWLING LANES IN THE LATE 50'S'. WE WERE VERY FRIENDLY WITH SUTTERLY AND McGUIRE AND MANY OTHER TOWNSHIP PEOPLE. THEIR LEAGUE BOWLED AT OUR LANES AND WE ALSO PLAYED GOLF TOGETHER. REGARDS

Friday, December 16, 2011

1986: NOTTINGHAM WAY AND CRESCENT AVENUE

This photo was lifted from the 1986 Hamilton Township map which Hamilton citizens receive each year. Former Mayor Jack Rafferty and his team had a very avid interest in local history. Jack Rafferty is an expert on Pre-Columbian artifacts, and has acquired countless relics from the former inhabitants of the area down by the Hamilton marshes, also known as the area which was formerly the Conrad Abbott estate. Were it not for Jack Rafferty, there would be no "Local History Collection" at the Hamilton Library. Were it not for former Councilman and friend Jack Lacy, there would be no Tom Glover connection with the Hamilton Township Public Library. It was Jack Lacy who spoke with the powers that be back in the early 90's to add me to the Hamilton Library staff.