BASS RIVER TOWNSHIP, N.J. HISTORY . . . etc.

Mystery Photo

2012-02-01T08:05:00.002-05:00

I got the following email from Patty S. and hope that someone out in the Blog-O-Sphere can help to identify the location of the photo. I haven't a clue; however, I think we can say that it definitely was not taken in New Gretna.

Pete S

Pete,
Do you or anyone out there on the blog knows where this might have been taken? This was in my Grandmother's pictures. There is nothing written on the back. It might have been part of a larger picture as the right side has been cut as it's wavy, not straight like the left side. She was born and raised in New Gretna. She was a McCambridge, her mother a Loveland, and her mother a Gaskill and her mother an Allen. All these families lived in the area so I'm sure it's from Burlington County somewhere.
Patty S.

PS- Interested in old Burlington County scenes? You may want to take a look at the old postcard collection from the Burlington County Library by clicking in the postcard below.

Occupy New Gretna

2012-01-30T19:18:00.002-05:00

You've heard the expression, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." Well, it seems as if that applies to a link between New Gretna in the mid 1930's and today's political landscape. Today, we hear about the disparity of wealth in our country and see scenes of various "Occupy" demonstrations in cities throughout the country designed to bring the plight of the 99 per cent to our national conscience.

Occupy Wall Street

New Gretna folks were concerned with the same issues; however, society in old time New Gretna was too civil for such unruly exhibitions. Rather than have "Occupy New Gretna" demonstrations, a proper organization was formed to focus on economic class concerns and to join the political process, in an orderly manner, to strive to rectify the situation.

Huey Long

I'm proud of our New Gretna ancestors back in the 1930's. Today's politicians should be so civil.

Pete S

Chicken Thievery in New Gretna

2012-01-26T08:01:00.000-05:00

I got the following email from Donald Maxwell about chicken thievery in old time New Gretna and thought I would share it with you. I was glad to hear that he got a chuckle out of last Sunday's Chicken Tattoos Blog entry. "Cackle" would have been a better description!

Pete,

Icouldn't help chuckling while reading about the chicken tattooing. Idon't think your readers realize the chicken theivery that went on inthe 30's. it wasn't uncommon for someone to report that theirchickens had been stolen in the night. I know that we were one ofthose that had experiences with chicken theives. There were a lot ofchicken yards and henhouses around New Gretna about that time. Nearlyeveryone kept their own chickens.

Iknow we were victims. One night someone got into our fatteneing penand took out two big old hens that we were fattening up for Sundaydinner. Another time we heard a lot of chicken commotion in the backwhere we had the large chicken house. My brother and I slept in theback bedroom facing the chicken house so we could hear it better thanthe rest. My brother, Jack, loaded up his shotgun which he kept handyand fired a load out there deliberately high so as not to hit anyone.Needless to say, it alerted the whole household out of deep slumber.My dad rushed into the bedroom wanting to know what that shot was allabout. We told him what we heard, so he went out with a flash lightand discovered the chicken house had been broken into. He found aknife the thief had dropped plus a lot of feathers and some chickenblood.

Iremember Les Allen lost his whole flock one night, some 30 somechickens including Rhode Island Reds, Wyondots, and Dominics. Theywere considered a very good brand. We always kept mostly leghornswith some other brands mixed in. Earl Cramer also lost a good part ofhis flock one night.

Les Allen
Photo courtesy of Alston and Claie Allen

Earl Cramer and his wife, Elizabeth
Photo courtesy of Norman & Leila Cramer

Alot of people would call the State Police which mostly was a futilegesture. I remember reading, in the TuckertonBeacon,about a chicken thief being caught in West Creek, so it wasn't just aNew Gretna problem but was pretty well widespread at the time,especially during the war years.

Duringthe war years there was hardly a family that didn't keep and raisetheir own chickens plus a lot of people had a hog out back of thehouse for their pork. They had what was known as a hog slaughteringday. We kids would gather around to watch it. It was so gory thatmost of us left shortly after it started. Some places wouldn't let uskids watch, as it was pretty bad, but that was a way of life then allalong the South Jersey shore and inland also.

DonMaxwell

Following are a few old New Gretna chicken photos that you might enjoy. New Gretna-ites out in the Blog-O-Sphere may remember some of the people.

Pauline Berry, Bobby Quinn's mother
Photo courtesy of Bobby Quinn

Clarence Berry, Bobby Quinn's uncle
Photo courtesy of Bobby Quinn

Bucky Lamson
Photo courtesy of Betty Lamson West

(l-r) Debra, Barbara, and Marilyn West in 1962
Photo courtesy of Betty Lamson West

Pete S

PS- I couldn't help showing one of my favorite chicken jokes, courtesy of The Far Side.

Chicken Tattoos

2012-01-22T09:01:00.000-05:00

Just when I thought I've read about everything regarding our government rules here in good old New Jersey, I received a surprise when I read the following from the April 20, 1933 Tuckerton Beacon. I wonder if it's still on the books.

I guess I'll have to round up all my chickens. See you down at the chicken Tattoo Parlor!

Pete S

A New Gretna Lunch

2012-01-20T09:19:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I had lunch with John Yates and Tom Farner, a couple of history buddies, at SoJos in the Tuckerton Seaport. It was nice to sit and have a leisurely chat about the history of our area and compare notes on some research projects that we are working on.

I wish we were able to meet in a local New Gretna restaurant but, alas, there are none to be found. That was not always the case, as there were always a restaurant or luncheonette or two in old time New Gretna where locals could gather for a bite to eat and chat about the events of the day.

The last restaurant that I remember in New Gretna was Frank's just off the corner of South Maple Avenue and Route 9, but it has been quite a few years since it closed when Frank passed away. It was the morning meeting place for the older locals.

I've been trying to collect information on past New Gretna eating establishments and recently came across a 1936 Tuckerton Beacon ad for the opening of the Quaker Maid restaurant with home cooking and featuring home made pies and cakes. That would have been just the ticket for me and my history buddies to meet.

The Quaker Maid Restaurant is somewhat of a puzzlement to me, as I had never heard of it. It is advertised as under the management of Mrs. William Cramer and was located on New York Boulevard, now Route 9. I'm hoping that someone out in the Blog-O-Sphere might recognize the name and provide some background information for me.

Pete S

PS- Oooops! I forgot about Allen's Clam Bar on Rt 9 in downtown New Gretna. I'm not a fish eater, so I tend to overlook it. They have great sea food for all you sea food lovers. If you haven't been there, give it a try.

Allen's Clam Bar in downtown New Gretna.

Happy Birthday Joan Claire Cramer- 1930s Style!

2012-01-07T16:36:00.001-05:00

I've been mentioning Frank and Rejessa Cramer, who owned and managed Cramer's Grille on the corner of Route 4 and Allentown Road in New Gretna from the early 1930s through 1940, in various recent blog entries. During this time I had been exchanging emails with Joan Claire Cramer Kapler, Frank and Rejessa's daughter, thanks to getting her email address from our Blog reading buddy, Clif Brown, out in sunny California.

I am in the process of clipping out, along with my genealogy cohort, Shirley Whealton, the New Gretna News from the pile of old Tuckerton Beacons Shirley and I have collected over the years. Yesterday, while clipping from 1937 and 1938 Beacons, I came across the following items involving Joan Claire's 6th and 7th birthday parties and thought I would share them with you. The parties sure sound festive, and the articles mention many familiar New Gretna names.

I notice that Don Maxwell's mother, Mrs. Curtis Maxwell, and his brother, Jackie, were at the 1937 party. Surprisingly, Donald wasn't at either party.

Jackie Maxwell attended both of Joan Cramer's birthday parties.
Photo courtesy of Donald Maxwell.

I was also surprised to see Georgine Mathis (now Bartlett) and Joey Shropshire's names, as I see them from time to time. Georgine lives on North Maple Avenue in New Gretna with her husband, Walt Bartlett, and Joe lives in North Jersey.

Georgine Mathis with her brother, Elvin.
Photo courtesy of Murray & Jean Shropshire Harris.

I wonder if Joan, Georgine, and/or Joe remember the parties. If so, it would be interesting hearing from them.

Also, if anyone out in the Blog-O-Sphere recognizes a name mentioned as a party guest, it would be neat to hear from you, too, along with your relationship with and memories of that person or persons.

Pete S

Who Is Buried In Grants Tomb?

2012-01-02T15:46:00.001-05:00

I grew up in the 1950's and can remember when television was introduced into most American homes. Many of the old TV shows still come to mind from time to time. Some of my favorites were Howdy Doody; Junior Frolics, a cartoon show featuring Farmer Gray and mice that seemed to be endlessly running over hills; Captain Video; Kukla, Fran and Ollie; Rootie Kazootie; The Honeymooners, I Love Lucy, and You Bet Your Life starring Groucho Marx. I'm sure most of you out in the Blog-O-Sphere remember those shows and have a few other favorites of your own.

You Bet Your Life was a simple little quiz show that ran in the 1950s and early 1960s. It featured Groucho's unique sense of humor and interaction with the contestants rather than big money prizes and fancy sets. Groucho would ask a team of two contestants a series of questions. They could also earn extra money by saying the secret word during the session. A duck would come down from the ceiling when the secret word was uttered.

Today's secret word is CLOCK!

Following is a clip from the show showing Grouch's banter with contestants.

Click the arrow to play the clip.

I particularly enjoyed the interaction between Groucho and his announcer and sidekick, George Fenneman.

Click the arrow to play the clip.

Should the contestants fail to earn any money, Groucho asked them one last obvious question, so that they would not go away empty handed. My favorite farewell question was "Who was buried in Grant's Tomb?" Surprisingly, some contestants, thinking it must be a trick question, would out think themselves and give the wrong answer. I guess they figured that the obvious was not always the correct answer.

If I were hosting a "You Bet Your Life - New Gretna Style" TV show and you were a contestant that didn't do too well at the quiz, I would ask you a farewell question, just as Groucho did. However, I'm cheaper than Groucho, so my question may sound obvious, but would be a bit tricky. Let's give it a try and see if you would answer the question correctly and leave my show with a few extra bucks.

The December 22nd and 24th Blog entries had to do with Frank Cramer, so I thought I would ask you a Frank Cramer themed question as a farewell question. Let's see how you do!

Your farewell questions is "What is Frank Cramer's first name?"

If you answered Frank, you are wrong! Everyone in New Gretna called him Frank, but Frank wasn't his first name. The following March 1, 1934 Tuckerton Beacon article dealing with the issuance of 1934 New Gretna liquor licenses lists Frank Cramer's full name as Abram Frank Cramer. It seems that Frank was really his middle name, a fact not well known in old time New Gretna circles. Abram was his first name!

Should you doubt that this is the same Frank Cramer, the address listed in the news article is the address of his New Gretna establishment. Route 4 is the present day Route 9 and Allentown Road is now called North Maple Avenue.

It seems that things are not always what they appear to be in old time New Gretna. I bet you were not the only one to get my "You Bet Your Life - New Gretna Style" farewell question wrong. As to "Who is buried in Grant's Tomb?", I'll leave that up to others to sort out.

Pete S

New Year's Babies

2011-12-28T17:59:00.001-05:00

Every New Years most newspapers print a photo or article about the first baby born in their community. Thinking that the Tuckerton Beacon was probably no exception, I reached back into my archives collection to see if I could find a photo or news item about a New Gretna "New Years Baby".

Sure enough, I found what I was looking for when I got to the 1947 Beacon articles. Unfortunately there was no photo, but the brief news item presented an early January baby born to a New Gretna family. Coincidentally, I happen to have breakfast with that 1947 New Year's baby every other Friday at our New Gretna Men's Breakfast Club.

The New Gretna New Year's Baby Award goes to Ricky Steele, born Richard Budd Steele on January 2, 1947 to his proud parents, Clarence "Budd" and Almira Cramer Steele.

Clarence "Budd" and Almira Cramer Steele.
(Photo courtesy of Almira Cramer Steele.)

Ricky's cousin, Jim McAnney, also goes to our Men's Breakfast and is probably laughing right now thinking about kidding Ricky about this Blog post, as he usually does when I mention Ricky in the Blog. Well Jim, the laugh may also be on you. It seems that Jim was born just a few months after Ricky. I don't have his birth announcement, but I was able to find a January 30, 1947 Beacon news item about a Baby Shower that was held for his mom, Peg McAnney. You guessed it! That baby shower was for little Jim who was born April 4th. Those of you out in the Blog-O-Sphere with New Gretna roots will probably recognize the names of many who attended the shower.

Jim's parents, Ruby and Peg McAnney.
(Photo courtesy of Peg McAnney)

Cousins Ricky Steele (l) and Jim McAnney a few years
after their 1947 entrance into this world.
(Photo courtesy of Peg McAnney)

I want to wish all of you out in the Blog-O-Sphere a Happy New Year, especially my Men's Breakfast buddies, Ricky and Jim.

Pete S

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T07:36:00.004-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Let us all remember the reason

for the season.

Don Maxwell Remembers Frank Cramer

2011-12-24T13:22:00.000-05:00

I got the following email from Don Maxwell related to last Thursday's Blog posting about Frank Cramer's Santa beard catching fire. It pins down the year that it happened.

Pete,

A young Don Maxwell didn't miss
much that went on in New Gretna,
and he remembers it all.

Maybe I can shed a little light on the Frank Cramer episode of the beardburning. Unfortunely, I cannot pin down the exact date, but I believeClif is pretty close. Frank and Rejessica sold the Rustic early inthe 1940's, I believe around 1942. They were getting ready to sell inthe late 1930's, as they were always talking about moving to LongBeach Island. They bought a lot very near the beach. As I remember,you could see the ocean when it became rough.

Frankand my father were friendly as was my mother and Rejessica. Frankcontracted my father to build him a nice two story home on his newlot which was in Beach Haven. He started about the time the warstarted, in mid 1941, and finished it that same year. Frank, being abricklayer by trade, finished off the outside with brick.

Speakingof his beard catching fire he had a much more dangerous one. It wasjust after Christmas, maybe a week or so. Their Christmas tree caughtfire upstairs in their living quarters. Rejessica screamed for help,and frank ran upstairs, followed by Norman Mathis, Bob Mathis' uncle,and they grabbed the tree and got it somehow out the back door overthe railing and down. it caused some damage like burnt curtains, etc.but not so severe they couldn't continue living there.

Ido remember they lived on the beach during the 1944 hurricane as,after the storm, my dad took the whole family over to see them and tosee if they had suffered any damage. They hadn,t much damage butFrank said Jessica and daughter Joan were hysterical during thestorm.

Yes,Joan married Bill Kapler. It was the second marriage for both as theyhad both lost mates due to death. I have no idea where they live now.I do know that Joan became a Special Education teacher. Growing upshe was one nice girl. My father said she was the nicest kid he eversaw. She was over at our house an awful lot and took a lot of mealswith us.

DonMaxwell

Don comes to the rescue, again! I'll never know how he remembers so many details from so long ago. He's got to be the ninth wonder of the world!

Since Don remembered that Frank and Rejessica Cramer moved from New Gretna to Long Beach Island early in the 1940s, Frank's Santa beard had to have caught fire on December 24, 1938. Mystery solved!

Pete S

PS- After I received and read Don's email, I found a December 25, 1941 Gramer's Grille ad in my files. Although it was still called Cramer's Grille, the proprietor was George Yike. Frank Cramer no longer owned the establishment. This confirms the time frames in Don's email.

Santa and Murphy's Law

2011-12-22T21:03:00.001-05:00

Christmas is just around the corner. Tis the season to be jolly! At least that's the way it is suppose to be. Unfortunately, things don't always go as planned over the holiday season. Just ask Frank Cramer, the proprietor of Cramer's Luncheonette, whose efforts to bring Santa to the children of New Greta went awry as chronicled in the following Tuckerton Beacon article. Unfortunately, the news clipping is undated, but the incident probably occurred sometime in the 1940s. It shows that Murphy's law, "Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong!", also applies to Santa.

Pete S

Frank Cramer

Frank Cramer was the proprietor of Cramer's Grille on the north-east
corner of present day Rt. 9 and North Maple Avenue.

(Postcard courtesy of Charles Richmond, Jr.)

PS- I'm wondering if Don Maxwell or Clif Brown recall the incident.

New Years Eve Plans

2011-12-19T14:33:00.002-05:00

2012 is coming to a close in a few weeks, and Jackie and I are starting to make plans for the New Year's celebration. Since we don't like to travel on New Year's Eve, we are planning to stay in town. The New Grena Minstrels are planning a New Years Eve gala and that seems to be just the ticket. Front row reserve seats are only 50 cents! If your budget is tight in this economy, general admission tickets are only 25 cents. What a bargain! Perhaps, you would like to join us.

Does anyone out in the Blog-O-Sphere have ancestors who are listed in the program? Also, do you know the first names of H.Z.; J.S.; and C.G. Mathis? If so, let's hear from you!

I picked up our tickets the other day at Howard Mathis' store on New York Road, now Rt. 9, so that we would have them well in advance of the New Year celebration.

Howard Mathis' store

If you want a good seat you had better see Howard soon, as the tickets are going fast. As the minstrel's interlocutor, he can also answer any questions you may have regarding the upcoming performance.

Howard Mathis

I'm not sure if the following New Gretna Minstrels photos are of the performers in the advertised New Year's show, but I suspect that many of them are. Perhaps, someone out in the Blog-O-Sphere can match the names from the above program with the performers in the photo.

New Gretna minstrels

The New Gretna Minstrels perform at Tuckerton High School.

I'm looking forward to seeing you all on New Years Eve! Now, if I can just find the Knights of Pythias Hall.

Pete S

Christmas Shopping - New Gretna Style

2011-12-12T13:04:00.000-05:00

Well, here we go again! Christmas is quickly approaching, and I still haven't started my Christmas shopping. Some things never seem to change.

I guess I'm not the only one who procrastinates during the yuletide season. Rita Allen who owned Allen's Variety Store on Allentown Road, now North Maple Avenue, in New Gretna placed a 1921 Christmas ad in the Tuckerton Beacon, especially for people like me who tend to wait to the last minute to do our Christmas shopping. Rita encouraged shoppers to "Avoid the inconvenience of last minute shopping" by stopping by her New Gretna establishment. It was good business and great advise.

Rita Allen, the owner of Allen's Variety Store.

I wish I could heed Rita's advise as her Variety Store was just down the street from my house, but it has been long closed. It would sure have made my Christmas shopping easier, as I'm looking for a pair of white shoes for my Men's Breakfast Club buddy, Ricky "White Shoes" Steele, and I bet Rita would have had an appropriate pair for sale. I guess Ricky is out of luck this Christmas.

Does anyone out in the Blog-O-Sphere remember Allen's Variety Store or have you heard stories about it? If so I'd like to hear from you.

Pete S

PS- Ricky's mother, Almira Cramer Steele, told me that she first saw a telephone at "Aunt Rita's" store when she was a little girl. Allen's Variety Store was just down the street from the Cramer home. The phone was an oak box hung on the wall. It had a crank that you would turn to ring the phone.

Aunt Rita would lift little Almira up onto a box which stood by the phone so that she could reach the phone and turn the handle.

I wonder if Almira had ribbons in her hair?

Gatling Gun Mystery

2011-11-29T19:30:00.000-05:00

The Tuckerton Beacon hosted a column called "Out Of The Past" in the 1930's and 1940s. It was a reprint of news from early Beacons and is a valuable source of information.

Out Of The Past Mast Head

The Beacon started publication in the late 1880's; however, complete copies of the Beacon are only available from 1916 to the present. It seems that the Beacon Office threw out their copies of the older editions, making the "Out of The Past" columns the only source of pre 1916 area news.

I am in the process of collecting, scanning, and compiling as many "Out Of The Past" columns as I can locate. I have currently collected 411 columns dating from 1890 through 1915. Most are from 1885 through 1909. WhiIe these columns only represent a tiny fraction of the news printed in the original Beacon editions, they are an interesting and valuable resource.

As I was scanning a June 1, 1898 "Out Of The Past" column, a particular item caught my attention.

Gatling guns were an early form of machine gun. I remember reading that they created great carnage in the Civil War.

Civil War era Gatling gun

I got to thinking "Why in the world would the Beach Haven Yacht Club place a Gatling gun on catboats out of Beach Haven?" and "Why would it be necessary to defend the harbor which such a deadly weapon?"

We were involved in the Spanish American War at this time, but what interest would Spain have in the waters around Beach Haven? Were the Gatling guns an overreaction to war time hysteria or is there another explanation? What say you out in the Blog-O-Sphere?

Pete S

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T08:04:00.001-05:00

May all of you out in the Blog-O-Sphere have a Happy and Blessed Thansgiving.

The Old

The New

1969 Halloween Parade- Tuckerton Style

2011-11-15T16:29:00.001-05:00

Halloween seems to be getting to be a bigger and bigger holiday each year with many towns holding elaborate Halloween parades.

I was reading an old Tuckerton Chronicle the other day and came across some photos of the prize winners in the 1969 Tuckerton Halloween Parade and thought I would share them with you. You can tell that the costumes were homemade and quite imaginative. No store bought outfits in those days! I was surprised that no one was dressed as a clam, but I suppose that Jim McAnney was a little too old to participate in the parade that year. My favorite is the octopus in the pre-school to 2nd grade division.

The photos were especially interesting to me as I noticed that Connie Sue Briggs, the daughter of Phyllis and Sam Briggs who regularly read and contribute to the Blog, won second prize in the 3rd - 4th grade division. Way to go Briggs family!

Let me know if the photos bring back any found Halloween memories from your childhood.

Pete S

Rt. 9 Barbershop Info From Clif Brown

2011-11-10T13:39:00.000-05:00

Donald Maxwell provided a wealth of information regarding Alice Adams Weber's photo of the old barbershop near the corner of South Maple Avenue which was featured on last Tuesday's Blog. Donald's memory is unbelievable; however, he couldn't recall the name of the couple who lived in the old barbershop building after WWII, only that the husband was a heavy smoker.

The old barbershop on Rt. 9

Well, Clif Brown, who also has a remarkable memory was able to fill in the name of the couple and provided an interesting story that etched the couple's name in Clif's memory some 64 years ago. You could say that it's literally no accident that Clif recalls the couple's names. Read on in Clif's email message below and you will see why.

Pete S

Dear Pete:

HopeI can provide some additional information regarding the New GretnaBarber Shop (NGBS). Without Don Maxwell’s story my mind would havebeen a complete blank. The Model/year of that Pontiac Joyce issitting on would have also helped. I had to go into the old shoeboxto locate a clipping from which I was able to “ID” s folks wholived there, I think, a little better than remembering his cough.Looking back to that time it proves that New Gretna could not supporta bank and two barber shops.

Forstarters, John and Alice Jarvis were the non-sociable couple whooccupied the New Gretna Barber Shop around 1948 plus or minus 3 years. John had thatcough, probably caused from working as a wheelwright in a foundrylocated in Philadelphia.

I met them by accident, September 18,1948.It was a bright, cloudless moonlit night. The attached TuckertonBeacon clipping explains it all. Norman Cramer was also a passengerin my vehicle. Neither he nor I or John Jarvis were injured.

Clif Brown (l) and Bob Dawson at the Tuckerton Race Track in 1951.
(Photo courtesy of Clif Brown)

Inthe late 50’s the old barbershop building was occupied by Bert and Doris who were fromAbsecon. Doris worked as a bartender in the Rustic Inn when it wasoperated by Frieda (Loveland) Shedaker. Bert was a brother to IreneLoveland's husband. Doris later worked as a bartender for “PollockAnn’s” tavern located on the White Horse Pike, Absecon.

Regards– Clif Brown

Aunt Alice and the Old Barbershop

2011-11-01T18:04:00.001-04:00

The other day Steve Eichinger, my history buddy, stopped by to show me a few old Bridgeport and New Gretna photos that he had come across in an old album belonging to his Aunt Alice Adams Weber. Aunt Alice was one of the few old timers who was interested in the history of our area and collected data and old photos which she passed on to Steve.

Alice Adams Weber spent many hours collecting local history and genealogy data which she passed on to her nephew, Steve Eichinger. (Photo courtesy of Steve Eichinger)

Steve Eichinger carries on his Aunt Alice's love of area history and genealogy. (Photo by Pete Stemmer)

I had a good time going through the photos in Alice's old photo album with Steve. He really paid attention to his aunt when he was a child, as he remembered quite a bid about many of the old photos and how they tied in to his family.

One of the photos in Aunt Alice's album caught my attention - the one of the old barbershop on Rt. 9 in the vicinity of the present day New Gretna Munchies deli. I've heard about the old barbershop but had never seen a photo of it.

The photo was taken from the front yard of Curtis Maxwell's house and features Joyce Maxwell, Curtis and Dorothy Maxwell's daughter, and Donald Maxwell's sister.

The focal point of the photo was Joyce Maxwell sitting on the hood of a car parked in front of the Maxwell family house. As luck would have it, the old barbershop can be clearly seen across Rt. 9 in the background. South Maple Avenue, called Eel Street by the locals in the old days, would be to the right of the barbershop.

Joyce Maxwell with the old barbershop building in the background.

I didn't know much about the old barbershop, so I emailed Don Maxwell and ask him about his memories of the old building that has been long torn down. As usual, Don did not disappoint. His reply may be found below.

Memories of the old Route9 Barber Shop

by Donald Maxwell

The old barber shop started out as a gasstation. The property was owned by the Aubor family in Green Bank.They had one daughter, Dolly Aubor, who was a school teacher in theGreen Bank school system. She was single all her life, a typicaldedicated old maid school teacher. She inherited the property andowned it until the Tuckerton Bank bought it and built a satellite orNew Gretna Branch on the property. She was always at the local cardparties and hobnobbed with the local school teachers at card parties,PTA meetings etc.

Sometime in the late 40's just before the war,the Aubors had the small building built, and it was a two pump gasstation. They leased it to a Robert Steelman from the Linwood-SomersPoint area. He ran it for a couple of years until WW2 started and gasgot scarse and it closed up.

An Italian barber named Frank Azzorina rentedor leased it during the war. He had a barber shop there all duringthe war. After the war he and his wife gave it up and moved away andit became vacant. They rented Benny and Elaine Allen's home on AdamsAvenue, until Benny came home from the war.

Ben and Elaine Allen in front of their Adams Avenue home.
(Photo courtesy of Ben & Elaine Allen)

I remember my brother Jack, as a boy, set somesteel traps under the vacant building to catch a fox and insteadcaught a skunk. He got me to help him to get the skunk out and itsprayed him right in the face and eyes. There was quite a scene whenwe got home and mom got on us. She finally washed his eyes out withsomething or other.

Jack Maxwell, a few years before his skunk hunting days.
(Photo courtesy of Donald Maxwell)

After the war a couple of guys rented it forawhile to live there. After that a man and his wife lived there for anumber of years. I can't remember their names, as he worked outsideof the community and they didn't socialize with the towns people. Iremember you could hear him coughing as he was a heavy cigarettesmoker. I don't remember anyone else living there, as I moved out andgot married and lost touch with the area.

Don Maxwell

Should Donald's account of the old barber shop evoke memories from anyone out in the Blog-O-Sphere, I would appreciate hearing from you.

Pete S

Tuckerton in 1838 and in the 1930's

2011-10-27T10:17:00.002-04:00

Last Saturday I was involved in presenting a program at the Tuckerton Historical Society on the Civil War in New Jersey and the Little Egg Harbor area. I thought it might be interesting to research what Tuckerton was like just prior to the Civil War, especially the businesses and its prominent citizens. Unfortunately, I was unable to find information for that era.

I did; however, find accounts of life in Tuckerton in 1838 and in the 1930's, some hundred years later, and thought some of you out in the Blog-O-Sphere might be interested in the accounts. I found them interesting - especially the 1838 account that mentions a salt works located on Salt Work Lane, various prominent Tuckerton families including Ebenezer Tucker, the Castor Oil business, and old medical practices.

The 1838 account was found in a 1893 article clipped from the Tuckerton Beacon. Unfortunately, whoever pasted the article in the old scrapbook, which found its way to the Tuckerton Historical Society, did not clip out anything that identified the writer. We do have a hint, in that it was written from Port Republic, so the writer moved from Tuckerton to Port Republic.

The article, "Growing Up In Tuckerton in the 1930's" was written by Carolyn Cambell who is active in the Ocean County Historical Society in Toms River. She lived in Tuckerton, as a young girl.

Click on the links below to read the articles.

TUCKERTON IN 1838

GROWING UP IN TUCKERTON IN THE 1930's

Pete S

PS- If anyone knows where Salt Works Lane was, please drop a note in the Comments Section below. I suspect in may have been South Green Street Street, but that is just a guess.

Don Cramer and the Old Giffordtown Schoolhouse

2011-10-06T16:07:00.003-04:00

I volunteer at the Tuckerton Historical Society on most Wednesdays and am generally there from 11:15 AM until 3 PM. Stop by to say hello if you are in the area. We have a lot of interesting stuff from Tuckerton and the surrounding area.

The historical society is housed in the old Giffordtown two room schoolhouse located at the corner of Leitz Blvd. and Wisteria Lane, diagonally across the street from the back of Cumberland Farms.

The old Giffordtown two room schoolhouse is presently the headquarters and museum of the Tuckerton Historical Society. (Photo by Pete Stemmer)

The Giffordtown Schoolhouse was originally located at the site of the present day Lighthouse Church on Route 9, across the street from the Rite Aid pharmacy.

The Giffordtown School on its original Route 9 site, circa 1950's.
(Photo courtesy of the Tuckerton Historical Society.)

Bob Leitz's built a new car dealership next to the old schoolhouse in the 1940's. Eventually the schoolhouse was moved to its present location in the early 1980's.

Yesterday, at the historical society, we were pleasantly surprised when Don Cramer stopped by to make a few donations to the society. Don is the son of Pratt and Vera Cramer of the New Gretna oyster business family. Don's grandfather, Arnold Cramer, built the oyster house at the end of Amasas Landing Road in New Gretna.

The Cramer Oyster House at the end of Amasas Landing Road in New Gretna, circa 1940's. (Courtesy of Arnold Nathan Cramer)

Don came up north from his home in Florida to attend the October 15th Tuckerton High School Reunion. He had commissioned a painting of the old Giffordtown Schoolhouse and stopped by the schoolhouse museum yesterday to present the painting to the historical society.

Don Cramer and the painting of the old Giffordtown Schoolhouse.
(Photo by Paula Scully)

The Giffordtown Schoolhouse painted by Joan Stein Carroll. Mrs. Parker's old Plymouth is parked at the side of the school. (Photo by Paula Scully)

Some alumni of the Giffordtown Schoolhouse were present to admire the painting and talk about memories long forgotten.

Giffortown Schoolhouse alumni (l-r): Charlie Richmond, Joan Wagenlehner Exel, and Pat Lynch admire the painting of their alma mater. (Photo by Paula Scully)

Don also donated a dictionary won by his grandmother, Gertrude French Cramer, at age 13, at the Philadelphia College of Business Spelling Bee in 1888; a hand rung school bell used by Gertrude, who taught at the New Gretna Grade School; a 1956 baseball signed by the Tuckerton High School baseball team; an old telephone from an Atlantic City hotel; and an antique wooden fishing reel. The items will be cataloged and added to the museum collection.

Don holding an old wooden fishing reel. (Photo by Paula Scully)

As you can see, there is never a dull moment on Wednesdays at the Tuckerton Historical Society. You never know who is going to drop by with interesting goodies. Yesterday it was Don Cramer. Next Wednesday, who knows? Stop in and see!

Pete S

PS- Anyone out in the Blog-O-Sphere who attended the old Giffordtown Schoolhouse? If so, please share a memory or two with us.

New Gretna Veterans' Memorial

2011-09-30T11:19:00.001-04:00

Earlier this week I had to stop in the Township Municipal Building. I parked my truck in front of the Veteran's Memorial that is located between the Municipal Building and the Fire House. I prefer to call it the "Veterans' Memorial" rather than the "War Memorial", which is inscribed on the monument, as the memorial honors the veterans and not the wars.

The Veterans' Memorial between the Municipal Building and Fire House

I stopped to read the names of the four servicemen who had died while serving their country in time of war and thought that it would be nice to be able to put faces with the names.

Four local names are etched on the Veterans' Memorial.

When I got home, I looked through the photos on my computer to see if I had any of the four Bass River veterans who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country. I was able to find photos of John Sears, Orval Gerew, and George Heun and thought I would share them with you. Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of William Ayres. Hopefully, someone out in the Blog-O-Sphere might have one to share with us.

Pete S

JOHN SEARS (WWII)

John H. Sears' tombstone in Miller Cemetery, New Gretna

Tuckerton Beacon - June 17, 1945

ORVAL GEREW (WWI)

Orval Gerew's WWI Government Record Card stated that he died from anthrax.

Orval Gerew's tombstone in Hillside Cemetery, New Gretna

GEORGE HEUN (WWI)

George Heun's WWI Government Record Card

George Heun's tombstone in Miller Cemetery, New Gretna

WILLIAM AYRES (VIETNAM)

William Ayres' tombstone in Hillside Cemetery, New Gretna

Clif Brown Remembers Joe French

2011-09-22T07:52:00.000-04:00

When I posted the September 12, 2011 Blog on Joe French's store and asked for comments and stories about Joe, I had no idea of the great response I would get. Some interesting comments were posted, and Don Maxwell's memories of Joe appeared in last Friday's Blog. Today, I'm pleased to share Clif Brown's memories of Joe French. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

By the way, I made an error in past Blog entries regarding Clif's place of residence. He resides in Arizona, not California, as I had previously stated. Sorry about that, Clif.

Pete S

JOSEPHFRENCH'S VARIETY STORE

WHATI REMEMBER

byClif Brown

Oftenwondered why Joe French was not featured in one of your blogs beforenow. I do remember a few incidents of facts, fiction and truths. Justfinished reading Don’s comments and will try not to repeat. Remembering your neighbors in a good way is not always easy.

TheVariety store was a great asset to the community. Joe certainly had awide collection of merchandise, and quality ranging from poor, betterand best, with price to match. How he located an item you wanted topurchase was a mystery to me. Just describe it to him and he walkedright to it. If you needed an item not available, down the road toTuckerton, Egg Harbor or Pleasantville. He saved a lot of miles onyour car. I believe the modern Walmart stores came from a visit toFrench’s Variety store in New Gretna. What say you? GentsFurnishings could be socks, belts, suspenders, handkerchiefs, tiesand etc.

Joe French's Variety Store, circa 1940's

Thestore was never over decorated for the holidays- a few pumpkins onthe front steps for Halloween, a wreath hung in the door forChristmas, lots of christmas cards and cheap strings of JapaneseChristmas lights on display. Memorial Day brought out lots ofAmerican flags for sale.

Several punch broads were on the counter for anyone feeling lucky. Today they might be illegal.

Some old punch boards,
an early form of the Lottery

Theads in the blog don’t list guns, ammunition and etc. but, as Irecall, he had some on display. It could have been only shotgunshells. At the start of school year he carried lots of stationarysupplies.

Tome three things stood out. He had a large display case of candy, many well know names: Baby Ruth, Butterfingers, Milky Way, HersheyChocolate Bars, etc which sold for one cent and, if you spent a dime,you got a extra one free.

Joe sold penny candy

Pepsi Cola was my favorite soda. Rememberthe jingle “twice as much for a nickel too, 12 full ounces that’sa lot” and etc.

Lastly a pint of Hershey ice cream sold for 15cents. Split in half, a fine treat to share with a friend.

Sometimein the early 40’s Joe decided to close on Sundays; however, sellingSunday newspapers were a problem and that’s how I got hired.Inserts to the Sunday papers were delivered during the week andstored in a box located at the front of the store. The news sectioncame early Sunday morning and I had to put them together for sale. Atthat time about a total of 150 various papers were sold, the New YorkTimes, Philadelphia Inquirer, Sunday Bulletin, New York Sunday News,New York Sunday Mirror and Newark Star Ledger. I was ready by 7AM andshortly thereafter came my first customer by the name of Chapman wholived on Eel Street, now South Maple Avenue. He was obviously atransplant, as he got the NY Times. Don Maxwell came over by 9 AM andgot a Philadelphia Inquirer. By 11 AM most of the papers were sold. Ihad a few “catch you next week customers” with no change. They onlyhad big bills. I quickly learned to have lots of change on hand.Surprising, I got a few tips and packed up by 12 PM. I returned Mondayto settle up. Joe was impressed by the records I kept and neverquestioned my figures. He treated me fair and square. This was a routine formany weeks until Joe passed the sale of daily andSunday papers to Lang’s Esso . The gas pumps had been removed by that time.

Joeand his wife were great card players and attended many card partiesgiven in support of various organizations. He was a member of theBass River Election Board and served for many years.

I know nothingabout Joe's activities at the Pemberton auction, except he had a extralarge panel truck to carry merchandise back and forth. When he wassolicited by students for placing an ad in the Sr/Jr High school playprogram, he selected a full page. Whether his was a “Lum &Abner jotem down store”, he respected his customer privacy.

Thenickname Talbert Loveland received from his New Gretna peers was verycruel and plagued him for years. Extending that many years after hispassing is uncalled for. I never heard anybody address him directlyby that name. The one time I did, he became very angry. All I want tosay is that he was a loyal and excellent clerk and a helpful, patientperson.

_____________

PS- How many of you out in the Blog-O-Sphere remember penny candy and punch boards? Let's hear from you! Pete S

Don Maxwell Remembers Joe French

2011-09-16T10:40:00.003-04:00

Joe French's variety and antique stores were discussed on last Monday's Blog. I had mentioned that Don Maxwell should have some stories about Joe French, as he lived next door to Joe's store. The other day I received an email from Don with some of his memories regarding Joe French. I thought I would share them with you.

Pete S

* * * * *

Pete,

Iknew Joe French quite well as we lived next door all the years Ilived in New Gretna until I was 24 years old. I remember when hebuilt the store and lived upstairs. I believe he bought the propertyfrom Joseph Cramer, the same man my father bought his lot from. Theyhad to fill it in some, as it was low there, and when they did allthe excess rain water came over on us.

Don Maxwell in front of Clarence Mathis' store
(Photo courtesy of Betty Lamson West)

Joehad a so called variety store. You could buy just about anything butclothes there. My father did buy nearly all his groceries there.

Joewas always busy, and I remember, at one time, he had two clerksbesides himself. They were Gene Sears and Talbert Loveland who wealways called “Leaner” his New Gretna nickname. He was so namedbecause he always leaned his head and neck to one side. After a fewyears Joe only had one clerk, “Leaner” for years.

Gene Sears

Talbert Loveland outside Joe French's store

Joe's father was Houston French, and I believe he was a man of means as hehad quite a few possessions like property etc. He also had propertyin Atlantic City in the Gardeners Basin area. I believe they wererental properties. I do know, like Phyillis Briggs said in a Blogcomment, that he owned several houses in town, especially on SouthMaple Avenue.

Houston'sfather was Louis French who owned from the Parkway bridge in PortRepublic up to and including the present Chestnut Neck boatyard, allthe property around the monument, and up Chestnut Neck Road for quitea-ways.

TheFrenches were an old revolutionary family and some of the firstsettlers in the Port Republic area. Joe's wife, Geraldine, was quitea cat and dog lover, and they had many. I remember her dog, Snookie,would come over every morning and defecate on our front walkway andmom would be mad.

Joedied in 1966 of a massive heart attack as he was a huge man, not tootall but very portly. Every Friday nite the place was crowded withpeople buying groceries and gas. He had two gas pumps with noelectric to them. Some of us boys would pump them up full, as theyheld 10 gallons and had a pump handle that you would crank back andforth until it was full. when filling the car tank it was all gravitydown to the gallon marks. Sometimes we would get a few pennies forpumping the tanks up and then go inside and spend it on candy. Healso sold all kinds of magaznes and comic books. At 7 p.m. everyweeknite he would turn on the Lone Ranger. How he loved that show.You could hear it outside the store.

Onemore littletidbit. Joe asked me onetime if I had any old burned out light bulbsas he said he would sell them for 10 cents a basket to people whohoped there would be one or two good ones.

GreatMemories!

DonMaxwell

Uriah P. Allen & Phoebe Leek Info

2011-09-14T09:16:00.009-04:00

The following comment was posted yesterday on the Blog.

I am looking for Uriah J Allen married to Phoebe Leek and father of John P Allen. Uriah's parents were Thomas and Anne Marie Cranmer Allen. If anyone can help me with the Uriah/Phoebe/John link I would most appreciate it. Thank you, Sara Pugh

Well Sara, I hope the following information helps you in your family genealogy quest. The information comes from a draft copy of an Allen genealogy book that Shirley Whealton, Pat Steinhauer, and myself are working on. The numbers to the left are reference number for navigation purposes within the book.

Pete S

13. THOMAS JEFFERSON ALLEN, SR (JOSEPH4, PETER3, ROBERT2, RALPH1 ??) was born 06 Aug 1802 in Bass River, NJ, and died 03 Apr 1879 in Age 77 widower, Bass River, Little Egg Harbor, NJ. He married ANNA MARIA CRANMER 01 Jun 1823, daughter of CALEB CRANMER and MARY ADAMS. She was born 28 Aug 1801, and died 08 May 1866.

Notes for ANNA MARIA CRANMER:

Listed as Anna Maria in Miller Cemetery.

More About ANNA MARIA CRANMER:

Burial: Miller Cemetery, New Gretna, NJ

Children of THOMAS ALLEN and ANNA CRANMER are:

33. i. CALEB W.6 ALLEN, b. 15 Dec 1823; d. 08 Jul 1909.

34. ii. MARY ELIZABETH ALLEN, b. 14 Nov 1825; d. 20 Apr 1872.

35. iii. URIAH J. ALLEN, b. 11 Feb 1829; d. 03 Oct 1860, Bass River, NJ.

iv. SARAH LOVENIA ALLEN, b. 20 Jul 1830; d. 26 Oct 1833.

36. v. THOMAS JEFFERSON ALLEN, JR, b. 21 May 1834, New Gretna, NJ; d. 10 Nov 1915.

vi. ANN MARIA ALLEN, b. Sep 1837; d. 1869.
vii. JOSEPH BAKER ALLEN, SR, b. 03 Feb 1839; d. 14 Feb 1925.

URIAH J. ALLEN (THOMAS JEFFERSON5, JOSEPH4, PETER3, ROBERT2, RALPH1 ??) was born 11 Feb 1829, and died 03 Oct 1860 in Bass River, NJ. He married PHOEBE LEAK, daughter of JOHN LEEK. She was born Abt. 1834.

Children of URIAH ALLEN and PHOEBE LEAK are:

i. MARTHA ANN ALLEN, b. 22 Jul 1854, Mathistown, NJ; d. 16 Nov 1856.

ii. WILLIAM HENRY ALLEN, b. 22 Jul 1854, Mathistown, NJ; d. 07 Nov 1856.

iii. MARY EMMA ALLEN, b. Abt. 1860; m. JAMES ROSELL.

66 iv. JOHN P. ALLEN, b. 21 Dec 1856.

66. JOHN P. ALLEN (URIAH J.6, THOMAS JEFFERSON5, JOSEPH4, PETER3, ROBERT2, RALPH1 ??) was born 21 Dec 1856. He married LOUISA M. ALLEN Abt. 1873, daughter of CALEB ALLEN and MARY LEAK. She was born Abt. 1851.

Children of LOUISA ALLEN and JOHN ALLEN are:

88. i. IDA ELVINA ALLEN, b. Sep 1864; d. 15 Dec 1930.

ii. MARTHA ELIZABETH "MATTIE" ALLEN, b. Sep 1871; m. GEORGE ASBURY "GOVEY" CRAMER, 22 Mar 1896.

89. iii. JOHN FRANKLIN "FLICK" ALLEN, b. 23 Nov 1874, Woodbury, NY; d. 09 Apr 1942.

iv. DORA M. ALLEN, b. 18 Oct 1881; m. ISAAC JENNINGS BOLTON, SR., 09 Jun 1901, New Gretna Presbyterian Church, New Gretna, NJ.

Joe French's Variety Store

2011-09-12T15:27:00.024-04:00

I was sitting on my recliner this afternoon still wondering what I was going to write about for the Blog when the phone rang. It was Victoria Eddy who just recently took over Sandy Bourguignon's hair parlor on Route 9 in New Gretna. The business, called "Magic Shears" under Sandy, is now called "Hair To Please". Sandy stayed on to help Victoria.

Magic Shears on May 27, 2006

(Photo by Pete Stemmer)

Victoria asked me if I had any information regarding past businesses at her new location. I checked my computer files and was able to come up with some information on the property in the 1940's. It seems that Joe French operated a Variety Store and, later, an antique store in the building.

The only photo I have of Joe French's Store is of Ann Downs who lived across the street. The store, with two tall gas pumps out front, is in the background. Ann was the daughter of Levi and Ella Downs. She later married Win Salmons, an accomplished local artist. Many people in the area have Win's paintings in their homes.

Ann Downs, circa 1940's

(Photo courtesy of Tom Williams)

I also came across two advertisements from the 1940's that show that Joe French operated a Variety Store and an Antique Store in the building across the street from the Downs family Route 9 home.

Ad from a 1940's New Gretna Minstrel Show program

Hummmm! I wonder what Gent's Furnishing are?

Tuckerton Beacon ad - March 14, 1947

The only other thing that I know about Joe French is that his wife, Geraldine, married a widowed Otto Kalm after Joe's death. That would make her Dave Kalm's step-mom. Dave occasionally posts messages here at the Blog.

Otto Kalm and Geraldine French Kalm cut their wedding cake.

(Photo courtesy of Alston & Claire Kalm Allen)

I sure would like to know more about Joe French's store. I'm hoping that some of our readers out in the Blog-O-Sphere can tell us a few stories about Joe French and his store. Surely, Donald Maxwell who lived next door to Joe French's Store and Dave Kalm should be able to recall some memories. Clif Brown, out in California, should also be able to help. Let's hear from you guys!

Pete S

WRITER'S BLOCK

2011-08-29T15:45:00.004-04:00

I'm having a case of Writer's Block. I'm running out of things to write about, so things might be slow for a while.

Pete S.

Remembering Hornberger's Bakery

2011-08-19T17:12:00.023-04:00

Jackie and I moved to New Gretna in the mid 1970's. One of my fondest memories of the town back then was Hornberger's Bakery, located in the old Knights of Pythias Hall on Route 9 in the middle of town. Unfortunately, both Hornberger's and the old building are long gone.

Hornberger's Bakery

Armin's Pizza Time Cellar in basement

It was one of the best bakeries I have ever been in. I can close my eyes and still smell the aroma of freshly baked bread, donuts, pies, and other scrumptious baked goods conjured up by Mr. Hornberger, himself.

South Jersey Advisor - October 14, 1970

I still worked in Toms River when we moved to New Gretna. It was a long commute, but there was little traffic back then. Sometimes, I wouldn't see a car on the Parkway until I got to Barnegat.

Occasionally, on my way to work, I would stop by Hornberger's to buy sticky buns for my collegues. They were my all time favorite goodie from Hornberger's. Needless to say, my co-workers always scoffed them up, licking their fingers to savor every bit of that sticky flavor.

Usually, the buns were just out of the oven when I stopped by and were still warm. Mr. Hornberger would wrap then up in a white paper wrapper tied from a big ball of string sitting on the counter. No fancy boxes for him. The old fashioned way worked just fine!

I'm sure many of our Blog readers have fond memories of Hornberger's. If so, I'd like to hear from you about you favoite goodie and/or a story you may remember.

Pete S

PS- I notice a 50 cents off coupon on the above ad for the purchase of a birthday cake. If it's anyone's birthday this week, I'll spring for a birthday cake. Just meet me at Hornberger's. The free coffee is on me, too.

Murder She Wrote - Tuckerton Style

2011-08-09T19:00:00.000-04:00

Everybody loves a good mystery as evidenced by the long running TV show, "Murder She Wrote", that ran from 1984 to 1996. Jessica Fletcher, played by Angela Landsbury, was a retired English teacher in Cabot Cove, a small village in Maine who had a knack for solving murders. I don't know which was more remarkable, Jessica's ability to solve a murder a week or that there was a murder a week in such a small town.

The show ended after 264 episodes. I guess they finally ran out of murders. It left a lot of disappointed fans.

Well, "Murder She Wrote" fans, I have good news for you. The other day I was surfing the net for sites about Ocean County history when I came across an interesting site that could provide Jessica with addition murder mystery plots to revive the old T.V. series. Jessica would just have to move from Cabot Cove to Tuckerton.

By now, you're probably wondering "Where is he going with this, history-wise?" Read on, and you'll find out.

The web site that I stumbled upon is the "The Ocean County Compendium of History". A subsite, "Murders and Strange Deaths", deals with Ocean County towns including Tuckerton and neighboring communities. Sounds right up Jessica Fletcher's alley! I can see her driving through Ocean County in search of the elusive killers.

Some of the story titles include: The Strangulation of the Belle of Tuckerton (1902), A Murder In West Creek (1905), and The Murder of Caleb Fithian (1901 at Parkertown Cove).

Interested in taking a peek? Just click on the Ocean County Seal below and you'll be on your way. If you happen to bump into Jessica Fletcher, say hello to her for me.

Pete S

Civil War Info Needed

2011-08-04T19:05:00.007-04:00

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. I am currently in the process of researching and collecting information on Civil War Veterans from Bass River, Washington Township, and Little Egg Harbor and would appreciate receiving general information, documents, letters, photos, etc. from anyone out in the Blog-O-Sphere who can help with my project. Some of you may even have ancestors from these areas who served in the war. Hearing about them would be especially interesting.

Following is a video clip that may be of interest to Civil War buffs. It's from a February 9, 1956 "WHAT'S MY LINE" T.V. show. I hope you find it as interesting as I did.

Pete S

Rube Corlies Meets Babe Ruth

2011-08-02T16:57:00.006-04:00

Last Wednesday's Blog entry featured Rube Corlies spotting a sea serpent off the coast of Surf City in 1906. Needless to say, Rube appears to have been quite a character with an infinity of being around where the action is. Today's Blog entry continues that tradition, as we see Rube meeting the biggest baseball legend of all time - Babe Ruth.

Click on the photo of the Babe (below) to read about Rube and the Babe hunting together at the Carvel's Island Gun Club on Long Beach Island. Rube certainly is a celebrity magnate - first "Nessie" in the Atlantic Ocean off Surf City and then the Babe on a duck hunting trip on Long Beach Island. I wonder who else we may find popping up with Rube? Stay tuned!

Pete S

Rube Corlies and the Lock Ness Monster

2011-07-27T20:33:00.018-04:00

Some years ago, Jackie and I visited relatives and friends in England and Scotland. A highlight of the trip was our travels through the beautiful Scotland countryside. I had always wanted to visit Loch Ness and, by chance, see Nessie, the famous Loch Ness monster. After all, not everyone has seen a real live sea monster! Unfortunately, we never made it to Loch Ness.

Nessie

Little did I know that if I wanted to see a sea monster, I should have set my sights toward the Atlantic Ocean just off Surf City. It seems that Rube Corlies and his brother-in-law, Jonn Inman, spotted one while fishing for menhaden.

Rube Corlies in his yard in Manahawkin

WATCH OUT FOR SEA SERPENTS

It doesn’t happen very often. But every now and then people do run into sea monsters. They say one was sighted off Gloucester, Mass., in 1819. Another startled three fishermen near Kennebunk, Maine in 1830. And, of course, the monster of Loch Ness pops up from time to time.

But did you know that one was seen off Long Beach Island ln 1906?

A great snake rose out of the water early one July morning just off Surf City and appeared to eight men who had been fishing.

Here's the story as told by Rube Corlies of Manahawkin. Corlies, a frail but Spunky 88 year old man, is the last survivor of the serpent sighting, “My brother-in-law John Inman and I had been catching mossbunkers using a 40-fathom net a couple of hundred yards off the beach. While we were hauling in the net, he remarked that the fish were behaving in a funny way- swimming crazily as if something was chasing them.”

"Suddenly a great snake reared up about 15 to 20 feet out of the water maybe 30 or 40 feet from the stern of our boat. The animal was black on the back and had a lot of flabby white flesh on its belly. The mouth was about four feet wide and its nose was just like a snake’s. He was slick as an eel and I couldn’t see any scales or fins.”

"We couldn't believe our eyes - there it was and there we were. lt seemed to stand straight up with its great black eyes turned toward us."

Inman threw the net overboard and they started to row. The serpent sank back to the surface of the water.

"It started to come right at us, but it must have gotten all tangled up in our net – we found a huge hole in it later. As it swam past us on the surface it must have been about 60 feet long - not counting the tail and 6 feet wide."

Men in three other fishing boats which were in the area saw that Corlies seemed to be in trouble and began to row toward him and as they did, the serpent surfaced again about a half mile away. This time it locked like a large tree trunk standing about 10 feet tall.

Then it disappeared for good. And has never been seen again.

Some people think Rube Corlies was dreaming that day back in 1906. Others wonder it he might have been drinking.

But according to Corlies he had not had a drop ("Although if I had known what I was going to see that day, I might have drunk a bottle.") and he is certain of what he saw. "It was a giant sea snake and it must have been feeding on the mossbunkers."

He goes on to say that he thinks the serpent may have come in shore because of a ship that had wrecked in 1900 on Long Beach Island. The ship had been carrying animal bones and when it was broke up the bones formed a slick which on certain tides extended out to sea. Corlies thinks this slick might have lured the fish which in turn lured the serpent.

"Anyway I know what I saw and that’s all there ls to it. That big snake may still be out there some place. It was two weeks later because our nets looked like something very large had torn them."

Would he like to see the monster again?

"No," says Corlies with a mischievous grin, "but I was always disappointed I didn’t see one other creature.

I’ve anchored alongside whales and seen the serpent, but I never saw a mermaid. I guess they knew when l was coming out and they'd disappear."

Well, you can’t have everything.

The Southern Ocean County Reporter – June 30, 1971

I'm thinking of calling my Men's Breakfast buddy, Jim McAnney, who owns a boat, and asking him to take me on a sea monster hunting expedition off Surf City. Anyone out in the Blog-O-Sphere care to join us?

Pete S

Viola Pepper and the Unforgettable Chigger Attack

2011-07-14T16:30:00.008-04:00

It's well into July and the blueberries are plentiful here in southern Jersey. Jackie and I stopped by a blueberry farm outside of Nesco the other day and brought home two flats of the delicious purple fruit. They rank high on my list of favorite fruits, as they are so versatile. They're great by the handful, on cereal, in pancakes, in pies and, my favorite, in blueberry buckle.

Blueberry Buckle

Jackie has a delicious blueberry buckle recipe that she got over 30 years ago from Minnie Shropshire who was our neighbor when we first moved to New Gretna. We first tasted Minnie's buckle when she had us over for cake and coffee, shortly after we moved in. What a delightful way to meet a new neighbor!

Minnie Mathis Shropshire

Photo courtesy of Murray & Jean Shropshire Harris

The other evening Jackie served up ample portions of Minnie's blueberry buckle recipe. I couldn't help thinking of Minnie as I attacked the large piece of buckle on my plate. Unfortunately, it also brought back a memory that is better forgotten - the episode of Viola Pepper's blueberry patch and the attack of the invisible chiggers.

You have to know what a chigger is and the torment they can cause to the unwary blueberry picker to understand my reluctance to recall Jackie and my unforgettable run-in with the invisible skin burrowing insect.

Chiggers are tiny insects that live in grassy environments such as an overgrown blueberry field. They jump on one's ankles and work their way up the legs, burrowing into the skin to feast and lay their eggs. The results are often welts and the worst itch that you can imagine. Their mayhem can last up to a few very uncomfortable weeks. There are many over the counter and home remedies to relieve the terrible itching but none that I have tried seem to work as well as I would like.

I found the following regarding chiggers on an internet site. It seems to pretty well sum up a chigger attack.

Chiggers first show up as annoying red bumps. An itch begins. It grows. More hard red welts surface. From your feet and ankles upward, and especially at those tender locations your mother told not to scratch in public, a maddening itch takes hold.
Savage scratching begins. Every welt becomes a persistent, exquisitely itching preoccupation that continues to irritate for days and even weeks. You probably recognize these symptoms of chigger bites. Yet we never see the culprits responsible for this summertime agony.

A chigger

Chigger bites around the ankle

Shortly after we moved into our North Maple Avenue home in New Gretna, Jackie and I met Minnie's daughter, Jean, and her husband, Murray Harris who visited with Minnie for the summers. Jean and Murray were the adventurous type who took us on excursions in New Gretna and throughout the Pine Barrens. One of these first adventures was a visit to Viola Pepper's blueberry patch behind the present day New Gretna Post Office.

Jean and Murray Harris in their younger days.

The blueberry patch was originally owned by Caleb Earle Cramer, known locally by his middle name, Earle, and his wife Viola whom he married in 1912. Earle died in 1948 and Viola remarried Harry Pepper, from Tabernacle, in 1956. By the time Jean and Murray had taken us to pick blueberries, Harry had passed on and the blueberry field was known simply as Viola Pepper's blueberry patch.

Viola's field was no longer a working field and had largely grown over with weeds and grass. Local people would enjoy a morning or afternoon of picking berries. We were happy to join in the local practice. The berries were delicious and the price was right. Little did we know the consequences of our blueberry picking adventure.

After an enjoyable afternoon of picking, we returned home and cleaned and sorted the berries. Some were placed in a bowl for fresh eating and some were packed in smaller containers and frozen for eating over the winter months. That evening Jackie made her first blueberry buckle and we went to bed content with our day's efforts, unaware that we would have a night that would be long remembered each time we ate blueberry buckle.

Jackie and I spent that night with little sleep as we both rubbed and scratched our ankles and legs until they were red. We couldn't seem to get any relief from the unstopable itching which we found puzzling. The next day we mentioned our uncomfortable night to Jean and Murray who told us about the dreaded chiggers and the precautions of getting out of your picking clothes as soon as you got home from the blueberry field and taking an immediate shower. I remember replying, "Now you tell us!"

We suffered through a week or so of "the chiggers" until we finally got some relief as they ran out their course. Needless to say, we learned our lesson regarding blueberry picking.

Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of our memorable blueberry picking adventure with the Harrises; however, I do have some old photos of other New Gretna-ites and Tuckertonians picking in Viola's field in the 1940's and 1950's that I am happy to share with you.

Pete S

PS- Anyone else out in the Blog-O-Sphere have any chigger stories or stories about picking at Viola's blueberry? If so, I'd like to hear from you.

Note the South Maple Ave. houses in the background

Life 100 Years Ago

2011-07-08T14:56:00.023-04:00

I got the following emailed to me by my friend, Jill Thieman via her mom, June, both from Toms River, and thought I would share it with you. Some of the items sure surprised me, especially the over the counter sale of marijuana, heroin, and morphine at local drug stores. Let me know what item surprised you the most.

Pete S

The year is 1911 - One hundred years ago. What a difference a century makes!

Here are some statistics for the Year 1911:

The average life expectancy for men was 47 years.

Fuel for this car was sold in drug stores only.

Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower !

The average US wage in 1910 was 22 cents per hour.

The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year.

A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births took place at home.

Ninety percent of all Doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and the government as "Substandard".

Sugar cost four cents a pound.

Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.

Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.

The Five leading causes of death were: 1. Pneumonia and influenza; 2. Tuberculosis; 3.Diarrhea; 4.Heart disease; and 5. Stroke.

The American flag had 45 stars.

The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30.

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented yet.

There was neither a Mother's Day nor a Father's Day.

Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write and only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.

Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores.

Back then pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health!".

Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.

There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A. !

Bass River Township Birthed on March 30, 1864

2011-07-06T19:30:00.022-04:00

This past Monday, July 4th, we celebrated what is generally considered the birth date of our country. That got me thinking. Do you know the birth date of Bass River Township?

Today, Bass River Township, encompassing 78.2 square miles, lies adjacent to the more heavily populated Little Egg Harbor Township and to the more lightly populated Washington Township. Few of its residents know that the three townships were all a part of Little Egg Harbor township at one time.

Washington Township broke away from Little Egg Harbor in 1802 and Bass River Township followed suit on March 30, 1864 through an act of the New Jersey State Legislature.

Click on the "Welcome to Bass River Township" sign above to view the March 30, 1864 act of the New Jersey Legislature that created Bass River Township. Use your browsers BACK ARROW to return to the Blog.

The first township meeting (See Section 3 of 1864 act) and first township election (See Section 6 of 1864 act) were held at Franklin Adam's Inn which was located at the south-east corner of the present day Rt. 9 and South Maple Avenue where Munchies deli now stands.

Franklin Adams, in the white suit, stands in front of his Inn, the Bass River Hotel, where the first Bass River Township meeting was held. Photo courtesy of Franklin W. Gray.

I hope you find reading the actual legislative act informative. It's not as dramatic as our nation's Declaration of Independence, but it's interesting, non the less.

Pete S

Happy 4th of July - Tuckerton Style

2011-06-29T20:05:00.022-04:00

I consider the 4th of July weekend the real beginning of summer. It congers up childhood memories of picnics, parades, and fireworks. Many small towns in south Jersey still celebrate the holiday as they have for decades. Tuckerton is no exception.

I thought I would share some memories of two past Tuckerton 4th of July parades and a portion of a Tuckerton fireworks display for those of you out in the Blog-O-Sphere who won't be able to partake in this year's Tuckerton 4th of July festivities. You may even see someone you know at the parade. Rumor has it that Rickie White Shoes may be in one of the parades, but I couldn't find him. If anyone spots him, please let me know.

May you all have a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend!

Pete S

Click below to see part of the

2008 Tuckerton 4th of July parade.

Click below to see part of the

2010 Tuckerton 4th of July parade.

Click below to see a portion of the 2009 Tuckerton fireworks at Tip Seaman Park.

Jaws and Tuckerton's Gigantic Steinhaurer Tooth

2011-06-22T14:38:00.054-04:00

One of my all time favorite suspense movies was the 1975 hit, Jaws, which was based on Peter Benchy's novel and directed by Steven Spielberg. I still shiver when I think of the shark attack scenes with that creepy music.

Click on the video below to see a brief trailer of Jaws with its terrifying attack music.

Those scary shark scenes flashed before my mind when I came across a June 18, 1978 article from the Atlantic City Press. The photo of Paul Steinhaurer holding a gigantic prehistoric shark's tooth from the Jurassic Age caught my attention, as Paul is a Tuckerton native. I couldn't help wondering if Tuckerton had its own "Jaws" way back in prehistoric times.

Pete S

Rena Corlis, from Sims Place, gave the shark's tooth

to her nephew, Paul Steinhaurer.

(Photo courtesy of Gary & Pat Steinhaurer.)

June 18, 1978 Atlantic City Press

PS- Following is a photo of the New Gretna version of Jaws that was caught by Otto Kalm (below). Not as large as the Steinhauer version but daunting none-the-less. I would hate to meet him while treading in the bay.

Woman's Defense Council Auxiliary

2011-06-15T18:59:00.021-04:00

The Women's Defense Council Auxiliary was formed in May, 1942 to support the New Gretna Local Defense Council which was discussed in the June 8th Blog. Readers familiar with New Gretna during the World War II era will recognize the names of many of the members who attended the meetings.

The following were elected as officers at the first meeting held on May 1, 1942 - Helen Mathis, President; Elizabeth Shutte, Treasurer; and Mildred Kauflin, Secretary. I'm sure some of you out in the Blog-O-Sphere knew these officers and/or have relatives mentioned in the minutes.

Mildred Kauflin was Secretary of the Women's Defense Council Auxilary.

1945 photo courtesy of Betty Lamson West

Click on the link below to read the organization's minutes from 1942. Use your browser's BACK ARROW to return to the Blog.

Pete S

VIEW THE WOMEN'S DEFENSE COUNCIL AUXILIARY MINUTES

New Gretna's Local Defense Council

2011-06-08T19:27:00.026-04:00

Last night I was relaxing in my recliner watching TV with opened windows providing a comfortable breeze blowing off the cool river water in my backyard. I was thinking to myself how blessed Jackie and I are to live in such a quiet, tranquil environment when, much to my chagrin, the raucous noise from multiple jets flying low over my house shattered the peace and quiet and rattled the glassware in our oak antique china cabinet. The Air National Guard, flying sorties over the Warren Grove Bombing Range, was at it, again. Unfortunately, my house is below their flight pattern.

Those jets got me to thinking about the early 1940's when New Gretna's Local Defense Council was charged with protecting the local citizenry from enemy air attacks. They didn't have noisy jet air planes filling the sky with noise pollution back then. Rather, they had to resort to the use of an emergency fire siren on a tower adjacent to the Fire House on North Maple Avenue to warn the residents to take cover in the event of an enemy air attack. It was purely a defensive strategy.

The following 1941 Local Defense Council Regulations, which were to be posted in each township home, outlined the various defense signals and procedures to be followed and listed the Special Police and Air Raid Wardens entrusted with the community's safety and well being. I wonder if anyone out in the Blog-O-Sphere remembers those times or are familiar with or are related to any of the Defense Council personnel listed at the bottom of the regulations?

Pete S

Larry's Dock

2011-06-03T16:03:00.066-04:00

Years ago there were many more small businesses in New Gretna then there are now. Many were in operation over a long period of time and are well remembered. Others were in existence for shorter periods of time and have long been forgotten. Allen's Dock fits into the former category, while Larry's Dock fits into the latter. Many New Gretna natives would have a tough time remembering Larry's small boat rental, fishing, and crabbing establishment.

The following present day aerial maps show the location of Larry's Dock. It was located on Old New York Road (Rt. 9) just before the old iron bridge spanning the Mullica River to Port Republic.

Bird's eye view showing Larry's Dock in relation to New Gretna.

Closeup view of Larry's Dock location.

The following photo shows Larry's Dock location from the Mullica River looking toward New Gretna.

August 25, 2009 photo by Pete Stemmer.

Larry's Dock was adjacent to the old iron bridge on the Bass River side.

I believe that Larry's Dock was in operation around the late 1950s and early 1960s. The following advertisement is from a 1963 New Gretna PTA Minstrel Show program.

Another advertisement was given to me by a respected Tuckerton historian who shall remain anonymous. The advertising booklet is somewhat risque, so it is not reproduced below in its entirety. Should you wish to view it, CLICK ON THE PARTIAL AD CLIPPING BELOW. Use your browser's BACK ARROW to return to the Blog. If you are easily offended, please do not click on the ad, as you may find it objectionable. Children under the age of 18 should not click on the ad. It's rated "M", for mature audiences only. And remember that I don't make history, I just report it.

Unfortunately, I don't know much about Larry, his business, or his performance on the lie detector test. I don't even know Larry's last name. I'm hoping that some New Gretna old timer reads this Blog entry and provides some recollection or other information via email or in the comments section below.

Keep on smiling!

Pete S

Blog Delays

2011-06-02T17:47:00.008-04:00

I'm presently working on some long delayed home repair projects which are taking up most of my days and leaving me tuckered out in the evening. Consequently, there may be delays on the Blog for the next few weeks, until I get a handle on the projects.

So, please check back from time to time, until I am back on a mid week posting schedule.

Pete S

Happy 90th Birthday Howard Ware

2011-05-24T17:05:00.037-04:00

Howard Ware was 90 this past Monday. Such an important event cannot go unheralded here at the Blog. Howard is an old, dear friend! Born in Wading River, Howard built his North Maple Avenue home in New Gretna in the 1950's after his marriage to Sara Allen. He's become a New Gretna fixture ever since.

Howard's North Maple Avenue home.

(February 1, 2009 photo by Pete Stemmer)

There are some events that a community needs to celebrate. Howard's 90th birthday certainly qualifies. A roomful of Howard's friends gathered at the Methodist Church this past Friday evening for a festive Birthday dinner celebration. While Howard wasn't taken by surprize, after all nothing much having to do with New Gretna slips by Howard, he certainly was surprized by the large number of friends who turned out to acknowledge a dear friend. It was evident by the love in the room that Howard touched the lives of a great number of people.

Following are a few photos taken by Sharon Maurer of the celebration.

Howard smiles as everyone shouts "Happy Birthday!"

Howard was joined at the head table by his brother, Nelson (right).

Howard admires his special Birthday cake made by Sharon Maurer.

Howard's cake had a hunting theme.

I stopped by Howard's house the next day to see what he was up to, a day after his party. I figured that he'd be resting from all the excitement of the night before. I should have known better. Those of you who know Howard shouldn't be surprized by what he was doing. I found him in his garden planting beans. I'd hate to guess how many he has planted over the years.

I'm sure that everyone out in the Blog-O-Sphere joins me in wishing Howard many more healthy, productive years. The "Bean Man" deserves no less.

Pete S

Cramer's Grille

2011-05-18T07:43:00.046-04:00

The Tuckerton Historical Society has its general Monthly meeting on the second Monday of each month at 7:30 PM in the Giffordtown School House Museum. All members are welcome and encouraged to attend.

I always look forward to these meetings, as I never know who will show up with an interesting story, photo, or aritfact concerning the history of our area. The May 8th meeting did not disappoint. Chuck Richmond, who collects old postcards from the Tuckerton area, brought two old postcards of Cramer's Grille in New Gretna that he had recently purchased at a post card show. For those of you unfamiliar with that establishment's name, presently it's the dilapidated brick faced building on the north-east corner of Route 9 and North Maple Avenue.

Cramer's Grill, later known as the Rustic Inn, in January, 2009.

(Photo courtesy of Pete Stemmer.)

Built by Frank Cramer sometime in the 1930's, it was a an attractive landmark in the center of New Gretna for many years. Many people remember it as the Rustic Inn sometime after it passed from Frank Cramer's ownership.

I thought I would share Chuck's postcards of Cramer's Grille with you and encourage anyone who has memories of the establishment, as it changed ownership and passed through various incarnations over the years, to share your memories with us here at the Blog.

Pete S

Cramer's Grille with its log and brick facade sometime in the 1930's. (Postcard courtesy of Chuck Richmond)

The inside of Cramer's Grill had a rustic theme. (Postcard courtesy of Chuck Richmond.)

Cramer's Grille had gas pumps in front. Owner, Frank Cramer stands to the left with an employee, Norman E. Mathis.

Cramer's Grill was also known as the Fountain Lunch as evidenced by an old Minstrel Program ad. Date unknown. Probably late 1930's.

The above Christmas season ad shows that Cramer's Grille was owned by George Yike in December, 1941.

Clif Brown Recalls the Hindenburg Over New Gretna

2011-05-13T15:18:00.026-04:00

I spoke about my trip with Bob Buchanan to the Lakehurst Naval Air Station for the 74th Anniversary Memorial Ceremony of the Hindenburg disaster in last Wednesday's Blog entry. That awakened a memory in Clif Brown's mind about his spotting the Hindenberg as it passed over New Gretna on that fateful day in 1937. Unfortunately, Clif didn't have a camera handy to take a photo, but his written memories are worth sharing with you.

Pete S

The Hindenburg and etc.
On the evening of May 7, 1937 when riding my bicycle on West Greenbush Road, I sited on the horizon an airship flying just above the tree line and identified it to be the Hindenburg from the swastikas on its tail fins heading north towards Lakehurst about 6:30 PM. It was a majestic site reflecting the setting sun rays. Your friend Burrell, apparently saw it heading South, earlier in the day. I learned later that it was flying around South Jersey to avoid heavy electrical storms in the Lakehurst area. Listening to the radio later in the evening it was a shock to learn of the disaster. The broadcaster who was on site became so emotional describing, the fire, people jumping from the airship and all the confusion his voice was breaking down. Frequently, they replay that broadcast at programs recalling the catastrophe.
Anti German feelings were very high at that time and sabotage was suspected but later investigation placed the blame on static electricity causing a spark when the mooring lines were dropped to the ground crew, resulted in igniting the hydrogen gas. The Germans realized the danger of using hydrogen gas and wanted to use helium but were unable to buy from the United States. The only helium wells at that time were located in Texas. All US airships used helium gas. To avoid possible confusion hydrogen/helium gas was not used as fuel for the engines but being lighter than air lifted the weight of the airship.
The USS Los Angles and the Graf Zeppelin mentioned in the program are the same airship. After World War 1, the US received the Graf Zeppelin as reparation from Germany and renamed it the USS Los Angles. It was the only airship not to crash so when the US Navy ended the airship program it was dismantled and sold as scrap.
I worked at NAS Lakehurst for 10 years and had conversation with older employees who were on site during the Hindenburg disater, so I am not remembering all this from 1937, just in case some one is curious.
Clif Brown

Remembering The Hindenburg

2011-05-11T08:10:00.034-04:00

Last Friday evening was the 74th anniversary of the Hindenburg disaster at Lakehurst Naval Air Base. Although I was born after the incident, I have seen photos and newsreel footage of the disaster and have long been curious as to the reason behind the explosion.

There is phenomenom called the "Statue of Liberty Syndrome". It occurs when a native New Yorker, who was born and grew up within a short distance of the Statue of Liberty, never visits the historic lady. Surprizingly, it's really quite common. The same could be said about me and the Hindenburg Memorial at Lakehurst Naval Air Station. I was born in New Jersey and lived for some time in neighboring Toms River, yet never visited the infamous scene of the Hindenburg disaster. This is particularly strange, as I was a history major in college and taught United States History in my younger days.

I was pleasantly surprized when my friend, Bob Buchanan, telephoned with an invitation to accompany him to the Lakehurst Air Naval Base for the 74th Hindenburg Memorial Service. Bob, as a teenager, was holding a mooring line under the Hindenburg's right rear engine when the airship exploded on May 6, 1937 and was to be an honoree during the ceremony.

I, and my history buddy, John Yates, were honored to accompany Bob to the Memorial Service. It was a solemn, moving event that took place just a stones throw from the gigantic airship hanger that still dominates the Lakehurst landscape. It's amazing how Bob can remember and speak of the incident as though it happened yesterday.

I posted a slide show of photos that I took during the ceremony, the program booklet, and a few UTube videos of the airship disaster on the Tuckerton Historical Society's Web Site and would like to share them with you. Click on the photo of the Hindenburg below to visit that site.

Pete S

PS- I am reminded of the late Burrel Adams who, as a young boy, remembered the Hindenburg sailing over the family's house on Bonnet Island, adjacent to the Rt. 72 bridge to Long Beach Island. It shows the Adams family in front of their house looking up at the passing Hindenburg. Burrel claimed that it was taken during the day of the explosion.

Bottles and Other Treasures from the 1960's- New Gretna Style

2011-05-03T18:55:00.030-04:00

I've enjoyed doing the recent Blog posts on two old area bottles that proved to be somewhat of a mystery. One was from West Creek (March 23rd Blog) and the other from Cedar Run (April 17th Blog). I got to thinking that some interesting bottles must have been unearthed in New Gretna over the years. Strange that I haven't heard of any from my own backyard.

Seems that two of our regular Blog readers, Elaine Mathis and Phyllis Briggs, have been holding out on me when it comes to New Gretna bottle hunting. They might try to deny it, but I've got the proof in the following April 26, 1966 Tuckerton Chronicle news clipping written by Phyllis Briggs.

Hopefully, this will jog Elaine and Phyllis' memories of some long forgotten bottles that they dug up over 40 years ago. I would be interested to hear about some of their bottle escapades, where their favorite diggings places were, and if any of their finds were embossed with some of our local town names. How about it girls? Let's hear from you!

John Costas, the local Presbyterian preacher during the New Gretna bottle hunting craze, was another avid bottle collector who also branched out into the sport of metal detecting. His hobby proved lucritive enough to help send his children through college. You can read about his bottle hunting by clicking on the link below. The article was written after Rev. Costas left New Gretna for Blackwood, but the old timers tell me that he did some serious bottle digging when he was in New Gretna.

John Costas - Bottle Hunter

I'm sure that there are some interesting collections of bottles in attics and cellars throughout New Gretna. If anyone out in the Blog-O-Sphere can tell us about them and their experiences digging for bottles in New Gretna, it would be appreciated.

Pete S

Easter Dinner at the New Gretna House

2011-04-28T08:30:00.014-04:00

Last Sunday was Easter. Even though our economy is in a rough patch right now, many families continued their Easter tradition of eating out. Prices in most of today's restaurants keep going up, even though our government keeps telling us that there is no inflation. I guess they don't buy food, gasoline, or heating oil. Talk about being detached from reality!

Today's prices make me yearn for earlier days when one could buy a holiday meal for the entire family at a reasonable price. I am reminded of the New Gretna House that served our community and area well for a good many years. The following ad from the April 7, 1966 issue of the Tuckerton Chronicle shows a great Easter meal value. How about we meet there. My treat!

Pete S

New Gretna House - Circa 1960's

Chet Allen's Florida Vacations

2011-04-25T15:55:00.051-04:00

One cannot help noticing the Allens Dock sign at the western base of the Bass River Bridge while driving through New Gretna on Route 9. It has been there, in one form or another, since the mid 1920's when Chet Allen bought the property from his father-in-law's heirs, built the marina, and named the establishment Allen's Dock.

Chet married George Valiant's daughter, Belle. George was a menhaden boat captain for the McKeever Brothers who owned the fish factory on Crab Island from 1910 through 1926 and the "Allen's Dock" property where they wintered their menhaden fleet. They sold the property to George Valiant.

Ruby McAnney was Chet's right hand man for many years. He would eventually acquire the Allens Dock property after Chet's death in 1966. A condition of that acquisition and all subsequent sales of the marina property was that the name of the marina would remain "Allens Dock".

During their long employer-employee relationship, Chet and Ruby became close friends. They occasionally vacationed together in Florida.

Chet Allen (right) and Ruby McAnney picking oranges in Florida.

(Photo courtesy of Margaret McAnney.)

Chet's Florida vacations bring me to one of my favorite subjects of the "good old days" - outhouses. You can see my collection of New Gretna outhouse photos by clicking on the link below.

New Gretna Outhouses

You're probably wondering how I jumped from the subject of Chet Allen to outhouses. As John Wayne used to say, "Well, I'll tell ya, Pilgrim!"

I was at our biweekly Friday men's breakfast at the Dockside Cafe on Tuckerton Creek last week when Jim McAnney, Ruby's son, reached in his shirt pocket and pulled out three old postcards that his dad had saved from one of Chet's Florida vacations. Guess what the subject of those postcards was. If you guessed "outhouses", you iz core-eckt!

Seems that Chet, like myself, must have found some aesthetic beauty in the lowly outhouse, purchased the postcards on a Florida trip, and gave them to his buddy, Ruby, who squirrel them away with the family photos.

As Jim shared them with me, I'm pleased to share them with you. I hope you get a chuckle out of them as I did.

Pete S

PS- I know some of you out in the Blog-O-Sphere remember Chet and Ruby. If you've got any stories about them, let's hear from you.

Bass River and Tuckerton Civil War Veterans

2011-04-20T08:46:00.020-04:00

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, the most horrific war in the history of our nation. History buffs are busy reading books and watching TV specials on the war, while genealogy buffs are busy collecting data on Civil War veterans in their families and towns.

One of the best sources for identifying who in your town fought in the Civil War is the federal governments 1895 survey of veterans. These census lists don't list all who fought in the Great War. They list those who were still living in 1895 and the widows of those who died in the war or who died after the war but prior to 1895. While not a complete list of those who fought in the Civil War, the data is a treasure trove of information and well worth a serious reading.

You may view the 1895 Veterans Census for Bass River and Tuckerton by clicking on the respective links below.

BASS RIVER 1895 VETERANS CENSUS

TUCKERTON 1895 VETERANS CENSUS

Tuckerton Civil War Vets (l-r): C. White, Dr. Lane, E. Adare, L. Burd, A. Gale, E. Layton, J. Grant, T. Driscoll, S. Skeetz.

Photo courtesy of the Tuckerton Historical Society

135 men from Bass River and Little Egg Harbor actually served in the Civil War. T.T. Price wrote a news article in the May 26, 1904 edition of the Tuckerton Beacon that lists these men. Click on the link below to read that article.

CIVIL WAR PARTICIPANTS

If anyone out in the Blog-O-Sphere has a relative on any of these lists, let's hear from you. I know you are out there!

Pete S

Jim Mulligan Tongs a Cedar Run Bottle

2011-04-17T09:27:00.024-04:00

It seems as if I may have started something with my March 23, 2011 posting of John Headley's mystery bottle from West Creek. While I haven't gotten any extra information on John's bottle, Jim Mulligan from Leektown stopped by the Bass River Community Library last week with a mystery bottle of his own.

Jim found the green colored bottle while clamming off the bridge leading to Long Beach Island. He surmised that it probably was a soda bottle but couldn't provide any information about it, other than what the inscription said and where he found it.

The machine made bottle is clearly not as old as the "Headley" bottle as its top accepted a pressed on bottle cap that is still used today, the color was uniform throughout, and there were no bubbles in the glass. I'm guessing that it may be from the 1940's, but I'm no authority on old bottles. It's inscription, if not its age, should be interesting to history buffs in our area.

The dark green color of the bottle makes reading the raised lettering somewhat difficult, so a bottle rubbing was clearly in order. I found a purple crayon and some plain white paper and produced the following rubbing which mentions the proprietor, J. Mascolo and the Cedar Run, N.J. Bottling Works.

The recessed bottom of the bottle reads, "1108. Registered. Contents 8 Fl. Oz."

The bottle's inscription raises two primary questions - Just who was this "J. Mascolo" and where was the Cedar Run Bottling Works? Unfortunately, I don't have a clue regarding the answers to those questions, so I emailed a photo of the bottle and the rubbing to Tim Hart, a local area historian, who is knowledgeable regarding the Cedar Run - Stafford Township area. Following is an email reply that I received from Tim.

Dear Peter:

James Mascolo was an entrepreneur. He was one of the first Italian American business people in lower Ocean County. He built Paradise Cove in Tuckerton, owned a series of roadside cabins in Cedar Run, and owned “Jimmies Restaurant” in Manahawkin (later Carroll’s restaurant).

Many bottles say they are from Ocean County – but after the destruction of the Barnegat glass works (building is gone by 1920) I have no evidence of any bottles being produced in Ocean County.

Tim

Armed with the newly acquired information obtained from Tim Hart, I was able to find Jim Mascolo's obituary in my genealogy files.

Tim's information and the obituary answers the first question regarding just who J. Mascolo was, but it doesn't directly answer the second question as to the Cedar Run Bottling Company. Tim's comments, however, suggest that the bottle was probably manufactured outside of the Ocean County area with the Cedar Run Bottling Company inscription likely commissioned by Jim Mascolo who sold the soda in the Cedar Run area.

I am hoping that someone out in the Blog-O-Sphere can shed some light on the Cedar Run Bottling Company. Surely there are some area bottle collectors who may have some helpful information.

Pete S

Modern Technology - Early 1940's Style

2011-04-12T12:30:00.011-04:00

Many of today's schools boast fancy computer labs, school wide wireless internet service, and even lap top computers for the students to use in school and at home. We are truly living in the age of modern technology.

All of which got me to thinking as I was looking through some old Tuckerton School photos in the Tuckerton Historical Society's photo collection. Seems as if our little Tuckerton Grade School was at the cusp of modern technology way back in the early 1940's as evidenced by the following October, 1943 photo and newspaper article.

I find it amazing that elementary school pupils in little old Tuckerton would have access to a program that I didn't have until I took typing in High School in the early 1960's. And they all look so well behaved!

Linda Schneider, Margie Krusner (left desks, l-r); Audrey Lecech, Pat Stevens, Judy Cranmer & Mary Ann Mott (back desks, l-r); Joan Stein, Jay Gerber, Pam Mathis & Barry Jillson (front desks, l-r). Photo courtesy of the Tuckerton Historical Society.

Unfortunately, the second part of the article was missing, but you get the idea. Principal Spragg was able to procure typewriters for his elementary school students, giving them a leg up in the competitive world of education. I wonder how these lucky students fared in their educational journey through Tuckerton High School and beyond. Does anyone out in the Blog-O-Sphere have any news about them?

Pete S

Jim McAnney's Mystery House

2011-04-08T10:52:00.014-04:00

My men's breakfast buddy, Jim McAnney, loaned me a photo of an old house given to him by his aunt, Marie Doherty. There was no identifying writing on the photo nor did Marie know the identification of the house.

Jim surmises that the photo is likely family related and may be of an old Loveland or McAnney house, probably from the Frog Town section of Bass River where Lovelands lived, or from Wading River where the McAnneys lived. Marie's roots come from both of these families.

An unusual feature of the house is a distinctive front peaked roof dormer which should make it easy to identify; however, it is likely that the house is no longer standing.

Can anyone out in the Blog-O-Sphere help out with an identification? It would be appreciated.

Pete S

The Bridges to Long Beach Island

2011-04-06T09:00:00.009-04:00

Anyone driving around the Bass River area in the last couple of years can't help remembering the construction of new bridges on Rt 9 at the Bass River and Nakote Creek and the just completed Garden State Parkway bridge spanning the Mullica River.

Now there is talk of adding another bridge, parallel to the existing bridge, from the mainland in Manahawkin to Long Beach Island. I shudder to think of the massive traffic jams that will cause, especially in the summer months.

A new bridge will be the fourth built to Long Beach Island. I thought I would share a view photos of previous bridges and a video of the current bridge.

I wonder if there is anyone out in the Blog-O-Sphere that remembers crossing over the previous bridges, perhaps on a summer vacation as a child. If so, I would like to hear from you.

Pete S

The first bridge to Long Beach Island.

Before 1886, there was only one way to reach Long Beach Island - boat. Many of the visitors to the island were wealthy enough to own their own boats. Some of the larger boarding houses offered ferry service to and from the island. A formal, scheduled ferry line was created in 1873. Builder Archelaus R. Pharo, from Tuckerton, started the ferry service in order to bring construction materials to the newly founded community of Beach Haven.

The two mile bridge postcard

A newer drawbridge in a 1954 photo

Courtesy of Leslie & Shirley Whealton

The current LBI causeway bridge was built in 1958.

It carries about 42,000 cars a day in the summer.

Courtesy of Google Images

Entering Long Beach Island today.

The following is a You Tube video of the old shack that my history buddy, John Yates, remembers seeing along the causeway bridge as a child during trips to Long Beach Island with his parents. Thanks, John, for bringing it to my attention.

New Tuckerton Historical Society Web Site

2011-03-30T09:00:00.018-04:00

I've just finished developing a new web site for the Tuckerton Historical Society.

Tuckerton Historical Society

If you are interested in our local history, click on the link below. Hopefully, your visit will be informative and enjoyable. Items will be added periodically, so you may want to put it on your "Favorites" list and stop in now and then.

Be sure to check out their "Up Coming Events". There are some good programs planned throughout the rest of the year.

Enjoy!

Pete S

GO TO THE

TUCKERTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY

John Headley's Mystery Bottle

2011-03-23T09:00:00.004-04:00

I visited with John and Nancy Headley of West Creek the other day. They are always interesting to talk with, as they collect a wide range of historical "stuff" from West Creek and the surrounding area.

John Headley

During the visit, John brought out an old bottle with the following embossed words:

P.E. BIRMINGHAM

BOTTLER

WEST CREEK, NJ

I asked John if he would do a rubbing of the bottle for me. Luckily, having grandchildren who visit often, John was able to quickly put his hands on a box of crayons and some paper. He soon handed me a rubbing of the embossed words on the bottle.

Needless to say, I was surprised when I read the inscription. I had never heard of a "Birmingham" in West Creek nor have I ever heard of a bottling plant in the tiny town. I remember hearing something about a glass works in Barnegat in the old days and wondered if the bottle could have been made there and shipped to to West Creek. This may be true, but it doesn't explain the P.E. Birmingham. Is he a person or is it the name of a company?

The bottle was clearly old, with a green tint and some bubbles noticeable in the glass. There was no indication on the bottle regarding the date it was manufactured. The presence of seams on the bottle indicate that it was manufactured by machine in a mold and not hand blown. I am not an expert in old bottles, so I don't have a clue as to how old it might be or what it's contents may have been. It looks like a soda bottle to me. Perhaps someone out in the Blog-O-Sphere can tell from the photo below.

I Googled "P.T. Birmingham" and found that there was a Birmingham Bottle Company in Alabama who made a wide assortment of mostly soda bottles. I'm wondering if someone in West Creek may have ordered bottles from this company to fill with and sell soda, etc. If this is true, then P.E. Birmington is a bottle company rather than a person. It's a logical possibility.

The bottle was found by Tom Miller, a bottle collector from Warren Grove, in a wooded area on Route 9 in West Creek across the street from the location of the old Tower Tavern. It was with a case of the same bottles, but it was the only one that was not broken. The fact that the bottle was a part of a case and was found across the street from the Tower Tavern may indicate that it came from the tavern.

Site of old Tower Tavern

Tom gave the bottle to John, in 2009, for safe keeping until the West Creek Historical Society had a location where it could be displayed for public view. Could the place where the bottle was found be a clue for the bottles West Creek origin?

I wonder if someone out in the Blog-O-Sphere has any knowledge or another theory regarding the source of John Headley's bottle? It's a mystery I would like to solve!

Pete S

Hughie Bolton- Old Tuckerton Railroad Conductor

2011-03-16T09:00:00.009-04:00

I know there are a lot of railroad buffs out there in the Blog-O-Sphere, particularly of the old Tuckerton Railroad. I came across a December 3, 1982 Tuckerton Beacon article featuring Hughie Bolton, an old Tuckerton Railroad conductor, who had just died at 93 years old. I found it interesting and thought I would share it with you. I particularly enjoyed Hughie's account of the first car in Mayetta. I'm also scratching my head and wondering what the world is coming to, today.

For those of you who know Bill Bolton from Otis Avenue in Tuckerton, there is no relation. Bill originally came to the Tuckerton area, from Georgia, in the 1950's to serve at the nearby Navy base at Warren Grove. He met Barbara Pancoast, fell in love, married, and decided to settle down in Tuckerton. Barbara is presently the curator at the local Tuckerton Historical Society Museum housed in the old Giffordtown School House. Stop in on a Wednesday and say hello to her!

Pete S

Widow Greene Remarries

2011-03-13T16:25:00.008-04:00

I had the following September 8, 1900 New York Times article announcing the remarriage of Widow Greene emailed to me by Nancy Gale out in Nebraska. I thought it particularly interesting that Widow Greene was a descendant of a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

I also thought those of you who had been following the news articles about Dr. Green's death near the Wading River in the 2/25/11 and 2/28/11 Blog entries might be interested in this follow up article.

Pete S

The 1914 Tuckerton Baseball Team

2011-03-12T16:15:00.015-05:00

I got the following photo of the 1914 Tuckerton baseball team from John Allen up in still chilly New Hampshire. I believe he scanned it from the "Downshore From Manahawkin to New Gretna" book published by Arcadia Press. Can anyone answer his email question below?

I'm also wondering if anyone out in the Blog-O-Sphere is related to any of the 1914 ballplayers.

Pete S

Pete,

Great job on the 1950 THS baseball team. Who other than Ditty [Walter Loveland] was from New Gretna on the 1914 team pictured below?

Regards,

John

Parkertown's Gormley Twins - Who's Who?

2011-03-09T09:00:00.003-05:00

Anyone driving through Parkertown can't help spotting "My Three Sons", a garden center-produce business, on Route 9 owned by the Gormley family for 46 years.

How many of you can name the three sons? Well there's Ray, John, and Tom. John and Tom are twins who were born in 1966, the same year that "My Three Sons" was started.

As it is with many twins, sometimes it's difficult to tell them apart. Who can tell who's who below? I still have difficulty when I see John and Tom in person today.

Pete S

PS- A special thank you to Shirley Whealton for clipping out the Gormley twins photos 46 years ago and sharing them with us today.