Yardville School, Circa 1910

This old photo shows the Yardville Grammar School as it looked early in the 20th century.
The building still stands on Route 156 and is an apartment complex. The building on the right is the Order of United American Mechanics (OUAM) building.

(Note: You will note there are "herringbone" type lines throughout the photo. This is "malady" is more severe in certain photos produced in the offset printing process.)

Yardley Beers, Delaware Valley Radio Association

This 1932 photo reports on the amateur radio activities of DVRA pioneer Yardley Beers. Mr. Beers is seated in his shack, with a communications console loaded with what we amateurs today consider to be "boat anchors" due to their large size and heavy weight. Today's amateur radio equipment is solid state technology and miniscule in size when compared with Mr. Beers' "shack" as shown in the photo.

If you are an amateur radio "wannabe, " or just interested in short wave listening ("SWL-ing"), you can contact the Delaware Valley Radio Association (DVRA) at www.w2zq.com. The club headquarters is in Ewing township at the Bear Tavern Road exit of route 95.

Hamilton Early Schools; a mini-history

"HAMILTON TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS - THE WAY THEY WERE"
Compiled and edited by Tom Glover

Public education has played a vital role in the evolution of America. From very modest beginnings in the days of the Pilgrims, right up to the present day, Americans have always placed a high priority on the "3 R's".
This humble treatise deals with Hamilton Township schools of the past. Indeed, some of the schools from way back in the 1890's will be heard from. The source material has been transcribed from old newspaper clippings, unfortunately some of it undated. Intriguing Hamilton Township school names such as Edgebrook, Washington, and Friendship were all a part of Hamilton Township’s primary education system. The names of prominent Hamiltonians such as E. S. Willey, General James Rusling, Benedict C. Kuser, Isaac De Cou, and countless others, will play an important part in this thumbnail history of Hamilton's system of education.
In the latter part of the 1800's, Hamilton Township was mostly farmland; about as rural as you could find in the area. As the 20th century dawned, Hamilton and the surrounding area would progress from a system of one room school houses, into the highly efficient and sophisticated system that we know today.
Those of us who are avid fans of "The Little Rascals" on TV, are quite familiar with the one room school house. The kids were taught by a winsome and lovely teacher named Miss Crabtree. It is somewhat difficult to comprehend that Hamilton had those very same one room school houses, but we did.
So as Miss Julia McLain, my 6th grade teacher at Kuser School used to say, “face front, keep your eyes on your own paper.” You will see how rural, one room schoolhouses, scarlet fever epidemics, and other grade school crises, provide an interesting peek at our past.

GETTING ORGANIZED
Hamilton Township's first recorded school board meeting was held on July 13, 1894 at the school in Hamilton Square. At this meeting, the board voted to number the schools, and trustees were appointed for each school. The initial schools placed under the jurisdiction of the board, and their assigned numbers were:
No. 1) WASHINGTON
No. 2) MERCERVILLE
No. 3) HAMILTON SQUARE
No. 4) EDGEBROOK
No. 5) FRIENDSHIP
No. 6 ) WHITEHORSE
No. 7) YARDVILLE
No. 8) GROVEVILLE
No. 9) FARMINGDALE
The census of 1898 showed Hamilton with 981 school-age children. Of that number, 517 were formally enrolled in the township school system. Twenty five children attended private schools. The remaining 339 didn't attend school. In those days, it was not unusual for children to work on farms, or in factories. Truancy was an accepted fact, and a formal truancy program was yet to be implemented.

The "one-teacher-one-classroom" concept worked out quite well until the developers began to add to our population. Early real estate developments, such as the Homedell Land Association, Bromley Place, Broad Street Park Land Association, the Union Land Association (Deutzville), and other developers, were creating home sites, and many farms were changing into developed areas. As the various areas developed, the need for more and larger schools became apparent. It is interesting to note that some of Hamilton's schools have been in continuous operation since the early part of this century. The relatively recent renovation of two of these schools, Kuser and Klockner, is helping to maintain a link with the past.
MERCERVILLE SCHOOL
Before the township schools were organized under the board of education in 1894, Mercerville School was known as School No. 2. It was located on Quaker Bridge Road approximately where the Quaker Bridge Commons building is now located. During the period from 1894 to 1904, the school was taught by the Misses Annie Wright, Jennie Chinnick, Roxie Southard, Ella Polhemus, and a Miss Peabody.
One of Mercerville School’s teachers, Miss Roxie Southard, caused somewhat of a problem for the early school board; a problem which really wasn't handled too diplomatically. It seems that Miss Southard suspended the son of one of the members of the Hamilton Township Board of Education for disorderly conduct. Additionally, the boy was from one of the more prominent families of Hamilton Township. The touchy situation was resolved in a somewhat devious manner, when the board ruled that Miss Southard had suspended the boy for violation of her (Miss Roxie Southard’s) rules, as opposed to the rules of the school. It was further ruled that the boy could return to the school if he promised to adhere to the rules of the school. Throughout the early years and almost without exception, the board required an apology from all errant students. There was no such requirement in the Roxie Southard case. In May, 1900, she was sent to the Farmingdale School, trading places with Miss Jennie Chinnick.
Over the years, the Hamilton schools were rented to various organizations for after school use. Many complaints were heard by the board relative to the after hours tenants: The Groveville School was often left in disorder by the Groveville Cornet Band, who practiced in that school. The added cost of coal consumption at Mercerville School due to Mr. Theodore Carhart's Union Sunday school on Sunday Mornings. These and other problems were dealt with by the Hamilton Township Board of Education in the early part of the century. And then came the first problem of a major magnitude.
In March, 1903, a fire totally destroyed the Mercerville school. The cause was believed to have been from a faulty chimney. The fire caused a great problem for the local families who depended on the school to educate their children. The board took immediate steps to replace the building. The insurance coverage was $1,000, enough to cover more than half of the replacement cost of a new schoolhouse.
Mr. Riley, the trustee, was instructed to find someone to transport the children to the Hamilton Square School until the new building was completed. It was difficult to find anyone at first, but by the end of April Mr. Riley succeeded in hiring Howard Smith to transport the Mercerville children at a cost of $5.50 per week.
With $1,000 insurance money on hand, the board proceeded to appropriate $800 additional to rebuild the school. At the October meeting, bids were opened and Mr. Riley was deemed the successful bidder on a replacement school with a bid of $1,660.00. The contract was awarded to Mr. Riley with a $500 performance bond, and the understanding that the school would be finished by December 21, 1903. The one room schoolhouse became a thing of the past. Mercerville was moving into the era of the multi-room, multi-teacher school house.
INTERESTING SPLINTERS FROM

THE BOARD OF EDUCATION:
Sept., 1902: Hamilton adopted the following textbooks for use in the system:

WARD' S PRIMER
BLAISDELL ' S PSYCHOLOGY
MILU’S ARITHMETIC
RICE' S SPELLERS
FREY' S GEOGRAPHY
MONTGOMERY ' S HISTORY
WEBSTER 'S DICTIONARY
BRYANT AND STRATTON BOOKKEEPING

HAMILTON SQUARE SCHOOL
The Hamilton Square School was known as number 28. There were two teachers at the school in 1894, when the Hamilton Board of Education took over the township school system. Miss Mary Whittaker, and Miss Emily Mitchell handled the affairs of the school.
Helen Almy West, in her history of Hamilton Township, listed a number of locations for the Hamilton Square Schools. The location we are dealing with here was chosen in 1898. The area was growing, and a larger school was needed. The school board voted to raise $4,500 for the construction of a new building, and to sell the old building and grounds at public auction.
The location picked by the Board was to include two lots belonging to John Coleman, on the southeast corner of Pine Street and Maple Shade Avenue. This lot was bounded by one lot belonging to Mrs. E. H. Totten, fronting on Pine Street. The final parcel of land needed to provide a large school site, was owned by Samuel Smith, and fronted on Maple Shade Avenue.
The new building was to be built of brick, with two rooms on the first floor, and two on the second. The cost of the building was not to exceed $4,000. It was decided to finish off the rooms on the first floor, and leave the upper rooms unfinished until the extra space was needed, at which time the rooms could be conveniently finished and furnished.
Unfortunately, the bids were rejected when they exceeded the amount of money allocated. The architect was asked to cut some of the extras out of the design in order to bring the amount down to the budgeted $4,000.
It was also decided that the Board should visit the Cranbury School in order to get an idea of what could be done on a limited budget.
In the summer of 1898, with the specifications re-drawn by Mr. Poland, the architect, the Board advertised for bids on the new Hamilton Square School. The successful bidder was Mr. E. W. Ford. He accepted the contract with the understanding that the school would be finished by December 1st, 1899.
Mr. Ford made good headway on the building, and finished it in time for the dedication ceremonies which were held on November 30, 1899. The ceremony is re-printed from the Trenton State Gazette from Dec. 1, 1899.
The Board was justly proud of their efforts in completing the school in such good time. There was a minor problem after completion when they held up Mr. Ford's final payment for a few weeks. It was the view of the Board that Mr. Ford would not be paid the final installment on his contract until the dirt piles around the building were leveled off, and the sash cords on many of the school windows be adjusted. This done, the final payment was made and the village of Hamilton Square greeted the new century with a brand new four room school house.
MORE SPLINTERS FROM THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
July, 1899:
The Board was disappointed in the sale of the old Hamilton Square school house and lot. It was felt that $325 was far below what they expected.
August, 1899:
The basement of the unfinished Hamilton Square School was completely flooded. Solution: sink 8" terra cotta pipe sufficiently deep to drain off.
February, 1901:
Work begins to finish off the two upper rooms.
December, 1902:
Board votes to pay balance of 1902 bills. Among those paid was to Mr. Fred Erick, the janitor, for the months of Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec.($15.00 total)
April, 1903:
The children are putting foreign objects in the toilets. They clogged up, flooded the basement, and put the fire out in the furnace.
November, 1903
Truancy is becoming a problem. The local officials are powerless to force students to attend. The Broad of Education votes to appoint Mr. Henry Caesar as Truant Officer with the authority to enforce truancy laws.

RUSLING SCHOOL
In April of 1895, a petition was presented to the Board, signed by area residents; asking for a school at, or near Broad Street Park. The Board set about the task of finding a suitable facility. At the meeting in June of that year, General James Rusling, Andrew K. Rowan, and Eugene Willey cane forward with $72 in cash for the Board to use in providing a "suitable schoolhouse", at least equal to the room which the Homedell area residents were renting for their Kindergarten classes. Rusling, Rowan, and Willey agreed to take on the task of providing a school-room, if the Board would agree to furnish desks, blackboards, and other furnishings. After the Board received assurance that all the furnishings would remain the property of the Township of Hamilton, the go-ahead was gratefully given by the Board.
The building at 547 Schiller Avenue was the location picked by Rusling and his associates. The building still stands, and with the exception of a flashy covering of contemporary siding, the basic structural characteristics are unchanged. The building is currently the home of the Marine Corps League.
Early records refer to the building as "The Annex", "Broad Street Park Hose House", "Rusling Annex", and "Rusling School". The infant predecessor to Rusling Hose Volunteer Fire Co. shared the school building for many years.
General Rusling and his friends had the school room all ready for classes in time for the 1895 school year. At the September meeting of the Board of Education, held at Rusling School, formal thanks were tendered the Messrs. Rusling, Rowan, and Willey for their aid in supplying the school room. At this meeting, the school was assigned the designation, "Rusling School, Number 10".
The little school room served quite well until 1897, when the citizens again petitioned for a larger school. The area was growing rapidly, and the single classroom was fast becoming over-crowded, causing many of the citizens of Broad Street Park to send their children over to the Hutchinson School, over in the Homedell section. The little school room was closed for a time, but would be pressed into service again during the World War I era.


BROAD STREET PARK SCHOOL
Acting on the petition filed by Broad Street Park residents in June of 1897, The Hamilton Township Board of Education set about the task of finding ways and means of erecting a new school house in the area. Three locations were offered. The first to be considered was bounded by Clinton Avenue and Lida Street, on the Isaac De Cou plot. The second was offered by General James Rusling, which consisted of lots 373 thru 378, on the south side of Schiller Avenue, where the little Rusling School room was located.
The third lot came with an offer the Board couldn't refuse: These lots were numbered 65 through 68, and were bounded by Broad Street, Chambers Street, Rennie Street, and a ten foot alley on the Isaac DeCou plot. Mr. Andrew IC. Rowan offered to enter into bond with the Board, Rowan paying the annual interest rate of $100. The offer was accepted, and the site of the new Broad Street Park School was established.
The architect was given the go-ahead to draw up plans for a two storey, brick building, with two rooms on the first floor, and two rooms on the second. The second floor rooms to be unfurnished, as was the custom until the added space was needed. The cost of the building was not to exceed $2500.00.
In the summer of 1897, bids were advertised with the following results: George S. Fell was lowest bidder for the masonry work on the new school, with his bid of $1395.00. Mr. A. W. Ford bid $1106.00, and was low bidder for the carpentry work.
Work proceeded on the building, and it was a source of encouragement to the Board to see the building progress quite well during the summer and early fall months. At the meeting in September, 1897, a motion was passed that 'Number 10, formerly Rusling School, will hereafter be known as the 'Broad Street Park School."
`The furniture, desks, and other furnishings, were transferred from the Rusling School room to the new school, and on November 1, 1897, Broad Street Park School Number 10 accepted classes. The assigned teachers were Miss Colleen Reed teaching the advanced classes, and Miss Dora Lurford teaching the primary children. As it turned out, the furnishings from the little Rusling schoolroom were barely enough to furnish one room, and necessitated the first known utilization of split sessions in Hamilton.
For a period of about one month, only one room was used, until October 29th, when $125.00 was appropriated to furnish the other room.
The cover of this booklet shows the little school that was once on the vacant lot next to Rusling Hose Volunteer Fire Co. I drew it from an old Trenton True American photo which was published in 1908, showing this building as it was to be torn down, to be replaced by the Andrew K. Rowan School.

FARMINGDALE SCHOOL NO. 9
Farmingdale School was only recently leveled and made into a play­ground. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, Nottingham Way was called East Clinton Avenue. The school was located on East Clinton Avenue, just east of State Street. The original designation of Farmingdale was number 35. According to Helen Almy West in "History of Hamilton Township," Farmingdale was the oldest school in the Township of Hamilton.
The area was relatively rural in the latter part of the last century. Farmingdale's proximity to the city of Trenton led to some problems which were not experienced by the other schools in Hamilton. At different times, complaints were lodged with the Board of Education on a number of peculiar problems. Particularly troublesome were the horse-drawn wagons which chose to cross the school yard. "Street boys" and "tramps" were also disturbing the normal operation of the school. Miss Dalton, the teacher at Farmingdale, lodged a formal complaint with the Board on matters such as these, and succeeded in getting an iron fence constructed around the school yard.
Other minor problems cropped up at the school: unsanitary out-houses, untidy occupants from the local Sunday school, and other little itches which were dealt with quite efficiently.
The breaking up of Henry Smith’s "Fashion Stud Farm" in the 1870's started the population increase in this area of Bromley. Property was rapidly changing hands in the area. As the new century began, the population began to increase at a rate which would soon render Farmingdale's facilities hopelessly inadequate. In the late summer of 1904, with 60 new homes in the Victor - Adela avenue are in the course of construction, it was decided to look into a solution to the problem.
Mr. Benedict C. Kuser, representing the "Fashion Farm Land Association", offered a plot of land 212 x 125 feet, located on the land owned by Henry N. Smith. The offer included a building which was known as "The Club House.” It was a large building, which could easily be converted into a school. The price was $12,500, with Mr. Kuser offering to donate $10,000, thus leaving a balance of $2500. For un-stated reasons, the offer was turned down. During the ensuing months, "The Club House" was rented for school space, but only temporarily, until a larger school could be provided.
In March, 1905, a proposal to raise $7,500 for a new schoolhouse was passed. The new building was to be of brick, two storeys, and contain four rooms. The old school building was to be sold, and the moneys received applied to the purchase of the new building. The $7,500 figure proved to be too low. The lowest bid received on the initial invitations was $9,390. Accordingly, the Board negated all bids, and framed a new request to bid. This time the allocation was raised to a more realistic $9,500. The award went to J. W. Bowers. The architect was Harry Hill. A new school would soon be a reality on East Clinton Avenue, but not before some more problems arose.
As the building contractor began to assemble his tools to start erection of the new Farmingdale School in 1905, a problem arose which could have been quite "sticky" if it weren't for the agility of all concerned to “thrust and parry.”
Benedict Kuser and Alfred Whitehead attended the October meeting as representatives of the Fashion Farm Land Association. Their lawyer, Judge R. S. Woodruff, wrote a letter to the Board, stating that the Township was encroaching on the Whitehead Road with the building of the new school. The Board maintained that the property line was properly drawn; it was the Whitehead Road which was technically on Township school property. The Board further stated that they would have preferred to have secured options on the land immediately next to the school, but were unable to acquire it. At this point, Benedict Kuser stated that he had authorization from the Fashion Farm Land Association to sell to the Township Board of Education a plot of ground about 40 feet wide on the north side of the existing lot, and another 5O feet wide on the easterly side of the existing school lot. The price of the lot included a token payment of one dollar. The offer was accepted, provided the contractor would not charge too much to take a few backward steps. It seems that the cellar had already been excavated, and it would be expensive to cover up the hole, move eastward, and dig another hole away from Whitehead Road. The Messrs. Kuser and Whitehead again came forward on behalf of their employer, and offered to pay half of the re-excavation fee, provided the cost was no more than one hundred dollars. The problem was resolved. The contractor covered the hole, moved east dug a new hole, and Whitehead Road was once again free to carry traffic. B. C. Kuser and the Fashion Farm Folks were very happy that things turned out to the advantage of all concerned, and the business of building a new Farmingdale School got under way in earnest.


It went so well, in fact; at the December 1905 meeting of the Hamilton Township Board of Education a resolution of gratitude was offered by Mr. Rockwell Hart, District Clerk. It read: "Resolved. That the Board of Education, on behalf of the inhabitants of the Township of Hamilton, extend a vote of thanks to the Fashion Farm Land Association, through their Secretary, Mr. B. C. Kuser, for the very munificent gift of the two lots of land adjoining the Farmingdale School grounds, thus enlarging said grounds to a proper size and enabling the Board of Education to place the handsome new school building., in the course of erection, on one of the most ideal public school grounds in the county. The resolution was unanimously adopted, and ordered to be a part of the record, with a copy sent to the Trenton Times for publication. Farmingdale School became the newest, and largest school in the system. It stayed with the Township until the 1980’s, when it gave way to the wrecker's ball.
MORE SPLINTERS FROM THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
September 1905: What may have been the first PTA in Hamilton, was formed in 1905. Miss Stirling, the Principal, wrote a letter to the Board requesting permission to form a "Mother's Club" to meet at the school. The expressed purpose of the club was to act in the interest of the school to help promote the interchange of ideas. The Board granted the request, and commended all concerned for the example of civic concern they exhibited. May, 1906: The Board voted to sell the old Farmingdale Schoolhouse. The Successful bidder was a Mr. Reuben Farwell. His bid of $20.25 with a cash discount, got him possession of the old school for the net price of $19.24. Times HAVE changed, haven't they?

1909 Pennington Town News

News notes from the Pennington of November 25, 1909

1909 The New Princeton Borough Hall

Beautiful, isn't she? This old 1909 clip shows the borough hall in its infancy. The building was built on the Swann property.

1938: Trenton's Motor Vehicle Inspection Station

Ahh, yes, I remember it well! This was the one place where a teenage boy wanted to avoid like the proverbial plague. We had to go there every year to that N.J. Motor Vehicle Inspection Station on Prospect Street. It was very rare that one of our "clunkers" would pass on the first try. A hole in that noisy muffler? Stuff it with a copious amount of steel wool. "Suicide Knob" on the steering wheel? Be sure to take it off before you go through the line. The motor vehicle inspectors always seemed like they had a bad night before...nary a smile; remember?

Kuser School Safety Patrol, 1956 Part I

THANKS TO AN EMAIL FROM CLAIRE DWIER ZARR FOR CORRECTING ME, AND IDENTIFYING THIS AS THE SCHOOL PATROL FROM KUSER SCHOOL 1956. CLAIRE'S LATE HUSBAND, BOB ZARR IS IN THE TOP ROW FAR RIGHT IN THIS HALF OF THE PHOTO. HE'S THE TALL, DARK AND HANDSOME "KUSER KAT" IN THE DARK SUIT. Thank you, Claire!

In order to view a more detailed file, I have divided this class photo into two parts. You are looking at one half of the Kuser School class of 1953. The other half is found in the following post.

Kuser School Safety Patrol, 1956 - Part II

Here is the other half of the Kuser School Safety Patrol of '56. Sorry I have to cut these very long (0ver 14 inches) photos in half, but if I didn't, the individuals in the photo would be very hard to perceive.

Obit of a Camp Olden Vendor

Daniel Peters was a vendor of baked goods and a supplier to the troops at Hamilton Township's Camp Olden.

Center City Trenton Circa 1910

If there is any segment of my collection that holds a special interest to me, it is the vintage town views. This view shows So. Broad Street looking north. On the immediate right is the old Trenton City Hall. In later years the building was the home of Yard's Department Store where my wife, Judy, worked for many years as a salesgirl and a model in the Yard's "Junior Deb" shop.

This is a very LARGE graphic. Due to the limitations on the size of this window, you will not be able to read this page. It is displayed as a sample of a series of Trenton Times weekly features from the 1913-14 era, wherein the paper featured Chambersburg, Wilbur, and other neighborhoods on a weekly basis. The more interesting ones are being preserved in the Hamilton Local History Collection. As they are found, they are scanned at a resolution which will allow those of us who are optically challenged to comfortably read them.

1913: Karl Weidel, Jr.

From my "Notable Persons" file in the Hamilton Local History Collection, this photo of a young Karl Weidel, Jr. Young Mr. Weidel was on the committee for a dance being held by the "Ivy Club"

SAVING GRAPHICS: A REMINDER

Another reminder on managing the graphics on this site:

To save: RIGHT CLICK on the graphic. Click SAVE TARGET AS and choose a spot on your hard drive.

To enlarge a graphic that allows for enlarging:

Click on the graphic. It will enlarge. After first enlargement, if still another enlargement is possible, look for an orange and blue icon on the LOWER RIGHT corner of the graphic. If one appears, click on it for maximum enlargement. NOTE: The orange and blue icon does not appear immediately. Wait a second or two; if none appears, the graphic is at maximum size.

1908 Planning for Washington Crossing Park

Mercer Was a Popular Marque

The Mercer automobile was in the height of its popularity in the 1909-1914 era. By 1914, as the accompanying article reveals, factory floor space was at a premium.

TIME OUT FOR A COMMERCIAL!

Twenty first century computer technology has opened a whole new world for historic research. The above poster is on display at the Hamilton Township Public Library, where I will be presenting a program explaining the exciting things being done in the Local History Collection. The program is being presented by the Friends of the Hamilton Township Public Library. I hope to see you there!

See the above poster for details.

1913 Opium Lab in a Chinese Laundry

I and my contemporaries must have lived a very sheltered life. It wasn't until I saw the movie, "The Man With The Golden Arm" that I learned that there was such a thing as drugs. For most of us, "Drugs" were sold in a drugstore, and were generally not abused. The above 1913 photo of an opium lab on North Clinton Avenue in Trenton just goes to show you that the drug problem was a concern back in grandma and grandpa's day.

1906 Trenton Policemen Calling off Sick

This article deals with the exhorbitant "sickout" record of a number of Trenton police officers. It also contains interesting statistics on dealing with the Trenton police of 100 years ago.

1866 Andersonville Prison

An interesting article tells of the notorious Civil War prison, where Union soldiers were ruthlessly treated.

1861 More on Camp Olden

Another very scarce insight to the local lore of Hamilton's Camp Olde n. Were this article published in the 20th century, there probably would have been an accompanying photo. However, the graphics at the time of the war between the states were time consuming hand drawn engravings.

1861 Camp Olden Troops

Constant and ongoing searching for anything relating to Camp Olden has resulted in this poor example of a computer graphic. Unfortunately, the file was created as a file which does not lend itself to enhancement. However, it is an extremely interesting look at the Camp Olden of 1861.

1911: Trenton Police First Precinct "P1"

Years ago, the city of Trenton's police department had two precincts. "P1", illustrated above is a photo of the Chancery Street facility in downtown Trenton as it appeared way back in 1911. The police took over the building which was formerly a Market house. "P2" was located on South Broad Street near Cass in the Chambersburg area. The building still stands.

1886: A.J. Rider's "TRENTON BUSINESS COLLEGE"

This exquisite engraving of the predecessor to A.J. Rider's colleges which evolved over the years.

Colonial Fire Company

THIS IS THE FIRE COMPANY I GREW UP WITH. OLD TIME FIREFIGHTERS LIKE THE LENHARDT FAMILY, NORM BADE, JESS ANDERSON, CLIFF WILLEVER, FRANK PETERSON, AND MANY OTHER NAMES FROM THE PAST PASS IN REVIEW IN MY MEMORY OF THAT GREAT VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY ON LIBERTY AND NEWKIRK AVENUES. (TODAY LOCATED ON KUSER ROAD IN A BEAUTIFULLY EQUIPPED FIRE HOUSE.)

The very beautiful First Baptist Church on Centre Street in Trenton celebrated 200 years of Baptist presence in the city of Trenton. There are numerous interesting historical items in the Hamilton Library's

"First Baptist Church" folder.

Class of '35 Hamilton Square School

1906 - Trenton Crime Statistics

January, 1906 - January 2006. Comparing today's Trenton crime rate with that of one hundred years ago: an interesting comparison.

1914: Rememebering Brock's Buick

You're well over 50 if you remember "Brock's Buick." For at least 50 years Brock's was the authorized dealer for the Buick automobile. The dealership was located on Canal Street near East State Street. This is a view of the dealership as it appeared in 1914.

1894 - Ewing Board of Educaton Controversy

A shorter school day? Paying a teacher $600 per year? What is this world coming to?

Things have certainly changed since the publication of this article more than 100 years ago. It is interesting to note that most schools do close around the 3PM time which outraged Ewing Township Board of Education president John Lovett.

1869 Trenton's Swamp Angel

Here is a very early and interesting story of the famous Civil War Parrot gun, the "Swamp Angel," written just few years after the war between the states.

1877 Chambersburg

THE CHAMBERSBURG OF 1877 IS DESCRIBED IN THIS ARTICLE.

1913 San Alphonsus - Hopewell

St. Alphonsus had its start way back in the 1870's when Mass was celebrated at the farm of Daniel and Hannah Reardon. As the little Catholic community grew, a more suitable church was constructed in the beautiful and bucolic village of Hopewell

1906 THE PENNINGTON SPEEDWAY!

Did you know that the Kusers and Roeblings were proposing an auto speedway around Woonamassa Mountain in the picturesque village of Pennington? I sure didn't. This interesting historical item is being posted on January 6, 2006, exactly one hundred years later.

1869: Suburban development begins

Did you know that back in the 1850's the area east of the canal on South Broad Street was mostly cornfields and orchards? From Broad and Hamilton eastward, the area had not yet began the process of development. The article here tells of Chestnut, Greenwood, Hamilton and the area bordering on the St. Francis Hospital area as expansion of the city of Trenton began.

As a boy during World War II....

Airplane model building is near the top of my very special boyhood memories. Brother Bud and his buddies, "Beb" and "Brut" Peters perfected the art with the most incredibly beautiful tissue-covered, rubber band powered "stick model" airplanes. Names like "Testor's," "LePage's," "Comet," and Guillow's" to this day stir an especially warm spot in my heart. My boyhood buddy Don Slabicki and I tried to emulate the model building perfection of Brother Bud and his friends. We built Piper Cubs, Bell Aerocobras, Curtis P-40's, Luscombe "Silvaires," and countless other models, all the while learning patience, craftsmanship, discipline, and neatness.

1899: Steamboat from Trenton to Lambertville

Proving that these now-antiquarian newspapers are a valuable research tool.

What a fascinating extract! An accurate account of a steamboat trip from Trenton to Lambertville in the mid 1800's.

Hamilton High Faculty, "A" to "D"

Hail to my alma mater! Hail to the class of '51, "The Class with Class," as I named her for our 50th reunion. Indeed, hail to all HHS alumni from all the years. The page in the illustration, from "A," Carl Abbott, to "D," Italia DeVos is just one page of the many files and yearbooks in the "Hamilton High School" Local History collection. Unfortunately, attempts to acquire material from Steinert and Nottingham have been unsuccessful.

These Schools are in my files and will be published in future posts:
Trenton High School (Mercer Street)
Trenton High School (Greenwood and Chestnut Ave.)
Trenton Central High School
Trenton Catholic High School

1904: Long Before there were "SUV's"

The "Automobilia" file in the Hamilton Library's Local History Collection is literally overflowing. From the earliest years of the auto, right up to the mid 40's, interesting articles on the Mercer, the Sharp Arrow, Howard, and other auto lore are faithfully preserved. The 1904 extract to the left is from the early years of the "horseless carriage," when the dependibility, stability, and practicality of this mode of transportation were being questioned.

I am completely fascinated by the early years of the public school system in Hamilton, Trenton, and the surrounding Mercer County and Central New Jersey area. Future posts will reflect this fascination. Our educational system has seen drastic changes over the past hundred years, and the many "Schools" files will most certainly produce some very interesting newsnotes of those dear old golden rule days.

1890: Hamilton's N.J. State Fair

The local press had a very annoying habit. The Mercer Automobile Company and the New Jersey State Fair were always listed as a Trenton venue, with nary a suggestion that the location of these very famous entities was actually in Hamilton Township.

In my humble opinion, one of the tragedys of local history in the 20th century was the loss of the New Jersey State Fair, or as it was initially known, the Interstate Fair. Every September for nearly a century, thousands of people journeyed to the grounds between Nottingham Way and East State Street to enjoy the extensive midway, the huge grandstand and the numerous events hosted there each year. Many residents will recall the midget auto races, Lucky Teter and his successor, Joey Chitwood and their "Hell Drivers," numerous aeronautical events, and many other events.

A Rare Photo from Woodlawn Park

Woodlawn Park was a very popular amusement park back in the 1920's. It was located in an area bordered by South Logan, Greenwood, and Connecticut Avenues. It is said that the late Red Skelton got his start at Woodlawn. Photos of the park are extremely rare.

1911 - News From the Suburbs

The Trenton Times and Daily State Gazette were very consistant in their coverage of the many events in the suburban areas of Mercer and surrounding counties. These little news items carry some interesting bits and pieces of persons, places and things in the outlying towns of the area.

1946 - Trenton Central High School

There they are, the Central High School Service Corps! There is a possibility that a relative is shown in the photo.

Remember, you can click on the right mouse button, click on "Save Target As," and move the file to your computer for printing.

Trenton Catholic - 1940

Here's a photo of the indomitable Trenton Catholic Basketball team of 1940. The sports program at "Catholic" was always in the forefront of Mercer County area sports, whether basketball, football, baseball, soccer, or track.

1894: MULLEN'S HOTEL - TRENTON

During the 1800's there were many hotels in the city of Trenton. The graphic here shows one of the lesser known hotels.

1866: The Legend of Lambertville

Did you know that Lambertville was once known as "Bungtown?" It took a man by the name of John Lambert to change the name to the Lambertville we all know and love.

1877: Centennial of the Battle of Princeton

One hundred years after the battle of Princeton, this centennial writeup was published in the Trenton "Daily True American." It makes for very interesting reading.

A Reminder From Tom

Just a reminder to let you know that most of the graphics on this site can be enlarged by clicking on them. Depending on the size of the graphic, there may be only one enlargement. If there is still a larger view, an orange and blue square with arrows will appear at the lower right. Click on it and it will enlarge to the max.

Files can be saved by RIGHT clicking on your mouse, click on "Save Target As" and choose the folder destination on your computer.

Enjoy!

The Skating Park on Bellevue Avenue

There are numerous files in my "Hamilton Scrapbook" relating to the ice skating park that was once located in the Bellevue- Prospect Street area of Trenton. The spot was a very popular location during the winter months of 19th and early 20th century Trenton. The building in the illustration was a place for the skaters to warm up and partake of refreshments.

1937: HOMEDELL SCHOOL SAFETY PATROL

Do you remember

THE KEYSTONE AUTOMOBILE CLUB

SAFTEY PATROL?

Here's a photo of the Homedell School patrol from 1937

1883: Trenton Police in Sad Shape

Once again we journey back to the 1970's for a manually transcribed article I copied from the Daily State Gazette. The police department was understaffed and there was a need for additional police officers

.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1883
DAILY STATE GAZETTE

The city is certainly in need of more policemen than it now employs. In some parts of Trenton, there is only one officer to cover nearly two wards. A gentleman reported at the Police Station yesterday that there was a disturbance in the Seventh Ward. He wanted to cause the arrest of an offender, but could find no officer, although he had searched the whole ward. He was told that therewas no officer for that ward just at present, as the regular Seventh Ward was on reserve duty in the station.
“Well, what shall I do?” the gentleman inquired.
“Go down to the Fifth Ward; you will find an officer there,” was the reply.
Later, another man reported at the station that there were vagrants gathered near his house on West State Street. He wished to disperse them. The officer on reserve informed this complainant that he could not leave the station; that there were no officers to spare just then, that he (the complainant) must find the man on duty in the Second Ward.

Chambersburg In the Golden Years

I have a substantial file of Chambersburg related history, and an even larger collection of interesting American-Italian historical lore. This column appeared in the Mercer Messenger back in 1993.

Tribute to my Alma Mater

TRIBUTE TO A FRIEND
It stands there now, as it has stood, for lo, these many years.
A childhood friend, whose inner rooms have witnessed joy and tears.
Miss Kelly's room, just as it was, some fifty years ago,
The wooden floors, the large green doors, kids walking to and fro.
I close my eyes, and realize, it hasn't changed that much.
There's still the love and caring, there's still the small town touch.
And as I dream, I see a lad He looks a lot like me.
His touseled hair, and patched up pants, Were common things to see.
My dream persists, and I perceive, as I move down the hall,
The smell of Kuser hallways, new teachers in the fall.
And as I dream, they all appear, like flowers in a row.
The teachers that I had back then, who helped us learn and grow.
We came in here mere toddlers, still wet behind the ears.
But, Oh! time flies, we grow so fast, what happened to the years?
It's true, we don't know what we have, we won't until it's past.
It's sad, but true, we never see, that time moves by so fast.
To those of you now learning here, within these friendly walls,
Live every day as if the last, before adulthood calls.
And when that day in June arrives, the time to say goodbye,
Think back to all the friends you had, a tear will fill your eye.
And as for you, dear Kuser School, they've thought enough of you,
To paint, restore, and dress you up, you still have work to do!

Tom Glover Class of '47


One really has to have a great affection for his school days if it inspires him to wax poetic. I do have that affection, and I did write the poem above to remember my wonderful years as a student in Hamilton's Kuser School. With just a bit of juxtaposition, you can use this poem to wax poetic about your own grammar school. The graphic is extracted from one of my many columns under the title, "Kuser School Diary." ......bittersweet memories!