1947: The Kent AA

This clip would be found in the Hamilton Local Collection "AMERICAN-ITALIAN" folder, and also cross referenced in our "NOTABLE PERSONS" file, due to the prominence of the Guerio name in the Hamilton-Trenton-Mercer area.

1935: What Are You Doing Saturday Night?

Look at all the restaurants, bars and other places of entertainment which was available to those folks who were still in the throes of the "Great Depression." Hey, I would bet that some of our older viewers have visited one or more of the spots listed!

2006: Well Done, Hamilton Students!

There is currently a truly wonderful art display at the Hamilton Township Public Library. There are works of art on display that are indeed works of art! The students and their teachers deserve much credit for exposing our young school students to art and culture. As you will see in the graphic, Hamilton's musical accomplishments will also be presented to the community on April 10th and 27th at Steinert High School.

1940's The Trenton Times

Before their move to their Perry Street Coalport area location, the Trenton Times was situated in this building on South Stockton Street in downtown Trenton. It was here that local journalistic legends like Bill Dwyer and John Cleary hung their hats.

1943: Hamilton's own "Ike" WIlliams

There he is, local boxing legend Ike Williams. He was a real "contenda" back in his generation. I remember passing by his house on the curve linking Central Avenue with Park Avenue in the Forrest Valley section of Hamilton. He had one of the first "ranchers" I had ever seen.

Circa 1910 Yardville

The building in the foreground is the old Yardville Public School. Today it is an apartment complex. A number of the over 80 generation remember attending school there. The other building in the photo is the OUAM (Order of United American Mechanics) building. A lively social center in years gone by.

1933: The Hamilton Township Library Bookmobile

Before Hamilton evolved into a megalopolis, back when the landscape was dotted with open fields and farmland, Hamilton's library system consisted of a system of branches in various towns. There was a library station at a number of our schools, and also in private homes. The photo in this post shows the roving library truck visiting Holy Angels School on So. Broad Street.

Note the headline: "Hamilton Township Library Truck Is Proving Popular with Children." One wonders if the visiting library truck would be popular in this year of 2006.

HERE'S A TIP FROM TOM

If you are using Internet Explorer, here's a tip to enhance the viewing of this website. When you sign in, go to "VIEW." Click on it and choose "FULL SCREEN." You will get rid of all the gobble de gook that impedes viewing the entire graphic. To get out of "FULL SCREEN," go to the upper right of your screen and clidk on the two boxes next to the red "X."

1909: Radio: Time for Regulation

Back in 1909 there was a plethora of confusion on that new marvel of the age, "wireless" communication. Perhaps the graphic in this post represents the very early years of what would ultimately become the Federal Communications Commission. Today, the term "SOS" is well known as a distress signal. Back in the embryonic stages of radio, the distress signal was "CQD." There are numerous interesting files in the "RADIO" folder, and they will eventually be brought to my site.

1954: A Personal Computer?

Where's the mouse? I was married in 1954. The HUGE computer shown in this graphic was introduced in that year. we have indeed progressed over these 50-plus years. I was wondering what that steering wheel was used for!

1933: Barlow's Grocery Company

Let's go shopping! I need a dozen eggs, (23 cents a dozen), and a dozen oranges (25 cents.) Hmm....I just got my weekly pay of $12.00 and it is really going to be difficult to make ends meet this week.

Hamilton Township's Frederick Sayen

From the "NOTABLE PERSONS" folder in the Local History Collection comes this clip of the very prominent Frederick Sayen. As you can see by the article, he was placed in charge of a very sensitive local gambling problem.

1935: Pennington-Hopewell--The Girls Scouts

They may have been very rural comminities back in the 1930's, but that doesn't mean they weren't community minded.

1935: Old Timers Remember this Gal!

Tillie the Toiler and her boyfriend "Mac" were very popular comics in both the daily and Sunday Trenton Times newspapers. During 1935, Russ Westover's "Tillie" had a comic strip and a special "bonus" for the girls: paper dolls.

1935: SUPREME IRONY!

NO COMMENT!

A Picnic For Immaculate Conception Parish

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if I, Don Slabicki, little brothers Donny and Ken, Bobby Soffel and half the kids in our neighborhood "snuck-in" under our secret hole in the fence at Plaag's Grove and attended this picnic. Every Saturday and Sunday during the summer, a local church or business would hold an outing at this favorite picnic ground in the 1930's through late 40's. We neighborhood kids would push aside a wild cherry sapling, or other of mother nature's bushes, deftly lift a pre-arranged hole in the fence, avoid the poison ivy, and sneak into "the Grove," as we called it. If the "eats" were free, we spent the entire day. Sometimes we did get caught and were unceremoniously escorted out the front gate....never out via our secret entrance!

1951: Hamilton High School Class of 1951

As a member of "The Class With Class," I am posting a photo of our 45th reunion. Ah yes, I remember it well. We were all scurrying around staring at our name tags to see "who's who."I noticed that they are printing those badges in smaller print these days.

1915: A Very Early Amateur Radio Operator

As a licensed amateur radio operator carrying the call sign WA2RVU, I naturally have created a "RADIO" folder in the Hamilton Township Public Library's Local History Collection. These early radio pioneers never cease to amaze me with their exploits of building radio transmitting and receiving equipment before the advent of "hi tech" communications equipment.

From my fellow amateur operator and friend Sid Deitz call sign W2FDE, this information is added to this post. "BB" Wetzel was a Trenton area amateur radio pioneer, and officer in the office of emergency management. The "73's signature Sid signs of with is ham radio speak for "regards," "sincerely," etc. When signing off with a female ham, instead of 73's, the signature is "88's;" love and kisses:

Hi Tom.; Washington Market – I think I once heard from BB, that it was located on Lafayette Street & also had a rear entrance on Front Street, so the building ran between these two streets – between Warren Street & South Broad Street. Don’t know if the building I’m, thinking of is still standing or has been demolished & replaced with a newer building – kind of think its gone & replaced with a state office building. On Front Street near where this building was located was a restaurant called Commini’s Restaurant & it was still standing as of 5 or so years ago. The “TRS” (Trenton Radio Society) used to meet there for dinner and chit-chat conversation after their meal. Members that I knew or heard of who were members are: BB Wentzel W2HX, Hy Siegel (don’t remember his call). Jack Power W2AXU, Pete Loser W2RNX (son of Dr. Paul Loser, PhD Trenton Schools Superintendent for many years – perhaps 1930 to 1960 ??) They were the more affluent hams around town, in my opinion.
BB once said, the Washington Market, was like an indoor “farmer’s Market” – so you may be able to discover some details about it & hope this little bit of “trivia” is of some use to you. Thanks & I always enjoy your newspaper column & your internet “Blog” too.

73’s Sid.

MANY THANKS SID FOR YOUR VALUABLE ADDITION TO OUR LOCAL HISTORICAL HERITAGE.

And this from another of my fellow DVRA amateur operators, Bob Schroeder, call sign N2HX;
Very good Tom. I attended Ewing HS with one of his great great relatives, Martin K. Pillsbury (Class of '69). The "K" stands for Kugler, by the way.
N2HX

DVRA TO THE RESCUE! These guys and gals are a font of technical and historical information. Check out the DVRA website. Go to www.W2ZQ.com. You will find it a very interesting site. Make sure you check out the date for our annual flea market.

Circa 1944 Kuser School

Would you believe that this exquisite photo of Miss Lacy's Kuser School class project was destined for the recycle bin? My recent "Sentimental Journey" column in the Trenton Times recalled my years as a 5th grade student at Kuser in Miss Lacy's class back in the 1940's. This could very well have been from my class. I know we did study feudalism and the middle ages when I was in 5th grade. However, pencilled in on the back of the photo is "Miss Lacy 6th grade). I don't recall Miss Lacy being a teacher in 6th grade. Miss Julia McLain held that position at Kuser for many years. I believe the notation to be an error.

1915: The Boy Scouts in Groveville

Even back then they were raising their hands in the three fingered BSA salute. A perusal of old line Groveville residents in this clip will reveal numerous familiar names. There's even a Lippincott, who is obviously related to Gary Lippincott, who graciously sent us photos of the first Groveville Fire Engine, and also a photo of the local baseball team.

1915: Controversy at the Fire House

There are two sides to every story. This one casts a negative, anti-community pall on the Hamilton Volunteer Fire Dept. After searching the newspapers on following days, there were no replies. For some reason, the officials of Hamilton Fire Co. chose not to make their position known.

1922: The Baldwin's of Pennington

Many years ago when I was a counter man at the late Trenton Bearing Company, 1812 North Olden Avenue in Ewing, one of our regular customers was Charlie Baldwin from Pennington. After seeing this clip in the PENNINGTON folder, I was fairly sure that Charlie was a member of this Baldwin family.

1915: Wilbur Department Store

I don't recall this establishment, but I would wager that there are a number of viewers of this site who do. If you are one of them, please share your information with us.

1915: Excciting News For Hopewell Area Residents

This interesting Hopewell area clip from the HOPEWELL-PENNINGTON-TITUSVILLE folder focuses on the Hopewell Businessmen's League, Williamson Hotel, and the possibility of a Park.

1915: Hurley Tobin; A Trenton Classic

The name "Hurley Tobin" was a very familiar appellation back in the mid 20th century. I always wondered where that name came from, and now we know. The company had an illustrious history, and was a respected and trusted downtown Trenton establishment for many years.

1922: Spring, Spring, Spring

Hey folks, sing this one with me: "It's spring again, and birds on the wing again, start to sing again, that old melody, I love you, hums the April breeze, I love you, echo the hills..."

Ahh yes, once again, we stand on the threshold of another Spring; a season of re-birth, if you will. Back there in 1922, the folks in the area were also getting ready for another season. Check out this ad for downtown Trenton's
"Satterthwaite's" store. They were headquarters for farm and garden equipment for many years.

"The Music We Grew Up With"

I certainly do not intend to replace Bing Crosby or Perry Como, but I do want you to know that the program I have been presenting over the past 20-plus years, "The Music We Grew Up With," is a smashing success with those of us who appreciate the love songs, and novelty songs of the 1930's, 40's, and 50's. The graphic in this post is the cover of a program I did at Kuser Mansion in 2004. The house was packed and the attendees really sang their hearts out. I will be returning to Kuser Mansion this season for another round of the music we all knew and loved. There will also be a presentation under the Gazebo at Kuser Farm Park in August. Watch for the announcements. This week, it will be my privilege to bring "our" music to the "Happy Hearts" senior citizen group at the Hamilton Square Presbyterian Church.

1913: Unless you were a "Wasp" you were a victim

My substantial "JEWISH" folder contains many examples of racial discrimination. The White Anglo-Saxon Protestants who provided most of the journalism in the past was brutal on the immigrant community. The Irish were stereotyped as being drunkards, and most editorial cartoons portrayed them with an ape-like countenance. The Italians were ridiculed by their attempts to speak the English language fit only to do the menial labor, and the black community was portrayed as less than human. The Jewish community was usually portrayed as corrupt, money changers, whose facial features nearly always portrayed a huge nose.

1935: Junior 4

If you were an alumnus of one of Junior 4, one of Trenton's "Junior" schools, this photo of the school as it looked in 1935 will be of interst to you.

1943: Junior 3

When I was a younger man, we had Junior 1, Junior 2, Junior 3 and no middle schools. Without being too critical of today's education system, it seems we have taken a backward step in the field of education. Where once we had teachers whose efforts resulted in scholarly excellence, we have a plethora of students who have trouble with "the 3 r's.) When I was a school boy, hi tech typewriters and adding machines weren't introduced into the curriculum until we were completely familiar with reading, writing, and arithmetic. Hi tech rightfully began in the Freshman year. Some school systems are asking for notebook computers for each student! Where I had to memorize 9 x 9 = 81, 9 x 7 = 63, 6 x 9 = 54, all today's student has to do is click on the calculator on his notebook computer, and the answer is there! Where I had to learn that "A,E,I,O and U" are vowels, and adverbs add to the meaning of verbs, today's scholars only have to check their word processors. Ahh....progress!

1923: The Center City "Comfort Station"

How well I remember this old vestige from the past!
I would surmise that the EPA and other environmental folks would have a real problem with a "Comfort Station" in the center of town. Those of us who were around in the early 1940's and earlier will agree that Trenton has evolved into a city of glass encrusted high rise office buildings. Do you remember how South Warren Street continued south passing "Tilden" Brakes and Penn-Jersey stores? Forget it, those old Trenton landmarks aren't there any more. Indeed, South Warren Street veers to the left and joins So. Broad Street. Believe me, one could get lost in the city we all knew like the back of our hand!

SENIOR CITIZENS: 800 x 600 is Better

THIS IS FOR MY FELLOW SENIOR CITIZEN

VIEWERS WHO ARE OPTICALLY CHALLENGED:

There is a dramatic change in legibility if you adjust your screen resolution to 800 x 600. It's easy to make the change, and just as easy to re-set it to the default setting.

TO MAKE THE CHANGE: 1) Go to START, open CONTROL PANEL, click on DISPLAY, click on SETTINGS, change the setting to 800x 600 by moving the indicator to the LEFT, click APPLY.

1894: The New Wilbur Boro Hall

The building is still there, the home of a station of the Trenton Fire Department. Back in the early years of Wilbur, the building also hosted a jail. As an interesting aside, E.G. Cook of the Cook family held extensive plots of land in the area. Many years ago, on the corner of Greenwood and Olden Avenues, the Cook family built the Cook YMCA. As a young boy in the early 40's I remember going into the building after it was destined for destruction. I can still remember seeing the huge, drained swimming pool. North and South Cook Avenue is named for the Cook family.

1930: Trenton Potteries Company

You have a fair amount of silver in your hair if you remember "Plant 1" on North Clinton Avenue, and "Plant 2" over in South Trenton in the Lalor Street area.

1913: One of Groveville's Prominent Families

The Borden family reunion. Ms Elma Borden published a book on her home. It is in the Hamilton Township Library's Local History Collection.

The Brearley Family

This interesting article shed interesting light on the noted Brearley family.

Time for a Change

Spring is in the air, even though there's a wind chill of 15 degrees as this is being written. The days are getting longer by 1 minute per day, it's now light at 6PM, the Yankees are warming up down in Florida for their return north next month, the forsythia bushes have buds that will be bursting into beautiful yellow flowers in a few weeks, and as I have for the past 70+ years, I am developing a case of "pre-spring fever." Accordingly, I have decided that it's time to change the background of my site and welcome sweet springtime. Do you remember that song we used to sing back in grammar school? "Welcome sweet springtime, we greet thee in song, flowers awake ye, breathers partake ye. Springtime is come and sweet summer is nigh, sing then, ye birds, oh sing.." I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all who have made this site so popular.

The visits to this site has gone over the 5,000 mark, which proves what I have suspected for years: People are interested in "The Way We Were."

Circa 1923: This is "Katrinka"

The fire truck you see in front of Colonial Fire Company on Liberty Street came from a patron at the library, and I am sorry to say, I cannot find the name of the gentleman who donated it. The paper work was lost in the renovation of the Local History room. However, he did tell me the engine was called "Katrinka" by the members at the time. Note the
concrete arch bin the background. As I recall, the bell from Trenton's old city hall hung there for years. It is now in the front of the new firehouse on Kuser Road. Also in the background is Frese's store. We called it "Freezies." Ahh, such sweet memories. I remember asking the fireman if the bell was the Liberty Bell. ......it sure impressed me when I was in 3rd grade and our class visited the firehouse.

A Civil War Era Shoemaker

Sorry about the quality of this photo. It was done back in the early 1920's, and offset photography was not yet perfected. Combine that with the fading, and aging newpaper page and the end result is a photo which appears here. I have managed to enhance it with my graphics software, and it is much clearer than the original 1920 photo in the paper.

1938: Titusville Bible School

Here's a table full of innocence, July, 1938. These children are members seem anxious to have their photos taken. Any viewers familiar with any of these "Titusvillians?"

1938 A Candy Company in Pennington?

I have no idea whether anyone from Pennington views this site, but if there is a Penningtonian who knows anything about this candy factory, I sure would appreciate more information.

MANY THANKS TO LLOYD TASKER FOR THIS INFORMATION ON THE PENNINGTON CANDY FACTORY:

Hey Tom,

My grandmother is from Pennington. She remembers the candy company that you mentioned on your site. She was 8 years old at the time. My grandmother would take the ride in a horse buggy with her uncle to pick up her aunt. The workers also used to bring out candy. They produced wrapped hard candies. The plant was located on West Franklin Avenue along the railroad tracks. We are not sure if the building still stands. It is great to read about Pennington. My great grandparents had a farm and house located next to the Pennington High school on Pennington-Titusville Road. My grandmother's uncle and aunt had their farm across the street which is now newer homes and streets known as Timkak and Michael Way.

1938: Colonial Firemen Planning an Outing

Here are the movers and shakers of the Colonial Volunteer Fire Co. planning for the 1938 outing. Once again, the familiar neighborhood names come to the fore, in times when Hamilton was much more rural and had a "small town" flavor. The fellow standing in the back row, second from the end is Johnny Rosner. I still remember him as the cigar smoking worker at Kuser Farm. Andy Oswald of the Colonial area's Oswald family brought back memories of Bobby Oswald, my childhood classmate at Kuser School and Hamilton High. And of course, thanks to Ms. Lorraine Feehan May, there's Mr.Feehan, who was very active in the Colonial neighborhood.

1947: Pennington Road Volunteer Fire Company

Here's a photo of the ladies who were the movers and shakers behind the many activities of the venerable Pennington Road Volunteer Fire Co.

1947: Yardville Youth Activities at the Presbyterian Church

How times have changed! Back in 1947, the youth had a very busy schedule....not much time to hang around the street corner and getting into mischief. The Yardville Presbyterian Church has been a very valuable asset to the Yardville community, and indeed, the entire Hamilton area.

1951 HHS Operetta, "TULIP TIME"

Here we are in our stage makeup, lipstick and all! That's Ray Danberry (The Burgomeister) on the left, Tom Glover ("Hans"), Lee Belardino and Bill Baggott (Student Botanists) and Director Lillian Booth. The operetta "Tulip Time" was first presented at Hamilton High in 1931, and presented at ten year intervals up to the year 1951. Those wonderful old operettas, so popular in the first part of the 20th century, were truly wholesome entertainment and the music was beautiful. If I Were in the musical department of today's school system, I would expose some of the charming operettas of Rudolph Friml, Gilbert & Sullivan, and Victor Herbert to the high school students of today. A little dose of musical history would be a refreshing alternative to some of today's "music,\."

St. Patrick's Day, 2005

It was like old home week for me last year when I found my dear lady friends from the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia at the parade. They were celebrating 150 years of selfless service to the community. The years I and my family spent as St. Anthony parishioners are indelibly imprinted in my memory. Angela, Claire, Imelda, Dolora, Gerald Eileen, Loretta, Georgiana, Immaculee, and Marie Olivet, we miss ya, ladies!

1934: Mrs. Melvin Saul

One of my very favorite sections of the Local History Collection at the Hamilton Library is the NOTABLE PERSONS folder. Here we have Mrs. Melvin Saul, of Hamilton Township's notable Saul family. The Saul Funeral Homes recently celebrated 100 years of faithful service to the local community.

1869: The Lenten Season in the Catholic Church

Here's an article dealing with the Lenten season in the year 1869. In my many years as a communicant in the Roman Catholic church, I had never heard the term "Tennebrae" until Father Mick Lambeth, our Pastor at Sacred Heart Church, introduced it to us a few years back. The ancient rubrics and customs of the church are fascinating to those of us who are interested in history.

1913 News Happenings from the Old Borough

Another weekly feature of the Trenton Evening Times was "Chambersburg News." Alternating with "WilburNews," and other neighborhood centered features. This graphic may be too large to read in this post, but the original is alive and well in the CHAMBERSBURG folder.

1938: Lalor Trolley Barns Become a Skating Rink

How many viewers glided across the polished wooden floors of the Capitol Roller Rink with that special someone, skating to the "Skater's Waltz?" Here's an ad for "Skateland," a very popular place for the many roller skating enthusiasts in the area.

In the TROLLEYS/RAILROAD folder in the Hamilton Library's Local history collection, there is an old news photo showing the building when it was the "Lalor Street Car Barns." Today the building is occupied by a car wash and auto center.

1937: Princeton Borough Goes Hi Tech

Here's a photo showing the new radio equipment just installed in the local police department. Compare the size of that huge console with modern transistorized and integrated circuits in today's radio equipment.

Groveville VFD First Fire Truck

Thanks again to Gary Lippincott for this beautiful photo of the very first fire truck procured by the Groveville VFD. The fire house in the background is also an historical treasure. Thanks very much, Gary!

This is the Groveville Fire Company baseball team from sometime in the early 1950's, like 1950 to 1953.
FRONT ROW SEATED LEFT TO RIGHT - Frank Ferris, Ed "Pud" McClure, Bob Simpson, Joe "Jo-Jo" Dement, Charlie Thompson, Ed "Klinky" Klink, Charlie "Dot-Da-Da" Champion, Unknown, Ed "Murph" Mushinski.
BACK ROW STANDING LEFT TO RIGHT - Boy unknown, Howard Jones, Victor "Vic" Champion, Vince Symczyk, Charles "Deacon" Inman, Roy "Smut" Champion.

Thanks to Gary Lippincott for this great photo.