Winter officially arrived December 21 at 12:11 p.m., but it felt more like spring with temps in the upper 60s and 70+ forecast for the next day.
I snapped this while finishing some Christmas shopping. No distracted driver here – I pulled into the bank parking lot.
Here’s a little History Mystery to solve.
Who is driving this 1926 RFCo pumper in 1956?
I scored this real 4×6 inch photo on a eBay auction a few weeks ago. The seller described it as “A very nice old 1956 original B & W 4 by 6 inch photo of the Riverton NJ Fire Dept 1926 ALF 750 pumper. This photo was taken by me at the NJ State Firemen s Parade in 1956 Atlantic City.”
Since no one else bid, it only cost $2 plus $1.97 shipping. It was worth the gamble. That is probably a member of Riverton’s Fire Company piloting that pumper in Atlantic City. He could be somebody’s Pop-Pop or great-granddad. Let me know if you can put a name to that face. – John McCormick
PS. HSR Vice-President Mrs. Cheryl Smekal added ten more pix to the Museum for a Day image gallery in the previous post below.
Aggie Kennedy clothes a dressmaker’s form.Susan Dechnik took most of the photos here.Cheryl Smekal, closest; Aggie Kennedy, at right; Susan Dechnik, back
The reason for the recent inactivity here on the website is that we have prepared for our display of artifacts that we call our Museum for a Day at the New Leaf Tea Room in cooperation with the Riverton Free Library’s biennial Candlelight House Tour.
The items come out to play for a day, then are packed away until we get another offer for some free exhibit space.
Once every two years we get to break out of storage some choice HSR treasures to exhibit to the public. Afterwards, the items get packed away, and until the next time, this online virtual museum will have to do until we get a real permanent one.
I only just found a box postmarked 2011 in our storage space full of donated items relevant to the Yacht Club, particularly the Duster, that former resident Marty Carhart donated.
More details of the remarkable contents will be forthcoming in a later post, but for now, blueprints for building a Duster and two reels of 16mm movie film taken of the 1949 Duster Championship race were just two of the more notable items.
RYC 100th Anniversary book 1965
Also in that box, a 1965 book published for the 100th anniversary of the Riverton Yacht Club now serves as a startling reminder that 2015 will be their 150th anniversary. I made a poster outlining some of the milestones in the RYC’s history to go with the table display.
“Tempus fugit,” as my Latin teacher used to say. Tempus fugit, indeed. I think time has even picked up more speed after I passed sixty.
HSR Board Member Bill McDermott also pitched in as a Museum Guide. Turns out he had never heard the story about how Ed Merrill built the Duster in a workshop on the third floor of a house at 301 Main Street. There are probably many things we could all learn from each other if we could pool our resources. We have the bandwidth here if you have something to share.
Readers, please search those boxes tucked away in attics and basements for anything you may have that would help to piece together a history of the RYC’s last half-century. Something spectacular is sure to be planned to commemorate that milestone, and with so many knowledgeable people now living far afield the internet is a great place to collaborate.
I made another poster that explained about Anne Knight Ruff’s book, hoping it would result in some sales, but no luck. This book is a treasury of Riverton history c.1890-late 1900s and should be required reading for anyone living in this zip code.
An exhibit about Riverton’s veterans included a poster with all the original names plus the names added since 2011. Longtime Riverton resident Daniel Goffredo lent us his World War II service uniform for the day.
Earlier this year the HSR bought a presentation projector that we could use for just this type of situation, so we set it up with a screen to show the much expanded Riverton Veterans Album.
Those old hometown newspapers that we got online in late 2012 have yielded a lot of anecdotal information about the people mentioned on the original War Memorial Honor Roll. Additionally, the newspaper files have been the source of many more news clippings about military personnel whom they described as being from Riverton.
That might be the reason if you were to find a person mentioned in the pages of the Veterans Album, but their name is not on the War Memorial Honor Roll.
I showed the presentation to our own HSR Board members Nancy Hall and Elsie Waters, but the best part was listening to them give the color commentary as they watched. – John McCormick
revised 12/22: added ten photos to gallery below
RGC sign for museum display
Carhart RYC items
Carhart RYC items
Carhart items – note newspaper from 90th RYC anniv.
Mrs. Hewlings Horseradish
HSR Vice President Cheryl Smekal
local bottles
Already part of Riverton history – the Historic Riverton Criterium
It seems everybody can’t wait to get their hands on the latest Historical Society of Riverton newsletter.
The November 2013 Gaslight News is in the mail. Our newsletter staff (actually the Mrs. and I) picked up the copies from the printer in Pemberton this morning, stuffed them into 150 envelopes, and posted them this afternoon.
In it you’ll read how an 1895 news clipping triggered Carl McDermott’s endearing remembrance of his grandfather, who worked at Dreer’s, and his grandmother, a Riverton telephone switchboard operator.
Patricia Smith Solin’s timely article on the Candlelight House Tour traces the history of this enduring Riverton tradition, now in its 53rd year.
Returning HSR members will recall that November is the month to pay dues. Members will find a form in the envelope with their newsletter. We invite you to join wherever you are and urge you to add your voice to this growing community resource. Find a printable PDF form here. – John McCormick
Mrs. Elsie Waters on right; Mrs. Susan Dechnik on left; fast disappearing cookies on table
In the summary for the last HSR meeting held at Riverton School in October I mentioned the scrumptious homemade gingersnaps that HSR Board member Mrs. Elsie Waters made for the refreshment table. You may have missed the post if you never check out the Programs & Events tab.
Elsie is always making something unexpected yet so perfect for the occasion.
Case in point – those delectable spicy ginger cookies were just the thing to get us all in a fall mood for the first meeting after the summer break. Click on this link for the PDF file for Elsie’s Old Fashion Ginger Snaps. You can print out a facsimile of Elsie’s two-sided recipe card.
Very classy, Elsie.
Elsie Showell and brother John, Riverton July 4, c.1920Elsie Showell Waters, 2013 Riverton July 4 Parade Marshal
My two favorite photos of Elsie.
Fittingly, she is in a carriage in both shots.
She has fit in a lifetime of Riverton memories and experiences in between those two moments.
Mrs. Elsie S. Waters, Riverton fan 95 years
Readers may recall seeing pictures and references to Elsie before, as she is a vital part of Riverton and exemplifies what being an active member of the Society means.
Very classy, indeed.
The search box, above right, will point you to more references on this website about the Showell, Waters, and Wright families. – John McCormick
The south wall of Camden City Hall’s gray granite façade bears the uplifting inscription, “In a dream I saw a city invincible,” a reference to a line from this poem by Walt Whitman.
I Dream’d in a Dream Walt Whitman
I dream’d in a dream I saw a city invincible to the attacks of the whole of the rest of the earth,
I dream’d that was the new city of Friends,
Nothing was greater there than the quality of robust love, it led the rest,
It was seen every hour in the actions of the men of that city,
And in all their looks and words.
Started on the cusp of the Great Depression in 1929, and completed two years later, that neoclassical house of government for the City and County of Camden still dominates the Camden skyline over eight decades later.
Souvenir Folder of Camden c.1930s
This Souvenir Folder of Camden, New Jersey, probably dating from the early 1930s, has a description of an industrial and commercial metropolis of seemingly unlimited potential (PDF of description here.)
However, I have not come here to bash Camden, but to praise the Camden that was my hometown for my first 21 years.
These Depression-era old postcard photos predate my memories of growing up in North and East Camden in the late 1940s through early 1970s, to be sure, but those experiences truly shaped the outcome of this baby-boomer’s life.
View at full screen all 22 Camden Souvenir Folder images in this PDF slide show (1.99MB).
What buildings, places, or landmarks do you think would make it into a Souvenir Folder of Riverton, New Jersey? Let us know here, on our Facebook page, or email to rivertonhistory@gmail.com – John McCormick
HSR Vice President Mrs. Pat Brunker welcomes members to the October meeting.
HSR members converged on Riverton School’s library to reconnect with colleagues after the summer hiatus and hear Society Vice President Mrs. Pat Brunkeroutline some of the organization’s projects for the coming term.
One agenda item of particular interest to homeowners may be the revival of awarding historical plaques. Many Riverton homes and buildings have displayed these badges explaining the structure’s historic pedigree for some time, but the HSR has not granted any new plaques for several years.
Pat Brunker (l.) and HSR President Phyllis Rogers (r.) display a new plaque.
Now available—the Historical Society of Riverton will award historic plaques for qualifying structures, minimum 100 years old, of particular architectural significance or of local historical significance. Call 856-786-8422 for an application which the HSR will review. Plaque donation: $150.
Further details on the simplified application process, program particulars, and an online application will be forthcoming in an upcoming post.
Then, Vice President Cheryl Smekal(yes, we have two VPs) told of an upcoming Dickens Tea by returning presenter Alisa DuPuyat the New Leaf on Thursday, November 21at 7:00 p.m. Your $15 includes tea and dessert, an evening’s diversion and entertainment, and supports the preservation efforts of the HSR. Call 856-786-0323 for reservations.
Cheryl Smekal, 2011 Museum for a Day Curator
Cheryl further explained that on December 7, in conjunction with Riverton Free Library’s Holiday House Tour, Phyllis Rogersand the New Leaf Tea Roomwill again host an HSR Museum for a Day, last done in 2011, in which the public may inspect rarely displayed artifacts, ephemera, vintage clothing, and photos from the Historical Society of Riverton’s archives. She invited anyone with something to loan for display to contact her at 856-829-9375.
Indentured servant Dorothy Stanaitis shocked this audience with scandalous tales of colonial society she overheard while serving tea.
Cheryl introduced our evening’s presenter, essayist and certified Philadelphia tour guide, Dorothy Stanaitis.
Speaking from the perspective of a colonial-era indentured servant who has eavesdropped while serving tea to her well-to-do Philadelphia employers, Ms. Stanaitis divulged scandalous tidbits about American and British figures of her day.
She surprised even the most ardent of history buffs among us with some of the revelations included in her well-researched soliloquy that the history books left out.
Propriety, however, prevents me from repeating such gossip here. You may have to book this chatty domestic for your next club gathering and hear her Scandals, Rumors, and Dirty Rotten Lies for yourselves.
Afterwards, light refreshment accompanied many spirited conversations as members resumed that familiar society pastime as though the summer had not interceded at all.
Palmyra Police Officers
Meanwhile, Dr. Cliff Johnsonobliged by identifying some Palmyra police officers in a scan of a photo that I have had since 2004 when Betsy Ransomekindly let me scan about two dozen old postcards in her choice collection.
Elsie Waters treated us to homemade gingersnaps.
She used to hang them in her store, Grayson’s Flowers, on Broad Street in Palmyra. Betsy was one of the generous contributors who got the virtual image archive displayed on these pages off to its start.
Eventually, most discussion threads intersected on the wonderful contents of the refreshment table and, in particular, the remarkable homemade gingersnaps that Elsie Watersbrought.
The recipe, you ask. I’ll check with Elsie and get back to you.
Please join the conversation about Riverton history here or on our Facebook page. – John McCormick
Imagine “Pat” Steedle, Riverton expressman, politician, Rotarian, song leader, former Boy Scout and what not, sitting in the darkness along a Pennsylvania highway in his X Y Z’s drying his clothes over a bonfire.
That is how the April 23, 1931 issue of The New Era recounted for its readers’ amusement an experience that George Steedle had with his moving van. Sandy Steedle sent us this great story about her great-grandfather, the subject of the feature article in this last newsletter, “Geo. D. Steedle moved millions with Steedle’s Express & Philburco buses.
Enjoy this humorous essay from an over eighty year old edition of The New Era, “Pat Steedle and His Truck Imitate Submarine on Highway at Reading.” The necessary concession to the budgetary restraints placed on the Gaslight News which limits each issue to four pages sometimes results in some good stuff not being able to get past this editor’s desk.
Such was the case with this article and the scanned images of a Tacony-Palmyra Ferry stock certificate I bought off an eBay auction last January.
There are many more stories about local characters in the old Riverton and Palmyra newspapers preserved here. Let us know if you find a topic which you would like to see further explored here or in the Gaslight News. We welcome readers’ submissions. – John McCormick
Added July 3, 2018: We thank Paul W. Schopp for sending this great photo of a Tacony-Palmyra Ferry beside the bridge as it neared completion.
Here is the Tacony-Palmyra Ferry Company’s boat PALMYRA, formerly the Atlantic City Railroad’s COLORADO (1891), passing the almost completed bridge that will soon replace the ferryboats:
The construction of the new grandstand for Riverton Memorial Park reached another milestone with the fitting of the concrete joists to the configuration that is shaping up for completion, possibly in a month or so.
Borough Councilman Joe Creighton passes on these shots of a crane lowering the joists into place on September 27.
Just days before, Keith Herndon joined his brother, Mark, and son, Korey, as the family business proceeded to raise courses of perfectly aligned brick veneer on the cinder block structure.
Mark tells me that an electrician and plumber have started their work as the masonry work continues, but I have not been by at the right time to catch them.
Find other references to Riverton Memorial Park’s original grandstand and this new one by searching for “grandstand” in the search query box at the top of the page.
The following photos illustrate the exacting work of these skilled masons as well as another step in the progress of this much-anticipated borough project. – John McCormick
If fall is in the air, then it must mean that the Historical Society of Riverton will rev up its meetings and programs soon, and their newsletter will resume publication. By now the September Gaslight Newsshould be in members’ hands.
I don’t consider a newsletter issue a triumph unless I have made at least a serious grammatical error or typo with bonus points for misstatements of fact. The PDF file linked above fixes my misspelling of the name of my longtime teaching colleague, friend, and now HSR President, Mrs. Phyllis Rodgers.
There goes my Christmas bonus.
Come see what else is new at the first meeting of the season on Thursday, October 10 at 7:00 pm, at Riverton School when Scandals, Rumors, and Dirty Rotten Lies will be the presentation.
As always, Readers, do let us know about errors or weigh in with your own reaction to any topic or image seen here.
