1987: HAMILTON CELEBRATES AMERICAN EDUCATION WEEK

One of the sad things about aging as I approach my 77th year, is the absence of many of my old friends from "back in the day." Jack Rafferty, Bob Callahan, Al DeMartin, and Mary Anne Giovaninini, and even though I was commuting to New Brunswick during his tenure as Mayor, Maury Perilli, personal requests were amicably received and responded to immediately. The folks in the photo above come to mind. Sorry to say I never had the privilege of meeting Bob Smith nor Joe Weber. Jack Rafferty, Al DeMartin, and Bob Callahan were among the most approachable executives; always at the beck and call of the citizens who were paying their salaries. In retrospect, I can't recall a time when I telephoned any of them and got that dreaded, "can I ask you what it's about?" or "He's in a meeting." But alas, Hamilton has grown into a huge megalopolis and as it grows, burgeoning in all directions, it will probably be more difficult to receive individual one on one return phone calls or email responses.

Ralph Lucarella said...

HI TOM....I CAN REMEMBER AL DeMARTIN WHEN HE WAS A YOUNG FELLOW AND ONE OF MY BROTHER'S FRIENDS. THEY WERE A FINE GROUP OF GUYS AND ONE OF THE REASONS WHY "CHUCK" ENDED UP BEING A FINE DOCTOR IN HIS LATTER YEARS.

2010: RE-CAPPING THE 2010 CONCERT SEASON

The summer of 2010 had to be the worst as far as the Sunday afternoon weather problems I faced as I brought my music program to Kuser Park for the 5th year. The incredible high heat and humidity, along with the constant threat of rain resulted in a very disappointing 7 weeks. On the other hand, given the aforementioned weather problems, the attendance was still surprisingly strong. Last Sunday (August 15) was touch and go, so those physically fit rugged stalwarts who attended sat under the gazebo and we had a good old fashioned sing along sitting around my sound system instead of a piano. A number of visitors chose to stay out under the trees and were apparently uninhibited by an occasional spritz. My last performance will be tomorrow afternoon, August 22nd; "same time, same station" as they used to say in radio days. I hope to see many of you there, weather permitting. Sunday's forecast? Yep, "possibility of a 'late' thunderstorm." I hope my friend Bob Orlowski has better luck with the weather than I did!

Speaking of Bob Orlowski, Check out the graphic above. Bob will appear next Sunday, August 29th, bringing his sophisticated vocals to the Kuser Park gazebo. Bob is a regular performer at the Hamilton Senior Center, and many other area venues. He will be doing his music program singing the songs of Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Barry Manilow, and a number of other easy-to-listen-to vocalists. I hope to see you all there.

1987: CABLE TELEVISION: IN THE BEGINNING

I wrote this article way back when TKR took over for Hamilton's original cable provider, "HAMILTON CABLEVISION." Cable TV has made massive strides these 23 years later. We have all kinds of accessory appliances at hand today which enhance our viewing. I remember when we had channels 3, 6, and 10. They were all on what was known as the coaxial cable. A network that stretched from upper New York state down to the Washington D.C. area. Remote controls were unheard of. A typical TV set had a 10 inch screen; much larger than the old 6" screen that was on many early sets. The article was written when cable TV was relatively new. I was one of the early talk show host on Hamilton Cable when they opened on Benson Avenue back in the early 1980's. We had a home channel selector with 3 rows of buttons. Each row chose a channel. A number of us figured out how to jury rig those old units in order to get the pay channels.

1942: THOMAS E. GLOVER-AIR RAID WARDEN

How well I remember those blackouts back during World War II! The siren from Colonial and the ear-piercing Klaxon horn from Rusling Hose in nearby Broad Street Park would make enough noise to wake up the dead. Pop Glover and Brother Len would head for the steps in the cellar way, lift off their coats, pick up their steel air raid warden helmets, grab a flashlight and a police whistle and head out into the COMPLETELY dark night, looking for errant neighbors who failed to extinguish all lights, flagging down motorists who drive by with headlights on and other precautions. The air raid "blackout" was at first a frightening thing to a boy of 9. The mere thought of an enemy bomber flying over the Trenton area and dropping bombs was not something to ignore. Thus, the air raid warden. When the "all clear" signals rang out from the aforementioned fire companies, it was back to normalcy.

1986: TWO NOTTINGHAM STUDENTS ARE PUBLISHED

There have been COUNTLESS changes in our society since the advent of the personal computer and the cell phone. I often wonder how many of today's younger generation will be able to sit down with a pen or pencil and write a letter or a manuscript or a book using old fashioned "cursive" writing. Most of the young folks today are "texting" when they don't have their phones glued to their ears. To my fellow members of wrinkle city who know how to write the old fashioned way, the new fad is utilizing a "shorthand" process which adds a whole new and very cryptic style to the "King's English." What was "laugh out loud" is now LOL. "By the way" is now BTW and on and on. My high school and grammar school teachers would "like, you know", turn over in their graves.

1906 AND 1912: ANTHONY A. SKIRM - PERRY STREET

One of my more interesting folders is labeled "LANDMARKS." There are photos of buildings that were once dotted all around Trenton. Many of them were incredibly historic, and many of them made we wonder why in the world the town fathers would ever destroy them. Unfortunately, many of the photos in the folder are very poor reproductions from the years before offset photography was perfected.

1869: BLOOMSBURY-SOUTH TRENTON BENJAMIN FISH

What a joy it is to find a column from over a hundred years ago that deals with retrospectives an old resident recalling his or her early years. Such is the case with this article as 90 year old Benjamin Fish recalls his years as a Delaware River sloop owner, and general all around business man. The article on the left is from the "TRENTON RETROSPECTIVES" folder and that on the right is an early 1823 ad for Benjamin Fish's enterprise.

1933: HITCHING POSTS ON GREENWOOD AVENUE

This fascinating photo taken along Greenwood Avenue features some of the last vestiges of the horse and buggy years. It was a very ordinary thing to see them in front of some of the more sumptuous homes along Greenwood Avenue and other areas which at the time was the location of Trenton's more affluent citizens. I tried to visualize just where on Greenwood Avenue this photo was taken. A guess would be somewhere along the avenue between South Broad Street and Monmouth Street. Any visitor with a more knowledgeable visitor is asked to send me your input. It will be posted on this page.

Ralph Lucarella said...

HI TOM.....THOSE HOMES ON GREENWOOD AVENUE WERE AMAZING TO ME. WE WALKED DOWNTOWN FROM CHAMBERSBURG ALONG GREENWOOD AVENUE IN THE LATE 20S AND 30S AND ALWAYS COMPARED THE BURG TO THOSE GORGEOUS PROPERTIES. AS KIDS WE FIGURED THEY MUST BE VERY WEALTHY PEOPLE. LATTER ON WE REALIZED THAT SOME OF THEM WWERE FRATERNITY AND SORRIETY HOUSES FOR THE COLLEGE KIDS. I'M SURE WE NOTICED THE OLD HITCHES LIKE YOU MENTIONED. BEST REGARDS.

Mack said...

Many of those homes still look like they could be impressive when the neighborhood rises again:)

FROM AN ANCIENT SCRAPBOOK: MILL HILL'S WASHINGTON'S RETREAT

The graphic shows a scan of just a few of the brown-with age, and very deteriorated scrapbook pages I have saved over the years. They may look "shoddy," but they are a treasure trove of Trenton history. These came from a Harry Podmore scrapbook which had not only his columns, but those of John Cleary, and a few from Franklin Mills, Alma Lawson and other notable historians from the past.

1983: SALLY LANE RECALLS THE TRENTON DOWNTOWN MARKETS

Ms. Sally Lane has devoted countless hours to researching and publishing fascinating and little known stories of persons, places, and things in the early history of Trenton. Along with the writings of John Cleary, Harry Podmore, Franklin S. Mills, and other Trenton historians, I have accumulated numerous files on the many fascinating Trenton stories Sally brought to readers of both the Times and the Trentonian over the years. The above article from the Hamilton Township Public Library Local History Collection is found in the digital "MARKETS-TRENTON" folder, preserved for posterity. There will be more of Sally's informative articles in future posts.

Note: The article above included a photo of the Washington Market. Unfortunately, the page was somewhat mutilated and I have removed it. If you use the "SEARCH BLOG" feature at the top left of the home page, type in Washington Market. click on the little magnifying glass, you will find an earlier photo which I posted some time back. The results of your search will appear under the home page graphic.

1930's Podmore or Cleary: THE TRENTON WHIPPING POST

Criminals were not coddled back in the early years of Trenton and indeed in the country. The above article tells of the whipping post as it was in the Trenton of years gone by. The other little article is from a woman who was responding to a person who said whipping was "cruel and unusual punishment." Many people shared the reasoning of "Ima Mother," who probably reasoned that any one sentenced to the whipping post was very probably guilty of "cruel and unusual punishment."

1949: KLOCKNER SCHOOL CLASS OF 1949

These "Klockner Kids" are now in their mid 70's. I have scanned the photo in 300 dots per inch in order to get a nice clear pristine photo with all the students easily identified by any Klockner class of 1949 visitor to this page. Klockner is more or less a twin of Kuser School. Both dating back to 1909, with 1908 being the year when the discussion of new schools was conducted.

1951: HAMILTON HIGH MALE SINGERS

Thanks to Ms. Barbara Eckert Baggott for this, and numerous other photos taken by my classmate, Bill Baggott III. Bill was the stalwart anchor of our boys' singing groups, whether in the barbershop music we sang, or any other performance that required very close harmony. Keith Kauffman and Bob Thompson added their booming bass voices to our splendid musical presentations while Lee Belardino and Bill Baggott took on the 1st and 2nd tenor duties. George Mozer and I carried the baritone duties. Not shown in the photo is the late Clark Perry; another quality tenor voice. How I miss those many hours of wonderful music we made! Through all these years right up to the present day, Hamilton High School, along with Steinert and Nottingham, have succeeded in providing high quality vocal music programs led by vocal music teachers who demand and receive musical excellence.

1929: AT & T TRANS OCEANIC RADIO

I remember as a young boy, riding with a forgotten member of our family out to Lawrenceville to pay our monthly payment on our house. Mrs. Gritzner lived in Lawrenceville. I specifically recall riding by that incredible field that had high telephone poles connected by what looked like miles of wire. I was told they were "short wave" antennas for sending and receiving radio signals to and from all around the world. I was transfixed. We had a short wave radio at home. It was a 1930's model Motorola, and I spent hours chasing stations from Berlin, London, and other exotic and very far away geographical locations. It was probably this early exposure to radio at the tender age of 11 or so that got me interested in a subject I still love today: Amateur radio and "Chasing DX" on the short wave bands.

SJBill said...

My Hallicrafters S-107 with a long wire antenna was tuned in to Radio Free Europe, Radio moscow and Rah-Deee-Oh Koo-Bah before and during the missile crisis. DXing was a great pastime. I also enjoyed listening to commercial radio stations all across our country. With the latest copy of White's Radio Log I would try all the AM band kilocycle settings to get all the 50000 watt powerhouse stations. Our clocks were always dead-on because I listened to WWV and the CHU Canada time signal stations. The AT&T station in the pic above was out on Lawrenceville -Pennington Road, about midway between the two towns, wasn't it? There were also a few pole farms out up and down the coast. One was by Barnegat Bay near Manahawkin. The service was very expensive, and you had to wait to get an available line. Bandwidth was very limited.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Tom Glover said...

WHEN I WAS IN THE ARMY OVER IN GERMANY IN 1956, IT COST $12. PER MINUTE TO MAKE A TRANS-OCEANIC CALL. ONE OF MY BUNK MATES WAS AN AMATEUR OPERATOR. HE SUCCEEDED IN PUTTING THROUGH A PHONE PATCH TO DOWNINGTOWN PA. I TALKED TO MY WIFE FOR 10 OR 15 MINUTES ON 40 METERS. THE HAM IN PENNSYLVANIA PICKED UP THE TAB FOR THE CALL FROM DOWNINGTOWN TO TRENTON. THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS I BECAME A HAM IN LATER YEARS. "HAMS" ARE A SPECIAL BREED....ALWAYS THERE TO HELP IN TIMES OF TROUBLE. TOM GLOVER

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Noel said...

Tom, To this day there is one pole remaining from one of the the antenna. It can be seen on Federal City Road. Noel Goeke

1913: THE LEGENDARY NOTTINGHAM GHOST STORY

Even as Ichabod Crane had that headless horseman thing up in Sleepy Hollow, so too does Hamilton have the story of the ghost who frequented (past tense*) the deep woods off of Cypress Lane and White Horse-Mercerville Road. This file comes from my "PARANORMAL" folder which has numerous ghost stories told through the years and certainly there will be more such stories added to that file as my research continues.

*Past tense due to the fact that few know of that legendary lost treasure which still could be buried somewhere in those vast, deep, dark, poison ivy, skunk and ghost-infested woods!

AN INTERESTING ASIDE:
MR. WEST, WHO WAS THE MAN WHEN IT CAME TO LOCAL HAMILTON HISTORY, REFERS TO THE LLOYD FARM AND LLOYD ROAD, AS THE ORIGINAL FARMER WHO OWNED THE KUSER FARM ON KUSER ROAD (TODAY'S HOMESTEAD). THERE IS AN SERIOUS CONFLICT OF HISTORY HERE. THE KUSER FAMILY CLAIMED IT WAS THE TIMOTHY LORD FARM, NOT THE LLOYD FARM. TO ADD A BIT OF MYSTERY, I FIND THAT THERE WAS A "LLOYD ROAD" WAY BACK IN THE EARLY PART OF THE 19TH CENTURY AND IT WAS LOCATED IN THE SAME GENERAL AREA. NOW YOU KNOW HOW FASCINATING AND SOMETIMES CONFUSING HISTORIC RESEARCH CAN BE!

Anonymous said...

I remember reading about another Hamilton ghost that allegedly was haunting the woods across the street from Grice Middle School. It might be the area where there is now a Rite Aid pharmacy (corner of White Horse Hamilton Square and Kuser roads). When I went to Grice, I think that area was all woods and kids who walked home in that direction would sometimes cut through those woods. I'm not positive, Tom, but I think that story might have appeared in Helen West's history book, which I haven't seen in probably 20 years.

1943: REMEMBERING GASOLINE RATIONING

You're packing on the years if you remember those World War II rationing rules. Everything was rationed from sugar to meat to one of our most needed commodities: gasoline. Depending upon your status, you had a specific amount of gas per week allotted to your family. The common ordinary citizen had the "A" card as shown above stuck on the windshield of his auto. The "B" card holder could get more if he or she proved that she had to have more gas for commuting, etc. There were special windshield stickers for "E" mergency workers, etc.

Ralph Lucarella said...

HI TOM.....PROBABLY THE WORSE THING RATIONED WERE CIGARETTES, FOR THE SMOKERS. I RECALL MAILING CARTONS TO MY FAMILY. WE BOUGHT THEM FOR 50 CENTS A CARTON AT THE CANTEEN. GAS STAMPS WERE A BIG RACKET AMONG THE BAD GUYS. I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY GOT THEM BUT THEY WENT FOR PLENTY. WHILE OVERSEAS, WE HAD POWDERED MILK AND POTATOES AND MOST OF OUR MEAT CAME FROM NEW ZEALAND. IT WAS GREAT TO TASTE OUR MILK WHEN WE GOT BACK. IT WAS A TOUGH PERIOD AND I GUESS I'M PRETTY LUCKY TO MAKE IT BACK. BEST REGARDS.

1921: DEUTZVILLE: THE FORGOTTEN VILLAGE

Few newcomers to Mercer County know there is an area on the border of Trenton known as Deutzville. In all my 77 years of living in Hamilton Township, I have seen little written or known about that little village situated south of Lalor Street in the old "Lalor Tract," and in close proximity to St. John's Cemetery. Back in the 1940's, I and my buddies were regular visitors to a junk yard that was once located in Deutzville,l and a number of others in the area have visited St. Jehosophat during the Easter season for some delightful home made perogies. Few people know that there was a Deutzville school, and the namesake of the town, and that Adam Deutz, operated a jewelry manufacturing operation. The above article is an extremely fascinating story of his amazing enterprise.

Areas such as Deutzville, Bromley, and Broad Street Park, sometimes seem to get less attention due to their proximity to the city of Trenton.

THIS FROM SJ BILL:

I'm not sure if Deutzville is still a predominantly Ukrainian residential area with a few churches and civic associations, but so didn't the Hungarians and Germans in my neighborhood. The village was comprised of small homes on open lots where the Burg had its row houses. I think that proximity to "The Swamps," where Trenton dumped most of its refuse, rubbed off onto the residents of Deutzville. In the late '60s, I recall a street being named for Taras Schevchenko, a Ukraianing freedom fighter.
Another thing: the youths from Deutzville, now in their 60s and 70s, didn't "get along" with us Burg and South Trenton kids down at Sturgey" or Sturgeon Pond. There were numerous turf related altercations, especially during ice skating season.

THIS FROM BOB WALTER, DEUTZVILLE NATIVE:

Hi tom, Just a few more facts about Deutzville. My family moved there when I was 5 years old. The jewelry factory later was a pottery which extended from Bunting ave to a little dirt alley behind our house (1206 Deutz ave). Deutzville was unofficially defined by from Bunting ave to Hewett ave (Roebling's wire mill),and from Lalor st to South st, (which we affectionatly called "the end") We were bordered by St Johns cemetery, the dumps, Peter Cracker's cardboard recycling, Granny Parent's house, the acid ponds from Roebling's waste, the Sturgy pond, the railroad tracks, Riverview cemetery, and not to far to the river. Allot for a young boy to do, most of which was forbidden by our parents. My good friend Alvin "nappy" Mitchell drowned in the river when he was 9 years old. My mother knew we were sneaking away to swim but that day She caught us (me and my brother) and kept us home. Much different for young boys to do now days. We, the young boys from Deutzville, were very protective of our "turf"from the boys from Goat Hill (across Lalor st and the city) and also from the Lamberton st group of boys who were called "the river rats". Both groups usually reciprocated when we "strayed" in to their space. As forthe street, the "DP's" (displaced persons) wanted to rename Deutz ave to Shevchenko Blvd. (Shevchenko was a poet who I think was jailed by the Russians). Well that was a no-no from most of the long time residents who were mostly Polish, Hungarian, and Slovakian, and there were demonstrations from these people and the street was not renamed. As for sjBill's comment about refuse rubbing off on Deutzville residents, he is wrong. He is probably still angry that maybe he was not allowed to come into Deutzville. His comment about not having row homes was wrong, hell, I lived in a row home (affectionatly known as "Bed Bug Row." They were all good families and every body knew each other. I have good memories of Deutzville. Thanks Tom Bob Walter

Anonymous said...

I live in the house on the corner of deutz ave and henry st. When I purchased the home in 2006, the real estate agent told me I was the third owner of this home! I was amazed and fell in love with the home from the first moment I set eyes on it. The history of this area is amazing and I would love to know more about my home if possible...the address is 1101 Deutz ave...the RE agent told me that it was home to one of the relatives of the jewelery manufacturer....The woman who owned it before me was Katarina Fedorack (not sure about the spelling) she was known as the perogie lady and her son's name was Roman

1875 AND 1881: The C.V. MEADE ESTATE NEAR SANDTOWN

Above left is an invitation to a "Select Sociable" to be held "at John Woolf's, formerly the residence of Charles Mead near Sandtown." On the back of the card, in pencil: "Miss Annie Robbins Hamilton Square Mercer Co. N.J." The Robbins, Flock, Cubberley, Tindall, and Deatheridge families, along with many other old time Hamilton Square names were undoubtedly invited to that "Select Sociable."

1898:TRENTON SCHOOLS

I have no source on the article above. The date is penned is as September, 1898. It is believed that the source was the Daily State Gazette. The graphic is from my "TRENTON SCHOOLS, MISCELLANEOUS" file and is a relatively good photo of McKinley Grammar School, which was the site of the very earliest Trenton High School. The building ultimately became too small for the number of students, and the high school on Hamilton and Chestnut Avenues was built.

1900: FISCAL SANITY

The Daily State Gazette was a fiercely pro-Republican newspaper. On the other hand, the Daily True American was a fiercely pro-Democrat newspaper. Unfortunately I don't have the Daily True American for 1900 which would have undoubtedly had another view of the financial situation in the city of Trenton, 1900.

1961: ELEANORE NOLAN SHUMAN'S CHAMBERSBURG

This lady gets very little publicity, but I consider her one of the best writers of local history in the annals of Trenton history. Her "Trenton Story" is a real gem to those of us who are looking for little known facts on the history of Trenton. The above article is an excellent history of "the Burg" which we all know and love. Ms. Shuman didn't mention that the Coleman Street listed in the article is today's Cass Street.

Mack said...

Very Nice :)

Monday, August 09, 2010

Ralph Lucarella said...

THAT SURE IS A PRETTY COMPLETE STORY OF CHAMBERSBURG. I CAN RECALL CHAMBERS FIELD WHEN I WAS A KID. WE ALWAYS LOOKED FORWARD TO THE BARNUM AND BAILEY CIRCUS COMING AND MANY OTHER EVENTS. I REMEMBER CHASING BABY RUTH CANDY BARS THAT WERE BEING DROPPED FROM AN AIRPLANE. THERE WERE MANY OTHER THINGS GOING ON BEFORE THEY BUILT TRENTON CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL ON THAT SITE, I BELIEVE THAT WAS IN 1933. REGARDS.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

I wonder how many people in the Scottish-founded Chambersburg area are actually Scottish nowadays.

2010: .."AND THE DAYS DWINDLE DOWN TO A PRECIOUS FEW"

2010: .."AND THE DAYS DWINDLE DOWN TO A PRECIOUS FEW"

Borrowing from that famous "SEPTEMBER SONG" from the Broadway musical, "KNICKERBOCKER HOLIDAY," I note that my volunteer summer concerts are winding down. This Sunday weather permitting, I will once again set up my digital musical orchestra, and we will embark on week 6 of "MUSIC FOR A SUMMER NIGHT" at the Kuser Farm Park gazebo. Unlike the last couple of Sunday's, the weather man is calling for a clear, warm summer Sunday evening. Based upon the positive comments I have received from these weekly songfests, you will really have a wonderful evening! I hope to see you there.

1971: TRENTON "BEAT" PATROLMAN STANLEY CHORAZY

Once upon a time police in Trenton and other cities walked a "beat." The officer was assigned to a given boundary within the city, and it was his responsibility to see that law and order prevailed in their area of coverage. The graphic above has the obit of Patrolman Stanley Chorazy, who diligently kept a written record of activities during a given shift. On the right is a scan of a little pocket note pad in my collection, wherein officer Chorazy detailed events that required his attention. It is speculation on my part that the beat patrol officer was rendered obsolete as the streets became more dangerous for a lone officer walking on dangerous streets.

Ralph Lucarella said...

....WE HAD PATROLMAN SPARKS TO CONTEND WITH IN VILLA PARK DURING THE 1930S. HE WAS VERY FAIR AND KNEW MOST OF THE PEOPLE BY NAME. IN MANY CASES HE WOULD TAKE YOU HOME AND LET YOUR PARENTS HANDLE THE SITUATION. WE KIDS KNEW WE WERE IN FOR IT IF THAT HAPPENED. THE STREETS WERE MUCH SAFER WHILE THEY HAD PATROLMEN ON THE BEAT. BEST REGARDS./

Mike Kuzma said...

I knew, and respected Stan Chorazy as a man, and a cop. He was fair, thorough and honest. The Beat Cop in my South Trenton neighborhood was "Big Vince Morrison" He had to stand 6'6" and his mere presence walking the street, kept the "restless" in line. One of the finest cops ever to walk a beat, and the most honest; was Johnny Prihoda. I met John when he came on the force after WWII in the mid 40's. He was thought of so highly, that Mayor Art Holland appointed him Chief of Police. Regards Mike Kuzma

Monday, October 04, 2010

1921: "THERE WAS A TIME..." THE TRENTON PUBLIC LIBRARY THRIVES

One could call it "the golden years." The library was a very important part of a very vibrant capital city. Yard's, Goldberg's, Swern's, Nevius Voorhees, Kudra Furs, Dunham's, many theaters, and Trenton Transit buses entering and leaving town in an constant cycle. There are too many other memories of the past that marked the growing and thriving city of Trenton. I am now, and will remain a lover of the city of Trenton. Like many of my contemporaries who remember the aforementioned thriving capital city in her glory years, I pray for some sort of revival. Perhaps someone will come along and capitalize on the historic heritage of that great home town. Perhaps someone will come along and curb the violence that has been one of the main causes of the city's descent into its current state.

Sally Logan Gilman said...

Hi Tom: It's me again. I too love Trenton and always will. It breaks my heart to drive though downtown on the few occasions when I get back "home.'' My parents were born and raised there and they always loved their "city.'' But Trenton is like many of the cities in New England that have fallen on hard times. Trenton will always be special to me and my memories are of a vital, beautiful place.

Friday, August 06, 2010

Ralph Lucarella said...

THERE MUST BE SOMETHING WRONG. FOR A CAPITOL CITY, LOCATED BETWEEN TWO OF THE LARGEST CITIES IN THE COUNTRY, TO BE IN SUCH A STATE. tRENTON MAKES THE WORLD TAKES, WAS THE MOTTO FOR YEARS. MANY BELIEVE THE UNIONS DROVE THE LARGE COMPANYS AWAY, KEEP INSISTING ON HIGHER WAGES AND OTHER BENEFITS. IT'S A SHAME THERE IS'NT ANOTHER MAN LIKW ART HOLLAND AROUND, HE MADE A BIG CHANGE IN THE CITY WHILE HE WAS MAYOR. ALL WE CAN DO IS HOPE FOR THE BEST.

THE TRENTON PUBLIC LIBRARY

The old girl has fallen on hard times. I would hope that there will be a brighter future for the Trenton Public Library. The Trentoniana Collection is unsurpassed, with photographs, articles and other local history treasures within those 110 year old walls, many items of which date back to the earliest years of Trenton. There is an unfortunate perception that the area in which the library is located is unsafe, due to Trenton's deteriorating image with the criminal element. Such a perceptions has kept numerous acquaintances from venturing "up town."

THIS FROM ONE OF OUR "REGULARS," SALLY LOGAN GILMAN:

Hi Tom: I last visited the Trenton Public Library in April 2004 when my husband and I were treated to a Four Views of Trenton tour by our dear friend Connie DeRemigis. I had not been to the library since attending Rider. It was a wonderful stop and I remembered the rooms like it was yesterday. They even had a 1955 THS yearbook and I showed everyone my picture. I went to the main library often even though we had a wonderful branch library on Hermitage Ave. when I was growing up. Your website means so much to me. Thanks again for all you do.

1900 AND 1923: ST. MARK'S LUTHERAN IN CHAMBERSBURG

I attempted to determine whether this Lutheran Church is the location of the original St. Mark's Lutheran church on Hamilton's White Horse Avenue. Unfortunately, the White Horse church's home page does not include a history. I will leave it up to one or more of my visitors to this website to confirm or deny.

1915: ELIZABETH CUBBERLEY ASAY SPRINGS NATIVE

One of the many elusive historical subjects along with Camp Olden, is the actual location of the Bordentown Water Works' reserve water supply which was at "Asay Springs." The above is my take on the location, but please understand this is my position at this time, and certainly subject to correction. My research as revealed the the "P. Cubberley" farm shown on the map I have inserted in the graphic above, is in the area of the historic skirmish the Continental soldiers had with the British during the Revolutionary War. At the time, it was a drawbridge. Today is the bridge over the Crosswicks Creek on Route 206. My contention is that Asay Springs is that body of water shown in the map just to the right of the drawbridge as shown on the map.

FROM "LAKESIDE GIRL"

Tom - Check the facts about the skirmish over the Crosswicks Creek at a drawbridge - I believe it was over the drawbridge in the village of Crosswicks - the skirmish taking place when a cannonball was lodged in the wall of the Crosswicks Meeting House. Not sure. Lakeside Girl

That was a different skirmish, Lakeside Girl. This one was at the drawbridge that spans the creek on today's Route 206. As I recall, it was only a rifle type skirmish. No artillery.

Tom

Gary Lippincott said...

I don't believe there ever was a drawbridge in Crosswicks, the water there is not navigable. Sailing vessels did sail from Groveville and the docks at Yardville to the Delaware. The bridge on the Bordentown Road was low enough to the water, to warrant a draw bridge to accommodate sailing vessels

Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Anonymous said...

Tom & Gary - I stand corrected. Thank you.
Lakeside Girl