1931: ROSALIE FRENKING, CATHEDRAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

In keeping with "Local History With A Personal Touch," one of the features of this blog, herewith a photo from the "CATHEDRAL HIGH SCHOOL" folde in the Hamilton Library Local History database. I will be hearing from loyal visitor Ms. Candy Jens to let me know if this lady is part of the locally famous Frenking's Florist from years past.

1931: SOUTH TRENTON, HORSE RADISH, AND TOBACCO

I have always had an interest in the South Trenton area, along the Delaware, and the years when Lamberton and Bloomsbury were thriving communities. Mr. McIntire was one of the members of that community, and his story of Cochran's Island, horse radish and tobacco culture are completely fascinating.

1931: AN OLD FASHIONED THANKSGIVING IN TRENTON

IN THE MIDST OF "THE GREAT DEPRESSION:
A Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixen's for $1.00,1.50, 1.75, and at the Hotel Hildebrecht, a "FULL COURSE THANKSGIVING DINNER FOR $2.00 with a live orchestra and dancing at 6:00 P.M. Bring back the good old days!

Apologies to those visitors who are using a "CRT: (cathode ray tube) monitor. The page is too large to allow for a smaller scan. Even with a high definition LCD monitor, it is a challenge to read the small print.

1900: REV. HOWELL'S ANTI NJ STATE FAIR MORALITY

Back in the 20th century at the Hamilton Square Presbyterian Church, The Rev. Joseph Howell was the local watchdog for public places which he felt violated community decency standards. There are many articles in the press of the past where he fought against the location of saloons, gambling places and as seen above the New Jersey Interstate Fair. One wonders what Rev. Howell would think if he were to witnesses the culture war that has been raging in these"enlightened years" in which we now live. Where are you when we need you, Reverend?

1912: MY ONGOING SEARCH FOR CAMP OLDEN

I have been searching for definitive information on the actual boundary of Hamilton's Camp Olden for many years,. Bit by bit pieces of the puzzle come together only to complicate the mystery. From Henry Lawton's suggestion that a monument be placed at the Johnston-Hamilton-Liberty intersection, to the establishment of Colonial Gardens, the plot thickens. The above article referst to 100 acres at Liberty and New Street (today's Newkirk Avenue.) It is interesting to note that the names of the developers are memorialized today with street names of Watson , Miller, Ellwood, and I would bet the a future discovery would list Beal Street. If Colonial Gardens was 100 acres, and if the aforementioned streets were included in the 100 acres. is it possible that the Camp extended from the Pond Run area over to Sylvan Avenue" South Olden Avenue? My search has been a fascinating project for a very elusive subject, and I certainly intend to persevere.

1900: THE NEW BUILDING AT ELLIS ISLAND

My father, and countless other mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, and friends went through this building as they embarked on a new life in the land of the free and the home of the brave. My father, his brother and their two sisters passed through after debarking from the "Baltic" where they crossed in steerage. Steerage? That's the bottom of the ship, where many who couldn't afford first class passage were placed.

1900: A TRENTON THANKSGIVING 109 YEARS AGO

Thanks to Hamilton Library Director George Conwell and his dedication to local history, I have a "tabloid" scanner with has a scanning bed large enough to scan a full Trentonian page, but just a tiny bit short of a large format Trenton Times page. I felt that the above page from the DAILY TRUE AMERICAN of November 30th 1900 gives a pretty good idea of the holiday as it was celebrated

the previous day.
THIS PAGE IS BEING PUBLISHED WITH THE ASSUMPTION THAT MOST VISITORS HAVE UPGRADED THEIR MONITOR TO AN LCD WHICH WILL RENDER THE ENLARGED COPY CLEAR, EVEN THOUGH VERY SMALL. IF YOU HAVE ONE OF THE OLDER "TUBE TYPE" MONITORS, YOU MAY HAVE DIFFICULTY READING THE SMALL TEXT. MAKE SURE YOU CLICK ON THE IMAGE ONCE, THEN AGAIN.

1925: THREE HAMILTON COMMITTEEMEN FACE GRAND JURY

Wow! What fascinating, interesting, and heretofore unknown snips of history I find as I page through the millions of pages in my newspaper collection! Who would have thought that 3 Hamilton Committeemen would be charged with neglecting a site in Broad Street Park where there was apparently a dumping area. Read on.

1925: COHEN AND DRIVER: SCHOOL MARBLE CHAMPS

From the "Wilbur" folder this article on Cook School, and in keeping with my custom of posting familiar local family names, herewith the surnames Driver and Cohen. Somewhere down the road, a genealogist will be searching for one of the names and voila! There's my grandmother or depending on how far into the future this web blog survives, my great grandmother.

1925:HAMILTON TOWNSHIP: "THE BLACK SPOT OF MERCER COUNTY?"

From the "CRIME-MORALS-SOCIAL VALUES" folder in the Hamilton Library digital folder comes this intriguing tale of Prosecutor vs. Committeeman replete with houses of disrepute, illegal beer, stills, gambling, and all the makings of a local scandal. Politics: Don't 'ya love it?

1884: DEMOLITION OF THE ABRAHAM HUNT HOUSE

I will never understand the town fathers of yesteryear, as they systematically destroyed so many incredibly historic buildings in the city of Trenton. Like Philadelphia's "Old Town," Trenton could have also been a city with buildings which were preserved and maintained as an extensive historic district. Can you imagine any contemporary historian who would approve of demolishing a Revolutionary War landmark like the Hunt House? Or the old Academy? Or Mahlon Stacy's Mill? I cringe at the thought. Gone forever, replaced by a huge Masonic building, then a bank.

1912: PENNINGTON ROAD DEVELOPS

From the EWING TOWNSHIP digital folder, this article on the evolution of the Pennington Road from Trenton to the Pennington area. It is interesting to note the names of the real estate developments: Woodside Park, Parkside Terrace, Green Curve, and Brookfield.

1898: TRENTON SCHOOLS IN THE 1860'S

I have a strange almost consuming fascination with the one room school house of the 19th century. So few photos remain, and so few physical examples of those old school houses give a very lucid glimpse at the life of the students and teachers in those small buildings with a wood or coal burning stove. Many years of reading about these early schools reveal some events that are difficult to imagine as we compare today's modern buildings with the austere one room facility. There are stories of teachers who had to get to school early to chop wood or shovel coal for the stove, Janitors who shirked their duty of preparing the school for a new day, and other very interesting lore.

While the article above deals with the Trenton schools, I added the insert of Hamilton Township's Edgebrook School, also an austere little edifice. It was located on the north west corner of today's Klockner Road and Route 130.

1901: THE NEW TRENTON HIGH SCHOOL

(When you click on the image to enlarge it, click again and it will reach a legible level.)

After the closed the original old Trenton High School on Trenton's Mercer Street, but before the constructed that beautiful contemporary Trenton Central High School, there was the incredibly beautiful Trenton High School which once was located on Hamilton and Chestnut Avenues. Ain't she a beaut/?

1898: COOK SCHOOL

(When you click on the image to enlarge it, click again and it will reach a legible level.)

How I love these very old photos of landmark structures! The above is from an original antique edition of the Trenton Times from November 1898. The detail is very acceptable, considering the fact that most offset photos from the early 20th century were sadly lacking in detail. The last time I looked, venerable Cook School was still over in the Wilbur section of Trenton near Walnut Avenue.

A NOTE FROM TOM

Emails such as those below are what makes all the work on building a digital local history repository here in the Local History Collection of the Hamilton Township Public Library so encouraging. It is, and has been my goal to bring together history and nostalgia relating to Hamilton and Trenton and other Mercer County areas, to young and old alike. Below are only a few of the hundreds of emails and guest book messages I have received since the establishment of this blog in mid-November, 2005. Many visitors have spread the word among family and friends all over the globe. There are many emails from retirees down in Florida who get those nearly spiritual, bittersweet nostalgia feelings as they re-visit their youth with the photos and articles of very familiar persons, places and things from the past. Sincere thanks to those visitors, now numbering 185,000+ and counting; I hope you all return often.

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Tom, I now live in an adult community at the shore and 8 out of 10 here are on line frequently. Anyone with an interest in Trenton/Hamilton is now reading (this blog) since I spread the word. My former classmates in the Trenton area are always talking about your items. When I am at my house in Fla I go on line and bring up articles for relatives and friends down there to check on. So, you see, you are well read and a source of information (for) the Golden Set in lots of places. Keep up the good work.

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I enjoyed reading about Trenton-past. Am now living in Florida, but have many fond memories of growing up in Ewing and Hamilton. Graduated Hamilton High class of '57. Would like to hear from any of my classmates.

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Love this site and your Times column--thank you for today's tribute to Hamilton Township teachers-I love every day of my 32 years at Reynolds and "East"

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Tom Glover, you are amazing! I've been engrossed by local history for years and have been looking for little scraps and nuggets in local libraries, always amazed to find something new. I'd always been focusing on historical figures who passed through and did this or that and moved on - that's where I got my 'thrill' from, so to speak. But when I found your site, I was first of all floored by the sheer amount of great material - almost an overload for me compared to what I could access normally. And second of all, I've now been really turned on to the day-to-day minutiae of our area from days past; that has become fascinating to me. So, just wanted to say: Thanks very much for this!

1887 - 1888: QUINTIN'S RIDING ACADEMY

The 3 graphics above (Large photo and 2 articles) are an excellent example that proves that my program, "Computers and Local History: Perfect Together" is such a verity. Over the years I have scanned, transcribed, and otherwise preserved and saved information on various subjects and filed them in the appropriate folder in the Hamilton Township Public Library's Local History Collection. It took 6 years for the above 3 graphics to meet and come together in a very interesting story of the Quintin Riding Academy.
It was the era of the equestrian arts. Horse and buggies, plow horses, harness racing, and just plain horse racing. Along with Henry N. Smith and Bud Doble, David Quintin was a very prominent stable owner back in the 1880's. Above is the story of Quintin's Riding Academy in downtown Trenton. Villa Park folks will recognize the Quintin name, not only for the street which bears his name, but for the race track he once maintained in the pre-Villa Park years.

2009: THE OUTRAGE OF GRAFITTI

I took these photos this afternoon while I was walking my dog in Kuser Park. More and more, the area is being polluted with this outrage perpetrated by the dregs of our society. Imagine if this were your property! This vandalism was done on the outskirts of the Kuser Farm property. The Kuser gazebo was beautifully restored by the folks at buildings and grounds. As soon as the finishing touch was put on the structure, a black marker desecrated the clean, white railing. (Not shown in the photo). How sad that certain individuals have no respect for the property of others, and get off so lightly when they are apprehended. One only wonders how long it will be before the Kuser mansion becomes a victim. Were I a judge, these criminals would spend a few months cleaning up the many litter-strewn streets and roads, and if juveniles, their parents would be responsible for restoring the damaged property to its original condition.

1966: ACME HAMILTON MFG. STOCK CERTIFICATE

Here's a stock certificate from the former Acme Rubber Company which once reposed between East State Street and Walnut Avenue in Hamilton. When Acme-Hamilton closed down, it left us Bromley residents with an eyesore of overgrown weeds and who knows what else. It's almost as though the people responsible for keeping the vacant property assume it is just a block or so away from the city of Trenton where unkempt properties are too numerous to maintain. An exception is the Switlik plant, a stark example of beautifully maintained property when compared to the slum-like vacant lot left by the Acme plant. I thought there was a township ordinance that required citizens and other land owners to maintain their property, but apparenlty I am in error. It remains a mystery that the land owner has been allowed to let the property become so overgrown and unsightly, and a greater mystery that the town fathers have not acted to see that the land owner maintains the area just as it is required of local property owners.

1954: THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF HAMILTON SQUARE

Hearkening back to the years when banks were owned and operated by local community citizens, I prsent herewith the statement the from First National Bank of Hamilton Square. I have no idea of the lineage of that classic locally owned and operated bank, but it was probably taken over by one of those huge conglomerates which in many cases sacrificed that special hometown personal touch. Today, Roma Bank has managed to maintain that old fashioned rarity, "owned and operated by local citizens."

1917: WESTINGHOUSE COMES TO TRENTON

There are few who don't know at least one person who worked at that huge factory on Pennington Road. Back in the early 1950's, I made numerous deliveries to the maintenance department. It was a thriving and very busy plant during the war. Like other industrial giants, off shore lighting came into the country at prices that were impossible for American manufacturers to compete with, and Westinghouse was no more.

1941 HAMILTON'S "COTTAGE COUNTER"

Just up the street from 2090 Greenwood Avenue and the Hamilton Municipal building we found this ad for the "Cottage Counter." I immediately tried to place the actual location of that little Cape Cod restaurant, but not having been a traveler to that area at the age of 8 years old, I can't imagine where the building would have been located. Was it on the triangular point where Greenwood Avenue intersects with Nottingham Way? Was it located where the pizza place is today?

1938: MONTGOMERY WARD COMES TO TRENTON

This store was gone by the time I came of age and ventured into "Downtown Trenton." However, I would bet that a number of my senior citizen visitors recall that store. I do remember seeing bicycles sold by Ward's, but I can't remember the brand name, (nor can I recall the Sears-Roebuck bicycle names. Anybody wanna volunteer that info?

1933: GIMBELS: A TRENTON CLASSIC

Downtown Trenton: How I miss it! This ad was published 2 weeks to the day before my September 29th birthday. As can be seen by the NRA (National Recovery Act) logo in the upper left, we were in the heart of what became known as "The Great Depression." Gimbels will always hold a special place in my memory. It was here that I worked part time in the "Mens' Wear" department back in the early 1950's. Gimbels, along with Swern's, Goldberg's, Yard's, Nevius Voorhees, Hurley Tobin, Dunham's, and too many other first class stores fled the city as the first half of the 20th century came to an end. Instead of crowded buses and difficult automobile parking, the merchants decided to flee to the suburban malls, and the wonderful years many of us spent visiting downtown Trenton are only pleasant memories.

1910: HERE COMES CASTANEA DAIRY!

The above graphic tells of plans which were ultimately completed for a building to be constructed on North Broad Street in the Battle Monument area of Trenton. Castanea is a well known name in the area, especially to those of us in the senior citizen community. The little graphic I inserted at the top left shows a rubber tired horse drawn delivery wagon the company used in the 1930's. Like many Trenton area residents of my generation, the Castanea Dairy was a familiar visitor to us every morning. I can still remember getting those 2 bottles of milk on a very cold winter day; so cold that the cardboard caps popped off and the wonderful cream rested on top in all its frozen glory.

2009: A NOTE FROM TOM

A COUPLE OF VISITORS HAVE TOLD ME THEY DOWNLOAD THE PHOTOS AND ARTICLES ON THIS SITE AND MOUNT THE PRINTED COPIES IN SCRAPBOOKS. ON THE OTHER HAND, THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF VISITORS WHO SUGGESTED THAT IT WOULD BE LESS LABOR INTENSIVE IF I JUST SCANNED THE MATERIAL IN AND LEAVE IT IN A DARKER GRAY SHADE.

I HAVE OPTED TO ENHANCE THE IMAGES. I WOULD MUCH RATHER SEE A FULL WHITE BACKGROUND ON THE ENHANCED PAGES THAN POSTING MATERIAL AS IT COMES FROM THE SCANNER. I'M SURE THE SCRAPBOOK FOLKS OUT THERE WHO ARE PRINTING MY MATERIAL WILL AGREE.

1938: THE N.J. INSPECTION STATION TRENTON

This and the following post represents varying types of memories for those of us who remember the N.J. Inspection Station on Prospect Street off Pennington Road. In future years, I became one of the 50% who failed inspection, and I did it numerous times. So did my buddies as we tried to hold our cars together.

1938: GETTING THAT INSPECTION STICKER

The only guy in our gang that didn't grmace in fear when inspection time came around was Dick "Mousey" Wilson who drove his dad's beautiful red 1946 Dodge convertible. The rest of us were holding our jalopies together with spit and baling wire. I remember my 1938 Ford business coupe had a bad muffler. Who had $12.00 for a new one? Solution? push a handful or more of steel wool into that gaping hole, flatten a tin can and strap it around the hole. When we went on that wheel alignment checker, we held our breath, because many of our relics were way out of line. How many of the visitors to this site remember that N.J. Inspection station on Prospect street near Pennington? I sure do. I dreaded the passing of 12 months when once again I and my buddys would have to go to another "physical" for our cars.

1903: BLOWING SMOKE RINGS IN 1903

I have been known to pick up a five pack of "Black and Mild" cigarillos once in a while and enjoy the "nasty habit" of imbibing in the forbidden world of tobacco,. I don't inhale, I don't smoke where other non-smokers congregate, and I certainly don't smoke to excess. But I find a calming, soothing and comfortable sense of well being as I take a drag from that now forbidden fruit we know of as tobacco.

1886: OBSCENE LITERATURE PROLIFERATES

I am currently going through the "CRIME-MORALS-SOCIAL VALUES" folder in the Hamilton Library Digital folder which I have been compiling over the last 10 or 15 years. The next few posts will reveal the fact that we will always have crime, immorality, and anti social values in certain segments of our society. What an comparison it would be to compare the "impure press" of 1885 to the printed pages we see today!

1935: PURSE SNATCHERS AT LARGE

`Didn't someone say, "No matter how things change, they always to stay the same?" If they didn't I will claim the honor. There will always be those slugs in our society who prey on defenseless citizens; the older the better. Here's another article from the "CRIME-POVERTY-SOCIAL VALUES" folder in the Hamilton Library Digital collection.

1911: GANG ON SHOOTING RAMPAGE IN CHAMBERSBURG

Exactly 98 years ago (yesterday) a gang of thugs who apparently over imbibed in the devil's brew, thought it would be fun to create a scene out of the old west as they randomly emptied their guns in the streets of Chambersburg. Sound familiar?

1927: EVEN THEN THERE WAS A CULTURE WAR

Few will disagree that America has been engaged in a "culture war." Rev. Decker made the observation way back in 1927 as seen in the article above.

1885: THE POST RIDER OF YESTERYEAR

Few subject appeal to me more than retrospectives on old faded and forgotten articles on the persons, places and things that were a part of th evolution of our area. This article tells of the post rider of long ago. His job was to get the mail through to the towns and villages throughout his assigned route. "Neither rain, nor snow, nor black of night..."

1951: HELLO, RAY; IT'S ME, TOMMY GLOVER

Hi Ray, your old friend and Hartley Avenue neighbor Tommy Glover here. I just wanted you to know that you are not forgotten....well, not forgotten that is by your relatives, friends and neighbors.  You were the very first Mercer County, Hamilton Township casualty of that war that President Truman called a "Police Action. I think some are referring to it as the "Forgotten War." I think I will go with that last term, Ray. For some strange reason, your historic sacrifice has gone virtually un-recognized by your old hometown and the county we all lived in. I just wanted you to know that I, and many others who knew and loved you will never forget that you gave your life for your country.

Semper Fi, Marine!

"Tommy" Glover

2009: A NEIGHBORHOOD HERO WHOM TIME FORGOT

On this hallowed Veterans' Day, I have re-posted an article which I wrote many years ago relating to a young man from a dear family who lived just up the Hartley Avenue hill from the Glovers. Ray Sypniewski (Sip-nyeski) was a childhood friend who was the FIRST Mercer County casualty of the Korean war. Why we hear so little about this hero is far beyond my understanding. If ever an American patriot and war hero deserves a monument in Veterans' Park, it is young Ray Sypniewski.

1937: OUR "ENLIGHTENED" SOCIETY

Hello, Marlene, my name is Tom, and am speaking to you from the future. It's 2009 going on 2010 here on earth and wow, have we made "progress!" Do you remember the photo above? It was put in the newspapers around the world back in 1937. Most of the the public was horrified that you would actually allow a camera man to photograph you in such a very personal and private situation. Well, things have sure changed down here since you left us. Today, our movies, magazines, and television have opened up the wide wide world of voyeurism. I served 3 years in the U.S. Army and never saw and heard the things we are seeing and reading in our 21st century. In our "enlightened society," even though we did away with the death penalty, that guy Will Hays would be an exception to the rule and hung at dawn if he ever tried to censor women running around without clothes on, or bedroom activities that would "make a sailor blush," as we used to say many years ago. The majority of mature adults frown on all that lascivious public behavior, but hey, here in 21st century America, minority rules. My grandchildren?...shucks, they're seeing, hearing and learning things that I didn't know until I reached the age of 18. We sure have come a long way!

1916: NEW HOME FOR THE YMHA OF TRENTON

I have been working in the ever-growing "JEWISH" folder in the Hamilton Library Local History Collection files. The above engraving and article tell of the acquisition of the building on Trenton's South Stockton Street.

THE FOLLOWING RECEIVED FROM RALPH LUCARELLA, A LOYAL VISITOR TO MY BLOG:RALPH WROTE:

Hi Tom: I fondly recall the many times we played basketball on the Y.M.H.A. court. in the 30s. I had many friends in school and those I played other sports with who were members. Sharky Rosenthal, the Olinsky brothers, Irv Kern and many others who invited us to play there. I remember the low ceiling in the gym which did'nt allow you to arch your shots at the basket. Thanks for the memory. Regards, Ralph

1938: Maccabee Club Basketball Champions

These handsome young men achieved championship status in the Young Men's Hebrew Association basketball league.

1938: CHRISTMAS PROGRAM AT ST. MARY'S GREEK CATHOLIC SCHOOL

There are a number of very familiar names in the graphic above. The offfset photos

from this era lend themselves quite well to digitization as can be seen in the photo above, utilizing the "descreen" feature.

1889: WESLEY METHODIST CHURCH - CENTRE STREET, TRENTON

I have always been a devotee of small, cozy, intimate church buildings. This historic Church on Centre Street next to the Old Mott School is an absolutely fascinating building. I posted the above photo in August, 2009. Since then, I have received additional information on the church which is still listed as an active United Methodist church in the same location. I have deleted the original post and have appended the additional historic information as in the above graphic wherein I added the mini history of Henry Ludecke, Jr.

1946: GEORGE ANTHEIL: TRENTON PRODIGY

I seem to recall reading where George Antheil was a genius in the music world, but as his career evolved he became an eccentric. Perhaps someone who is familiar with Mr. Antheil's career can correct me or add to this blog
.

MANY THANKS TO DON NUGENT, HHS '60 FOR THIS INTERESTING ADDITION TO THE ANTHEIL STORY. DON WROTE:

Tom,

I ran across this guys name while just surfing the net.He had to be one of the more interesting people of the 20th century judging from the VERY lengthy article concerning him on Wikipedia.com. I cannot even begin to tell you all the stuff this guy was involved in. I urge you to read about him. But one thing I will tell you, he grew up in the very area of South Trenton you so often express interest about (as I also did until age 12).He must have lived very near the State prison as he mentioned it in an autobiography.He is buried in Riverview Cemetery along with many illustrious Trentonians of years gone by.

By the way, his younger brother was probably one of the first American

victims of the Soviet evil empire. As a U.S. diplomatic courier, with secret documents (it isconjectured) his plane mysteriously exploded over the Baltic Sea. The Estonians say that they found out the Soviet plans for aggression against the Baltic countries in 1940. And that documents proving this Soviet intent were given the American Embassyin Estonia and that these were what George's brother (Andrew?) was bringing to another American Embassy when his plane blew up. Ultimately the Soviets did take over these little countries as they fought Hitler, but held them under their boot until the Cold War was ended,

49 years later as you know.

George wrote many symphonies, operas, etc. and played to standing room only audiences in Europe. At one point the French press called him "the greatest living American composer",but it doesn't stop there. He became a self taught expert on female endocrinology, Wrote a syndicated "advice to the lovelorn" column. And most incredible of all, along with actress Hedy Lamarr invented a "frequency changing" electronic guidance system for submarine torpedoes.

They gave this invention to the Navy free of charge and never made a dime on the patent.

This invention later became the underlying work for the method used in today's cell phone and satellite communications. But reading through the references on his life you get the idea that George really was quite a character.

P.S.

Running a search for him at time.com also reveals a great deal about him.

Don Nugent

HHS class of 1960

1946: SANDLOT FOOTBALL AT VILLA PARK

It is assumed that the photographer didn't have his pen or pencil handy when he took this photo, identifying only one of the boys in the photo.

1988: JOHN WAYMAN'S CHAMBERSBURG STAGE

One of the wonderful aspects of the local historic research on which I have embarked, lies in the proliferation of subjects which come to the fore. From antique automobiles to Yardville history, from the emerging of our various neighborhoods to high school and grammar school photos and articles, there is an unending font of old, long forgotten persons, places and things which have been buried for up to 100 years in the well preserved pages of my newspaper collection. They are all being brought into the 21st century, digitized and made available to the public. The above interesting look at John Wayman's Chambersburg mass transport venture is a good example of the diversity to be found in these incredibly interesting Trenton newspapers.

1910: SOUTH TRENTON'S FORT RAWNSLEY

A note from Tom:
The original offset photo from an old 1910 Sunday Times Advertiser "LANDMARKS" feature was completely washed out and many areas illegible. I took artistic license and enhanced the balcony on the front end of the "flatiron" building's second floor which many local politician used as a stage for his plea to be elected. It was impossible to enhance the entrance way to the building, but if you look closely, you will see the figures of two men standing under the signs.

What a fascinating story! I have spent considerable time trying to bring out more of the detail in this very poor early 1910 offset photo of the old Rawnsley landmark. South Trenton is one of our historic treasures in Mercer County, and it is unfortunate that not much is written about the area. I have a special interest in that area, due mainly to the fact that I am a communicant at Trenton's historic Sacred Heart Church. I'm sure you will agree that this is fascinating history.

1945: WII TRENTON AREA GI'S MEET IN CHINA AND HAWAII

If you have been a regular visitor to this site you know of the undying love and respect I have for those members of "The Greatest Generation," most of whom are in their mid to late 80's, and passing on at an alarming rate. The above graphic is from the "World War II" folder in the Hamilton Library's digital data base.

1944 - 1945 TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH

Yesterday I published duplicate posts on the above graphic. In the post. Naturally, I nuked the one that had descriptive text requesting any visitors to enlighten me on whether the "Trenton Evangelical Lutheran church was the same entity as the German Lutheran Church. Thanks to fellow genealogist/historian Alan Wildblood, I have received the following note:

Alan wrote 2 REPLIES TO THIS REQUEST FOR FURTHER INFO:

REPLY 1:

I am not an expert but have an opinion. Here in Germany the Protestant state church goes by Evangelisch. At first I wanted to translate that as Lutheran. The German Protestants, or at least some of them, nowadays like to translate that simply as "Protestant." One reason is that "Evangelical" sounds like a bunch of right-wing, redneck Bible Belt fanatics. This religious and political wing of Christianity has a bad press, certainly here in Germany. Lately I have been tending toward "Evangelical Lutheran." I think it is like the Protestant Episcopals dropping the Protestant and the Methodist Episcopals dropping the Episcopal. In old newspapers you also see "German Lutheran" and "English Lutheran." I am sure that just means the language used in the services. In other words, I would be willing to bet you a brew that Trinity Evangelical Lutheran at some point dropped the "Evangelical." If nobody gives you a more authoritative view, it wouldn't be that hard to figure it out by comparing addresses in old articles.

REPLY 2:

Here is a little more on Trinity Lutheran. An 1964 article says it was founded in 1849. The 1964 address was 189 South Broad Street.

In 1863 Trinity Evangelical Lutheran was on Broad Street with a service in German at 10:30 a.m. and in English at 3:30 p.m.

…1885 we again find Trinity Evangelical Lutheran.

…1897 through 1912 Trinity German Lutheran on South Broad near Livingston, and that included a 1906 sauerkraut supper enjoyed by 100 people.

…1922 Trinity Lutheran was cited at Broad near Livingston.

... 1924 pulpit notices only have St. Paul’s Lutheran using “Evangelical,” with Church of the Saviour at Front and Montgomery no longer using “Evangelical” as it had in 1908.

... 1963 Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church sold lots at 30 Livingston Street to J. B. Van Sciver.

From the 1929 History of Trenton published under the auspices of the Trenton Historical Association, I quote:

The first Lutheran congregation to come into existence in Trenton was that of 1849, which is to be identified with the present German Evangelical Lutheran Trinity Church on South Broad Street. … In 1849 the Rev. Charles Augustus Brandt came to Trenton and organized a German-speaking congregation, to which was given the title "St. John's Congregation of the Augsburg Confession of Trenton and South Trenton." The first services, 1849, were held in a room of the City Hall and afterwards in Scott's Hall opposite.

Polish Lutherans still cite the Augsburg Confession in official references to their denomination.

I posted material on the Lutheran Church on South Broad Street previously, along with the comments of two of my informed visitors who added the comments above, I just ran across the graphic at the top of the page showing the Lutheran Service Center during World War II. The church is currently listed as the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer.

1989: CROCKETT SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION COMING ALONG

It's hard to belived that Crockett is 20 years old, but here is an article detailing the progress being made in the construction of that beautiful local school.

1989: Hamilton Police Go With Chevy Caprice

Wow! It's been a long time since I saw those familiar Chevy's in Hamilton's Police Department. I recall the fire engine red Chevys, and also those shown above. Today, most police departments have leaned toward the very easy to identify Ford "Crown Vic."

1989: IT SEEMS TO ME I'VER HEARD THAT SONG BEFORE

With a much anitcipated elections coming up tomorrow, I drew on the
"POLITICS - HAMILTON" folder to take a look back at the local political scene from 20 years ago.