1908: 101 YEARS AGO: WE HAVE LIGHTS AND POLICE!

As the city of Trenton grew ever eastward, the borough of Wilbur was annexed and an unsuccessful effort to annex Bromley brought a number of citizens to the Bromley area of Hamilton. Bromley Manor and Bromley Place were established and we had our own little community. With the growth in population, law and order was demanded, and street lighting was provided. Note that Ben Kuser was one of the movers and shakers in the early development of the borough. Kuser was a major player in the breaking up of Henry N. Smith's Fashion Stud Farm, located in the area of the N.J. State Fairgrounds. Kuser's real estate developments included the area around the Enterprise Fire Company. Victor, Rosalie, and Adella Kuser had streets named after them. Ben Kuser was also responsible for the Pennsylvania Railroad Yards which were located behind the De Laval plant in an area off Whitehead Road.

1934: Greenwood School Class of 1944

Hey, that's my lifelong friend Web Grimm in that class! Web's relationship with the Glover family goes way way back to the 1k930's when he and my older brother Len conducted a boys' club known as the "Lynx" club. I can still see those guys pouring the jelly stuff into a flat pan and duplicating documents that came out printed in blue. It was called a "Hektograph" process. Now I know I'm getting on in years! I haven't heard that word in years.

2009: VOTE TODAY

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2009

Polls are open at the Hamilton Volunteer Fire House for Bromley Fire District 4 on Klockner Road. Polls open at 2 and close at 9. Paper ballots are being utilized, and the time taken is minimal.

If you are a Bromley resident, you owe it to your community to cast your vote. While you're at the firehouse, wish the fire guys a happy 100th birthday for their fire company!

HAMILTON VFD: 1909 - 2009

A century of service to Bromley

1959: HAMILTON VFD: FROM THE 85TH ANNIVERSARY PROGRAM

A week or so ago, Joe Whartenby, Jimmy Cope, and Bob Wiles of the Hamilton Volunteer Fire Company visited my archives workshop at the Hamilton Library. It was at this meeting that I decided to form this website. The fact that I have numerous files in both the "BROMLEY" and "HAMILTON FIRE CO." folders

seems to be a good time start the website to coincide with Hamilton VFD's centennial. One hundred years! They must be doing something right. As a resident of Bromley for nearly half the time Hamilton has been in existance, I find the history of this veteran fire company to be very interesting.

2009: A HEADS UP FROM TOM

This Sunday afternoon, February 22, from 1 to 3 PM, I will be presenting my music program " When Music Was Music" at Kuser Farm Mansion, Cedar Lane and Newkirk Avenues in Hamilton. We will be singing the songs of Patti Page, Dean Martin, Barry Mannilow, Joni James, Andy Williams, and all of the "easy listening" songs from the 40's, World War II, and choice ballads and novelty songs through the 60's and 70's. This year, in recognition of the centennial of Kuser School, I will also be recalling grammar school in the years of my (and our) youth. Once again we'll be singing "Do You Know the Muffin Man," "Go In and Out the Windows," and other school playground songs, and recalling ink wells, blackboards, milk boards, girlfriends, lavatories, cloak rooms and all those fascinating vestiges of a now vintage era. I can pretty much guarantee a fun filled two hours. I hope to see you there. Call 890-3630 and leave a message to reserve a seat (or seats). I hope to see y'all there!

1918: SLACKWOOD VOLUNTEER FIRE CARNIVAL

These fire fighters protected the Slackwood area of Lawrence Township. They were also very supportive of the Bromley section when assistance was needed....over the RR tracks on Whitehead road, and they were on the scene; a short trip from Slackwood to Bromley.

1939: FARMINGDALE SCHOOL

It's so very sad that many of Hamilton's schools became victims of the wreckers' ball. Farmingdale School had an incredibly interesting history, but unfortunately there is very little in the way of original photographs and other documentation.

1858: FARMINGDALE SCHOOL

This rare page lists a few of the Farmingdale students' names from one room school years. Farmingdale is said to be the oldest school in the township of Hamilton.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

"LOVING GREETING" from this early 20th century trade card in my collection. I hope each and every visitor to my website has a love-filled St. Valentine's day. Have a great day, and remember to keep that

lamp of love burning brightly! As Petula Clark sang so beautifully back in the 1960,s,
"What the world needs now is love, sweet love..not just for some, but for everyone..."

1909: BROMLEY DEVELOPMENT

The real estate ad heralds the establishment of one of our older Bromley communities, Bromley Place. Charles Teunon was a prominent real estate firm back in the early 20th century, with numerous developments in Hamilton Township, including Lakeside Park. I have intentionally scanned this graphic in high definition so that the street names will be legible.

1924: CARNIVAL ON THE HAMILTON FIRE COMPANY GROUNDS

I will defer to a more knowledgeable Hamilton Fire or Bromley historian to tell us the location of the fire company grounds referred to in the graphic. There will be future carnival posts as they are uncovered.

1937: DANCING CLASSES HELD IN THE FIRE HOUSE

Over the years, our local fire houses have hosted community-centered events. This 1937 photo shows the young ladies who were involved in the dance classes in 1937.

1909: RAISING FUNDS AT PETER DOLAN'S HAMILTON HOTEL

They were on the way! The fire "laddies"* at Hamilton Fire Company were confident that their first piece of fire-fighting apparatus is just a few hundred more dollars away.

* Instead of "firemen," or "fire fighters," firemen were often referred to as "fire laddies" in the 19th and early part of the 20th century.

1909: HAMILTON VFD: IN THE BEGINNING

Here is the earliest news release I have found on the establishment of the Hamilton Fire Co. I hope to find additional material from the earliest years as I go back to the year 1909 and search for other Hamilton Fire-Bromley related press releases.

CLASS OF '47 BROMLEY'S GREENWOOD SCHOOL

These eighth graders were my classmates in HHS class of 1951. I can still remember how I had more than an unrequited crushes on Grace Miller, the pretty young lady on the left in the second rowd, and Joan Holland, 4th row, second from left. The memories linger!

1978: INSTALLATION DINNER DANCE.

Yup, that's my old friend, Fred Yaede in there with Emma, Pat, Joe, and John, liesure suit and all! Hey, we all wore 'em back then. In fact, the "liesure suit" we wore in the 1970's was the spittin' image of the "Slack Suit" we would get at the Metropole Clothing Factory in Trenton back in the 1940's; Remember? Ahh! Memories are made of this.

1927: WAS ELLIOT NESS INVOLVED IN THIS BUST?

Rather than "an open and shut case," this post illustrates a "shut and open" case. Indeed, a bit of interesting Prohibition lore from yesteryear. One can conjure up images of the Feds going undercover and buying a few shots of bootlegged booze, then clipping on the handcuffs, closing and locking the doors, and taking the violators to jail in a 1927 Model "T."

1912: Hamilton VFD's New Digs

I regret to say that it is not possible to align these historic clippings in chronological order. There are not provisions in "Blogger" to cut, copy and paste a graphic without going through a very tedious and time consuming project. Accordingly, the posts on this website, as with all of my websites, will reflect non-chronological posts.

1916: HAMILTON'S NEW FIRE TRUCK

These two graphics heralded the exciting news that the Hamilton Fire Company was to receive a new fire fighting engine. Peter Dolan was the proprietor of the Hamilton Hotel, a photo of which I have been seeking for well over 30 years. President Charles Fulkert was the owner and proprietor of the Bromley Inn.

BROMLEY MANOR

This area shown under Route 33 on the map might well be called "South Bromley." It will be quite familiar to many visitors to this site. Kuser School's Mabel Carnall lived on Richland Avenue, The late Horace "Buddy" Rick's Elmwood Tavern was located on Elmwood and is still operating as a tavern under new management.

1909: HAMILTON FIRE COMPANY: THE EARLY YEARS

These are the earliest proponents of establishing a fire company in the fast growing Bromley section of Hamilton. Heavy industry would be moving in and a building boom would add to the necessity of a fire company. The relatively new (1901) De Laval Steam Turbine Plant, the Mercer Automobile plant, the development of Bromley Place, Bromley Park, and other area expansion was on the horizon, making it imperative that the area cease to depend on Trenton and Slackwood for fire fighting service.

HAPPY 100th BIRTHDAY TO THE HAMILTON VOLUNTEER FIRE CO.

My friend and Broad Street Park-Rusling Hose Historian Jim Colello was kind enough to donate this beautiful photo of the fire company that is celebrating its centennial year in this year of 2009. The familar gray fire trucks are a beautiful sight to see, but much more beautiful as we watch the brave volunteers risking life and limb as they protect our community from fire.
There will be numerous vintage graphics relating to the Hamilton Fire Company in subsequent posts. Stay tuned, and by all means, email your comments, pro and con to me at thomglo@verizon.net. I will be adding a "Hit"counter and a Guest Book in the near future.