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

1896: FRED KUSER BUILDS A COUNTRY HOME

Errors are very common in our quest for historical information. The actual date of the construction of Fred Kuser's "Country Home" was really 4 years later than the date recalled by Fred "Fritz" Kuser when he told the Kuser story to the township via the yellow booklet written by Edna Kuser.
:

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. We were rained out on Sunday July 25th, but a number of folks still showed up and were confronted with "EVENT CANCELED; WET GROUNDS" signs on the entrance ways to Kuser Park and on the center post of the gazebo. Rain left the platform on the gazebo wet, and I wasn't about to ground myself with a microphone and an amplifier. "Tom Glover Electrocuted?" No way! However, even though the weather again threatened on Sunday afternoon, August 1st, I journeyed over, and with my son Tom's able assistance, at 5:30, we set up for another Sunday afternoon of music and nostalgia. At quarter to 6 it was just Tom Glover, the Kuser Farm birds, and no audience. Along came Kuser Farm Foreman, Bobby DePastina who along with his lovely little daughter, hauled the green benches into the performance area and placed the benches. At 6 PM there was no one there. I was prepared to carry all the equipment back to storage, but decided to wait 5 or 10 minutes. One by one, cars arrived to see if there was to be a song fest. Two cars, then three, then slowly folks began to arrive to see if we were a "go." A little after six, I welcomed the very few stalwarts who aren't intimidated by the weather, and began the program. By 6:30 or perhaps 6:45, cars began to arrive and by actual count, 15 cars arrived and as they say in that Broadway slogan, "The Show Must Go On!" And it did. It turned out to be a lovely evening, and those 35 or so attendees really enjoyed the music we grew up with. Next week, 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 Kuser Farm Park. I hope to see you there!

1934: PEARSON BURIAL GROUNDS

Even though our city of Trenton has a magnificent historical heritage, so too does Hamilton Township with its incredible and largely overlooked historical heritage. The Beck homestead, Bow Hill, Isaac Pearson House, Robert Pearson House, the Sand Hills depot of the Camden and Amboy Railroad, the John Abbott II house, the Charles Conrad Abbott farm "Abbottsville," and I could go on. Above is one of our very historic sites; the grave yard at the Pearsonville M.E. Church in White Horse. The little burial ground is located in very close proximity to the Colonial Cemetery in White Horse. The Pearson and Abbott families are truly the "cradle of civilization" in what was once Nottingham Township, Burlington County.

THANKS TO "LAKESIDE GIRL" FOR CORRECTING MY ERROR IN THE NAME OF C.C. ABBOTT, WHEREIN I ENTERED HIS NAME AS CONRAD CHARLES ABBOTT. I KNEW BETTER BUT THESE MENTAL JUXTAPOSITIONS JUST KEEP ON COMING!

1915: THE ROBERT PEARSON HOUSE

Gone but not forgotten is the historic Robert Pearson House, not to be confused with the Isaac Pearson House over on Hamilton's Independence Avenue. The Robert Pearson House is no more. Using today's topography, it was located beyond the White Horse Circle between White Horse and Yardville, in the general area of the apartments on South Broad Street and in closer proximity to Crosswicks Creek and the area in which I believed "Asay Springs" was located. I have been searching for years for information of the Asay Springs-Bordentown Water Works connection. Hopefully, more info will evolve as I dig deeper and deeper into my newspaper collection. I have learned that the area from Riverview Cemetery down in South Trenton, and the marshes southeastward to Spring Lake and Bordentown were the site of numerous natural springs.

1945: WILDBLOOD-WHITELEY WEDDING

My good friends and regular visitors to this blog, Don Whiteley and Alan Wildblood, are advanced researchers and may have this article-photo in their collections. Should they not have them, I publish them herewith. Sorry to say that the photo of Mrs. Whiteley is not up to my normal quality; in fact, I nearly eliminated it from the graphic.

1915: YARDVILLE'S W.H. MOUNT RETIRES AS LOCAL POSTMASTER

Along with Charles Comp, W.H. Mount and the Mount family are a very important part of the history of "Sand Hills." This interesting bit of local history makes a unique addition to the "YARDVILLE-YARDVILLE HEIGHTS" folder in the Hamilton Library Local History Collection.

1943: THE WAR HITS "THE HOME FRONT"

What a challenge it was for the mothers all over America as they learned the "ins and outs" of war rationing! I remember going to Palombi's store on South Olden Avenue (Today it's the location of Carlo Benedetti's Olden Pharmacy). Palombi's had a very well stocked meat department and I can recall how Mom Glover had to count her ration stamps for whatever rationed product she was buying. It was a difficult and very daunting task.

1943: IKE WILLIAMS: LOCAL BOXING LEGEND

He made headlines back in the early to mid 1940's with his incredible boxing prowess. Ike Williams owned a home on the curve where Central Avenue meets Park Avenue in Hamilton. His ranch home still stands in mute testimony to a great local boxer.

Ralph Lucarella said...

HI TOM .....IKE WILLIAMS WAS AN OUTSTANDING FIGHTER THROUGHOUT THE 1940S. HE SPONSORED A BASEBALL TEAM THAT BEAT THE 1948 SHROTHS, WHILE MY BROTHER CHUCK PLAYED. THE SCHROTHS WENT ON TO WIN THE AMERICAN LEGION WORLD SERIES THAT YEAR. IKE WOULD HAVE DONE MUCH BETTER IF HE DID'NT GET INVOLVED WITH THE PHILLY GANG. REGARDS.

1943: WORLD WAR II HAMILTON RECYCLES FOR THE SCRAP DRIVE

Communities all over America were "mobilized" on the home front back in the very early years of World War II. With the dearth of over 70 senior citizens on the web, I would guess that few visitors to this website recall how we stripped the paper labels off of tin cans, opened both ends, placed the bottom and top lids into the open ended tin cans and crushed them flat. This process was all a part of what we called the "scrap drive," where rubber, steel, aluminum, and any other recyclable material was sent to the junk yards for converting back to steel, aluminum, etc. for wartime materiel. Mothers were saving the grease that accumulated with their cooking chores for Uncle Sam, who needed the grease for the glycerin content.