THANK YOU, HARRY PODMORE!

As I have mentioned numerous times over the many years I have been mining for historic research, one of my favorite subjects is Mill Hill. I was fortunate enough to get an old weathered and "foxed" scrapbook. "foxed is (book people;s reference to the browning and tanning of pages). This old treasure was the property of fabled historian Harry Podmore. Herewith a digitized and dressed up set of pages relating to "Washington's Retreat."

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.