Marvin's "55"

Marvin Matlack

This is a photo of Marvin Matlack and his 1955 Oldsmobile “Fabulous 55” as it says, taken most likely around 1958. Marvin grew up on Main Street, going from the old Firehouse at 200 Main; his was the fifth house toward the Mill. Marv was always a good mechanic and knowledgeable, there were some of us that knew just enough to get in trouble, then we would turn to the guys that really knew, Marv, Rich Sellers, or Charlie Donnell

When we were growing up in Groveville, it was like our cars were “everything”. We were always “Tinkering* with our cars, mainly trying to get just a little more speed out of them, not a lot, just enough to be faster in the quarter mile than the other guy. We were not concerned about gas mileage, gas costs 31 cents a gallon, and you could go all weekend on $2.00.

I hear the elaborate sound systems the kids have in their cars today and think how our version of an elaborate sound system was a speaker in the backseat, with a three-way switch from Pep Boys (Front, Rear, or Both) connected to our AM radio.

If someone was doing some serious motor work, that’s where we gathered, to help or just watch and learn. We had some nice cars, Marvin’s 1955 Oldsmobile, Al “Buddy” Weiss’s 1960 Pontiac Bonneville, Gary Lippincott’s 1957 2 door, Chevy Bel Air , Tom Dwier’s 1955 Chevy, Tom Snyder’s 1955 Chevy and Ron Taylor’s "Big" Oldsmobile, now that was a “Boat”.

I think if you melted Ron’s Olds down you could make a dozen of today’s cars, just from the metal, there was not much plastic in cars then.

Back then if you had air, fuel, spark and compression, you were good to go, if you didn’t you could fix it yourself, today you need an Associate’s Degree in Automotive Maintenance Technology, and that’s just to add to the windshield washer bottle.

Groveville United Methodist Church Deed

Groveville United Methodist Church Original Deed ~ 1836

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Groveville United Methodist Church Original Mortgage

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I happen to be researching deeds of the Groveville United Methodist Church. Above is a portion of the Original Deed and the subsequent Mortgage 1836. This Deed and Mortgage are mostly hand wrote and quite difficult to read.

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Due to the fact that the Stapler and the Paper Clip had not been invented yet the line at the top of each full page is the thread used to sew the pages together.

I guess its a land surveyor's term, but most of the measures are in "Chains and Links", for example something may be 10 chains and 4 links from the neighboring property. 1 Chain equals 66 feet and one link 7.92 inches usually rounded to 8 inches. Then for all I know these terms may still be used today.

The amazing thought is that when this paper work were completed things we have every day were not invented yet; Gasoline Engine, Dynamite, Barbed Wire, Chewing Gum, Safety Razor, Anesthesia, Steel Plow, Telegraph, or Sliced Bread.

Not only the Scanner this was scanned on or the Personal Computer used, not invented yet, the Grandparents of the inventors were not born at this time.

I look at this and think how many people looked and handled it long before me and thought the same things I did and handled this as carefully as I did.

My Favorite Vacation Spot - Cherrystone Campground

Cherrystone Campground, Cheriton, Virginia

This is looking west, in the foreground is one of the ponds in the campground, there is a small strip of land, about 40 feet wide, where the tree is located and beyond is the Chesapeake Bay. Every sunset is spectacular. I have taken so many photos of this sight, I have finally stopped taking them. I have them with disposable cameras, 35mm, cameras, different lenses, and digital cameras, they are all so nice. This is the the one that is my desk top on both of my computers, just a reminder of my next vacation there.

Groveville Newspaper Articles - 1800's

These articles came to me from Cheryl, the Florida Branch of the Research Department, thanks Cheryl.

This article appeared in "The Trenton Federalist", April 26, 1823

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This News article appeared in the newspaper "The Trenton True American" August 31, 1826. It was picked up and reprinted in "The Pittsfield Sun", Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

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This article appeared it the paper " The Trenton Federalist" April 26, 1823

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Groveville Fire Co. Officers ~ 1950's

Left to right Standing; Clarence Plummer, Nimrod Dwier, Vince Symczyk, Joe DeMent, Ed Mushinski, Don Snyder, William Rousseau.

Left to right seated; Albert Simpson, Charles Thompson, Howard Jones.

I don’t know the date of this photo, but I will bet it was taken on a Thursday night. Groveville Fire Company Meetings were always held on a Thursday night at 8:00 PM and judging by the clock it’s just past eight now and I can just hear someone like Jo-Jo DeMent saying, “Okay let’s take this picture so we can get this meeting started”

A little piece of history, the calendar on the wall is from the Yardville National Bank another local institution, now gone. When this photo was taken the Yardville Bank was just one location, five points in Yardville, then they grew to be a large, multi branch bank and now they are gone, progress they say.

Groveville School, So. Main Street Gang ~ 1951

Tom Dwier Gave me this photo today, I am not sure of the date of this picture, but you can bet as soon as Claire sees it she will Email me and give the whole deal on this and I can update it. See I told you she would know, this was taken Tuesday, September 4, 1951, her first day of Kindergarten (Reception Grade).

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This is left to right, Claire Dwier Zarr, Tom Dwier, Peter Mickschutz , and Tommy Snyder. The shoes are clean, the pants are clean with a crease, the shirts are clean, the hair is cut and combed and no one forgot their lunch, Must be the first day of school.

"Groveville's" Mechanic

Jimmy Gould with Race Car Driver Wally Campbell

During my "Growing Up" time in Groveville, I don't know anyone that owned a car that didn't take it to Jimmy Gould, for repairs. I remember my dad saying "well I have to take the car to Jimmy's," that was magic to my ears. To go to his garage was an experience as a kid. I could not believe the car parts, buckets of nuts and bolts and clips. There would always be a rag spread out on the work bench (where there was room) with a carburetor apart in a million different pieces, as a kid I was amazed that it would ever go back together and be a carburetor again. There were Chilton repair manuals dating back to the beginning of the Chilton Manual, pages with greasy fingerprints and marked pages.

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On the wall was a nail and on it were receipts from places like Andy's Auto Parts, Economy Auto parts, and Gould's auto parts (no relation, I think). There would be an open bucket of Kerosene in the corner, used for cleaning parts, who thought that would be dangerous. I could not believe that Jimmy could find anything in there, but he could " I have one of those" and pick it out.

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Jimmy always had a smile, a joke or a funny story, I think my dad like going there as much as I did. Another thing about going to Jimmy's garage as a kid, there was always that calendar the oil company or the auto parts supplier gave him, you know the one, the one with the "Girl" on it, fully clothed, maybe in a bathing suit, but as a kid in the 1950's that calendar was "it". As a kid there with your dad you could only "peek", it was not till later when you took your own car to Jimmy that you could "stare".

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One thing about getting your car repaired at Jimmy's, it came with an unwritten warranty, if it wasn't right he always had the time to "Take a Look".

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Jimmy had a great love for Ford cars, he would work on a Chevy, but I think he charged extra, I don't know what he did for the years dad had a Hudson. I have to mention that there were a lot of times Jimmy didn't charge, he'd fix something and then say "let me know how it works out" or something along those lines.

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Sometimes, as a teen with a car, you would just stop in to say "Hi" and Jimmy would ask you to run and pick up a part for him, how could you say "No", after he just fixed your car last week and didn't charge you, it all worked out in the end, that's the way it should be.

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Jimmy was an avid race fan, Stock Car or Indy Cars, it didn't matter. Jimmy knew all the drivers, some personally. For years Jimmy could be seen running the "Score Board" at the Trenton Speedway, it was not the push of a button back then, as the places changed you actually had to remove the number sign and place it in the new slot.

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Jimmy would start packing his Ford in the beginning of May for his trip to Indianapolis for the "Indy 500", not packing clothes, but car parts and tools. Jimmy would take an extra starter, carburetor, water pump, distributor, generator, fan belt and spark plugs and the tools needed to replace them, that always amazed me. Yes, he took a tire repair kit. I guess you could say he was always ready for a "Pit Stop".

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Charlie tells the story that he gave Jimmy the nickname "Greasy Graham", which fit him well and he loved the nickname. It comes from a guy that used to run a milk route in a model "T", in Groveville, years ago named "Greasy Graham". At one time the radiator leaked real bad & he had Jimmie break up a horse turd & put it into the radiator to stop the leak !! I guess it worked.

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After Jimmy retired, I guess he retired, it was hard to tell, he could be found just hanging around Groveville with his friend and long time Groveville resident Al Wright, who was a retired mechanic for the Trenton Transit Company. Al was another person that always had a smile and a funny story.

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Wally Campbell, the driver pictured with Jimmy, was killed in a sprint car practice accident in Salem, Indiana. He was one day past his 28th birthday, July 17, 1954. Amazing this photo and some of this posting was picked up and used, with my permission, in the Wally Campbell Website, that is so interesting. http://www.wallycampbell.com/1947-2a.html

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Jimmy was also a member of the Groveville Fire Company, he fit right in with all the other great story tellers of the fire company.

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Jimmy's father, Caldwel "Cal" Gould lived on Allen Street and as a member he is pictured in some of the photo's of the beginning of the Groveville Fire Company.

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His son, Jimmy, has carried on his father's love of cars.

Sunday School Jublee ~ 1875

This article appeared in the Daily State Gazette, August 9, 1875. There is also a good possibility that the tickets I previously posted could have been for community events like this.

Don't forget to "click" on this article, to enlarge it. Its the only way you'll way you will be able to see it to read, just a reminder.

Yardville Aerial View - Circa 1959

Then ~ 1959

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Now ~ 2008

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This photo, I believe, was taken around 1959. The two highways that split the photo are Rt. 130 and Route 156. Before the construction of Rt. 130, Route 156 was the main highway through the area and was then Route 25, originally Route 25 was known as The Bordentown – South Amboy Turnpike.

To the right or the highway you can see Doctors Creek, the Mill Pond Dam, and the foot print of the Mill Pond, its hard to believe the pond was that big, it extended all the way to Springdale Park, now the CYO Camp across from Yardville School, I am sorry I missed it, the dam broke about the year I was born.

To the right of Doctor’s Creek You will see a nicely mowed area. This entire area was the Crosswicks Sand and Gravel Company owned by Mr. George Mozer. There they open mined the sand, washed and sorted it into grades of sand and Pea Gravel. The buildings and equipment in the lower corner were used to wash and sort the material.

The mowed area had been depleted of sand and was graded smooth and grass planted. You will notice a small rectangular pond. This was unique; the pond was dug and lined with pea gravel. At the wide square end there was a block wall with an over flow, this ran into a pipe that allowed the excess water to run to the creek. The pond was not filtered, but spring fed and constantly overflowing, the water was always crystal clear. If your were a friend of George Mozer’s son Dan you could swim at the pool almost any time, just like anyone with a pool, Dan had a lot of friends.

When all of the material being mined was depleted, Mr. Mozer graded the entire area smooth. At some time the pool was completed into a finished pool. The area was leased to a family that converted the area in to the Groveville Swim Club, Later known as the Sun and Fun Club; the area had picnic tables, grills, fireplaces, and pavilions. There were also baseball fields and was used for family, company, church and other groups as a picnic area. Families could also buy individual memberships.

This entire area is now Eagle Rock Apartments, originally Sherwood II Apartments. They built the apartments around the pool and maintained it for many years, the pool has since been removed and the pool locker room converted to their laundry room. The home in the lower right is the house that today sits above Church Street between Zachary Lane and the Groveville School, at the time of this photo it was occupied by the Colgan family.

The large structure in the lower left of the photon near Route 130 is the Carriage House of the VanKannel Estate. Just to the right there is a stand of dark pine trees and a clearing, this was the location of the main house of the estate.

The large barren area in the center left is the Yardville Concrete Company, also owned by George Mozer. This is now know as Yardville Supply, and where the barren area meets Church Street is where Yardville Supply’s Ace Hardware is now.

In the large triangle shaped wooded area in the upper left you can see a factory; this was the Chandler-Palruba Company, this company made Oil Cloth Floor Covering, The factory was torn down years ago and the houses have since been removed and this entire triangular area is now home to the Yardville Acme Market, Roma Bank and an office building.

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In some ways the area has changed a lot and it some ways its the same, its called progress, I guess.