Month: September 2019

Suffrage memorabilia needed for educational project

Gen. Rosalie Jones and gospel wagon Miss Alice Freeman in the background, Steel Family Album

Regular visitors here may remember a post seen here and a subsequent piece in the November 2016 Gaslight News that featured photos documenting the 1913 women’s suffrage hike from New York City to Washington, DC.  A series of hand-captioned photos in an old family album owned by Bill and Nancy Steel provided the catalyst that activated our research for that article.

We hope that our readers may have more old family photo albums, letters, diaries, and other such primary sources that may further illustrate the struggle of South Jersey suffragists who fought to secure the right to vote for women.

Lisa Hendrickson of Mt. Laurel’s Alice Paul Institute asked for our help in finding items from folks that the organization can photograph to reproduce on educational banners. These banners will travel to local libraries, historical societies, corporations throughout 2020.

Ms. Hendrickson writes:

Was an ancestor of yours a suffragist? Do you have family photographs of suffrage events in southern New Jersey from 1905-1920 that you would be willing to share?

Please help the Alice Paul Institute and the Riverton Historical Society find information on local suffragists and some of the suffrage events that happened in southern NJ. The Alice Paul Institute is creating a traveling exhibit about the suffrage movement for the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 2020. We are looking for photographs, voting memorabilia, newspaper articles, etc. that show local people and events. Items would be photographed for the two-dimensional exhibit.

You might just see an ancestor in the following list of suffragists’ names that appeared in newspapers of the time.

Mrs. Rachel Foster Avery
Miss Annette Campbell
Miss Amelia Coale
Miss Edith Coale
Mrs. E. S. Cole
Mrs. Catherine B. Lippincott
Miss Helen Lippincott
Miss Elizabeth Lippincott
Mrs. Mary W. Lippincott
Miss Beulah Parry
Miss Susanna Parry
Mrs. Mary L. Thomas
Mrs. E. R. H. VanValin
Miss Elizabeth Williams
Mrs. D. Henry Wright

These were excerpted from a much longer list of suffragists from throughout South Jersey that Ms. Hendrickson provided. Look for dozens more names from Beverly, Bordentown, Camden, Clayton, Collingswood, Florence, Franklinville, Haddonfield, Glassboro, Merchantville, Millville, Mt. Holly, Palmyra, Pennsauken, Princeton, Riverside, Trenton, Westfield, and Woodbury.

If you have any items that you could share, please contact us. Questions? Call the Alice Paul Institute at 856-231-1885.

Alisa Dupuy, professional storyteller and historical reenactor, will return in October to portray Alice Paul, American suffragist, feminist, and women’s rights activist. Details to follow in another post.

Go back

Your message has been sent

Millside Farms Remembered by Karen Ruza

Millside Farms, Riverside, NJ   message side

Johnny Ola, a reader who has before left several comments and observations about Millside Farms, has given those of us interested in Millside Farms a wonderful gift by providing the link below to “Millside Farms Remembered” by Karen Ruza, a 7-page PDF with text and photos.

http://www.delranhistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Millside-Farms-Remembered-1.pdf

Millside Farms ad, The New Era, 1939 50th Anniversary Issue

Old posts and comments often get buried back within this website so I highlight this recent one along with a couple of dozen others here so they are easier to find.

See also, these two clippings from our online archive of The New Era:
short history of Millside Farms from 1939 and a 1934 newspaper ad.

Please know that we would like to post more accounts of things that aren’t there anymore – local history topics such as Millside Farms, Riverside’s Watchcase Bldg., Cinnaminson Bank, Cinnaminson’s Children’s Home, among others, plus any of Riverton’s many clubs and civic and religious institutions, even topics about Philadelphia and the Jersey Shore.

Speaking of milk bottles… here are a few from my personal collection.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Francis “Franny” Cole August 2010

See more about Cole Dairy in the November 2010 issue of the Gaslight News. Follow links below to download a video interview in three parts, about 30 minutes total, with Franny Cole.

Mr. Francis Cole Remembers Cole Dairy Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

We invite your comments and encourage you to add what you know of the history of any of these local milk suppliers. -JMc

added 9/14/2019: Well, that didn’t take long! A few folks checked in with their recollections of Millside Farms.

Matt Mlynarczyk writes:
Hello John,
Saw the Millside Farms story on the HSR website and thought I’d forward you a few pics to post from my collection.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Ok… now I’m just jealous. Those are some choice collectibles. -JMc

Don Ulmer, another frequent flyer here, contributes this:
Early thirties we concluded a song sang in grade school; “My Garden State. We’ll sing thy praises evermore. I want to live and die in dear old Jersey on the blue Atlantic shore.” Your superb collage validates these lyrics.

Three readers commented on Facebook:

Marilyn Hahle writes: We (went) there for class trips. Also, when our family got together we would go there for ice cream and order a “Lost Weekend” which was a huge sundae which we all shared.

Michael Gilbert wants to know: …where was it located? (see below*)

Deb Hammond reminds us: September 28 is Delran History Day. Stop by 900 Chester Avenue between 11-4 browse our collection. From 12-2pm will have appraisals. Enter your name for chance to win Ancestry DNA kit.

*Regarding the location – Delran Historical Society shows a map with hiistorical sites here. I get that the highway shown in the lower right of the postcard was Route 25, now Route 130, but I can’t get my bearings on the placement of the farm. Was it where Delran’s Millside Shopping Center is now or was it on the other side of the highway? And why do all of the product containers credit a Riverside location instead of Delran, as Ms. Ruzo cites in her article?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Millside Farms sign – Evie Moorhouse

added 9/15/2019:

When Evie Berlin Moorhouse mentioned on Facebook that she has the Millside Farm sign found after the fire I replied and asked for a photo. She obliged with the photo at right.

Evie writes: The sign is about 3×5 feet made of pressed board. As a toddler I lived around the block from the farm in Delran. We would walk to see the cows often.

Later we moved to Cinnaminson. Went to Millside for birthdays and class trips. Best ice cream sundaes ever!

After the fire I lived in Millside Manor Apts. for a while. So many changes to that memorable property. Great local history.

Added 1/13/21:

Fred Pfeffer clears up the Rverside/Delran location:
Millside Farms was on the opposite side of the highway of Millside shopping center. The shopping center got its name from the farm. The shopping center used to be a pasture for the cows. And the reason the products had a Riverside address is because there was no Delran Post Office back then. The Bridgeboro section of Delran had a post office and if you lived in that area your mail was delivered to Bridgeboro N.J. The rest of Delran went through the Riverside post office.

Added 7/5/2021: A recent Facebook post made by Rick Grenda, Admin for the About South Jersey group, and shared to our Facebook page, elicited a number of comments that we’d like to make part of this record.

Kathleen McDermott Anderson
My Mom worked at Millside Dairy Bar. Lots of wonderful memories!

Kate Hickey
My mom worked at the Millside Farms when she was a teen!!!

Kathy Richardson Barker
I loved going there!

Marilyn Hahle
Millside Farms was one of my favorite class trips when I attended Riverton Public School. The Dairy Bar ice cream was delicious. When our cousins would visit we would always go there. They had a special sundae called a Lost Weekend. Even with 11 of us it was a delicious but huge amount of ice cream with all of the toppings.

Jean Miersch
Marilyn Hahle – I went there too. I have not thought about that in many years. I don’t remember this, but my dad once told me that at one time people had to wait sometimes for the dairy cows to cross Rt. 130 there.

Alice Doerr Groome
Jean Miersch – twice a day!

Sandra Cucugliello
The best place to go on date night!! Do I remember right that the ice cream was not in “scoops”?

Jerry Wakeham
Sandra Cucugliello yup they were in cubes. Loved them

Alice Doerr Groome
They used to stop traffic twice a day on Route 130 to get the cows to pasture and back again.

Chuck C Cattell
Alice Doerr Groome , my father told this story to me many times.

Alice Doerr Groome
Chuck C Cattell – I don’t know when they stopped doing this, but I know it happened in the 50s and maybe the early 60s.

Margaret Roedig-Wark
My father worked there as a delivery man door to door. Was able to put three girls through catholic school in the 50’s and early 60’s.

Christine Roedig Gentile
Margaret Roedig-Wark – do you have any pictures of Pop Pop in uniform?

Added 9/24/2020: We were very gratified to hear this comment left by a descendant of the founders of Millside Farms.

As the grandson and great-grandson of the founders of Millside Farms, it is wonderful to see these cherished artifacts from the farm and dairy bar as well as to read about fond memories of time spent there. While Millside Farms was gone before I was born, it was a source of great pride for my grandparents and my mom. They would be overjoyed knowing how much it still means to those who remember it. Thank you. Best, Cory Laslocky

Added 12/21/2022: I love it when a random google search query lands a person here, and they find something that sparks a memory. Thank you to Don Workman for this comment. Say “hi” to Don.

wow we use to live at the farm on the dirt lane that led out to chester ave,dad & my uncle worked for the farm ,was a wonderful time .i guess 1958 -59,old woody windsor lived on the corner ,across the street were the- levengoods -hunsickers -workmans -freemans-& a black family- we all played together, thay had a lot of turkeys back then would sled down the big hill in winter time & swim in the stream& ponds , we even met sally star there a few times

Ok, now we’d really like to see a photo of Pop-Pop in a Millside Farms uniform. Or anybody who has a family photo related to Millside.

Thank you to all who contributed to this post. Come back anytime. -JMc

Go back

Your message has been sent

 

Strolling the South Jersey Boardwalks and Beaches of Yesteryear

article contributed by Harlan B. Radford,
images from his collection


INTRODUCTION

If it weren’t for picture postcards, think of all the local history that would be lost forever! Vintage postcards are indeed a treasure trove and those moments preserved in time offer us a glimpse into what life “down the shore” was like 75-100 years ago.

Souvenir folder of Atlantic City, NJ

Come one and all, and discover the unique and enduring aspects that lured so many folks to flock to the Jersey Shore. See the ways we got there in the early days, stroll old boardwalks and promenades, enjoy the expansive sandy beaches, and swim in the ocean surf. Various personal postcard messages written by vacationers further illustrate for us what it was like back then.

Each of New Jersey’s resort communities promotes its unique charm with an attention-getting motto and seeks to lure tourists and vacationers during the summer months. Can you match the shore towns below with its slogan?

  1. Avalon                             a. “The Seashore at its Best!”
  2. Stone Harbor                 b. “Residential Community by the Sea”
  3. Atlantic City                   c.  “The Jewel of the Jersey Coast”
  4. Margate                          d.  “The Playground of the Nation/World/America”
  5. Wildwood-by-the-Sea  e. “America’s Greatest Family Resort”
  6. Ocean City                      f. “World’s Finest and Safest Bathing Beach”

PART 1. TRANSPORTATION

Just how did people actually get to what were then remote seashore communities in their early development? The limited methods of transportation in the late 1890s and the early 1900s were both innovative and adventuresome.

Ferry at Stone Harbor, NJ

Before the railroad, the only access to Avalon, and the neighboring beach town of Stone Harbor (which together are dubbed the Seven Mile Island) was by boat.

As demand began to increase, newly constructed roads all up and down the coast accommodated motorized vehicles. New railroads and bridges that crossed the channels and bay soon linked the mainland with the island resorts.

RR Station, Stone Harbor, NJ

In 1934, the Cape May County Bridge Commission began to build a series of toll bridges to connect the various coastal islands creating the well-known “Ocean Drive.” Trains and railway depots sprang up in the seashore towns.

Regularly scheduled seasonal rail services connected the cities of Philadelphia, Camden, and many other South Jersey towns to provide a direct link to the shore. Eventually, by the 1930s, except for those bound for the larger towns of Atlantic City and Ocean City, the trains would all but disappear.

Imagine going back in time and getting in on the ground floor of investing in Stone Harbor.

The New Era, August 2, 1912, p1

These vintage era picture postcards show some of those means of transportation for the seashore area. These early views show causeways, draw-bridges, boats, trains, omnibuses, trolleys and automobiles. Remember, there was no Atlantic City Expressway or Garden State Parkway then to facilitate travel.

PART 2. BOARDWALKS

Looking out to Sea, Atlantic City, NJ

Completed in 1870, Atlantic City’s boardwalk was the first in the world. When it first opened, commercial businesses were prohibited anywhere near the boardwalk.

Rebuilt bigger and better after storms in 1884 and 1889, the commercial restrictions ceased, and visitors soon enjoyed a medley of entertainments, places to shop, and food!

These open-air promenades sprang up in other shore towns and made saltwater taffy, homemade fudge, amusements, concerts, and the purchase of souvenirs synonymous with visiting the Jersey Shore.

A happy group on the boardwalk, Stone Harbor, NJ

These vintage postcards depict some of New Jersey’s boardwalks of yesteryear. All told, some 44 coastal Jersey towns once had a boardwalk.

See many more shore images displayed on our IMAGES tab, including those of Asbury Park and Ocean Grove, Avalon, Atlantic City, Cape May and Wildwood, Long Beach Island, Ocean City, Seaside Heights, and Stone Harbor.

Walking the boards with us back then; enjoy the sights and the ocean breeze.

PART 3. BEACHES

A happy crowd on the beach, Sea Isle City, NJ

Spending time on the beach, bathing in the ocean and having fun were the primary reasons why so many ventured to the seashore.

A number of personally written messages inscribed on the backs of some of the postcards clearly convey the real reasons for vacationing at the Jersey Shore.

PART 4 MESSAGES

Spending time on the beach, bathing in the ocean and having a fun time were the primary reasons why so many ventured to the seashore. In the absence of telephones, the penny postcard was the sure way to stay in touch with the folks back home and let them know just what was going on. Those simple notes indelibly recorded their authors’ splendid moments.

Reading these simple missives today, we realize that messages about kids digging and playing in the sand, bathers swimming and riding the waves, taking photos, and even complaints about mosquitos are not terribly different than those one might post today on Facebook.

  • Aug. 10, 1922 Boys are having a fine time. Uncle Eugene Mildred went fishing today. Expect fish for supper. Everybody is well. Boys dig deep holes in the sand. Bathe every day. Aunt Alice
  • Aug. 6, 1923 I am here over this week end and I am certainly having a fine time. I have even been in the ocean. I was in bathing and I got my eyes and mouth full of salt water. I came down by machine with relations and it was certainly a fine ride. I am going to Christiana next Sunday I think. Sincerely Helen Morton
  • Aug. 18, 1920 Dear Sister, This is our house. We would have room for you yet. Wish you were here. We were in bathing today. It’s great only it’s too cold. The nights are so very cool. We went to Wildwood this afternoon in a boat. The kiddies think it’s fine. Anna
  • 1917 Stone Harbor’s boardwalk built by the Borough at a cost of $35,000 is a mile and a quarter long and fully illuminated by electric lights. Dedicated July 4, 1916. A Pier, amusement and Business places are being rapidly built on this new Esplanade.
  • Sept. 1943 Tony has been having a grand time in waves and playing in sand. Susan is happier with her kiddie car so she can move around.
  • Aug. 18, 1941 Dear Friends, This is Monday morning and our last week. Time is going fast. We are having a very good time. The weather has been beautiful. I was only in bathing 3 times. But I am going in today. We were to Wildwood and Ocean City. Would like to spend a day at Atlantic City. Hope you are all well. Martins
  • June 29, 1910 Dear Florence, When I arrived down here I spent about a half a hour fighting with the skeeters. Carrie
  • Aug. 15, 1918 Eight of us are here in two bungalows. Are having a fine time. Spent yesterday at Wildwood. It is delightfully cool this morning. Hope you are both well. Lovingly, Laura Pierce
  • Aug. 8, 1922 Having a fine time in bathing. Gloria
  • Aug. 6, 1919 – Dear Friend, We arrived safely and we are enjoying the bathing although it is cool. We are going by boat to Wildwood tomorrow. Mabel
  • Aug. 12, 1915 I am in the water almost all the time. Having a nice time. George
  • Aug. 4, 1919 Stone Harbor’s matchless bathing beach, is absolutely safe, life lines being unnecessary.
  • Aug. 19, 1942 Greetings Marjorie, It is lovely down here. If you wish you could have come with me. Maybe you will next time? Gertrude

We invite your comments, recollections, and memories about the Jersey Shore of yesteryear.

Answers to shore towns and their slogans: 1-c, 2-a, 3-d, 4-b, 5-f, 6-e

For a modern perspective on what draws Philadelphia Inquirer writer, Kristen L. Graham to the Jersey Shore, see this article on inquirer.com