1915: THE BROOKLYN "TROLLEY DODGERS"

Brooklyn New York, like all boroughs in New York City was alive with overhead wires and trolley tracks back in the late 19th and early 20th century. I imagine that one had to be very careful with all the trolleys moving to and fro as they moved about their daily routes. What better name for a baseball club than "Trolley Dodgers?" Of course, that great old team morphed into the "Brooklyn Dodgers," then moved all the way across the country where they became the Los Angeles Dodgers. I have fond memories of watching the very early telecasts of Brooklyn Dodger games once telecast on WOR-TV channel 9 with Red Barber calling the games. I seem to recall that Schaefer Beer was one of the sponsors. Remember Duke Snyder, Carl Furillo, George "Pee Wee" Reese, Ralph Branca, Sal "The Barber" Maglie, Leo Durocher? Those were the days.....the days of "dem bums!"

Ralph Lucarella said...

HI TOM...YOU'RE RIGHT! THOSE WERE THE DAYS. WHEN LITTLE GUYS LIKE "PEE WEE" REESE AND PHIL RIZZUTO WERE AMONG THE GREAT BALL PLAYERS. WHEN I WAS A KID, I ALWAYS FELT I HAD A CHANCE EVEN THOUGH I WAS ONLY 5 FT 7. TODAY, IT SEEMS LIKE ONLY THE BIG GUYS GET THE SCOUTS ATTENTION. THE BROOKLYN DODGERS HAD MANY OUTSTANDING PLAYERS AND EBBETS FIELD WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED. REGARDS.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Lee Belardino said...

Tommy,I used to watch the dodgers too but not too fondly as I was,am a Phillies fan:but mostly I remember that young red headed Irish guy named Vince Scully who was just breaking in. Vinnie is in 80's now,looks 50 and still has the greatest baseball voice ever and is one of Americas finest citizens

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Tom Glover said...

HI LEE: I ALSO REMEMBER WHEN VINCE SCULLY WAS A ROOKIE BROADCASTER. MY TEAM HAS BEEN THE YANKEES. MEL ALLEN AND CURT GOWDY WERE THE PLAY BY PLAY GUYS AND WHITE OWL CIGARS THE SPONSOR FOR THE ENTIRE GAME.

TOM

Thursday, October 27, 2011

2011: REMEMBERING OUR WWII PATRIOTS

I am now, and always will be grateful to our military veterans. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It also marks a period of time where memories of World War II are quickly fading from the public view. An historian's obligation is to keep those memories alive so that younger citizens are informed of the many sacrifices our veterans from all wars have made for our country.

THE ABOVE GRAPHIC IS SCANNED FROM A BROADSIDE I AM POSTING AT KUSER MANSION AND THE HAMILTON TOWNSHIP PUBLIC LIBRARY ANNOUNCING A VERY SPECIAL VETERANS' DAY PRESENTATION. I HOPE TO SEE MANY OF MY LOCAL VISITORS TO THIS WEBSITE AT THE PROGRAM.

Sally Logan Gilman said...

Hi Tom: I hope you have a great turn out for such a worthy program. I'll be there in spirit. Regards

1936: IMMACULATE CONCEPTION HIGH SCHOOL PRESENTS...

Immaculate Conception High School presented "The Seal of Confession" with the cast shown in the graphics above. My favorite 8th grade Kuser School teacher, Margaret Gaydos is in the back row, upper photo, under the letters "MA." I looked in vain for former Trenton mayor, and my favorite mayor Art Holland, and the closest I could come to a younger Art was the young man in the upper photo, first row, third from left.

Ralph Lucarella said...

HI TOM....1936 IS THE YEAR I PLAYED WITH THE SCHROTH'S. I MENTION THAT BECAUSE ART (CHIRP) HOLLAND, MY FRIEND AND TEAMMATE LATTER TOLD ME THE ONE REGRET HE HAD WAS NOT BEING PICKED TO PLAY WITH THE SCHROTH'S. I SEE PETE MARCELLA AND JOE FEDORCHAK, TWO GOOD BALL PLAYERS, AMONG THE GROUP ABOVE. THAT PHOTO YOU MENTION MAY VERY WELL BE ART HOLLAND. BEST REGARDS.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

1932: J.B. VAN SCIVER BRINGS "A SENSE OF CLASS"TRENTON

The engraving above was rendered by Mr. Lloyd Van Sciver as an architectural drawing of the Van Sciver building on South Broad Street in Trenton. The feature article accompanying this post tells of the Van Scivers and their huge Camden furniture establishment. If you had furniture from J.B. Van Sciver, you were in possession of QUALITY!
As a young boy passing that that grand old structure on the "L-Liberty Street" Trenton Transit bus, a young Tom Glover had visions of knights in shining armor residing in that huge, castle-like structure.

THE ARTICLE ABOVE IS A LARGE FILE. TO ENLARGE IT SO YOU CAN READ IT, RIGHT CLICK THE IMAGE AND CHOOSE OPEN LINK IN NEW WINDOW.

omad said...

I still have a gorgeous cherry drop leaf dining room table my parents bought from Van Sciver in the early 40's. It's in excellent condition and I keep the leaves down and only a runner on the top. It's often a conversation piece when I entertain because of its natural beauty and the way it has held up. The building was always a fascination as I bussed own from my grandparents' house on Second St.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

1922: HAMILTON-NORWAY AVENUE AREA DEVELOPS

I am always on the lookout for articles, real estate ads and photos relating to neighborhood development. The "NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT" folder has early information on areas from Cadwalader Heights, Hiltonia, Millham, Deutzville, Broad Street Park, and numerous other historic graphics. Above is a graphic which is "close to home," as it is the Kuser School area where I grew up and of course, of special personal interest. The black and white article is an extract I borrowed from one of my old "MERCER MESSENGER" columns.

1873: TRENTON'S GOODWILL VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY

Many years ago, I paid a visit to Meredith "Med" Havens home in the Cadwalader section of Trenton to purchase a stack of his duplicate "Trenton" magazines. Med had a collection of fire memorabilia that at the time I remember saying was museum quality. Med said they would ultimately be in a museum. Much of Med's collection is in the Trenton Fire Museum on Perry Street in downtown Trenton.

trentonfiremuseum.com

1934: TRENTON HOSE NO. 1 HAND DRAWN FIRE APPARATUS

How I love sepia views! In fact, I am going to convert some future posts from "gray scale" to sepia. The above Trenton Public Library photo from the March 11, 1934 Trenton Times has been "de-screened," enhanced and turned into sepia, giving a beautiful example of a typical early 19th century hand drawn fire vehicle.

Anonymous said...

They took sport with those old horse drawn pumpers in the cartoons and the Little Rascals serial. The only horse drawn holdout I remember was Jake the rag man and his call for "rags and bones". Regarding the State House fire, I remember seeing a portion of the old roof in the space over the current governors "inner" office. They did not fully demolish it but just built around it.

Ed Millerick

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

NOTE FROM TOM: "LAKESIDE GIRL" AND OTHERS WHO CAN'T READ ARTICLES SUCH AS THE ONE BELOW

TO ENLARGE OVERSIZED ARTICLES, RIGHT CLICK ON THE GRAPHIC AND CHOOSE "OPEN LINK IN A NEW WINDOW;" CLICK ON THE MAGNIFYING GLASS AND THE ARTICLE IS FULLY LEGIBLE.

(ON SOME GRAPHICS, THIS OPTION MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE.)

Well thank you for refreshing the index; that is really appreciated! However now you have sparked the longing for a bowl, a large bowl of snapper soup with a wee bit of sherry. "Shorty" Skwara ran a tavern on Brunswick and Spruce and he caught his own turtles. Friday was a special of flounder along with a bowl of snapper. For a tiny place it was standing room only and if you didn't get there early you might go hungry. One day I spied an old cedar canoe in poor condition in his yard and when I asked his intentions regarding the boat he said that my Dad would occasionally help him with his turtle trapping in that canoe. I tracked the numbers etched in the inner keel and found that it is an Old Town that was built in 1939. They have the records on each and every canoe or skiff ever built and can send you a part if you furnish that number. My restoration certainly did not do it justice but I still have it. Now, to find a place to get an honest bowl of snapper? I believe Dad said the pond at Walker Gordon Dairy was the best source of snappers in the area.

Ed Millerick

YOU ARE VERY WELCOME, ED. GLAD TO BE OF SERVICE. FOR ABOUT 12 YEARS IN THE 1940'S ONE OF OUR HARTLEY AVENUE NEIGHBORS WAS FRANK SKWARA. FRANK HAD A DAUGHTER DOLORES WHO HUNG AROUND WITH MY SISTER, AND A SON FRANK JR. WHO WAS A LICENSED PILOT. HE USE TO FLY LOW OVER THE NEIGHBORHOOD IN HIS PLANE AND "WOBBLE" HIS WINGS. I'LL BET THEY ARE RELATED. I KNOW RELATIVES WERE OVER IN THE PENNSYLVANIA-OHIO AVENUE AREA OF NORTH TRENTON.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Tom. I learn something new about my computer just about every day!
Lakeside Girl

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

2011: ANOTHER WAY TO SEARCH THIS WEB SITE

As I approach over 8,000 individual posts, it becomes quite evident that searching for relevant posts is an intimidating venture. On my home page directly under the home page graphic is a "SEARCH" option. Unfortunately, this seems to be a "sometime" thing. There are days when the search is requested and no results are maintained. On the other hand (as at the present time) there is an immediate listing as you arrow DOWN to the listing. Above is another easy way to find a specific subject. Go to Google, type in your key word (the above example used the key word CHAMBERSBURG.) All Tom Glover Chambersburg posts will be listed in multi pages.

Anonymous said...

Honestly Tom, I miss that old index on the side. Many a rainy afternoon I would browse the topics and they were a wonderful guide. Is there still an index? Thank you for all of the work you are doing.

Ed Millerick

PS, in addition to John Cleary I was told that I was also a great nephew of Ed O'Brien who wrote for the Saturday Evening Post. Clearly, all genes were not passed along.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Sally Logan Gilman said...

Hi Tom: I know manning this site is a daunting task, and you deserve tons of credit for doing so. But, I too, enjoyed browsing the topics on the right side of your page. I meandered from subject to subject, opening, reading, closing and moving on. I will be OK but I just don't like change -- but I will adjust. Regards

Friday, October 21, 2011

OK, I HAVE RESURRECTED THE "LABELS"
WHICH IS THE NAME GOOGLE USES TO REPLACE "INDEX."
ENJOY!

1915 AND 1924: A MILL HILL'S "GREEN-MAR" SHOPPING CENTER

In 1915, years before the city of Trenton engaged in "Urban Renewal,"merchants in the area of Mill Hill along South Broad and Market Streets embarked on a publicity program to bring shoppers from center city to their thriving businesses. To we "old timers" there are many very familiar old merchant names in the vignette above.

1908: TRENTON'S C.O. JOHNSON BOTTLING COMPANY

Thanks to my friend Alan Wildblood for these rare photos of the C.O. Johnson Bottling Company, which was located at 140 Perry Street in Trenton. Alan notes that the spelling of "Mehylo" is an educated guess. This set of photos has been digitized and added to the "BUSINESSES AND FACTORIES-TRENTON" folder in the Local History Collection.

1938: TRENTON HIGH GIRLS MAKING GOWNS

Trenton High School has a magnificent historic heritage. The photo grouping above shows just one of the many such articles and photos that are being digitally preserved in the Hamilton Library's Local History Collection under database folder, "TRENTON CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL." I have yet to meet anyone locally who doesn't share my view that this beautiful edifice should be restored and preserved as a viable high school and at the same time preserved as the historic local treasure that it is. On the "other side" are those who prefer a glass-encrusted ultra modern structure which will in no way improve the performance of the students.

Sally Logan Gilman said...
Tom: I graduated from THS in 1955 and on one trip back to Trenton, I took some photos around the outside. I'm so glad I did. It was a beautiful building and I cannot imagine not taking care of it and treasuring it. Also, I love the new background on your website. It is so polished and colorful. Regards
Thursday, October 20, 2011

1951 - 2011: 60 YEARS!! WHERE DID THE TIME GO?

Apologies to those visitors to my Kuser and Hamilton High West websites who left comments that have gone unanswered. I discontinued posting on those sites due to my inability to keep all three sites going simultaneously. That was a mistake, and I am hereby resuming posting. To those of you who didn't receive a response to comments left on the site, please know that it was unintentional. A bit of simple math, 2011 minus 1951 equals 60 years, and at the golden age of 78, I admit that I let up a bit on the accelerator. However, I have decided to resume posting on these websites. As to the goals of this endeavor and even though I have a very soft spot in my heart for my HHS '51 classmates, you will see that www.hhs51.blogspot.com and www.kuser-school.blogspot.com are really a chronological histories of of the schools which in my biased opinion is the best in the state of New Jersey.

I would like to make a suggestion to those visitors who are familiar with tweaking your computer. This site is much more legible if you reset your monitor display to 800 x 600 (from 1024 x 768).

(Go to START. CLICK ON CONTROL PANEL, CLICK ON DISPLAY, CLICK ON SETTINGS, SLIDE OVER TO TO 800 X 600 AND CLICK APPLY.)

800 x 600 is much more comfortable for those of us whose advancing age has resulted in our being "optically challenged."

1951: WE MADE SUCH BEAUTIFUL MUSIC TOGETHER

Those were such wonderful years! As I pile on the years, memories of those years of singing with the gentlemen above will remain until we prayerfully meet again in the great beyond to resume our vocal talents. The photo was taken while we were in stage makeup as you can see by the lipstick and the flesh-colored make up we wore as we performed for the public. (don't miss our lily white necks where the makeup begins!) Each of us had a specific talent. Our "anchor," Bill Baggott along with Lee Belardino handled the tenor section. Keith Kauffman and Bob Thompson handled the deep, deep, "bass II" and George Mozer and I took over the baritone ("bass I") section. I will never forget the beautiful, indeed ethereal harmony we made together as we sang those great old "barbershop" songs; "When You Wore a Tulip," "Drifting and Dreaming," "In the Evening By the Moonlight," "Shine on Harvest Moon," and countless others.

Lee Belardino said...

Tommy that is without a doubt the best looking guys in the 51 class. We could also sing. I keep telling all my freinds out here that the 50's were the best with greatest collection of singers ever including us. You never changed and are still the gtreatest.

Lee

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

1898: A FLEETING GLIMPSE OF LIFE IN TRENTON'S 4TH WARD

I find a certain fascination in reading the community news from that long gone era when Trenton was on the rise. The South Trenton area is of particular interest. Urban redevelopment which occurred in the mid 20th century changed the South Trenton area forever. It is refreshing to read of the persons, places and things that once were.

From Mike Kuzma:
You hit a nerve with this post. This is where I grew up in the early 1930's to our move to the 1300 block of So. Broad in the 1956. Fair street was renamed "Bloomsbury St." 531 So. Warren St. was the block in which Dr. Drezner who delivered me, and his son the famous surgeon Dr. Malcolm Drezner lived, and grew up, just a few doors from Herb Speigel Famed professor, and former Furniture maven grew up. The mention of the shirt factory on Union St., was the site of Jesse Goss's gym where the world's Champion (when Titles meant somthing) Ike Williams trained. The repaving of Fall St was the block just west of my house where I was born. Mill and Fair Streets, is where Princeton Worsted Mills grew.

Thanks for refreshing my memories.
Mike Kuzma

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

NO MIKE, THANKS TO YOU FOR YOUR INTERESTING REMINISCENCES AND INSIGHTS!

TOM

1958: TRENTON CHANGES FOREVER

It was called "Urban Re-Development." It changed the city of Trenton and the South Trenton area from a middle size town with run-down and aging "ghetto" attributes into a town with glass-encrusted high rise state office buildings. Old streets in South Trenton such as Cooper, Fall, South Warren and many others were either truncated (Greenwood Avenue) or completely eliminated.

Stephen Doyle said...

What is interesting is that the article mentions the concerns of one legislator who noted that while the City and State would sink a lot of money into the project, they would get nothing back. Looks like everyone ignored him and said the classic "it will stimulate private development" line- which is a myth. Thanks for posting- its very interesting to see how this was presented at the time! -sd

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Michael Kuzma said...

Tom:

This was not only my old neighborhood, but just a year after this article, I went to work for the City of Trenton and watched the debacle up close.
Our family had moved out of the area two years prior to this published article. Having seen the fiasco the city created in the "Redevelopment" of Coalport, this project should never been undertaken. The Holland Administration came into power in 1960 during the "Development phase" His Director of Relocation, was typically out of the office sleeping it off. As a result, records were fudged, and hundreds of residents were never relocated
Like Coalport, there was not one iota of private development in the area. thousands were uprooted, business's were lost to the suburbs,and the State despite using our Police to respond to car break ins and robberies, and our Fire Department resources strained by the demands of those thousands of State workers that needed someone to put the fires out, paid a fair contribution to the city.

Like Coalport, Center City South, The Fitch Way didn't provide a return on our investment.

I must say that the only successful project undertaken in the 50's and 60's was one I was personally involved in; Mercer Jackson Rehabilitation Project, now known as Mill Hill. Seems like things have not changed much in all these years; All promises, no production.

Regards

Mike Kuzma

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Thanks Steve and Mike. These first hand observations and comments go a long way to enlightening those who were not around when Trenton morphed into the glass encrusted high rises we have in the city today.

1946: CWV SOFTBALL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS

From the WWII folder in the Hamilton Library Local History Collection, this enhanced photo-article on the WWII veterans who were on the 1946 championship team. It would be my guess that Ralph Lucarella and other older local sports fans will recognize many in the photo. I do recall Stewart H. O'Donnell and Joe Connolly.

1946: RUSLING HOSE 65th ANNIVERSARY

Here's the Times' coverage of the anniversary celebration of Hamilton's legendary Rusling Hose Volunteer Fire Company as it celebrated 50 years of service to Broad Street Park area residents of Hamilton. This is a duplicate post which I have re-posted as the fire company celebrates a milestone 65th anniversary.

Ralph Lucarella said...

HI TOM...RUSLING HOSE WAS JUST ONE OF THE VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANIES IN HAMILTON TOWNSHIP. I OFTEN WONDERED WHY THEY HAD A POLICE DEPT. AND NOT A FIRE DEPT. THE VOLUNTEER COMPANIES WERE OUTSTANDING AND THAT MAY BE THE REASON WHY. BEST REGARDS.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Jim C said...

Hi Tom. Your heading and comment for this article is a bit confusing. You state that Rusling Hose Company celebrates its 65th anniversary in 2011. In fact, the Company is celebrating its 115th anniversary in 2011 having been organized in 1896.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

HI JIM:

I GUESS THE CONFUSION LIES IN THE HEADING "1946 - 2011;" RUSLING HOSE 65TH ANNIVERSARY. AS YOU CAN SEE, I WAS PARAPHRASING THE ARTICLE WHICH TELLS OF THE 1896 GENESIS OF THE ORGANIZATION. I JUST ASSUMED THAT MOST VISITORS WOULD SEE THE DATE 1946 AND REALIZE THAT THE 65TH ANNIVERSARY WAS CELEBRATED DURING THE YEAR 1946. I HAVE CHANGED THE POST FROM 2011 - 1946..." TO JUST PLAIN "1946."

1946: TITUSVILLE GRANGE 163

Back when we were "rural!" How many changes I have seen in my 78 years in the Mercer County area! Hamilton Township was a farm studded rural community surrounded by the villages of Mercerville, Hamilton Square, Groveville, Yardville, Deutzville and Bromley. As time went on, developers purchased those old farms, built whole new communities and the vast open farmland I knew as a boy are long gone. Through all the years and even though some of the glass-encrusted buildings are occupying many acres, the Lambertville-Hopewell-Pennington area has managed to maintain that old fashioned rural bucolic ambiance that we all love so much.

1946: TOM SAWYER CONTEST AT THE STACY THEATER

Back in the pre-television era, local motion picture theaters were doing a brisk and lively business. Weekly giveaways of glassware, kitchen utensils and other attractive premiums were the norm. The graphic above illustrates the Stacy theater management's attempt to lure Trenton area citizens into their East State Street theater.

1946: GEORGE C. GREEN, LAMBERTVILLE

RAY PASZKIEWICZ: PER YOUR REQUEST, HERE'S AN ENLARGED COPY OF THE ARTICLE THAT WAS TOO SMALL TO READ. SORRY FOR THE GOOF, THANKS FOR THE HEADS UP. I DIDN'T REALIZE HOW ILLEGIBLE THE ARTICLE WAS.

Had he known the artist Norman Rockwell, George Green could well have been the

subject of one Rockwell's Saturday Evening Post covers. As I remember him, he was usually outfitted in an old fashioned pair of overalls, and was rightly proud of his 1904 curved dash Oldsmobile "one lunger." Back in the 1960's I had the pleasure of meeting that affable gentleman, and he loved to tell the stories of the many trips he took on his antique and beautiful original Oldsmobile. Any of my generation who were into antique automobiles will tell of their encounters with George. Even his garage in Lambertville fit into the antiquarian category.

1944: CADWALADER DEACONS BEAT BROAD STREET PARK

From the "SPORTS-MISCELLANEOUS" folder in the Local History Collection, this article give a play by play of football game between Broad Street Park and the Cadwalader Deacons.

Ralph Lucarella said...

HI TOM...I NEVER PLAYED FOOTBALL IN MY YOUNGER DAYS AND LATTER WISHED I HAD. FOOTBALL WAS A BODY CONTACT SPORT AND I NEVER HAD THE EQUIPMENT OR DESIRE TO PLAY. NOW, WITH MY BROTHER CHUCK WHO PLAYED FOOTBALL WITH TRENTON HIGH, IT GAVE HIM THE GUTS FOR BODY CONTACT. THAT HAPPENED WHEN HE STOLE HOME IN THE AMERICAN LEGION FINAL AT INDIANAPOLIS IN 1948 WITH THE SCHROTHS, BEST REGARDS.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

1914: MILL HILL'S NATIONAL HOTEL

Not to be confused with the National Hotel that was once located on West Hanover Street between No. Broad and Warren Streets, the Mill Hill National Hotel was located on a spot presently occupied by the Mercer County Court House. The "MILL HILL" digital folder is growing like the proverbial "Topsy." with nearly 100 PDF and JPG files.

1982: MAURY PERILLI, PROPHET!

My dear friend Maury Perilli, humble man that he is, scoffs when I suggest he is a political prophet. During his time as a writer of "View From Here" in the Mercer Messenger, Maury has proven to be an uncanny seer into the future. The above article, written almost 20 years ago, points out the still existing problem of funding the Social Security program as it continues to descend into a financial disaster. Nineteen years later, politicians of all political affiliation have done nothing to alleviate the problem. The subject of reforming social security has been called the "third rail of politics" and indeed it is. Unfortunately, our elected officials are worried more about being re-elected than forming a bipartisan commission to solve the problem once and for all.

2011: WE GET LETTERS. THANK YOU!

It is really nice to know that many of the posts on this blog are touching visitors in so many different, positive ways. Anyone who remembers the 50's when Perry Como had that delightful variety hour on TV will remember the segment where the Como chorus sang, "Letters, we get letters, we get stacks and stacks of letters...Dear Perry..."

We also get stacks and stacks of letters. Here are a only a few. More will be published ummm, to borrow the title of one of my sing along songs, "AS TIME GOES BY!"

**********

Thanks Tom Glover, for the Hamilton/Trenton area historical postings.

Excited to search for pictures of places !

#626 10/7/2011, 08:34:45, PDT Donna

#625 10/6/2011, 11:02:50, PDT Tami Scully Savino

Hello, I am Lou Kocsak's granddaughter. I wanted to thank you for your post regarding his camera shop, Lou's home movies. How very nice to read. Thank you again, Tami Scully Savino

#624 10/1/2011, 17:28:00, PDT Judy

I attended Mercerville School in the late 50's-mid 60's (K-6) I was wondering if there are any class pictures ?

#623 9/30/2011, 02:13:57, PDT Jerry Mangine

I'd like to thank you for your website. My father Tommy Mangine played for the Trenton Eagles and now I have a picture of him in uniform.

#622 9/27/2011, 15:37:11, PDT Warren Rue

#621 9/27/2011, 12:33:51, PDT Karen EAGLE Moman: Please, do you realize you have some WWII pictures on this site that has a 50 star American Flag? Please, get this corrected. Look at a 48 star flag (as flew over our country in WWII) and look at the 50 star flag. The stars are placed in a different manner. I keep seeing this all over the web. It is disgraceful. Our citizens fought an died for that 48 star flag and someone is out there putting a 50 star flag on WWII posters and letters.SHAMEFUL

For Karen Eagle Moman #621: Get over your indignation. If you follow this man's website than there is NO WAY you could ever call him or his material, "shameful" or his presentations, disgraceful. If Tom made a mistake, then that is what it is, a mistake. He is one of the most respectful and patriotic men that I know. Shame on you for your e-mail.

Warren Rue

(TOM REPLIES: NO MISTAKES WERE MADE. THE AMERICAN FLAG IS THE AMERICAN FLAG WHETHER 13 STARS, 48, 49, 50, 51 52....)

#620 9/24/2011, 06:37:41, PDT Lakeside Girl

Also, the home page graphic does not extend across the entire screen. The images would be larger and easier to see!

Thanks!

(CHANGE YOUR MONITOR RESOLUTION TO 800 X 600 TO GET FULL SCREEN)

#619 9/24/2011, 06:35:00, PDT Lakeside Girl

Tom, Love your new home page, but one problem. The caption at the top of the picture, second from the left, can't be seen. Yellow lettering on the light sky is hard to read. Thanks!

#618 9/20/2011, 18:24:16, PDT Wally Lane

While working on my family's genealogy, I found "family lore" that states: 'Henry Burem (Boerum) was born in 1758 at Half Way House, Mercer Co., NJ'. I surmise that is was a stop over point on the road through Mercer County, but am unable to find any definitive detail. Can you shed any light on its location and or other detail?

#617 9/20/2011, 12:37:09, PDT Frank Smith

Born in Mercerville, Hamilton Twp 1946 and I enjoy reflecting on a better life back in the olde days of NJ

#616 9/19/2011, 14:06:38, PDT Robert Wilson

I LOVE THE GOOD OLD DAYS

#615 9/19/2011, 13:23:26, PDT John Szeker, HHS '50

Tom - just looking in and reviewing some great, old places in Trenton and Hamilton Twp (HHS) that I used to hang out in and had great fun with my old HHS buddies. Thanks for keeping the site current.

#614 9/17/2011, 07:37:00, PDT Lakeside Girl

Congrats to Mr. Klek for designing your new homepage graphic, but I loved the old one!

#613 9/15/2011, 14:53:54, PDT Noel Goeke

About Clay Street picture.

John & Robert were before me but i knew their families well. Picture looks like late 1930s.

About 12 homes on Clay Street were torn down to make way for the freeway. Lewis Street was also cut off at the same time with homes torn down also.I remember walking across the RR bridge on my way to THS before it was closed. Clay Street was a grand old neighborhood.

Noel Goeke

View next page - 1 2 3 4 5 > - View all pages

1937: BEFORE JOEY CHITWOOD AND "LUCKY LUCY" THERE WAS A LUCKY TETER

Only we over 70's oldsters will recall "Lucky Teter." He was a household word back during the many Septembers he appeared at the New Jersey State Fair. I was only a little toddler when I went to the fair so I can't really say I remember seeing him. However, as I grew up, so did a guy named Joey Chitwood who did most of the same daring stunts as his predecessor. Perhaps my favorite was the beautiful "Lucky Lucy" DiNatale. She and her lovely ladies brought a certain class to the art of daredevil driving. I can still see a lovely Lucy DiNatale, her jet black hail shimmering in the breeze. All of us neighborhood guys hung out at Rocky DiNatale's "Rocky's Auto Service" on Edwin and South Olden Avenue. I remember Rocy and Lucy's two beautiful children, Janice and Ronnie.

omad said...

I'm laughing out loud right now. My middle grandson was driving me down the Garden State Pkwy the other day and I asked him to slow down and said "who do you think you are, Lucky Teeter?". He said "WHO?" with a really puzzled look. For the next few miles I told him about the Fair and the excitement the drivers generated. He is a real "car" guy and enjoyed the conversation.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

1946: THE HARTLEY TOY MFG. CO.

Plastic and all the other miracle compounds hadn't quite entered the American market right after WWII. My father and his brother, both experienced potters from Olde England, decided to go into the manufacture of doll furniture. My uncle Bill was a master mold maker and he crafted a little set of living room furniture consisting of a sofa, two chairs and other long forgotten accessories. After the plaster was mixed and poured into molds, the finished product had to be trimmed around the mold marks, and then taken into a room where an air compressor sprayed a velvety "flock" on each piece. For a while back there, it looked like the little enterprise was going to take off. However, times they were a-changing, and with the advent of plastic which was much lighter and easier to manufacture, the venture fell flat.

1992: BRING BACK THE GOOD OLD DAYS!

ABOVE: 2010 ADVERTISEMENT FOR TOM GLOVER'S SUMMER
SING-ALONG PROGRAMS

The announcement that the Summer concerts at Kuser Farm Park were to begin for the summer of 1992 proved just how troubled our economy has been over the past 10 years or so. Tom Glover's replacement programs over the past 7 years are sadly lacking the professional performances we had back in the day. My friend Dick Chimes, Benny Snyder, the Lamplighters and other professionals are sorely missed. The gentleman from the Trenton Brass Quintet commented to me a few years ago that my "canned" music was anything but professional. I certainly don't need to be reminded of that fact, but hey, it sure beats no summer music at all!

Harold wrote:
If the Trenton Brass Quintet has such a problem with your brand of entertainment, maybe they should volunteer to stop by and perform free of charge.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

MY SENTIMENTS EXACTLY, HAROLD.

TOM GLOVER

1992: FROM THE "ADVERTISING" FOLDER

Here's a blast from the past: A centerfold was published in the Mercer Messenger heralding the annual Hamilton West homecoming game. The entire center fold was too large to include in a posts, so I segregated all the ads which bordered the two pages and condensed them into one graphic. There are many very interesting ads in the graphic. Del Rio, Patterson Chevrolet, TKR cable, the Hamilton Restaurant, and others are no longer in business.