Chambers Street at South Clinton Avenue

           Thanks, Tom.

Former Isaac DeCou Farm

Image courtesy of Suzy Abbott

          The Broad Street Land Association purchased Isaac DeCou's farm in 1889 and filed this development map.  Overlook Avenue between Buchanan and Sewell Avenues was eventually abandoned and the blocks bounded by Buchanan, McClellan and Sewell Avenues became Spring Lake Park (later White City Park).  The square in the center was the location of the DeCou farmhouse which later became the Casino Restaurant in the park. 

1908: Park Floral Co. Greenhouses

Sanborn Map, Princeton University Library

     This image depicts the location of the Park Floral Company greenhouses on the corners of Buchanan and Lafayette Avenues in the first decade of  the twentieth century.  Click the Park Floral Company label on the right.

1908: Willey Bros. Limber Yard

                      Sanborn Maps, Princeton University

This image depicts the structures of the Willey Brothers Lumber Yard located on South Broad Street at Rowan Avenue.

     

1908: Gibbs Cement/Concrete Block Co

Sanborn Maps, Princeton University Library

     This map shows the location of the Gibbs Concrete Company on McClellan Avenue between Buchanan and Rowan Avenues in 1908.  The cleared site was later the location of a playground for many years.  It is a neighborhood park today.  See:  "Gibbs Cement and Concrete Block Company" at the Wesley Gibbs label at right.   

1934: Forest Valley Dam

Trenton Evening Times,  Saturday, July 21, 1934

1989: Remembering Gravatt's

Trenton Times, Sunday, August 31,1989

     The following is an excerpt from Tom Glover's, A Look Back column:

Gravatt's was located on  the corner of South Broad Street and Oldfield Avenue.  The outside of the building was all white and designed to make it look like vanilla soft ice cream.  A grill was immediately next to the building and a short distance down was Vic Rice's golf range.

1940s Chambers and Genesee Streets

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF HAMILTON POLICE ARCHIVES

The photographer is standing on Genesee Street.  The photograph, circa 1942-1945, shows the first cross street being Lida Street, where the automobile is parked on the right, with Chambers Street intersecting on an angle from the center to the left.

South Clinton and Chambers

1940s

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF HAMILTON TOWNSHIP POLICE ARCHIVES

This photograph is undated  The advertisement for war bonds indicates it was probably taken circa 1942 - 1945.  Pictured below is the intersection today.

DECEMBER 2012

1940s South Broad Street

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF HAMILTON TOWNSHIP POLICE ARCHIVES

This is South Broad Street looking north at Sewell Avenue.  Absent is the traffic signal and the left turn lane in  the island in the foreground that exists today.  The spire of Holy Angels Church is seen in the upper center portion of the photograph.  With a right click open link in new window you can see the truck delivering coal in the upper right corner.

Rennie Street: the 1940s

The cross street visible in this picture is South Clinton Avenue.  The long building upper left is the White City Poller Rink.  Genesee Street crosses at the end of building.  The building visible where the vehicles are is the Rusling Hose Company fire house.  The large building, upper right behind the trees, is Rowan School.  Below is a picture of Rennie Street from the other direction.



1949: Slow Going



Mueller Mosaic

The following information is from Ruth Mycock:
(right click and select Open Link in New Window for easier reading)



The Mueller Mosaic Company/Artistic Porcelain Company building fronted on Cedar Lane between Chambers and William Streets.  All of the buildings on that triangular parcel were razed a number of years ago and the land is vacant today.  Ruth's husband John was a Rusling Hose Company firefighter and company president.  John also served as a District 3 Fire Commissioner.  Thanks so much Ruth for providing this information.   Your  cranial  cobweb history is always welcome

1931: Those Poles

Trenton Evening Times, October 15, 1931

By 1935 the dangerous trolley poles were removed from the center of South Broad Street and the islands separating the north and south traffic lanes were constructed.

1912: Willey Subdivides Old Rowan Farm

Eugene S. Willey purchased Andrew K. Rowan's farm in 1900.  Pictured is the subdivision plat map filed by Willey in 1912.  These old plan maps always prove interesting as does this one when viewing the portion between Independence Avenue and the bluff behind the Watson House.  The streets to the south of Independence Avenue never were constructed.  Park and Lake Avenues do not extend beyond Independence Avenue.  Watson Avenue coincides with today's Westcott Avenue.  It is interesting that Overlook Avenue was planned to run behind the Watson House and that Rowan Avenue was to be extended (indicated by the word CONTINUATION).  The dark line coming from Schiller Avenue, down Park Avenue and turning left on Independence, is the trolley tracks of the Camden and Trenton Railway.  

1889: Isaac DeCou Ceases Farming

Trenton Evening Times, January 3, 1889

Isaac DeCou placed this ad one day after selling his farm to the Broad Street Land Association (James F. Rusling, et al) on January 2, 1889.   DeCou's farm stretched from the bluff above Spring Lake to South Broad Street approximately between New Cedar Lane and Rowan Avenue.  The Broad Street Land Association subdivided the land and developed Broad Street Park as we know it today.

1960: BSP Library Branch

Trenton Evening Times, April 19, 1960
                                                                                                       

The library branch was located in the one-story portion of this building at 1931 Genesee Street.  The structure was moved to this location from 2031 South Broad Street, the site presently occupied by a gasoline station at South Broad and Mary Streets.

Rusling Pharmacy

This building at 2003 South Broad Street (cor. Buchanan) was the home of Rusling Pharmacy beginning in the 1940s.  Of particular historical interest is that the building once housed an A&P market as gleaned from the advertisement below.  Information available indicates it was a market from approximately 1928 to 1939.  A&P later moved across and down the street to a larger facility at  2110 South Broad.

2135 South Broad Street

                                2135 South Broad Street
The two story portion of the building was the residence of the Dyer and Snyder families among others in the early part of the 20th century.  The commercial portion in front the housed Evans Bridal Shoppe in  1962 and DeLaraine Jewelers in 1977.

1901 Chambers Street

The building at 1901 Chambers Street at Genesee Street was occupied by Hamilton Body Company in the 1920s and 1930s.  Henry, Albert and Arthur Yetter were the proprietors.  It became the location of McDermott's Express and Storage in the 1940s prior to again becoming a paint and fender repair shop under the ownership of Flavio Trebbi in 1949.  

 1901 Chambers Street, March 2011