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From my "NOTABLE PERSONS" and "WHITE HORSE" folders, this "then and now" photo of Andrew Gropp, Jr., whose White Horse family links go back forever. I have a question directed to someone who might know the answer: Back in my Trenton Bearing Company years, a very athletic Andy Gropp came in for bearings, roller chain, vee belts, and other parts for his exercise equipment. He obviously utilized his exercise equipment on a daily basis. He had muscles on top of his muscles. Can anyone fill me in on the relationship of that Andy Gropp? His gym was located on South Clinton Avenue; I believe in Hamilton Township.
How I love these old photos of downtown Trenton during her "Golden Years!" I remember Antheil's Shoes, and of course, the "State Street Theater."
Who'd have thought it? A group of Trenton's Sacred Heart parishioners performing dramatic programs for the benefit of Sacred Heart parish, the oldest in the state of New Jersey.
Candy Jens is one of the very earliest visitors to my website. I'm sure she will be interested in this 1930's ad from the local press. As I recall, Frenking's was in the area of the Hamilton Municipal Building, and I seem to place it at or near the current Health Dept. building. I know Candy or someone else will set me straight.
The real estate ad heralds the establishment of one of our older Bromley communities, Bromley Place. Charles Teunon was a prominent real estate firm back in the early 20th century, with numerous developments in Hamilton Township, including Lakeside Park. I have intentionally scanned this graphic in high definition so that the street names will be legible.
I will defer to a more knowledgeable Hamilton Fire or Bromley historian to tell us the location of the fire company grounds referred to in the graphic. There will be future carnival posts as they are uncovered.
Over the years, our local fire houses have hosted community-centered events. This 1937 photo shows the young ladies who were involved in the dance classes in 1937.
They were on the way! The fire "laddies"* at Hamilton Fire Company were confident that their first piece of fire-fighting apparatus is just a few hundred more dollars away. 
Here is the earliest news release I have found on the establishment of the Hamilton Fire Co. I hope to find additional material from the earliest years as I go back to the year 1909 and search for other Hamilton Fire-Bromley related press releases.
These eighth graders were my classmates in HHS class of 1951. I can still remember how I had more than an unrequited crushes on Grace Miller, the pretty young lady on the left in the second rowd, and Joan Holland, 4th row, second from left. The memories linger!
Yup, that's my old friend, Fred Yaede in there with Emma, Pat, Joe, and John, liesure suit and all! Hey, we all wore 'em back then. In fact, the "liesure suit" we wore in the 1970's was the spittin' image of the "Slack Suit" we would get at the Metropole Clothing Factory in Trenton back in the 1940's; Remember? Ahh! Memories are made of this.
Rather than "an open and shut case," this post illustrates a "shut and open" case. Indeed, a bit of interesting Prohibition lore from yesteryear. One can conjure up images of the Feds going undercover and buying a few shots of bootlegged booze, then clipping on the handcuffs, closing and locking the doors, and taking the violators to jail in a 1927 Model "T."
For five or six times less than the cost of a 2009 automobile, one could purchase this beautiful bungalow over in the Homedell section of Hamilton. A number of my Kuser Annex friends came over from Homedell School back in the 40's, a number of them from Emanuel, E. Franklin, and other Homedell area streets. Note the garage in the photo. To those of us over the age of 65, it was a familiar sight in the Glover house as well as many other homes in the area. Those two huge swinging doors gained access to a garage that easily accommodated a 30's and 40's auto, but many of the later cars didn't fit!
This interesting and quite antiquated article from 1868 shows that St. Valentine's Day has been around for a mighty long time. Here's an interesting personal aside. When I was a boy those many years ago, it was the custom in our neighborhood to procure ten or twenty cents worth of "penny" valentines, address them to the one(s) you love, and other kids in the neighborhood, and then.......we would walk around the neighborhood, slip the valentine(s) under the recipient's door, ring the bell or knock on the door, and disappear silently into the night. That charming custom has gone by the wayside. Indeed, I believe it died in the mid to late 1940's. Today, "e-cards" replace the quaint custom aforementioned. Alas, the computer is taking away our humanity, and replacing it with hi-tech customs!
I regret to say that it is not possible to align these historic clippings in chronological order. There are not provisions in "Blogger" to cut, copy and paste a graphic without going through a very tedious and time consuming project. Accordingly, the posts on this website, as with all of my websites, will reflect non-chronological posts.
These two graphics heralded the exciting news that the Hamilton Fire Company was to receive a new fire fighting engine. Peter Dolan was the proprietor of the Hamilton Hotel, a photo of which I have been seeking for well over 30 years. President Charles Fulkert was the owner and proprietor of the Bromley Inn.
This area shown under Route 33 on the map might well be called "South Bromley." It will be quite familiar to many visitors to this site. Kuser School's Mabel Carnall lived on Richland Avenue, The late Horace "Buddy" Rick's Elmwood Tavern was located on Elmwood and is still operating as a tavern under new management.
Hamilton was also an industrial town back in the early part of the 20th century. However, any time a world famous company such as De Laval, Thermoid, Acme Rubber, and the Mercer Automobile Company were referred to in the press, they were always identified as being from Trenton, New Jersey. Here's an interesting graphic from the latter days of Mercer. Her lights were growing dim, and with a few short years, the company would be bought out and Mercer would cease to exist; but the legend remains! By the way, I received a phone call that some thief stole the historic marker that once stood in front of the location of the Mercer plant, and posted it on Ebay! History lovers, beware!
These are the earliest proponents of establishing a fire company in the fast growing Bromley section of Hamilton. Heavy industry would be moving in and a building boom would add to the necessity of a fire company. The relatively new (1901) De Laval Steam Turbine Plant, the Mercer Automobile plant, the development of Bromley Place, Bromley Park, and other area expansion was on the horizon, making it imperative that the area cease to depend on Trenton and Slackwood for fire fighting service.
Locoal public school history has always held a fascination for me. One room school houses, little known local schools such as Friendship School, Hutchinson School, Rowan School, and even far back in history when Hamilton Township schools had numbers rather than formal names.
This is an inspiring graphic right out of the famous "Horatio Alger" playbook. The Clymer family is familar to many Groveville-Yardville historians. Somewhere in my collection is a political broadside for Fred Clymer for Sheriff.
The austere little store front in the graphic above morphed into one of the Trenton area's most respected department stores. The watchword at Dunham's, like Yard's, Nevius Voorhees and numerous other downtown Trenton businesses was quality, courtesy, service, and price. Unfortunately, social issues arose, the suburban mall came into being, and those great old stores where shuttered.
They didn't quite mae the 100 year mark but most Hamilton-Trenton area residents remember this industrial institution which reposed along Nottingham Way for most of the 20th century. Hard times came upon all American heavy industry as the manufacturers found it impossible to compete against the foreign elements and the lower labor costs. De Laval was one of Hamilton Township's most important industries.
Oh, the stories I could tell about Bill! He was one of my Hamilton High Class of 1951 classmates. He was the shining star in Louise Baird's choir at Hamilton High School from 1948 to 1951. Bill had the voice of an angel, and as you can see by the graphic, he was an accomplished professional singer who could well have been at the N.Y. Met. I first met Bill one evening in 1949 at a Trenton Giants baseball game over at Dunn field on the Brunswick Circle. He happened to take the seat next to me. As we got to know each other I found that he would be a classmate when I began my HHS years in 1949. Needless to say, Bill was already a major factor in Louise Baird's choir. Bill, Joe McManimon and Leon Belardino loaned their beautiful tenor voices to many of the Fred Waring choral arrangements we sang. I recall one assembly when Bill sang the beautiful and sacred, "Sanctus." It touched me so deeply, I actually had tears in my eyes and a huge outbreak of "goosebumps." Elsewhere on this website is a column I wrote as a tribute to Bill when I received the devastating news that he had gone on to be with the Lord. He is up there as one of the leading tenors in the heavenly choir. It was a true privilege for me to be able to say I sang with him in our old barbershop quartette back in the 40's and 50's. Like Judy and me, Bill also married a classmate from HHS '51, the lovely Barbara Eckert Baggott, whom I still hear from on occasion, and whom I know misses one of the area's most beautiful voices. Thanks to Ms. Alice Schmidt Mullen, also from HHS '51 for preserving this, and many other clippings relating to Hamilton High's Class of '51: "The Class With Class."
Bob was always ready with the striking smile and personality. He and classmate Robert A. Gallos usually confused us. Two guys in the same class with the same name was very unusual. As I recall the two were cousins. Bobby, we miss you.
Lee and I have resumed a friendship that began in my Sophomore year when I came over from Kuser Annex to join Louise Baird's vocal music class. It was a time that changed my life....it also changed the life of Lee Belardino, HHS tenor, extraordinaire. Interestingly, both of us still carry the Louise Baird music tradition into our senior years. Lee as a talented part of a music group out in California, and I for the past 25 years, bringing my program, "The Music We Grew Up With" to those who know good music when they hear it. Keep hittin' those "Hi C's," Lee, and I'll continue to bellow out those baritone, or as we called it in Miss Baird's class, "Bass One" songs of our youth.
Andy & Gladys (Matelena) Gropp owned the Adam and Eve Health Spa on South Clinton. He went on to own several other Trenton area health clubs before retiring to Fort Lauderdale, FL where he still resides (as far as I know). Andy's wife Gladys and my mother Alberta (Matelena) Smith were first cousins and I am in contact with their daughter who lives in Robbinsville.
I believe Andy Gropp had a brother Walt. Walt Gropp and his family owned Gropp's Tavern on the White Horse Circle. The senior Walt Gropp was president of the NJ Beverage Assn. at one time.