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.

1951: REMEMBERING BILL BAGGOTT

It was my privilege to have been in the same graduating class as William R. Baggott III. It was also my privilege to have been part of a boys' singing group that included Bill Baggott, Lee Belardino, and Keith Kauffman. It was once again my privilege to have been a lead in the 1951 Hamilton High operetta, "Tulip Time," where Bill loaned us his incredible tenor voice. The Lord took Bill much too early in life. He was an integral part of the music program at Trenton's Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. Indeed, there is a plaque on one of the choir pews honoring an incredible musical tenor who most certainly could have gone on to be a star in the Metropolitan Opera. Perhaps the one thing I remember about Bill was his humility. People would compliment him on his splendid vocal talents, and Bill would very humbly thank them; not a hint of conceit or pomposity. Bill, even after these 50+ years, I will never forget you and the guys we sang with back in an era "when music was music."

1952: OBIT Jim "Skip" Porter HHS 1952

From "THE TIMES," October 31, 2009

James Porter "Skip"

James 'Skip' Porter PENNINGTON- James "Skip" Porter, 74, devoted husband, loving father and grandfather, passed away peacefully at home. Born in Hamilton Township in 1934, Skip lived most of his life as a Hopewell Valley resident. He enjoyed summers on Long Beach Island and winters in Hobe Sound, FL. He was a graduate of Hamilton High School West, four year class president and four year captain of the Hamilton High School football team. He spent a year as a post graduate at Hun School of Princeton then attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, MA, where he was a part of the undefeated 1954 football team. He was a U.S. Army veteran involved with the Second Guided Missile Group at Fort Bliss, TX. Skip enjoyed being a part of his community, serving as the president of the YMCA, coaching many athletic activities in the township and enjoyed serving as a deacon of the Pennington Presbyterian Church. He was instrumental in initiating the boys basketball and girls softball leagues, and enjoyed coaching in these leagues as well. Son of the late Robert S. Porter and Mae Porter, he is survived by his wife Janet; son, James Thomson, his wife Debbie and grandchildren Hunter and Jessica Porter of Port St. Lucie, FL; daughters, Jill Ellen Jones, her husband Randall and grandchildren Randall and Tyler of Titusville, and Janiene Elizabeth Baxter, her husband Gary and grandchildren Jeffrey and Paige, of Titusville; also surviving are brothers, Robert Porter of Browns Mills, William Porter of Whiting and Earl Porter of Walla Walla, WA. We are so appreciative of the many hours of care given to Skip over the past three years by Kris Niepsiej, a loyal and dedicated caregiver and friend. A special thanks to our many friends that always gave Skip a helping hand, a smile and constant support. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his memory to The Parkinson's Alliance, P.O. Box 308, Kingston, NJ 08528-0308. A celebration of life service for James Porter will take place at 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 6, at The Pennington Presbyterian Church, 13 S. Main St., Pennington, NJ 08534. Calling hours will be from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5 at The Wilson-Apple Funeral Home, 2560 Pennington Rd., Pennington, NJ 08534.

1952: Jim "Skip" Porter HHS 1952

From "THE TIMES," October 31, 2009

James "Skip" Porter

James 'Skip' Porter PENNINGTON- James "Skip" Porter, 74, devoted husband, loving father and grandfather, passed away peacefully at home. Born in Hamilton Township in 1934, Skip lived most of his life as a Hopewell Valley resident. He enjoyed summers on Long Beach Island and winters in Hobe Sound, FL. He was a graduate of Hamilton High School West, four year class president and four year captain of the Hamilton High School football team. He spent a year as a post graduate at Hun School of Princeton then attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, MA, where he was a part of the undefeated 1954 football team. He was a U.S. Army veteran involved with the Second Guided Missile Group at Fort Bliss, TX. Skip enjoyed being a part of his community, serving as the president of the YMCA, coaching many athletic activities in the township and enjoyed serving as a deacon of the Pennington Presbyterian Church. He was instrumental in initiating the boys basketball and girls softball leagues, and enjoyed coaching in these leagues as well. Son of the late Robert S. Porter and Mae Porter, he is survived by his wife Janet; son, James Thomson, his wife Debbie and grandchildren Hunter and Jessica Porter of Port St. Lucie, FL; daughters, Jill Ellen Jones, her husband Randall and grandchildren Randall and Tyler of Titusville, and Janiene Elizabeth Baxter, her husband Gary and grandchildren Jeffrey and Paige, of Titusville; also surviving are brothers, Robert Porter of Browns Mills, William Porter of Whiting and Earl Porter of Walla Walla, WA. We are so appreciative of the many hours of care given to Skip over the past three years by Kris Niepsiej, a loyal and dedicated caregiver and friend. A special thanks to our many friends that always gave Skip a helping hand, a smile and constant support. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his memory to The Parkinson's Alliance, P.O. Box 308, Kingston, NJ 08528-0308. A celebration of life service for James Porter will take place at 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 6, at The Pennington Presbyterian Church, 13 S. Main St., Pennington, NJ 08534. Calling hours will be from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5 at The Wilson-Apple Funeral Home, 2560 Pennington Rd., Pennington, NJ 08534.

1945: TRENTON'S WOODEN WATER PIPES

Every history-minded person knows about the wooden water pipes which once served the downtown area of Trenton. A number of years ago, a lady called me and asked me if I was interested in a piece of an original wooden water pipe from Trenton. Realizing that I was not a craftsman who could turn that old relice into a coffee table, I gave her my "No thenks."

1945: HARRY PODMORE'S CHAMBERSBURG

Many years ago, an elderly gentleman down in Rancocas offered to sell me some vintage material on Trenton. He had a very large collection of trade cards, post cards, and other paper memorabilia, which was what I was searching for. I told him that I was mainly interested in old Trenton area scrapbooks. He reached into a drawer and produced two old raggedy scrapbooks and wanted to know if I was interested in purchasing them. I opened up one of them and there it was: "TRENTON IN BYGONE DAYS!" Opening the other, I found that it was also a Bygone Days collection identified as "No. 2."I trembled with excitement and asked him for the price. Knowing he had a history buff's treasure, he said he wouldn't let it go for any less than $100. That was about $90 dollars more than I had at my disposal in my very limited teen age bank account, so I had to forgo the privilege of traveling back to Hamilton with those two rare scrapbooks. Every page in those scrapbooks had taken on a "corrugated" physical shape, due to the shrinkage of the paper and the glue that held the articles. All of which brings me to the graphic above. The original was in two long vertical columns. With Photoshop software, I enhanced the image, then cut, copy, and pasted the article into four columns. The final touch was to add the source and date, producing a pristine digital version of one of Trenton's finest historians.

1921: PUBLIC SERVICE TROLLEY IN HAMILTON TOWNSHIP

Thanks to Mr. Bob Schopp for this great photo of the old Public Service trolley which cut through Hamilton Township from the Liberty Street-Sylvan Avenue area and headed north to New Brunswick and points north. Bob Writes:
Tom,

I enjoy your column and website.

I found a poor quality photo in a union booklet on the Public Service Railroad published in 1968. Photos of the Public Service Fast line in Hamilton Township are not very common. My best guess is that the photo was taken just east of Hoover Avenue in Mercerville. I base this on the earth cut to the right of the trolley. I was surprised that the high tension (voltage) towers were there while the trolleys were still running. The trolley is going toward Trenton. A scan of the photo is attached.

Bob Schopp

1945: THE SIMPSON BROTHERS

This one is for Bob and Ray Shinkle who were in my office just yesterday. Tommy Simpson's name was brought up and at the time I had no Simpson material in the "WWII" Local history digital folder. By sheer coincidence, I came across this WWII photo from a 1945 Trenton Times.

1945:V.E. DAY - WILD CELEBRATIONS

Here is an historic photo of Peter Frascella selling the historic Trenton Times newspaper...."Extra, Extra, read all about it, Germany Surrender.....War is Over....Extra Extra,,,!"
How I remember that day! Fire whistles were blowing, firecrackers were poppin,' and cars parading all over the place with their horns blaring. This was another of those "Do you remember where you were when.....?" questions. I was on the front porch of Don Slabicki's 914 Sylvan Avenue home. All we had to celebrate were a few rolls of horse caps from McEwan's corner store.

1946:GEORGE CASE OPENS A SPORTING GOODS STORE

What an interesting article on the famous Washington Senator baseball star. George Case, like Willie Mays and Al Downing after him, were local baseball icons back in the 1930's and 40's. Here we get a good idea of the speedy George who was not only an incredible base stealer, but nearly equaled Jesse Owens Olympic speed in Nazi Germany in the 1930's

1950: 1955 Sleepy Hollow Motel

Who could forget old Rip Van Winkle sound asleep under that tree in front of the Sleepy Hollow Motel on Route 1 north? It fell into bad times and disrepute in the 1980's, but in its heyday it was a first class motel. I also remember the orange roof of the Howard Johnson restaurant that was located further up the road on Route 1 north. "28 flavors," and at one time or another I imbibed in at least 20!

1946: CATHEDRAL BLUE AND GOLD NEWS STAFF

How could one write about the legendary "Blue and Gold" Cathedral High newspaper without embellishing the graphic with the school colors? Here are the movers and shakers who carried on the tradition of journalistic excellence during the year 1946.

1946: HAMILTON HIGH'S NEW ATHLETIC FIELD

The new field was made ready just 2 years before I began my Sophomore year at Hamilton. It was located on the former Pittman Farm.

1946: IKE BASH, JUNK DEALER AND HIS HORSE DRAWN WORK PLACE

I can't say I remember Ike Bash, but our neighborhood also had a junk man who brought his horse drawn vehicle into our neighborhood. I can still hear his familiar call as his "Raaag's, Raaags" call mingled with the clip clop of his horse. He dealt in both discarded rags and metals.

1946: TERNSTEDT DIV. OF GENERAL MOTORS EWING

"Gentlemen, start your engines!"

Ahh yes, I remember it well. Parkway Avenue in the area of the late lamented General Motors plant was no place to be whether in an auto, on a motorcycle, and especially on a bicycle. When the quitting bell rang ending another day of making hardware for GM cars, all hell broke loose as the employees raced to the gate, and continued racing eastward on Parkway Avenue. We all stayed away from GM at closing time.

1946: CRISIS ON CROSSWICKS CREEK

As a dedicated metal detector operator for many years, I often wondered what lies beneath the mucky surface of Mercer and Burlington's Crosswicks Creek. Stories from the pages of history tell of merchants whose ships plied those waters in ye olden days, bringing their goods from Philadelphia to our area and returning southward with a return cargo . A Revolutionary War skirmish took place at a drawbridge that was located along today's Route 206 It was replaced long ago by other bridges including the current bridge. There's a certain romanticism surrounding historic Crosswicks Creek.

1946: VANDALS AT THE HAMILTON SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT

Compassion for vandals as it occured before their very eyes!
"The boys threw stones at watchmen and attendants..." "He said he was not anxious to hail the youths into court...."

1946: PAT MCGARRIGLE HHS '51 IS TOM SAWYER

My classmate from Hamilton's class of '51 entered the 1946 Tom Sawyer look alike contest and won. The Trenton area was celebrating the arrival of the Hollywood movie, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and for publicity held a contest for a look alike.

1946: PAT MCGARRIGLE HHS '51 IS TOM SAWYER

My classmate from Hamilton's class of '51 entered the 1946 Tom Sawyer look alike contest and won. The Trenton area was celebrating the arrival of the Hollywood movie, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and for publicity held a contest for a look alike.

2009: The Wyckoff homestead, White Horse

Thanks to Andy Kusnirik Esq. for this beautiful photo of the Wyckoff homestead at 365 White Horse-Mercerville Road. Don't miss that gorgeous front porch!

Andy Wrote, (and thank you) Andy:

I believe you may find my law office located 365 White Horse Avenue of interest. The house (now an office) was built in the late 1800s early 1900s by the Wycoff family. Elmer Wycoff still lives in a house next door. He was born at 365 White Horse. His brother lives in a home next to him. Andy Kusnrik

1946: CATHEDRAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT COUNCIL

These winsome ladies were brought together as a group to introduce the public to the Student Council at Trenton's Cathedral High School back in 1946. Once again, many familiar names are among those in the photo.

1946: HOLY NAME SOCIETY RALLY AT CADWALADER

LOOK AT THAT CROWD!

I was the President of the St. Anthony Holy Name Society for something like 4 terms back in the 1980's and early 90's. The attendance at the monthly meetings was pathetic. If we had 10 men in attendance it would be considered a record breaking crowd. Most of those in attendance were in their late 70's and 80's. In going through the newspapers from earlier years, I found that the annual Mercer-Burlington Federation of Holy Name Societies was hosting a group of men who were active participants. It was not unusual to find those annual rallies attended by thousands of loyal Holy Name men from parishes all over the Mercer-Burlington area. Television and other diversions, along with a growing lack of interest in fortifying their faith, led to the lack of interest in the enhancement of religious faith. I "gave up the ghost" back in the late 80's or early 90's when 2 or 3 men would show up for the meetings. In their day, the Holy Name Societies were valuable assets to the local parishes, as they hosted fund raising programs, worked at carnivals, bingo, "50-50's" and other necessary events, but most of all, their dedication to the Roman Catholic faith.

1946: OBIT CARL ADAMS, ADAMS ELECTRIC

This article is from the "CRIME-MORALS-SOCIAL VALUES" folder. Carl Adams was the man who constructed the "hot seat" (better known as the electric chair), for the Trenton State Prison. The electric chair is no longer used in New Jersey to send perpetrators of heinous crimes to death.

1946: JOHN L. KUSER'S GOLDSMITH MAID MONUMENT

John L. Kuser was the man responsible for memorializing "the Maid," as she was known in her championship years. Kuser had the monument placed in the grandstand area at the old New Jersey State Fairgrounds. Thanks to former Mayor Jack Rafferty's interest in local history, the monument to "Goldsmith Maid" (a champion trotting horse in the 1800's) was saved for posterity. Jack had the monument moved from the N.J. State Fairgrounds when the property was sold, and had it re-positioned at Kuser Park. Thanks also to Pat Rose's maintenance crew at Kuser Farm. The monument looked absolutely exquisite this season as brilliant red Impatiens flowers bloomed at the base.

1946: Hopewellk's Calvary Baptist Church

How I love the intimacy of those country churches! Hopewell's involvement in the Baptist church dates well back into the 18th century,

1929: JOHNSTON INC.: MARMON AND PIERCE ARROW

Auto buffs who are visitors to this website will appreciate this beautiful ad from 1929 for Johnston, Inc. ad for luxury autos. They will look closely ath the autos, especially looking for the familiar "bull frog" headlamps on the Pierce Arrow. I always wanted to be an antique auto collector, but learned early on that it is a very expensive hobby. I had a 1940 Buick straight 8 4 door sedan back in the 1960's, but it needed work and the $$$ necessary to restore it was far above my meager salary. I sold it to Nat Adelstein who shipped it to a collector in Sweden. However, I am still always interested in the autos of yesterday and you can look for more similar posts of little-known local auto lore in the future.

Local auto Historian Ray Paszkiewicz has added additional information on William Johnston's automobile history. This was posted in my guest book, but I find that relatively few visitors take the time to sign the guest book or read the comments, and his auto expertise is a valuable addition.

Ray writes:

Hi Tom,
You are absolutely correct. This is the same William S. Johnston, who operated the Cadillac dealership at 1655 North Olden Ave. for many years.
The building shown, stood at the corner of Artisan St.

William Johnston was born in Trenton in 1899. The family home was at 602 Greenwood Ave. Both his parents passed away when he was a teenager and when he was 18years old, he opened his first dealership at 44 North Stockton St. He sold Marmons, Chalmers,and Maxwell cars, as well as Selden Trucks at this location. In 1929, he added Pierce Arrow to the Marmon franchise at 222 North Hermitage. Pierce folded in 1937, and in 1938, Johnston became the Cadillac distributor for the Trenton area.

Johnston was called up for service in 1941 and served in WWII for the next 4 and a half years. Ending up as a Brigadier General in the Army Air Corp. He served from WWI and was a rated Command Pilot, serving many years in the Reserves.

In 1946, he purchased the former Heinemann Electric plant on Olden Ave., totally renovating the building into the Cadillac dealership.

General Johnston's brother, T. Irving Johnston, was the owner of the local Oldsmobile agency, first operating at the Hermitage address, and then building a very modern facility near the corner of Olden and Prospect St. That is another story.

I might add that General Johnston's dealership was one of the most respected in the area.
Much of this information was taken from the December 1957 issue of Trenton magazine. My own experience with this story, is that I was helping my father (if you can be of much help at the age of nine) on a Saturday afternoon. He was doing some cabinet work at a home on Edgewood Ave. Restless, I took a walk to the corner of Hermitage, and saw the Oldsmobile sign, just up the block. I walked to the building and went inside. I picked up the latest sales literature and looked over the shiny new cars. My guess is 1948, but that was a long time ago. I do remember the wooden floor and potted plants. Neat old place. My Dad wasn't too happy about my wandering away.

Ray Paszkiewicz

1946: ST. JAMES ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH TRENTON

North Trenton's St. James R.C. Church celebrated their 25th anniversary in 1946. Today the church has combined its facilities with Ewing's Church of the Incarnation. The photo of the church was lifted from the St. James/Incarnation website.

1946: RUSLING HOSE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY

Here's the Times' coverage of the anniversary celebration of Hamilton's legendary Rusling Hose Volunteer Fire Company. Rusling was a neighboring fire company for those of us in the Hartley-Sylvan-So. Olden area. But for a block or two, Rusling would have been the fire company serving our neighborhood instead of Colonial.

I received this from Bernie Lenhardt, an old neighbor from the Colonial Gardens area. Even though I published "What We Know" in one of my "Sentimental Journey" columns a number of years ago, "Yes, I Am A Senior Citizen" is a new one and it really hits the bulls eye.

Bernie wrote:

Senior Citizens - What We Know



Senior citizens are constantly being criticized for every conceivable deficiency of the modern world, real or imaginary. We know we take responsibility for all we have done and do not blame others. HOWEVER, upon reflection, we would like to point out that it was NOT the senior citizens who took: The melody out of music, The pride out of appearance, The courtesy out of driving, The romance out of love, The commitment out of marriage, The responsibility out of parenthood, The togetherness out of the family, The learning out of education, The service out of patriotism, The Golden Rule from rulers, The civility out of behavior, The refinement out of language, The dedication out of employment, The prudence out of spending, The ambition out of achievement. And we certainly are NOT the ones who eliminated patience and tolerance from personal relationships and interactions with others!! And, we do understand the meaning of patriotism, and remember those who have fought and died for our country. Does anyone under the age of 50 know the lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner? Just look at the Seniors with tears in their eyes and pride in their hearts as they stand at attention with their hand over their hearts! YES, I'M A SENIOR CITIZEN! I'm the life of the party...... even if it lasts until 8 p.m. I'm very good at opening childproof caps.... with a hammer. I'm usually interested in going home before I get to where I am going. I'm awake many hours before my body allows me to get up. I'm smiling all the time because I can't hear a thing you're saying. I'm very good at telling stories; over and over and over and over... I'm aware that other people's grandchildren are not nearly as cute as mine. I'm so cared for -- long term care, eye care, private care, dental care. I'm not really grouchy, I just don't like traffic, waiting in long lines, crowds, lawyers, unruly kids, Toyota commercials, barking dogs, politicians and a few other things I can't seem to remember right now. I'm sure everything I can't find is in a safe secure place, somewhere. I'm wrinkled, saggy, lumpy, and that's just my left leg. I'm having trouble remembering simple words like........ I'm beginning to realizing that aging is not for wimps. I'm sure they are making adults much younger these days, and when did they let kids become policemen? I'm wondering, if you're only as old as you feel, how could I be alive at 150? And, how can my kids be older than I feel sometimes? I'm a walking storeroom of facts..... I've just lost the key to the storeroom door. Yes, I'm a SENIOR CITIZEN and I know that I am having the time of my life! Thanks, Bernie, you're my kind of guy! Tom Glover

I received the following guest book entry from Betty Smith Lewandowski from the Klockner Class of '54. I am re-posting this class photo of the class in case any visitor from that class would like to communicate with Betty. Her email address is marylew@aol.com. I hope you can find a classmate, Betty. This photo came to me via my dear friend, the late Billy Opferman, who purchased it at the Columbus Flea Market. He donated it to the Library's "KLOCKNER" folder.

Betty Writes:

Tom,
The Klockner school class of '54 was my class! Would love to hear from anyone else in the photo.
Betty