Historical Society of Riverton

Town Historian Betty Hahle wrote dozens of installments of her “Then and Now” column for the Gaslight News over four decades. The trademark feature of her well-researched articles was to trace the history and development of an organization or business, or to examine the achievements of a key individual.

I am still awestruck when I imagine her combing through microfilm, books and special collections at libraries, and traveling to Mt. Holly, Burlington, and Trenton to research deeds and legal records. So much of what gets recorded here and in the pages of today’s issues of the Gaslight News is a direct result of the hard work of many pioneering members of the Historical Society such as Mrs. Hahle and others during its early years.

So it is with the greatest respect that we reprise this apt descriptor for this modest essay about a location in Riverton that will be familiar to many –10 Broad Street.

My mid-April eBay purchase of a 1966 postcard from Olds Community, Inc. prompted this recent delving into the businesses operating back then and now from that Broad Street site.

A page from the July 1, 1965 edition of the New Era shows a large ad that reminds readers of that 75th anniversary edition of Riverton’s hometown newspaper, “For fifty-one years the shop which now serves as our service center has been repairing automobiles for Tri-Boro residents.”

You needn’t do the math – the Oldsmobile retailer had been at the same spot since 1914 and, ironically, the ad copy expressed a wish “… to be around when the New Era celebrates its 100th.”

Obviously, neither Olds Community, Inc., Oldsmobile, or the New Era survived to the present day. Our aim is not to lament the past, but simply to understand it.

One man who has witnessed much of what has transpired in Riverton for 78 years is Mr. Stan Walters, of Stan’s Auto Service which has operated since 1992 out of that same Broad Street address used for so long by Olds Community and later by JAAMCO Transmissions. Lou, Stan’s wife, confirms that on May 15 the business will celebrate its 21st anniversary.

The walls of the shop stand witness to Stan’s lifelong fascination with trains and cars. He has lent me some of his Riverton and Palmyra railroad photos to scan for the website before, so I’ve come back with some prints of postcards and newspaper ads I have scanned in trade to add to his display.

Stan pointed out on his wall a photo of the old Riverton freight station that Joe Stack managed and he immediately flashed on how after school his friends and he would drive Joe crazy by racing up those steps and down the ramp on the other side.

That triggered another memory about the track siding that once ran along the Collins Building and the other end wound up between Lincoln and Elm. During the growing season trains ran boxcars filled with tomato plants down the siding and he and other kids would work all day loading up trucks for the local farmers. His pay—a bundle of about 25 Rutgers tomato plants.

Trains also delivered coal to bins at the Collins Building, and truck driver Joe Williams then transported the fuel to homes in the area.

Besides picking up some more local color I also borrowed a large postcard that served as an “urgent invitation” to come in for a test drive at Olds Community.

If you can add any information, images, or actual items relating to 10 Broad Street in Riverton, Olds Community, JAAMCO, Stan’s Auto Service, trains, Campbell’s Soup, or other related idea, please contact us so that others can see and read about it.

Besides, Stan still has some room left on his walls. – John McCormick, Gaslight News editor

A friend with a childhood connection to Camden similar to my own is kind enough to share with us these scans of postcards he recently acquired.

As any postcard collector knows, RPPCs, or real photo post cards, can be among the most elusive ones to obtain.

Several of the images posted here are of that type along with the more common mass-produced variety.

These images remind us of a time in Camden’s history when new neighborhoods and planned recreation areas seemed to point to a bright future for the developing urban and industrial center during the early 20^th century.

Early in 1905, the City of Camden, New Jersey dedicated and opened a lush 80-acre park called Forest Hill Park.

Located between Park and Baird Avenues and set along the Cooper River in what was the newly developing Parkside neighborhood-area, this park would become the predecessor to the Camden County park system.

The post card scenes shown here depict a scenic park setting with a lake, a bridge, roads and paths, a pavilion for gatherings, an athletic field and acres of greenery.

Penned inscription on the lower front of the card, above right reads, “Here’s a new park just finished this spring.” Notice the two men standing in front of the newly constructed outdoor pavilion.

Imagine all the people who frequented this park for pleasant outdoor picnics, athletics and recreation as well as relaxation.

Park Boulevard and the well-known Haddon Avenue converged at the intersection by the entrance to Forest Hill Park.

These postcards capture how the classic row homes appeared around 1909.

The caption on the card at right reads, “This is Cooper Creek – a very pretty spot of water.”  Not mailed or postmarked.

An avid postcard enthusiast will seldom pass up the chance to get yet another subtlety nuanced iteration of any image already in his possession. I mean -  if we already have a dozen views of the Yacht Club, would you pass up the chance to get one more?

Such is the case with my rabid ephemera-collecting friend who can represent many milestones of his life with postcards. And lucky for me that we share some of the places where those events happened.

In 1921, Camden officials renamed Forest Hill Park as Farnham Park.

For more information and images on Forest Hill Park, later named Farnham Park, and a great deal more on Camden, check out the huge virtual archive at http://www.dvrbs.com/ Also, see more Camden images on this website on our IMAGES PAGE.

We welcome comments and try to answer questions, and we always like to collect more real or virtual images on South Jersey. – John McCormick, Gaslight News editor

Turkeys crossing the road

To get to the other side, of course.

On the march

This was the recent scene at 10th and Cedar Streets in Riverton.

The gang’s all here

These pics sent in by Mrs. Susan Dechnik.

Turkeys at the bird bath

I guess they were thirsty.