1941: "MILKMAN, KEEP THOSE BOTTLES QUIET"

Only those of us who are in the "senior" senior years will remember the milkman delivering milk from a horse drawn vehicle. I can remember how strange it looked when our milkman pulled up with his horse drawn milk wagon with automobile wheels; it was a strange sight. I can also remember Peters' Garage on Liberty Street where Mr. Peters, his son Bill ("Beb") and my brother Bud were one of the repair centers for the Divco "Twins." Those guys knew every inch of those great old milk delivery trucks. Am I the only one who remembers that those Divco trucks had a seat, or, if the driver preferred, he could stand up and drive!.
Note from Tom: This graphic and many others on this site might take a bit longer to post, but I like to embellish certain ones that are certainly worthy of saving. Over the years, I have had many people tell me they cut out my columns as well as many of the posts on my websites and send them to friends and relatives who are not on the computer. I'm sure that many senior citizen would like to see this printed on a page and sent to him or her. That's one of the main reasons this website coined the slogan, "LOCAL HISTORY WITH A PERSONAL TOUCH!"

RALPH LUCARELLA said...

HI TOM...I RECALL OUR MILK MAN DELIVERING MILK FOR MANY YEARS WITHOUT GETTING PAID. MY FATHER ALWAYS SAID HE WOULD BE THE FIRST PERSON THAT WOULD GET PAID AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. WE HAD MANY OTHERS WHO ALSO WAITED A LONG TIME AND MY FATHER PAID EVERY ONE WHEN HE WENT BACK TO HIS REGULAR WORK.

Friday, March 15, 2013

LEE BELARDINO said...

Tommy
My uncle Frank Chiarello drove a horse drawn milk truck.I remember him delivering milk around the burg and the horse was a big attraction.We tried to jump on his milk truck and the ice truck and got chased away.30'S and 40's in the burg.
LEE

Friday, March 15, 2013

rayfromvillapark said...

Hi Tom, Horse drawn milk wagons, were around a lot later than many may think. My wife grew up in South Philadelphia. Her family lived on a small side street off of 10th & Snider Aves.I remember turning up Cantrell on one of our first dates, and ending up behind an Abbott's Dairy horse & wagon. The milkman left the wagon and walked up a few houses, turned and signaled the horse, and the horse pulled the wagon up to his location. I couldn't go around, so it took a while to go the length of the street. This was in 1960. I was surprised as anyone, because I'd never seen milk delivered in Trenton, with this conveyance. There were many great Italian Water Ice locations in South Philly, a commodity not found often in Trenton. Peter's Garage was an official repair garage for Divco Trucks, and even was a sub dealer for Studebaker, around 1941. I spent a lot of time during the mid sixties, while still living in Trenton, working on my 1941 Chrysler Highlander Club Coupe in Peter's Garage. I eventually sold him the car, and he restored it. Pete owned one the earliest 1954 Chevrolet Corvettes. I had him display it in the showroom at Patterson Chevrolet, during one of our events and he was tickled pink at all the attention he got. A great and memorable day. My best friend Ray Varga's family owned the Villa Park Dairy, on Columbus Ave., and Pete serviced their fleet of Divco Milk Trucks. They were painted Light Green and Cream, with a cow's head on the side of the truck. They also bottled a tasty Orangeade. It's a wonder Pete and Bib survived all those years, the garage was heated, only by gas space heaters, sitting on the floor, and they laid underneath cars, on the floor, making repairs. We had some great conversations, during those years, about Trenton, cars,politics, you name it. rayfromvillapark

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Tom Glover said...

My brother Bud worked as a mechanic for Mr. Peters along with Bill (known as "Beb" to his close friends. Bud and Beb were friends right up to my brother's death in December 2013. Beb lost his wife just a month or so ago. He lives in Titusville and was one of my clasmates at Kuser Annex. He is an excellent artist as well as an equally excellent artist in the duck carving craft.

Tom

Saturday, March 16, 2013

rayfromvillapark said...

Hi Tom, I just want to make a statement regarding your memory of the Divco Walk In Trucks. You are correct, they could be driven either sitting on a small fold away seat, or standing. It was quite a unique system. How could someone stand up and drive, accelerate and apply the brakes, standing on one foot? Sounds dangerous. Well, it more than likely was only used on a neighborhood route, where stop and go was constant. Time was of the essence, when working a route. The driver had to jump in and out of the truck quickly and efficiently. There was one pedal for both gas and brake. Push down, and the truck moved forward. Lift your foot off the pedal, and the brakes were applied and the driver could just jump out, with his milk carrier. The truck remained stationary, as if the emergency brake was on. Very nice setup. rayfromvillapark

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Ron Bound said...

Hi where was Peter's garage on Liberty St? Ray, what yr was that that you had the Corvette on display at Patterson Chevy? My cousin, Herb, was a manager there for some years.
A buddy heard a crash and ran down the block as we boys would do, and it was a walk in delivery truck, where the driver stood and drove. Johnny never ran to another accident again.
Ron

Sunday, March 17, 2013

rayfromvillapark said...

Ron, Peter's Garage was on Liberty St, opposite Lyndale Ave. Leonard's Barber Shop was next door.
The car show would have been, sometime around 1980 or so. I left Patterson Chevrolet in 1984. I knew your cousin, if it is Herb Conover. He was a salesman, when I was there and became a manager, after I left. I remember Herb having a 1961 or '62 Corvette. rayfromvillapark

Sunday, March 17, 2013

JoeB said...

Ray:
Did you know Bob Hope or Mike Ferrara? They both worked for Patterson? Also I think you mentioned once that you also knew my cousin Jimmy Montani. He purchased his cars there and wash the outside and the motor. You mentioned him riding his bike.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

rayfromvillapark said...

Joe, I met Mike Ferrara in the 1960's when he ran a body shop on Kuser Rd. I was looking for a job, when the first gas crisis hit in 1973. He was the person who hired me at Patterson. Never even had to apply. Hired me on the spot, just on my reputation in the business. I never forgot that. I was his assistant, until I moved up to be a manager in Sales. He was a good guy, and I always had a great relationship with him. Bob Hope came to Patterson as a line mechanic in the mid seventies.
Jim Montani was a gentleman. A mild mannered and very sociable man. He purchased the grocery store at the corner of Lyndale and Centennial, from Harry Miller. I lived right across the street. I remember his Reo panel truck, painted a bright Orange, used for deliveries. I went to school with his daughter, Roseann. Later, when he retired, he found out I worked at Patterson, and would ride his bike over to visit me, quite often. We had some great conversations. I know he lived well into his nineties. You meet some great people on this journey through life. rayfromvillapark

Monday, March 18, 2013

1941: THE STREAMLINED PACKARD CLIPPER

One of my favorite web subjects is the "AUTOMOBILIA" folder in the Hamilton Library Local History Collection, and in that collection the many full color ads from magazines that have yet to be scanned and posted. Can you imagine buying that beautiful Packard Clipper for $1375.00? The demise of automobiles for every day American consumers was on the horizon as the industry was to be converted to the manufacture of tanks, armor, and other heavy steel products.

1978: HHS 1973, FROM "DENISE B" A 35TH REUNION

 

 

My favorite high school and by succession, my fellow Hornets are celebrating another milestone in June as they plan to celebrate their 35th reunion.
It's nice to see a reunion that is kept in Hamilton;  

I believe it's where they belong.

The news photos accompanying the reunion notice is from the Hamilton Township Public Library Local history, and are probably to be found on my websites, 

www.hhs51.blogspot.comwww.hhs51.blogspot.com, and www.glover320.blogspot.com.

1932: HAMILTON BODY CO. - CHAMBERS AND GENESEE ST.

Another pristine photo courtesy of R.C. Maxwell and the Duke University Library showing a very rural Chambers Street. I am hoping that our resident Broad Street Park historian Jim Colello will post it on his site, and perhaps share his comments on this site. 

It took me the better part of an hour to complete this post. There is some sort of virus or malware infecting my computer and I will be closing down for maintenance. This problem has been going on since Monday and it has resulted in less than my normal activity in posting. The internet, Photoshop and Adobe Reader are all being impeded in their operation, as is Google Earth and access to the editor on www.glover320.blogspot.com. I'm sure there are more, and a complete computer scan will be performed. With the HUGE number of files and folders on this computer, the scan will take hours.
Bear with me, and I'll be back in a few hours.

1946: THE 200 BLOCK OF PENNINGTON AVENUE

Once again I will call on a visitor or visitors of this website to come forward with more local color on this particular view of Trenton which is not that well known to me. The photo is pristine and clear as are most of these R.C. Maxwell/Duke University Library photos.

1946: The 1200 BLOCK OF E. STATE STREET

How this neighborhood has changed over the last 50 or 60 years! I opted for the largest enlarged view I could manage on this blog, and this is the result. It took a bit of PhotoShop "tweaking" to balance the brightness/contrast/gamma etc. settings.

1985: TRENTON RESUMES THE CUSTOM OF AN ANNUAL ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE

I put the graphic above together out of a nostalgic recollection of the original St. Patrick's Day parade that for years was a custom in the city of Trenton. There are now 2 parades; one in Hamilton Township, one in Robbinsville, and the Trenton parade. When the original organizers decided that Trenton had lost the character it had maintained over many years, it was decided to move the parade to the more affluent Hamilton Square section of Hamilton Township, where it has been very successful. Many of us who were "left behind" decided to maintain the nearly century old tradition of a Trenton St. Patrick's Day parade and opted to continue the traditional Trenton parade. It seems that both parades have proven to be successful ventures. Considering my advancing age, and the logistics attending that advancing age,  it is much more convenient for me to attend the Trenton parade which is only a few blocks away from my home. Additionally, as a dyed in the wool lover of Trenton, warts and all, I feel the old town deserves support. The Trenton parade kicks off this Saturday, March 16th at St. Anthony's Church on South Olden Avenue. 
VISIT THE TRENTON PARADE SITE AT
.trentonstpatricksparade.com
The webmaster at this site needs to downsize the overall screen size;  on my computer it is much too large with the standard 1024 x 768 screen setting. However, it can still be read with a bit of page maneuvering.  

1945: Captain David Coddington: A CORRECTION FROM SUZANNE BARNHILL

Here's another of our "Greatest Generation," Rev. Coddington leading a prayer service in post war Trenton. 

 

THIS IS BEING POSTED WITH THE NECESSARY CORRECTIONS COURTESY OF REV. CODDINGTON'S DAUGHTER, SUZANNE. THANKS FOR THE CORRECTION, SUZANNE.

Suzanne S Barnhill said...

Thank you so much for posting this! I am transcribing my father's letters from Italy during World War II, and he attended services led by Chaplain Coddington in Gardone Riviera. He wrote: "This chaplain we have now, a man named Coddington, a Presbyterian from Trenton, N. J. is really a whiz. He has the whole congregation with him, and the church houses more people every Sunday. I certainly enjoy hearing a man of God in the pulpit instead of a soldier wearing the cross." I was trying to find out more about this man, and your post was just what I needed!

Monday, March 11, 2013

Suzanne S Barnhill said...

I neglected to say that my husband, K4MQM, has been a ham since 1959.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Suzanne S Barnhill said...

Also, rereading your comment on the clipping, I should offer this correction: the photo was not taken "in postwar Trenton" but "with the Fifth Army," which at that time was headquartered in Gardone Riviera, on Lake Garda, near Verona, Italy. In that location he had the advantage of using a real church. Dad wrote: "Today is Sunday. I went to church this morning in a real church--first time since leaving Wilmington, and it really makes a difference. The whole atmosphere is better. There was an organ, a pulpit, real pews, a stained glass window, etc. Nothing was GI except the chaplain and he was much better than mos--had a fine singing voice which improved the quality of the hymns. I really enjoyed the service and plan to go back again next Sunday."

Monday, March 11, 2013

2013: AN EMAIL FROM MY ARMY BUDDY IN KANSAS

If you are as much of a dog lover as I, you will really love this video of a man and his incredibly talented dog, "Skidboot." Check it out!

http://silverandgoldandthee.net/V/Sk.html   

2013: Hamilton's Late, Great Woodlawn Park

I am also writing a once a month column in the Trenton Times' "PULSE" supplement which is delivered to households in the Hamilton area of Hamilton Square, Robbinsville and the outliying areas of Hamilton.
Click on this link to read my recent submission.

http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2013/03/rediscovering_the_wonders_of_h.htmlhttp://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2013/03/rediscovering_the_wonders_of_h.html

1888: GENESIS OF IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH

This little vignette took some PhotoShop time to bring together into one legible graphic. It tells of the beginnings of Trenton's landmark Chambersburg church on Chestnut Street. The 1901 engraving is from a clipping in my collection. Note that the article from the Daily True American gave the location of the new church as "Chambersbury." The story of the beginnings of the church make for fascinating reading as seen through the news accounts of the year 1888.

1940: THE FUTURE OF PASSENGER FLIGHT

And then along came jet propulsion. A whole new ball game!

2013: NOW ALSO POSTING ON FACEBOOK

I have been following Facebook for some time.and always regretted the fact that graphics were too small and there was no way to enlarge them. Recent changes in Facebook's system now allows for enlarging photos and text, and accordingly, I will be posting many items on my page. When you get to my page, click on PHOTOS over on the left. The screen will change and you will see a shaded area with 482 or so photos. (Directly above the photo of HHS 1952 classmate Madeline Bencivengo) Click on 482 or whatever number is there and you will see the 400 plus photos I have posted. The photos will be shown in small size. Click on the first photo and it will enlarge. Move your cursor to the right of the graphic to a > arrow which is next to each photo; click on it and view the next graphic and so on. My comments/caption can be read on the right under my photo. Note that many of the graphics lack my captions or descriptive text. I'm working on it; it is a lengthy process with 400 plus to be captioned. For those facebook members who are not aware, my blog(s) can be found at:

www.glover320.blogspot.com

www.kuser-school.blogspot.com

www.hhs51.blogspot.com 

1931: COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY

Here's a bit more to be added to the newly formed COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY folder in the Hamilton Library Local History Collection. For a touch of antiquity, I scanned it in sepia instead of converting it to grayscale. ----adds a bit of class to the graphic, don't you agree? (By the way,due to the larger size of a color or in this case sepia graphic, I usually convert them to gray scale.

1931-2013: THE EVOLUTION OF THE "SNEAKER:

FROM THE HAMILTON LIBRARY "NOSTALGIA" FOLDER:

"Pepsi Cola hits the spot, twelver full ounces, that's a lot,

Twice as much for a nickel, too, Pepsi Cola is the drink for you.."

Nickel candy bars, cigarettes for 10 cents a pack, a loaf of bread 12 cents

but more importantly to a boy from 1931, a pair of Miles "sneakers" for 44 cents!

Their every bit as good as Converse!

BY THE WAY: THE QUALITY ON THOSE "MILES" SNEAKERS WERE EVERY BIT AS QUALITY LADEN AS THE 2013 VERSION; THEY HAD TO BE. DURING THE
DEPRESSION 44 CENTS WAS A SIGNIFICAN SUM.

It seems that as I wrote this, I heard a number of my senior visitors singing that Pepsi jimgle.
Confess, old timers: I know it by heart and I sang it without missing a beat!

2013: I'M CURRENTLY ADDING CAPTIONS TO MY FACEBOOK ALBUMS

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.483778968346774.107843.100001440241468&type=3


LOOK FOR "481 PHOTOS," AND CLICK TO VIEW A NUMBER OF ALBUMS. I AM ADDING MORE DAILY.

1931: THE CAPITOL THEATER FIRE

 

The Capitol was the location of my very first date with my high school sweetheart and wife of 59 years, Judy Britton. I took her to see "SHOW BOAT;" a musical which has songs that take me back to the years when I courted Judy. As can be seen in the photos above, the building was destroyed as a result of that horrendous fire.

1949: SOUTH BROAD ST. AT ROEBLING AVENUE

This and other photos from this series will be repeated on occasion. I chose this one which has only a partial view of a Hudson which was one model I always loved. The grill was especially attractive to me. The Hudson is believed to be a 1946 o4 1947. Note the other Hudson heading into center city Trenton.

1906: "LA MANO NERA" ALIVE AND WELL IN TRENTON

Shades of the move "The Godfather" where that neighborhood shake up artist terrified the honest men of the neighborhood with threats of violence. Many of these criminals were seen on the streets where new immigrants tried to make a life for themselves. The above article from 1906 tells of Black Hand activity in Trenton.

1937: ST. JOACHIM STUDENTS

Can you imagine the thrill these boys experienced when they and they and John Persi were honored with an audience with Pope Pius XI? Then Premier Mussolini also received the boys. Like the late, great Sacred Heart Grammar School, St. Joachim's turned out many well rounded educations for its students; Mario, Dominick and John were fine examples.

1919: ST. JOACHIM'S STUDENTS HONORS WORLD WAR ONE VETERANS

 

Daniel Radice would have been just one of the many Chambersburg World War I veterans who were honored with a special entertainment thanking them for serving in the military. The St. Joachim parish folder in the Local History Collection continues to grow as I find new and interesting articles and photos in the Trenton Times' "CHAMBERSBURG" section.

1939: REMEMBERING THE "SOAP BOX DERBY"

The kids in our neighborhood never had the financial ability to build a derby racer. We did however opt for a little vehicle that was known as a "chuggy." A trip over to the dumps on Paterson Avenue in Hamilton would find us looking on the huge pile of garbage for a discarded baby carriage or any other portable vehicle that had 4 wheels. We usually came up with 4 baby carriage wheels. Then it was back to Don Slabicki's cellar where there were tools that allowed us to nail the real axle to a good wide piece of scrap lumber. Then to the front we nailed the axle to a 2 x 4 of the proper length, drilled a hole in it and with 3 washers separating the 2 x4 and the scrap lumber board, we bolted the thing on, giving us a built in power steering axle.A rope tied to each end of the steering 2 x4 and the driver holding the looped rope, gave us a chuggy that saw many hours rolling down the hills of Hartley or Sylvan Avenue, and of course the hill at Kuser Farm which we used for sledding in the winter and chuggying in the warmer months. Once we got a reliable racer, it was then that we gave it a basket with two soup cans for headlights and a piece of 1/2 inch wire mesh for a grill.

A NOTE TO MY VISITORS. WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS! YESTERDAY, I SPENT 2 HOURS IN A CHAT ROOM WITH MY COMPUTER SECURITY SOFTWARE PEOPLE. I HAD A REAL PROBLEM AND EVEN THE TECH HAD A TOUGH TIME FIGURING OUT THE PROBLEM. I CONSIDER MYSELF QUITE FAMILIAR WITH ALL THE LITTLE "INS AND OUTS" OF COMPUTER PROBLEMS, AND CAN USUALLY SOLVE THEM MYSELF. HOWEVER, THIS ONE DEFIED RESOLUTION. AFTER 2 HOURS OR SO, A FEW MOVES THAT WERE ABOVE MY HEAD IN TECHNOLOGICAL TERMS, THE TECH BROUGHT ME BACK FROM THE ABYSS. IF YOU WERE WAITING FOR AN EMAIL RESPONSE FROM ME, PLEASE RE-SEND YOUR REQUEST. THIS PROBLEM WAS DEEP SEATED AN AFFECTED MANY OF MY PROGRAMS.

2011: GOD'S EYE VIEW OF ST. JOACHIM'S CHURCH

Here's an interesting Google Earth view of Chambersburg's St. Joachim's Church.on Butler Street. As stated earlier, I am spending a bit of time adding to the already growing "ST. JOACHIM'S" folder and will tie them into a future public presentation.