QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS: tglover320@optimum.net
Many thanks to Ms. Patricia Millen of the Roebling Museum in Roebling N.J. for this heads up on a very interesting event relating to our own Mercer Automobile Company. Mr. Tim Kuser, an whose family along with the Roeblings, manufactured the legendary Mercer auto, will be the featured Mercer expert. 
I posted this Steinert "Hy-Liter" a number of weeks ago, and heard from my European colleague/historian Alan Wildblood, who gave me a heads up that the scan was illegible. Accordingly, I have scanned each page in higher definition, and in order to maintain legibility have posted the 5 pages as individual posts. I will delete the former illegible post.
There are quite a number of visitors to my website from the "West End" section of Trenton: Cadwalader Place, Glen Afton, Hiltonia, etc. Here's a nice clear Times photo. Perhaps a visitor will recognize a relative. These boys would now be in their 80's.
When I was a boy, I, and my buddies spent hours over in Kuser's Woods climbing to the highest heights of 100 foot tall Oak and Norway Maple trees. We were fearless. Then I grew up. The scene changed drastically. Today I have and aversion to "dizzying heights." I would never dream of boarding an airplane. Harold Peterson, and other steeplejacks must have the ability to "not look down!"
The very poor offset photo from 1922 shows South Warren St. as it looked IN 1922 with the Hearnen organization on the 100 block in full view. I note that the area today is "where the action is," as numerous merchants have succeeded in revitalizing this historic area of Trenton. I certainly hope their valiant efforts are rewarded. Now if we could only get more of those thousands of state workers to patronize their establishments on a daily basis....
I pass this intersection every week as I journey to Sacred Heart Church for my South Village ministry. I would assume that many of those workers are WPA, as the area was still in the throes of the Great Depression. Today's Mill Hill Saloon can be seen in the top right of the photo.
May Day is a big day in Soviet Russia and other Communistic countries. Here in America, there is, and has been, a number of citizens who lean beyond Socialism and give a sympathetic eye to the Communist form of government. Locally, Communist demonstrations were commonplace in the 1920's and early 30's.
I have noticed that there is a segment of our Roman Catholic population, and I assume other religious faiths, who only go to church on Christmas and Easter. I often wondered if those of the Jewish faith also see Temple attendance by those who only attend Passover and Hanukkah services. 
Men like John Herbert, a pioneer South Trenton African-American citizen, was descended from a black family whose roots go back to the years when the Lamberton-Bloomsbury-South Trenton area was the home of numerous Delaware River boatmen. It is interesting to note Mr. Herbert's educational background as he attended both Roman Catholic and Lutheran parochial schools in the boyhood. 
From the "POLITICS, HAMILTON" folder, an article detailing the change in the makeup of the Hamilton Township Committee for the ensuing term. It happens every January, and I have been to many long forgotten January swearing in ceremonies.
Vintage retrospectives from Groveville, Yardville, and Edgebrook hold a certain fascination for me. I can't speak for all my fellow local historians, but I find it to be a fascinating experience to read about the persons, places and things detailed in the events our rural ancestors experienced "way back when."
Mr. Howard Morrison introduced motion pictures into the daily events at Junior 4. As can seen in the article, only those movies with redeeming value were presented. Note that the movies were also shown on days with inclement weather.
How I wish I were a wealthy man! In an era when greedy financial manipulators are rewarded with millions of dollars in bonuses, an era when taxes are driving many of our senior citizens out of our homes, an era where millions of dollars are being spent on the breeding habits of a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang bug or other low priority pursuits, we have a local community crying out for help in their valiant effort to preserve one of our local historic treasures.
As an historian, how I wish there were more folks like the Fisher family who appreciated the important part their family played in the history of our area. In the above "The Way We Were" article I published a letter from Mrs. Laura Fisher Beebe, whose fascinating reminiscences of growing up in early Villa Park provides an interesting and historic look back at one of Trenton's legendary neighborhoods. For over 50 years, I have been imploring those families with senior citizen parents and grandparents to record, either on paper, or via audio recording, memories of the neighborhoods in which they grew up.
Many thanks to HHS '51 classmate Joyce Adams Elliott for this splendid menu from Woolworth's "five and dime." I remember how great it was to have a hot dog at either Kresge's or Woolworth's in downtown Trenton back in my younger years. Check out those prices!
Many thanks to Joyce Adams Elliott for this splendid menu from Woolworth's "five and dime." I remember how great it was to have a hot dog at either Kresge's or Woolworth's in downtown Trenton back in my younger years. Check out those prices!
Years from now, these graphics I am posting for posterity will be of interest to these North Stars as they attend they 40th, 50th, and maybe even 60th reunions.
From the "WHIMSICAL" folder, this interesting view of how the ladies from the Victorian era kept in shape. It must have been quite a chore to negotiate those exercises with all the gym clothing they were wearing.
In my early years of driving, I remember traveling along what was then Route 25, but today known as Route 130. Access to Route 25 was usually via the White Horse Circle, where we would travel down to Bordentown for a burger at "Hamburger Heaven," or perhaps further south to Millside Farms in the Burlington area for a "Banana Boat." (Remember them?) On the trip back to Hamilton on Route 25, then known as a very dangerous highway. Route 25 was one of the main routes used by trucks from all along the east coast as they headed to New York and points north or Philadelphia and points south. Coming and going to route 130 we would often pass through Hamilton's farmlands. The Horizon Center in the above article is located on what was one of these huge farms. Simpkins, Allinson, Bertothy, and countless other vast open areas were vibrant, sprawling farms. Twentieth century progress changed the face of the land since those long ago years of my youth, Instead of rows of corn, alfalfa, soybeans, and other farm products, we now see a burgeoning megalopolis of gated communities, warehouses, offices, hospitals, and housing developments. I recall driving down Kuser Road when it was a two lane country road, and in the middle of summer seeing the windshield of my 1939 Ford slapped by an overhanging sapling. Egad, I'm getting on in years!
An earlier post within the past few days told of the city's attempt student transfers to the Joseph Wood School on the other side of the city. As can be seen in the above articles, the citizens of Cadwalader Place were vehemently against the proposal and came out in large numbers to protest.
The engraving above shows the Thomas Maddock Pottery Co. which was located on Perry and Carroll Streets in Trenton. It morphed into American Radiator and Standard Sanitary Company over in the Cornell Heights area.
From the "Neighborhood Development" folder, comes this fascinating piece of history which has been buried for over a century "The Montgomery Farm." I have heard of "Moses Woods," and other interesting areas which were in various areas of Trenton before the developments began. Here we find that there was a "Montgomery Farm;" the site of today's West End area in the West State Street and Prospect Street area. The shaded area above shows a portion of the homes Berry built back in the early 1900's.
WWII members of the greatest generation are passing on at a rate of well over 1,000 per day. The same situation existed in 1905 as the veterans of the Civil War passed on in great numbers.
Above is a full page from a Daily State Gazette contest held back in 1905. (Minus the last column of advertising). To the right of the graphic is the answer to the 103 questions. Actually, the contest is a pretty good directory of locally noted merchants and organizations. In order to maintain legibility, the resolution has been dropped from 300 dpi to 150; even in that reduction in size, the graphic is nearly 3 megabytes in size, and that is a lot for a single post. Rather than read the entire 103 quiz parts, you might want to arrow over to the right and find a merchant in whom you are interested, and then go to the questions to read a description of the organization. Also, you will find that you will gain legibility if you change your display to 800 x 600. 
Here is an article relating to a Volkfest held by the German-American families from the early part of the 20th century who came from "Swabia" in Southern Germany, Hill's Grove was part of the propery owend by the Franz Hill Brewery on North Olden Avenue next to the Assanpink Creek. For further info on this branch of German ethnicity, go to Google, type in Wikipedia German Schwaben and check the many links. Once again, the above article lists the names of some of our early 20th century German-American area residents.
The reason I concentrate on many of these social articles is twofold: First, they provide a valuable genealogical record for those who are searching for relatives. Remember Joe Logue, the Trentonian columnist? One wonders if there is a family tie with the bride, Miss Anne Logue. And of course, a number of members of the Burns family might also be interested, as would descendents of those names listed as guests at the wedding. Secondly (and this might appear to be a selfish reason, due to the fact that I am a parishioner at the oldest Roman Catholic parish in New Jersey), St. Johns-Sacred Heart will be celebrating their bicentennial in the year 2014, (1814-2014). I am including these posts which would be lost in time if they weren't preserved. They may prove to be valuable tools for for future genealogists and historians.
Finding information on the Gropp's Lake area and the various mills that were located there has proved to be as elusive as finding definitive information on Hamilton's Camp Olden. I have found references to Lowrie's Mill which was on the south side of the lake (toward Bordentown), and also Kirby's Mill. Early century references to Gropp's Lake included the name Hutchinson Pond. However, I am puzzled as to the "Wolf's Mills" and will continue the search
From the "NOTABLE PERSONS" folder, still another Wildblood, a prominent family in the Trenton are in the 20th century. Sons of St. George was a very popular group for those who came from Great Britain. My father and Uncle were members for a short while.
I posted the article above and the two separate graphics in order to clarify where the Cadwalder and Joseph Wood Schools were located. (I added the black square to denote the location of the Cadwalader School.) Unfortunately, I don't have a photograph nor an engraving of the Cadwalader School, but the map will show where it was located in the Cadwalader Place area of the "West End" section of Trenton. The Joseph Wood School was located on Academy Street where the Trenton Public Library is currently located. 
From the "ADVERTISING" folder in the Hamilton Library's Local History Collection: Long before Nabisco became a household word, they were advertising "Bakers' Marks." Here's Nabisco's, basically the same 104 years later.
