Yesterday’s news rediscovered

Macmillan.com informs that the idiom “yesterday’s news” means that the topic is something that everyone already knows about and is no longer interested in.

Let’s see.

Who or what will you find mentioned in these gazettes of bygone times?

Folks near and far often check our online resources for information on Riverton. Thanks to resident Ed Gilmore, we just added 16 more old out-of-print local newspapers to our archive.

Click on links below to see each issue.

The New Era, Jan. 30, 1936

The New Era, May 21, 1936

The New Era, June 11, 1936

The New Era, Dec. 29, 1938

The Palmyra News, Jan. 23, 1948

The New Era, Feb. 5. 1948

The New Era, March 3, 1949

The New Era, Jan. 31, 1957

The New Era, Feb. 7, 1957

The New Era, Oct. 26, 1961

The New Era, July 1, 1965

The New Era, July 8, 1965

The New Era, Feb. 3, 1966

The New Era, June 2, 1966

The New Era, Aug. 18, 1966

The New Era, Feb. 9, 1967

All but five of the 16 issues are ones which were not part of the Society’s original effort HSR President Betty B. Hahle started to save the vintage periodicals back in 1985-1986.

She’s looking for yesteryear’s news, BCT, Feb. 7, 1985, pg 9

Despite some missing and incomplete issues, the project preserved on microfilm over 130 issues of four local newspapers (1894-1949) –  The New Era (Riverton), The Palmyra Record, The Riverton Journal, and The Weekly News (Palmyra).  

Years later, in 2012, the RFL Association and the Historical Society of Riverton worked to complete the digitization of these four locally historic newspapers so they could be made available on the web at rivertonhistory.com. See them on the Historical Newspapers page.

As anyone who has browsed the files here can attest, the image quality varies and the search feature can miss a lot. These issues just posted are clearer and can be more accurately searched. 

Mr. Gilmore gave these issues to us a couple of years ago, but we did not have a way to scan the pages. I used an iPhone app called Adobe Scan to turn the pages into searchable PDFs.

While not up to the quality that we might have gotten from a $2,500 roll scanner, the Adobe Scan app produced a decent image and the text recognition is far more accurate than what we achieved on the microfilm to digital transfer. 

Well, anyway, I’m excited. 

The folks at adobe.com explain how it’s done here.

While they cannot compete with a scanner’s reproduction, mobile phone apps such as this or similar ones do open up the possibility of persons collaborating across the miles to add to the historical record.

If anyone else out there in cyberspace has an old hometown newspaper or other document to share, please send us a PDF we can post.  -JMc

HSR’s Museum for a Day event piggy-backs with RFL Candlelight House Tour Sat. Dec. 1

Almost ready – countdown to Saturday

During Riverton Free Library’s 2018 Riverton Candlelight House Tour this Saturday 4-9pm, be sure to make a stop at the Library where the Historical Society will offer a glimpse at some seldom seen items in our collection.

The Historical Society’s Museum-for-a-Day, last seen in 2016, returns with displays on the first floor as well as in the basement.

See this Riverton mini-mansion on the House Tour

On the first floor, be sure to see the tiniest house on the tour. This painstakingly detailed doll house is a replica of the real dwelling at 806 Main Street. You will have to come on Saturday to see the inside furnishings and details, complete with a Christmas tree and doors with crystal doorknobs.

RFL Then&Now mug

Among the local history themed items for sale are our mugs, Romance of Riverton DVDs, Bay Ruff’s Ruff Copy, Bill Washington’s Historic Riverton, gift memberships to the Society,  and some reproduction prints and enlargements.

Yacht Club illustration from Reddy by Mary Biddle Fitler, 1929

Downstairs, see displays of vintage clothing, photos of old Riverton, our salute to veterans, a number of Dreer’s Nursery garden implements and photos, plus original manuscripts, novels, and scrapbook by Riverton author Mary Biddle Fitler, and much more.

Mrs. Biddle’s fictional book series for children began with the publication of Reddy in 1929 using Riverton as a backdrop.

As publicized by the RFL Assn., tickets for the Candlelight House Tour are $15 Pre-Sale/ $20 Tour Night and are available at The Riverton Free Library, The New Leaf and The Guitar Guild. Ticket proceeds benefit Riverton Free Library.

Admission to the Historical Society’s exhibition is free. 

In addition to seeing the five beautifully decorated homes on the Tour, local establishments will offer entertainment & refreshments. And while here, don’t forget to the visit downtown Riverton’s Christmas Village, with horse & carriage rides and local vendors! -JMc

Added 1/26/2019: Highlights from our Museum for a Day

 

HSR merch for sale at RFL Sunday

After restocking some of our mug inventory that had sold out, I will be at Riverton Library on Sunday from 2-3 pm to offer some items for the history buffs on your list.

Our exclusive historically themed designs feature vintage images of Riverton, Riverside, Palmyra, and Moorestown from our archives. Back in stock are mugs depicting Christ Church, Palmyra train station, Riverton’s 1890 map, Riverton Golf Club, and the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge matchbook.

Biddle Mansion mug

Joseph Campbell mug

Riverton’s rich history provides no shortage of inspiration for designing these mugs.

Here are two of the latest.

This 5-page PDF shows all the mug designs we offer. Not all are in stock. New orders can take two weeks so those taken after this week may not arrive before Christmas.

The Romance of Riverton DVD, Bay Ruff’s Ruff Copy, or Bill Washington’s Historic Riverton, and a gift membership to the Society also make great gifts. – JMc

 

Events conspired against getting this month’s GN to members in time to publicize the Nov. 14 meeting

It’s not like I didn’t try to get done on time.

The feature article about the history of the recently razed Cinnaminson Home was already running long, but I was missing some bits, so colleague Paul W. Schopp helped direct me to more sources.

Reshuffling the story delayed my getting the issue to the printer, which pushed back the job to Monday. After quickly stuffing envelopes with the issue this morning, I rushed to the post office only to find them closed for Veterans Day.

So, there’s no way that folks will get the issue in time to tell them of the November 14 meeting @ 7pm  featuring Keith Henley’s presentation on the life of World War I hero Sgt. Henry “Black Death” Johnson.

So, that’s my excuse for my homework being late.

Check out the November 2018 GN issue #177 here.

Look for the enclosed 2019 membership form. 

We hope to see you at the Nov. 14 meeting and at our display at the Library during the Candlelight House Tour on Dec. 1, 2018.

A “like” or “share” on Facebook might circulate this in time to help some people to show up Wednesday night. -JMc

Redevelopment of former Cinnaminson Children’s Home will provide low-income senior housing

 

site of former Cinnaminson Home, 10-25-2018

Demolition of the Cinnaminson Home, at 1410 Riverton Road, is a sign that the long-awaited $12 million project to transform the site into 54 units of low-income senior housing is finally underway.

So what was the Cinnaminson Home?

The answer depends on when you mean.

Children’s Home 1897 from The New Era 75th Anniv Issue, 1965, p15

Most recently, the Cinnaminson Home for the Aged served as an assisted living facility for elderly adults. It closed in 2002, and Cinnaminson Township purchased the site in 2005.

Cinnaminson Home for Convalescent Women

But long before that, the building opened for ten weeks in the summer of 1897 to give a visit of one week for a total of three hundred poor children of Philadelphia. The story of how that endeavor originated and how the home evolved is the subject of a developing story for The Gaslight News.

Children’s Summer Home, Riverton, NJ

The HSR has some images from the 1890s, early 1900s, and very recent ones, plus a Cinnaminson Home Cookbook, and some newspaper articles but would like other photos and information to help in completing this story. -JMc

 

Mugs for sale Sunday in RFL basement 1-3pm

If there was ever a gift idea for someone from this area that would make them ask, “Where did you get this?” it’s one of these mugs with a local history theme derived from vintage photos, postcards, and maps from the archives of the Society

We even turned an old matchbook into a mug! The new Tacony-Palmyra Bridge mug sold out at its first showing at our Sept. 26 meeting.  More are on order.

Our area is too rich in history to just offer two or three choices for mugs.

If you have a memory of a place in Riverton, we probably have a mug about it. Our exclusive designs depict vintage images of Riverton Golf Club, the Porch Club, Riverton Fire Co., Riverton Yacht Club, churches, businesses, railroad stations, street scenes, old maps, and more.

Riverside, Palmyra, and Moorestown are also represented.

See dozens of mugs on Sunday, Oct. 7, from 1-3 pm. (The RFL runs its used book sale at the same place and time.) Cash or check accepted. All proceeds benefit the Historical Society of Riverton.  – John McCormick

 

Today’s nonagenarians are in this 1946 PHS Washington, DC Trip photo

PHS Class of 1946 – Wash DC Trip

We have had this photo in a heavy wooden frame for a while, and nobody gets to see it in the Library basement. Resolution here is not ideal*, but maybe someone out there can make out a familiar face.

Some of these kids would be about 90 today.

Taken May 2, 1946, this was the first class to graduate after World War Two.

The New Era, June 6, 1946, p8

A month later, a commencement program on June 6, 1943, marked the end of a high school experience that had been so overshadowed by the specter of that global conflict.

The New Era, June 13, 1946, p1

 

 

To help place a name with a face, here is a list of Palmyra High School Class of 1946 grads.  The June 13 issue of The New Era also acknowledged those students receiving awards.

See the asterisks that indicate several members of the US Navy.

Holler if you see someone you know.

*I used a photo scan app on my phone to capture the class photo. -JMc

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everybody wants one

Sometimes two.

A limited quantity of our exclusive mugs with local history themes derived from vintage photos, postcards, and maps in the archives of the Society are back in stock.

Some styles are limited in quantity so call ahead or message us if you want one reserved for that night.

See all the available styles on our STORE page.

revised 11/10/2022: We find that not only do suppliers come and go, they change how we place orders. Although unintended, some earlier designs have turned out to be limited editions. Please email rivertonhistory@gmail.com if you have questions about mugs.  -JMc