tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33294177363572775182024-03-06T15:02:44.004-05:00Gillette On HillsboroughHillsborough, Somerset County, and Central New Jersey - News from Yesterday, TodayGreg Gillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13702458129140401412noreply@blogger.comBlogger1004125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329417736357277518.post-50536307290007093582021-06-07T18:15:00.000-04:002021-06-07T18:15:00.487-04:00The Loneliest Job in the World<p>I did not originate the "On Hillsborough" blog. In the months leading up to my first post appearing here on June 7, 2007, the blog was helmed by another Hillsborough resident - a former mayor and "change of government form" activist who, to misquote the bard, came not to praise Hillsborough but to bury it.</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-Hh-O6CLywxULFKvqZ6hq7pFkdkJC9ErUuZmpj_xVHnPdPTdIBI1z6xOlpIsAOeC13Ix19JUGw0rm5tWBuWRQdj5yx9fWRkCqSy5bCRad1Xe0MyVKEhdtrG8jhPAEg8QS9PsvrthZuyS/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-Hh-O6CLywxULFKvqZ6hq7pFkdkJC9ErUuZmpj_xVHnPdPTdIBI1z6xOlpIsAOeC13Ix19JUGw0rm5tWBuWRQdj5yx9fWRkCqSy5bCRad1Xe0MyVKEhdtrG8jhPAEg8QS9PsvrthZuyS/" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p>It seems so long ago now, those innocent childhood days before the social media explosion. There was no Facebook, no Instagram, no Twitter - but The Courier News had just begun to dip their big editorial toe in the online space and was looking for good (free) content to link to from their website. They turned to volunteer citizen-bloggers. At one point the stable included, besides Hillsborough, blogs about Bridgewater, Flemington, Somerville, and Plainfield - as well as a number of blogs written (in their spare time?) by Courier News reporters and columnists.</p><p>I read them all and enjoyed them, even the Hillsborough one - until he came to bury me. It was April 2007 and I was in my first race for the Hillsborough school board. The Hillsborough blogger made some allegations about my intentions as a school board member which were, in my opinion, wild speculation - not to mention untrue. At this time - and for several years afterward - excerpts from the blog posts were printed each day on the newspaper's editorial page. Gillette on Hillsborough subsequently appeared there almost 200 times. I sent an email to the editor - the general complaint being that it's one thing to link to independent opinion blogs from your website, but it's something else when you print false allegations on your Op/Ed page that for all practical purposes are originating from a columnist (paid or not).</p><p>I received a reply, the blog post was taken down, and within a few weeks, I was contacted by The Courier News. They were looking for someone to take over "On Hillsborough".</p><p>This really came out of nowhere. I did think about it for a few days. One thought that crossed my mind was, "if not him, or me, then who?" I decided that it may as well be me.</p><p>I submitted three samples of my writing. My previous career did involve writing, but not like this. They wanted opinions on Hillsborough's current events and life in general. As per an editor's request, I submitted a short piece, a long piece, and something personal - The Loneliest Job in the World.</p><p>I eventually posted the long one and the short one, but I have never posted the personal one. </p><p>And as I write this now - the final blog entry on the fourteenth anniversary of the first - I'm kind of glad I never did. After more than one thousand posts - beginning with commentary and current events and morphing into an award-winning local history blog - it's a nice feeling to have kept something for myself.</p><p>Thank you, dear readers.</p>Greg Gillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13702458129140401412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329417736357277518.post-62312222910409485882021-05-30T21:59:00.006-04:002021-05-30T21:59:58.541-04:00Hillsborough Celebrates its Bicentennial, May 1971<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hillsborough, New Jersey received its royal charter on May 31, 1771. Two hundred years later, the township residents came together came together to celebrate their bicentennial.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rhM_dNC1WcOLtQosDtBw0yAUkD1Gya5S_UGjxqLttE69JBsl8NlyFX41dgNTbRHl_YYLs5SGMuKcLYTUhADp7gk6y3xHhtYfttlMNrInkz1CntD2nOFkwnGN3oXYyV8DEdUsbV9WDnfZ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1583" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rhM_dNC1WcOLtQosDtBw0yAUkD1Gya5S_UGjxqLttE69JBsl8NlyFX41dgNTbRHl_YYLs5SGMuKcLYTUhADp7gk6y3xHhtYfttlMNrInkz1CntD2nOFkwnGN3oXYyV8DEdUsbV9WDnfZ/w310-h400/BicentennialFlyerA.jpg" width="310" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The week-long celebration began on May 22, 1971 with the "Miss Hillsborough" Pageant and Beard Judging events at the high school.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAtlmCG6M4N6GbzjvCICz7ZFKG9YNFcSlweIYNXmyWoyposug97X-OC3HYVNxh83PJrAn6CK602yiCTesSabhP5A_lf7-hQswr8t8GxkV4lvvB_DbyP7KpE3CGAFi4EW5OyBStJOvTrewg/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1266" data-original-width="2048" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAtlmCG6M4N6GbzjvCICz7ZFKG9YNFcSlweIYNXmyWoyposug97X-OC3HYVNxh83PJrAn6CK602yiCTesSabhP5A_lf7-hQswr8t8GxkV4lvvB_DbyP7KpE3CGAFi4EW5OyBStJOvTrewg/" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hillsborough Bicentennial coverage in<br />The Courier News</td></tr></tbody></table></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On Sunday evening May 23, residents were invited to an old fashioned church service at the historic Neshanic Dutch Reformed Church.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtB6kyJ4EU-lg-H_eUwqn7IAb65Y97T6OVlbX5m6mVVvQZs4WtTKnrDh3Ph9hdky-7Qg8hz0AjLV6i1-Riiv0iheNa8ytsCNe5ZhpgJRYWerOn9INpd41kPdVNUig7LbHWmK725czlDIq_/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1583" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtB6kyJ4EU-lg-H_eUwqn7IAb65Y97T6OVlbX5m6mVVvQZs4WtTKnrDh3Ph9hdky-7Qg8hz0AjLV6i1-Riiv0iheNa8ytsCNe5ZhpgJRYWerOn9INpd41kPdVNUig7LbHWmK725czlDIq_/w310-h400/BicentennialFlyerB.jpg" width="310" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The activities continued on Tuesday with a Family Square Dance and Song Jamboree at the high school cafeteria. On Thursday and Friday evenings a history pageant and Girl Scout song and dance show were featured at the high school auditorium.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdn1eG_aGiFX8-Vuu7FwQ17X0H8pBYa6Ty0QUuRKK-wwcLfiYNQxWw9nMi6x_veqPysI_uy2A0jM_J-KZviCUiEAf-pPsqv02Ti2v4lT7H2ZKlREionekwIgyt5BmLCVCZJ0nC9XAY_WrF/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1627" data-original-width="2048" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdn1eG_aGiFX8-Vuu7FwQ17X0H8pBYa6Ty0QUuRKK-wwcLfiYNQxWw9nMi6x_veqPysI_uy2A0jM_J-KZviCUiEAf-pPsqv02Ti2v4lT7H2ZKlREionekwIgyt5BmLCVCZJ0nC9XAY_WrF/w400-h318/19710530HomeNews%2528HillsboroughBicentennial%2529scan.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hillsborough Bicentennial Coverage in<br />The Home News<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And finally, on Saturday May 29th, the event everyone was waiting for - the parade! Touted as the biggest event ever held in Hillsborough up to that time (it wasn't, the John Basilone post-parade rally in September 1943 at Duke Farms drew 20,000) the parade went right down Route 206 from Triangle Road to Amwell Road. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvgdn3r7IC0nSH7b1genbG_PqlmGWjbz0DYhQ_whMlssgKW3JjSF_xS7eZW1RtcOi0zkUkYEIvSTohJyJinebeibzUdUMUtqZZzOGNzZxL0rE9P_CrJu8ejhLf7cJ_s0yFAxpSGjqetiv/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1487" data-original-width="2048" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvgdn3r7IC0nSH7b1genbG_PqlmGWjbz0DYhQ_whMlssgKW3JjSF_xS7eZW1RtcOi0zkUkYEIvSTohJyJinebeibzUdUMUtqZZzOGNzZxL0rE9P_CrJu8ejhLf7cJ_s0yFAxpSGjqetiv/w400-h290/19710603MessengerGazetteCollage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hillsborough Bicentennial Coverage in<br />The Messenger Gazette</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">One hundred units marched, including The American Legion Color Guard, the U.S. Air Force Band, the U.S. Army Marching Unit, and the Polish Falcon Cadets, among many others. The parade featured colorful and creative floats of all kinds - The Hillsborough CYO's float featured a huge cake with 200 candles, the Somerville Borough Council had a replica of the court house, and the Hillsborugh Dukes had a float with a 12-foot-high football player named "Charlie". Besides the Polish Falcon Cadets and Air Force Band, musical entertainment was also provided by the marching bands of Montgomery, Piscataway, and of course Hillsborough.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSffOGaYpWG0kAa5juoJiJmsXDYDbCoDncehXl4SqRrzdUIwagBPw9Li3M6b6l_QLdJq6EQgLMeiLrAnn7nfRwXI1dJOJb9FGC0HB1EijwkgQf-VjRZ_ooWC0yQMXDhgzv2V5r1H0_uwMo/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1462" data-original-width="2048" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSffOGaYpWG0kAa5juoJiJmsXDYDbCoDncehXl4SqRrzdUIwagBPw9Li3M6b6l_QLdJq6EQgLMeiLrAnn7nfRwXI1dJOJb9FGC0HB1EijwkgQf-VjRZ_ooWC0yQMXDhgzv2V5r1H0_uwMo/w400-h285/19710603FranklinNewsRecord%2528HillsboroughBicentennial%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hillsborough Bicentennial Coverage in<br />The South Somerset News</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Parade was followed by a picnic at the high school (all you can eat for $2.25) and fireworks after dark. Commemorative items for sale included a decorative plate featuring historic scenes, a mug with the Bicentennial Emblem, and the Bicentennial Journal containing a concise history of Hillsborough.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5CIKipDkOKN3VttVtIFDC5yn9S_CYwsjiWjMQkfHeizqWqa5CCdAtIkzrUJvBvmrSUZAaur7gJyrx5OeNBb-J3gzyv1bniqocdTZNdnMz29XiqNu8Yv7H8L_YI7Glz6EYc2ecN07to3Sh/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1550" data-original-width="2000" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5CIKipDkOKN3VttVtIFDC5yn9S_CYwsjiWjMQkfHeizqWqa5CCdAtIkzrUJvBvmrSUZAaur7gJyrx5OeNBb-J3gzyv1bniqocdTZNdnMz29XiqNu8Yv7H8L_YI7Glz6EYc2ecN07to3Sh/w400-h310/HBCJ00a.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>Greg Gillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13702458129140401412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329417736357277518.post-63529132212783929312021-05-11T11:12:00.002-04:002021-05-11T12:16:52.158-04:00Anna Case - Roots in HillsboroughOver the years people have asked me where Anna Case - the South Branch girl who became a national sensation as an operatic soprano, concert and recording artist, and radio and film star - fits in with Hillsborough genealogy. This post will serve as a repository for some of my findings.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9c0vyAQ314bKXiDtRigPpm6J5C3gIlwKTrhS9uvqsesx7ecXwp6BL1nZD6XJbDcVw1nt060BnfUC4I0aKsYlBc-qC01Ijg8dXcgmarjeNUKdpU1txmz-9SWIDU67qGGBbZnHH-rYrCZ6R/s1600/AnnaCaseHouseClinton1995NationalRegister.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9c0vyAQ314bKXiDtRigPpm6J5C3gIlwKTrhS9uvqsesx7ecXwp6BL1nZD6XJbDcVw1nt060BnfUC4I0aKsYlBc-qC01Ijg8dXcgmarjeNUKdpU1txmz-9SWIDU67qGGBbZnHH-rYrCZ6R/s400/AnnaCaseHouseClinton1995NationalRegister.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthplace of Anna Case, Clinton, NJ</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />Yes, Anna Case was born in Clinton, New Jersey on October 29, 1887. This appears to be during a brief relocation of the family to Hunterdon County for reasons unknown. As for her often disputed birth year - most publications used 1889, which is what Anna Case herself may have been comfortable reporting throughout her life. Part of her story was that she came to the Metropolitan Opera at a very young age, so shaving a couple of years probably seemed like no big deal. When she was in her 90s she reverted back to her real age which left researchers with a dilemma. It appears they split the difference and began citing her birth year as 1888. The actual year was 1887 as can be found on nearly every authoritative source such as passport applications, ship's passenger lists (where a passport would need to be shown), and even the US Social Security Death Index. Now if someone would just tell the editor at Wikipedia who keeps changing it on me using secondary biographical sources to cut it out it would make this a lot easier!<br />
<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0IcjJyrovpxtt2d0pilyFvxt6Q0hwk-yFqjhoxPxwqWbsHwPdouncdEFgFS-BTR96AwH_n7MGN42egX04bl2W0zeyt428cfvxHOqGUx1V2wC6bf6Xhe04uTVKfdcRw5LAyzzO8SWO_jm/s1600/1920PassportACrop.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0IcjJyrovpxtt2d0pilyFvxt6Q0hwk-yFqjhoxPxwqWbsHwPdouncdEFgFS-BTR96AwH_n7MGN42egX04bl2W0zeyt428cfvxHOqGUx1V2wC6bf6Xhe04uTVKfdcRw5LAyzzO8SWO_jm/s400/1920PassportACrop.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1920 US Passport Application<br />Birth Date - October 29, 1887</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />When the family - Anna, father Peter Van Nuys Case (1863-1925), and mother Jeannette Ludlow Gray (1868-1949) - moved back to Hillsborough in 1890 they were coming back to their roots. Both Anna's mother and father could trace their ancestry back to the earliest Dutch settlers that came to Somerset County in pre-Revolutionary times. Surnames such as Van Nuys, Ditmars, Quick, Stryker, Van Arsdalen, Hegeman, Wyckoff, Stout, and Saums - all familiar to students of Hillsborough history - can be found in the fan-style family tree chart below.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEn1_3UoESOb4cs3rEGSTmXQ1uc6BagtAE_5Cr3grezFtTD8h_a4fqFRn-AQ4eIF4fhFSfO9V2tPSW0tZTzNuPoH479v4qn1cL9u0EyHtFNd73e4Nugy_jHc1sS37UtygFag-pWsAUKkT/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1639" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEn1_3UoESOb4cs3rEGSTmXQ1uc6BagtAE_5Cr3grezFtTD8h_a4fqFRn-AQ4eIF4fhFSfO9V2tPSW0tZTzNuPoH479v4qn1cL9u0EyHtFNd73e4Nugy_jHc1sS37UtygFag-pWsAUKkT/w400-h320/AnnaCaseFamilyTreeFanChart.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anna Case Family Tree - sourced from FamilySearch.org</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Anna Case's paternal grandfather Elisha Case (1823-1885) had a blacksmith shop on the northeast corner of today's Triangle and Farm Roads. Peter Case - who for decades was one of two blacksmiths in South Branch learned his trade here at what was for many years known as Case's Corner. Peter's older brother James Staats Case (1852-1925) also plied his trade as a wheelwright at this location and later joined his brother's family in South Branch.</div></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvREKGnmu5BtpL34u8nVIt71u7ux9XBYZ4usnzhzcrGTTQj7iycE6J01W96o62EJ8UPIj9eNvbkvhI-cP8AkMbrUVYYCZ0EmiR7Mnb-mTMAGhv_6JpUhLZ_4dmEs6YbY_BJTOykwZdzJQP/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvREKGnmu5BtpL34u8nVIt71u7ux9XBYZ4usnzhzcrGTTQj7iycE6J01W96o62EJ8UPIj9eNvbkvhI-cP8AkMbrUVYYCZ0EmiR7Mnb-mTMAGhv_6JpUhLZ_4dmEs6YbY_BJTOykwZdzJQP/w400-h300/ElishaCaseBlacksmithShopMaps.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clockwise from top left: 1850 Somerset County Map,<br />1860 Philadelphia and Vicinity Map, 1860 Farm Map of Hillsboro',<br />and 1873 Beers Atlas.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">In 1891 a second child was born into the family. In what was a foreshadowing of future tragedy, Myrtle Jeanette Case died the next year at the age of one. Anna was not quite 11 years old when her brother Peter Stanley Case (1898-1948) was born. A second brother Jeremiah Lester Case (1901-1950) was born three years later. </div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbYchMZsh6zuzHs-QKssnuRW8Y5oBSUVh9go8R2mzSoc6DjUt9M7HLG1ChIk9JzF-nfwwVtW3LOfiwu8PVcLoFNoVKeJk_S0c4G5xt_7P5QSNg3glpmVNWpa1Gae2fcGf2e4nxHaND7S99/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbYchMZsh6zuzHs-QKssnuRW8Y5oBSUVh9go8R2mzSoc6DjUt9M7HLG1ChIk9JzF-nfwwVtW3LOfiwu8PVcLoFNoVKeJk_S0c4G5xt_7P5QSNg3glpmVNWpa1Gae2fcGf2e4nxHaND7S99/w400-h255/19070000SouthBranchBlacksmithShop.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The South Branch blacksmith shop of Peter Case. <br />Brother James Case had his wheelwright shop in the rear of the property.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Anna Case often described how her mother was ill with various ailments during this time and much of the care of the two boys was left to the young teenager. </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig68SwXdpmUlRgeM5-LUdJgzyBrv5VGKlStWxTWSsmJL0m6cUVBiSL8xi4SJnqNk8OItCzI4SUisFLZvuJSzmkTgMOk_zYUlYlW9huPVw__7BJUjGe1Gtww_x5mlaInD76olOdXcrGBy-3/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1472" data-original-width="977" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig68SwXdpmUlRgeM5-LUdJgzyBrv5VGKlStWxTWSsmJL0m6cUVBiSL8xi4SJnqNk8OItCzI4SUisFLZvuJSzmkTgMOk_zYUlYlW9huPVw__7BJUjGe1Gtww_x5mlaInD76olOdXcrGBy-3/w265-h400/JeanetteLudlowGrayCase.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeanette Ludlow Gray Case,<br />in the early 1900s</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Peter and brother James both died in 1925, after which Anna Case repurchased the family home on the corner of South Branch and Orchard Roads and gifted it to her mother. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Jeremiah's first wife, Lois Annie Alcock, passed away in 1933 when their son, Jeremiah Lester. Jr. was just five years old. Junior died in 1940 at the age of twelve from complications after mastoid surgery. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In 1948, Peter Stanley Case, who had become a sound engineer, killed himself with a shotgun at his home on Mountainside Avenue in Bridgewater. He had been estranged from his wife since 1939 who had accused him of being obsessed with keeping up with his multimillionaire sister. He left a son and daughter.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Jeannette Case died in 1949 at the age of 80. Jeremiah Lester Case died the next year at the age of 49. He had become an appliance salesman and was living with his second wife in San Diego at the time.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRvPW1IDambAW-WcvXjsQ_8GmKqeYvvuw7aOcLHxsUAt645hWJNQFx8n29_EjM1X974NPit2LbGkQbuelNDEoaeuXdWecGUBO0_4T9rhPRZUtfj-kYLqz41YS3xSplrLwoS6v202a-q4mO/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1650" data-original-width="1050" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRvPW1IDambAW-WcvXjsQ_8GmKqeYvvuw7aOcLHxsUAt645hWJNQFx8n29_EjM1X974NPit2LbGkQbuelNDEoaeuXdWecGUBO0_4T9rhPRZUtfj-kYLqz41YS3xSplrLwoS6v202a-q4mO/w408-h640/LesterAlmaSonJerryCaseCropBW.jpg" width="408" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeremiah Lester Case and Jeremiah Lester Case, Jr.<br />with, possibly, Lois Annie Alcock - Jeremiah's first wife<br />who died in 1933.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div></div></div>
Greg Gillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13702458129140401412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329417736357277518.post-55827630731178467412021-04-29T21:07:00.003-04:002021-08-13T11:51:25.473-04:00Chris Lovering, Sourland Mountain Outlaw<p>It was the morning of Friday, August 21, 1896, and Somerset County Detective George Totten had just spent his second sleepless night alone in a snake-infested cave on the Sourland Mountain in Hillsborough, New Jersey. On Wednesday morning, he had set out from Somerville in a small wagon loaded with enough provisions to camp for several days. As he approached the mountain, he stopped at a farmhouse near Rock Mills to put up his horse and take what he needed from the wagon - making sure that one pocket contained his revolver and the other a warrant for the arrest of Chris Lovering.</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF5b1jJGRHzSmxHrKinZOpNyKl0vGf2ewwqmYoRtVtBzT9XiRB5YDFvis9_76nH5FhGNGG6MXmWfNVVUBsIzasGztSasRMBddxn9mIPSstC4KSJg89jpjZQ6V3ZA0qOlBxxKztTSBC8klM/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="2048" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF5b1jJGRHzSmxHrKinZOpNyKl0vGf2ewwqmYoRtVtBzT9XiRB5YDFvis9_76nH5FhGNGG6MXmWfNVVUBsIzasGztSasRMBddxn9mIPSstC4KSJg89jpjZQ6V3ZA0qOlBxxKztTSBC8klM/w400-h250/TottenAndLovering.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illustrations from the 23 August 1896 New York World</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">Lovering was known as a "mountain man" - a desperado with no fixed address and no means of support other than thievery. Among these outlaws, Lovering was the best - and the worst. Horses, pigs, goats, chickens - whenever one was found to be missing, the farmers would murmur about Lovering. He was also known to waylay the upstanding inhabitants of the region along the roads in brazen holdups - and he had been at it for fifteen years! Spending his nights in caves during the summer and in some unsuspecting farmer's barn in the winter, Lovering spent his days terrorizing the residents of Somerset and Hunterdon Counties.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil8-yR0ccxfssfTKCLuQRXZf9Y97jdNkNqgccgnUPFzEnPSHWR1Z4bICeCnqvLEiEDhNDlwwkak6W0OPbxxGzyADF2CqkBqqlGUbdxAUo1SCjVuh3bSiBWalwuxCHjTt-DUWkG97KtjNri/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1741" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil8-yR0ccxfssfTKCLuQRXZf9Y97jdNkNqgccgnUPFzEnPSHWR1Z4bICeCnqvLEiEDhNDlwwkak6W0OPbxxGzyADF2CqkBqqlGUbdxAUo1SCjVuh3bSiBWalwuxCHjTt-DUWkG97KtjNri/w340-h400/18960823aNYHerald.jpg" width="340" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illustration from the 23 August 1896 New York Herald</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">He had only been captured once. A year earlier in the summer of 1895, he was suspected of assaulting a thirteen-year-old girl. It took twelve nervous deputies surrounding him in a barn to get him to surrender. But his incarceration at the county jail was brief as the actual evidence was scant. And so he was released a week later.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZMus3fM7E_EWnsbQAK6ZTR4G3_XXPuxPwuD3KUo8e954P08s8KjRK6oUV_ZU1dyGxw_DSlfub51T04za580966niwbLvimAmu6ZopqHTCOk3iNfdxX_-sItZ7rpsfZgQoCo9MyINklmq/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1500" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZMus3fM7E_EWnsbQAK6ZTR4G3_XXPuxPwuD3KUo8e954P08s8KjRK6oUV_ZU1dyGxw_DSlfub51T04za580966niwbLvimAmu6ZopqHTCOk3iNfdxX_-sItZ7rpsfZgQoCo9MyINklmq/w400-h284/18960823cNYHerald.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">23 August 1896 New York Herald</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The event that aroused the farmers' ire and brought Detective Totten to the mountain occurred on August 12. William Blowers was one of the most prosperous farmers who made their living in the shadow of the mountain. His pretty wife Josephine, thirty-five years old, was out picking blueberries when she was violently accosted by Lovering who held a knife over her head and threatened to "cut her heart out if she cried out." She tried to scream but wound up fainting. When she was found hours later there were indications that she had been assaulted. </div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIxUyuJf-fKnHVlXjgPbUBD07ZgfJR0s1JHDJnR51iKliJvAW5cZGDxYS1IrJLx50HdXzmXi9h336RsZsphThwo58CINThAwxX2CIS0_weisZy3sqkssRiBGjaB3Do7_dvLGdHZM1o7CQK/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1430" data-original-width="1500" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIxUyuJf-fKnHVlXjgPbUBD07ZgfJR0s1JHDJnR51iKliJvAW5cZGDxYS1IrJLx50HdXzmXi9h336RsZsphThwo58CINThAwxX2CIS0_weisZy3sqkssRiBGjaB3Do7_dvLGdHZM1o7CQK/w400-h381/18960823fNYWorld.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">23 August 1896 New York World</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">This was too much to bear and the farmers immediately formed a posse. This time the attack was so cruel and the posse so fierce-looking that the other mountain men formed no resistance. They searched the Sourlands for days - inspecting every cave and turning over every rock. On the sixth day - worn out to a man - they finally encountered Lovering in the distance near the entrance to a cave. In fact, he saw the posse first and fired off a shot which was returned by a hail of ineffective bullets from the farmers as Lovering retreated into the cave. A day earlier, the men would have stormed the cave - even though the narrow opening would have meant that each of them would have been shot until Lovering needed to reload. But now, as weary as they were, they limped back down the mountain in defeat. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqrV_vy603ZkL0UaxtCTjBXE4wgaestWqhgaLu5gQVog8twapR-0lKzl9w5yWIm90ZFM43McsdWSQSC5PCvDi_TZRLPoUHznCERRJBk40OjhU-61Q5mMtWYnP3AS_5oPRfyUlu4yAZYfRl/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1741" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqrV_vy603ZkL0UaxtCTjBXE4wgaestWqhgaLu5gQVog8twapR-0lKzl9w5yWIm90ZFM43McsdWSQSC5PCvDi_TZRLPoUHznCERRJBk40OjhU-61Q5mMtWYnP3AS_5oPRfyUlu4yAZYfRl/w544-h640/18960823aNYWorld.jpg" width="544" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illustration from the 23 August 1896 New York World</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Mrs. Blowers, upon hearing of the outcome, decided that she must go to Deputy Sheriff Barkalow in Somerville and swear out a warrant against Lovering. Barkalow handed the warrant to Totten saying, "Better take some help along." But Totten wouldn't hear of it. "There's only one of him and it'll only take one to fetch him back."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmi0IBBdqKwcE0XuxXhaEid3xn3kyotnsxFuuDK8j3yqJG8NJBsPqbLeOZjON0uVBhLnoo07IgEn3d3vXvhyzIsVP2Y4xVQr0sud-GMgjoccEEdCBE3KfEtWdWFl6bfpL5qGrwLOBF1C1E/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1026" data-original-width="1500" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmi0IBBdqKwcE0XuxXhaEid3xn3kyotnsxFuuDK8j3yqJG8NJBsPqbLeOZjON0uVBhLnoo07IgEn3d3vXvhyzIsVP2Y4xVQr0sud-GMgjoccEEdCBE3KfEtWdWFl6bfpL5qGrwLOBF1C1E/w400-h274/18960823eNYWorld.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">23 August 1896 New York World</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The cave where Totten spent the two nights killing snakes that came too close was the same one where the Farmers' posse had encountered Lovering a few days before. Totten knew that the outlaw would be back. And when he peered out of the cave on that Friday morning Lovering was standing right there with his back to the entrance, almost within arm's length. He recognized him immediately - a blue shirt and gray trousers tucked into his boots, a gunbelt around his waist holding a heavy revolver. </div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NeIrxL12TIKrBHTXb5P-5OyGmOsTQzteZrE_yu1KcBFNtAKyZtAFjo2XtviYLYJTvbVN6XOB9aMXMYE72j5CqHbBEat5lCZ_JKGTmRuE9rjeRHwS87tBk7yN1p_c3fvkmjgEQgH5KYOr/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1372" data-original-width="1500" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NeIrxL12TIKrBHTXb5P-5OyGmOsTQzteZrE_yu1KcBFNtAKyZtAFjo2XtviYLYJTvbVN6XOB9aMXMYE72j5CqHbBEat5lCZ_JKGTmRuE9rjeRHwS87tBk7yN1p_c3fvkmjgEQgH5KYOr/w400-h366/18960823dNYWorld.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">23 August 1896 New York World</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Lovering whirled around at the sound of Totten emerging from the cave, his hand already on his gun. Totten leaped and got his arms around Lovering's neck. Here's how the writer for The New York World described the scene:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b></b><blockquote><b>"Swerving to and fro, tipping, tumbling, cursing, panting, they pitched here and there among the rocks far from the rest of the world. For one of them defeat meant a long imprisonment, for the other it meant instant death."</b></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;">The men were about evenly matched in strength and when Lovering was able to turn his revolver towards Totten the outcome for the detective looked bleak. But just as Lovering fired Totten spun around, flipped his man to the ground. pinned him, and slapped a pair of handcuffs on his wrists. Then he hustled his prisoner quickly down the mountain and into his wagon before any of the locals could think about "mountain justice". </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDeLnz4cRsFU2QZhO0BKSK5_oyt7rgxf4otLfEsrDw62NXQiHiBjAo49FDlV_1UF3NCR_UOQm47wSMXYgsfsSodpxkkYI31OlSMBmQjQl_erqhf2sold9OrlWFy9V8ddNwH6j4LgpHx260/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1500" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDeLnz4cRsFU2QZhO0BKSK5_oyt7rgxf4otLfEsrDw62NXQiHiBjAo49FDlV_1UF3NCR_UOQm47wSMXYgsfsSodpxkkYI31OlSMBmQjQl_erqhf2sold9OrlWFy9V8ddNwH6j4LgpHx260/w400-h283/18960823bNYHerald.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">23 August 1896 New York Herald</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Detective Totten turned Lovering over to Deputy Sheriff Barkalow at the county jail with a two-word explanation - "Got him".</div></div></div></div></div><p></p>Greg Gillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13702458129140401412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329417736357277518.post-62156637916118383482021-04-23T21:35:00.000-04:002021-04-23T21:35:03.312-04:00The Somerville Quartermaster Sub-Depot (1942 - 1947)<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A few weeks after the Belle Mead Army Service Forces Depot opened in August 1942, the Army officially announced that a second depot in Hillsborough was "rapidly nearing completion". This facility was located in the South Somerville section of the township and was officially known as the Somerville Quartermaster Sub Depot. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtCpjKDKnZZks2-idt7mW5SloxYkc-Cai9ZvmzNt1mUqZWzMly3u6k3sMNsOQEeEbZtU4XF_rrwZvNkBSiPDTW722f7oKBxYu0wp7297IhDRj5ViFOOiEv2TDD3ssQdASgbPpevmFeIWx9/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="2048" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtCpjKDKnZZks2-idt7mW5SloxYkc-Cai9ZvmzNt1mUqZWzMly3u6k3sMNsOQEeEbZtU4XF_rrwZvNkBSiPDTW722f7oKBxYu0wp7297IhDRj5ViFOOiEv2TDD3ssQdASgbPpevmFeIWx9/w400-h203/19421001HomeNews.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 October 1942 Home News</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The depot was not an adjunct of the Belle Mead depot but rather was connected with the Jersey City Quartermaster Depot. The depot was located west of Route 206 just south of the Doris Duke estate.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSYtOHGAH4kl40MPE4EnPl3K9ovFDsKtpMK7cJHWsI5xY7YjgbYJSZGfXuKST6xS4Yjtc6cSgW17qXAMuRVRyQzhoh5RZSs2CC7GXTkbCVOSMCUh_axbNbDQQ87SlR3Z9GUI8xAQqwVQoP/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSYtOHGAH4kl40MPE4EnPl3K9ovFDsKtpMK7cJHWsI5xY7YjgbYJSZGfXuKST6xS4Yjtc6cSgW17qXAMuRVRyQzhoh5RZSs2CC7GXTkbCVOSMCUh_axbNbDQQ87SlR3Z9GUI8xAQqwVQoP/w337-h400/SomervilleDepot.jpg" width="337" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Unlike the Belle Mead Depot which dealt with heavy machinery, petroleum, cables, trucks, etc., the Somerville Depot was the transit point for other types of items needed by Army posts stateside or destined for the war in Europe. In 1943 alone, $500 million of food, canned fruit, stationery, furniture, chemicals, laundry supplies, and other miscellaneous items arrived by railcar and were sorted, stored, and eventually sent to the New Jersey ports.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Ydj0YvoD9UB6mglnLNDk_WGpRVFjgT4YjnLQ6oVmYFORW08kAJTLPEX2z5X71e5HWEz55ro5_alnSLdZIxPeK0NztzzZDKCNhxcpnZaqcVzUaOUuAf1j46YW1Kui1Fm-zo1vOT1_VtIU/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Ydj0YvoD9UB6mglnLNDk_WGpRVFjgT4YjnLQ6oVmYFORW08kAJTLPEX2z5X71e5HWEz55ro5_alnSLdZIxPeK0NztzzZDKCNhxcpnZaqcVzUaOUuAf1j46YW1Kui1Fm-zo1vOT1_VtIU/w400-h255/SomervilleDepot1953.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aerial view of the Somerville Quartermaster Sub-Depot circa 1953</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Colonel George F. Spann - the commanding officer of the Jersey City Quartermaster Depot in 1943 - described what made the sub depot a success: "Systematic warehousing and shipping here at Somerville is possible only through the cooperation of the civilian men and women workers and the small group of officers at the station."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjipo_5JOVR-pWLOheFcadTERUFyuuaPjCcYhY47ZFY7ivhe-jf9mp8WfmzOma_mZ0mFGq8QOHUyc9YDYPen55Z-lJ2xZ_F7uuHysWk1Q9QHj0vJ7eEJ5Inbxvm_VBepnNER-iu6djq7ec3/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1134" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjipo_5JOVR-pWLOheFcadTERUFyuuaPjCcYhY47ZFY7ivhe-jf9mp8WfmzOma_mZ0mFGq8QOHUyc9YDYPen55Z-lJ2xZ_F7uuHysWk1Q9QHj0vJ7eEJ5Inbxvm_VBepnNER-iu6djq7ec3/w355-h640/19430408CourierNewsAC%2528SomervilleDepot%2529.jpg" width="355" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8 April 1943 Courier News</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">As the war in Europe and the Pacific raged on, able-bodied men were continually being called up for service putting a tremendous strain on the depot's workforce. Bankers, merchants, lawyers, and others not directly employed in the war effort all put in a few hours of work each evening after their day jobs. Somerville High School students - including many boys from Hillsborough - worked on weekends and school holidays with teachers as their foremen. </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2cVjOHm_kmJ6bn6C8l2fEJGz-nxZXWd_jYQJr4MAuUHN0R7fPPhnJL2hUHNCQdQUbOL2SHPh_2InmVXcXnFjRCEhR3WzpqGq6Pi0biOfVy2tI1rHT9JVDxVNqOe1trEhjHBUqZxTMWtzk/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1255" data-original-width="2048" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2cVjOHm_kmJ6bn6C8l2fEJGz-nxZXWd_jYQJr4MAuUHN0R7fPPhnJL2hUHNCQdQUbOL2SHPh_2InmVXcXnFjRCEhR3WzpqGq6Pi0biOfVy2tI1rHT9JVDxVNqOe1trEhjHBUqZxTMWtzk/w400-h245/19441030CourierNews%2528SomervilleDepot%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">30 October 1944 Courier News</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The depot made the national news in October 1944 when it was discovered that area locals had been scavenging the refuse pits at the depot and had reclaimed hundreds if not thousands of tins of canned food that the army had disposed of because it was "unfit for human consumption". The scavengers proclaimed the cans of meat and vegetable hash, grapefruit juice, tomatoes, cherries, pumpkin, corned beef, and Vienna sausage to be just fine. One woman who lived near the depot said that she had four children to feed, and had been visiting the pits for four months!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In 1947, with the war over, the 325-acre depot was conveyed to the Veterans Administration. Since then, the property has been divided many times and used for many purposes: the US Postal Service, Somerset County, an industrial park, and even Hillsborough Township Parks and Recreation have each inhabited a portion of the depot.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><p></p>Greg Gillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13702458129140401412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329417736357277518.post-69162277052349153602021-04-22T21:21:00.003-04:002021-04-23T20:29:00.451-04:00Woods Tavern (circa 1738 - 1932)<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: left;">Let's begin by lamenting that the one singular iconic structure that identified historic Hillsborough Township, New Jersey was lost in a fire 89 years ago. Variously renamed by owners-of-the-moment as the Union House Tavern, or Hall's Hotel, it was best known by its first and last moniker, Woods Tavern.</div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3QO_PtbHlktY5An8KSlNgRKnFTD7bNxrJyt0CLV662hauAnm5jOqbNpTyQ8Tu2t11PO7DctxGuqiQWueqAqnzlvVZOgMrWUFoWhKS3WzDurYHI8o5jxTHcQIwNUdj6lMwqvWUXH-AyNh/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1433" data-original-width="2048" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3QO_PtbHlktY5An8KSlNgRKnFTD7bNxrJyt0CLV662hauAnm5jOqbNpTyQ8Tu2t11PO7DctxGuqiQWueqAqnzlvVZOgMrWUFoWhKS3WzDurYHI8o5jxTHcQIwNUdj6lMwqvWUXH-AyNh/w400-h280/1860FarmMapOfHillsboroughHall%2527sHotelSepia.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illustration of W. W. Hall's Hotel<br />from the 1860 Farm Map of Hillsboro'</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">After a bridge was built across the Millstone River in 1720, the Amwell Road became an important thoroughfare between the port city of New Brunswick and the Delaware River. While not primarily a stagecoach route - that privilege went to the Old York Road - Amwell Road was used by farmers and drovers to bring their grain, produce, and livestock to the markets in New Brunswick. There they would fill their wagons with "city goods" for the return trip.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The rutted dirt road and the heavy loads conveyed generally made these trips a multi-day affair. The first inns were built along the route in 1738 at Millstone, Flaggtown, Neshanic, Clover Hill, and "in the woods" midway between the first two. The location for Woods Tavern was somewhat of an odd choice as it was not at a major crossroads. Today, of course, the site is THE major intersection in Hillsborough - Amwell and 206 - but in the 18th century, there was no north-south road at that spot. Travelers coming north from Princeton made a left on Homestead Road and then a right at Amwell Road and then a few twists and turns to get back on the road to Somerville.</div><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ZVq0OJ5SWso9csdb8FuvhoQb2-cFniz5qvJn1Y3nRLgKgGD1Vl_tfk8Urlbn-GtGO8dJephGnD_LiBOUqjQ1iZ6m-FEKhEU_OJ69PWHGQMepVToTivZ0qATotlXTNzNjk6pjx5Y8huUP/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ZVq0OJ5SWso9csdb8FuvhoQb2-cFniz5qvJn1Y3nRLgKgGD1Vl_tfk8Urlbn-GtGO8dJephGnD_LiBOUqjQ1iZ6m-FEKhEU_OJ69PWHGQMepVToTivZ0qATotlXTNzNjk6pjx5Y8huUP/w400-h300/Maps.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clockwise from top left:<br />1850 Somerset County, 1860 Philadelphia and Vicinity,<br /> 1873 Atlas, and 1860 Farm Map</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Nevertheless, Woods Tavern proved to be one of the best hostelries along the route. With stables for the horses, acres of fenced pasture for cattle, and a comfortable room for the weary driver, the inn on Amwell Road was a popular choice. So popular that even the dining room and kitchen might be made up for overnight guests on busy days. Woods Tavern was also a popular meeting place for groups, and a provider of food - and especially drink - for special occasions. No social event, from a church raising to a funeral, could take place without the proper libation - especially rum - and the local inn was the place to get it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.25pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Music, dancing, boxing matches, even cockfights, were
some of the early entertainments offered to guests as Woods Tavern remained
popular for well over a century. By the
time William W. Hall bought the tavern from Isaac Bennet in 1860, railroads were
already beginning to make the traditional roadside tavern obsolete. Indeed, by the end of the decade, Woods
Tavern had given up its liquor license and was sold and resold many times over
the next six decades. </span></span></div><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeMrlI0iqMx-V5yrBQv1PrkJ8o4i8JLJ_S4AXLYYGkgrG5sb6PctlkY4yQfBk_dzuXQ8OYDV5SnpfNy8f3BKdpI8Qre6ArGDKhtqzVK88SLjymZNQJTNTOALOco01kHq1A2SJCJNGOi6Ed/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1799" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeMrlI0iqMx-V5yrBQv1PrkJ8o4i8JLJ_S4AXLYYGkgrG5sb6PctlkY4yQfBk_dzuXQ8OYDV5SnpfNy8f3BKdpI8Qre6ArGDKhtqzVK88SLjymZNQJTNTOALOco01kHq1A2SJCJNGOi6Ed/w427-h640/HoraceGreeleyCrop.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horace Greeley</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The most famous visitor in the nearly 200-year history of Woods Tavern was undoubtedly newspaper publisher Horace Greeley. One of the founders of the Republican party in the 1850s, Greeley was running for president in 1872 as a "Liberal Republican" against incumbent Republican president Ulysses S. Grant. Greeley made a campaign stop at Woods Tavern that year on his way from Jersey City to Lambertville.<div><br /></div><div>One last bit of excitement occurred in 1927 during prohibition when the Somerset County Detective and the State Police raided the tavern and charged the owner with selling intoxicating liquor. An additional charge of "conducting a disorderly house" and the fact that a woman from New Brunswick was taken into custody and a young man was held as a material witness begs the question as to what else was taking place at the old inn. <br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9g4KMl49W8Mpz-W2bjoHesKsKew-9b71XzYYpNgnXSvDrqWfHZpMIYgZX6OQ3BDaeP4j4qLCsQCwSW_RyYjtpbJnHa3OCQkvUSpEtSB3z02M470EjroQ0jAF5Nmaag-t8ey1je89xfWvt/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="953" data-original-width="1500" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9g4KMl49W8Mpz-W2bjoHesKsKew-9b71XzYYpNgnXSvDrqWfHZpMIYgZX6OQ3BDaeP4j4qLCsQCwSW_RyYjtpbJnHa3OCQkvUSpEtSB3z02M470EjroQ0jAF5Nmaag-t8ey1je89xfWvt/w400-h254/19320116CourierNewsHeadline%2528WoodsTavern%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">16 January 1932 Courier News</td></tr></tbody></table><br />On the evening of January 15, 1932, firemen from Millstone, Somerville, and Neshanic responding to a call found Woods Tavern engulfed in flames. With a strong wind blowing, they concentrated on saving the buildings on the opposite corner of the highway. At that time the inn was operating as a general store, and the caretaker, Mrs. Matilda Kleyling, was able to save herself, her son, and the cash register. Everything else was completely destroyed.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglea67HhMgDS4ef9Yeeb9mUzv2n0PTwNDpZvUl7hJnZjrIuU8tXZC9iZYov4TLOWHe_jA9flSYkfpjTzF-vMoC7DuJdYU_m9zM9ZaDVf6jHmQs6PByTVCfiZoARnajrrWX0UUAJYJujXwt/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglea67HhMgDS4ef9Yeeb9mUzv2n0PTwNDpZvUl7hJnZjrIuU8tXZC9iZYov4TLOWHe_jA9flSYkfpjTzF-vMoC7DuJdYU_m9zM9ZaDVf6jHmQs6PByTVCfiZoARnajrrWX0UUAJYJujXwt/w400-h255/2011InterpretiveDisplay%2528WoodsTavern%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plaque at the "Shoppes at Woods Tavern"</td></tr></tbody></table><br />In 2011 an interpretive panel was installed at the site during the renovation of the Shoppes at Woods Tavern. <p></p></div>Greg Gillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13702458129140401412noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329417736357277518.post-66757132099721970542021-04-17T12:07:00.002-04:002021-04-17T12:07:33.762-04:00The Lovers' Tower, Then and Now<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Located at the southern end of the historic core of Duke Farms, the stone structure known a century ago as The Lovers' Tower is still a popular photo spot for 21st-century tourists.</div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LvM2gUKYIqmJZGlYTpu6hOlwcc82XgilpQg6YDo8HUibpdI7HLNKtnCN5F2Hag170-CrB_c-DbgPlxgDWcrA7vZLG8MP_ckFWxbI08jFzcRPXYEP1pVgMtQ1vBlxxfzvj_wNKSdvf-et/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1051" data-original-width="1650" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LvM2gUKYIqmJZGlYTpu6hOlwcc82XgilpQg6YDo8HUibpdI7HLNKtnCN5F2Hag170-CrB_c-DbgPlxgDWcrA7vZLG8MP_ckFWxbI08jFzcRPXYEP1pVgMtQ1vBlxxfzvj_wNKSdvf-et/w400-h255/50aLovers%2527Tower.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Postcard circa 1910</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's really not much of a tower - only about half a flight up - but it was much remarked upon in the days of Duke's Park.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvALBfn2H-YKX1pXhrAQ3oxsatrNbHcwml1i5unGynanVvZnuEbljH08LSWVQvRZIvmaxeCTLzggo0_sT0VANNIMS8nVv8aHI34c1wngYfSYALT1Ayk1Ibhgf-hntDHe5cgolHqMutqjM/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvALBfn2H-YKX1pXhrAQ3oxsatrNbHcwml1i5unGynanVvZnuEbljH08LSWVQvRZIvmaxeCTLzggo0_sT0VANNIMS8nVv8aHI34c1wngYfSYALT1Ayk1Ibhgf-hntDHe5cgolHqMutqjM/w400-h255/50bLovers%2527Tower.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Postcard circa 1915</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In those days, before the trees on the estate grew to such a height and density as to block many of the views, the tower could be easily viewed from the hill where James B. Duke was beginning to build his never completed manor house. In those early bachelor days before his first marriage in 1904, newspapers joked that female visitors to the park might try to "capture" Mr. Duke alone in the tower!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvm7sSiBqEF4Ww9oBdjjxCUqnWuMpBjZmybiqa5UbeLRA1mQ-dkoEnyo5QR81R_9KnxAfgolq8pFIOmwL2yXmLGW0uD8I8agymv_WyRGTj2GgPczKe8hp1jZRQoOmOtLB8WYmoagsXF1R/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1051" data-original-width="1650" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvm7sSiBqEF4Ww9oBdjjxCUqnWuMpBjZmybiqa5UbeLRA1mQ-dkoEnyo5QR81R_9KnxAfgolq8pFIOmwL2yXmLGW0uD8I8agymv_WyRGTj2GgPczKe8hp1jZRQoOmOtLB8WYmoagsXF1R/w400-h255/50cLovers%2527Tower.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lovers' Tower, 2017</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div></div><p></p>Greg Gillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13702458129140401412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329417736357277518.post-54728397145449321272021-04-10T22:15:00.000-04:002021-04-10T22:15:47.774-04:00The Hotel Asbestos (1919 - 1929)<p style="text-align: left;">Hear the phrase "asbestos hotel" in 2021 and you might be inclined to shout, "Yikes!" But to Hillsborough Township, New Jersey residents of the 1920s, those words provoked an entirely different reaction.<span style="text-align: center;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfzCNKF72_5CrZC8CZlQy00AtskF862yWhBhjRFxsx1AxqSQCwfgt6SFmXLyuy7R6yRSIbRBEcjze5PvCG8l41NRiU6ocJiPWMNs1zCXVPxBPl9mTpyWhn0qa1bxiQJEq6ndno41Q6yyF/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1650" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfzCNKF72_5CrZC8CZlQy00AtskF862yWhBhjRFxsx1AxqSQCwfgt6SFmXLyuy7R6yRSIbRBEcjze5PvCG8l41NRiU6ocJiPWMNs1zCXVPxBPl9mTpyWhn0qa1bxiQJEq6ndno41Q6yyF/w400-h255/AsbestosHotel.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hotel Asbestos in the 1940s</td></tr></tbody></table></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was in 1917 that the Johns-Manville corporation - who had relocated their asbestos manufacturing plant from Brooklyn, New York to the northeast corner of Hillsborough in 1912 - decided to build a hotel near the site of their factory complex. At that time the only other hostelries in town were the Weston Hotel (the converted Captain Davey mansion) which had a small number of guest rooms and the Neshanic Hotel which had even fewer.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1WCfnp-LAitD60zRqS5FZuZoJ2QAbQvX6pF90RfZaMDvsbGswYn-DCZt_7cqRyo0JNBU6R3wCQCxpm-SE46L_3-rE2M2YGFm6Swagfp4yDQs-S_UFSNlKPSIPoAde6hZtmHY5fZh2aYac/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1630" data-original-width="2048" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1WCfnp-LAitD60zRqS5FZuZoJ2QAbQvX6pF90RfZaMDvsbGswYn-DCZt_7cqRyo0JNBU6R3wCQCxpm-SE46L_3-rE2M2YGFm6Swagfp4yDQs-S_UFSNlKPSIPoAde6hZtmHY5fZh2aYac/w400-h318/19640621HomeNews%2528AsbestosHotel%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rear of the Hotel Asbestos, under construction in 1917.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The excavation work and foundation were completed between October and December 1917 at a site on the east side of Main Street - still called Millstone Road in those days - right at the intersection of Brooks Boulevard and conveniently near the Lehigh Valley Railroad station. Construction continued throughout 1918. The $75,000 hotel - $1.7 million today - included seventy guest rooms with private baths, two dining rooms, a large lobby, a ballroom/auditorium which could accommodate 500 people for dinner (350 couples for dancing!) a barbershop, a club room, recreation rooms, and the Manville Post Office. The grand opening of the two-story brick building formally named The Hotel Asbestos, took place on February 1, 1919.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwbfrvTq0VX0uQYMAmUL0WePLYNaQlCHvJTL1VopHsfXy_kElgOo79WJcQbjKKZchn0qaHE593yVbWH0shhtIqspO9apEfBF4SjHRYIXE_b4UMGrwMcyiEZp6Mmy-UiRdu1B5YmpTwt0Ix/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1187" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwbfrvTq0VX0uQYMAmUL0WePLYNaQlCHvJTL1VopHsfXy_kElgOo79WJcQbjKKZchn0qaHE593yVbWH0shhtIqspO9apEfBF4SjHRYIXE_b4UMGrwMcyiEZp6Mmy-UiRdu1B5YmpTwt0Ix/w371-h640/19190619CourierNews%2528AsbestosHotel%2529.jpg" width="371" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">19 June 1919 Courier News</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The guest rooms were primarily reserved for the use of Johns-Manville traveling employees and those visiting the factory on business. The first-floor ballroom and dining rooms, however, were occupied by all manner of charitable and civic organizations - from the local political parties to the Elks to the nurses of the Somerset Hospital - to hold their annual dinners, fundraisers, conventions, and the like. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgowim-uqTPGn-Ra-zZ6d8xVVUB8Mf2r0TNNkioDQHAgBjS20KcHZCTr7L7D9mmIhyphenhyphenfkOwIQL8w5p6y8g0O9hJIwd7YQ5qd_uUT_NDTKg0keXGt5rH6O2MbUbGlL1Up10ah92x2-I_RN5aH/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="2577" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgowim-uqTPGn-Ra-zZ6d8xVVUB8Mf2r0TNNkioDQHAgBjS20KcHZCTr7L7D9mmIhyphenhyphenfkOwIQL8w5p6y8g0O9hJIwd7YQ5qd_uUT_NDTKg0keXGt5rH6O2MbUbGlL1Up10ah92x2-I_RN5aH/w400-h189/VincentLopezOrchestraCirca1924.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Vincent Lopez Orchestra circa 1924</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">An invitation to one of these events might include dancing to the Dixieland clarinet of the Louis Nelson DeLisle Band or the proto-Big Band stylings of the Vincent Lopez Orchestra and dinner provided by the award-winning chefs. Another popular entertainment was motion pictures. Silent movies were shown in the ballroom and the public was often welcomed at no charge.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaYpEzOxvFP4qrzCJDyxCY3A9Yhdcw_uvGRmlRTt_MPvk6P0liHHynwmw2Y2ByP3mGkez5yMdGvzG8KNMgyYmQ-m_oNIiiR5Ya0qplVR5ioaMYnme15FxAsQ8Eq6wiw3kDCcFomwabNRbA/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1213" data-original-width="2591" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaYpEzOxvFP4qrzCJDyxCY3A9Yhdcw_uvGRmlRTt_MPvk6P0liHHynwmw2Y2ByP3mGkez5yMdGvzG8KNMgyYmQ-m_oNIiiR5Ya0qplVR5ioaMYnme15FxAsQ8Eq6wiw3kDCcFomwabNRbA/w400-h188/19261126HomeNews%2528AsbestosHotel%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">26 November 1926 Home News</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The Hotel Asbestos was a "big-city" hotel in nearly every way except that private events were severely discouraged. While the big local organizations had the inside track on booking their banquets, it was nearly impossible to reserve the Hotel Asbestos for a wedding reception or anniversary party. Consequently, the hotel constantly operated at a loss. This changed in 1927 when new management changed the policy and actively encouraged public use of the hotel.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The hotel closed in 1929, reportedly for renovations. It was soon learned that all of the first-floor rooms were converted to Johns-Manville office space and the Post Office was relocated to Washington Avenue. The Hotel Asbestos never reopened to the public and the building was razed in the late 1990s a few years after the plant was closed.</div></div></div></div><p></p>Greg Gillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13702458129140401412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329417736357277518.post-34910231580761866702021-04-07T21:40:00.002-04:002021-04-07T21:40:11.946-04:00The Unsolved Murder of Philip Jankowitz, 1978<p style="text-align: left;">Two years before America was asking "who shot JR?" - the fictional millionaire oilman of TV's Dallas - Somerset County was asking "who bludgeoned PJ?" - Hillsborough's real-life millionaire recluse Philip Jankowitz. Television viewers waited 8 months for their answer. Hillsboroughians are still waiting nearly 43 years later.<span style="text-align: center;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVNbgfIAvWhwbDFtUBfXslMOBK4iO0oHavqJmKMzmKGnB0RGkWY5TAWErit2b5QYjPE4RaRocwx-z2WyW9hEuDIXrcmk0_DADyFWCoJq0hGb0vEW5_P1YEQq6xsUDBhWSQusdJknqjAaG2/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="2752" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVNbgfIAvWhwbDFtUBfXslMOBK4iO0oHavqJmKMzmKGnB0RGkWY5TAWErit2b5QYjPE4RaRocwx-z2WyW9hEuDIXrcmk0_DADyFWCoJq0hGb0vEW5_P1YEQq6xsUDBhWSQusdJknqjAaG2/w400-h166/19780810CourierNews.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10 August 1978 Courier News</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Philip Yankelewitz came to America from Russia in 1908 with his mother Esther, brother Jacob, and sisters Sarah, Lottie, Rebecca, and Annie. The seven-year-old - who was apparently the only family member to change his surname - was the youngest of the clan. They landed first in Brooklyn and then came to Hillsborough in the 1920s. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRniYmgGIKWzeydBY-xhsJI1zuRTa0NJLbfqw0E1ZSB74NSzxTukfNET4xFRlbtQ6zR6QWbfNyVG8C-MN4fep8DfvLVZscUg8taaVPtDJI8xlqikRZzuLieAxaXmB-jb43YBj5kNArC6Ye/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1210" data-original-width="2048" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRniYmgGIKWzeydBY-xhsJI1zuRTa0NJLbfqw0E1ZSB74NSzxTukfNET4xFRlbtQ6zR6QWbfNyVG8C-MN4fep8DfvLVZscUg8taaVPtDJI8xlqikRZzuLieAxaXmB-jb43YBj5kNArC6Ye/w400-h236/1934-1939-1941RuralNewYorkerAds.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ads from The Rural New Yorker - <br />1934, 1939, 1941</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">They settled on a 96-acre farm on South Branch Road near where the Norz Hill farm is today. In the previous century it was known as the Hoagland Farm but was now called Maple Lane Farm (not to be confused with the Maple Lane Farm in Belle Mead). On the 1930 census Philip listed his occupation as electrician. His brother Jacob - ten years his senior - had been a baker in Brooklyn. Now they were both farmers.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBU-xOrrHwi2Rjyt2bIT_Sxs05SUs82-ooabY4Mw__8s8QLprBLmFyrjIsAH96PB2YFOguayMd-wIEFHQ5V03GvL-dUJqYIqvF8YlSG5gJWW5o4MMHNwyq6SA6MMtTUwjGIxsE78YLcFhL/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1642" data-original-width="2048" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBU-xOrrHwi2Rjyt2bIT_Sxs05SUs82-ooabY4Mw__8s8QLprBLmFyrjIsAH96PB2YFOguayMd-wIEFHQ5V03GvL-dUJqYIqvF8YlSG5gJWW5o4MMHNwyq6SA6MMtTUwjGIxsE78YLcFhL/w400-h321/19310227HomeNews%2528JankowitzMurder%2529crop.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">27 February 1931 Home News</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The first mention of the Yankelewitz family in a local newspaper was in 1931 when an untended oil stove in Jacob's bedroom caused a fire that burned down the 100-year-old ten room house. At the time, Jacob and Philip - both unmarried - lived on the farm with their mother. At some point after this - and certainly by the time of Jacob's death in 1969 - Jankowitz found himself living alone in a converted chicken coop on the property. The building had electricity and phone service but no running water. He put bathroom waste out to be picked up with his garbage.</div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibchgbgMLogllD7Ds4vsYvuhI1QZkHh0cBWSj6bNWOc5tRoZVNpqLUYb3mYafelTs2QMLXX6-cdGwTfkBJzkAoVZjBpH9bRjffSCX_p4VPIPLa94s1jBfmKVXaSAyEMxOXRXbGZxGdRsp-/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1405" data-original-width="2048" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibchgbgMLogllD7Ds4vsYvuhI1QZkHh0cBWSj6bNWOc5tRoZVNpqLUYb3mYafelTs2QMLXX6-cdGwTfkBJzkAoVZjBpH9bRjffSCX_p4VPIPLa94s1jBfmKVXaSAyEMxOXRXbGZxGdRsp-/w400-h275/19780825CourierNews%2528JankowitzMurder%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">25 August 1978 Courier News</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When a cousin failed to reach Jankowitz by telephone on August 9, 1978, she called the police. They found his body outside the home. He had been beaten on the head. He had been dead about 24 hours. Despite his living conditions, Jankowitz was actually wealthy. He had a few hundred thousand dollars in the bank and the farm had recently been appraised at more than $600,000. His wealth was not entirely a secret leading police to suspect robbery as a motive.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0GQQaTq0lmi1PmG6cbSNHuAPyXd-WgTkMQxSFkpSxT6Rzuj3-O1WBbPYA1tCmaAxs228VbIrHgOkZ5A3aNlQ_qiBWwZO7cf8qjNqv_61SyV-KIFVXYvd2bZBpSPB9QjBwiNJNHR3VNkr/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="986" data-original-width="3000" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0GQQaTq0lmi1PmG6cbSNHuAPyXd-WgTkMQxSFkpSxT6Rzuj3-O1WBbPYA1tCmaAxs228VbIrHgOkZ5A3aNlQ_qiBWwZO7cf8qjNqv_61SyV-KIFVXYvd2bZBpSPB9QjBwiNJNHR3VNkr/w400-h131/19790825HomeNews%2528JankowitzMurder%2529crop.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">25 August 1979 Home News</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Police had two suspects within a couple of weeks and there was a swift indictment by a grand jury. But it turned out that the only evidence the prosecutor had was the testimony of two people who reported that the suspects had told them that they committed the murder. Those witnesses later admitted they lied and the prosecutor was forced to drop the case. It remains unsolved to this day.</div></div></div><p></p>Greg Gillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13702458129140401412noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329417736357277518.post-29265854156328280952021-04-06T14:14:00.002-04:002021-04-06T14:14:18.367-04:00The Raritan Gate Fountain, Then and Now<p style="text-align: left;">While many features of Duke's Park - the early 20th century Hillsborough, New Jersey estate of tobacco magnate James B. Duke - are still present and available to be discovered by visitors almost a century after Duke's death in 1925, there are a few that are gone forever.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmRSMld1iP9sBxLTBPWXqt_tbzyUOZSiiKsHSScemTDS64Khpg1xVat7QTKcJj51pGn1-xxm_Tfa8BMTJaCHwNHoGZ2wM6n5ZU9d_q_vYYTCdK6JAUCG0uXycLRCt5sFPm23DCeqTGJCqv/s2048/RaritanGateFountain07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmRSMld1iP9sBxLTBPWXqt_tbzyUOZSiiKsHSScemTDS64Khpg1xVat7QTKcJj51pGn1-xxm_Tfa8BMTJaCHwNHoGZ2wM6n5ZU9d_q_vYYTCdK6JAUCG0uXycLRCt5sFPm23DCeqTGJCqv/w400-h255/RaritanGateFountain07.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Postcard circa 1906<br />(Collection of Gillette on Hillsborough)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The most spectacular of these was the Raritan Gate Fountain. Remarkable equally for its majesty and for the fact that Duke located the fountain not on his property but at the intersection of a public thoroughfare, the magnificent structure was removed by Duke's heir Doris in the 1930s.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5npEd0hRHkZ2PsvaFdPwhviatrkbHNTMYsro7i6M5zUMTOa92LWuHwAIcL13vqvuNdoD6Td0q88BauLlGHJJdmuSJz3sbARcxsT0_sNpsnoMijbzjSZhSELUH-E-vBqMPA3JQST9-WXnJ/s2048/RaritanGateFountain02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5npEd0hRHkZ2PsvaFdPwhviatrkbHNTMYsro7i6M5zUMTOa92LWuHwAIcL13vqvuNdoD6Td0q88BauLlGHJJdmuSJz3sbARcxsT0_sNpsnoMijbzjSZhSELUH-E-vBqMPA3JQST9-WXnJ/w400-h255/RaritanGateFountain02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Postcard circa 1905<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Collection of Gillette on Hillsborough)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table>During Duke's lifetime and beyond until 1931, River Road continued past the turn for the Nevius Street Bridge and ran right past the estate residence all the way to today's Route 206. It was after Doris Duke reached an agreement with Somerset County to close the ancient road in 1931 that she removed the fountain which stood at the intersection of the road to Raritan.<div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRUGlXXowHHg3ahNU_xDmJlWJ_vg4IqOPjnhTn3jfAD-k-WbovwMhdPA4xebpnkExLMoRPXjaqHprZUv74VF_HaZFKp_7Mit5qnewRFLyzh-sRuj6msFoA9dhtynBFwQ1waLPjnDi3ZZn/s1650/1931Aerial%2528RaritanGateFountain%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1650" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRUGlXXowHHg3ahNU_xDmJlWJ_vg4IqOPjnhTn3jfAD-k-WbovwMhdPA4xebpnkExLMoRPXjaqHprZUv74VF_HaZFKp_7Mit5qnewRFLyzh-sRuj6msFoA9dhtynBFwQ1waLPjnDi3ZZn/w400-h255/1931Aerial%2528RaritanGateFountain%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1931 aerial view of part of the Duke estate,<br />showing the location of the fountain and River Road.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The fountain was purchased along with many other bronze sculptures during Duke's trip to Europe in 1902. Here is how Town & Country magazine described the fountain in 1903:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b></b><blockquote><b>"One of the most conspicuous features of the grounds is the fountain, which stands at the head of the public avenue, lined with trees, leading to the estate. From the center of the basin of white sandstone rising to the height of twenty feet is a massive Romanesque porch of white sandstone, supported by pillars of elaborately carved, protecting and framing two female figures of heroic proportions and on either end of the basin are graceful Bacchantes that balance the central design." </b></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhduEQXMiDx3ZEkLkp6YYHZ8bbQ7Vq2ArEK66ls92v-ZPwKRG3EqxVaFpjUlSbUJeNoR7L3s7ptrshXqfzZVI7XQjoGp_1ePNGn5itOWH7FlgquJuVIqxaWFPossuVv80OuUWsLufQtQqeb/s2048/RaritanGateFountain13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhduEQXMiDx3ZEkLkp6YYHZ8bbQ7Vq2ArEK66ls92v-ZPwKRG3EqxVaFpjUlSbUJeNoR7L3s7ptrshXqfzZVI7XQjoGp_1ePNGn5itOWH7FlgquJuVIqxaWFPossuVv80OuUWsLufQtQqeb/w400-h255/RaritanGateFountain13.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This postcard view looks east towards the entrance to Duke's Park.<br />There is a gate there today.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Collection of Gillette on Hillsborough)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table>Below, please enjoy some postcard views from my collection - and try to imagine what this looked like the next time you cross the Raritan River coming back into Hillsborough.</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0L1xHqx1E-4PMbMgkAmMoTRAqWcIu694xMYgE5f8U39nnxwC_J5ogKlkH61cEebabUT5fNS2Jr22hwjiYbJk9rpcUBo2f40wbhYM3g6uM2PmlrK_t3xPv3Yg3av7tCXgiEWbFhB1XjdzM/s2048/RaritanGateFountain01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0L1xHqx1E-4PMbMgkAmMoTRAqWcIu694xMYgE5f8U39nnxwC_J5ogKlkH61cEebabUT5fNS2Jr22hwjiYbJk9rpcUBo2f40wbhYM3g6uM2PmlrK_t3xPv3Yg3av7tCXgiEWbFhB1XjdzM/w400-h255/RaritanGateFountain01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From inside the Duke Estate looking west towards the fountain - <br />before gates were installed.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Collection of Gillette on Hillsborough)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRpd2AUIaXzuOpmGWsTo4xbOEUJYcvUcEpIGbBEqFmk1YK4-Orzmj6H8AQ1bmx9rMoAAdLE55w8bbv6v1lt1jrH0vgAmoArFd01VnWOiPn-ypEEqOvZ5PdkYysixU-X59rQrz6mJqcKcnI/s2048/RaritanGateFountain09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRpd2AUIaXzuOpmGWsTo4xbOEUJYcvUcEpIGbBEqFmk1YK4-Orzmj6H8AQ1bmx9rMoAAdLE55w8bbv6v1lt1jrH0vgAmoArFd01VnWOiPn-ypEEqOvZ5PdkYysixU-X59rQrz6mJqcKcnI/w400-h255/RaritanGateFountain09.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking northwest towards Raritan.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Collection of Gillette on Hillsborough)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUWdkF7WRPX86Y22o6eRfjo-ZPb6o5CMMBudI2tV1UPdUB_7zd6oo18uSaFyjnvyC8-LzGEPlmihCuuBqTZigr5gTDEtRZ3QGO88NQxNRMZnnmPPetB5rj899AC7d6IP_8YVzo02L4vui/s2048/RaritanGateFountain11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUWdkF7WRPX86Y22o6eRfjo-ZPb6o5CMMBudI2tV1UPdUB_7zd6oo18uSaFyjnvyC8-LzGEPlmihCuuBqTZigr5gTDEtRZ3QGO88NQxNRMZnnmPPetB5rj899AC7d6IP_8YVzo02L4vui/w400-h255/RaritanGateFountain11.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Collection of Gillette on Hillsborough)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRuN7EkFX1d3yaFE85PHNzSD3kZiIcc5RidnvAuS5CTPX-0p7QJYK-jKF6y0sKpi36bUHzNEi_PjYELYqyJwMAqBoSYXzFCvgpDVB0QqENOtwpCZJH_XXgM8Wne-BbF-hpt0gzY8r8c7pZ/s2048/RaritanGateFountain12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRuN7EkFX1d3yaFE85PHNzSD3kZiIcc5RidnvAuS5CTPX-0p7QJYK-jKF6y0sKpi36bUHzNEi_PjYELYqyJwMAqBoSYXzFCvgpDVB0QqENOtwpCZJH_XXgM8Wne-BbF-hpt0gzY8r8c7pZ/w400-h255/RaritanGateFountain12.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Collection of Gillette on Hillsborough)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlwlgdJCl7OqIrqiqr3ZfloTjSu_IQ1mryv-uJC_gwWywWNqSNzQbLhmsSAtsxrlNHmzGfJ3a5jCNY4IozHQ6TkwOFsOf99tojjRu9SJ87WOjbBeapSat5aNE8id7huyAFptgYl4fA4CBL/s2048/RaritanGateFountain07-33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlwlgdJCl7OqIrqiqr3ZfloTjSu_IQ1mryv-uJC_gwWywWNqSNzQbLhmsSAtsxrlNHmzGfJ3a5jCNY4IozHQ6TkwOFsOf99tojjRu9SJ87WOjbBeapSat5aNE8id7huyAFptgYl4fA4CBL/w400-h255/RaritanGateFountain07-33.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going...</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoGjnmJ0aE_IeoGzRU_xTHw8VFYFkRl0dp4EYwoj9NrHRvgPX5AQIcK32C9qpVcwxE3sUSE_WmTjmhHLAnAx50JuSCzTbVcBlQSmPttTmZ0WaqUe71DGCDeur1xvlHMph4MGEo-07G6kip/s2048/RaritanGateFountain07-66.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoGjnmJ0aE_IeoGzRU_xTHw8VFYFkRl0dp4EYwoj9NrHRvgPX5AQIcK32C9qpVcwxE3sUSE_WmTjmhHLAnAx50JuSCzTbVcBlQSmPttTmZ0WaqUe71DGCDeur1xvlHMph4MGEo-07G6kip/w400-h255/RaritanGateFountain07-66.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">going...</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCqaasTuBbKGh6uoA3ea4dsejC3qOtbjPkyzvNAVBZIZlK2RjMEVcDKAHtrVM1IIld57bimd5RqcioCXWHKUw4VR5P_qIx2UfH43MHg0EjeP_x5lZFibeXvF7xOuwhPKdWUCpn0M4dC2x/s2048/RaritanGateFountain2021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCqaasTuBbKGh6uoA3ea4dsejC3qOtbjPkyzvNAVBZIZlK2RjMEVcDKAHtrVM1IIld57bimd5RqcioCXWHKUw4VR5P_qIx2UfH43MHg0EjeP_x5lZFibeXvF7xOuwhPKdWUCpn0M4dC2x/w400-h255/RaritanGateFountain2021.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">gone.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><p></p></div>Greg Gillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13702458129140401412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329417736357277518.post-61949657568938685852021-04-05T17:48:00.004-04:002021-08-13T11:57:14.272-04:00Easton and Amboy - Lehigh Valley Railroad<p style="text-align: left;">Our story begins in 1851 when railroad entrepreneur Asa Packer became the majority stockholder in the stalled Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill, and Susquehanna Railroad (DLS&S) and changed the name to Lehigh Valley Railroad. The DLS&S had been chartered in 1847 to move coal from Pennsylvania's Wyoming Valley to Easton but had done little in four years besides some route surveying and grading. Packer brought financing and a bolder plan - to reach the lucrative metropolitan market of New York.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2SO7jPY98VynDs1D6gTJS22zIBT1PDagkjMXAVhp886Wrsr4HSz021KHuo6LUlzip2xwY9jSVTYbKW1x4oC8dESX9-V-85rwi0mai3hzivELsT4l6iXlCN36tbqBlGlnDeQG_hwTJD_e/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1926" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2SO7jPY98VynDs1D6gTJS22zIBT1PDagkjMXAVhp886Wrsr4HSz021KHuo6LUlzip2xwY9jSVTYbKW1x4oC8dESX9-V-85rwi0mai3hzivELsT4l6iXlCN36tbqBlGlnDeQG_hwTJD_e/w377-h400/1908LVRRTimetableBDE.jpg" width="377" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1908 LVRR Timetable<br />(Collection of Gillette on Hillsborough)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />In the 1860s the LVRR used the Central Railroad of New Jersey's mainline through Hunterdon and Somerset Counties to reach the New Jersey ports. In 1871 the LVRR leased the Morris Canal in the hopes that a railroad line could be built along its right-of-way but the project proved unworkable. In 1872 the company purchased the charter of the unbuilt Perth Amboy and Bound Brook Railroad and added to that a charter for a new railroad from Easton to Bound Brook. They then combined the two roads into one company called the Easton and Amboy Railroad.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ60z0pahdIDJD4GqC_A2I8JE-ZTdLz-Kg3eqbOzZNuANKBm2sGnlAsS3C0_y5i76p__5LiuI2KHXEX9kVPYZ2JbEP6aVJy4UQadMJMRsCK7funha-_zbnXpBOthXCtxyJObwwwNRcitVs/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1121" data-original-width="2048" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ60z0pahdIDJD4GqC_A2I8JE-ZTdLz-Kg3eqbOzZNuANKBm2sGnlAsS3C0_y5i76p__5LiuI2KHXEX9kVPYZ2JbEP6aVJy4UQadMJMRsCK7funha-_zbnXpBOthXCtxyJObwwwNRcitVs/w400-h219/LVRRSystemMap1908.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1908 LVRR System Map</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">It took three years to build the railroad - most of that time spent on a troublesome one-mile tunnel through the Musonetcong Mountain near Pattenburg. The construction itself was a boon to businesses along the line, including in Hillsborough where Andrew Lane's general store at the end of Mill Lane in Neshanic Mills took a contract with the railroad to supply the workmen with food, clothing, and other necessities.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA_aQ-3IvSe47vz6uDBFbRM6_cLKl6DXvz3P-OZ1GNIHNJ_malAkS_dtwYE-9DK6nM3RU6SEbcPnxLXBSzAui1A_ErAChJWtDUOlWLX_H-YIMbb9PXc9xUUkyn9yzW1F-Cp1SqLbnGJEWr/s2048/HunterdonCountyStations.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA_aQ-3IvSe47vz6uDBFbRM6_cLKl6DXvz3P-OZ1GNIHNJ_malAkS_dtwYE-9DK6nM3RU6SEbcPnxLXBSzAui1A_ErAChJWtDUOlWLX_H-YIMbb9PXc9xUUkyn9yzW1F-Cp1SqLbnGJEWr/w400-h255/HunterdonCountyStations.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clockwise from top left,<br />Flemington Junction, Flemington Station, <br />Tracks into Three Bridges, Three Bridges Depot</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">After the Pattenburg tunnel, there were a half dozen stations to Flemington Junction. There a transfer could be made to go south into town. Part of Walter E. Foran Boulevard is built on the right-of-way of this short branch. After crossing the South Branch of the Raritan River, the train would pull into Three Bridges.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zCec8neO2WulQhFM-GU5MByUQlsMXkhaK1RKFJ3xtTIdIrlb4rwmkpSZUiA8aYLXwMQU3RGzOkAJsJXIDF7CHPtytjD0p2C34gw_7_UKqlfyuGf_7589ISoLJTJNU5ij20BIsrHe30hx/s2048/ScenesAroundLVRRNeshanicStation.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1408" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zCec8neO2WulQhFM-GU5MByUQlsMXkhaK1RKFJ3xtTIdIrlb4rwmkpSZUiA8aYLXwMQU3RGzOkAJsJXIDF7CHPtytjD0p2C34gw_7_UKqlfyuGf_7589ISoLJTJNU5ij20BIsrHe30hx/w440-h640/ScenesAroundLVRRNeshanicStation.jpg" width="440" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scenes around Neshanic Station, top to bottom:<br />The creamery, approaching the station from the east, and the station.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">From there it was just a short hop to Neshanic Station. For decades coal remained the LVRR's chief moneymaker, but they also served other businesses along the line such as the Neshanic Station Creamery and stockyards. Later, as we will see, passenger traffic became an important source of revenue. The station building was razed by the railroad in 1944 - long after passenger service was suspended at the station.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM14oIl5nQb6_knuPT4bgU-9o_pQSNpDOYh5vBMwiyyeK5vX-JPrwkh0P3K9XIqzCs6YUtjPpFB3tcqm-BdUKyRlKkNI-A3_bmDe2BOJhVIAVlDfbCV8e-YRz8h0V-IUDhTYeN95bczI86/s2048/LVRRNeshanicStationBridgesOldAndNew.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1463" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM14oIl5nQb6_knuPT4bgU-9o_pQSNpDOYh5vBMwiyyeK5vX-JPrwkh0P3K9XIqzCs6YUtjPpFB3tcqm-BdUKyRlKkNI-A3_bmDe2BOJhVIAVlDfbCV8e-YRz8h0V-IUDhTYeN95bczI86/w458-h640/LVRRNeshanicStationBridgesOldAndNew.jpg" width="458" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The old (top) and new (bottom) LVRR bridges<br />over the South Branch at Neshanic Station.<br />(Photographs courtesy of Carlene Kuhl)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The original bridge over the South Branch of the Raritan River was completed in time for the Easton and Amboy Railroad to commence service on June 28, 1875. The first station in Neshanic was actually on the Hillsborough side of the river on the hill behind Andrew Lane's Mill Lane store. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdkRAkC8c2ZTU8ufO1Plh-UCMfSsrCcM_noXDESiYv_wnPmjg22ZnDzDsyPTIJ6O_0E0GTmMG93n-G9w_gl6tdr5zENCtU7iHkGOiEHyKwuR0wKtyQ-IiapZcRJ_x1LLfT14mQ_z7HbN37/s2048/FlagtownLVRR.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1434" data-original-width="2048" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdkRAkC8c2ZTU8ufO1Plh-UCMfSsrCcM_noXDESiYv_wnPmjg22ZnDzDsyPTIJ6O_0E0GTmMG93n-G9w_gl6tdr5zENCtU7iHkGOiEHyKwuR0wKtyQ-IiapZcRJ_x1LLfT14mQ_z7HbN37/w400-h280/FlagtownLVRR.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LVRR Flagtown Station<br />(Collection of Gillette on Hillsborough)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The Lehigh Valley Railroad used a number of different designs for their stations, The one in Flagtown included an apartment on the second floor for the station agent. Today the old LVRR through Hunterdon and Somerset County is single-tracked - but when it opened in the 1870s it was double-tracked. In 1912 the railroad added a third and fourth track to most of the route and in Flagtown, with sidings, there were actually six sets of tracks!</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF4cfFJ0xMmPjWjUM3FditRFxZDAiaQHUoyx9D5j11BEeKOOEWGGoRSM3zq1JP1jAJqxqHeV3ZX0w_sQiFNPqcoFcL9IqpS52XV7IIfIS-GPmZWjiNaGANW16CR4wr3jGAmwcMDsFzrVsY/s2048/SouthSomervilleHouseLVRR.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1434" data-original-width="2048" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF4cfFJ0xMmPjWjUM3FditRFxZDAiaQHUoyx9D5j11BEeKOOEWGGoRSM3zq1JP1jAJqxqHeV3ZX0w_sQiFNPqcoFcL9IqpS52XV7IIfIS-GPmZWjiNaGANW16CR4wr3jGAmwcMDsFzrVsY/w400-h280/SouthSomervilleHouseLVRR.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scene along the LVRR in Hillsborough circa 1900<br />(Collection of Gillette on Hillsborough)<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>The railroad had a way of influencing the names of localities - and sometimes even Post Offices - along their path. In 1942, the LVRR changed the name of their freight station at Flagtown to Read Valley and lobbied the US Post Office to change the name of the Post Office - and thereby the village - to Read Valley. The Flagtown Board of Trade, led by George Farley, vigorously opposed the change.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXR_PnjHhk8Po7iLNvchdG80Gy8oTp4mzLg3IMkaHGzz8i4fDdJGGqJSBH56CWTBBW03qX6zqMwPvVlsk3ZT4eUgzyF2vIUnja7mcMe1A15ws_BsblY1adLuwCjvldHxCm6bLnfOP7TeV/s2048/LVRoyceValleyStation.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXR_PnjHhk8Po7iLNvchdG80Gy8oTp4mzLg3IMkaHGzz8i4fDdJGGqJSBH56CWTBBW03qX6zqMwPvVlsk3ZT4eUgzyF2vIUnja7mcMe1A15ws_BsblY1adLuwCjvldHxCm6bLnfOP7TeV/w400-h255/LVRoyceValleyStation.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Royce Valley - South Somerville Station<br />(Collection of Gillette on Hillsborough)<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">Hillsborough residents usually referred to the section of the township along what is now Route 206 as South Somerville. When the railroad built their station there in the 1870s they consequently called it South Somerville. Later in the last century, they renamed it Royce Valley, as seen in the photo above.</div></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGRqzwfpTHNnNu-U2c9rihc3y5P8K5GuNbtAYHGgpRz1qdWupMhXUCgcLdvcJKD1H9tYjXFD8g-ionSRjz3fMxLixE8-chyw9nPgaEjksQ7uw93pyaxXWNR3UvqlwEbW_4sbjZXQ67Ikww/s2048/HillsboroHouse1901LVRR.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1638" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGRqzwfpTHNnNu-U2c9rihc3y5P8K5GuNbtAYHGgpRz1qdWupMhXUCgcLdvcJKD1H9tYjXFD8g-ionSRjz3fMxLixE8-chyw9nPgaEjksQ7uw93pyaxXWNR3UvqlwEbW_4sbjZXQ67Ikww/w400-h320/HillsboroHouse1901LVRR.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scene along the LVRR tracks near present-day Manville<br />(Collection of Gillette on Hillsborough)<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Railroads of a century ago needed constant maintenance and regularly employed work crews who lived in designated "camps" along the line. One such camp in Hillsborough was near Camplain Road (originally Camp Lane - a name that derived from its purpose). Residents tolerated the camps pretty well until 1944 when overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, and general rowdiness - including criminal behavior - were brought to the attention of the township committee who began a legal battle to have the camp either cleaned up or moved.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBq42bRj3NUDv9edHb6I2QAcnxFTf1a3gzHpk6AOO8IkOy-psq4xCN4dBw9oWc067ytrrcSbyqxpwgLMGktBMB7YcovyQbzkhF816jP1G8teh7ZHBf8hMM1KkRIEfyZRtL1-X94sH2AYch/s2048/LVRRHillsboroManvilleStationsOldAndNew.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1463" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBq42bRj3NUDv9edHb6I2QAcnxFTf1a3gzHpk6AOO8IkOy-psq4xCN4dBw9oWc067ytrrcSbyqxpwgLMGktBMB7YcovyQbzkhF816jP1G8teh7ZHBf8hMM1KkRIEfyZRtL1-X94sH2AYch/w458-h640/LVRRHillsboroManvilleStationsOldAndNew.jpg" width="458" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The old (top) and new (bottom)<br />Hillsboro - Manville Stations<br />(Borrowed from ManvilleHistory.com)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Before there was a Manville, New Jersey, the station stop in that part of Hillsborough was called "Hillsboro". In 1912 - after the Johns-Manville company relocated their plant to the township, Hillsboro Station became the destination for hundreds of families from the Pennsylvania "coal country" recruited to work and live in the new town of Manville.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKtxi2BW-Z-YOFhWUa5s17PvQ_THM6zXcv-UmOQRCdrAon3mYVWVH64lJOGowNt60zkrDHXbcaCzYwe5A2ffwqocMd9zM0arJMfK-7XOjSwDS-Xfg1-8pb9Kd0ujg5XiVKEjSx5aSB6NWq/s1650/BoundBrookLVRRStation2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1051" data-original-width="1650" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKtxi2BW-Z-YOFhWUa5s17PvQ_THM6zXcv-UmOQRCdrAon3mYVWVH64lJOGowNt60zkrDHXbcaCzYwe5A2ffwqocMd9zM0arJMfK-7XOjSwDS-Xfg1-8pb9Kd0ujg5XiVKEjSx5aSB6NWq/w400-h255/BoundBrookLVRRStation2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The LVRR Bound Brook Station</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Although hauling coal from Pennsylvania to the coal docks in Perth Amboy was a lucrative business, what was really needed was a terminal closer to New York. In 1887 the LVRR began construction of a terminal in Jersey City on land acquired in the Morris Canal deal and on a classification yard at Oak Island. To reach the terminal, they built the Roselle and South Plainfield Railroad which could connect with the Central Railroad of New Jersey tracks at Roselle.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnE1kRbk3a56hyphenhyphenHj09Jri7LYZzg2ElMN4z5oVI9oacEKgEhHUtUDmxzwvgtnkUk8PQ_HHO0ruyqKKerczSx0cWeyDXZdjUxzdMR5BGzk8jIj0HinrJM7JKG_mXQiupPTIplkpCLbKeQ9Xv/s1650/LVRRNewMarket.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1650" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnE1kRbk3a56hyphenhyphenHj09Jri7LYZzg2ElMN4z5oVI9oacEKgEhHUtUDmxzwvgtnkUk8PQ_HHO0ruyqKKerczSx0cWeyDXZdjUxzdMR5BGzk8jIj0HinrJM7JKG_mXQiupPTIplkpCLbKeQ9Xv/w400-h255/LVRRNewMarket.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The LVRR New Market Station</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Eventually, the LVRR completed its own route from Roselle to Jersey City by constructing five separate railroads. The complete line from Easton to the Jersey City waterfront was finally completed in 1895.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCjPFdtdxisXrMvnhCi9EMvpXufSsVovOS5C85J2eyd6xD2fsgzr09hoY4GKsc_y2qEPnWqNm1Ovf93jpRdlekb0rr1vTF3Xl3d_KKn5pCKFbXHFPJHekQqpB6aT940fw3vk6GeDLtHsjE/s2048/JohnWilkesAtSouthPlainfieldStationLVRR.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1278" data-original-width="2048" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCjPFdtdxisXrMvnhCi9EMvpXufSsVovOS5C85J2eyd6xD2fsgzr09hoY4GKsc_y2qEPnWqNm1Ovf93jpRdlekb0rr1vTF3Xl3d_KKn5pCKFbXHFPJHekQqpB6aT940fw3vk6GeDLtHsjE/w400-h250/JohnWilkesAtSouthPlainfieldStationLVRR.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The John Wilkes at South Plainfield</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />With the line finished, the LVRR was ready to compete in the high-speed passenger business. On May 18, 1896, the Black Diamond Express passenger train left Jersey City at 12:14 pm and arrived in Buffalo, New York at 10 pm reaching speeds as high as 70mph. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHX-FelVYYk3aMpaGa4IiYWlfmM5IItNzdFyVkO7Mx9GoijMr6fSy9gLHd4Vs1TIIcR3FSTKZICC88pRDVNhQbuA1ytTlkgOpchfUueoCVlBhZY-Ly92hED0D5poXkgTu1PNUx6FqJzWCZ/s2048/1906BlackDiamondExpressMonthly.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1360" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHX-FelVYYk3aMpaGa4IiYWlfmM5IItNzdFyVkO7Mx9GoijMr6fSy9gLHd4Vs1TIIcR3FSTKZICC88pRDVNhQbuA1ytTlkgOpchfUueoCVlBhZY-Ly92hED0D5poXkgTu1PNUx6FqJzWCZ/w424-h640/1906BlackDiamondExpressMonthly.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Although neither the Black Diamond Express nor the John Wilkes stopped at any of the local stations, they must have been a sight for residents! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Few railroads survived the bankruptcies, failures, and mergers of the 1960s and 1970s. Today, Norfolk Southern operates the freight line from Easton to Manville while Conrail Shared Assets controls the Manville to Newark route.</div><p></p>Greg Gillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13702458129140401412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329417736357277518.post-64520394138908737962021-04-02T21:59:00.005-04:002021-04-02T21:59:52.414-04:00Duke Farms Bronzes, Then and Now<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A small blurb in the May 3, 1902, issue of the New York Tribune contained the news that 200 pieces of bronze statuary - three railroad cars full - had just arrived at the James B. Duke estate in Hillsborough. The pieces included vases, allegorical figures, many animals, and an $80,000 ($2.5 million today) fountain of marble and bronze.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrkJ9z4uE1DgE5tlXnLr4gmF78wY4rNtKGsjhhNUtmbBne_XFcjDbRS6LG_e_JHy2I75FdzsiJA1Nj33cJE_cemfYo8Oye9qg8AR67wlmSRFx__UUEJ0yVCenaU16eBJuihotEKU3gd9NW/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrkJ9z4uE1DgE5tlXnLr4gmF78wY4rNtKGsjhhNUtmbBne_XFcjDbRS6LG_e_JHy2I75FdzsiJA1Nj33cJE_cemfYo8Oye9qg8AR67wlmSRFx__UUEJ0yVCenaU16eBJuihotEKU3gd9NW/w400-h255/48aBronzes.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duke's Park postcard circa 1905<br />(Collection of Gillette on Hillsborough)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The statues were chosen by Duke when he visited the du Val d'Osne foundry in Paris that winter. In a full-page story four months later the Herald declared them to be "The Most Imposing Private Collection of Bronzes in America".</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSQ0WevvRqAnMHe94mrQgtJ7v237w97_0DL5xzTrVcRqP7BuUTnk9xYg_vKVuiH4Mt6lG5x71weow_OZCIKhAyPVRxhVrjvXWHefiaUGsQYFygZdk2hWHbkvgPtuHABHZ6OIzXyiZZETAg/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1360" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSQ0WevvRqAnMHe94mrQgtJ7v237w97_0DL5xzTrVcRqP7BuUTnk9xYg_vKVuiH4Mt6lG5x71weow_OZCIKhAyPVRxhVrjvXWHefiaUGsQYFygZdk2hWHbkvgPtuHABHZ6OIzXyiZZETAg/w424-h640/48bBronzes.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">14 September 1902 New York Herald</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">This was the year that Duke first fully committed to turning his estate into a magnificent public park, and he spared no expense. Many of the animal figures were placed in the woods that used to be near the coach barn. Visitors, accustomed to the crude cast iron statues they might see at a municipal park or ordinary private home, marveled at the beauty of the bronzes. More than one person was reported to be startled at the sight of deer in the trees, or a hunter with his dogs.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNvCEzf3wo8B3JeutpeSiSDJMG1ydRp32rDjGfXQQPqXh55h6tMAI65NjSb4jhxaPGOidlHbv_gop0rM9N8eWjCHNBWZqe7-Wi0fjMfxEBGVQxg_u15XKxfgVI97ka6h-nQwD7a1miYyYm/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNvCEzf3wo8B3JeutpeSiSDJMG1ydRp32rDjGfXQQPqXh55h6tMAI65NjSb4jhxaPGOidlHbv_gop0rM9N8eWjCHNBWZqe7-Wi0fjMfxEBGVQxg_u15XKxfgVI97ka6h-nQwD7a1miYyYm/w400-h255/48cBronzes.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duke's Park postcard circa 1905</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3oMxAVoFNmINWQ6C_hnhyppHfJI38JEXYUef5BTSSm0SRCtBdwt96FBrvRNsBn9-agV4M4rHB_a-iQJGRlaC2qml6N3VQ7ErIYRcMM7kmLTYuT8-Pn3aZGZbZecP3zkK-6CX99h_58Kcx/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1120" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3oMxAVoFNmINWQ6C_hnhyppHfJI38JEXYUef5BTSSm0SRCtBdwt96FBrvRNsBn9-agV4M4rHB_a-iQJGRlaC2qml6N3VQ7ErIYRcMM7kmLTYuT8-Pn3aZGZbZecP3zkK-6CX99h_58Kcx/w349-h640/19020914NYHerald%2528LionAndDeer%2529.jpg" width="349" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deer, and Lion Killing a Snake,<br />14 September 1902 New York Herald)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Allegorical figures such as the four graces were placed on the lawn near the conservatory - today's Orchid Range. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglhRQ0WQUL4DU2bpeOiHE27P4-nKBzCF6nm3C_uaZYRcokcLs-ZuyL5DlH6hyphenhyphen6nFEvZL7ciuka3qJ-bdDvoAJyayYbmDeXSM4G8ZK0KsHkARYH0V418p1lF0vIpHO9DrGGxUVxE-2E5lKy/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1651" data-original-width="1050" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglhRQ0WQUL4DU2bpeOiHE27P4-nKBzCF6nm3C_uaZYRcokcLs-ZuyL5DlH6hyphenhyphen6nFEvZL7ciuka3qJ-bdDvoAJyayYbmDeXSM4G8ZK0KsHkARYH0V418p1lF0vIpHO9DrGGxUVxE-2E5lKy/w408-h640/1905StatueA.jpg" width="408" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the Four Graces. Postcard circa 1903.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Today, most of the bronzes are long gone - auctioned off in just the last 15 years, although many were removed from the grounds decades ago. Those that remain have appeared in this series - <a href="https://cnhillsborough.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-thorn-puller-then-and-now.html">Lo Spinario</a>, <a href="https://cnhillsborough.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-farnese-bull-then-and-now.html">The Farnese Bull</a>, <a href="https://cnhillsborough.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-urchins-band-then-and-now.html">The Urchins' Band</a> - and I have also written about a few that are no more - <a href="https://cnhillsborough.blogspot.com/2015/05/well-house-and-hay-barn-then-and-now.html">Flying Mercury</a>, <a href="https://cnhillsborough.blogspot.com/2018/06/farm-barn-then-and-now.html">The Sower</a>, <a href="https://cnhillsborough.blogspot.com/2017/05/j-b-dukes-mckinley-bronze.html">The McKinley Bronze</a>. Still, taken altogether, this only accounts for a handful of the many dozens of bronze statues that once adorned the Duke's Park.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLACD8sMTx6HmZrjl1JAHDDjWcDQneE6UYhhub5Vrq_R-dl98i5PcYCEGmBn_Npj7gWRKITm0NkHcuSJ9gSCR94e0BDEXeXlne9FAEY9q1HXJQc6Amlzzs3E-jMS8CPlLFlIITP2Rqgz0-/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1743" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLACD8sMTx6HmZrjl1JAHDDjWcDQneE6UYhhub5Vrq_R-dl98i5PcYCEGmBn_Npj7gWRKITm0NkHcuSJ9gSCR94e0BDEXeXlne9FAEY9q1HXJQc6Amlzzs3E-jMS8CPlLFlIITP2Rqgz0-/w340-h400/48eBronzes.jpg" width="340" /></a></div><br /><br /></div></div></div></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Most of Duke's bronzes - including the pair of torchieres above that used to stand in front of the Orchid Range, and the dogs below - were auctioned in 2009 and can be found in the usual locations such as Pinterest.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg18AbQQCTrVpI6uPe7XhMlxZOBtYAzPPU64yJpOmKfuxC6WzItDRjPZL_creDvc5mwItMFGieECzJ7Iyhr9OaX3xJzXoykkEf14LFcu00Tb3frdeFiGhl5vWlPGVyHKzfLADQUVe90KUMD/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1181" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg18AbQQCTrVpI6uPe7XhMlxZOBtYAzPPU64yJpOmKfuxC6WzItDRjPZL_creDvc5mwItMFGieECzJ7Iyhr9OaX3xJzXoykkEf14LFcu00Tb3frdeFiGhl5vWlPGVyHKzfLADQUVe90KUMD/w368-h640/48fBronzes.jpg" width="368" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And if you peer keenly into the thicket of the Internet, you just may find the image to complete your Then and Now post!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_FdAk4ZsClWTB20zjtO46ihD9kvA7Jd1U_Z0Ab_njFR-mbL9VF0GldkfVV6sZiVJqapXDK6fdQ_5bOufL54xV2P-M3vXORGHEZOXk6dexgh0dQpdbwOfyd5cmspbmerbNR2OJkPPAPYK/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_FdAk4ZsClWTB20zjtO46ihD9kvA7Jd1U_Z0Ab_njFR-mbL9VF0GldkfVV6sZiVJqapXDK6fdQ_5bOufL54xV2P-M3vXORGHEZOXk6dexgh0dQpdbwOfyd5cmspbmerbNR2OJkPPAPYK/w400-h255/48HBronzes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /></div></div>Greg Gillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13702458129140401412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329417736357277518.post-6963855978510082542021-04-02T13:39:00.003-04:002021-04-02T13:39:40.964-04:00Family Feud at Frankfort, 1907<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the late afternoon of January 22, 1907, Morris "Max" Breen took a break from his chores to regale his friends with stories of his ongoing feud with Thomas Cox. Breen and Cox were rival shopkeepers in the hamlet of Frankfort, New Jersey - a small postal village in Hillsborough Township that up until 1878 had been named Flaggtown.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihvLkP1aflPhPyfBajND7eN2jaPrIzkUp0ctjK9kcN2Q_53rab8PvOTg0RaCQgmvmx-g31lYP3fzt0w_Zu9AD1uJ6I3XYkaZaucz-M5fAgymCqlBr_6HtqzpedpjezeEPc5TU8W4LT3QnX/s2766/19070123HomeNews%2528FrankfortPostmasterHold-Up%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1137" data-original-width="2766" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihvLkP1aflPhPyfBajND7eN2jaPrIzkUp0ctjK9kcN2Q_53rab8PvOTg0RaCQgmvmx-g31lYP3fzt0w_Zu9AD1uJ6I3XYkaZaucz-M5fAgymCqlBr_6HtqzpedpjezeEPc5TU8W4LT3QnX/w400-h165/19070123HomeNews%2528FrankfortPostmasterHold-Up%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">23 January 1907 Home News</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Farmer Nicholas Ernest and laborers Crook Sutton, David Dilts, and Clarence Miller relaxed on cracker barrels around the heat stove in Breen's store and listened as the Russian immigrant and former house painter poured out his troubles.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_MIrV7bPjv89XdacgZLBGmMv5T2p1od1uMXYSwtK5MDbo0cQC66QrH15TW6Ykrh0RF7Kt5HKHXkfe59HmdZhDEDsw4dogQLYCtIls1J-DMDrjrNnZMN5PMoCAIkPIxfliPLk60bHDZ25/s2953/19070123CourierNews%2528FrankfortPostmasterHold-Up%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="2953" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_MIrV7bPjv89XdacgZLBGmMv5T2p1od1uMXYSwtK5MDbo0cQC66QrH15TW6Ykrh0RF7Kt5HKHXkfe59HmdZhDEDsw4dogQLYCtIls1J-DMDrjrNnZMN5PMoCAIkPIxfliPLk60bHDZ25/w400-h144/19070123CourierNews%2528FrankfortPostmasterHold-Up%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">23 January 1907 Courier News</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The feud had been going on for quite some time. According to Breen, it all started when Cox - who was also the Frankfort Postmaster and whose store was on South Branch Road about opposite of where Longfield Drive is today - had Breen arrested on a charge of "cruelty to dumb animals". Not long afterward Breen sent one of his friends to accost Cox and frighten him by pretending to rob him as he drove his cart over a lonely country road at night. Because Cox pulled his revolver in the incident, Breen had him later arrested on a serious charge of carrying a concealed weapon.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="3000" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqiesLbGTiLIQBYmOBEQUUR1Tjj7m-5-sCDb2EMPRNVtuGrKs0_EO4r3nt0IzWr4k8f_lQXr9amoVWiL4Mpfdsn8xqwQ2gSw90ILE2TWgWQBirwtchw1qz64qFd-0O08yAfVEq56IdzXo4/w400-h110/19070122HomeNews%2528FrankfortPostmasterHold-Up%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">22 January 1907 Home News</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">According to an account in the Plainfield Daily Press, relations between the two continued to sour after Breen - whose store was on Amwell (now East Mountain) Road near Mill Lane - held a house party and invited everyone in the vicinity except the Cox family. To make room for all of the horses (kind of like finding room for street parking today) Breen moved his own horses out of his barn and took them to Cox's stables. This was a regular courtesy offered to each other by area folks - but not between these feuding families. Cox refused to release the horses back to Breen, compelling Breen to initiate a legal proceeding which cost him $3 paid to Cox for the board of the horses.</div><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHL_T4LQqtPLHQE5y1dGeT1O70QWhvwZAlUMzQF2wZDAIC_xS3fGxwVfeTEnsRBUmoKKIL1FQmzmM2Yco2j_e-8W9kUA3e2r2Aqypsa_fpf2ADvl0AMvhHeZC_fSXtA9TEgE3YjHioz-BJ/s1500/19070123PlainfieldDailyPress%2528FrankfortPostmasterHold-Up%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1362" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHL_T4LQqtPLHQE5y1dGeT1O70QWhvwZAlUMzQF2wZDAIC_xS3fGxwVfeTEnsRBUmoKKIL1FQmzmM2Yco2j_e-8W9kUA3e2r2Aqypsa_fpf2ADvl0AMvhHeZC_fSXtA9TEgE3YjHioz-BJ/w364-h400/19070123PlainfieldDailyPress%2528FrankfortPostmasterHold-Up%2529.jpg" width="364" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">23 January 1907 Plainfield Daily Press</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hearing all of this, the four friends decided to pay the postmaster a visit. They entered Cox's store that evening and each, in turn, asked for his mail. As Cox slid the mail through the slot in the window he sensed trouble. He came out from behind the counter and asked the men to leave. When they didn't go, he took a step towards his gun in the corner of the room. It was at this point that the gang knocked him down, stomped on him, and dragged him by his heels out to South Branch Road.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2goaafDl8pv2YI2zU8TspN41W_caH4qRZLe9zC5liCQz8ehDJhPge24Xc0Vsm05wwrg0oBlWiYJ-HOQ_uQZAi5NS5ocvRXbPZ7j10K8nDA-4bxsOfdyGu-ZZCDD_CPkzk936BibV369T/s3000/19070124CourierNews%2528FrankfortPostmasterHold-Up%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="979" data-original-width="3000" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2goaafDl8pv2YI2zU8TspN41W_caH4qRZLe9zC5liCQz8ehDJhPge24Xc0Vsm05wwrg0oBlWiYJ-HOQ_uQZAi5NS5ocvRXbPZ7j10K8nDA-4bxsOfdyGu-ZZCDD_CPkzk936BibV369T/w400-h130/19070124CourierNews%2528FrankfortPostmasterHold-Up%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">24 January 1907 Courier News</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cox's wife Mary and sister-in-law Dora Mutchler heard the commotion and came running out to help. Mrs. Cox wound up getting her fingers smashed by a boot heel and then fainted. Cox called out for store clerk James Martin to come quickly and retrieve his gun from the store. But as Martin reached the door he was jumped. The Cox family managed to escape to the neighbors - and Cox ran up to the telegraph station at the Flagtown Depot to call for help.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcZ6IX68EVy22ZpvzVPG2Yt-a5-2pXylPnKx7FvJFrOiHm3nIkdxWw3WnhRPbrw0vh0hp9kuNgPiL0OU7agq7W6-q04paEI9EP7HrWrenXI4WtoB-ge6wJIuXxVBVRC5sEr0QxeeKKQPV/s2048/19070201CourierNews%2528FrankfortPostmasterHold-Up%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1466" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcZ6IX68EVy22ZpvzVPG2Yt-a5-2pXylPnKx7FvJFrOiHm3nIkdxWw3WnhRPbrw0vh0hp9kuNgPiL0OU7agq7W6-q04paEI9EP7HrWrenXI4WtoB-ge6wJIuXxVBVRC5sEr0QxeeKKQPV/s320/19070201CourierNews%2528FrankfortPostmasterHold-Up%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 February 1907 Courier News</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The four assailants were rounded up the next day by county detective George Totten and appeared before Justice Sutphen where they were charged with assault and robbery - it seems that Cox noticed $19 was missing from his pocket after the melee. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This story was prominent in the newspapers for about ten days back in 1907, then promptly disappeared as journalists turned to new and shinier distractions, so we may never know how the feud turned out in the end!</div><br /><p></p>Greg Gillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13702458129140401412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329417736357277518.post-36863427311238729582021-03-31T21:06:00.005-04:002021-03-31T21:06:49.412-04:00The Enduring Mystery of Millstone's Secession<p>The Hillsborough Township Committee meeting minutes for June 7th and 8th, 1894, barely hint at it. Local newspapers published that spring are silent. The well-researched 1976 history "Portrait of a Village" gives the topic half a paragraph then throws in the towel - for good reason. There just doesn't seem to be any good information out there - either now or then.</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge14gBbiYDgdL9HuCaYKPR3Q3NTiHVyfMM9aU9KBJheq7BKE-RyLwo_fA4Z8QcuZesrKUsA78LjKn-2Bb21zSPZaTvvf9Hx24484CmuEU720QuJ3T0F2PgObK88qC4UiHOZcgcH8XWcjB5/s2048/Circa1910MillstoneStreetScene.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge14gBbiYDgdL9HuCaYKPR3Q3NTiHVyfMM9aU9KBJheq7BKE-RyLwo_fA4Z8QcuZesrKUsA78LjKn-2Bb21zSPZaTvvf9Hx24484CmuEU720QuJ3T0F2PgObK88qC4UiHOZcgcH8XWcjB5/w400-h255/Circa1910MillstoneStreetScene.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The reasons for Millstone, New Jersey's secession from Hillsborough Township and incorporation as an independent boro on May 18, 1894, remain a mystery. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TYjJB2QZT6XVu4U8B15bv_MdZsbEUOA5hbuGcVshQi5F_TYVeIKhk3Lo30C4rKkxiPtReRtUs_76c_PN_s9KIH0QabcRxQ8UAWvoYoRR4VdEIDRf2F6W209p_04s7NcHcYQTtCjelAbo/s2048/FiveAcres1905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TYjJB2QZT6XVu4U8B15bv_MdZsbEUOA5hbuGcVshQi5F_TYVeIKhk3Lo30C4rKkxiPtReRtUs_76c_PN_s9KIH0QabcRxQ8UAWvoYoRR4VdEIDRf2F6W209p_04s7NcHcYQTtCjelAbo/w400-h255/FiveAcres1905.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It is often said that Hillsborough is a township of small villages. That was never a good description - Hillsborough was a township of farms, with a few small villages at major crossroads, and is now a township of residential developments with a few shopping centers along the highway. But in acknowledgement of that first description, it is important to say that among Hillsborough's villages Millstone stands apart.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh6ZSIM2rt_DLdj_60IVSWs_A9VJKOd7bOAf-rx20PIugmVICByuQf6ji246ewjMPC5VJPXC3YOFAFeKKEq-nyj_6wRE4jmyRCi4ErRBaAx6uNJYpBhzcp-KChTZBJXBoy-c8SaeLaPnrZ/s1650/MillstoneHouse1905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1650" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh6ZSIM2rt_DLdj_60IVSWs_A9VJKOd7bOAf-rx20PIugmVICByuQf6ji246ewjMPC5VJPXC3YOFAFeKKEq-nyj_6wRE4jmyRCi4ErRBaAx6uNJYpBhzcp-KChTZBJXBoy-c8SaeLaPnrZ/w400-h255/MillstoneHouse1905.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Situated on the major north-south road between Bound Brook and Princeton at the intersection of the road that leads to New Brunswick, it is no wonder that Millstone was settled early and was the seat of Somerset County government during the Revolution. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioe459lFw_EWt6OuGQmXSfMPBcyqNtdcn3lO8x0FBcTDVxYECqYrXBh4s7rAVZ0bdwKBmRtPo83b6sAL5Yt7RObNdw13CTrsvlYlslW7fFfz-c4PKXn5LhPEK_fr1_qOdVuNdUPDriJgjN/s1650/MillstoneMainAndAnnSts1905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1650" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioe459lFw_EWt6OuGQmXSfMPBcyqNtdcn3lO8x0FBcTDVxYECqYrXBh4s7rAVZ0bdwKBmRtPo83b6sAL5Yt7RObNdw13CTrsvlYlslW7fFfz-c4PKXn5LhPEK_fr1_qOdVuNdUPDriJgjN/w400-h255/MillstoneMainAndAnnSts1905.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After the Delaware and Raritan Canal opened in the 1830s, East Millstone - across the river in Franklin Township - gained in prominence while its sister village declined. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53JtYmepEEvc1qiFe3Lto51C3NB-uaQPRTGE2kZuj1dqE0csDos0gJJqmXrgTg1XGZ1zXumypQrPrNKoJkOTs1ztuohYTtfNEix1whzGz2_9y_FkIL4hbCswMiQXoMOlkNetik7fInkol/s2048/HillsboroughReformedChurchMillstoneCirca1905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53JtYmepEEvc1qiFe3Lto51C3NB-uaQPRTGE2kZuj1dqE0csDos0gJJqmXrgTg1XGZ1zXumypQrPrNKoJkOTs1ztuohYTtfNEix1whzGz2_9y_FkIL4hbCswMiQXoMOlkNetik7fInkol/w400-h255/HillsboroughReformedChurchMillstoneCirca1905.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So what happened in 1894? After years of looking into this the only clue that I have turned up - and it's merely circumstantial evidence - is that exactly two months after Millstone Boro's incorporation, the brand new Central New Jersey Traction Company announced plans to extend a trolley line south from Finderne through the sleepy boro and on to Trenton. This project - and by the way it was never built - must have been in the works for months in 1893 and 1894, with inquiries about land purchases and surveyors out on Millstone River Road.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMy4zW180uxuDBFSeEahI1v-CMd-4lhxY6u3QzOpj76pMVa9_li7i3nGN9Mz-xwPoNyhMZIEjT_7wXhonHdgtimQ6wnr6XvO25VNtPkFsEwyTI7jVTy9YbW0xzzrvScITxgaoJRp_ih6qg/s2048/Wyndcrest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMy4zW180uxuDBFSeEahI1v-CMd-4lhxY6u3QzOpj76pMVa9_li7i3nGN9Mz-xwPoNyhMZIEjT_7wXhonHdgtimQ6wnr6XvO25VNtPkFsEwyTI7jVTy9YbW0xzzrvScITxgaoJRp_ih6qg/w400-h255/Wyndcrest.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I wrote about the trolley line <a href="https://cnhillsborough.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-central-new-jersey-traction-company.html">here</a>. But this certainly isn't the end of the line for this mystery. </div><p></p>Greg Gillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13702458129140401412noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329417736357277518.post-3483826282780117432021-03-29T10:00:00.002-04:002022-05-27T21:44:32.728-04:00Foothill Acres Rehabilitation and Nursing Center (1954 - present)<p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaabq5YQRivXId2-5ESUAkwXrQTlFxc-pYAl44b2WrWuVRpaJAiWo11csQoT5aAONRK210jK9HIgOpCKMWmF-SvTuKDwClAa7lsAx-NQTVTuq7NUrGk1sRQOQb5Gbri6PFyzlrHvrg0iPv/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1650" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaabq5YQRivXId2-5ESUAkwXrQTlFxc-pYAl44b2WrWuVRpaJAiWo11csQoT5aAONRK210jK9HIgOpCKMWmF-SvTuKDwClAa7lsAx-NQTVTuq7NUrGk1sRQOQb5Gbri6PFyzlrHvrg0iPv/w489-h312/FoothillAcresAerial.jpg" width="489" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Foothill Acres Nursing Home - early 1960s</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Dr. Samuel H. Husted received his medical degree from the University of Maryland in 1929. In July 1930, he opened his own practice on North Bridge Street in Somerville. He was just 30 years old.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4dSnnU4iYvWYh78Ac8mIO7wpT8TMaxNEF_7h9yUIrAh4oyAWibkeVnoNt0eKM6rBNANHS1Jduc9tT57mw5V2B17URPNr6hZLrBtzJ85sT9BAdG3GL1Yt49rWMCra29ewHPH8q5PwdG26n/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="2621" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4dSnnU4iYvWYh78Ac8mIO7wpT8TMaxNEF_7h9yUIrAh4oyAWibkeVnoNt0eKM6rBNANHS1Jduc9tT57mw5V2B17URPNr6hZLrBtzJ85sT9BAdG3GL1Yt49rWMCra29ewHPH8q5PwdG26n/w487-h224/19300715HomeNews%2528FoothillAcres%2529.jpg" width="487" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">15 July 1930 Home News</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The Cumberland County, New Jersey native chose the right time to move north. In 1930, Dr. John E. Anderson of Neshanic was finishing up his 45th year as Somerset County's quintessential country doctor - and he was worn out. Beginning in the horse and buggy days of the mid-1880s, Dr. Anderson estimated that he regularly drove 30,000 miles a year over the unpaved country roads and byways of Hillsborough and the surrounding area caring for the sick and delivering babies - more than 2,000 of them. He didn't switch to an automobile until 1914.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejMnXrjohxT5LnX4K7iLc9lHNjVkNRxQ8pcFGUvEYIn2i0U_wtN4Pz0Q_-GlfqKjWWVB8ftnRyVACGBss3YlBZ5hzJG72Yf1Y7tVCJ2DNzET6idOHRkFm8dVYnFRLnkmg5bWzwWDE33cv/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1650" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejMnXrjohxT5LnX4K7iLc9lHNjVkNRxQ8pcFGUvEYIn2i0U_wtN4Pz0Q_-GlfqKjWWVB8ftnRyVACGBss3YlBZ5hzJG72Yf1Y7tVCJ2DNzET6idOHRkFm8dVYnFRLnkmg5bWzwWDE33cv/w485-h309/Anderson-Husted+House.jpg" width="485" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "Doctor's House", Neshanic</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">He put out the word that he was looking for a young doctor to join him with the idea that this partner would take over the practice upon his retirement. Dr. S.H. Husted fit the bill perfectly, and by January of the next year he had taken over much of Dr. Anderson's work. In fact, by May Dr. Anderson and his wife had moved out of their home on Main Road across from the Neshanic Dutch Reformed Church - and Dr. Husted and his wife moved in.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSrY53Y7pO_37I-4ydNHig5yChUJKWmhHvRFQEIk18yokZ4b-xeh8m2sfUW__2heU9-3eYIvMsy_fYj1PNFaFL1TXFuidsd01ql_CqgNLXSIm_lt0tnhgBHcbK2kAOB_0pPgJ5dF11_Oiw/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1079" height="740" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSrY53Y7pO_37I-4ydNHig5yChUJKWmhHvRFQEIk18yokZ4b-xeh8m2sfUW__2heU9-3eYIvMsy_fYj1PNFaFL1TXFuidsd01ql_CqgNLXSIm_lt0tnhgBHcbK2kAOB_0pPgJ5dF11_Oiw/w388-h740/19541028HomeNews%2528FoothillAcres%2529.jpg" width="388" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">28 October 1954 Home News</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Dr. Anderson continued seeing patients right up until his death in 1936 at the age of 74. For the next 17 years, Dr. Husted continued in much the same fashion as his predecessor - then he had an idea. </div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-nfGyGnwv9OtWJDmZA075-yNLroQXmR42GZHNcfkL6bIro5vIW4eDfnCz0S12QWPAiiXnl7DyD2QQXoY8k9ugYTkjn5ScxbAjwSOVbpd43YVdwJs0R_khKUjVNj7B_yq7OT35wCCZvbDi/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1609" height="517" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-nfGyGnwv9OtWJDmZA075-yNLroQXmR42GZHNcfkL6bIro5vIW4eDfnCz0S12QWPAiiXnl7DyD2QQXoY8k9ugYTkjn5ScxbAjwSOVbpd43YVdwJs0R_khKUjVNj7B_yq7OT35wCCZvbDi/w407-h517/FoothillAcres11.jpg" width="407" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What Hillsborough and Somerset County could really use was a new modern nursing home. Not a convalescent home repurposed from an old house with substandard facilities, but a brand new building with the latest state-of-the-art equipment to care for the elderly and infirm.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0gfKpNytQ9hNLq39OKNvW2pRrkZ1XZjrns-0SGQlZcGu_YBmGFJVJiUGDd23ISt0PBc4RyRV5Bcvcm-n6v1A_QAIXQOVcJb8cUE4TDtLfVYfPZlfB_LQIKRW6hScY1QWKQ5P5fk6zBufD/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1609" height="536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0gfKpNytQ9hNLq39OKNvW2pRrkZ1XZjrns-0SGQlZcGu_YBmGFJVJiUGDd23ISt0PBc4RyRV5Bcvcm-n6v1A_QAIXQOVcJb8cUE4TDtLfVYfPZlfB_LQIKRW6hScY1QWKQ5P5fk6zBufD/w422-h536/FoothillAcres03.jpg" width="422" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In 1953 he partnered with Somerville pharmacist Milton Kahn to build Foothill Acres on 8.5 acres on the Old Amwell Road (now designated as a continuation of East Mountain Road). The general contractor for the construction of the 76-bed facility was Walter Dietz. Jr.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ed8HjgSKnN9STitTCO6w8ofRX0WlPm48xXkUWMPrAj3xF_XuKeWI86tKHjTjtwT0A4wUusw3qX8CkhBu5ljxleKxrYYLRMqREV1GgP63M9cqGP4qIjgHEeJoswfDl5VbmMw2sTNhgEBT/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1609" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ed8HjgSKnN9STitTCO6w8ofRX0WlPm48xXkUWMPrAj3xF_XuKeWI86tKHjTjtwT0A4wUusw3qX8CkhBu5ljxleKxrYYLRMqREV1GgP63M9cqGP4qIjgHEeJoswfDl5VbmMw2sTNhgEBT/w416-h528/FoothillAcres04.jpg" width="416" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When Foothill Acres opened in October 1954, the Home News hailed it as "New Jersey's first completely fire resistant nursing and convalescent home. Dr. Husted saw Foothill Acres as not just a building, but as the embodiment of his philosophy that "the ill, the aged, and the infirm should have the opportunity to live as full a life as possible." His 90-year-old mother moved in as one of the first residents.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRCSm9XziBKSSi4FAQ91-sxkymXn4AuRs4PqgSvHQ3-47vhKFjLj5DWRJc68diz4lgxD-0gA9kgENSjQQLO7Vu9S3_nbY2imC-i4N618jr9GYNYHwOkcvGfUJYS4asmKtE-6dJW89t4fdi/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1609" height="533" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRCSm9XziBKSSi4FAQ91-sxkymXn4AuRs4PqgSvHQ3-47vhKFjLj5DWRJc68diz4lgxD-0gA9kgENSjQQLO7Vu9S3_nbY2imC-i4N618jr9GYNYHwOkcvGfUJYS4asmKtE-6dJW89t4fdi/w420-h533/FoothillAcres05.jpg" width="420" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was important to Dr. Husted that Foothill Acres be as "homey" as possible. They provided comfortable common living rooms, outdoor patios, and liberal visiting policies to try to make the residents comfortable. You can see some of the amenities in the series of postcards from the early 1960s.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv3TMHtebDdyoz5iCMV3hPBl5DAj7Za5SdpEIpyBY807qrqxf_ji5t_bxeeFrbCBCOs3z5ZjwsYtQRdGDjOCfmvVxfZyi5Goo7ZebCNf4LylkDnNZOFDkqXy2FfsK1Ae65Qa0Cspq81rin/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1609" height="535" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv3TMHtebDdyoz5iCMV3hPBl5DAj7Za5SdpEIpyBY807qrqxf_ji5t_bxeeFrbCBCOs3z5ZjwsYtQRdGDjOCfmvVxfZyi5Goo7ZebCNf4LylkDnNZOFDkqXy2FfsK1Ae65Qa0Cspq81rin/w421-h535/FoothillAcres06.jpg" width="421" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Foothill Acres underwent an expansion in 1958 and again in 1964 - two years after Dr. Husted's death. Amazingly, in 1962 - just a few months before Dr. Husted's passing - the Hillsborough Township Committee was desperately seeking another doctor to locate in Hillsborough as Dr. Husted was the only doctor servicing western Hillsborough.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGGXm7-vVwgddTgF0qiSv9a5_Lw7A7UpzvyqiAI-zWuyfZiHp9Bo6eFjL8zUCgXorJstFp9O-ZikeZsm-hi7WH2O97rVwoGmy_eDH3panZj1_O5V6iC6W6kxRtb1iLPO9lBuJF8kQwhOM8/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1609" height="531" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGGXm7-vVwgddTgF0qiSv9a5_Lw7A7UpzvyqiAI-zWuyfZiHp9Bo6eFjL8zUCgXorJstFp9O-ZikeZsm-hi7WH2O97rVwoGmy_eDH3panZj1_O5V6iC6W6kxRtb1iLPO9lBuJF8kQwhOM8/w418-h531/FoothillAcres07.jpg" width="418" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the next 45 years, Foothill Acres remained frozen in time. While upgrades occurred inside, there was no major construction at the facility until they broke ground on a completely new building in 2009. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiW9wnAtY-2CE4kwidMccvqztQbH7_abOFpJpHthTtBgnTQSc0ZQF0LWdU7ruTnDV1vFPKLHVGflo9BtiBHsNJisgXBLfEK_sjOMfMMPEvKSKud04OAdoWkmeyKjtGqQeJbwbzS6etcMJ2/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1609" height="533" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiW9wnAtY-2CE4kwidMccvqztQbH7_abOFpJpHthTtBgnTQSc0ZQF0LWdU7ruTnDV1vFPKLHVGflo9BtiBHsNJisgXBLfEK_sjOMfMMPEvKSKud04OAdoWkmeyKjtGqQeJbwbzS6etcMJ2/w420-h533/FoothillAcres12.jpg" width="420" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The new two-story building expanded capacity from 122 to 200 beds and included many new features such as a subacute and rehabilitation area for people requiring a short-term stay and an Alzheimer's wing. Director of Admissions Mary Ann Siebert told The Courier-News, "We're established and we've had a great reputation over the years. That's something we're trying to maintain as we move into our new facility - that family, the homeyness, the great care." Dr. Husted couldn't have said it better himself.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-8rn-DIkw3xzu4Dm-PsIsiwspgAEFXk9eCYeZ9CxM8mr3p_x83pKBgHx-zQlDIXuQpFmu5erm_h3uiaWSvKy_TPG4iM9kkoPwpRpzoRMoayRUdhyphenhyphen1oyxENoFIShVGokkE8dlW9hG2Zpm/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-8rn-DIkw3xzu4Dm-PsIsiwspgAEFXk9eCYeZ9CxM8mr3p_x83pKBgHx-zQlDIXuQpFmu5erm_h3uiaWSvKy_TPG4iM9kkoPwpRpzoRMoayRUdhyphenhyphen1oyxENoFIShVGokkE8dlW9hG2Zpm/" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p></p>Greg Gillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13702458129140401412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329417736357277518.post-80561010838409731992021-03-28T11:51:00.006-04:002021-03-28T11:51:46.704-04:00Farm Barn Stone Well House, Then and Now<p style="text-align: left;">Nearly all of the stone structures built at Duke Farms over a century ago - well houses, spring houses, summer houses, bridges, etc. - still exist today. They were a favorite of photographers in the early years of the last century and turn up frequently in published postcards.</p><p style="text-align: center;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAK3NcAWPoeLnkjMqBOTc55DA_TcWsYnM0kzX7p9aN13SFt6CGDMQPo8EVCoEc3Jwb-epuvvMfFOKsGEqIadZRS8T7g3uFbrtlS9osxPT-T3RQ2VlFeyy3d4Ec38inWa1TcoTquCgMXzmg/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1650" data-original-width="1050" height="610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAK3NcAWPoeLnkjMqBOTc55DA_TcWsYnM0kzX7p9aN13SFt6CGDMQPo8EVCoEc3Jwb-epuvvMfFOKsGEqIadZRS8T7g3uFbrtlS9osxPT-T3RQ2VlFeyy3d4Ec38inWa1TcoTquCgMXzmg/w389-h610/47aWellhouses1912A.jpg" width="389" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Postcard circa 1912</td></tr></tbody></table></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The well house depicted in the bottom right of the three-scene postcard above is decidedly underrepresented in the historical record. In fact, this small image is the only early professional photograph I have been able to find of the structure located in the field to the east of the Farm Barn/Orientation Center.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmwOHDrgQMCQhoW8lK7D9tu0IzW1gKd1xdHKLFq7qwDuIN2YzAQDdtWmV829PfE36gjAJiS35vj_VkeLi8zaAm1vNsFhLTJxa6NBKLMgzW2bDY-tZrC3kXh_jvZM7zjWnCWV1JS5XSIjC/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1801" data-original-width="1200" height="580" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmwOHDrgQMCQhoW8lK7D9tu0IzW1gKd1xdHKLFq7qwDuIN2YzAQDdtWmV829PfE36gjAJiS35vj_VkeLi8zaAm1vNsFhLTJxa6NBKLMgzW2bDY-tZrC3kXh_jvZM7zjWnCWV1JS5XSIjC/w387-h580/47bWellhouse-BirdingPlatform.jpg" width="387" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Postcard Detail</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It is similar in design to the Lovers' Tower located in the historic core of the James B. Duke estate shown in the top right of the three-scene postcard - just not elevated.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHtq2NPdBJvfjd34Ha1ELaYZbIEn9NSZo5AkxRBB5viW6xwGlYN1C1ByddRFPmGx2qLFL5SA6cSI8T_GOsc2b4pmJxWsAeZa2O90Dtyv9Dm0vvUMThRTA0MEZCkdJT7kLQ2HHLSQSkFi3/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1257" data-original-width="2048" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHtq2NPdBJvfjd34Ha1ELaYZbIEn9NSZo5AkxRBB5viW6xwGlYN1C1ByddRFPmGx2qLFL5SA6cSI8T_GOsc2b4pmJxWsAeZa2O90Dtyv9Dm0vvUMThRTA0MEZCkdJT7kLQ2HHLSQSkFi3/w482-h295/47c1908WomenAtWellHouse.jpg" width="482" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Privately printed postcard, 1908<br />(Collection of Gillette on Hillsborough)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The only other representation of this scene that I have been able to locate is a privately printed postcard photographed in an inadvertent double exposure by a shaky-handed tourist in 1908.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv2xDBjTarxgjHUZRA4js1_7zcxWznKokhOwK4ej6T7qDN9C8DGwNJ6ivZojJ9R-qpiW6EAlxbf62x4rmHcWhUb3GeL1cuxhVgMAEKk-0LFqdWYOtFTshzGuOyz1G6y-2N8cyTf347QfTz/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1801" data-original-width="1200" height="601" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv2xDBjTarxgjHUZRA4js1_7zcxWznKokhOwK4ej6T7qDN9C8DGwNJ6ivZojJ9R-qpiW6EAlxbf62x4rmHcWhUb3GeL1cuxhVgMAEKk-0LFqdWYOtFTshzGuOyz1G6y-2N8cyTf347QfTz/w400-h601/47dWellhouse-BirdingPlatform.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">March 2021</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Today, work is almost complete in repurposing the well house as a birding platform. This summer, perhaps?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5q_oIUzXGgyETOMLdkuDsnRYYSMzHZDhBQnMAqaN9ASuO3x7dKhxXdJtR4SvVMyjLs4mF7haM2eJ4uxaFJtQK6iXb2sMJFB-L77nYoCF5Frsgyap8hUpjJ72WPEIrA_vJ8BSpW8Z6MOv2/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5q_oIUzXGgyETOMLdkuDsnRYYSMzHZDhBQnMAqaN9ASuO3x7dKhxXdJtR4SvVMyjLs4mF7haM2eJ4uxaFJtQK6iXb2sMJFB-L77nYoCF5Frsgyap8hUpjJ72WPEIrA_vJ8BSpW8Z6MOv2/w477-h358/47eWellhouse-BirdingPlatform.jpg" width="477" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">March 2021</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div></div></div></div><p></p>Greg Gillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13702458129140401412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329417736357277518.post-11316761531894278032021-03-23T21:52:00.000-04:002021-03-23T21:52:07.695-04:00His Visitor Was Dead...<p style="text-align: left;">Friends of Stephen P. Tallman began arriving at the foot of Liberty Street before 9 a.m. on the morning of June 25th, 1897. As they waited for the Central Railroad of New Jersey ferry that would take them across the Hudson to Jersey City, they spoke to each other about their friend's tragic passing.<span style="text-align: center;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ByFStUtkbbCzxZGRxOd8Mc8FlfC1nutXDxt5W8G0Sha1H_TuIkHsVNGyHHEPeQxrkHIuR_tmTIWSFMhRAVJCm7PTO4MFVMwJeTxsdbYJaWQlEBm0W7SWt4bFr1TlNnxmp7IC1BQVMPif/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1537" data-original-width="2048" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ByFStUtkbbCzxZGRxOd8Mc8FlfC1nutXDxt5W8G0Sha1H_TuIkHsVNGyHHEPeQxrkHIuR_tmTIWSFMhRAVJCm7PTO4MFVMwJeTxsdbYJaWQlEBm0W7SWt4bFr1TlNnxmp7IC1BQVMPif/w488-h366/LibertyStreetFerryTerminal1900.jpg" width="488" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Central Railroad of New Jersey Ferry Terminal, NYC<br />circa 1900</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;">Tallman was an attorney working in the railroad business. He was also an inventor who held several patents around stock car improvements, and an entrepreneur who turned some of those inventions into businesses of their own.</div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-6heqlRl8idZYt4K3DJiptI5_60PBaT_2UICdtt3PjQkbQ72wdXMbrx5hWg86Yg110FvHTjPu9sQ9i8mcAX-C9PYWmZUgpCDPl94bT1-Vg_LObhFaF5DWNXIeXIHmnoN4ztN42byVB_ky/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1467" data-original-width="2048" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-6heqlRl8idZYt4K3DJiptI5_60PBaT_2UICdtt3PjQkbQ72wdXMbrx5hWg86Yg110FvHTjPu9sQ9i8mcAX-C9PYWmZUgpCDPl94bT1-Vg_LObhFaF5DWNXIeXIHmnoN4ztN42byVB_ky/w478-h342/18830928Science%2528BothHandsBlownOff%2529.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tallman's automatic brake - <br />illustration from the September 28, 1883, Science Magazine</td></tr></tbody></table></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of his first successful enterprises was the Tallman Automatic Car Brake Company which was incorporated in 1881 with a capital stock of $2 million. In later years he took his expertise to the Burton Stock Car Company. Lately, he had retired to Flagtown where he purchased a stock farm.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF3hcb1SEVmlDdmVvhdf4tmbYVNoLE2Ua97l5DDu-vOE8393t3tBy9-Po_x-2V1QBTtf0wO9NRU_hb8fah6AWtIcTwc-jxA0JOIdYCgna3x2K1rAvr-_AmFM9nQNX8DD9PFmP7zIFRVyKo/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1200" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF3hcb1SEVmlDdmVvhdf4tmbYVNoLE2Ua97l5DDu-vOE8393t3tBy9-Po_x-2V1QBTtf0wO9NRU_hb8fah6AWtIcTwc-jxA0JOIdYCgna3x2K1rAvr-_AmFM9nQNX8DD9PFmP7zIFRVyKo/w461-h223/18970700TheOfficialRailwayEquipmentGuide.jpg" width="461" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illustration from the July 1897<br />Official Railway Equipment Guide</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tallman's friends must have been shocked when they picked up their daily newspaper on March 8, 1897. The Sun, The Telegram, The Herald - they all carried headlines such as the one below. On the morning of the previous day, Tallman was cleaning a double-barreled shotgun at his farm when some mishap caused the firearm to discharge directly into his hands. The newspapers reported that Tallman was known for his cool reserve - which he displayed by walking calmly to his bathroom and placing his arms in a bowl of water. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz-RfiaFVX3sJAfVGcspzJbhA4CpfIANxawkOXji6DMNKjykhRW_jbINAM_OousQbPWDU4-579eR3t9821LIK_Ej9jHejiFwDyviB6DHjjQHVdUaleiiqOcv63E8ycbtDSWQi2cL_GhDrN/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="456" data-original-width="1500" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz-RfiaFVX3sJAfVGcspzJbhA4CpfIANxawkOXji6DMNKjykhRW_jbINAM_OousQbPWDU4-579eR3t9821LIK_Ej9jHejiFwDyviB6DHjjQHVdUaleiiqOcv63E8ycbtDSWQi2cL_GhDrN/w478-h145/18970308NYEveningTelegram%2528BothHandsBlownOff%2529.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8 March 1897 New York Evening Telegram</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">He called out for his farm manager James Painter. When Painter got to the house, he removed his hands from the water, held them out, and said, "Jimmy, please cut off these fingers for me." After Painter removed four of the most mangled fingers, he harnessed the fastest horse on the place and they drove the seven miles to Somerville over the rough country roads. </div></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTLvzAeXZUAW3AsXhOQtLhfxTF8amTEBy5mWKum8G2YxDhvpXJEvIzprOop9oydoIy7jJPxShUyVUa1BnFY_n7DMEXZXIM4lDDgBluiqXUETk_MCIYlh0yeWi3ErlYcXbTulpt-FV5SNeU/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="415" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTLvzAeXZUAW3AsXhOQtLhfxTF8amTEBy5mWKum8G2YxDhvpXJEvIzprOop9oydoIy7jJPxShUyVUa1BnFY_n7DMEXZXIM4lDDgBluiqXUETk_MCIYlh0yeWi3ErlYcXbTulpt-FV5SNeU/w415-h415/1891TownsOdSomervilleAndRaritan%2528SwintonBuilding%2529.jpg" width="415" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Office of Dr. William J. Swinton, Main Street, Somerville,<br />circa 1891</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">By the time they reached Main Street the men and the wagon were covered in mud and blood - shocking the townsfolk who were on their way to church. They pulled up at the office of Dr. W. J. Swinton - an ear and eye specialist who Tallman was acquainted with when Swinton was a physician for the Jersey Central Railroad. Swinton did what he could with what he had to work with - it was reported that Tallman left the office that day in a cheerful mood, but missing half his fingers.</div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Tallman's New York friends were certainly relieved. And that would have been the end of the story if real estate broker William Tunis had not decided to pay Tallman a visit at his farm some week after the incident. As Tunis and his driver approached the Tallman farm, Tunis asked for the carriage to be stopped so he could look around. When he stepped down, he collapsed from a massive heart attack. The driver put him back in the carriage and drove with all speed up to the farmhouse. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNC1zGPpdycxIxNao5xijR2oXHC55tCgvtiBXsFyOGFi_XUCcyxqeqTfw60xw7IZSKbFh5XtUvE3UfwxZlGJLn7nUdHfOyS6L26gRhp5D9PfbIPTSLlzMXLI_4sMTlR1IHlWkDhv46o4nM/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="1500" height="95" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNC1zGPpdycxIxNao5xijR2oXHC55tCgvtiBXsFyOGFi_XUCcyxqeqTfw60xw7IZSKbFh5XtUvE3UfwxZlGJLn7nUdHfOyS6L26gRhp5D9PfbIPTSLlzMXLI_4sMTlR1IHlWkDhv46o4nM/w482-h95/18970607NYSun%2528HisVisitorWasDead%2529.jpg" width="482" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">7 June 1897 New York Sun</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Tallman had been sitting on the porch with Dr. Swinton. When they saw the agitated state of the driver, Swinton ran out to meet them and found that Tunis was dead. This was such a shock to Tallman that he immediately collapsed and died two weeks later.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQX55bmOVQi1SCk1LRdeb1MvGbtxWCBx0xhElev-dl7cGN8xY8pFxcVIitOojnWwghei7Z5AgXu_xHSGVcyHTUe3BA7qtygkXIshg_SYxVNLv4M5mMPftstuuQ8Im3jQOsOPIZeR3b3NVK/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="1434" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQX55bmOVQi1SCk1LRdeb1MvGbtxWCBx0xhElev-dl7cGN8xY8pFxcVIitOojnWwghei7Z5AgXu_xHSGVcyHTUe3BA7qtygkXIshg_SYxVNLv4M5mMPftstuuQ8Im3jQOsOPIZeR3b3NVK/w481-h293/FlagtownStation2.jpg" width="481" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flagtown Station</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The New York friends changed trains at Somerville and were met by carriages at the Flagtown Station to take them out to the farm for the funeral. Stephen P. Tallman was reported to be 61 years old.</div></div><br /><br /><p></p>Greg Gillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13702458129140401412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329417736357277518.post-37205707065788189842021-03-19T17:07:00.001-04:002021-03-20T11:21:34.803-04:00Belle Mead Farm Colony and Sanatorium - Carrier Clinic (1910 - present)<p style="text-align: left;">Two hundred years ago, at the base of the Sourland Mountain on the border of Hillsborough and Montgomery Townships where the East Mountain Road met the road to Blawenburg, there was a tiny hamlet by the name of Post Town - so named because this was a place to send and receive mail. By the 1850s the name of the little village had been changed to Plainville and soon boasted a store, two blacksmith's shops, schoolhouse, hotel, and several residences. Today they are all gone.</p><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw81qJpC1IX0K7AtCk1dii5rWr4nu2_MLys8T1ok5mhe0d_VFFiB-qHBB6dp7OaiBYcouvtgMQftE8p_xG3ZD74O7GVxitKdAX-Hv5Ga4tbX0DMrlNrflajS6sY4sNq6gcObvOwBzaFezs/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw81qJpC1IX0K7AtCk1dii5rWr4nu2_MLys8T1ok5mhe0d_VFFiB-qHBB6dp7OaiBYcouvtgMQftE8p_xG3ZD74O7GVxitKdAX-Hv5Ga4tbX0DMrlNrflajS6sY4sNq6gcObvOwBzaFezs/w490-h312/BelleMeadFarmColonyA.jpg" width="490" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Advertising postcard for the Belle Mead Sanatorium</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">The demise of Plainville can be traced to two events. The first was the arrival of the Delaware and Bound Brook Railroad with their Van Aken (later Belle Mead) Station exactly one mile due east. The second was the arrival of Dr. John Joseph Kindred in 1910 with plans to build a sanatorium on the site.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwWzcqN6ohV6qi-T46H3JpHH6y_5Y9hu0K-fdQhFrUQCsub2AtfKWvMhPTDZCTEgaIQ-tEBpP9oDATexF2IGKP8t5fzStYQwbe7Oj1Bn8eb0Z3L89a-VNUQi0hgKFtWPhK-HqLkKeGgfs6/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1955" data-original-width="2048" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwWzcqN6ohV6qi-T46H3JpHH6y_5Y9hu0K-fdQhFrUQCsub2AtfKWvMhPTDZCTEgaIQ-tEBpP9oDATexF2IGKP8t5fzStYQwbe7Oj1Bn8eb0Z3L89a-VNUQi0hgKFtWPhK-HqLkKeGgfs6/w448-h428/1850-1860-1873PlainvilleMaps.jpg" width="448" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1850 (top left), 1860 (top right),<br />and 1873 (bottom) maps of Plainville</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Kindred was born in Virginia in 1864 and had been practicing medicine in New York since 1889. He became interested in mental illness - picking up a degree in the specialty from the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) in 1892. In 1896 he opened the River Crest Sanitarium in Astoria, Queens. Looking to expand into New Jersey, he was drawn to the scenic beauty and convenient transportation available near Belle Mead. In 1910 he purchased 211 acres - buildings and all - essentially the entire hamlet of Plainville.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDVtKNYIVvApO0-X-VjS5bZNQ832dmTTYM6KEoVptynHwjWwHX4iReBsusdkjTOlicWfWy3_Jxbelm8VdVJKxLeEsht9JfUmlw-nBKspDc2OsyyyqvhyqKZte67Vj1UY0gvXcFijfiu4VF/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1594" data-original-width="2048" height="377" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDVtKNYIVvApO0-X-VjS5bZNQ832dmTTYM6KEoVptynHwjWwHX4iReBsusdkjTOlicWfWy3_Jxbelm8VdVJKxLeEsht9JfUmlw-nBKspDc2OsyyyqvhyqKZte67Vj1UY0gvXcFijfiu4VF/w484-h377/19120415TrentonEveningTimes%2528CarrierClinic%2529.jpg" width="484" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">15 April 1912 Trenton Evening Times</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Belle Mead Farm Colony and Sanatorium was incorporated in June 1910 with Kindred, his cousin James E. Gillette, and Ward Sampsell as principals. He installed Gillette as the superintendent - a position he had served in at River Crest - and they began with the first of the two missions laid out in their 1910 charter, "to deal in farm and dairy products, breed cattle, and conduct a general agricultural business."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQv9zF0WFogrLNNtmg-dEc_LxWqn7vri66xGvHLF2aj8W452KPRg25C4J3aAdDv-dHQp40-bESnMkGRsFlaTa8HLsHafSayfn5YGqLGUd4qfRyx6i4aCpuXYNYm8YnJUdUnmUVXNr-SQQ/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1772" data-original-width="1063" height="652" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQv9zF0WFogrLNNtmg-dEc_LxWqn7vri66xGvHLF2aj8W452KPRg25C4J3aAdDv-dHQp40-bESnMkGRsFlaTa8HLsHafSayfn5YGqLGUd4qfRyx6i4aCpuXYNYm8YnJUdUnmUVXNr-SQQ/w391-h652/JohnJosephKindred.jpg" width="391" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Joseph Kindred (1864 - 1937)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">In 1912 they applied for a state license for the second mission, "to establish and maintain a colony for the care and treatment of the sick, particularly those suffering with nervous and mental diseases." At the time of the application, Kindred was halfway through his two-year term as a United States congressman from New York's 14th district. He later served four terms between 1921 and 1929 from the nearby 2nd district. In between these two stints in Congress - and while managing the River Crest and Belle Mead facilities (and at least one other in Connecticut) - he attained a law degree and passed the bar in 1926.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnhG5L6AzQ6Y1rBLzbaH1fFohvDh63GXYIyyZWfVrWTTdRn7dD_3_in8tcZiYi4ZpkGj7GyvrNb56e2sSSfm3a7VT27iXMKIURJWziwwn9C4JnQ3DhRxbHQmpKPVqlKrFI8xFuHyW7PSTT/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1650" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnhG5L6AzQ6Y1rBLzbaH1fFohvDh63GXYIyyZWfVrWTTdRn7dD_3_in8tcZiYi4ZpkGj7GyvrNb56e2sSSfm3a7VT27iXMKIURJWziwwn9C4JnQ3DhRxbHQmpKPVqlKrFI8xFuHyW7PSTT/w480-h306/BelleMeadSanatoriumA.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Advertising postcard for the River Crest Sanitarium<br />and Belle Mead Sanatorium.<br />Despite the different spellings, <br />a sanitarium and a sanatorium are exactly the same thing.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjRG0iVTJ-06TY8UHJCS88pn3An4Ach5h2xKvj5n_Qfd1DhgJBzc2PbVTEav0Lcr51Vs0afOGZcv8rWYjB1FK9uLvXWtWnhlhrRCk6y865zVmLo34S4UqcBc21nC-FVPqDQbSnYjQYDKPo/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="659" data-original-width="3000" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjRG0iVTJ-06TY8UHJCS88pn3An4Ach5h2xKvj5n_Qfd1DhgJBzc2PbVTEav0Lcr51Vs0afOGZcv8rWYjB1FK9uLvXWtWnhlhrRCk6y865zVmLo34S4UqcBc21nC-FVPqDQbSnYjQYDKPo/w477-h104/19470424HomeNews%2528CarrierClinic%2529.jpg" width="477" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">24 April 1947 Home News</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Long before John Joseph Kindred died in 1937, the management of the Belle Mead Sanatorium fell to his son, Dr. John Cramer Kindred. By all accounts Dr. Kindred the younger was absolutely dedicated to his patients. For proof, we need look no further than the events of April 24, 1947, when a fire that began in the basement of the women's dormitory quickly filled the upper floors with choking black smoke. Two died in the fire (one later in the hospital), but not before the brave doctor personally saved 34 patients by going back into the burning building again and again at great risk to his own life.</div><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFK1pF2w8dKe3GOjoXNO4jEjxjrH_ReVLwnnNyQZB4n4ccFMOUYVDn6_XEfAF3nhKXU69R4crk5oeBSpLJZwm680Mt_MABNuEg0SZRa9-TlOa-fnvOJvWdwTVUSH18hbqKDcvypxUnr8FX/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1503" data-original-width="2048" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFK1pF2w8dKe3GOjoXNO4jEjxjrH_ReVLwnnNyQZB4n4ccFMOUYVDn6_XEfAF3nhKXU69R4crk5oeBSpLJZwm680Mt_MABNuEg0SZRa9-TlOa-fnvOJvWdwTVUSH18hbqKDcvypxUnr8FX/w486-h357/19470425CourierNews%2528CarrierClinic%2529.jpg" width="486" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">25 April 1947 Courier News</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Kindred spent two weeks in the hospital in Somerville, most of that time in critical condition in an oxygen tent. If that wasn't bad enough, his 76-year-old widowed mother, upon visiting him in the hospital five days after the fire, was so anxious about his condition that she had a heart attack upon seeing him and died in the hospital the next day. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgpj-zk3oaIm_RBQ2OTPkJkXdCm4omYbJBZnk6lugaYPu7Z4DHtpoTA4qG7sNMdCLWv9eEPhZRgcUQKBAGGvrElU3hFa1gFBv1Lph3OXL6_NGQgWq5H6p7EnTvkSEQZePh25Qvj8m-0ty/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1999" data-original-width="2048" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgpj-zk3oaIm_RBQ2OTPkJkXdCm4omYbJBZnk6lugaYPu7Z4DHtpoTA4qG7sNMdCLWv9eEPhZRgcUQKBAGGvrElU3hFa1gFBv1Lph3OXL6_NGQgWq5H6p7EnTvkSEQZePh25Qvj8m-0ty/w447-h436/19470828BernardsvilleNews%2528CarrierClinic%2529.jpg" width="447" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">28 August 1947 Bernardsville News</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">In the years after the fire, the Belle Mead Farm Colony and Sanatorium started to get out of the farming business - beginning with selling all of their prize-winning registered Holsteins on September 10, 1947. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After Kindred's brother-in-law, Russell N. Carrier graduated medical school he thought of becoming a surgeon. Kindred convinced him instead to take a position at the River Crest facility. It was there that he learned electro-shock therapy (known today as electro-convulsive-therapy). In 1951 he came to Belle Mead as the medical director.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDWBU3ePF9yYVtP03df-F971ZZDpLLINn2zZXhz8cRkPu62TmJSzB59dxo5DQUlDtg1D735WUHltTXhwV3Wz-2mGwLf4_JOPicsgibLakq4AJ0RWPKTANM7hYsvR9qxav1suFLIKwhzKj_/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1661" height="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDWBU3ePF9yYVtP03df-F971ZZDpLLINn2zZXhz8cRkPu62TmJSzB59dxo5DQUlDtg1D735WUHltTXhwV3Wz-2mGwLf4_JOPicsgibLakq4AJ0RWPKTANM7hYsvR9qxav1suFLIKwhzKj_/w424-h522/19561212HomeNews%2528CarrierClinic%2529.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">12 December 1956 Courier News</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Dr. Kindred suffered for six years from the after-effects of the 1947 fire and finally succumbed in 1953. In 1956 Dr. Carrier purchased the Belle Mead Sanatorium from his sister and changed the name to Carrier Clinic. At that time the capacity of the clinic was 89 beds, and most of the buildings were quite old. Before he retired in 1973, Dr. Carrier began a building and modernization program which swiftly led to a doubling of capacity. Today, there are nearly 400 patient beds at the facility which is a licensed psychiatric hospital, a detoxification and rehabilitation center, and an adolescent residential facility that includes a fully-accredited middle and high school.</div></div></div><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkOAymEqkmM3Xi0XggRtGnN_5fnagItntGN3TT73uWITER3LoAaHbGNW2X8cZRuiG8JIa4-dueSFk8uUCvsunuli87SBNiwBIbPJh8tFKXI49mg5RFEzM9ZDtQpf1dpm3rXDa3GFlbhF4/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1806" data-original-width="2048" height="409" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkOAymEqkmM3Xi0XggRtGnN_5fnagItntGN3TT73uWITER3LoAaHbGNW2X8cZRuiG8JIa4-dueSFk8uUCvsunuli87SBNiwBIbPJh8tFKXI49mg5RFEzM9ZDtQpf1dpm3rXDa3GFlbhF4/w463-h409/CarrierClinic2020Aerial.jpg" width="463" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Carrier Clinic today.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">In 1936, the Somerset County road department eliminated a sharp curve where the Belle Mead-Blawenburg Road used to meet East Mountain Road, thereby erasing Plainville's "Main Street" for good. </div></div></div></div><p></p>Greg Gillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13702458129140401412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329417736357277518.post-71074001535158934502021-03-17T17:00:00.005-04:002022-05-16T22:07:09.828-04:00The Delaware and Bound Brook Railroad<p style="text-align: left;">The Delaware and Bound Brook Railroad - later a division of the Philadelphia and Reading and known in Central New Jersey today as the West Trenton Line - is one of the most important railroads in New Jersey history. It is also important to Hillsborough history - not only because 7 of its 27 miles of track were laid in Hillsborough but because of the connection to Hillsborough of two men intimately associated with the story.</p><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1WnjKaEZZmmbuywRA6L9r26CJApPDzmtqJVAm5DHHmojjBNrYDWP9nsFJalt8zoi1IxFQw1qUR0U7G6fzTCgntZK2W9Q5YxXOZbRw4TSTJQYCpHCRGr-_dd-mv6Qd87_3jfdRH0VQU0V/s2048/Hamilton-Vroom.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1WnjKaEZZmmbuywRA6L9r26CJApPDzmtqJVAm5DHHmojjBNrYDWP9nsFJalt8zoi1IxFQw1qUR0U7G6fzTCgntZK2W9Q5YxXOZbRw4TSTJQYCpHCRGr-_dd-mv6Qd87_3jfdRH0VQU0V/w487-h324/Hamilton-Vroom.jpg" width="487" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Henry Martyn Hamilton and Peter Dumont Vroom</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">Governor Peter Dumont Vroom was born in the village of South Branch in 1791. He attended grade school at the "Old Red Schoolhouse" (it was brand new then!) on River Road near Beekman Lane, and "high school" at the Somerville Academy. After graduating from Columbia and reading law in Somerville, he practiced in Sussex and Hunterdon Counties before moving back to Somerville in 1826 and being elected to the state legislature and then as governor in 1829.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFzmL0Une_VNK_xlmkEkbIlVXmZ_5RQSxiFo9B7s0hbxE2GROYjH1mjVLJCFJUiB156YbdHMjbPV94q4Jc7IiDSsRSxRI6g2D3KTDMwIfQLfGnSwDXADsIiyfbWJOH3BXR1aP80gqzNcj/s3014/1870sDelawareAndBoundBrookTicket.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="3014" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFzmL0Une_VNK_xlmkEkbIlVXmZ_5RQSxiFo9B7s0hbxE2GROYjH1mjVLJCFJUiB156YbdHMjbPV94q4Jc7IiDSsRSxRI6g2D3KTDMwIfQLfGnSwDXADsIiyfbWJOH3BXR1aP80gqzNcj/w490-h170/1870sDelawareAndBoundBrookTicket.jpg" width="490" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1870s Delaware and Bound Brook Railroad ticket,<br />(collection of Gillette on Hillsborough)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />One of Vroom's most important acts as governor was to nurture the nascent railroad and canal business in New Jersey. He promoted granting charters to the Camden and Amboy Railroad and the Delaware and Raritan Canal which gave those companies exclusive rights to build interstate (i.e. New York to Philadelphia) transportation lines across the state - and then he endorsed the merger of the two companies as The United Companies, thus creating a virtual railroad monopoly enshrined in state law.<br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZVhUW4wloikUqrVWFmbQ-lhFXzcemk1AnE6ZdZafUy84VSmJFeyr4Q_1f4W450MloSW-wdOWE8_n5CS9mIhkoPcsRC3PBhWSOjG7A5S0DDOlOOnx0hI9pHE0Nz1Gv9nA0zkLlQfyopiH_/s2048/1884_PRR_RDG_LVRRCrop.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1309" height="672" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZVhUW4wloikUqrVWFmbQ-lhFXzcemk1AnE6ZdZafUy84VSmJFeyr4Q_1f4W450MloSW-wdOWE8_n5CS9mIhkoPcsRC3PBhWSOjG7A5S0DDOlOOnx0hI9pHE0Nz1Gv9nA0zkLlQfyopiH_/w431-h672/1884_PRR_RDG_LVRRCrop.jpg" width="431" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1884 railroad map showing the stations of the <br />Delaware and Bound Brook Railroad.<br />Missing from the map is Weston Station<br /> which was just north of Hamilton.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Henry Martyn Hamilton was born in Ohio in 1831. He attended college first in Ohio but a case of typhoid fever prevented him from graduating. After recovering he continued at Hamilton College in New York State where he also received his law degree. The enterprising young man then returned to the midwest and became one of the four founders of the town of Grinnell, Iowa. It was in this enterprise that he first became involved in the railroad business, trying to lure railroads to build lines through Grinnell and other midwest cities. He soon came to the New York area, making money as a financier and settling in Bloomfield.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ESLL_k4NfHFAxLiEnQUgj3CEIRv9OkXZpKbklGX8ENnttiufC1aClGjZQbo3MabMgjxLCUaNrT-pMw8zabSlPcpsXYFs_fcj7ALAb2e3BGJ7vOOpWNGMowh2A8_T46KqRrJssoonqvuH/s2048/BelleMeadStationPostcard4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ESLL_k4NfHFAxLiEnQUgj3CEIRv9OkXZpKbklGX8ENnttiufC1aClGjZQbo3MabMgjxLCUaNrT-pMw8zabSlPcpsXYFs_fcj7ALAb2e3BGJ7vOOpWNGMowh2A8_T46KqRrJssoonqvuH/w488-h311/BelleMeadStationPostcard4.jpg" width="488" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belle Mead Station circa 1905<br />(collection of Gillette on Hillsborough)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">By the mid-1860s Hamilton started to think that he could build a railroad from Philadelphia to New York and, against the advice of experts, began brainstorming ways to break the United Companies monopoly. He knew that some provisions of the charter would expire in 1869, so he began purchasing "paper" railroads - lines that had been incorporated but never built - in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYF2pjFc1FNj8n65f0riVlZUqgCIG8a00KhNaheVonpTU4QrpHMlssxOoWzbeLoXcZlMsx9hyujQmfdCYt8mOMm9WA4-iMb243Y0bfAhsFP8VEsDiJdObxnK7DHLMtK3e0SJchR4up-pD/s2048/ReadingYardleyvilleRailroadBridge1876.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1556" data-original-width="2048" height="369" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYF2pjFc1FNj8n65f0riVlZUqgCIG8a00KhNaheVonpTU4QrpHMlssxOoWzbeLoXcZlMsx9hyujQmfdCYt8mOMm9WA4-iMb243Y0bfAhsFP8VEsDiJdObxnK7DHLMtK3e0SJchR4up-pD/w486-h369/ReadingYardleyvilleRailroadBridge1876.jpg" width="486" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Delaware and Bound Brook Yardleyville Centennial Bridge<br />1876</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The United Companies lobby was enormous, as would be expected. After all, they controlled all of the traffic - passengers and freight - in the lucrative New York to Philadelphia corridor. The machinations and litigation which followed Hamilton's venture could easily fill a book. In 1867, against great odds, he got the New Jersey legislature to pass an act incorporating the Hamilton Land Improvement Company. The act allowed the company to build a railroad from the Delaware River north of Trenton to a point near the village of Millstone in Hillsborough Township. It also allowed the company to build another 6 miles of railroad anywhere in the state.</div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijVOwqzTyBk8vgg-Z4Kos73ULy-mrvFxe7PP2pQuStyChU-zzX26ARH-D4DYEQA5jINdi7YYVRGYNhTG-yqvxK_OCM6jT84lRDGcGfwRkSHyyWS1v16yqOU_Lqcd5G5sKC-yPpVSxJbDCN/s1650/Reading1929WestTrentonStation1961.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1049" data-original-width="1650" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijVOwqzTyBk8vgg-Z4Kos73ULy-mrvFxe7PP2pQuStyChU-zzX26ARH-D4DYEQA5jINdi7YYVRGYNhTG-yqvxK_OCM6jT84lRDGcGfwRkSHyyWS1v16yqOU_Lqcd5G5sKC-yPpVSxJbDCN/w487-h309/Reading1929WestTrentonStation1961.jpg" width="487" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 1929 west Trenton Station,<br />photographed circa 1961</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">That six miles would prove to be the key, and three years later when the United Companies realized what was happening, all hell broke loose. They desperately lobbied legislators to repeal the 1867 legislation, while at the same time courting the Pennsylvania Railroad as a partner. Meanwhile, Hamilton renamed his company The National Railway and in early 1871 attempted to get a federal law passed through congress that would officially allow a rival railroad through New Jersey. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggsnPTvVXQflwaUEkMX7iyFHpFY8avObMddvkHoriTtMdK9JCOzjSRKUdPV0q1q7913K6-DX8dXwbQMxy6yq_ytOylF0oBYfpzNW0lTNV9Ch7NZbuZUEm6b3Ns5yBH2TA2-2T3cPjhATiO/s1650/ReadingPenningtonStation.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1650" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggsnPTvVXQflwaUEkMX7iyFHpFY8avObMddvkHoriTtMdK9JCOzjSRKUdPV0q1q7913K6-DX8dXwbQMxy6yq_ytOylF0oBYfpzNW0lTNV9Ch7NZbuZUEm6b3Ns5yBH2TA2-2T3cPjhATiO/w492-h313/ReadingPenningtonStation.jpg" width="492" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pennington Station</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On June 30, 1871, the Pennsylvania Railroad signed a 999-year lease with the United Companies allowing them to run trains over their tracks, but basically nothing else. This lease cost them - in the first year alone - $1,948,500 paid in dividends to United Companies stockholders! You can imagine how motivated they were now to keep any rival railroad from building.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyi80IuIlP7nx-jBXZCRXhWY82kLxneIRhiuVEaNAPLnrA6zkPO0Y5PF_TfObwLUfnWxBV8HTgYx3VURqa8FDiThBhnG87pTc_qgLKOI0hCw0e8yNU8nJxEh5Mr8AQYlJc7sks23wcZZzv/s1650/ReadingHopewellStation.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="1650" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyi80IuIlP7nx-jBXZCRXhWY82kLxneIRhiuVEaNAPLnrA6zkPO0Y5PF_TfObwLUfnWxBV8HTgYx3VURqa8FDiThBhnG87pTc_qgLKOI0hCw0e8yNU8nJxEh5Mr8AQYlJc7sks23wcZZzv/w495-h317/ReadingHopewellStation.jpg" width="495" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hopewell Station</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Over the next few years each side pulled out of every trick they could think of. Hamilton's National Railway introduced several bills in the New Jersey Legislature with hidden "Trojan Horse" provisions allowing them to proceed - all defeated. The Pennsylvania Railroad - who now controlled the "monopoly" - began building their own railroad from "north of Trenton to Millstone" which resulted in the famous Frog War covered <a href="https://cnhillsborough.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-mercer-somerset-railroad.html">here</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSbTQ8JjQiprDqlnEEVcZ_AXYUbBgcFqd-tzPrRZvghpJDdbHy3kYxd1B-cNx6ZI53GvXQF2PIjxqF7gMYi9FxT9Gmsem_-9bsZpCL__-rE_g1O2wbgshOdnmLwSqvbbSoeOwM7byKGWJD/s2048/ReadingStoutsburg-Skillman-Harlingen.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1073" height="742" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSbTQ8JjQiprDqlnEEVcZ_AXYUbBgcFqd-tzPrRZvghpJDdbHy3kYxd1B-cNx6ZI53GvXQF2PIjxqF7gMYi9FxT9Gmsem_-9bsZpCL__-rE_g1O2wbgshOdnmLwSqvbbSoeOwM7byKGWJD/w389-h742/ReadingStoutsburg-Skillman-Harlingen.jpg" width="389" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stoutsburg, Skillman, and Harlingen Stations - <br />top to bottom</td></tr></tbody></table><br />In the midst of all of this, Hamilton took a meeting with a "former State Governor" and a representative of the United Companies. An offer of a half-million dollars upfront and a $5,000 no-show job was made to entice Hamilton to walk away, but as he told confidantes, "I can afford to be defeated, but I can't afford to sell out my friends."<br /><div><br /></div><div>Remarkably - notwithstanding the Frog War three years later - the rivals set aside their differences in 1873 and compromised to support a general railroad law allowing for competition.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkfxAEesDF3jefiAy5GiFFa_8FqheWN5ZGh1brTLLrd0HTCMBPYYYZcrQBYzNHka7RS6qcySFE9JPFYM3vjDZlHH_wxdDzeBK1xz79v40-5yrp5-4bj8u0UkS556GxfDOw-OlnVpDjYNFO/s2048/BelleMeadStation1906.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkfxAEesDF3jefiAy5GiFFa_8FqheWN5ZGh1brTLLrd0HTCMBPYYYZcrQBYzNHka7RS6qcySFE9JPFYM3vjDZlHH_wxdDzeBK1xz79v40-5yrp5-4bj8u0UkS556GxfDOw-OlnVpDjYNFO/w490-h312/BelleMeadStation1906.jpg" width="490" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Royal Blue Line postcard<br />(collection of Gillette on Hillsborough)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Hamilton began building immediately in an effort to have the railroad open in time for the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876. The line had been surveyed through Mercer and Somerset Counties to "a point near the village of Millstone". That spot was in the vicinity of today's Hamilton and North Willow Roads - which is where Hamilton moved with his family and built a station. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfk2C3mZKtOeZhjaNswFbayNHMEAV6ry4UguWA3JWVkKw1NjYxFXLe6HsQ5-BcNst26XqSmr76EqOygL-BTqx5T1JJrI6x6i-iKY2QWENwJV7r9j9mwZOjXTIUf1Xw_aqy5AarmUOY2ig9/s2705/Royal_Blue_Line_ad.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1162" data-original-width="2705" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfk2C3mZKtOeZhjaNswFbayNHMEAV6ry4UguWA3JWVkKw1NjYxFXLe6HsQ5-BcNst26XqSmr76EqOygL-BTqx5T1JJrI6x6i-iKY2QWENwJV7r9j9mwZOjXTIUf1Xw_aqy5AarmUOY2ig9/w486-h208/Royal_Blue_Line_ad.jpg" width="486" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ad for the Royal Blue Line - <br />an upscale passenger service between New York and Washington</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You may have guessed the essential "six miles anywhere in the state" was exactly what was needed to finish the route to Bound Brook. The original concept was for the National Railway to cross over the Central Railroad of New Jersey line and continue northeast and east to Jersey City, but in the end, the National Railway simply acquired trackage rights of the Central past Bound Brook.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBUfVEQ8h-JKIExySCJxk9cIB8DfAH6lPlrELw9dAh_TH79m3roS4G0gWdeeTgfAPZPYJRQscWJssVuYyw3-Kpb0t6O1ejgM8ZN_VwSe5Uvh45TP-mc_KyvjuX0RINPMtw68PK9Jp2TIN2/s2048/ReadingHamiltonStation.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBUfVEQ8h-JKIExySCJxk9cIB8DfAH6lPlrELw9dAh_TH79m3roS4G0gWdeeTgfAPZPYJRQscWJssVuYyw3-Kpb0t6O1ejgM8ZN_VwSe5Uvh45TP-mc_KyvjuX0RINPMtw68PK9Jp2TIN2/w478-h305/ReadingHamiltonStation.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hamilton Station on North Willow Road<br />in Hillsborough</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The Delaware and Bound Brook Railroad was incorporated on May 12, 1874. Hamilton gave the Pennsylvania portion of the project to the North Pennsylvania Railroad. </div></div><br /><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1HNuMnjcWAvARHxhxugDV_4FHkqQQFb_eHC0l_kbOW3Sk1qdhqLWj5nh0VQ_iseq7tiJZokZK8e6yvmQYyTEadm-feSNyfRAXDrl-5oocwy-r4T_oz5FxMb14H7o8oBUztQjlA-BqZ7u/s2048/WestonStation.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1HNuMnjcWAvARHxhxugDV_4FHkqQQFb_eHC0l_kbOW3Sk1qdhqLWj5nh0VQ_iseq7tiJZokZK8e6yvmQYyTEadm-feSNyfRAXDrl-5oocwy-r4T_oz5FxMb14H7o8oBUztQjlA-BqZ7u/w487-h311/WestonStation.jpg" width="487" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hillsborough's Weston Station circa 1905 </td></tr></tbody></table><br />The new Jersey portion of the line crossed the Delaware at the Yardleyville Centennial Bridge (replaced in 1912) and had station stops at Ewing, Pennington, Moore's, Hopewell, and Stoutsburg in Mercer County. The twin stations at Pennington and Hopewell are still standing.<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivbRG-rbXHtby7jNiqvIUcfdEDGvvltEPuQI4rHABrvSXqqgZRb_x9BADiWGMGK_ZXdgzSViwhGhZjAOEx10xN6rkEiQF4TH2EFL8DxNRKq-7t8omprBRo9mTd17pgOvidQrzFFZzLqOht/s1650/ReadingCrusaderAtManvilleWeston.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1650" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivbRG-rbXHtby7jNiqvIUcfdEDGvvltEPuQI4rHABrvSXqqgZRb_x9BADiWGMGK_ZXdgzSViwhGhZjAOEx10xN6rkEiQF4TH2EFL8DxNRKq-7t8omprBRo9mTd17pgOvidQrzFFZzLqOht/w492-h314/ReadingCrusaderAtManvilleWeston.jpg" width="492" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Reading "Crusader" - a streamlined speedster - <br />near Weston Station</td></tr></tbody></table><br />In Somerset County, the stations were at Skillman, Harlingen, Belle Mead (<a href="https://cnhillsborough.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-man-called-van-aken-part-one.html">originally called Van Aken</a>), Hamilton, Weston, and Bound Brook. The new stations built at <a href="https://cnhillsborough.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-new-belle-mead-station-1919.html">Belle Mead</a> in 1919 and Bound Brook in 1913 are the only ones that survive. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_CqleFw0kcrRwvykT5XrjKSGyZiq-kzaHlZSXo36G93GEcRNXJstpfxzUi8U0qSmKJZkyvjyVcDDhsC9oR5bbbdZphplndO332H7a-ceX1jl7cku1mvM5j0ZcNffoh3tXd7BJfj18ERE/s2048/1875RaritanRiverBridge.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1434" data-original-width="2048" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_CqleFw0kcrRwvykT5XrjKSGyZiq-kzaHlZSXo36G93GEcRNXJstpfxzUi8U0qSmKJZkyvjyVcDDhsC9oR5bbbdZphplndO332H7a-ceX1jl7cku1mvM5j0ZcNffoh3tXd7BJfj18ERE/w486-h340/1875RaritanRiverBridge.jpg" width="486" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 1875 Philadelphia and Reading railroad bridge<br />crossing the Raritan River<br />(collection of Gillette on Hillsborough)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The Delaware and Bound Brook Railroad opened on May 1, 1876 - about three years after the death of Governor Vroom. In 1879 it was leased to the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad. Hamilton attempted to build a namesake city at the location of Hamilton Station in Hillsborough. He laid out streets and tried to get investment, to no avail. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjShU-k3_dI_ohekv127r5bEKQucunZTSM_fpe32yeD0Ixn1yZ5tzziNoKxzW88OYjhCmkZZYwMnXZuL_MnTJWtea5V_ZP0_Li1rCn4EM1VLmYwSJ7I7G0xmuRSog0xD8cDjJJiUMKzPnCr/s1650/Reading1913BoundBrookStation.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1051" data-original-width="1650" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjShU-k3_dI_ohekv127r5bEKQucunZTSM_fpe32yeD0Ixn1yZ5tzziNoKxzW88OYjhCmkZZYwMnXZuL_MnTJWtea5V_ZP0_Li1rCn4EM1VLmYwSJ7I7G0xmuRSog0xD8cDjJJiUMKzPnCr/w486-h310/Reading1913BoundBrookStation.jpg" width="486" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 1913 Philadelphia and Reading Bound Brook Station</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>He lived out his later years rather quietly at home with his wife Cornelia and unmarried daughter Mary. Hamilton died in 1907, Cornelia in 1920, and Mary in 1941. Hamilton station was abandoned by the Philadelphia and Reading in 1956.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>After the railroad bankruptcies and mergers of the 1960s, New Jersey Transit operated passenger trains on the line until service was ended in 1982. Today, CSX operates the 27-mile freight line as part of their Trenton Subdivision.</div>Greg Gillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13702458129140401412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329417736357277518.post-60233048082187558332021-03-14T15:15:00.000-04:002021-03-14T15:15:17.564-04:00Duke's Parkway Bridge, Then and Now<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: left;">As part of James B. Duke's massive construction project at his Hillsborough, New Jersey estate at the beginning of the last century, he had all of the road bridges rebuilt in stone to fit the new motif of Duke's Park. These included the bridges on River and Roycefield Roads as well as Duke's Parkway, as pictured in the postcard below from 1905.</div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB5qhu4WfJK7A1iDCfPxhU1pnUgCkCNf6N5_6n887ie4Kj5Os5lTTJ-YCUJUzMk_G-TX88rrtlDfTKV_E6fTenQQZ7W3to34mnA5C8XXtWRJlxIOImoIMTxG4OLF0dkT0X5WjeC7IjzP4s/s2048/46aDuke%2527sParkwayBridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB5qhu4WfJK7A1iDCfPxhU1pnUgCkCNf6N5_6n887ie4Kj5Os5lTTJ-YCUJUzMk_G-TX88rrtlDfTKV_E6fTenQQZ7W3to34mnA5C8XXtWRJlxIOImoIMTxG4OLF0dkT0X5WjeC7IjzP4s/w485-h309/46aDuke%2527sParkwayBridge.jpg" width="485" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Postcard circa 1905</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">This scene - near the current entrance to the Duke Farms orientation center - was popular with postcard publishers and was reprinted a number of times in both color and monochrome.</div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQnrpxT-QwxxyNAZOpfFF1I_IKHB7VbcWlOYcNUk62MYzCa_fKuwmrRFPe37QqtLF06OlX7WSvWa6x6GywwP8AvReUpuO8VXEtqvItSeaQQOi3bJuIYXhoJHF-A3c1eivDJeU0UsAxBMq/s2048/46bDuke%2527sParkwayBridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQnrpxT-QwxxyNAZOpfFF1I_IKHB7VbcWlOYcNUk62MYzCa_fKuwmrRFPe37QqtLF06OlX7WSvWa6x6GywwP8AvReUpuO8VXEtqvItSeaQQOi3bJuIYXhoJHF-A3c1eivDJeU0UsAxBMq/w482-h307/46bDuke%2527sParkwayBridge.jpg" width="482" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Postcard circa 1905</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The opposite view - standing at the bridge and facing south - was also popular and sometimes captioned with, "In the shade of the old apple tree", the title of a popular song dating from 1905. Today the location is accessible by a small path from the north side of the orientation center parking lot - which is how I stumbled onto the scene and captured the photo below.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_n6hCyN6LKFMxvRiJdv3MMtCyyiXEWfoRRj2MPy1rVuZIlBqO6KTlpUbhBEI1MNLpcE9isxUiJ6UX3T9X9CxnuszQEeTnh0GxOosyKeAZTShAlMXDxIhGRk_Y9g4zW7lP0M_dkwWWCZXV/s2048/46cDuke%2527sParkwayBridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_n6hCyN6LKFMxvRiJdv3MMtCyyiXEWfoRRj2MPy1rVuZIlBqO6KTlpUbhBEI1MNLpcE9isxUiJ6UX3T9X9CxnuszQEeTnh0GxOosyKeAZTShAlMXDxIhGRk_Y9g4zW7lP0M_dkwWWCZXV/w485-h309/46cDuke%2527sParkwayBridge.jpg" width="485" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2021</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>Greg Gillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13702458129140401412noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329417736357277518.post-13269892784000906602021-03-12T21:51:00.000-05:002021-03-12T21:51:00.621-05:00Lawson Goat Dairy (1954 - 1960)A year after their marriage in 1937, Thurman and Mary Lawson moved to a 4-acre homestead on North Willow Road in Hillsborough. It was there that they raised a family that eventually grew to include three daughters, several cats, and 65 dairy goats.<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia8GjY8w-duuVDv567DDhaF77M0kHLyGsUZxPBISOUNcD_LeBtc48Gr-BN_L0kNzeH92OH6BgUnfgAhNbmv0iXwTQbgJw6edlHmTmrR70F-mYs-F6pieb0UYprT_jgOnWkmXqmwT4nSHTp/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1527" height="555" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia8GjY8w-duuVDv567DDhaF77M0kHLyGsUZxPBISOUNcD_LeBtc48Gr-BN_L0kNzeH92OH6BgUnfgAhNbmv0iXwTQbgJw6edlHmTmrR70F-mYs-F6pieb0UYprT_jgOnWkmXqmwT4nSHTp/w414-h555/19570909CourierNews%2528LawsonGoatDairy%2529+%25282%2529.jpg" width="414" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">9 September 1957 Courier News</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Thurman Lawson had no notion of dairy goats when he moved to Hillsborough. A mechanic by trade, and a World War II veteran, he worked for more than a decade after the war as the chief mechanic at the Belle Mead Supply Depot. In 1952, in order to supplement his family's milk supply, he bought a pair of goats. In the normal course of events, as nature dictates, he soon had a couple dozen. In 1954 the Lawsons decided to make a business of it. And in 1955 he was able to quit his day job.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhETa0DbPLhws2AL1P_qULPUG2kp4B7C3I6iL1nWHXPMM3ECGFGvJbQSCjY7Fq3Z4jU-_9f-sD-zu0H1yMQsXIayKs2UObuWQFHpPHr6aO9pL1YlvUoDxcVzCzLKm7azdv_CwXOKFX6ukg/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1234" data-original-width="2048" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhETa0DbPLhws2AL1P_qULPUG2kp4B7C3I6iL1nWHXPMM3ECGFGvJbQSCjY7Fq3Z4jU-_9f-sD-zu0H1yMQsXIayKs2UObuWQFHpPHr6aO9pL1YlvUoDxcVzCzLKm7azdv_CwXOKFX6ukg/w489-h295/19570909CourierNews%2528LawsonGoatDairy%2529.jpg" width="489" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">9 September 1957 Courier News</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">At the peak of operations around 1957, the Lawson herd was comprised of 34 milkers, 4 bucks, and 26 kids (not including their own!). Theirs was one of only two certified goat farms in Somerset County at that time. The other was Muntener's Forest Hill Goat Dairy in Belle Mead. Forest Hill's operation included a processing plant - and the Lawsons delivered about 100 quarts of milk a day to Forest Hill to be processed and bottled for sale. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP5HLlu3Pp3bchk2sc8vq5IuKN0UmdieNcbanFsvOobrZIwyMMkFM7DzkwIFzEA-Qn92DeGJys8gsbvsWX1g_KNvU63svWUzvm3YEvFyoLg5LAlFWpcmmriTb2DPwG0TjpD5dAh7rZdQ1l/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1603" height="527" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP5HLlu3Pp3bchk2sc8vq5IuKN0UmdieNcbanFsvOobrZIwyMMkFM7DzkwIFzEA-Qn92DeGJys8gsbvsWX1g_KNvU63svWUzvm3YEvFyoLg5LAlFWpcmmriTb2DPwG0TjpD5dAh7rZdQ1l/w413-h527/19570809CourierNews%2528LawsonGoatDairy%2529.jpg" width="413" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">9 August 1957 Courier News</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">All three of the Lawson girls - June, Louise, and Mary Ann - helped with the chores and raised goats of their own that took many ribbons at 4-H competitions and other shows. They were especially interested in contradicting the negative publicity surrounding goats by helping people to learn about their true nature. Their goats were calm. graceful, and smart - each responding to its own name when called for milking.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And then as quickly as it began it was all over. The Lawsons quietly folded their dairy operation in 1960.</div></div></div>Greg Gillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13702458129140401412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329417736357277518.post-87821808533968438702021-03-10T15:55:00.001-05:002021-03-22T08:03:48.967-04:00DeCanto Shopping Center, Inc. (1961 - ?)<p style="text-align: left;">The reason for the question mark in the title of this piece is that much like the Ship of Theseus, DeCanto's is a paradox. With but one plank remaining from its earliest days (the barbershop) we can hardly still assert that Hillsborough's first shopping center is the same one that residents knew and loved in the 1960s. Or can we?</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdjSMyiuzjRqtrs48TjmLXSqKiJL7-CmAgE6T_KY15XGmRyP2TTk6zs0R5CGV8vkIiIXLPgML0ujbuNqePvFIK95Bam62nh-lfOy9UaYkm2YUJRXlw5DvQ1L1HKxiK4xQ88FWOdbfrMqVz/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1049" data-original-width="1650" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdjSMyiuzjRqtrs48TjmLXSqKiJL7-CmAgE6T_KY15XGmRyP2TTk6zs0R5CGV8vkIiIXLPgML0ujbuNqePvFIK95Bam62nh-lfOy9UaYkm2YUJRXlw5DvQ1L1HKxiK4xQ88FWOdbfrMqVz/w496-h314/Decanto%2527s%2528JoanAllisenVillaYork%2529.jpg" width="496" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DeCanto's in the 1970s<br />(Photo courtesy of Joan Allisen Villa York)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">Ralph DeCanto - who passed away in 1993 - was a longtime Hillsborough builder and general contractor whose name appeared on two iconic local businesses - DeCanto's Banquet Hall which was located where the Doctor's Way medical offices are today, and the DeCanto Shopping Center, Inc. located near the northwest corner of Route 206 and Amwell Road.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6To76G8qdqG2EJ4DQXuK0hu6tiDSDiJebEObINg6xP8f49m9tF7iIZEUbvNF_ICkirKTQvtLPuogHwa_wePSoLwnSGbR1mwltTm3OFFICnJ1JPiJ6Cb2HxkgBzhKwfYEaucbwQohxwRc/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1364" data-original-width="2048" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6To76G8qdqG2EJ4DQXuK0hu6tiDSDiJebEObINg6xP8f49m9tF7iIZEUbvNF_ICkirKTQvtLPuogHwa_wePSoLwnSGbR1mwltTm3OFFICnJ1JPiJ6Cb2HxkgBzhKwfYEaucbwQohxwRc/w490-h326/1977-1981David%2527sAds%2528DeCanto%2527s%2529.jpg" width="490" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ads from 1977 and 1981</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The shopping center - popularly known as simply DeCanto's - opened in 1961 and expanded a few times during those first years. Popular establishments taking up residence at DeCanto's in the 1960s and 1970s were David's, a clothing store, and the Amwell Bakery.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkcajddNllI28Ey2opd25jebBZEa9k_Dt-akmAc7DYCm7IJ8odU8VKpBPFBZR71MXh8oW7o1MXVVdWwzMhdeyOHsegjgN752oYBswMQfLEIkZm-WLFOzZYR87yMFMYNVtju5-vUvF4rv-O/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1650" height="526" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkcajddNllI28Ey2opd25jebBZEa9k_Dt-akmAc7DYCm7IJ8odU8VKpBPFBZR71MXh8oW7o1MXVVdWwzMhdeyOHsegjgN752oYBswMQfLEIkZm-WLFOzZYR87yMFMYNVtju5-vUvF4rv-O/w423-h526/1970sAmweelBakeryAds%2528Decanto%2527s%2529.jpg" width="423" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amwell Bakery - perfect for any holiday, <br />ads from the 1970s</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Other early tenants included the Hillsborough Deli, the aforementioned Hillsborough Barber Shop, a luncheonette, and the Cumberland Farms convenience store.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7OGlbrc3a_dEWKlT_0yDZP2tqLJG2tWX-GePL6ZhFGs0J24m566pgfCb-LLODbrdtjof8S3CqOZlgNCp-6MlO9s2iInY2Gc4eHH3e0Cf6CArOZHmo73iIYjLzgybslPSKp5oSbxQbG311/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="327" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7OGlbrc3a_dEWKlT_0yDZP2tqLJG2tWX-GePL6ZhFGs0J24m566pgfCb-LLODbrdtjof8S3CqOZlgNCp-6MlO9s2iInY2Gc4eHH3e0Cf6CArOZHmo73iIYjLzgybslPSKp5oSbxQbG311/w491-h327/WoodsTavernSiteB1979.jpg" width="491" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DeCanto's circa 1979</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Although it was possible to get pizza at the Amwell Farms Inn in the 1960s, Hillsborough's first true "pizza place" was Nino's. Honestly, can you even imagine a time before Hillsborough had pizza joints?</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTNFBTiI6NePVSQsQDG085hrCXqWhxPnYkqHT9A1Mg2_f2GAybfpXMhyphenhyphenbIL0Il6-qUk66mEEktZTmzI9ORXJSligiJD3zWagkm4tb3qwGm8wFoJd4hvmeYgoCVRho0ZactRFMqonyKxBG/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1278" height="641" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTNFBTiI6NePVSQsQDG085hrCXqWhxPnYkqHT9A1Mg2_f2GAybfpXMhyphenhyphenbIL0Il6-qUk66mEEktZTmzI9ORXJSligiJD3zWagkm4tb3qwGm8wFoJd4hvmeYgoCVRho0ZactRFMqonyKxBG/w401-h641/1976-1990Nino%2527sAds%2528DeCanto%2527s%2529.jpg" width="401" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nino's ads from 1976, top, and 1990</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Around 1966 DeCanto's added storefronts behind the building. Two popular early tenants "in the rear" were Serova School of Dance and Hillsborough Academy of Music.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE366mrjaNOasPqw6PLwgXtAxNQJQl6nRdVWX4bHPN9Uq8l7C86iMjWfjMZRVZEUJkn8DcwHXV1O_wmgv2LzPS58JnWxvmI80C5rJ6ZY1TUhSCfhQBefIj5Fri4oLwk5mgyd5fz9GpuQqT/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1242" height="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE366mrjaNOasPqw6PLwgXtAxNQJQl6nRdVWX4bHPN9Uq8l7C86iMjWfjMZRVZEUJkn8DcwHXV1O_wmgv2LzPS58JnWxvmI80C5rJ6ZY1TUhSCfhQBefIj5Fri4oLwk5mgyd5fz9GpuQqT/w388-h638/1966DanceAndMusicAds%2528DeCanto%2527s%2529.jpg" width="388" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ads from 1966</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Even before the Hillsborough Library moved to the A&P Shopping Center - where Bottle King is today - they opened at DeCanto's in 1966.</div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRtEq9-5HF2ybsTyehRgZnNA3ZvxmGlQYqxBPh8b2bWLMFpfM3f-_G9KvzJf6izIWSGBqjrbQ_wj0eRi-uNPxa66XVUixjTHvuR7_jemHo930Qc4AiAI6d-jEtVTLKLwB_nf12ALl42nJM/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1725" data-original-width="2048" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRtEq9-5HF2ybsTyehRgZnNA3ZvxmGlQYqxBPh8b2bWLMFpfM3f-_G9KvzJf6izIWSGBqjrbQ_wj0eRi-uNPxa66XVUixjTHvuR7_jemHo930Qc4AiAI6d-jEtVTLKLwB_nf12ALl42nJM/w472-h398/19661010CourierNews%2528DeCantos%2529.jpg" width="472" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10 October 1966 Courier News</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Perhaps no other DeCanto's business - or Hillsborough business for that matter - is remembered as fondly as the Hillsborough Pharmacy. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtAixpfQ56AX-OKsPSOexcSTjlGAs9t3uUCthHYuV0EBEv-W5_cmdy1m2g7Hg174Fb8erLdHMPAScQPkKk2NgiJvd6ZXz13lhqbjrKlcRJXTzlt5l6dy3v2cb9bU7pNXV1P7_30OTPQu0N/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1163" height="707" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtAixpfQ56AX-OKsPSOexcSTjlGAs9t3uUCthHYuV0EBEv-W5_cmdy1m2g7Hg174Fb8erLdHMPAScQPkKk2NgiJvd6ZXz13lhqbjrKlcRJXTzlt5l6dy3v2cb9bU7pNXV1P7_30OTPQu0N/w400-h707/19910630CourierNews%2528DeCantos%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1991 ad</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Throughout the 80s and 90s new stores - Redelico's Paint and Decorating Center, Chicken Holiday, etc. - replaced the old and a major facelift in 2010 completely changed the look of the shopping center.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnin3_bhKnadVGw9Ta_cwfPjYGJqS268lif6_389z6mVVtjFisNJkBvi-fWS4iz4RNCFEYUIIFvqGPfsccVaoI5aF-J58uHtayCGPwzwTYw95RH-1EMjQenz7KeyApuEqG5o66OFnT1jec/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnin3_bhKnadVGw9Ta_cwfPjYGJqS268lif6_389z6mVVtjFisNJkBvi-fWS4iz4RNCFEYUIIFvqGPfsccVaoI5aF-J58uHtayCGPwzwTYw95RH-1EMjQenz7KeyApuEqG5o66OFnT1jec/w487-h311/2010Construction%2528DeCanto%2527s%2529.jpg" width="487" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2010 construction</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Yet, like Theseus's ship, DeCanto's still essentially occupies the same space and serves the same purpose. And we might say its mere existence serves another purpose - to remind us of a simpler time and a simpler Hillsborough.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p></p>Greg Gillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13702458129140401412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329417736357277518.post-58101912033678724772021-03-07T19:10:00.000-05:002021-03-07T19:10:37.409-05:00The Frog Fountain, Then and Now<p style="text-align: left;">The Frog Fountain was one of the early water features at Duke's Park, the Hillsborough Township, New Jersey estate of tobacco king James B. Duke. This playful pool featured perched frogs spraying plumes of water toward a central fountain.</p><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEKwhraAe1E8wm2mAQscE5kxRstqYXC5acUdstPX2z8SFWKua8j4zMvFZDmnTiMFpK_AKp1Ptl5ILgg7ehqSyBqOVPY74wgZquz8alpSL10BcWQh5O_9ObyRwFpsl8xFna7OsLXzi4HXCO/s2048/45aFrogFountain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEKwhraAe1E8wm2mAQscE5kxRstqYXC5acUdstPX2z8SFWKua8j4zMvFZDmnTiMFpK_AKp1Ptl5ILgg7ehqSyBqOVPY74wgZquz8alpSL10BcWQh5O_9ObyRwFpsl8xFna7OsLXzi4HXCO/w487-h311/45aFrogFountain.jpg" width="487" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Postcard circa 1905</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The fountain was located just across the drive that runs in front of Duke's combination coach barn/stables and estate offices. Duke was able to look out the window of his office and see the fountain and the other prominent feature of the scene - the Durham Bull.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7AIn2xaybJVmGDiE2U-lrNT05qNrkzLcc5Ixb1d0Z_ip3LeEickUamf7AIzLjeglagyBCd-222yRhNPNv6-kvHfXOY8fwkno3stETZZUwN5DuBDOpjcxTRffb65DepGw5Fr6eADtqLTp/s2048/45bFrogFountain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7AIn2xaybJVmGDiE2U-lrNT05qNrkzLcc5Ixb1d0Z_ip3LeEickUamf7AIzLjeglagyBCd-222yRhNPNv6-kvHfXOY8fwkno3stETZZUwN5DuBDOpjcxTRffb65DepGw5Fr6eADtqLTp/w483-h308/45bFrogFountain.jpg" width="483" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Postcard circa 1910</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">By the time Duke commissioned this massive bronze figure around 1900, the Durham Bull had been a symbol of the North Carolina tobacco industry for a half-century.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslN33j91dG3Xg2I39FMzs3a0IKCfxc3fPf4F45S6AXTCQVyP9V_9hzd2KP2brJnvRIWvVXoDRWsk_7OGZlJFbdFWgdqF7s3JFiI6zdrJgbgWXOWE2sWsM5z0TVpA3ybuxY3dWamIO2BzL/s2048/45cFrogFountain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1285" data-original-width="2048" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslN33j91dG3Xg2I39FMzs3a0IKCfxc3fPf4F45S6AXTCQVyP9V_9hzd2KP2brJnvRIWvVXoDRWsk_7OGZlJFbdFWgdqF7s3JFiI6zdrJgbgWXOWE2sWsM5z0TVpA3ybuxY3dWamIO2BzL/w487-h306/45cFrogFountain.jpg" width="487" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Postcard circa 1915</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the postcard above, you can see the Frog Fountain in the right foreground. Unfortunately in this view, which is opposite of the first postcard, the Durham Bull is out of the frame to the right.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7VIzvb_z1ZsBFvPU54pplKnUdnCFCJ2IRgRxtkf_q-b8VWZzGrjNm1lvd3E3buiJfZD7wWFjT0Kp_MU-jxf84SlwrCoaLEKMquqxAJp_Kf0aeo5FAaOGEFRNbnzloC1r4wKW6B1pUG7D/s2048/45dFrogFountain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7VIzvb_z1ZsBFvPU54pplKnUdnCFCJ2IRgRxtkf_q-b8VWZzGrjNm1lvd3E3buiJfZD7wWFjT0Kp_MU-jxf84SlwrCoaLEKMquqxAJp_Kf0aeo5FAaOGEFRNbnzloC1r4wKW6B1pUG7D/w493-h315/45dFrogFountain.jpg" width="493" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Durham Bull at Duke Farms, 2017</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The fountain no longer exists but the stately Durham Bull remains just where he has been for 120 years!</div></div><p></p>Greg Gillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13702458129140401412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329417736357277518.post-53820304059780724192021-03-06T13:56:00.002-05:002021-03-06T21:53:23.177-05:00Camp Ajaybe - Princeton Hills Golf Club - Hillsborough Golf Club (1947 - present day)<p>What would you do if it was time for your annual summer vacation and you realized you just didn't have enough money to go anywhere or do anything? That was the question facing employees of the ABC Freight Forwarding Corporation in the years immediately following World War II. Many of them ended up going to the president of the company, Arthur J. Brown and asking to simply work through their vacations.</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8hcvSLuzTWt_5yWO88E5rrq7H93koDCbErJ9szkMAXDcECdnY9ZZsa5YvKaYutCgDbLUQZbbTic4Adbq0SG4zyfL3FbOsM-cNfre34EbwpYEjR_aF2_pwIsDD97NJ11zwi7667gcp98UJ/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1162" height="667" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8hcvSLuzTWt_5yWO88E5rrq7H93koDCbErJ9szkMAXDcECdnY9ZZsa5YvKaYutCgDbLUQZbbTic4Adbq0SG4zyfL3FbOsM-cNfre34EbwpYEjR_aF2_pwIsDD97NJ11zwi7667gcp98UJ/w378-h667/19610731CourierNews%2528HillsboroughGolfClub%2529.jpg" width="378" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">31 July 1961 Courier News</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">Brown, who credited much of the early success of the six-year-old company to good employee relations, didn't think that was right. All employees needed time off with their families, relaxing at a place they could afford. In 1947 he purchased 180 acres on Wertsville Road in Hillsborough Township right on the border of East Amwell. The location was convenient for Brown as the company also owned a stable of standard-bred horses - most of them trotters with the word "Freight" worked into their names - which he kept at a farm three miles down the road in Ringoes.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">He built a vacation resort on the property which included a comfortable motel known as the "State House", as well as a basketball court, baseball diamond, volleyball court, horse stables, a casual dining room, and a lighted swimming pool for moonlight dips. And it was all free for his employees and their families - about 1,000 people in all - who reserved week-long vacations about 100 at a time during the summer months. One of the few amenities not provided at Camp Ajaybe (A.J.B., get it?) was golf. That all changed in the late 60s when Brown sold the camp just as he was starting New Jersey's first professional basketball team the New Jersey Americans of the ABA (who later became the New York Nets, and then the New Jersey Nets, and now the Brooklyn Nets).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYFGbPJ2CjoT2RGlqyVB2IVFdNlO3KVInp395yGKLqWlFSOxtFA6T6Kj-oPD87lSA32gza2iozUUlSjk-vjVAXFIHFubJfALuhdL2GFPQLRS8o9bpHXE5IOz7aIy1lyXJva1q1Vxm0Ebe/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2048" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYFGbPJ2CjoT2RGlqyVB2IVFdNlO3KVInp395yGKLqWlFSOxtFA6T6Kj-oPD87lSA32gza2iozUUlSjk-vjVAXFIHFubJfALuhdL2GFPQLRS8o9bpHXE5IOz7aIy1lyXJva1q1Vxm0Ebe/w483-h356/1969-1970ads%2528HillsboroughGolfClub%2529.jpg" width="483" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ads from 1969 and 1970</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">In 1968 the Neshanic River Holding Company purchased the property and built a par 72, 6,500-yard golf course. In the summer of 1969, they opened the Princeton Hills Golf Academy. This was a golf training academy for boys ages 13 - 18 which was held over two-week sessions between the end of June and the end of August. The Academy made good use of the motel and recreation facilities left from Camp Ajaybe.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwEZfSxKDRR6bFM3c-HA0L4X7ye7F2DBFBYZm9jZsiIS9bQpWCsjk8i-9WqQqvCeaxlFTl2N_qV5iZ_VeU4fAbvamvjV863Rt1NcwjH_U47ZEeBLGZEw1XBgBYAsFBkM2tft-RKxi3CBOq/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1773" data-original-width="2048" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwEZfSxKDRR6bFM3c-HA0L4X7ye7F2DBFBYZm9jZsiIS9bQpWCsjk8i-9WqQqvCeaxlFTl2N_qV5iZ_VeU4fAbvamvjV863Rt1NcwjH_U47ZEeBLGZEw1XBgBYAsFBkM2tft-RKxi3CBOq/w464-h402/19690629HomeNews%2528HillsboroughGolfClub%2529.jpg" width="464" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">29 June 1969 Home News</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Operating concurrently during those years was the membership-only Princeton Hills Country Club. By 1973 they had changed their name to the Neshanic River Country Club and advertised that they were now "Open to the Public".</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_tZenInKCEuL4bnJau2TOglbuAx-I0mE1VWG3gjtrunssII2B2csincOKZA6Nr9tTTnqtyqqWJ6LqekejwoaoaOyWfkrSYTpoF47GQuLHPdRXto7Az2rEyjrinHrSe3edmHQg52n_7gd/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1845" data-original-width="2048" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_tZenInKCEuL4bnJau2TOglbuAx-I0mE1VWG3gjtrunssII2B2csincOKZA6Nr9tTTnqtyqqWJ6LqekejwoaoaOyWfkrSYTpoF47GQuLHPdRXto7Az2rEyjrinHrSe3edmHQg52n_7gd/w461-h416/1971-1974ads%2528HillsboroughGolfClub%2529.jpg" width="461" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clockwise from top left,<br /> the evolution from Princeton Hills to Hillsborough Country Club.<br />1971-1974</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The Princeton and Neshanic names were ditched for good in 1974 when the club was renamed Hillsborough Country Club. As the club changed ownership and management through the ensuing decades the name changed along with it. For instance in 1978 - after some renovations to the property - it became the Hillsborough Resort and Country Club.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrRf6r7al9A-1zI9VJGeHiEOqV71oE20b3Iqkufyxi9OEqSBi81jR9hIobt0rG6v-YQl5JcmeBZo6P4n9zvV8yZRv6dx6pu25YmPNWX6H1aBk7t3EnBo26xqpR7PG0qLKTJSQFUni244QE/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1722" height="506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrRf6r7al9A-1zI9VJGeHiEOqV71oE20b3Iqkufyxi9OEqSBi81jR9hIobt0rG6v-YQl5JcmeBZo6P4n9zvV8yZRv6dx6pu25YmPNWX6H1aBk7t3EnBo26xqpR7PG0qLKTJSQFUni244QE/w426-h506/19780424CourierNews%2528HillsboroughGolfClub%2529.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">24 April 1978 Courier News</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Facing bankruptcy in 1983, the owners floated the idea of developing part of the property with 200 condominium units. Development plans were shelved when new owners acquired the club in 1985.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxWLSmZGTWSIEM9QVL6NnowNJNjYQpRISyD479U7LJvWO0Bw9qVWiLpSWiudThx4xWl4WCSnddktbgXdQDBXsHat4AXzplqVRenPqFFbvi-iSi1crhOCgHXjH-XBtNjllId0NKHokJc9b/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1638" data-original-width="2048" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxWLSmZGTWSIEM9QVL6NnowNJNjYQpRISyD479U7LJvWO0Bw9qVWiLpSWiudThx4xWl4WCSnddktbgXdQDBXsHat4AXzplqVRenPqFFbvi-iSi1crhOCgHXjH-XBtNjllId0NKHokJc9b/w476-h381/19850410CourierNews%2528HillsboroughGolfClub%2529.jpg" width="476" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10 April 1985 Courier News</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">In recent years the property, with both its name and golf course slightly trimmed (it's now simply Hillsborough Golf and Country Club and 70 is par), but remaining in its beautiful setting in the hills of western Hillsborough, has been the host of the Sourland Mountain Festival and other special events. While there will always be development pressures for any large piece of land in Central New Jersey, for now, Hillsborough is fortunate to have this golf course that bears the name of the township within its 54-square miles.</div></div></div></div></div></div><p></p>Greg Gillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13702458129140401412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329417736357277518.post-76018328269096656042021-02-27T23:32:00.001-05:002021-02-28T13:44:39.525-05:00Turtle Lake Cascades. Then and Now<p style="text-align: left;">Water features were one of the most photographed elements at Duke's Park - the early 20th-century estate of tobacco millionaire James B. Duke in Hillsborough, New Jersey. The Raritan River, Duke's Brook, and a dozen man-made lakes all found their way to the viewfinder of the shutterbug and professional lensman alike.</p><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUfkWHTegdPiaOS67Zj2LvCkjAIMycBVUJW_MkUFY7nWnjy3Nx4zG5pK2WSFxFy46KxOScMbWzBIWFQqjkHeHkM3TrExSwnBz4DExRn_bLnClOM0FVDYKJUQ5OcLISd0jptNLDcqu5aE4G/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUfkWHTegdPiaOS67Zj2LvCkjAIMycBVUJW_MkUFY7nWnjy3Nx4zG5pK2WSFxFy46KxOScMbWzBIWFQqjkHeHkM3TrExSwnBz4DExRn_bLnClOM0FVDYKJUQ5OcLISd0jptNLDcqu5aE4G/w493-h314/44aTurtleLakeCascadesPostcardCirca1920.jpg" width="493" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Postcard circa 1918</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">Especially intriguing to the early picture-maker were the dozens and dozens of fountains - both practical and ornamental - and the water that cascaded down the falls from one lake to another. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiccwQ2OWX7zyHQI-QTs7DpuNcmp52sDuS5p47zoG3yEzX-y2_iuTv85pg5Urm8q0QFZCA8wBMmj7MTa4xpxjyER4fAhLJb03wlN3qTVDdljCnYLY_UcKZYENbrcoRadmx1GZkwDuMo7fZS/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiccwQ2OWX7zyHQI-QTs7DpuNcmp52sDuS5p47zoG3yEzX-y2_iuTv85pg5Urm8q0QFZCA8wBMmj7MTa4xpxjyER4fAhLJb03wlN3qTVDdljCnYLY_UcKZYENbrcoRadmx1GZkwDuMo7fZS/w488-h311/44cTurtleLakeCascadesPostcardCirca1910.jpg" width="488" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Postcard circa 1910</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Each vista was a carefully planned scene of water, rocks, trees, and bushes - including the one you see here which featured in no fewer than four different series of postcards between 1910 and 1920.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs70h6bYdBRU5hb4-Z5-B_ZH83Gfb4TPgdySiXn8z3aVBqm8DNlpvNrsxTLvopqu7i_ICVFnfk9puutHwMsrLQKGQBs7cdFP-A3m6bxdh6swEPKQzuzYoM3d70WUjDHENUL60fENnsChtO/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs70h6bYdBRU5hb4-Z5-B_ZH83Gfb4TPgdySiXn8z3aVBqm8DNlpvNrsxTLvopqu7i_ICVFnfk9puutHwMsrLQKGQBs7cdFP-A3m6bxdh6swEPKQzuzYoM3d70WUjDHENUL60fENnsChtO/w487-h311/44dTurtleLakeCascadesPostcardCirca1913.jpg" width="487" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Postcard circa 1913</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">What postcard publishers dubbed simply "The Cascades" is a small waterfall with a fountain between what Duke Farms has named Otter Lake and Turtle Lake. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl2QbQ1BRGPfxuXB04Yx-KTJpkOgE-Hbref0wQNrsIcwXnbIvQUDlrcmNGiI_3bcKxXR4ON52y-ob99qfv_3zcFlg7x-d2tozisgvevGQr0xNleDA6-noJZRQOR5RyyFhAABeDi2JrmEuP/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl2QbQ1BRGPfxuXB04Yx-KTJpkOgE-Hbref0wQNrsIcwXnbIvQUDlrcmNGiI_3bcKxXR4ON52y-ob99qfv_3zcFlg7x-d2tozisgvevGQr0xNleDA6-noJZRQOR5RyyFhAABeDi2JrmEuP/w494-h315/44eTurtleLakeCascadesPostcardCirca1915.jpg" width="494" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Postcard circa 1915</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Viewing the scene as pictured in these scans from postcards in my collection is difficult if not impossible today. The fountain at the top of the falls has long been disconnected and dismantled, leaving just an unornamented metal pipe. And the area around the falls is badly overgrown - not just at the falls themselves, but also at most of the viewing spots on the banks of Turtle Lake. The photo below is the best representation I could get after trying off and on for about five years.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Ovmh8Fr1UkALOZP7HdPAaRXjPeWt1-CNOhAuwyz64qiA30SfdgtoHHTecfrMlFaBD0ctu8JuO-llOC4b11K2rUlwjvfUMU73C6BWIc4VHLAOqTGqY9wkRiX4PZq8x1rq4zdqeq8FLNpt/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="2048" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Ovmh8Fr1UkALOZP7HdPAaRXjPeWt1-CNOhAuwyz64qiA30SfdgtoHHTecfrMlFaBD0ctu8JuO-llOC4b11K2rUlwjvfUMU73C6BWIc4VHLAOqTGqY9wkRiX4PZq8x1rq4zdqeq8FLNpt/w491-h313/44bTurtleLakeCascadesAtDukeFarms.jpg" width="491" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turtle Lake Cascades, 2018</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Perhaps there is an ecologically-minded way to return this scene to at least a representation of Duke's vision. If it ever happens, I will be there with my camera.</div></div></div><p></p>Greg Gillettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13702458129140401412noreply@blogger.com0