Hackettstown Retail trivia
Can you name any of the jewelry stores that "used" to be in the Hackettstown area? I can think of about 4.
L. Martin 
Christine Plate was on the corner of Moore and Main. Nerbak was further up the street, towards the Trading Post. Do you know what else was in the block in the earlier years? When Cavanaughs was there and also the Cottage?
LVMomofboys Nerbak's and another business (Prudential?) were next to Bach's Drugs and after knocking down a few walls that space became part of Bach's because the surgical section was running out of room. And they moved the pharmacy over to the new section as well.
Farrells Bakery comes to mind and the Strand movie theatre 1.00 a movie,(wow times have changed).
KellyYes...Towne Jewelers used to be J&S Jewelers..different owners. And now its M. Stephans I believe.
The other 2 I was thinking of were:
J.Yardley Jewelers..owned by Janet Gallo...now the Karate school is there.
SM Jewelers..was on Mountain Avenue...later moved to the Riverside Plaza in Mansfield for a while. SM stood for Sam Milici .
Dolly Who remembers the name of the women and children clothing stores that were on Main Street until the early 90's? Started with an "L"
Leeters, (is that right?) H. Cohen, and there was a dress shop next to the Bakery....but I can't remember the name! We are going back a few years. Mr. Novak owned the Hardware store.....there was Thorp Stationery, next to the other drugstore....in the block next to Dad and Lad. And across the street from NEWBERRY'S!!! And Kostenbader's liquor store was in that block too.
And there was a terrible fire in the apartment above the bakery and the Farrells lost their home. And I think the bakery and the dress shop closed after that? Is my memory any good?
There was also Leonard's that had children's clothing on Main St. about 30 something years ago.
The Cottage- our dentist used to give us coupons for a free ice cream after every visit & you got to go sit on the bar stool and eat it.
Not Main St. but Mall Theatre.
I remember the jewelry store Alston Beck used to me on Main St. I think that's what it was called, he also owned the Alston Beck in the Rockaway Mall and a store in Livingston Mall. Not sure it they were all called Alston Beck but it was the same owner.
jenninjgirl Was there a fabric & notions store on Main Street in the early 60's - more likely mid 50's? I have vague memories of my grandmother shopping for dress fabrics and sewing supplies in a Main Street store. It may have been a variety store. Just not sure.
Hope some folks on the forum are old enough to remember that far back.
Slade Your Grandmother probably shopped for sewing stuff at Newberry's - one whole side of the store was devoted to fabric, notions, etc. At least that is the way I remember it! We moved to town in 1966 and that is where my mother shopped for such things, and then me for HomeEc classes.
Here's another 1 for you. Back in the 80's there was a very small boutique that had trendy female apparel. It was right on Main Street and at some point they took over the hair salon next door and started cutting hair...what was their name?
The dress shop next to the bakery was The Genevive Shop (SP?). My mom bought me lovely Kate Greenaway dresses there.
lilindependance Does anybody remember the Irish Setter that used to hang out at the old Jigger Shop (when it was a newspaper/candy store)? I always wondered if that was the same one I would see at Kostenbader's liquor store. He was a beautiful dog and very friendly.
OH LIL! Thank you. The Genevieve Shop. That was going to make me nuts if I could not remember. And I do remember the Irish Setter, probably was Mrs. K's dog, (Rusty) because he used to sit in our driveway and wait for our dog to come out. He was a lovely dog, and really had the run of the town. Everybody knew him, and he was quite the gentleman, as I recall.
L.Martin, where on Main Street? I am not coming up with anything, probably because I was living in Morristown by then....?
Mrs.Kostenbader told my husband that she would take the day's money, put it in a case and tie it around the dog's neck and send him to the bank on the corner of Main and Grand to make a deposit. He knew when he had that case on his neck, he was supposed to go to the bank. Someone in the bank would take the money and make the transaction, putting the receipt back into the case. The dog did this everyday to get there before the bank closed and she said no one ever touched that money. We had just moved here from Essex County and thought that was about the coolest thing we'd ever heard.
ianimal Don't forget Milton Thorpe's bookstore ! I leached all information I could from the Tiger Beat magazines...What has happened to downtown Hackettstown? yeah I know it's been going on for a long time....
Oh, wow, I forgot about Rusty and the bank! Great story, thanks!OK, here's another - does anyone remember the grocer who used to be at the corner of Church and Main, where Michael's is now??
OK the trendy boutique/hair salon was called "The New York Connection" & it was owned by Karl Ballo, I believe. He left there and went back to Sucussuna to just do hair. I think I heard that he passed away a numbver of years ago.
Ok here's an easier one....name the 3 locations of Calicp Country Flowers or for that matter the two locations for Florist on the square or the two locations for Katarina florist.
and do you remember "Stop at 10" ??
ooooo I know the answer to the calico question as I worked there back in high school and also I had my wedding floweres done by them.
1- in the strip mall on 46 by block buster
2- in the building by mountian ave quick check now bagels abroad.
3- on willow grove street by the hospital.
Cherie Very good Cherie...you got all 3! Of course way back when that 1st location was referred to as the A&P shopping center.
As for Katarina's. She was originally in what used to be called the Main Street Plaza...The 2 level mini mall that is now mostly offices. Now Main Street Plaza is on Stiger St.
Florist on the Square was orginally by David's Country Inn on that little square.
Here's another one to throw out. Who's slogan was "Come bounce with the "Bear" and watch Color TV!" (and why a "bear"?)
L.Martin..........wasn't that the Econo-Court on Route 46? And I have no idea why a bear.
I thought the bear is because the owners name was Winnie like in Winnie the Poo, who was a bear. I dont know if that is the reason. I stayed there once, a really long time ago.
Justasking I worked for Mark's Jewelers in the mid '80s. First located in back of L. Davids, later it was in the old "Jamesway" shopping center.
Mikey07840 Florist on the square was not where Pandan Room was, it was a Flower shop called Primrose Lane or something like that.
The grocer on the corner of Main and Church was owned by Mr. Heidenberg and was called Ruby's. Wow, am I dating myself! I remember all of these. My grandparents used to own a pseudo-department store way back in the 40's on High Street called "Solomon's". Anyone remember?
lsricc Justasking was correct...owner's name was (is?) Winnie
OK here's another....Where Marshall's is now was at one time a "bulk foods" store...actually way ahead of its time..considering BJ's , Sam's Club, Costco etc.
Anyway do you recall the name of this store?
Carol Millett I thought Basics was in the "old" A & P mall. There was a small department store before Marshalls and a Grand Union before that
Jersey Joe Does anyone remember when Mountain Avenue had NO gas stations, mall, fast food? I remember the little houses that used to be there.....and the road was alot narrower. And as for Basics, didnt you have to bring your own bags with you? I remember that as being where Skylands Orthopedic is now. Does anyone remember the name of the lady who had the Texaco station on Rt. 46, near the Blue Mist? The building is still there.
WOW. That was quick. Well done. Yea, wasnt she a sweetheart? OK-another-the name of the shoemaker on Main Street? This might be easier because I think his son is in the shop now.....and while we are at it, name the first owner of Jack's scissorwiz and the subsequent owners?
I remember getting Tootsie-Rolls from the lady at the gas station. Also remember when McD. opened (I think it had just opened, could be wrong) and what it treat it was when we stayed home sick from school and had to go to work with our parents, we would get an Egg McMuffin for breakfast.
One of my favorite pictures of me and my Dad was taken at a picnic table along the river at the Orange Pit, early 1970's.
Jodee Mrs. Foster always gave us candy. She was just so nice. When I think of her I always think she was one of the stronger women I ever meant. She ran that gas station all by herself, most women still wont pump their own gas. I remember going into the house part of the gas station and I remember all the pictures of her children. But I dont remember ever meeting her children or anything about a husband.
I remember back in the late '80s Hackettstown had a video game arcade/ pool hall. Was it where Hot Bagels Abroad is now?
Mrs. Foster was a widow. Her husband died and she took over the gas station. She loved kids. I really dont remember her kids though. My Dad was friends with her husband.
There was a pool hall on Main Street in the 60's called "The Golden Cue"....I think it was where the bicycle store is now. Later, (70's or early 80's) there was a pool hall in the store which is now Achieve Fitness. anyone remember these? Also, anyone remember "Carl's Place" at the corner of Mountain Avenue and East Avenue?
LVmom - Reference the barbershop originally Tomaino's Barbershop, after that Jack Pace became the owner/operator and renamed it to Jack's...Now of course, Jack's son Scott is running the place...Judging by your posts above and knowledge of the town, I must know you. did you graduate HHS?
Also Barbara's Pantry had a store on Main Street near the Strand, it was a little Ice cream parlor place. And she had another store in the middle of the Hackettstown mall.
Jacks was Tomatoes.
I remember The ice cream parlor and the pool hall.
I did graduate HHS.
For a while, the upstairs at Charlie Browns (aka the Clarendon) was also a pool hall.
The ice cream shop/stationery store next to the Strand movie theater was called "Knapp's". They had the best chocolate cokes!!!! How about Niper's Studio owned by Howard and Glady Niper on Moore Street. I grew up knowing them and their daughter Lani.
Nick & Betty's was the ice cream place and Knapps was a shoe store. Also, Scott is Jack's son in law.
heres one for you...Mr plate had glued coins...quarters... nickels and dimes... to the floor in his jewelry shop...so that when entered the store you would try to pick them up...other hackettstown merchants were outright racists i grew up there...they would sell you anything...but they did not like your kind...being around...and i am not african-american...just not of the correct religion or european nationality...
taters Sorry Jane, you've got it a little incorrect. Scott is Jack's son; if you don't believe me, stop in and ask him. Jack was the son in law of the original owner, Hank Tomainio.
the arcade that was where Hot Bagels abroad is was Pinball Wizards, i think thats what it was called. I used to hang out there ALLLLL the time !
I dont think "pinball Wizard" is the right name, but I could be wrong. And before it moved there it was next to Mama's in the Mall and on the other side of Mama's was the liquor store
Sorry deviljet, I was quizing the "old-timers" at work and they got me confused. You are right...
Jane, Sorry to disagree but in the early 60's Knapp's was located where Plate Jewelers is now and it was a stationery store and had an ice cream counter in the back of the store where I went to get hand-dipped ice cream and chocolate sodas after a Saturday afternoon movie where I paid 45 cemts. Of this, I am totally sure!
ok ... so you really had me doubting myself but I asked a few other people (townies back in the day) and they all said it was pinball wizards ... i really thought thats what it was. And Oasis was on Main Street, is that still there ?
I've got a couple more...Ruby's Butcher/Deli was mentioned above (corner of Main and Church), but there was another butcher on Main St. at the same time, Tynan's, located a few stores down from the Strand Theatre....Also, does anyone remember Mick & Hedy's Luncheonette across from Leo's ? It was a great place to hear all the town news/gossip. In the mornings there would be policemen, firemen, DPW workers, Rec Director Nelson Hoyt, then mayor Pat Harper, a whole cast of regulars....They were there from the late 60's until 1989, when the owner of the building (and owner of Hackettstown Auto Parts) terminated their lease so his girlfriend could open a jewelry store there...The building is now Ishinru Karate.
Yes, I do remember all that you mentioned and so much more. The Jigger Shoppe took over the location of Mick & Hedy's before moving to their location on the corner of Main and Moore. So does anyone remember Class and Hurley's Applicance Store located diagonally across from Hackettstown Ford?
Mick and Hedys saved me when I was 5. Got lost coming home from school. Brought me in and gave me ice cream and called my parents! O the memories.
I used to play at that arcade next to Mama's outside of the Mall.
Another thing I miss from times ago is having a wide-open Fish Hatchery. We used to cut through there everyday after school. You had full access to see all of the fish. The guys who worked there were always willing to show the hatchery part of it. They had fish food to feed. We also used to go out on the ponds when they would freeze over. They had an A-Treat soda machine that was cheap and I used to love getting those chocolate drinks, lol.
Hey, what was the name of that department store on Main Street, near where Verizon store is now?
Rich Yes...Basics Food Warehouse was where Marshall's is today.
You did have to bag (or box) your own groceries. I think they had some if you didn't bring your own. The A&P had a similiar concept but it was much later...and kinda non-sanitary?
Someone mentioned pool halls in Hackettstown...let's do this in reverse. Where would you have found "Slot n' Pocket in Hackettstown.......or "Cue Connection" ??
L.Martin, yes, I remember the Stop at 10 clothing store, but I cannot remember the exact location. I definitely remember buying some unusual blouses and skirts there.
Wendy Well, it was definitly Cue Connection, above the Clarendon.
And thanks, Isricc, for remembering Newberry's
Oops, sorry about that last post - I forgot this was a RETAIL trivia thread - those locations were obviously not reatil, lol
OK, it's making me crazy! What was the name of the clothing store (a couple of stores up from where Newberry's was located) where I used to get my Girl Scout uniforms?
Does anyone remember the clothing store it was right next store to where Target is now. (where that electric supplier is now)? I know the name of it just wondering if anyone else does.
It finally came to me!!!! Leonard's was the name of the clothing store just up the street from Newberry's! Phew!!!!!!!!!!!
I remember Robert Hall's! My parents would bring us up here from M'town to get our Easter outfits. Everytime I drive by that building, it brings back those memories!
Karen in LV What was the name of the drugstore on Main Street in Hackettstown? It no longer is there.
There was Bach's (on the corner of High and Main)and Kerr's (about where Hackettstown Pet Supply is).
Karen, it is funny to me that you would COME from Morristwn, because my mother used to take us TO Morristown to go to Epstein's for a special dress, or our Girl Scout gear.!
Kelly is right it is Robert Halls Clothing store. We would always get our school clothes there and at another place in town.
Does anyone remember the other big chain that was where Plates is now? (hint: You had to order it first!)
Christine, I am older than you so I should know more, but your younger memory is better than mine......I am stumped!
Wasn't there a furniture store in the center of town,I think it was called Reliable Furniture?????I think it had two floors of furniture. Wow, Christine I am also stumped!!
The furniture store was called Reliable(located across from Hometown Hardware) and was owned by Benny Kass. OK, please tell us what the chain store was that was located where Plate's Jewelers. It's making me crazy!!!!!
Ok...Stop at Ten was in that sort of Industrial Park where the Skating Rink is. They briefly even had men's clothes.
Toward the end I heard the merchandise was so flimsy..that you would probably rip it just trying it on!!
Slot n Pocket was in the "Little Village Mall". Unfortunately that whole mall burned to the ground one Sunday Morning.
L. Martin, When that mall opened up, I loved it. Three floors of stores, of all different types. It was sad when that burned down. My friend and I rode out bikes up there when they were trying to put out the fire. Every time I smell that burning smell, it reminds me of that day.
As far as Stop at 10 goes, I actually worked there on weekends when I was in college. It was a pretty neat concept. They had silk ties and nice belts that were a great price for its time. The Men's dress shirts weren't bad, kind of like what you get at Marshall's. I don't know about the quality of the women's stuff, but maybe those were flimsy.
LVMomofBoys - Too funny. We were passing each other to and from H'town and M'town! We actually came up to H'town quite a bit - the hatchery, Newberry's and, of course, Robert Hall! (Actually, I think my dad just liked the drive up here! lol)
I don't know if it was the first pizza place, but just after we moved here in '72, we used to go to (I think) Luigi's. And if I remember right, it was a few doors down from the Strand movie theatre. And the funny thing was, everytime we went, he would charge us a different price. One time we went and bought a pie, and my neighbor went about an hour later and paid more money for the same thing. He then moved to the other side of Main Street, can't remember exactly where, but he didn't stay there long and went out of business.
I think it has to be Mama's. They used to have just a counter an a few tables in the Hackettstown Mall. I think they moved to town in the late 60's? Look how well they have done!
I thought it was a small place called Tony's on the same side as Newberry's. When it first opened, there would be a long line of people waiting to order.
tonys was a 25 cent pizza slice...he was the first pizza place in town...it was owned by the caputo family
I worked at K-mart in the late 70's and lived in Mansfield Village. Does anyone remember trying to pull out of that mall and go towards Mansfield on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. I gave up trying to go home for lunch on the weekends.
I thought tony's was by where the shoemaker is now.
How about Jack n Jill, Art's barber shop and there was the original Dairy Queen where Hess is now!!
My friend who grew up in Hackettstown back in the 50's told me there was a grocery store, (I think she said Safeway, but not sure) in the Knechel Ford location. Can anyone verify that?
Tony's by the Strand was a great stop for a slice if you didn't feel like riding your bike all the way to Leo's walk up window before that 25 cent addmission to the town pool in the summer! Anybody remeber that dry cleaner on main street that we all thought was a florist from the look of the front window? And for the really old people out there.....now it's time to date yourselves.......what make of cars were sold where Bagels Abroad is now?
Lemasters Dry Cleaners. Wasnt Mrs. Lemasters the loveliest lady?
OK< I have one. What was the name of the CHILDREN'S Librarian, downstairs at the library. (Where is Bagels Abroad?)
Sorry, libraries give me the creeps! Anybody remember the Sears catalog store where Skylands Orthopeidics is now?
I can't answer the question about cars in the Bagels location because then that would mean I am really old.
That's OK. I just happen to have an "inside" source for that one! Many moons ago it was a Ford dealership. Now that I gave that one up, can anyone guess what the Ford dealership's son ran in good ole' H-town?......Now that's prize winning trivia!
What was the Car Dealership on Washington Street by the Middle School....I think it started with a V
DTLB, If I recall it was Vey's Garage. At one time I think it was also an overflow lot for Kevel???
I actually think the Ford question is a trick question. Ralph Knechel's father brought the Ford dealership to Hackettstown, which he expanded on Main/Valentine Streets.....so the answer is: the dealer's son ran a FORD Dealership! Do I win?????
The car dealership on Washington st. was Vey's Garage. It also was the home of Johnson Dodge before they moved to the location on top of the mountain. The original location of Kevil Chevrolet was located on the corner of High & Miller streets by M&M Mars in what is now a auto body shop.
Bgood105 Cara Mias (Corner of Main & Church) was the Kam Fu Chinese Restaurant...
Strand Theatre $1 to see a movie & $1.50 to sit in the balcony...
Stewarts Root Beer on Route 46 east in the area of Sherman Williams paint...
Bonzana where Blue Mist & Stardust Diners were....
Bowling Alley in the Block Buster/ Skylands Orthopedics Strip Mall....
Kostenbaders Liquor Store in the Dominos Pizza location....
Welsh Farms Restaurant in PV Strip Mall....
Cohens where at the 2nd Time Around Consignment location....
"The Barber Shop" at the Hackettstown Mall...
Fat Cycle in Great Meadows.....
Shirley's Yarn Shoppe across from M&Ms
Krafts Paint Co. on Main Street
Great memory Down Town Leroy Brown. The only inconsistency that I recall is that the bowling alley was not in the Blcok Buster strip mall but was (about 1/4 mile up the hill) between the east and west bound lanes where there is now the remaining parking lot.
I dont think there was a bowling alley there Leroy, there was a bowling alley at the park-n-ride located on the hill to budd lake between east and west bound. Could not remeber the name of Chinese rest...the first in town on the site of the former Danley's Diner.
I believe both of you are correct...My bad!
The mind ain't what it use to be....
I think I can come up with a couple more.....
And KevIl Cheverolet was at the corner of Miller and High Sts.
Carvel and Shoe town where where the old A&P was
And I can't remember the pet/fish store on Washington St, bottom of the hill.
wasn't the building that is now Cara Mia's also the location of the post office way back when?
YOu are all making me so nostalgic and I wasn't even in Hackettstown for the timeframes to which you're referring - I've only been here 10 years.
Good old Tank Town...owned by Phyllis Hartman...and there was a coin shop right in the same block.....that was really "grandfathered zoning".
A while back someone asked about where they got Girl Scout uniforms... I'm pretty sure you got them at Holmes Sporting Goods.
Hey remember Sound Effects Records on Main Street? The previous owner ran the store as a record store as well...anyone recall the name?
Bach's Drugs opened a second store in the Hackettstown Mall...what was its name?
The clothing store where Girl Scout uniforms could be purchased was Leonard's. I remember it well.
Cue connection could be found above the Clarendon (now Charlie Browns) but it moved from there to what is now Bachs home health care.......Rich - Big mama was behind Alexandria apartments (it's now townhouses)....suicide hill is now Home Depot!! Remember devil's pit? Pyronix, the quarry by diamond hill?? I also rode my bike to town when the Mall burned...Looks like we hung out in the same places.
The Idea guy Good call on the old coin shop next to Tank Town...I remember the smokey smell of that nice old guy who sold me so many coin holders for my collection. No trick question on the Ford dealership. His son "Norm" ran Norm's auto parts which was a NAPA dealer. Next question for those who doubt... What was the brand before NAPA?
I went to a source.....The very first Ford dealership in town was located in the building where Hometown Hardware is. The business did not do well, so Ford took it away. Mr. Ray Lemasters Sr. opened the dealership on Mtn. Avenue at a later time. The Ford dealership on Main St. became Rockaway Sales.
While we're all strolling down "memory lane", does anybody remember the meeter guy who used to patrol Main St. and keep the money in his "I wish I was a cop" hat?
And yes...for the record...I do remember that cool old dog Rusty who used to make the bank deposits. Try pulling that off now! Can't quite remember the name of the sporting goods place from Main St. Was it Holmes?
OK. here's a few to rattle your memories. What gas station was on the corner of Main and High Streets and who owned it? Also, what was the name of the two brothers that owned the Clarendon?
Christine Jersey Joe, you're right that it was a Gulf Gas Station but the Zellars were not the owners. Keep trying!
Les Smith owned it, then it was purchased by John Zellars, according to my source.
Ok, related to the Gulf Station, which Hackettstown teacher lost control of her Cadillac and drove it into the pumps?
Couple of answers to questions above - before L. David's the building was called the Warren House.
The original owners of the Hotel Clarendon were Klaus and Ernie Putz.
deviljet You're almost right LVMomofboys. It was Les Smith that owned the Gulf station. One of my dad's best friends. I'm not sure about the Zellars purchasing it. So, any takers on the two brothers that were owners of the Clarendon?
Wasn't L. David's a furniture store called House of Wittig after the Warren House closed?
Yes Bach's location in the mall was "Everybody's" . They didn't do enough business to pay the pharmacists!
And of course before them 'Rite Aid" was in the mall...you could go in and out the back door instead of the mall entrance.
Later Rite Aid moved to the A&P shopping center and eventually to East Ave. & Mountain Ave.
And speaking of Mountain Avenue...I'm wondering how many people recall that the Hackettstown McDonald's was a test market for introducing new products. It was one of the very first to have Chicken Nuggets and McRib
Cara Mias (Corner of Main & Church) was the Kam Fu Chinese Restaurant...was Danley's Diner before all the other's above
This is a long post so I am not sure if
"Class and Hurley" Furniture store was mentioned (they also sold bottled gas) on main or Victor's Drapery store or originally Plates Jewelers was on the corner where the vacuum place is and a greyhound bus stop was where Plates is - there was also a soda fountain in the bus station. The bowling alley was right next to the moose lodge where Osa's is or somewhere in that little area - Osa's was a soda fountain place (where I snuck my first cigarette)can't remember the name - I know there was pinball games in there and more of a 'bad' hangout. Next to Leo's was a "grange hall" not exactly sure what it was used for. The bank on the corner "the old People's bank" was a 'sewing notions' store on the first floor and where Tillie went to the show the night she was murdered on the second floor was a stage for theatre shows. If you are going back this far do you all know that Hackettstown was very famous for their horse buggy making over on Valentine Street - people would come from all over to buy them.
On the corner where Verizon on main used to be a hardware store called Western Auto, bycycle parts etc.
Kathy's Kove's was a grand union at one time but at one time there was a roller skating rink in there.
The house across from M & M's was a stage coach stop and inn, they had a tavern in the basement. Much later a librarian from Centenary bought it and lived there with his wife and mother (Howie or Huey??) and he or his mother/wife had a yarn shop in the back. He had a very large collection of statues.
where the town square is used to be a tavern - Tony's pizza used to be next to the tattoo place. the H'town hardware was the grand union, then rockaway sales. How many of you used to walk the muddy path from the Sand Bar to Seber's getting squishy black muck between your toes? Do you remember having your first frozen milkyway bar at Seber's
Ed Huey had the Yarn Shoppe across from M&M's before he was robbed and beaten nearly to death and left hand-cuffed to the steering wheel of his car! He had quite a collection of valuable antiques and I'm not sure if anyone ever figured out who robbed him. He was a hell of a nice guy!
Isricc, Didn't Ed Heggamin own the Service station where the Shell is now before moving to the former Mall Mobil?
Here is one for you huys.
WHere was the Christmas tree originbally displayed. (no it wasnt near the gazebo)
I kinda of remember getting scout uniforms at a store near Kerr's pharmacy. I thought the name was Foster and Lee's.
What was the name of the garage across plane from Rockaway sales. Now Valley auto??
HackyTowny - Ed Hegeman owned the gas station (now the Shell Station) at the five corner intersection. Les Smith owned the Gulf Station on the corner of Main and High. Also, the Hardware Store where the Party Store is on Main Street was owned by the Fursick's (sp?). The Jigger Shoppe was owned by Charlie and Helen West in the 1970's.
The Christmas tree stood in the street on Grand Ave. So you are right LVMOM, Pam and Kelly. Guess that was easy.
Every year the girls and boys scouts would put handmade ornaments on them.
Back to the discussion about the car dealers in town. . . . . . LVMomofboys, the story I heard, from a very reliable source, is a little different than yours. Let's see if there is anyone who can tell us which is correct.
Mr. Lemasters was the Ford dealer, but his dealership was in the building where the outdoor kitchen place is now, not where Hometown Hardware is. Unfortunately, the business did not survive so the building was sold to Mr. Poyer who opened Hackettstown Auto Parts. Norm Lemasters worked for Mr. Poyer before he opened Norm's Auto Parts on Willow Grove Street. I don't think there was a brand name - just Norm's.
Meanwhile, Ralph Knechel worked, first as a mechanic then as a salesman, for William G. Vey & Sons on Washington Street. Vey's started out as a Packard dealership, then added Cadillac. When the Buick dealer (on Stiger Street - the building is now part of Hackettstown Ford's shop) closed, Vey's picked up the Buick franchise, and Pontiac too. By then, Packard was no longer in business. Ralph Knechel was able to purchase a Ford franchise and bring a Ford dealership back to Hackettstown. His dealership was originaly on Mountain Ave, next to the little Quick Chek, then later moved to Main Street by the railroad tracks.
Anybody know how the Vey's building was used before it became a car dealership?
Whoda, I will check back with my "source" (dont I sound like a CIA agent or something....) with what you have posted. Thanks for confirming that Vey was Cadillac - I was certain that was what I remembered. Kelly, I also thought Mr. Novak owned the Hardware Store. His mother used to work in their when I was very young, probably in the later 60's, and later, his son Mike. lsricc didnt give a timeframe for when the Fursicks owned it, if they did, perhaps it was prior or after Novak? Ibet Mr Lemasters, our town historian, could clear up a few of the foggy areas for us! (Wonder if he reads these posts??)
The Opera House. The front windows are hinged so that they could open wide into the street to allow the crowds in.
Funny Mrs. Harper told me a carriage House and then a car dealership. Hence the hinged windows. LOL!
A carriage house for who? Maybe she originally thought it was an opera house....well, this is another for Mr. Lemasters, I think!
Where carriages were made you know the ones that horses pulled. LOL! Ray Lemasters told them that.
Actually, I think you both are right!!!The building was a carriage house in the 1800's and the Opera House opened there in the early 1900's.
I would consider Mr. Lemasters the final word. So, carriage house it is. When you said carriage house, I was thinking where the carriages were stored for somebody, on their private property.
If my memory serves me right (as I was just a very little girl)- my parents were friends with the Class's, Hurley's (Class and Hurley's Applicance Store), Fiedler's (Fiedler's Real Estate) and the Fursick's (Hardware Store) during the late 50's and early 60's.
Thanks Kelly! (Nice to know I am not crazy, at least some of the time) and, lsricc, do you think the Fursicks sold the hardware store to Mr. Novak? Or did Mr. Novak work for them maybe? I remember him being there in the late 60's and into the 70's. I remember Fiedler's Real Estate too.
LVMomofboys - I'm not really sure about the progression of who owned the hardware store first. But I assume that the Fursicks must have sold it to Mr. Novak if he had it during the last 60's and 70's because I's pretty sure that the Fursick's must have sold it by then.
I remember the hardware store. I went to school with the Novack boys. I loved the floor in there. It was wood and when you walked it creaked ALOT!
Oh yeah, and didnt it have a great smell too?? My Dad used to call down there with a shopping list, Mr. Novak would put it together, and Dad would send me down there with $$ in a little bag to pick up whatever it was. I think I was about 10.
My Dad liked it because you could buy 1 screw not a whole box.
Those were the days!
I remember the creeky wood floor in the hardware store. Fiedlers real estate has been gone for many many years - but his softball team lives on (Huntington mortgage /Fiedlers). There have been a few other Real Estate offices on Main street....Henry Monetti, Kevin O'Neil, Bill Miller, there was one across the street from the new Quick Chek (victorion house) can't remember the name, and one near Harpers (across the street in a brick building, the other side was a hobby store. I believe it was a womans name). There was a carraige house where Harpers is - my Grandparents had one of the carraiges/sleighs, they put it in the yard at christmas time as a decoration, had it in a few parades also. I remember the christmas tree in the street on grand ave - used to be two huge humps in the road there also. Also remember big Christmas parties at the Monetti real estate office...all the local business owners would attend.
I believe the lady real estate agent was Ann Bodine and I thinke the hooby store next door was run by her husband Bob?
Harper's was Tony's Shoe Repair back in the mid 70s. I worked there one summer cleaning up for the owner.
Exactly Bob's Hobby Store in the same building as Ann Bodine Real Estate...Near Kapper's!
At the current location of the "Old Music Store Cafe" there was previously a music store and way back in the 60's there was a beauty salon. My mother used to walk to the beauty salon every Saturday to get her hair done and then on her walk back home she used to stop at Leo's (the old Leo's where there was a walk up window) and bring me home the best hot dogs or hamburgers and the incredible fries!!!! I can almost taste them now. What a great memory of the "old" Hackettstown.
Now for the show stopper..........The first Ford dealership in town was not where any of you have claimed. The first was an agency located where Rich Fixit is now. That dates back before any of "us" would "remember". By the way.....did anybody ever play mini golf at Cactus Jacks?
Cactus Jacks.........was so cool. Loved it.
Music store was great also. Bought my hubby his first guitar there.
Does anybody remember Newberrys.They had a soda fountain and it had a basement.
Does anyhone remember Rockaway Sales' Midnight madness.
Who owned the first Ford dealership, according to your source? There are a few different opinons floating.....I am very confident in my source....he had firsthand knowledge :)
Don't remember a mini golf in or near Cactus Jack's BUT remember that Dogs & Suds was that that location. The Orange Pit was in the same location as the Riverstar Diner. Anyone remember when Tony's Catering was on Main Street?
When was Johnson Dodge hear in town? ? ? This one is easy. Lets see if we can get a "correct" answer.
Could be wrong but wasn't there a Cactus Jacks where Boston market is? ( or in that immediate area?) and they had a little mini golf thing?
pipsqueak I know that this is a bit of a stretch but does anyone remember the candy store that was behine Hackettstown Middle School (then the K-8 school) back in the 1960's? I recall walking out of the back door and heading toward the high school. There was (and still is) a two family house and one of the sides was this cute little candy store where you could buy penny (yes, penny!) candies. I know that I'm dating myself but just had to ask.
Anyone recall Holy Bagel in the shop rite plaza in the early 90's? My uncle was the manager and would always bring my family free bags of bagels. Those were the days :)
I believe the candy store near the middle school was called "Glover's". I also remember a similar type store on Liberty Street, across from the Knights of Columbus. Anyone else remember this one?
Oh deviljet, I think you are right....I went to school with a Glover and they lived just behind the Middle School (not the MS at the time) and I kind of remember the store.
I also remember the candy store on Madison St.Loved to walk there from my house. But I have to say I can't place the store on Liberty St. Holy Bagel was my favorite,loved the spinach bagels toasted with butter!!I love the memories of downtown Hackettstown,lived here my entire life, and love to reminisce with you guys!!!Thanks.
Regarding Norm's Auto Parts, the brand before NAPA was American Parts.
Raymond Lemasters Sr. had the North Jersey Motor Sales & service & Ford Dealership on 150 mountain ave in 1949, per my uncle ray.
Grandma had the cleaning store.
Sorry, I cheated! I had inside connections.
Christine.....I do remember the Rockaway Sales Midnight Madness. I went one year on a Friday night and there were about a dozen people. We didn't have a lot of money in those years and I was able to buy so much for my kids for very little money. And everyone was so polite and friendly, I was very impressed. Then there was another the next week. I went back and it was crazy. Didn't get anything the second week.
Pam....I remember the day old bakery on Mountain Ave. If I remember correctly it was Tip-Top bread.
This memory is slightly outside of Hackettstown, in Great Meadows. Does anyone remember Jean's butcher shop? It was across the street from the entrance to Sts. Peter and Paul's church on Hope Road. We used to go there when we first moved here. Jean was the owner, which she made very clear. Her husband's name was Bruno and she used to beat him up all the time, even when customers were in the store. Sometimes they would just fight without getting physical, but there would always be a fight. Her meat was fantastic at very reasonable prices, but it was very uncomfortable going there with all the fighting. Eventually we stopped going partially because of the fighting, but everytime we were there she would tell me that one of my sons was too pretty to be a boy and I should let his hair grow long and put him in dresses like she did with her son. After a few times of her saying the same thing, we decided to buy our meat elswhere.
Tanya - I remember Jean's and Bruno - and you were right the fighting was unreal but the meat was great. Did you grow in the meadows then? I am married to a meadows man and I grew in H'town.
No one answered my post about the Sand Bar and Sebers - did anyone walk the trek to and fro???
The corner where the Fix it station is was a Hotel VERY long time ago
DL are you a relative of Ray/Angie Lemasters?
Does anyone remember the bakery on main street and the night it burned down - we used to get the best cheese bread there. They would slice it on the machine - great stuff~
kathnolan We always walked the trek to the Sand Bar. We lived on Liberty St so we would ride our bikes the whole time.
DL kathnolan....No I did not grow up here. My husband and I both were from Essex County. We moved here in 1972. It was quite a change from what we were used to, but we loved it then and still do.
Farrell's Bakery had superb sticky buns too. (Sticky honey on top with nut) They lived in the apartment over the bakery and were out of a home with the fire. The Genevieve Shoppe was next door. Christine, growing up in Hack. we rode bikes EVERYWHERE and my mother never worried about where we were. There was always somebody around who knew who we were.
Kathnolan,I walked the Sand Bar to Seber's paths many times too....It used to be extremely muddy in there, even during summer. Now the town has walking paths through there, and they are somewhat elevated, so no more sneakers drenched in the black mud! I also remember Farrell's bakery, and the night of the big fire. They had awesome cookies there too.
Does anyone remember the Williams & Hibler Lumber Yard fire. Was in Aug. 1970. AT that time my parents rented the duplex whixh was owned by them. We lost everything from that fire.
I vividly remember the Williams & Hibler fire. The town fire horns just kept blowing and blowing, and it was around 1:30 AM. I looked out my bedroom window and the whole sky was red....I woke up my Dad and we went to see where it was. By 3 AM it seemed like the WHOLE town was out and watching the fire. After chruch the next morning, it was stil smoldering. For those who weren't here then, the whole Blue Ridge Lumber area (on the railroad track side), was one huge enclosed building, so when that went up, it was some fire ! It ended up being caused by arson too.
Anybody remeber the name of the original Grocery store in the Mansfield shopping plaza? (It wasn't Shoprite)
It was arson. A disgruntled employee set the fire/ I believe he did not do any jail time.
Oh wow. I never knew that fire was arson. How did the culprit avoid jail time?? Wow. That must have been awful for your family Christine,.....and then for the guy to walk just adds insult to injury.
It does lvmom, to make things even worse. H'town firemen were GREAT they started taking furniture out of the house when they knew they couldnt control the fire and it was left on the street, people started going thru our dressers and stealing things! The worse ever. I was only 10 but remember it like yesterday.
Your story is shameful. Hard to believe that there are people like that in Hackettstown, but I guess they are everywhere. It reminds me of the story of the train that crashed in Mansfield, on the tracks back behind Donaldsons,I suppose it was back in the early part of the century. The train was carrying many German tourists - and the locals went through the train and looted the luggage rather than help the injured. Well, I am sorry that you had such an experience and I give you alot of credit for staying in town after that.
LVmom it was a horrible time for our family but many good things came out of it. My Dad worked at M&M's and his co-workers took up a collection and raised over $4,000. That helped my parents buy their first home. We made many good friends that we still are in contact with. And as my late father once told me I would never forget to give back. BTW the house we bought was 6 houses up from the lumber yard.
I could never leave my town. My DH and I tried when we were married and didnt last a year.
Anyone remember how nice the town used to look at Christmas time back in the day? You had the town Christmas tree literally in Grand Avenue, and the firemen put up decorations from the Hess Station all the way to the Shop Rite (now Quick Check). Also, they weren't only snow flakes like we have now, but they were a mix of Christmas trees, candles, Santas, etc.
Who can name the owner of the Chevrolet dealership before Kevil bought it? For 5 points.... and for a few more, what church did they go to?
Glover's is correct for the candy shop behind ( and one block east of) the Hackettstown Public School (when I started in kindergarten it was K through 12). Teddy G was in my grade, more or less.
The high school went up on a field where we got pumpkins for Halloween; I remember getting pumpkins the year it started to go up, just the outlines of the place. I want to say Morrison owned it, but my memory may fail me here.
What was the name of the funeral parlor near the public school? I can't remember this one. Half a block from the library.
salutatorian1968 Funeral home was Cochran's at 326 Washington Street. Sirkis and Lavery law offices were in there until recently.
Central House is long gone.
The original supermarket in the Mansfield Shopping was Falks if my memory is OK. The discount store was Jamesway. Those were the days.
The car dealer where rockaway sales was studebaker,the chevy dealer was whitehouse.dont know if it counts or not but does anybody remember George the egg man on Mt. ave?
So how many things burned down? I know of the mini-mall, Williams and Hibler, Shop Rite - anything else?
The bakery and Genevieve dress shop, also an electrical supply store called theLight House. (On Main St. near Trading Post) They didnt burn DOWN but the fire was bad.
Jack Burk`s bowling alley next to the moose lodge burned down but I don`t remember what year.How about warren retread tires or bucky`s wrecker service both on mt. ave. then there was Mr.Smale`s tailor shop on liberty st. and Tim`s sporting goods next to cunningham`s bar corner of moore and main
a blast from the past...anyone remember the original stewarts root beer stand in hackettstown...turn on your headlights to get served...
the town christmas tree on grand avenue was fun until some jerk set it on fire on christmas eve...what about the christmas star and easter cross on buck hill...at least we can still enjoy that...
yes that is the original hackettstown railroad station...the picture dates from 1969...ps...who remembers Helens toyland at the corner of main and liberty streets...
Yogel, I lived in Hack. from 1966.....and none of your "remembers" are ringing a bell?? Could my memory be that bad? Would you mind giving some idea of a year? Thanks! Love your pics, too....
Don`t know how old you are but I`m talking mid 50`s to mid 60`s,maybe I`m too old for you guys ha ha ha ha
yes i remember al king kowalicks hotdog stand...he as well as other merchants on that stretch of rt 46 made big bucks serving the people who were stuck in traffic on rt 46 before rt 80 was built..the traffic could be backed up for 8 miles on any sunday afternoon...Popular Mechanics magazine named Hackettstown as the worst traffic jam in the nation at that time...
Hack:
You are right,backed up to the top of budd lake hill.Island dragway was a big part of the traffic.People from all over the country knew Leo`s .
i remember middletown leather burning down...on valentine street...back in the late 60s 0r early 70s...the place was full of of paint and thinners...etc...it flashed over and went off with a huge mushroom cloud...i still remember the heat on my face...also the freight house by the railroad station burned down too...that must have been in about 1971...anybody remember...
Leos...the 15 cent hamberger...and a great cheesesteak... and milkshake... that was so long ago...Leos is still there with new owners...
does anyone remember the name of the little food shop inside the hackettstown mall? you used to be able to get ice cream in little baseball caps. 90s or so this was.
i was pumped about stumping people, then i read all the posts and realized it was trivia from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. oh well, who knows it?
Anyone remember when the Dentists office blew up in '87? I was living in Mansfield Village at the time, all the way in the back before all the new buildings were built and we actually heard the explosion.
Of course nothing beats going over the bridge on Allen Road back in '94 and seeing a glow of red from behind the mountain in the direction of Long Valley.. turns out it was when that chemical plant in Edison had a disaster.
any one know the name of the studebaker dealer on main st. by rockaway sales back in the 60`s?
I've just been told of this website. Thanks guys for taking me back. My father and mother built the Orange Pit and I spent many a Saturday wishing I was at the football games rather than working. The town was truly amazing. Our gordon setter would travel around town, especially the school and everyone would know who to call. Remember Garden 5?
Ah the orange pit,a chuck wagon sand. and a soda.we used to sit on the benches and feed the trout bread from the rolls,really made the fly fishermen mad.Sometimes at night(after you closed)guys from town would drag race on that stretch of 57. oh for the good old days!
Loved the sound of the the drag racing outside my window. Reminds me of summer nights. Actually that was called Route 24 at that time. Route 57 was only from the light up to Windy's gas station. (Mountain Avenue)
Anyone remember Hackettstown Milk Co (Welsh Farm Milk) delivering door to door? Also serving the A & P and the Gof Course??
Yogel - River Edge
jettailgaiter - Yes, my uncle Steve drove a milk truck for Welsh Farms. As kids we loved going into the truck and getting choc. milk.
Trivia Question: Does anyone remember the name of the tiny store on the border of Hackettstown and Vienna? It was a school bus stop and we all bought our 5 cent Devil Dogs for a snack for school.
Deb I remember Barbaras Pantry when I worked at K-mart in 1978. I used to go get lunch there all the time. Or at the K-mart Lunchenette or Diner whatever it was.
Remember Carl's Place? My mother would stop there for bread and other sundry items and we would go to the cooler for a soda (glass bottles). It used to be on the corner of Mountain Ave and East Ave. The Schaeffer's lived across the street (owners of Carl's). I believe these places are both now drug stores.
I remember carl`s when I was a kid(early to mid 50`s)Carl,his wife and daughter lived in the back of the store,if you looked to the right when you walked in you could see their kitchen.directly across mt.ave was al chareek`s(not sure of spelling)nursery business.
Deb,the only store I can bring to mind is Curl`s on the left just before the top of the hill,n.main st.
carls place died not long after McDonalds moved in...right across the street... in 1970...who remembers redeeming soda bottles for 2 cents a piece at Acme on main street ...better yet who remembers the Tulsa Gas station on north main street...
hack
sure do remember the tulsa,do you remember the carpenter brothers(monk and tow)garage/junk yard at the bottom of budd lake hill,and when there was no down track?How about warren retread tire on mt.ave.
hell yes i remember monk carpenter...i helped clean out that garage...after it closed...i wish that junkyard was still there today...he had lots of old iron...heres one for you...i used to go up to kobers junkyard too...thats gone now too...
yogel...we always trusted our re-treads and tires to Tom Whelan he was a friend of our family...take care...
My uncle worked for Tom Whelan for years....Remeber when Whelan owned the bar, The Millstone (now the Pumphouse)?
I can't for the life of me remember the name of the bar on the river. It was owned by my Aunt Pinky's family, the Housel's. I think it's a big liquor/beverage store now.
OMG... you folks are taking me back. I remember the dog that walked up town as a Irish Setter named Kelly & owned by the Kostenbater family who owned the Liquor store .
do you remember when williams & hibler burned down....you could see that for miles!!!
dogs name was rusty unless youre talking later years and it`s another setter same owners.
Yogel - On the Muscanetcong on Route 57 just down on the left around the curve from the entrance to Mansfield Village apartments.
I remember some fires. When the drug store and bakery (I loved the smell inside that bakery) and the lumber yard went up.
the liquor store you mention...on the musconetcong river...that was johnsons...it is now bottle king...there was also the Pub...that was turned into the bakery that burned down and is now the japanese steakhouse...then there was the old Mansfield Inn...i was there the day of the shooting...enough said ps kostenbaders dog used to take the liquor store money to the bank...the dog was that well trained...
hack
when was a shooting at mansfeild inn?
wasen`t strikes body shop on that same stretch?
Hack - yes, that's the name. The mind is going. Had many a good time at the Mansfield Inn.
Yogel - Strike was a hoot. His place was on that stretch.
gotta be old to remember hap hibler the ice delivery man(we didn`t have an"electric ice box "till I was 5 or6)or the ice house on the left side of 46 where water st comes out,at least thats where I remember it being.
I guess this is retail,the old guy with the pull cart who used to sell vegies,fresh eggs,and fresh killed chickens.he lived on the lower part of mt.ave.everybody called him george the egg man.
My great grandmother worked at the hotel claredon till I think the late 50`s and the owners at that time were willie and arthur putz.anybody remember the christmas parties they had for the town kids,first time I tasted pumpkin ice cream.
lvmomofboys
leo lomason owned leos.
how about a place called sol braggards ice cream parlor?
the shooting at the mansfield inn happened.when jamesway was still open...paul hemphill still owned the place...it has been so long...it had to be sometime in the 80s...i was coming back from washington nj on an errand and stopped in to buy a six pack...the bar was completely empty...there were cars in the parking lot...if you knew the mansfield inn at the time that was unusual...there was no one to pay for the six pack...so i put it back and left...i went to a buddies house and he had a police scanner...and there was all this chatter about shooting...and people being shot...i told him i was just there and the place was deserted... the shooter had apparently scared everyone out of the bar and run home for more ammunition...i guess i just stopped in during the lull...
now if you remember strikes body shop...he was ok...i remember he had a sign in his office...Helen Wait Is our credit Manager...if you want credit go to helen and wait...
I`m kinda goin out of town for this but where was the only place to get gas between hackettstown and washington back in the 50`s.
any body know the name and location?
there was two places..there was a gas station in stephensburg...which had 33 cent per gallon gas price signs on rt 57 for years after it closed...and bathgates garage near the mansfield school on rt 57... bathgates now sells used cars ...
who remembers Jimmie The Fish...the fish guy who delivered fresh fish all around hackettstown...he had a blue chevy step van ...what about Western Auto...on the corner of grand ave ...and main street
OMG I remember Jimmie the fish. Us kids actually did Idive into our pool when we saw him pull up. LOL!
can`t picture the station in stephensburg,guess i`m having a brain fart as my friend mike refers to it. bathgates was the one I was refering to.does any body remember the name of the station on 517 on the left as you rounded the hard curve in allamuchy,if I remember they sold tractors also.
that was Seagraves gas station...i knew joe seagraves...he was a great mechanic...now lets ratchet this up a bit...who remembers Butler Park Amusement Park...along the musconetcong river...by Mansfield TWP...i have already included a picture of the butler park merri-go-round on this thread...start scratching your heads...thanks
The gas station was at the corner of Route 57 (24) and Heiser Road. My great-grandmother lived across the road. We loved going in the tunnel under the highway. Thought we were great adventurers! Of course her house has been gone for well over 50 years.
Hack - Gosh, there's a blast from the past. I do remember Butler Park.
YEA butler park,went there a lot as a kid,it was a great little park.too bad all the small ones faded away ya didn`t have to wait hours to get on a ride like at dorney.they`re trying to bring back bushkill in easton but it`s not looking good.
ever go to bertrands island park,a lot bigger than butler but still small enough to do in one day.
hi yogel...you got me there...the budd lake merry-go-round...was that part of the old night club...thats was recently torn down...that served as the police station...tell me more...hell yes i went to bertrands many times right up until it closed...got to www.youtube.com they have videos of the park when it was still open and after it closed
heres an old time place from budd lake nj...this was a bar that made most of its money before rt 80 opened...
Seein the Reality Wow I just went on to youtube to watch the videos about Bertrands Island. That was awesome. I remember when I was a kid there were still a few bumper cars and an upright for the ferris wheel. But then I watched the videos of the Alpine Slides at Action Park. Wow the memories LOL
Aw I really liked that Gravatar but it's so small ya cant even tell what i is.
CBF
the merry go round was on that kind of point where sand shore rd. shoots left off 46 right by the lake. please tell me and str where that bar is I`d like to know too!
Wasn't there a bar right on the lake and then it was up on the hillside?
What was the name of the hardware (?) store on Willow Grove just at the bottom of the hill before you turned off to go to the football field and the Sand Bar.
Barbara
Didn't they always say that the Bertrand's roller coaster had been condemned for many years (but still open)?
Does anyone remember the name of the funeral home where Scala's currently is? Scala took over in the early 70's, but before that it was owned by someone else. Metzger's...... I think. Can anyone verify my memory?
bowers hardware was located on willow grove street by the football field...i remember hoffs auto electric when it was located behind the old shoprite on stiger street...anybody remember class&hurley furniture on main street...anyone remember the Mr Softy ice cream truck that roamed the streets of hackettstown...
I do rememer Hoff's. Johnny sponsored our softball team. Also remember Class & Hurley and of course the ice cream truck. We'd be at the softball games under the lights and always looked forward to the ice cream truck. It never came by our house but I could hear it over at Kenwood Village. I suppose Kenwood Village is not considered a subdivision anymore.
Does anyone remember Harold Best's store across from the
Studerbaker dealer. I think it was Johnson's Studerbaker right
next to the Food Basket.
Bud Class and Jack Hurley (Class and Hurley) were great family friends. They both still have children & grandchildren in the area. I'm lucky enough to have them as part of my life. Bea Class lives in Florida but comes up to Great Meadows regularly to visit her daughter, Mim Gulick (whose husband, Jack, just sold his service station a short time ago which was located across the street from the old Class and Hurley location). Small world!
We used to go to Bud and Bea's motel, Thje Golden Nugget, in Wildwood almost every summer. Bud was a great guy
the picture of the bar i posted is still there and a still a bar in budd lake...right next to the budd lake motel...i think the name is now the log cabin...who remembers when stiger street near the auction market was still a dirt road...who also remembers the candy store that was on liberty street across from the knights of columbus hall
I can remember getting licorice in that little store on Liberty Street! Can't remember the name though....There was also a small store on Madison Street by the school called Glover's.
Wow, I do remember Glover's. Used to stop there after school and on the way to Morgan's Tract.
a little more about the candy store on liberty street...there was a fortune teller next door...she was known far and wide...when i would do errands on main street strangers would approach me and inquire about her address...i know she passed away years ago...but i still remember her...she was very religious...and i do remember glovers store...both Mr And Mrs Glover are deceased...they moved to missouri years ago...
My family's house used to be where the Shell station is on Mt. Avenue right now. My father sold the property to Shell Oil Company in 1954. He put the house on a flatbed truck and moved it to its current location on Pine St. I bet no one remembers that!
Does anybody remember Morgans Florist, HHS football field is there now. How about sledding down Hospital hill (before hospital was there) all the kids in town went there. How about Willow Grove Park when it was a cabbage field. Anybody?
I remember morgan`s green houses on washington st.hill,walked by them every day on the way to school. we used to sled between sharp and lafayette st can`t remember if we went down cook or franklin st.if you got a good run you could fly off the bank go all the way through the field,under the barbed wire fence and into the second field.after my first time down I learned to lay down on the sled or get closelined off,
who remembers a little short lived resturant on main st.called the establishment.I think it was by the strand.
yogel, My mom is 76 and she lived on liberty st. when she was a kid, talkes about it all the time. My great grandfather owned the ort building (gone now) on main st. It was a candy store in the 20"s, and the local bootlegger outlet. Most public officials were there patrons. Dirt streets, real Hackettstown history. I know of women who would come to Centenary by horse and sled in the winter, no cars at the time. They came from Milford PA. And I remember the fields of Morgans was where the HHS football field is .
aka? on a good day with a spotter you could cross Willow Grove Street on your sled and go down Pine Street.
aka, I grew up on Liberty St. First before Williams & Hibler fire then above 3rd house down from the school. Ask her if she remembers the Morgan girls?
BeenArouind, It is located at 107 pine st, it is much larger now then it was back then, when my parents had a baby, they'ed just build a new addition on. my parents sold it back around 1982 I think, moved to Cape Cod.
i remember morgans greenhouses and they also grew plants on bells lane...formerly a part of the bell farm...and yes i sledded down hospital hill...and valley view hill also...valley view street was cordoned off by the town foe all the local kids to sled down...years ago....the ort building was on the corner across from rockaway sales...next to where chics barbershop building stands today
I do believe Ed and Dot Glover are still alive. I almost bought their house back in 2000 when they moved to Missouri, and we still get Christmas cards from Patty.
OK, I do not recall how to spell this but...Does anyone remember Dr. Shevitz (sp.)? He practiced here in the late 1950's and into the 1960's and had an office on Grand Avenue. I recall him coming to our home. What a memory...a doctor that made house calls!!! Dr. Minier (sp.) took over his practice when he retired.
the train bridge picture...is a veiw of the Paulinskill Viaduct...just after is completion...thanks for your question
Thats what I thought. I had the priveledge to go inside that bridge once. It was awesome. Being a history buff it was really cool to see something like that up close. Im not sure if you can get inside anymore, as some stupid kid jumped off there and ruined it for everyone else. But if its still possible its an adventure worth taking.
Dr. Stanowicz was on Grand Avenue as well. Dr. Shevitz was on the opposite side of the street and a half a block up. On the same side as the Post Office and on the same block as the bank.
If I remember right there was dr.stanowicz,shevitz,miller,hall and dr.harmon.
doc harmon delivered me and stayed my dr.till he retired.I think they all made house calls and rotated being on call for the emergency squad.
The roller coaster is Bertrand's island, and it stood until at least 1979 because we rode it before a graduation keg party on the Mt Arlington Beach.
Tossed a handful of dimes in the carny games to win a beer glass that came in handy at the party. Which was a short walk from the park.
Christine, which house was Dr. Stanowicz in? Our home appears to have been used as offices and I'm curious if it was the one he used.
Doctor Hall was famous for his mysterious "Pink salve" which he applied to just about every injury...It worked too! Doctor Stanowicz was a great man too, you could ALWAYS get in to see him if you were sick.
dr.stanowicz lived in and had his office on the corner of grand ave.and washington st.directly across from the post office.
Doctor Hall's office and residence was on the corner of Madison & Grand Avenue. I know the people who live there now, but I don't want to mention names on the internet.
the paulinskill viaduct is heavily patroled by the state police...so dont waste your time going there...you will be ejected from the property...
The Davis family owned the Western Auto - later True Value - hardware store at the corner of Grand and Main from the late 1950's into the early 1980's. Wooden creaky floors, you coudl buy screws / nails individually or by bulk, auto parts (when the store closed the auto part inventory had filters, and parts going back to the Model A - an antique car owner's dream - bicycle repair.
On the corners opposite the Western Auto Store were "People's Bank" (Grand & Main), Gulf Gas Station and full service Auto Repair, Knapp's Drug Store. (High & Main). Clarendon Hotel was located directly behind the Western Auto Store.
Rusty - Irish Setter - that ya'll talk about was owned by the people that ran the liquor store at the corner of Liberty and Main, and yes, Rusty was given the daily receipts to be carried to People's Bank for deposit. He crossed only at the intersection, and actually waited for the appropriate light to change. After his daily chore at the bank, he then used to stop in and visit several other store owners to receive "other" treats.
trapper
I could be wrong but I think the drug store at high and
main was bachs drug store
The other drug store, I believe it was Knapp's, was located next to Dad & Lad. So for years, we had 2 drug stores thriving on Main Street.
knapps was around where the chinese is on main st. kerr's was the drug store next door.
Bachs was on main and high where the trading post/furniture is.
I grew up in Schooley's Mtn. There used to be a doctor who made house calls from Hackettstown and I took piano lessons fromMr. Phoebus...did anyone else???????
who remembers the old Central house when Bill Dougherty owned the place...Jackpot Ryan hung around there then...the Central House dated to 1860...before they tore it down...
I was looking back through the thread and want to mention a couple things. vey`s dealership also had mercedes and citroen, before henry tomainio was uncle joe tomainio,he had this really nice old buick conv.
old man,you asked what was the proper religion or nationality, back then h`town was W.A.S.P country.
Yes, I took piano lessons from Mr. Phoebus. It was a wonderful experience taking lessons from a man who had played in theaters for silent films - which he demonstrated if you happened to ask! I think that he also wrote at least one popular song way back. Thanks for letting me remember!
can you tell me,is the schooleys mt.general store/post office still open,I remember the pot belly stove right in the middle of the building.
Anyone remember the salesman in Dad & Lad's, I think his name was Louie? Very persistent! If you bought boots he would try to sell you socks, if you were buying a pair of jeans he would try to sell you a belt to go with it...he was hilarious.
you are talking about louie lusardi..he was a great salesman...he had an ice cream shop before he worked at dad and lad...he lived on prospect street...he was one of a kind
That's the name - Louie Lusardi ! Everyone in town went to him. Back in the day, if you needed jeans - you went to Dad & Lad's. There was no Rockaway Mall, Walmart, Target, etc. If you needed dress clothes, you went to Leonard's or Foster & Lee. Everything we needed to survive was right there on Main Street; and all the businesses flourished.
We also remember Leeters. There was a ladies side and a mens. Actually they started in where my store is now and then moved down to where Trading Post clearance center is now.
I remember I wasn't thrilled when Dr. Shevitz came to the house. I always got a penicillin shot. I also remember my mother crying when he died. Dr. Stanowitz delivered by sister. There was no hospital in town at that time. Usually went to Newton. The Gartelmann's owned the Schooley Mtn Store at one time. Pete has since retired so don't know if it is still in operation. Sort of getting homesick. Will visit in June.
still no helens toyland store memories...that was quite a place..i bought all my kites and balsa wood gliders there when i had the money...who remembers when rockaway sales sold toys at the main street store...as well as military surplus...
I've enjoyed reading this thread and remembering great childhood memories. One business I haven't seen mentioned was Tickner's Feed, next to Shop- Rite on Main St. Every spring I would go in there and play with the chicks and bunnies they had in crates for sale. No one ever told us to leave or discouraged us, even though it was obvious we would't be buying as we had no adult with us. Remember when kids could wander around town without a parent right on their tail.
Nostalgic for H-town while on the subject of hackettstown memories...when it snowed we kids would shovel out our parents house out first...and then head for main street to shovel out the sidewalks in front of the stores...you could make some money quick there...and how about the old jigger shop candy store...most everybody stopped by there either on their way to school or on their way back...
I used to go to the Schooley's Mtn store when it was owned by Charlie Skinner. We lived not far from there and we owned some donkeys who used to get loose now and then. Charlie Skinner would call our house and say "Virginia(my mother) your donkeys are loose again!" My mom would have to go there and get them and pay for the apples they would eat off the front stairs. I loved the penny candy...
How about K & K Fencing at the top of Hackettstown Mountain?? My father worked a second job there. It was where the Dodge Dealer is now. The owners father lived on Rt 24 in Schooleys Mtn. He was blind and used to sell apples off his front porch. We used to go and hang out there. Inside his house he had a player piano which was amazing...
oh yea I shoveled a lot of snow,made some quick cash then head to mike and bettys for food soda and an afternoon of pinball.I think it was 1958 we had a hugh snowfall , made mucho bucks that time.
yogel Christine
no it was mike & bettys on high st. around the corner from bachs drug store long before mick & heddys.remember I`m going back into the middle 50`s . I think either mick or heddy were related to mike and betty bacon the owners.
Yogel, Is correct, except neither Mick nor Hedy were related to Mike Bacon.
The original Mike & Betty's was on High Street, and then Mike and Betty Bacon moved it down Main Street across from Leo's, where Ishinru Karate is presently located. Hedy worked for Mike and Betty Bacon at both locations, and then in the mid 60's, Mick and Hedy bought the business from Mike Bacon and renamed it "Mick & Hedy's". The business existed there until about 1989, a year after Mick passed away; the owner of Hackettstown Auto Parts terminated Hedy's lease because he wanted to open a jewelry store for his girlfriend.
Does anyone remember the name of the clothing store that was on High St in the building that Green Bean's coffee shop is in? I remember going in there with my grandmother when I was little.
I see you guys are older than me. I ended up ay Mick and Hedys when I got lost in kindergarten! LOL!
mick and hedys was run by the souders { correct my spelling if needed} when it re-located to main street...both mick and hedy have passed away...as faras the greenes beans site if you do your research you will find that was a cheese factory many years ago...more for you...does anyone remember the jimmy giamolvo { correct my spelling] cheese factory in tranquility that made and delivered cheese to hackettstown for many years
Waybill,
Is that the old Hunter's Lodge down on Rt 46 in Deleware? They used to have the deer in a pen outside? It looks familiar...
Man I love this thread....memories of when going uptown was a literal adventure. My dad would clean up & shave & put on his dress clothes. You did your clothes shopping, your food shopping, your christmas shopping, got your haircut, clothes tailored everything.... self contained & convenient place to live and work. Now its a sumhole (forgive my language)
yes thats the old hunters lodge sign..the new owners restored the sign but the deer are gone...the old saying is the more things change the more they stay the same...
I`m really suprised no one remembers tim`s sport shop on main st. right next to cunningham`s bar!
waving willie ....always loved driving by him as a kid always smiling :) they even have a page on facebook for and about him I have become a member :)
Remember Dr. Silber the Dentist next door to Rockaway sales?
Dentistry has come a long ways since the time I sat in his chair...OUCH!!!!
Waving Willie...he is gone, but the chair remains. It makes me smile as I drive by.
Lori...since '73 Waybill,
I knew the deer were gone...it's been a long time. I always felt bad for them in there.
I have another question for you. Not far from the Hunters Lodge there was another small Hotel, I have no idea what it was called. If you are at the Lodge and turn around to look at the hill directly behind you there is a building back in there. It can't be seen from the road, although once in a while, depending on the season, you can catch a glimpse of a chimney. At the bottom of the hill is an old chained off driveway that leads to it. When I was in High School (early 90s) I went up there with some friends. We snooped around a bit. There were some magazines laying around, all from the mid 80s. So it can't be more than 25 years since the place closed up. Does anyone know this place that I'm asking about? Aside from the kids I went there with everyone thinks I'm imagining the place...Do you know anything about it?
Lori since 73...let me do a little look around...i will get back to you...here is a little history of the town of Delaware...it was built as a railroad town by John I Blair...and it was the template he used to build more than 80 railroad towns out west in his business with the Union Pacific railroad...the streets in Delaware are named after his wife and children...the high hill behind Delaware is named Blair Mtn after the Blair family...
Waybill,
I''m assuming thats the same John Insley Blair that started up Blair Academy? I live about a mile from there and on beautiful days my son and I like to stroll along the grounds and take in the scenery. The cemetary is old and interesting and the falls, though small, are also nice. You have a wealth of knowledge concerning the area and I appreciate you sharing it with us. And your pictures are fantastic. Thanks! Oh, and just for the heck of it I used Google Earth to see if I could find that old building (hotel) from an ariel view, but it wasn't there. I did however see the trail that led up to the place. It's off of Anne St at the back of the town of Delaware. Not sure if that helps at all...
There was a man that hung out in the parking lot of Dr's Laurara ( spelling?) and Dr Weideman's office and directed traffic. Anyone remember him?
Firefly morris canal...pictures...here is a shot of morris canal boatmen at smiths store...in Waterloo village from 100 years ago...enjoy...i have many more...enjoy
Thanks! Never seen that one. I dont think I've seen many photos of the canal between Hackettstown & Waterloo.
Anyone remember the old Homefreeze building by Lafayette Street, and Pete Smith, the old guy who used to live across the street from it?
hey deviljet...was that the old guy who lived in the little house on the intersection of maple street and lafayette street...he always walked around wearing new york yankees hats and shirts...this is about 40 years ago...as far as the homefreeze building...we used to go in there...and it was abandoned...and the phone would ring...nonstop...enough for now...
Waybill, YES, that is who I'm talking about! He lived next door to my father's uncle... He always had Yankee gear on and he used to tell everyone each year that he was going down to spring training to help them out.
hey deviljet...its a small world...and what memories of hackettstown...heres another...remember swimming at sebers grove...or at the sand bar...that was a time...i never bothered much with the town pool...heres a big memory...swimming at the indian fields behind rustic knolls off of willow grove street...every time i hear the CCR song Green River...john fogerty has a line..." i wonder if my old rope still hangs to the tree"...i remember the indian fields
love this thread.
I remember Wavin' Willie. When were young we would laugh at the old coot but soon realized that he was an integral part of the town (Andover, I think) and we looked forward to seeing him as we drove by. When he was gone we definitely missed him and, to this day, I still think of him every time I drive by.
Waybill, do you remember the college view section before the homes were built? Any pictures?
Waybill, Yes I remember swimmming at the grove and the Sand Bar, I spent most of my childhood summers there, especially the Sand Bar. They just tore the dam down at Seber's abour 4 weeks ago - it was decrepit. Also a trip back to the Indian Fields felt like you were in the wildnerness...Now it's all housing developments.
this is a real blast from the past...100 years ago...in fact...the picture i am posting...is a view east...showing centenary college... in the background...note the dome...and a VERY rare view of the hackettstown iron foundry that used to exist on grande ave...the iron mill is in the foreground...i remember hackettstown before pretty much all the apartment complexes and developments were built...they were built mostly on old farm fields...deviljet...the worst thing about the indian fields was those darn huge blackflies...we used to climb on the big rock in the middle of the river...too...but there was nothing like a good swing on the old rope...
heres another morris canal shot...this was taken near phillipsburg...heres what the boatmen looked like...by the way... the morris canal was called slack water navigation...
those ladies might be having an outing...but some woman had to earn their keep...remember the times...this was over 100 years ago...this is a woman working a gate on a lock near saxton falls
I've seen that last one. Thats Flukes lock just outside of Stanhope. Very popular place... I think the Flukes had something like 7 daughters, a few ran the lock.
I am loving these old pictures! (I MUST get over to the Historical Society one of these days) It think it would be really cool to see the photos at the same angle but taken today......
Waybill....My friends & I always swam, river tubed & fished those banks of the mighty muski especially during the summers & after baseball practice. Fond days & gone forever! Alas!!!
Firefly.... I believe the man (was he old) was Mr. Lou Petty. Mr. Petty lived above the Doctors & owned the building. He & his son were both carpenters & built homes & apts around the area. My family lived in one right next to the American Legion on Willow Grove St in Hackettstown. Behind it was Morgan Farms cabbage patch that became the Willow Grove Development (mostly M&M Plant Workers and Teachers back then).
The Tickners home was close by & they had a barn where they stored hay....we kids would play in the barn & get yelled at. We would also swim & fish at the Sand Bar (that was our pool) & I would help Mr. Seber pick tomato's & corn for his farm stand.
Anyone recall swimming at the lock ....Saxon Falls? People would take blankets & lawn chairs like the shore & swim. There was a snapping turtle there & my dad would advise that us boys should stay away least the turtle bite our weaners off...lol! That will keep you away!!
Yes I remember swimming in the hole as we called it. They had a lifeguard and everything. We would ride our bikes along the tracks to get there.
yes i used to go swimming at saxton falls that was the free place to swim until they closed it down...
Waybill, I am trying to figure out the Centanury College picture from the angle of the dirt road & the water on the left (is that the canal). If the canal ran next to toepath apts then what road is in the picture? Is that Willow Grove St?
Waybill or anybody who might have...pictures of the boat next to the building on Stiger street. (Early to mid1970's) Greatly appreciated...
Thelma the picture of centenary college and the iron factory is taken from the towpath on the morris canal...from my vantage point i would say it was taken from somewhere between where airport road meets rockport road.. and the allen road intersection with rockport road.but on the canal towpath...here is another picture from hackettstown...it is the katie kellogg morris canal payboat...this was taken near baldwin street...ps i vividly remember red grogans steel boat but i would have to say you might find pictures of it in the hackettstown gazette archives because they did a story on it while it was under construction
Oh, I know what boat you mean.....went to school with the kids....I wonder what ever happened to it?
Begin again: I think the road in the foreground is the canal towpath, where the mules would walk.
The canal in this section ran near the bottom of bucks hill.
Probably a mile or two from towpath apartments. Other side of town...
I was gone by the time the ark was removed but I remember leo(red) grogan as being quite a guy.the only biker I ever knew that was concerned enough to run for town council many times.I`m not sure but I think either my mom or uncle went to school with him.
cbel grogans boat was a steel frame...with mesh sides that were to troweled over with a special concrete to form the hull...he was going to get his masts for the boat off of buckhill...the reason that i was told that he cut the boat up for scrap...was that some one pointed out that the boat was 10 feet on town property...if i remember correctly to boat was very close to stiger street...last i heard anything of red he was living in TN...and was in his 70s ...heres another old time picture...this is the trolley that passed through washington nj...and the line ended just outside port murray...
the weathers getting nice how about a trip to the old swimming hole...Saxton Falls...
AH saxton falls what a great place(day or night)had lots of good times up there.kind of all purpose place you could swim ,fish,picnic,whatever.I went by there 10 years or longer ago,no water in the swimming hole just a bunch of weeds and stuff I thought at the time what a shame to lose a great place like that.
another place I used to go was the dam at beattys mill by east ave. had a friend who lived right there with a canoe,fished there a lot too.
yes i go by saxton falls on a regular basis...its not the same now that the swimming hole has been drained...but you can still fish in the river...here is a picture of first day of fishing season from years ago...
Never knew there was a trolley in this area. What other towns did the trolley serve?
the trolley was a part of the Easton & Washington Traction Co...the trolley came out of Easton PA...and ran to Port Colden NJ...the plan for the trolley line was to expand through Hackettstown and connect with the the Morris County traction line at or near Lake Hopatcong...but a very stubborn farmer near port Murray NJ named Adam Wandling...fought the trolley line that was to go through to Hackettstown...and the service ended at Port Colden...the trolley went out of business in 1925...if you drive along rt 57 some remnants of the old trolley line can still be seen...here is a picture of the trolley running down the main street of Washington NJ
Jac mentioned Dr. Silbur a while back on this thread. I want to let him know that I know his pain. When I moved from H-town and found a new dentist, I was pleasantly suprised that dentist visits did not have to include fear and intimidation.
I always enjoy reading this thread and remember the Grogan's ship very well. I always wondered what happened to it. It's a shame Mr. Grogan didn't get to fulfill his dream.
Suz - the name of the dress shop in High Street was Ann's Dress Shop. I remember when Mom bought me my first grown up dress. She usually shopped at Leonard's or the Sears catalog. I loved going in there.
Jac - I went to Dr. Silber as a kid. To this day, I don't like going to the dentist.
I own a 1965 Pontiac Tempest that was purchased from Vey on Washington st. I don't recall the full name of the dealer at the moment. BTW when my son was at Hatchery Hill school, his teacher, Mrs. Vey was part of the same family. I think I gave her an original "Vey" key chain that I got with the car. Later my father bought a Cadillac from Vey when they moved to Rt. 46 in Rockaway. Was it first Vey then Johnson Dodge?
Greg Ok, not right in town, but does any one remember Bayer's Store on Rt. 46 in Great Meadows? My mom used to take us there for jeans. It is where they have all the flags out for sale. Across from there was a place you could buy cases of soda in big glass bottles, but I can't remember the name of that. It was always a treat when we had summer picnics to go get the soda for the party!
Or the Villa de Rocco on 46 by St. Peter & Paul. We had a couple of family parties there too.
bayers store of course I remember it and the soda place was brookdale soda.as long as were in the area on hope road just past the cutoff for mt.lake on the left was a little what I think was a drive in , snack shop? any body old enough to remember when it was open or the name of it????????????
I know it`s not retail but all the way back on stiger st. during w.w.2 there was a place called essex specialty co. that made flares and other items for the military. My mom,grandmom and great grandmom all worked there.any of you old time h`town history buffs have any thing you can share about it?
yogel my mother worked at Essex Specialties during ww2...they made parachute flares that were used all over the ww2 european theatre of operations a lot of people were killed there during ww2 in accidental explosions...there has been a small book written about that place my mother was interviewed by the author... Essex later became Pyronics...as far as the Villa De Rocco...the very nice people who owned the restaurant were like family...Benny and his wife...were the best...
the beverage place you speak of was i think at one time Peters beverage...i think they sold hoffmans and kotts soda beverages and the Bayors flag lady is still there...
Mr. Bayor is stilee alive but not well. His daughter sells the flags now. Wasnt the soda place up on 46 Brookdale? They had the best grape soda I have ever had.
We used to jokingly refer to Bayor's Store as the "Great Meadows Mall" !
I laso remember Benny & Pat from Villa Dec Rocco; great people! We ate in there almost every weekend, and had our rehearsal dinner there as well.
Always good food, and a lot of fun with them!.
Christine.... Yes it was Brookdale. I would always buy it by the case (with REAL Glass bottles too)
Benny and Pat from the Villa De Rocco...were the kind of people that make this world right.... they were generous and honest...and you will notice that the restaurant has not been successful since they left...we used to call Benny ...Bennihana...like the popular japanese themed restaurant chain...nice people good food...and family oriented
The Villa De Rocco restaurant used to be called Weber's (owned by the Weber family) when I was growing up. Wherever my parents and I were either in NJ or elsewhere, when asked where I would like to have dinner the answer was always, Weber's. Does anyone else remember?
i remember the Webers...i went to school with their children...and i remember when they owned the restaurant...that has to be over thirty years ago...
anybody remember the colonial tea room(long since torn down now)on schoolys mountain?You`re a long time local if you do.
You're right waybill it was definitely over 30 years ago that the Webers owned their restaurant. I remember going there in the early 60s. Wow, am I aging myself!!!! Great place, great people and really great memories!!!!
no ,a litle before you reach the top as youre going up the hil,if memory serves me there is a little bridge near the spot.
Gordy closest i remember anything there...is skinners store...and i did some work at the christadelphian bible camp...they have a spring fed pool there...and the people at the camp were very nice...theres also the old mineral spring hotels in that area...U.S. Grant went there when he had cancer seeking the mineral waters as a cure anybody remember the Derribar...ice cream and candy shop...just down the street from the old hackettstown diner...that place was a treat...they had an ice cream sundae shaped like a pig trow...and if you finished the sundae...you got a button that said "i was a pig at the Derribar " here is a picture...long time area residents will remember this...
nothing,tea room was torn completely down many years ago, ,need some real old time townies to remember this one! it was built on the right side against the bank,to the left is the big ravine,used to be a house on the other side of the ravine,don`t know if it`s there anymore though>
I gotta be fair and tell you the tea room was closed when I was a little kid,early 50s,but I remember my grandmom talking about how nice it once was.
I remember an old building that was built into the side of the hill, sort of hung over the road almost.....across from the "log cabin". Is this where you mean? There is water running under the road at that point. But it was empty when I remember it, and then torn down soon after. The bible camp cottages and pool are still there but I have never seen anyone over there - it doesnt look run down or deserted though.
LVM
you got it,thats the place.as for the bible camp I remember as a little kid going there to visit someone but it`s been so long and I was so young I`ve forgotten who now.also on the right before the turn to the camp there (is,was?)a mansion my grandparents always called ,if I remember right,the tearberry estate.ya know anything about it beautiful old place!
Yogel, I think I know the house you mean, it has been for sale for some time. Big beautiful house, with a mahogony library I think.....isnt LV beautiful??
How about K & K Fencing at the top of Hackettstown Mtn where Johnson dodge is now??????????
another business I don`t think was mentioned was hart block co. kind of across from the hackettstown diner.my dad and a couple of his buddys worked there when I was very young.also krumm distributers at mt.ave. and at that time rt.24.an extended family member worked there till he was killed in a car accident on his way home to easton.
I believe Tom Krumm owned both the beer distributor and the Orange Pit at the same time.....Back to Denees on
Waterloo, was the owner's name Warren?
yes it was warren Denee...he lived not far from my grandmothers house...as i said my parents were friends with the Denee...i remember the Krumms also...i went to school with one of their daughters...i remember hart block very well also...who knows how many years ago they closed down...
I went to school with warren denee ,his dad owned the store don`t know if his name was warren too or not.
Justasking, Margaret Foster had one daughter who, when the gas station was sold, suggested the new owner, a dentist, name his business "The Filling Station."
Deviljet & Waybill - My father Tom Krumm owned the Orange Pit. My grandparents had the Rheingold distributorship but had sold it to the Browns, parents of my uncle Fred.
Barbara - I was telling my husband all about the Orange Pit, back when I was a kid and there were windows to the outside for service......but I couldnt tell him WHY it was called the Orange Pit? Can you help with that bit of trivia? Thanks! (I still call it the OP, by the way :)
I'm a little to young to remember Swanson's but I do remember Holmes Sporting Goods in the 70's....I believe Tom Holmes was a retired state trooper. He made a real good effort with that store, but even back then, the major chains had the best prices and merchandise.
What was the name of the hot dog stand on Rt 46 in Independence (Its that old abandoned red building at the top of the hill just outside Hackettstown)
The name of the small candy store next to the middle school was Batsons and she also made lunches I loved her Mrs. Batsons hamberegrs
I thought there was mention of a candy store named Glover's near the middle school.....was that at a different time? Or did Glover's buy it from Batson?
Thanks...I thought so. I had gone to school with a few Glovers....but the memory ain't what it used to be!!
Speaking of candy shops, Does anyone remember the Jigger Shop Candy store. They sold papers, candy smokes etc. We went there every morning and spent our luch money on candy. LOL! It was always dark in there. LOL!Ah the memories.
I spent many many hours at the Jigger Shoppe and I worked there as a pre-teen and teenager. Helen and Charlie West were the owners at that time. Now I know that I am dating myself but I remember selling cigarettes to people for 45 cents a pack!! Boy am I old!!!!!!!!!!! I, also, recall never sleeping in on a Sunday morning as I had to be at work really early. There were piles and piles of newspapers waiting at the door!! So many years ago!!!!
i remember the jigger shop very well...what a candy selection...and dont forget the packs of cards that came with a piece of gum inside...they also had a large greeting card selection...hard to believe that store is gone...
What about the long gum they sold. You could break it off piece by piece. I would buy all my teen magazines there also.
the long gum you speak of was a big buddy...it was about a foot long...shaped like a ruler...and yes they had a large magazine rack...if only i could find some good old turkish taffy...by bonamo...they dont make it anymore
Can't let this thread die! How many of you remember the common name of "Bower's Brook"? This is the brook that runs by M&M field then behind Park Avenue and eventually runs into the river by the Sandbar.
We used to capture turtles and salamanders out of that brook when I was a kid. Never knew the name of it though!
the name of the brook was Sh*ts creek...everybody along there dumped their wash water into that creek...i remember seeing that creek run colored blue during the summer and it stunk...i would not play in that water...that creek runs from a farm that my family used to own...in independence twp...it starts out as pure spring water...there are old garbage dumps all along that creek...from maple street all the down to the river...at one time there was a pond behind where the old norms auto parts was located...it was called bowers pond...but it has been filled in long since...
The man who worked at Krumm Distributors and was killed in an auto accident on his way home to Easton was Ernie kinny
The Texaco Gas Station on the corner of Mountaia Avenue & Route 24 right along side the Musconetcong River was Testers Texaco.
who remembers when the Henderson family ran the American gas station on main street next to the railroad tracks...thats going way back
oh yea I do,pappy henderson and his son lloyd.remember pap`s saying pappy`s my name,twisting wrenches is my game.
chester mentioned testers texaco,remember when jim tester and marty keegan ran I think a b modified production vette at island,didn`t they call the car snowball?or maybe I`m caught in the cobwebs again>
lloyd had a yellow 57 chevy 2-door hardtop...that was sharp...i remember pappy too...lloyd had a brother...and i think they had a race car they worked on...it may have been a circle tracker...well heres an old picture...thats the old american station...viewed from the hackettstown railroad station
Another Jigger Shop comment- a little late. In the 60's and 70's we lived 2 blocks from the Jigger Shop. Starting when I was about 8 my father would send me down with money for 2 packs of Benson and Hedges cigarettes (I think they were .55 a pack). There was also a lot of candy purchased there. I'm not sure who the owners were, but I remember them being really nice.
When I was a kid, in the late 60's, early 70's , Dad would send me down to Kostenbaders for a bottle.....once in awhile.......he would call ahead, I would bring the money, all done. !! My husband's Dad would send him out for "smokes" too. Cant do any of that stuff now!
When I was a kid, in the late 60's, early 70's , Dad would send me down to Kostenbaders for a bottle.....once in awhile.......he would call ahead, I would bring the money, all done. !! My husband's Dad would send him out for "smokes" too. Cant do any of that stuff now"
OMG My dad too!!!! We just have to know each other LVMomof boys
o.k. do yall remember prall`s sweet corn stand in front of whats now riverside gardens.remember from where the apts. are now all the way to the river was farm land.
Nostalgic for H-town - the owners of the Jigger Shoppe were Helen and Charlie West. I believe the prior owners were a family by the name of Shapiro (not absolutely sure about that one).
I`m suprised nobody has said anything about music stores.there was mr. and mrs. williams music store kind of across from the strand theatre.I was friends with theyre son Dean.there was also a music store 1 or 2 stores from danleys diner,a guy named jerry hirshman ran it.
Sadly, Dean passed away last year. I was friends with him too. Does anyone remember Phill Quick? He used to sell vegetables from his truck.
Annette and George Shapiro owned the Jigger Shoppe in the early 1960s. My family moved to Hackettstown right after WWII. At that time, an older man, I believe his name was Sam, ran the Jigger Shoppe. I thought he was a very nice person who greeted his customers warmly. My favorite day was Sunday, when my Dad bought the Sunday papers and read the "funny sheets" to us.
Millie
heres a blast from the past...the old Larisons turkey farm + restaurant...if you grew up in hackettstown you went there at least once...
Yea, Phil used to huckster around neighborhoods with his truck....funny the truck had his name painted as " P. QUICK" which was a big joke to us kids.
don`t know if they were related or not but my great grandmothers married name was quick,her maiden name was poyer and first name was mary,she loved to tell people her name, mary p. quick,she thought that was so funny and I guess it is.
you guys must be from great meadows.
I was just looking at a list of names of ministers in Pa for an ancestery thing about my relatives and as I was blowing through it I saw the last name that I thought strange & so I went back to it to insure it was spelled correctly....upon further examination, I called over my wife & son to insure that I was correct. Long & short, the last name of both the minister & the principle is "Schmuck"
Could you just imagine all the jokes ..... where else than Pennsylvania would you see that! LOL!!!
Name three places in the Hackettstown Mall where one could get G.I. Joe figures in the 1980's.
BAF - you'll see whole stores in any German speaking country devoted to it.
Schmuck = decorations.
GC GI JOE: Kmart, The drug store (CVS?) and Rockaway Sales.
Just a guess. My memory isnt what it used to be.
oh yea the turkey farm,remember going there with grandpa,he`d pick out a good live one they would "get it ready"and home we`d go and grandma would make a great holliday dinner. good thing p.i.t.a wasen`t around back then WOW they`d have a field day with that place!
To clarify the G.I. Joe question. What three stores "IN THE MALL" could you get the G.I. Joe figures in the 1980's.
Another clue: AT THE SAME TIME.
Wasnt there a hobbie store there at one time? I dont know the name. Always hated malls.
Wasnt there a Rockaway Sales store in the mall for a short while?
I know my answer isnt correct, but now the question has me thinking, especially the last clue.
Farms are businesses too. McPeak's on Rt. 46, just east of town was a time capsule. At least up until the1960s they farmed with horses hitched to cultivators and wagons. They had property further up the highway, and went to it with horse and wagon right along with the regular traffic. Is the farm still there? Millie
Well, it's been two days.
The answer to the G.I. Joe Question is:
Shelby's
K-Mart
and
drum roll please:
Shepherd's
thanks for playing
You can get G.I. Joe's at Target now, same characters, but they are not nearly as good quality as they used to be.
I am not looking forward to the G.I. Joe movie. The Transformers movies are a disgrace, and it's being made by the same producer.
Wow Shelbys .... I dont even recall it .... there was one in stanhope. Gettin old.
Oh wow, I dont remember Shelby's OR Shepherds in the mall. But 1990? I was living in Morristown then..........hmmmm......
I bought my son GI Joe one year for Christmas, because my brothers always had them.....and I was so disappointed. And he barely looked at it.
Id say no Millie, since there is few precious farms left in Htown but Yogel been here longer than I . Maybe Hack or Waybill could fill you in.
heres something that most newer residents might not know...Miss America of 1937 was from Hackettstown...her name was Betty Cooper...and she remained in the area after she won the contest...she joine a beauty contest at nearby Bertrands Island Amusement park on a dare...won that contest and went to Atlantic City and won the Miss America contest...here is an ad she did for a local business... American Sawmill Machinery...my late mother knew her
Bette Cooper
Miss America 1937
1937
Mrs. C.D. White, wife of the Atlantic City Mayor, accepted the invitation to serve as the first Chairman of the Hostess Committee. Also formed were: a Board of Directors, an Executive Board, a Finance Committee, and a General Committee. It was revealed that a leading contender Phyllis Randall, Miss California, had a marriage annulled. She finished among the top five. Seventeen-year-old Bette Cooper, who entered the Miss Bertrand Island (NJ) Pageant on a dare, took the national title. For reasons still unknown, Bette quickly left Atlantic City and returned home the next morning before her press conference, which was elaborately staged on the Steel Pier.
Sandy Anyone remember when the Mr. Softee truck first appeared in town in the late 60's? We thought that was the coolest thing ever -soft ice cream from a truck! It put the Pied Piper to shame... Whenever we heard the music, everyone would RUN home for a quarter - that bought you a large half and half cone.
re: Mr Softee ice cream...truck...i remember...very well..better yet who remembers the clown that accompanied the ice cream truck...all over town...his clown name was eddie spaghetti...
old man : can you tell me which bridge this is,I`m thinking the one on 46 but maybe i`m wrong
OMG! I remember Mr. SOftee. Would scream for him to strop. AWE WISH I Had some soft ice cream now I have a sore throat. LOL
who remembers dairy queen where hess is now first opening, first soft icecream place in town.
b t w what was on that lot before d.q. .damn c.r.s. again
yogel... thats the cemetery bridge off of mountain avenue...yes i remember the old Dairy Queen on main street...there was a laundry right next door...near the corner...Hess has occupied that corner since the late 1960s...heres what the mill street bridge looked like with the old Greundyke mill in the background...Mill street is where present day rt 46 enters Hackettstown...as far as Mr Softee...on a hot summer day mom and dad always seemed to have a little extra money to send us out for an ice cream when the truck passed by...
Oldman, Thank you for the pictures of the bridge. I too remember the Dairy Queen and laundry.
I also remember when ice blocks could be purchased at the mill by people who still had iceboxes. The man who ran it, I believe, was named Sal.
Millie
Milliee:we had an ice box up till i was about 4 or 5 lived on mt.ave. a guy named Happy Hibler was our ice man .I still can see him carrying that block of ice with those tongs.btw we had a coal and oil stove to cook on.it used coal on the burner part and kerosene to fire the oven.remember i`m talking 1952/53.
a little out of town but there used to be a real small store back in the 50`s maybe even into the 60`s by lake tranquility.after you went right at the y on 517 the store was on the left.the two old folks that ran it were real nice.the lady was blind but would always take care of the money.anybody know the name of that place or even remember it?
Millie...those old iceboxes you speak of still turn up at house auctions around Hackettstown...my brother bought one...it was in nice shape...if you dig a little deeper...once in a while an old Still...for making bootleg booze... turns up at an old house auction...and the old ice tongs can still be found also...the old Greundyke mill...also was a place that bottled beer many years ago...enough history for now...
i am digging really deep here..when i was a child we had several people who would drive the streets of hackettstown trying to make money...there was hap...and his pal...and the old woman called the wood chopper...she drove an ancient station wagon...they would pick up old newspapers...and such...they all lived right near the intersection of mountain ave...and bells lane...the old wood chopper lady had some connection to the beattie grist mill on east avenue...my parents always let these folks bundle the old newspapers and take them away...
Chip Griswold after re-thinking and re-considering my comments in the previous post...i remembered the names of the two older fellows who had a route around hackettstown picking up old newspapers...their names were Honas and Ray...they lived in a house on mountain avenue...across from the current Quik-Chek location...if anyone else can recall them or what ever happened to them i would be interested in finding out
oldman: I sure do remember sherman honas and ray,they went all over town and would buy newspapers and bundeled up rags,they had a scale and paid you by the pound.one of them bought the house my grandparents owned further down mt.ave.
the woodchopper you refer to was a lady named Bertha DeHart her family i`m told owned the sawmill i think at the top of budd lake hill.the story my grandmother told me was that her young daughter was killed somehow at the mill. b t w thanks for the pictures,I never knew newberrys used to be where dad &lad`s is.
oldman:if you remember those folks I have to think you must have knowen George the egg man.lived on mt.ave. across from were riverside apts. are now.he used to go around with a pullcart selling eggs,fresh killed chickens and some veg. funny we ate those chickens and never got salmonella.didn`t have them on ice,sun beating down on them,maybe we were just tougher back then,just maybe!
yogel...i barely remember the old eggman...he lived in a small house....that was all grown up with weeds...he was always called the catman...because he always had kittens to give away...i think his house must have been somewhere near where Burger King is today...in any event...enjoy the old pictures...because i am having just as much fun here as everybody else...thank you...ps heres a place i miss...they sold all kinds of hardware...if you lived in hackettstown you went here to the big hammer hardware...in washington nj
I looked around the site but didn`t see this one if it`s already here sorry for posting it twice.
firehouse,police station,town hall and court all in one.paid a few traffic tickets here lol.
Anyone remember the "lawnmower man" Tom Kane? he lived up the street from us in a little house on fifth Street. He used to mow the grass islands on Prospect Street and the lawns of just about every old timer in Hackettstown at the time. He would tow his push mower with his little riding mower he had. I even remember when he had his little dog named Gretchen.
Hey oldman ,if anybody knows this you probably do .there was a shop I think on the corner of main and plane st`s.did small engine repair along with other things.do you remember the name of the place or the man who ran it?He fixed a carb from a briggs & stratton for me once when I was a kid.
Hairkut deviljet...i remember Tom Kane very well...he mowed all the middle islands on prospect street as well as lawns all over the north part of Hackettstown...he was very quiet and as far as i knew him he kept to himself...he always wore a long world war 1 army coat...all year long ...he lived in a small house...on 5th street...while mowing lawns he would collect soda bottles and take them to Acme...for the 2 cents deposit...thats enough for now...
yogel...the closest i can remember anything near plane and main streets...that handled lawnmowers...might have been Krafts Hardware & Paint...it was two brothers...they sold all manner of hardware...other than that there was a lawn mower/small engine repair shop...right near the Ford dealer on main street for years
old man, what is that image you posted, a two dollar silver certificate? AFAIK local currencies are/were illegal in this country. Wish I could read the writing.
That's cool though. Any idea of the history of that bill? Was it circulated in the 1800's?
the bill was printed and not distributed...but yes the Hackettstown bank as well as other local banks did print and Honor local currencies...there are many other notes like this that are very highly prized by currency collectors...the reason that locally issued paper money went out of use was that federal banks took over the printing of money and the worth of local paper money was very dicey...some banks would honor it and some would not...let alone the fact that counterfeiting...was a big problem
Snyder Motors was on thecorner of Main and Plane and then there was a Studerbaker dealer joining what is now part of Hometowne hardware...I think I can answer all of the questions asked....etting reall old...grew up on main St
Danny Fiedler Remember the Chickie Shop and the merry-go-round horse? How about Endicott Johnson Shoe store and At Axfords Mens Hat store next to Sammie Lockards Barber Shop?
I remember the Endicott Shoe Store. For a while it has a machine that allowed you to see your feet (bones) in the shoes you were trying on. Folks must have been pretty relaxed about x-rays (?) in those days.
It was actually Mr. Knechel's father in law Bill Rossy who helped him start Knechel Ford. Bill Rossy also owned the Derribar
for all you who have moved to hackettstown recently...here a shot of Htown when there were still farms in town...enjoy
hilly From what direction is that photo taken? I would like to be able to figure out where my house is....
This thread should be printed and given to the Hackettstown Historical Society. Really -- accounts and memories of so many long-time residents are priceless! The thread and all these interesting town facts shouldn't disappear into cyberspace.
Rebecka I agree with Rebecka. The memories and pictures are priceless. What year was the picture of Hackettstown taken , Hilly, when there were stiill farms?
Millie Old Man, I live in Tom Kane's old house on fifth st. and I have heard so many really interesting stories about him and about the house! I have been trying to find out more and am very interested in seeing an old photo - I understand it was called the "haunted house" for quite awhile. . . It's actually quite nice now!
olivia hilly, I haven't moved in recently, but I still appreciate that photo. It's so great to see what the town looked like from above, back then.
Here's something that I thought was cool for anyone who knows the town. Find the Middle School (The high school at that time) in the middle of the picture. Now follow Washington St. down where it is parallel to Mountain Ave. and look where you would now make the right to go into Kenwood. Its all farmland in that pic - no pool, no apartments, no houses. :)
notice that M&M Mars was not built yet either the picture is an air view taken from above schooleys mountain looking west...notice the high steeple of the presbyterian church and use that as a reference point
I believe I remember a farm out on Willow Grove Street on the left going out of town. I do remember the old biplane crop dusters spraying fields in the late 40s and 50s.
Willow Grove park was a cabage patch. I was talking to my mom yesterday. She told me how and why willow grove street got its name. Willow grove street was lined with willow trees, both sides starting at main st. What a beautiful site it must have been.
auntiel Tim Swansons Sporting Shop. Bought my first .22 rifle there.
Saved change until I had the $14.95 for the Remington 514 A.
Live in Alabama, but this page brings back memories.
Biker Broc there are still many willow trees on willow grove street...they are close to the American Legion Post..164...while on this subject...i remember...when Prospect street was lined with chestnut trees...and the Propane gas company ran a new line up the street and cut all the chestnut trees down...
ARCO gas station Mountain Ave (which is now a dry cleaners) It was a gas station that you could still get your car fixed at. In the 70s my dad Claude Eroh Managed it a lot of the town hot rodders would hang out there cause dad let them work on there cars, there was Jack and his 65 black GTO,Paul and his 73 rust Duster Uncle Chucks black Mustang and many more. the local street to race was the allamuchy flats those were the days . even thow we did not live in hackettstown its was a great town
Claude I remember Mr. Honas. We moved to Hackettstown in late 1968 when I was four and then to Schooley's Mt in 1977. In the mid 70s my mother took Mr. Honas as her "project" and would hire him to do odd jobs around the house. On a number of occassions I went with her to visit him at his house when he was sick and we helped him clean his house and bring him some dinner. (As a life-long bachelor the cleaning was nearly futile). He gave us a number of gifts during that time because of my mother and father's kindness including dandelion wine, blueberry preserves (which include a good rattlesnake story from collecting the berries out at the Gap), and fresh apples and peaches. In the year before we moved to Schooley's Mt he grew rather feeble with age, and eventually that year, if memory serves me, moved to live with a niece in Pennsylvania.
Nice thread - I've been gone from NJ since '84, and return to visit often, but rarely to H'town. Remember it as a great place to grow up in the early and mid 70s, hiking the old canal bed, poking around old factories and plenty of baseball and football at Tannery and Bergen fields. Funny, had a crush on girl from a Cuban family in the 5th grade and ended up marrying a South American woman. Guess you develop a lot of preferences as a kid that carry through life.
Stephan Question
At the intersection of East Ave and RT46 there was a gas station at that spot it was a Sinclar or a Texaco and in the 70s the name of the owner excapes me he had a drag raceing car or two so what was his name ?
Question
at the edge of town there was a tulsa station was it run by the monjac brothers they two drag raced cars
Answer to older question
Brookdale soda yes just a bit west on rt 46 on the right side you could get soda there or they would deliver it , the build did not suite the owners of the out let so they moved to water street in belvidere across from the old fire house they still sold out from the location and delivered as far south as washingtons crossing north to sussexs and east as far as newark afer time they added a truck that home deliverd snack foods pretzels and chips by groff
the Brookdale soda delivery was run by (Mountain Lake distributors )
as a kid i would go with my dad or uncles on the trucks on there routes
Biker Bronc, Tim Swanson's Sporting Goods store attracted a lot of customers who liked to hang out and talk a while, especially before deer season and trout season. I used to tag along with my dad. I especially remember the large flat display cases filled with fishing lures and flies of every color and type. Also the beautiful deer heads mounted up high on the walls. One time a group of regulars, as a joke, told a customer that the game warden had seen electric eels in the Muskanetcong River, just to see how long it would take before someone else came in the store with the same story. As I recall, it took four days. The pictures of the fishermen below Saxon Falls brought back memories.
claude...the guy who had the gas station at rt46 and east ave...was Marty Keegan...he was a great mechanic...and even better drag racer...Marty later moved on to the Hackettstown Tulsa...on north main street...the Monjack Brothers took over after him...Marty later had a garage in Portland PA...after that i dont know where he went...the Monjacks ran the Tulsa for several years...and left the area...the old Tulsa is still a car car repair shop...but no longer pumps gas...
Claude: the station at east ave & 46 was owned by Joe Monjac,the name of the drag car was "for reasons of insanity"that is if I remember right.Joe`s brother was named Larry(Moonie)Monjak.
thank you yogel
my dad gave the Monjaks a 55 chey wagon to turn in to a drag car back in the day
Bill Skinner who owned the radiator repair shop behind norms auto parts and then on stiger st he was a good racer and had nice cars
Question
at the five conners light where the bank is there was a muffler shop and be for that a cheveron gas station who had the gas station and the muffer shop
Question
ok dose any one rember the Arnolds Bread Store on main street was on the same block that the jiger shop
Question
east bound on 46 from east ave there was a gas station then berrie and jacks auto body and a small mom and pop gas station and next to it a ice cream place what was the ice cream place and who had the gas station
Question
do you remember the consignment clothing store just east of the main street parking lot by the jiger shop ?
Comment
some one asked what Big Momma memt that was the CB radio name of the local leader of the REACT radio club
Question
do you remember the two hot spots in mountain lake
yogel-5 months later. the ort building was on the corner of main and plane st. it's a parking lot now. christine-i'll get back to you about the morgan girls. my mom lived there in the late 30's
claude...the ice cream shop you speak of was the derribar...they great ice cream...the gas station was Bill Fosters...he was a friend of my father...the building still stands but is no longer a gas station
Comment
yes back in the day Mountain Lake filled up with vaccationers
The Derrie Bar yes thats it it was were my grandfather would stop on the way and get ice cream for us kids
Bill Fosters gas station my dad stoped at from time to time
thanks for the answers
Question
Dose any one remember The Three Pines Resturant west out of town where the smokehouse now sits
Qusetion
As you left town going east in the center where 46 split there was a bowling place any one remenber
LVMomofboys - so sorry it took so long to get back to your question re: Orange Pit. I'm afraid why it was named that died with Dad. The Dairy-O, however, came from a play on words from The Farmer in the Dell.
Yogel - yeah there were great times at Mountain Lake! Long ago and far away.
Barbara Question
What good or bad changes do you see happening to town
I went though washington and the new builds on main street looks ugly
for me its the loss of the stores sue to the mega department stores and that houseing project that sticks out like a sore thumb on the mountain
As a kid, I could walk to Main Street and do all the shopping: Shop Rite, the bakery, Genevieve Shop, H.Cohen and Dad and Lad for clothing, Bach's for a drugstore, Holmes for sporting goods, Kostenbaders for a bottle of wine, the hardware store, Plates for jewelry., Jigger Shoppe for a newspaper, .......I think the profile of town really changed when Rockaway Mall opened and families had two cars and didnt mind driving 20 minutes to do a wide variety of shopping. I don't know if it is all good or bad.....it is just change.
We moved from H-town 30 years ago when I was a teenager. We've lived nearby, so I have enjoyed returning many times over the years. Recently, while my son was at the Tigers football camp, I spent a whole day immersed in my memories and then looked at the town with fresh eyes.
Walking from the high school to Hatchery Hill, I was sad that the Fish Hatchery is no longer open to the public. Hatchery Hill was the same quiet little school. Heading up through the tree lined path to the college, there was a lot of construction going on. Such is progress, I was just so glad the path between the trees remained.
The area around the college and Moore street, where I grew up, were pretty much the same. The town pool is exactly the same.
I felt like in some ways town had stopped in time. It still has that nice small town feel. The one thing I missed were kids out playing. Where are all the kids? Where are all the people for that matter? On my 2+ mile walk, I encountered a hand full of people out and about. I am happy to say, the people I did see were very friendly.
My last observation is about Main Street. LVMomOfBoys is right, the Main Street of our childhood was relevant and filled most of our needs. While Main Streets everywhere have changed, many towns have managed to sustain or bring back their downtowns.
I live and own a business in the Stroudsburg area. My office is on Main Street and have seen the struggles over the years to make it a destination spot. Recently they have revamped the sidewalks with brick, and bump outs at traffic lights for safer crossing. They've added flowers or other seasonal decorations to the poles lining the street. New businesses are coming in and not turning over as quickly.
Hackettstown is such a wonderful town, but the first impression to people entering the area is Main Street. I say this with love for the town, not to be critical. It's a great town that with a happening Main Street could be even better.
i vacationed at Mt. Lake also as a kid. Stayed at the 'Sun Ann' if anyone knows that. i remember swiming to the rafts thinking they were so far ! i remember the Mt. Lake Casino also, the canoes... fun times
NJ2FL05 claude...the three pines restaurant was a pizza /ice cream place...they made their money like anybody who had a business along rt 46 before rt 80 was built...the traffic jams on weekends were legendary...and the people stuck in traffic jams went into the bars and food stands...who remembers Al Kings hotdog stand......Hackettstown used to have Blue Laws ...that forbid the sale of alcoholic beverages...the town folk would head to taverns just outside the town borders...to drink...but it was forbidden to bring alcoholic beverages into town...the police set up checkpoints...ah the good old days...
It has been fun reading all of the things I have forgotten about since I was a kid.
Janet Ott Philhower Does anyone recall the A&P grocery store being on Main St. before it moved out past East Ave. on Rt. 46? Also was there an Acme or Grand Union or some other large grocery chain store on Main closer to the railroad tracks? Two of the clerks on Main St. who transferred to the newer A&P were Arlene Bailey and a tall fellow named Obie. I don't think anyone has mentioned these stores so maybe my street memory is inaccurate.
Foster's Service Station reminds me of Summer, NeHi chocolate soda, peck-sized baskets of peaches, and coconut watermelon slice candies.
Does anyone remember the rendezvous motel being like a vacation spot? I barely remember my Aunt and Uncle when they came from NY, staying there.
Check it out now! But Saxton falls used to be something too.
lost towney i tell you i would like to know who owned all those old soda machines around Hackettstown ...i bought sodas all over town when i had the money...millie at one time there were 2 A&Ps...in hackettstown on main street...plus a grand union...i remember the A&P that was on rt 46 on the bottom of hackettstown mountain...where blockbuster now operates...the Rendezvous motel was just like any other tourist stop before rt46 gave way to rt 80...rt 46 was the major highway to leave new york and head west towards pennsylvania...there were many bungaloe motels like that all along the highway in and out of hackettstown...and the whole area...enough for now...
Ok greenstripe you got me with that last picture
I all to well know how rt80 changed the lives of people who had businesses on rt 46 i remember the back ups and lines of traffic out in white township my dad grandfather and uncle had a food stand and produce stand it was called Doc's Hut
Question
as you go out willow grove street just where it changes to water lou over the rail road tracks there was a dirt lane to the left abd back that road was some kind of factory that looked like it exploaded what was it
Question
there is that statue at five conners where was the old one and what happen to it
claude...the factory you speak of was some kind of chemical works...i explored that place years ago...it was Oxy chemical...they closed up shop...and left...the place was a mess...sacks of powders left all over the inside of a large cinder block building...and there was a sand pit there too...also and old dirt road ran from waterloo road to bilbys road through that site...there was also a tunnel that ran from the building to the railroad tracks...it is probably still there...also there is a very well preserved section of the Morris Canal...as far as the statue at five corners there is a picture of it on this page...it was a civil war monument...that was a wter fountain...for horses and people...in separate troughs...during a highway widening project the statue was accidently destroyed...the monument has been re-created on bank property adjacent to five corners..
I was reading the whole forum and have met a fue of the people we are talking about in there later years Mr McPeek the farmer who loved his farm and used horses to plow his feilds till he could no longer do it i remember watching him rake the hay the house still had a working hand water pump in the kitchen
Mr Babbson who was the founder of the bates company Mrs Tomeio who had the hair dressers shop Milton thorp and Mrs Knapp
Ok remember the John Deer tractor shop on stigher st
or the guy who put the harley motor cycle on the roof with santa
whats up with the statues of liberty at that drive way and will they ever put in the health food store there
OK next to the rail road track and rt 46 was a gas station i would like to know about that place
Does anyone remember the Gulf gas station on the corner of Main and High Streets? The owner was a man named Les Smith. He and my dad, Paul Solomon, were best buddies.
Did any of you go to the 'Grove' when they had a food stand, a sandy beach, 2 diving boards and 2 big concrete pipes that you could ride through ? How many of you remember the Sand Bar when it was deep enough to swim in, including a float with a diving board and when it froze over in the winter you could skate all the way to the dam on 46 and up as far as the Miller's house?
How about Red Grogan and his concrete sailboat on Stiger street ? 40 years on and off in H'town. What a ride !
Kel Milton Thorp owned the stationery store on Main St.......his grandson Tom is the town attorney now. I remember the Gulf station at the corner of High and Main. Mrs. Freeman, my first grade teacher, lost control of her Cadillac and ran into the building, or maybe into the side of Dad and Lad......narrowly missing the pumps.
Claude, I recall a gas station by the rail road tracks and Main St. on the left leaving town. It was right in front of a large Purina feed, hay, straw and farm supply store named Tichnors. I recall it partly because my dad bought animal food there, partly because Tichnors burned down one summer in the 50s. The flames were huge and the smoke rose a couple hundred feet in the sky. The closeness of the gas station to the fire was a worry, but it did not burn.
Claude - I'm not sure when Les Smith first opened the Gulf Gas Station there on High and Main Streets because I was a little girl. But my dad passed away in 1964 and I know that it was before that but I do not recall how long after Les owned the station.
The last time i saw Red Grogan and his concrete sailboat it was on rt31s before flemmington
Red Grogan passed away last week, actually. I believe he was living in Kentucky?
Lori....since 73
wrote April 19 09
I knew the deer were gone...it's been a long time. I always felt bad for them in there.
I have another question for you. Not far from the Hunters Lodge there was another small Hotel, I have no idea what it was called. If you are at the Lodge and turn around to look at the hill directly behind you
there is a building back in there. It can't be seen from the road, although once in a while, depending on the season, you can catch a glimpse of a chimney. At the bottom of the hill is an old chained off driveway that leads to it. When I was in High School (early 90s) I went up there with some friends. We snooped around a bit. There were some magazines laying around, all from the mid 80s. So it can't be more than 25 years since the place closed up. Does anyone know this place that I'm asking about? Aside from the kids I went there with everyone thinks I'm imagining the place...Do you know anything about it?
Lori it was first called the Delaware House it was a pub later on it was known as the Jabberwalkie long has it been closed
hope that helped
LVMomofBoys
Thank you i will pass that on to my dad about Red
Question to all
Willow grove st 1960 and befor where the House of The Good Shephard sits once was a farm and also a small vaccation comunitty with a pool and a bar of its own dose any one remember this
Question
in the area of the ford dealer there was a long lost gas station where the pump was at the edge of the side walk and that is where you parked to get fuel
any one know this
The gas station by the railroad tracks was called Smith's garage when I was a kid. I remember this because we would buy ice cream bars there.
It's the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. Does anyone remember what happened in Hackettstown during that weekend. The traffic. Most all stores closed on Rt. 46. Stewart root beer was roped off. I remember standing in front of Tony's shoe repair(harpers) and watching the HIPPIES. I think traffic was backed up from NYS to the Gap. No Route 80 then. I was thinking of my uncle at the time. He was 18, in the jungle fields of Vietnam.
Claude,
Thanks for the info! Now that I have names for the place I googled it, but so far no luck. I'm not giving up though!
there are changes in town that i like and dont like but every thing changes one is that big scar on the mountain of a houseing project thank you mount oluve
Now we had small town Oil dealers Kappers Mayberry
My uncles brother Dean Sargent owned Sargents Oil what others are there ?
On another post the mention of a small mom and pop store near mt bethel road
there was sargents in vienna at the post office
Question at the top of the hill going east out of town at the sand shore rd lite there was a gerage who had that
LOL! whitey I remember standing on the intersection of Rt. 46 and Liberty St. watching the hippies ride by! There also was an odor like no other thru town.
I actually do....vaguely. I was about 9. I don't think I remember precisely that the traffic was Woodstock related....but I do recall my parents discussing the terrible mess out there. :) That was the year AFTER the Williams and Hibler fire, yes?
I remember well all the folks going through town on the way to woodstock,thought about going but decided not to.Not one to make the same mistake twice I did go to pocono in 72 rain and lots of mud but what a great lineup,emerson,lake and palmer,j geils,edgar winter,three dog night,wow .kinda like to do it again but at my age I don`t think I`d survive lolol.
as far as hackettstown...during and after Woodstock...i lived near main street...we never saw so many hitchhikers...and people just camping by the side of the road...they all looked like drifters...
I remember in 1972 the traffic that came though town our gas station was over wellmend the soda machine went empty as with the candy machine we pumped a lot of gas that day that concert was at pocono race track
woodstock we were on our way to canada the roads were packed
Lori since 73
your welcome there was another bar just up rt46w was called Vitales aka Scurvy Erv's
Does anybody remember? Conklins lumber on moore st. before that i believe it was a dodge/plymouth dealer that my father bought our 1966 plymouth. or hummindingers a.k.a cozy corner. we would sleigh ride down hospital hill right into the parking lot, get a hot chocolate and head back up the hill again.The u-haul dealership behind the methodist church,and the pool hall that the beattys owned downstairs, next to jack and jill dairy.
jamie in 1972...the hitch hikers you remember were from the Watkins Glen concert in New York state...the Allman Brothers played there with The Grateful Dead...Hackettstown was full of hitch hikers...and travelers for days...they camped out all over...behind bergen tool etc...when lollapollooza played waterloo village it reminded me of the same type of scene...young people coming from everywhere looking for directions to the concert...most if not all were polite...but what a mess they left behind at waterloo...the concert field was full of trash...and the whole area of waterloo road before and after the concert site was littered with just about anything you can imagine...youth is wasted on the young
I remember Conklin's Lumber , not sure of that being a car dealer . i remember no hospital i remember all the people standing on five conners raiseing the money to build that hospital and warming up at cozy corner store were was the u-haul dealer? I remember the pool hall
Main street #204
is now empty there was a pet treat store and befor was a kite wind socks store was a consignment store called the Cloths closet and befor that Brick oven bread store what other stores was at this location
I do remember the traffic during Woodstock! How about the roller rink up at Mt. Lake? Every time I ride by it I remember a lot of fun!!!! Also - Knapp's used to put sundae's in a chinese take-out container!!!!
ML 
i was out there on the bucket brigade for hackettstown hospital...it was during the worst traffic jams of the early 1970s...before Rt 80 was built...it was hot and sweaty work to stand there with the plastic buckets...to get donations...they used to give us a free soda after the end of our shift...go to Hackettstown hospital now and tell them that...i guess they forgot all about the bucket brigades people who stood there and volunteered...they are too busy collecting paychecks and bonuses...and having coffee clubs...
ML, i remember the roller rink at Mt. Lake. it was outside and had colored lights around the top. Used to vacation there as a kid, probably mid 1960-s
good memories :)
Hey oldman. My grandfather coordinated the bucket brigade. I would be out there too. I was about 7 yrs. old. At the end of every day my mom and grandmom and grandpa would sit at the dining room table and count the $ and roll up the coins. I got to roll the pennies! I think we donated the coin toss sign to the historical museum. My grandfather took the first shovel full at the ground breaking. I am still so proud of his hard work and all the Hackettstown residents who worked so hard to build that hospital! I do hope as the hopital grows the administrators don't forget how they got there!
suzique I will say that the people of hackettstown should be proud of what they did to build that hospital
I remember, and all the people puting in their time and effort to build the hospital plus the money town resoidents donated only to have the S.D.A.C kind of take the credit.By the way wasen`t it supposed to be Hackettstown Community Hospital?
re: Mountain Lake Casino...here is a picture i have of the casino complex...the lake is still very nice to this day...the casino is gone...but Liberty TWP...has bought parts of the waterfront...
besides the residents of Hackettstown...i must say that most motorists were generous to the bucket brigades...before rt 80 opened there was so much traffic on rt 46 / main street and many accidents...all Hackettstown had to offer were local doctors and the Hackettstown Rescue squad...if you needed a hospital..you had to go to newton or phillipsburg...or dover...
Claude,
I remember Vitale's. I went there with my parents when I was a kid...
waybill, thanx for the pic...brings back many memories... we used to go to the other side of the lake
Thanks yogel
there was a woman that worked at that diner and she has passed on this week and we could not remember where it was
re: Danleys Diner...heres some trivia...Perry Como was a regular there...when his daughter attended Centenary college...back in the 1960s...
How about R & K Frame on Valintine St any one remember them its now called Scotties import repairs
So who were the owners of R & K Frame
There was a Scottys Muffler in town on stiger street who owned that place
I believe Red Kamprath owned R&K.....didn't Ralph Seagraves own Scotty's Muffler in what is now Camp's Auto Repair?
pete and ed laux were the last operaters of R&K frame...ed passed away...pete has taken up another occupation
A while back unusual characters were mentioned. Does anyone remember the man who was a gardner? His name may have been John. He took care of people's yards and shared their plants. So, if one person had nice tulips or other bulb plants that could be divided, he did, and planted them in other yards. This was in the 1950s and the yards around High Street that he worked on were really pretty in the Spring.
I came across this website and what a blast it has been reading all of the posts. I grew up in h-town in the 60's, moved away and came back for three yrs. 75-78. First let me say to Claude and yogel that my mouth dropped to see you mention The Monjack Brothers who had the Texaco station and the Tulsa station. I am Joe and Larry's sister. We are all in Calif. now. Actually Larry is a trucker so he is all over. Also way back in an early post there was mention of Tony's pizza on Main St. Well before Tony's I bet no one will remember that from about 1962 to about 1965 or 66, it was Theresa's Pizzeria. My mom and dad owned it. I remember having my birthday parties there. Thanks for the memories.
jlynn jlynn,Yes I do remember the pizza place there was a post about what was the first pizza place in town every body said tony`s but I knew there was at least one before that but I couldn`t remember the name,thanks.I liked both your brothers,both nice guys.as I remember Joe was the more serious one and Larry aka Mooney was a real clown,lot of fun.I don`t know why you were so surprised it was still a fairly small town back then and pretty much all us guys knew or knew of each other.Be sure to let them both know they are gone but definately not forgotten.
the mansfield inn is now a pasta restaurant...we used to call that place when Paul Hemphill owned it the Hog inn...i just missed the shooting that happened there in the 1980s by minutes
jlynn I have to say that your welcome I live in Liberty Township but i worked in hacketstown for 30 years and my dad ran the ARCO station on Mountain Ave in the seventys it was all ways a safe place for every one were happy you droped in if you think of someting to talk about bring it up
i delivered newspapers for the daily record.{ they were great to work for }...the dover advance...and the family forum...and very briefly the newark news...the best paper to deliver for was the daily record...they took us on bus trips...gave us good gifts...a great after school job...those were the days
I worked for the Forum drove bulk delivery truck for them and helped at the press stripping the plates my route started in parsippany and though hopatcong as far north as ogdonsburg and had a 600 paper route in independance our wearhouse was first the old ice house in townsberrie then the old tip top bakery wearhouse on mountain ave
BrookdaleMan brookdale man
maybe your question should be on a thread of it`s own since this is a trivia thread.j.m.o.
"I was a pig at the Derribar " Thank for sharing the great picture, waybill. Makes me want to order a hot fudge sundae right now...this very minute. It's been fun reading about Mrs. Foster, the Derribar (Dairybar?), Robert Halls, Newberries, Cohens, and that little stationery shop with the counter in the back. I remember the neat piles of paper and pads on the shelves. No one mentioned Plaid Stamps. I believe we got them at the grocery store. I remember my mother used the booklets for lamps and a framed picture for the wall. I remember Shelby's in Chester, but for some reason I don't recall a Shelby's in Hackettstown. I remember when Mr. Plate actually worked at Plate's Jewelry. I remember Sebers and the Sandbar. I remember Glovers candy store and 5 cents for a Devil Dog and 7 cents for a 7-Up. A Pepsi was a dime. I remember crossing Morgan's Tract and walking through the Fish Hatchery. I remember riding my bike in the Cemetery. Kids were welcome everywhere. We kids really got around. We even went into the auction house and saw the cows herded in and out. I remember the auctioneer's accent and his sing song delivery. And I remember those soda machines. Postal collection boxes were all over the place, too. I remember Leo's, Carl's Place, and Stewarts Rootbeer. I can remember what food I ordered where. The first time I ever had chocolate shavings on top of the whipped cream was when I had a mug of hot chocolate at The Cottage. I remember banana cream pie at the Four Oaks diner. Orange pop and a hotdog was my favorite at the Orange Pit. A slice and a small coke at Tony's Pizza. I remember it all. I remember it all like it was yesterday.
Dora Cookie there was a place to eat near hackettstpwn auto parts i know little just got a sandwich there
To the question of the Irish Setter who brought the bank bag to Pepoles Bank on the corner, I was a teller at the bank and thedog's name was Rusty. The original New Berry's Store was where Dad and Lad is now. To the person who asked about Batson and Glover Candy Store. Mrs Batson owned the store
store before Glover's did and I also went to school with the glover children. The jigger shop was original down the street on main and center which is now I believe a Karata place.
twirler 
dora cookie...nice trip down memory lane... i also remember Mr Plate...in his store he had a nickel...a dime and a quarter glued to the floor...i tried to pick up those coins...i guess that was his personal prank...they also made a very nice ice cream sundae at the Derribar...it was later sold and known as Mee-Mas...who remembers that...i remember bill Foster at his gas station...he was a friend of my dad...
Shelby's in Hackettstown I dont think so washington had a shelbys it was ny the acme market
there was one in newton there was one in stanhop on 206
Now why dosent any one talk about the hackettstown Diner we spent a lot of late nights there like diner food
Hey Caged! My brother learned early about Grandma's Social Security check and around what the first of the month meant. If my mom cooked something my brother didn't like, Grandma would give him a little kick under the table and a nod, and not much later, off they would go to the Hackettstown Diner for a hamburger!
He would remember it well!
Peggy C. I should remember but I don`t,what was on the corner of main and willow grove before the dairy queen was built?????????
Cagedanimal, I remember the Hackettstown Diner on rt. 46. It was there in 1947 when my family first moved to Hackettstown. It was there in the1950s also. At that time I believe a family named Barkow owned and operated it. Is it still there? I enjoyed eating there.
the hackettstown diner burned down years ago...from arson...dairy queen left main street in 1967...it has been hess gas ever since...dairy queen has been on rt 57 for years...shelbys was a flash in the pan...they had about seven stores all total and did not last long...who remembers when marshalls was grand union...
grew up in h-town,1970-82. heres just a sample of what i remember.....T.Y. Ward on the lot between,Washington St. , Bell's Lane ,and Mtn.Ave......Mazzone Real Estate on the corner of 46 and east ave. Sciavones Ski and Bike Shop on mtn ave.... Cozy Corner on Willow Grove St.....Country Pie records and Tomanios Barber shop on Main st. Basement Billiards behind the music store on Main....One -Hour Martinizing.......County-Line Sports on rt.46....dog n suds....hackettstown raquet club on rt. 57....centenary bells.....McDonalds being built....the Mall being built.....Dunkin Donuts being built...Friendlys.....Burger King......and so on.....bob's hobby shop......middletown leather....bergen tool....catv on north main.....
There were several businesses in the 50s and 60s on rt. 46 just east of the Mill pond bridge. One of them was a laundry (not laundramat) across from the diner. My folks had a wringer-washer and outdoor clothes line. In the winter they took the dirty clothes to the laundry. One of my earliest memories is the huge brown paper- wrapped bundle tied with string coming back with clean clothes. It was amost an explosion on the dining room table when we cut the string. As I recall, they were all neatly folded and we just had to put them away.
Joe : Depends on which one.There was Jack Burk`s bowling alley on main st next to the moose that burned in the early 60`s I think and the one at the bottom of budd lake hill where there is a park and ride,not really sure when that one burned.
more memories...Phillips 66 gas station on 46 on the spot Meineke later occupied....Fosters Mobil..my dad played softball for them...had an historic collision with the gym teacher Mr Boeppel.. not only was Boeppel out ..HE WAS REALLY OUT !!!!..ah the tannery field ..mrs. fosters son-in law was my first little league coach...Dean Depuy....he and his wife had a son named Devon...Mr. Joseph Bristow was his assistant and STILL my favorite coach EVER and i'm still playing hardball at 44........played my first game in right field at morgans tract...had to watch out for a big rock that stuck up that has since been removed..same thing at old morrison field at the sand bar....im an umpire in the skylands conf.(which my beloved Tigers have just left) :(.....anyway i still love to hear those centenary bells.......bad memory...aug. 26,1977......enough said.....the prall and dyser farms before the mall was built.....my neighbor Julius Narducci told me that our street East ave. was originally known as Pigtail Alley.....his daughter margret..i think worked at the OP........Mrs. Powers getting hit by a car at the corner of Water St. & Mountain Ave.........finding the gear handle to raise the dam stops on the muscenetcong at beattys mill AND ACTUALLY DOING IT!!!! boy was the fishing better that spring...Mr. Schiavones Step-son Art Guarino was a fishing buddy.....RIP buddy..miss ya......this forum is great , brings back a flood of memories......
the bowling alley at the bottom of hackettstown mountain burned down in the early sixties...they always promised to rebuild...there or move to the top of the mountain...it never happened...so now its a park and ride...the more things change the more they stay the same
Proudtiger,
My younger brother was Arthur's best friend & when he was hit by that car, my brother went into a deep depression. That poor kid was only 12 & Mrs. S ,because she had MS really relied on him. Aurthur had to assemble the bikes & string the tennis rackets for his foster dad....he did it without ever bitchin & was such a joyful & well behaved little kid....YES Rest in peace.
Arthur was a classmate of my younger sister and I remember that horrible accident very well. And I remember 8/26/77 all too well.......siblings of several friends were lost that day. I still have the newspaper clippings. Then of course, two significant fires in town: Williams and Hilber and the Main St. Fire that displaced the Farrells from above the bakery among others. The Christmas tree on an island on Grand Avenue near the Post Office. Sledding down Cook St during a snowstorm. Playing kickball in the street (not too many cars around!!) WALKING (OMG) to school in any weather. Hackettstown was a great place to grow up in.
JJ Newberries was my favorite place to shop when I was a child. The counter's contents were pretty impressive when I could just see over the top of them. My most memorable present was Blue Waltz" perfume which I pruchased for my mom when I was about 7 or 8. I loved the aroma and the heart-shaped bottle. As a young adult I was surprised to see that Newberries still sold it.
When I was a teenager my favorite winter retail spot was the Cottage. Hot chocolate. In the late 50s it was owned and operated by the Wacker family.
How about the fish tanks downstairs at Tank Town , the rope swing over the Musconetcong river at the bend near the tennis courts,the tank near the Lackawawanna railroad that contained plastic that we would toss araound, the steep short cut down to the RR tracks behind St. Marys school ,Kneckel Fords show room as you walked home from school, the fire station birch beer after the Memorial Day parade, the sound of deer hunting around Buck Hill on opening day, the ski shop across from Mc Donalds, getting out of class at HHS because of bomb scares, the Dixie Kidds marching band from the elementary school, the stocked Trout Brook at Main St.,Hess Station madness during gas rationing according to license plates,the funky ponds behing the old Lackawanna leather factory, the wooden floors of the hardware store on Main St., the ever present owners of Dad and Lad , being forced to get new clothes at Leonards, Rockaway sales when they had a great fishing department, buying truck tubes at the old Sinclair gas station, and on and on
I've been trying to remember the name of a store at Hackettstown Mall back in the early 80"s. It was across from the Rite Aid, an early " dollar store type" that sold all kinds of odds and ends. Any ideas?
anniebananie 
i dint know who you are Bob R....but i must have grown up with you...heres a shot of the old Hackettstown railroad yard...where they parked and unloaded the cars full of plastic pellets...
I think one of my very favorite memories of growing up in Hackettstown was being sent to the Hardware Store to pick up something for my Dad.....the creaky floors and the smells.....and all the different things to look at! Nothing like it anywhere else!! (Thanks Mr. Novak! :)
to waybill ; I will provide a few hints . Were you a graduate of HHS near 1975 ? I have the same last name of a Middle School teacher (at my time , there was only one school unless you counted fifth grade class over at the Community Center on main street - because of overcrowding) who taught over 30 years and always sixth grade... and have an older brother who set the HHS high hurdle record of 15.4 seconds (back when everything was in yards)....the quarterback of our senior team at HHS lived over Cavanaughs at one time and I was the starting fullback.
what were those pellets for ? and thank you for the cool railroad picture....
Bob i know who you are...i grew up about 3 blocks from you...and i knew your brother and dad too...the picture i posted is the area where the plastic pellets were offloaded from the rail cars...the pellets were used by Cooke Color Chemical in manufacturing ...the plant later relocated to mansfield township...where they built a siding for direct offloading...the picture dates to 1969...i still remember all the piles of leaked plastic pellets all along the railroad tracks...the site in the picture is now Hackettstowns NJ transit passenger station...glad you liked the picture
waybill, I have to tell you that I can't get enough of your pictures. If you are ever inclined to stop posting them, please don't!
I've never been to the historical society's building. I'm guessing they have tons of photos like the ones you post here?
justintime Does the Erie Lackawanna Railroad still exist ? I remember the railraoad company offloading cars at Tickners spur. I recall that old train station , but I can not recall ever seeing it used. Bergen Tool also had a railroad spur. I believe that there was some type of switch on the tracks above M and Ms. What was the main cargo of the Erie Lackawanna that passed through town ?
Begin Again Finnigan 
the Erie Lackawanna was taken over by Conrail ...in the 1970s... Norfolk Southern later bought the railroad line through Hackettstown...there is only a single track through Hackettstown now with a short siding near stiger street...Hackettstown does now have limited passenger service...thanks to NJ transit...M&M Mars still gets freight delivered from a private siding...but the railroad yard as you remember it has long since been removed...Bergen Tool is closed...Hiblers lumber sold out and is now owned by a new company...Hackettstown still sees two freight trains a day...they just pass through headed west... at times a string of cars will be left for pickup near stiger street...towards Mansfield and Washington...NJ Transit...has more traffic on the Hackettstown line than any freight traffic...the original Hackettstown Railroad station was torn down in the early 70s...
waybill and begin after finnigan....nice to hear from friends and neighbors....I miss it up there.....I have been in Phila now near 30 years...Bob Rotermund(use to live on East Valley View)......I enjoy reading about the past and history of H Town and area. Quite a book about H Town could be put together with the information brought forward on this site.
Finnigan, If you read the hints he gave a few posts, up, it's "Bob R." His father taught 6th grade forever in the Middle School, that totally gives it away. I know who you are, Bob. you were a senior when I was a junior, we were on the same football team, coached, by "Sass", "Seniore" and "Marty O".
Mr. Rotermund was one of my favorite teachers in all the years of school in Hackettstown. :)
Bob...here is a comparison picture...looking east from stiger street...of the former Hackettstown Railroad yard...and the new NJ Transit station...as you can see just about everything has changed...just behind the train is the parking lot of the NJ Transit station...the station in no way resembles the old Hackettstown station...heres a few names you might remember from the old neighborhood...Skinner...Sharpe...DiRenzo...Len Mooney...
Thanks LV for kind words about Dad. Bill , I remember the well manicured Mooney house on Valley View. Tom Sharpe was a friend , kept in touch up until about when he went into the Air Force years ago.The family had that corner property towards Trout Brook. Bill Skinner was a good friend of my brothers. Didn't Skinner own the old ARCO gas station on Main Street for awhile ? Nice to hear from you Deviljet; I guess we shared some good times at old Morrison's Field. They tore down our club house. I guess you were also running in the Musconetcong River at the sand bar during our double sessions.
The train history is fascinating. I forgot about the Hibler lumber yard railroad spur. My family actually owns a Lionell Erie Lackawanna engine set. Another subject of underdiscussed history of H Town is everything surrounding the Morris Canal. Up towards the hill range behind the Lutheran Church, if you look closely, you can see the old canal bed. We use to try to ice skate in the bed.
This post has been going on for over a year - great stuff! By now I've figured out who most of you are.
One post not directly answered - at one time my great aunt ran that Candy Store on Liberty Street where Kirdziks now live - Mid to Late 60's I guess. That was before the Fortune teller (Gynia?)I remember 'Christines' Family's belongings carried over to my Aunt's Lawn during the W&H fire - plus the melted car behind those houses.
Interesting item - if you drove by the Kof C this past week or so with the siding being removed it looked like it did in the 60's - like an old Church (except the windows are boarded up) covered with Tar paper shingles. I also remember when A lot of houses on that street had that same type of siding. Many a hot summer night spent on the porches of Liberty Street, with plenty of people walking up and down just to chat. Really not that long ago at all...
Lots of really good memories in this thread.
Bob heres an old time shot of the Morris Canal when it was still in operation...many local people from Hackettstown...were either maintenance workers on the canal or some work as boat crews on the canal...there was even a canal boat captain from Hackettstown... Sharpie...and the Skinners still live nearby Hackettstown...ps this picture of a canal boats was taken near north main street...at the foot of Buck Hill
Waybill -
Where did you get such great pictures? you should get your own website! Love to see more...
Bob -
The field to the right of Waybills canal picture would now be the dead ends of 2nd/3rd/4th St, I believe...Am I right Waybill?
yes McFly you are right...heres a better shot of the same site...my interest in the Morris Canal...dates to my childhood...reading the books that the late James Lee wrote about the canal...only got me more interested...getting to meet and chat with James Lee...was great... he was a fascinating gentleman...to talk to...there are so many old and interesting stories about the canal...
I have very fond memories of Hackettstown from when I was a child. When I was a young teen there were certain shops and stores we went to. Does anyone remember the following shops. Allen's Hardware; The Cottage (great malts); Hagaman's Shell Station; The barber shop (which still had a working pot belly stove ) around the corner from the Clarenden Inn where Chef Willi Putz reigned supreme; Peoples National Bank; and the bakery run by two german women with hot, fresh cheese bread and fresh rye (w/o seeds if you please). Anyone care to guess when all this was? Is Carvel still there?
buddlake1 from what you say...my guess is your memories date to the late 50s early 60s...i dont remember Allen hardware...in my time it may have been Hackettstown hardware...my dad was a customer of Hagamans shell...its still a shell station...but ed hagaman left many years ago...ed hagaman is still living near hackettstown...the barbershop you speak of had to be Lockards...next to the Flock building...The Putz brothers were probably the last people to run the Clarendon right and make money off of it...Peoples National bank closed and moved by stiger street...now Bank of America...i dont remember Carvel...but a new Carvel...opened on stiger street...and has already closed...the only bakery i knew from then was Farrells bakery...and they had very good baked goods...
Waybill, you are pretty close in the era. We had a summer home in Budd Lake and also went there in the winter as well. The time period was 1944 to 1964. I moved in 1962 to Alabama and we sold our home in Budd Lake in 1964. I brought my wife to Hackettstown several times in the 1970's and she loved it. Just good memories.
Now you have me thinking about the small sandy beach and swimming at Budd Lake near the smorgasbord(sp) restaurant just off route 46. Does anyone recall that German Restaurant on the corner across from the lake ? It later reopened as a Chinese Restaurant. What is it now ? Is Budd Lake still known for its good Pike fishing ?
I remember years ago trying to find the beginning section of the Raritan River at the lake. Mountain Lake , Budd Lake , Cranberry Lake, Swartswood Lake.....you have some real treasures in your backyard! Warren/Sussex County( I know Budd is in Morris) are very unfamiliar to everyone in the Phila area. The Poconos is the destination, but not many venture into NW New Jersey from Southeast Pa.
bob...the german restaurant you mention was the HOF BRAU...that closed...and the chinese restaurant is still there to this day...the part of the raritan river you mention flows out of the west end of budd lake...it meets up with several tributaries and later flows through long valley...making its way to the main raritan river...yes we know about the lakes you mention...and they are treasures...but you have left out some very nice lakes known only to locals...who remembers when some prankster dumped dead sharks into Budd Lake...and everybody was scared to swim there ...this happened back in the 70s...
Budd Lake was (supposedly) the head waters of the Raritan. When we turned right off Rt 46 from NYC, we first crossed a small bridge under which flowed the waters of the lake on their way to the river. Immediately after crossing the bridge we were on Manor House Rd. We lived on Babs Rd (now Place?) which was one street below Manor House just off Sand Shore. just below our street there was Jack Sartoris' farm and huge concrete barn. I was good friens with his son Lee.
I forgot to add that the "Wigwam" was on 46 near the Municipal Building, and our beach was on the North side of the lake near what is now a preserve.
I don`t know if it`s mentioned anywhere on this thread but does anyone remember the little mt.bethel ski area,late 60`s or early 70`s.
http://www.nelsap.org/nj/bethel.html
Ice fishing and ice boating are two vivid memories I have of Budd Lake. I tried ice fishing once, got way too cold, and decided to leave it to my dad and his friends. I wondered how fast the iceboats were going as they skimmed along. My dad said sitting so close to the ice made the speed seem even faster to the iceboater. I did iceskate on the area in front of the municipal building. It was a large enough area to allow quite a few skaters at once.
i remember Mt bethel ski area very well...i drive by the closed ski area quite often...the building for the cable lift is still there...the actual slope is very overgrown...the place is right near the old church at the intersection of snyder road and mt bethel road...one more bit of trivia...the ski lift was powered by model T ford engines...at the bottom of the slope was a lodge where they had hot chocolate and food...that place has been closed for many years
My brother and I skied (sp?) at the Mt Bethel ski hill many years ago. I remember that the Ski Patrol was there to help us. That darn rope tow stopped and started without warning and today I have shoulder problems because it jerked so hard when it started once. Everytime I see the A frame building on Mt Bethel road I remember the good times we had and how my father used to wait at the rope tow for us to quit to go home.
i recently pulled this old bit of advertising out...how many Hackettstown forum readers...actually attended movies at the Strand Theatre...
We always went to the Strand as kids. We lived close by and could walk.....and then, went it went to $1!!!! Whoa!!!!
Saw my first movie at the Strand and was there for the last. We were very sad that they stopped doing movies there. I know there was an organization looking to restore it and maybe start it up again. That would be "COOL"!
So, in 1924 it changed from Strand to United. I wonder when it was renamed Strand. I enjoyed movies there from 1948 to the early '60s. Everything from Disney to Westerns to romances. My most memorable was after Psycho, walking down Main St. to a very dark parking lot behind a bank. Millie
i am only glad to have this little advertising card...back in the 1980s...i was helping renovate an old house in Hackettstown...i found a huge pile of old Strand theatre movie programs stuffed in the walls of the house...dating all the way back to the early 1920s...they were all in nice shape...i wanted to keep them...but they disappeared...
on the saturday after noom movie at the strand for the kids they would have a clown or magic show sometimes be for the movie when i was a kid . then i remember taken a woumder full date or to the show
Didn't they have a real curtain that opened and closed ? After the movies I recall leaving from the back of the Strand. Real classic old theatre. Remember seeing Earthquake at the theatre(in70s). My father was manager there for awhile as a summer gig. Later I saw that they offered piano lessons.
The Hackettstown Mall theatre could not compare with this gem.
Re: The Strand...I can remember my parents making my older brother take me to the
Strand many Saturday afternoons to see cartoons and those to be continued 'cliff hangers'.
My favorite was when they had The Blob or The Mummy there and someone started a
rumor that certain seats were rigged to give a shock at certain parts of the movie. We watched the audience most of the time to see who was going to get shocked.
They are fond memories for me, but I'm guessing not so for my brother! I O U, brother,
if you are reading this...
Spring Fever Need the name of the chocolatier, who was only open on the holidays off of Route 46. Believe it was french/austrian and the gentlemen worked for M&M.
Jennifer the name of the of the chocolate store you asked about was Susan Anthony Chocolates... by my memory... . and the store was on russling road behind where the present warren county library is... one or both of them worked at M&M Mars...they ran the chocolate shop until they retired...many years ago
billme Marcell Antoine (not sure of the spelling). I don't remember his wife's first name. They were from Belguim and he was a chemist at M&M. They were good friends of my grandmother's. If I remember correctly he was only open at Christmas and Easter. Every year he had a diffferent large chocolate display, which he created by hand. The shop was on Rusling Road, just up from Best's.
Spring brings people out for Sunday drives in the country. In 1954(?) cars, which had been mostly black, gray, and dark blue, suddenly went "technicolor". My dad got his gas at Foster's rt. 46 gas station and would sometimes stay a while to chat while we waited in the car. It gave a good view of the cars streaming down Hackettstown/Budd Lake Hill. Turquoise blues, light blues, yellow, green, cream and mixtures of colors.
I dont know how many remember when 46 was the only way to the poconos there was no I 80 and the back up on the mountain friday nights and saturday mornings
C.A.,Oh how well I remember those days and a little farther back before the Budd Lake hill down track was built. Whats now the east bound lane was two way traffic.
the late Bill Foster was a friend of my dad... we always stopped for gas at his station on the way out of town...my dad always had time to talk to Bill...and if we were lucky dad would buy us a bottle of soda or a real treat... a Yoo Hoo ...not long before Clarence Tynan passed away...i had some time to talk with him...and we discussed Bill...and how many gas stations have come and gone in the Hackettstown area...its just good to see that Bills old gas station has been preserved...and not demolished like so many old buildings in the area...and yes i remember all the nice colors the cars were painted back then...here is a memory...
I do remember the bumper-to-bumper, stopped -for -miles traffic. We lived on Mine Hill Road. One holiday weekend we could not exit onto rt. 46 to get to town. The traffic was backed way up Budd Lake/Hackettstown Hill. My dad gave up, drove to the top of Mine Hill Road, went down Steven's State Park Road, to Waterloo Rd. to Willow Grove St. and into town. Usually we just stayed home on busy weekends.
Millie, is the Volkswagon bus still in your family?
I too, remember the long.............lines of traffic!
I was out there with the buckets for the hospital fund raising on the bridge!!!!
I miss the old park road was fun to drive up and down in my 4x4 there was a old wrecked car that went over the edge
the old park road was cool...but people dumped garbage there...even when we out to the Indian Fields...people dumped garbage there...i believe that the old park road has been closed...for years...even when approaching Hackettstown from the west in those days we had to use water street and petersburg road... and mt rascal rd...rt 46 was always jammed in the days before rt 80
Billme, Thank you for the gorgeous, period-piece Chevy ad. One of the other color combinations I still recall was black, cream and rose. (55 Dodge) At age 13, it reminded me of neopolitan ice-cream colors.
heres another great old Chevy ad...this is back when they wiped your windows and checked the oil...gas stations still had air pumps...and a mechanic on duty...
Pre-route 80 , Al Kings use to be a favorite haunt to grab a steak sandwich and A -Treat soda and watch the Thunderbirds and Mustangs in traffic jams. It was always a welcome spot after comming back from helping my Dad at Camp Warren near Hope in Warren County. I think the owners just had to cross the street from up the hill. Not too many independent stands like that around anymore. Herbies was another great stop near the Paulinskill.
I am glad to find this h-town fourum. reading most of it has given new light to long ago days. Some of the posts I find foggy, while others are clear as the day is long. I found this post by searching the name of Tom Cain. I dont no why but I just did a search and this post came up.
I remember Tom Cain when I was a young boy. Tom was a old man that was allways seen pushing a lawn mower. I and my brothers and sisters were told by my parents that Tom lost his wife do to sicness. After that he quit his teaching job, and started mowing lawns. WE as kids as kids are were very timmed of him at first, but as the years went on , we would say hello and he would repley, with a nod
Funny how we are afraid and then not so
We lived on fourth street, dont know what ever became of MR TOM CAIN
Tom Kane passed away many years ago...i still remember him mowing lawns along Prospect street...he always wore a long wool army coat...he lived in a small house on 5th street...he used to collect empty bottles and redeem them for money at the Acme...that was formerly on main street...he never talked much or socialized that i knew of...at best i would say i knew him in passing...all the years that i lived near him...i might have said Hi to him...thats all...i have no idea if he had any family...
xma I had no idea of his name nor that he was a teacher. I certainly remember him mowing lawns around East Valley View Ave. , in particular Mrs. Ashman's lawn(with the mulberry tree). I recall that Tom kept his yard neat and house looking nice. As a youngster , I always wondered how he paid the bills by just mowing lawns in the neighborhood. I do not recall Tom using any truck to move equipment either. What a work ethic !!
seedoubleu...you are refering to sandstone...behind bergen tool...as children we spent hours out there playing...either baseball...riding bikes...or making forts in the woods...sandstone as well as the entire bergen tool complex is now closed and cordoned off...it turns out that the favorite place to play was a casting sand dump for the metal forging operations that american sawmill machinery and later bergen tool was undertaking...
drew I remember Tom Kane well, I lived near him on Fifth Street. A little strange, but he always kept to himself and didn't bother anyone....We also grew up playing in Sand Rock Hill. i remember one day Tom Kane was burning garbage in the woods there and ended up causing a pretty big brush fire!
Seedoubleu - were you a "Fourth Street Falcon" ?
I also played in the the sandstone mounds behind the Bergen Tool baseball field. I remember the sandstone being a dark color. It was fun trying to make different shapes out of the hardened sand. That area was also part of a trail extending from the RR tracks near the Catholic School over to Prospect st. Is the baseball field still there ? It was fun trying to hit over the left field fence.
Does anyone remember the part of Bergen Tool that they called the Kitchen ?(windows wide open)We use to walk right past it in that drainage swail across from the Shop rite.
Bob the place you refer to as the kitchen at bergen tool was on stiger street... { next to what we called the ditch}it was the old power plant that supplied steam power to the whole bergen tool plant ...the building is still there ...with most of the windows knocked out of it...the whole area is cordoned off because of a problem with the owners trying to sell the property... who remembers the old baseball field...that me and my brothers built and played on for years...right behind the main bergen tool plant just off of the end of stiger street...near Clarkes house...we had a blast there...playing baseball for hours at a time...heres is another picture of the old bergen tool...as it stands closed up...
oldman Wow....what a site. I was just looking around and found this. I am a 1960 graduate of HHS and all the names of the stores just bring back such great memories. Leo's where Don gave you a hose bath if you stayed to long on the porch (Guess Shirley put him up to it), Burks Bowling Alley where we played the pinball machine forever since someone drilled a hole in the side so we could get free games and setting pins there on the alley and getting paid 20 cents a game , the Cottage (my classmate Jeannie Wacker's parents owned it). The Central House (another classmate Mike Daugherty Father's place), Good old Dimiceli's Barber Shop (Senior Football players got one free hair cut). My mother worked at the Clarendon for years and boy the Putz's were tough to work for. Does anyone remember the youth center they had around near Dad & Lads (another classmate Jerry Koenig's father's place). I remember Kostenbaders, Foster & Lee, Knipers Studio, Jigger Shop, Tomaino's Barber Shop, Foster & Lee, Bach's Drug, Cavanaghs Bar, Tony's Shoe Repair (another classmate Marie Frontera's father's place). Back in the 50's & 60's you pretty much knew everyone. I always remember the great Memorial Day and Fourth of July parades and the celebrations we had behind the middle school when it was then the old High School. For anyone lucky enough to have lived in Hackettstown in the 50's and 60's it was a great time and what a great town to grow up in.
sharp0305...thanks for mentioning all the old stores and memories...i worked at Tonys Shoe Repair...Tony and Mary Frontera were very good friends of my family...years later after i had gone through school and was making a good living i ran into Tony at the Central House...we caught up on old times over a beer...and i bought him a beer to thank him for the important work lessons he taught me...ps who remembers when Dad and Lad had the 2-headed calf on display above their sales floor...or Mr Plate had nickels ...dimes and quarters glued to the floor in his jewelry store...
My family moved to Hackettstown in 1966. It was a great time, and I remember most of the places you mention, sharp. If you are still in the area, the Memorial Day Parade still happens and I dont miss it! You probably would recognize some of the marchers, especially in the Fire Department and Rescue Squad. I feel fortunate to have grown up there.
Develjet , I have never heard of the fouth street falcons. I was pretty young when our family moved. Although only a few blocks, in fact it seemed like miles. Please tell me about these FOURTH STREET FALCONS. My memories also include the horse barn, owened by the Young family, not there now, We used to explore inside looking for bats.
Also who remembers halloween at the Youngs , Cider and dounuts, the bear skin rug...............................WOW, what fun it was.
seedoubleu
oldman: I remember the calf in Dad and Lads,pretty cool wonder what ever happened to it??I went to school with their son Todd.
seedoubleu...you went to St Marys school at the same time i did...Sister Marcelline...Sister Antonelda { i was there for her 50th anniversary in convent}...Sister Louis Marie...that was a long time ago...Mrs Cunningham...Mrs Yarmie...Mrs Hubbard...thats what i remember
and the tunnel that went from SMS to the church ............ think we went down there for drills during the cuban missle crisis , not sure.
sharp0305, I was also in the class of 1960 and remember the names you mentioned. If you attended elementary school in Hackettstown, you might also enjoy the Forum's "Where did you go to elementary school" (last entry, July 8 '09).
i remember the Youngs very well...Earl was a builder...and the bus that he converted into a motor home...as for the cider and donuts...that was a Halloween tradition at the Youngs home...
oldman seedoubleu not a fourth streeter Deviljet definetly although he claims 5th street as his home.
sharp0305 - I love reading about the old days. I would have graduated HHS in 1960 - but we moved in the middle of 8th grade. You mentioned Jerry Koenig I remjember him do you know if he is still local or did he move away. I remember a lot of the names I see in this forum. It is fun thinking way back when.
The Fourth Street Falcons were a legendary baseball and basketball team comprised mainly of resident who lived on the section of Fourth Street between High and Stiger Streets. Yes Lost Towney, technically I lived on Fifth, BUT my back yard was on Fourth. We also had one Falcon who lived on Liberty Street, a short walk away across the railroad tracks. This was mainly a neighborhood of boys, but we tolerated two girls, "Leroy" and "Al"; if you're a Falcon, you know who I'm talking about. The Falcons used to play (and beat) other neighborhood teams, especially the Prospect Street gang, and the Bell's Lane crew. The field where Earl Young had his barn was our primary home field, M&M field was our alternate venue.....Good times growing up there! Most of the Falcons stil stay in touch and remain life long friends.
Fourt Street from High to Prospect at one time had families with mainly boys. They were all about a 7 year age group. Together they played sports against other section of town or formed teams. They played every sport imaginable and some they created. Those group of boys were known as the FOURTH STREET FALCONS. All have now moved away with only a few of their parents still residing in the original homes.
Fourth Street Falcons...i was part of the Prospect Street Gang...i remember all those old games...playing at the first Bergen field...and the New Bergen field as well as the field by Earl T Youngs horse barn...that was so many years ago...not many of the old prospect street gang are in touch
lost towney, who are you? Just leave your initials and I'll figure it out., since you know where I lived.
I am trying to remember if I ever played in these games, maybe for Prospect St. gang ?
Initial for Deviljet to ponder : Bob R.(East Valeey View)
Who remembers. { the jump) ? We rode our bikes as fast as we could, down second or third street off prospect st towards sandrock hill.? At the end of the road was an earth barrier to close the road. We rode as fast as we could, and flew those stingrays just as far as we could.I might add without adult supervision, not to mention helmits.
We got scratched, brusied and bumped, but also had a real good time. Whatever happend to kids having fun without a ball and chain ............
What ever we did was always fun. As are the memories............
Just found this site, wow what a trip down memory lane. Grew up in Allamuchy went to St Marys from 1959 to 1966 and HHS to 1968. Thank you all for all the mental reviews of a great childhood. We all truly grew up in a true Norman Rockwell town.
FunFred Our family raised chickens. My Dad would buy about 25 every couple of years. He ordered the baby chicks from Tickners'. When Tickners said they had arrived, we put newspapers on the dining room table, and waited for him to come back with the box. We could hear the peeping before the lid was lifted and the boxful of fuzzy yellow peeps were revealed. Quite an event for small children. The chicks then went to a special, warm coop outside. I remember Tickners as pleasant, sweetly smelling of hay and animal feed. (Purena horse feed even had molasses in it.) I first went there as a small child in the late 1940s or early 50s. I notice current adds for it on Hackettstown LIFE. It must be one of (the?) oldest businesses in town. Nice memories.
does anyone know the name of the store in the Hackettstown Mall, before it was K-Mart, at the end of the strip, had a lunch counter & room with tables
Regarding a very old post about Jack's Scizzor Wiz...I always like to see references to my family on here. Joe's Barber Shop was owned by Joseph Tomaino, my great grandfather. He sold it to the DiMicelli's, and moved down to where Jack's is now. Yes, Jack's son Scotty took over. My great uncles Hank, Charlie, and Speed worked there for years.
Reading all your posts is really great. Makes this great town come alive again with your memories. :)
DoriTomatoes I love the memory of the Memorial Day parade. The class of '65 will be in it this year and I'm sorry that I'm going to miss it.
seedoubleu...i remember the jump...at sandstone...i might even have set the record jump there...i hit the jump so fast that my bike flew into the air and wound up in a tree...and i got scratched up...after bergen field was built...they bulldozed the jump...so we built a better bike trail further back in sandstone...it lasted for years...i had to chuckle when my children ran their bikes on the sandstone bike trail...they came back and told me the trail was built by the Hells Angels...
Where was their a bowling alley on Hackettstown Mountain ? I am assuming H Mountain is what we called Buck Hill and that range . As a fun memory, who recalls the old Bests Fresh Produce store across the street from current location ? Was fun going up their hill and tagging our Christmas Tree. The apple cider and peaches from Bests is hard to match.
Is that old fresh produce market on the back road to Vienna still there ? I think it was called Kashs'/Cashs'. They had a small farm right on location and goats in the back.
Bob
as you go east 46 and start up the hill at turn a roumd by the park and ride lot there was a bowling alley
Anybody remember what year Jack Burke`s bowling alley next to the Moose lodge burned out????
Bob ...Bests moved back into their original stand...and the new building is now being converted into a library...Kashs is still a produce business on water street in Vienna right where you remember it...
I grew up on Fourth St. and was an original Fourth St. Falcon. I remember Tom cain very well, I also helped put out the brushfire that he started. Growing up in Hackettstown in the 60's and 70's was the best childhood ever. I would not have changed it for anything in the world. My father Teamer Applegate had a little deli store on main st. does anybody remember it?
An old business that has not been mentioned is Al Hopping's car repair close to the foot of Budd Lake /Hackettstown Hill (route 46). He made sure our cars were ready to go on vacation trips in the 1960s. It helps to know the car will keep running. Have a good Memorial Day 2010 weekend!
Marine 0441 : I well remember Appelgate`s little store. Didn`t your grandmother,Teamer`s mom,run the store when I was just a kid??Early -mid 50`s.
I am John Brooks Ferris, and I'm not Lost Towney...but my friend Liz Iacampo pointed this forum out, and I find it all fascinating. Funny how we learn abouth things, no? Like who knew my middle name? There are times I don't think about it....
johnferris i remember the store as Jack & Jill deli store...it has changed names many times since but is currently still there
Marine, I remember your dad, Teamer. he used to ask me (where am I sitting) He was a great guy. He used to coach county football When I was real young I remember him eating raw oinions, I also think I remember your grandfather, he had an old baracuda, big back window, white I think, Along time ago,,,,,,, Do you remember the Stecklers, How bout Lukey C.
you are correct, Hackettstown was a great place to grow up, Fourth street was the best, sorry we moved, glad to have memories..................
Who remembers A Jonney 7 OMA Rifle? Melting crayons on forth st. All bet some of you do.
Any one know how to contact Bill Skinner or someone in his family looking for pics of his race cars to post on the racers edge
And any other local racers
Does anyone remember the date of the terrible bus accident on Route 46 coming down
Hackettstown Mountain from Budd Lake direction? It was right on the short cut
to Mine Hill Road/ Drakestown Rd. and a bus flipped over the guardrails in the middle of
the night. The topic came up in a discussion with Hackettstown friends and no one could remember the year...just that it was in the Summer and in the 60's. I thought someone on this forum thread could help us out....Thanks
spring fever Seedoubleu, I think I've figured you out; you lived on Fourth Street, you remember Tom Kane, Sandrock Hill, Young's field, everything we did, BUT you were not a Falcon because you moved away a few blocks. Sharp Street perhaps? And you attended St. Mary's; first name Carl?......Marine, we still need to identify Lost towney!
I seem to remember that bus accident....we moved to Hack. in 1966 so it would have been after that.....unless I just remember hearing about it. Was it before or after the Williams and Hibler fire (1968) ??
Williams and Hibler Fire was 1970. We rented the house from the company that went down with the fire.
I believe the bus accident was before that. I vaguely remmeber it.
the bus accident was in the 60s...the Hackettstown Gazette ran a whole story with pictures...i remember seeing the picture of the wrecked bus off the road down the side of the hill...Hackettstown mountain was famed for the many accidents that happened there...its one of the reasons the concrete pavement was eventually grooved
Accident was May 1967. We moved to H'town the next year and I recall my father expressing his concern about the 46 hill often because he used it daily to travel to the arsenal.
Does anyone remember the bar that used to be at the northwest corner of Moore and Main. As a kid first in town it was there - then it was torn down as I recall. But I remember my first grade teacher's son being killed by a bus there.
Devilmet and Gomer, people use a user name to be anonamous. To use a made up name and then say your Dad's nickname kind of defeates the purpose. People some times comment on controversal and political subjects on this forum. If you figure things it, keep it to yourself, that way no ones family or friends are hurt. I apologize to seedouble you. He was a fourth streeter, but di move away before the Falcons heyday.
If you really need to figure things out keep it to yourself or make a phone call you know me I know you.
Cunninghams bar...Bill Cunningham owned that place...he also owned the bar/luncheonette...across the street from the Saxton Falls swimming hole...who remembers Mick and Hedys...they had a luncheonette on high street...then it moved up near Leos...
I remember Mick and Hedys when it was near Leos! Funny I got lost coming home from kindergarden and the crossing guard put me in there til my parents came. LOL!! FYI She is still a crossing guard in town.!!
Oh wow, I didn't remember what was on that corner before the gazebo....pictures, anyone?(waybill??) Which teacher lost a son there?? When was that building torn down?
DevilJet, I figured out who Seedoubleu is. Because people dont want to give up their identity, I will give up a clue. They lived in a yellow house, their were 3 boys and a girl. They were there the first time I lived on Fourth St. They then moved away.
lost towney, you obviosly know me very well. Why being so secret about a great childhood. And I am not gomer, and take great offense to that. If you know me so well, what was my nickname?
Cavanaugh's Bar & Grill
was a great place to hang at any one know were they are to day there was a bar tender there i cant remember her and wounder where cavanaughs daughter is to day
lost towny- tell me who "Al and Leroy" where- seeing that you know so much about the Fourth St. Falcons.
the first deli that my dad had was not Jack&Jill. It was further down on Main St. next to the original Leos on one side, and on the other side was the Esso gas station. We used to live upstairs. I myself dont remember the name of the deli. I was only about 5 at the time. But I do remember working the store with him.
i played football with Bill Cavanaugh...and i worked with Jo Ann Cavanaugh...i have not seen or heard of either of them for many years
here is an aerial view of Hackettstown from the 1960s...if you lived in Hackettstown then... you might be able to pick out the home you lived in
there was a laundramat in a building that extended along willow grove street...to main street...and next to it the original Hackettstown DAIRY QUEEN
Drew
Thank you It has been way to long since I seen Jo Ann a bunch of others used to hang out together Jean and Jill Burk and a couple of others
Cavanaugh's was a great town bar just remembered shirley worked there tended bar
any one here been there
Drew, Wonderful picture of Hackettstown from the '60s. In 1990, I visited town after living in the Western US for many years. I noticed work was being been done in the graveyard opposite the Presbyterian Chuch. A very gracious lady explained that after long being ignored, the cemetary was being restored. I was surprised to see how many tombstones were from before the American Revolution. That and some sidewalks that were still slate, made me realize how much I had taken Hackettstown's long history for granted as I grew up.
i have not seen the Burk twins in years...i went to school with them...remember when their dad had a welding shop in his garage
my great-grandfather had a house on Main St. that was taken down just so they could put in the Hess gas station.
Bill Cavanaugh was the quarterback for most of our senior season. I am guessing Drew that we may have been on that same team. Cavanaughs was the place to when the drinkin age was 18 and you wanted to meet your friends and stay in town.
Loved the pre-hurricane breezes in the days before air conditioning and post-hurricane tubing the swollen Musconetcong from Stevens State Park on down; the "Dusty Road" (shaved malt) sundaes at the Derribar; fireworks and ice skating at "Ort's pond;" Centenary girls in their white blazers at the "Cottage" when Centenary was the "College for Women;" the smell of spring lilacs presaging summer vacations; Saturday matinees at the Strand on Main St.; Seber girls teaching us all to swim at the Sandbar; the precious "library card" before many of us owned TV's much less computers; several bus accidents but thinking the one on West RTE 46 at Drakestown Rd. was 1963-64 timeframe. CE
Chay Enne Does anyone remember Petty's gas station on Rte. 46 next to the river? It had little cabins for rent, pretty typical for motels in the 1940s. A very pleasant young woman named Betty was the day-time attendant in the '50s. Pop Diehl tended the station at night. Late one evening a young man tried to hold up the station. Pop, who was in his 70s, had been a boxer. He disarmed the would-be robber and held him for the police.
Centenary girls were aaaa very nice girls but so lonely .when it was a all girls school He He .
OK on the sight where the House of The Good Shepherd stands to day was a small summer vaccation spot with a pool and bar and cold water flats so any one know about this place
Millie and Caged , I do remember both of those cottage areas. I guess that it was a cool spot along the Muscontecong pre-air conditiong . Good fishing and swimming nearby. There were cottages way in the back of the House of Good Shepherd. I recall a dam there and the water forming a large pool. Found some great painted turtles along the steep banks of the Musky just up from the dam. It is amazing how H Town had some relaxed "resort"(get away from the heat/fish/swim/tube) feel back in those days. I guess this was all coming to an end in the 60s. Must have been great in the 40s and 50s.
We lived down the street from the college on Moore Street and I recall my father and the other men enjoying the short-lived fad of streaking that caught on when it was an all-girls school.
i remember Pettys cabins under later ownership...the Loriqer family owned the place...and it was no longer a gas station...now it is a body shop...i know the cabins are still there...i do not know if they are for rent
I remember the pool and cabana at what is now the property of the House of
I remember the pool and cabana at what is now the property of the House of Good Shepherd. My family knew the care taker and we were allowed to use the facility when it wasn't being used by others.
Another fond memeory was the Hackettstown Football team's annual bonfire.
It was preceeded by a long line of Tiger fans linking hands and making a long chain winding through the the streets from the High School to the Sandbar field.
It was amazing that no one was ever hurt, that I know of, winding in and out of all the cars. The cheerleaders always led the way to the field. Great fun!
Drew, Thank you for the picture of the cabins. I had forgotten how beautiful the grounds and the stone river walls were. As to the pool and cabana further up the river where the House of the Good Shepherd now is, my memory is that they belonged to a well-to-do man whose last name was Sherman and who sold the property to the hospital. My memory may be incorrect. It was a treat to get to use that pool.
To this day as you drive out of town on 46 west the area has changed little Hackettstown being the last big town till you get to stroudsburg in pa now go back to the 50s 60s and there was no I-80 . I say take a drive and look at every thing as you go west to the poconos it was all geared to atract familys to eat rest and vacction amazeing how I-80 changed so many lifes
I'm sure many were inconvenienced by the building of I-80 not the least of which was the Mc Peak family across from the Derribar and Fosters at the bottom of the hill, the daughter was quoted as saying, "that is our land..they are building that on our land!" That might explain why the Mc Peaks probably felt very justified in riding their horses and wagon slowly down I-80 to get to wherever they were going...held up quite a bit of traffic too but I don't remember anyone saying anything or doing anything about it. I think they continued until the father passed. CE
In the mid to late 70's when Centenary was an all girls 2 years college, at least once a month the fire alarm was set off by a boy who was found in one of the rooms after hours. He was being kicked out and pulled the alarm while going out the door. Of course the police responded along with the all volunteer fire department and they had to check all the rooms to make sure they were empty, in the event there was a real fire. it was common to find local boys hiding in closets in dorm rooms , and usually at some level of undress rapped in a blanket.
Former HPD Patrolman MR Mc Peak
I have to say that I got to meet and chat with Mr Mc Peak in the lasts days of his life he was a very cool guy and when i was a kid we would stop on the sholder and watch him work his team of horses cuting or rakein the hay / up to the last fue weeks he had the need to grow things so we built him a standing garden so he did not have to bend down I have to say that when he pass on we in the hackettown area lost a bit of history
i never bothered with the Centenary girls...they were too uppity...i remember when they traveled around town wearing their white blazers...with the CCW logo on them...a group of them actually published a letter in the Hackettstown Gazette...expressing disdain for the local townspeople...i heard all the stories of local boys going to the college for the girls...but always stayed away from there...on another note here is the original gateway to the Poconos... way before rt 80...the Portland PA...covered bridge...the bridge was a vital artery to cross over from NJ to PA...to catch rt 611...into the heart of the Pocono Mountains...the bridge was destroyed in a flood in 1955
sconelady Remember when those fire alarms went off and half dressed boys were jumping out of windows? I also recall walking down Main St as a high schooler, and carloads of boys driving boy, yelling to me if I went to Centenary.....I understand the Pub up there was quite a draw for the locals as well as the boys from Lehigh and Lafayetter :) I used to be so impressed, as a young child, by the girls walking around town in their white emblemed jackets. I always wanted one of those!
How and why did Centenary become so famed as a college with an excellent equestrian program ? H Town area is not really known for that. Hunterdon County, Monmouth County, but not Warren.
Second grade teacher had one of those jackets - never forget it.
Also, college used to run a pre-school with an awsome set of park equipment. I didn't go but my little brother did. But any kids living on Moore Street knew to use the equipment after hours - particularly the merry-go-round.
re: Host diner on rt 57...i remember a diner that was on rt 57...on the spot that Tonys Luncheonette...now occupies....it was a stainless steel diner...it was open when the Tri-County fair was still held...on the site of where the current Weis Market stands...the diner later closed and was moved to the top of Hackettstown Mtn...right where the A&P now stands...after that i have no idea where the diner went
My youngest sister went to preschool there as well - they had an awesome program. As to the history of the college, I looked on their website and their is no explanation to answer your question, Bob, I can theorize and wonder if the equestrian studies were to attract the daughters of the upper class who were there for "finishing" - weren't they the student population at one time? I do recall that Perry Como's daughter went to school there....but interestingly, which I did not know, is that the college was originally a Methodist institution. Eleanor Roosevelt spoke there in 1950!!
This has been alot of fun to read. My Mother Shirley Kostenbader owned the Liquor Store. Rusty the Irish Setter who has been discussed in many of the posts was our dog. We lived in the apartment above the store so the main street was my front yard! Growing up there was so great. We are all so lucky to have had this wonderful town for our childhood memories. As a small child we lived on 4th street next to the barn with the horses Pal and Dusty. My family moved to Florida in the early 80's and I have been back several times over the years. It is depressing to see the that the building my Grandfather built for the store is now a Domino's Pizza. Oh well...Thanks to everyone for all the memories!
Linda Grace Hoffman Linda Grace Hoffman Hi and welcome to the forum I was sad when Kostenbader's closed and yes the Domino's Pizza is depressing to see there , so did you grad HHS
Your Mom was a great lady. Rusty used to come to our house to visit our dog, who wanted nothing to do with him! We were disappointed...... would have loved Rusty puppies!!!
OK - I am going to date myself BIG TIME. But who remembers that there was a Dairy Queen where the Hess Station now is? Right across from David's Country Inn.
Rusty was our street dog. We lived on Liberty St and he use to sneak out and play with us! I also remember my Dad sending me to the store for his beer and cigs with no querstions asked.
My Dad used to do that too! He would call ahead, tell Mrs. K. what he wanted, and send me down. But she knew darn well I wasn't drinking it!!!
That was a great Dairy Queen, you could walk to it from anywhere.
How about "Almandingers" (spelling please)?
What was the name of the tackle shop by Saxton Falls?
Does anyone remember the name of the circus that used to come to town every year - I think it was usually in August. They used to set up the tents in a large field over by Kevil Chevrolet and near M&M Mars.
That used to be the highlite of our Summer - going every night for two or three nights to the circus, getting cotton candy and peaunuts - amazed at what a mess an elephant can make, the barrel of snakes that would be deposited into the ring. (Of course today - living in the South - I can get cotton candy and roasted peanuts in any store in any town year round).
the name of the circus was Cole Bros...i remember them setting up on M&Ms field...Almandingers owned the Cozy Corner Deli...they had candy... newspapers... soda and fresh cold cuts and meat...i still remember them sitting down for a break on sunday afternoon...Mr Almandinger would have his butchers apron on...Warren DeNee owned the tackle shop near Saxtons Falls...he was a family friend...the Dairy Queen on main street closed in the late 60s or early 70s...ps when the circus left town people used to haul away the elephant manure to use on their gardens...heres a nice shot of Saxton Falls...from the time when you could still swim there
Theresa Como was in my CCW class. She was so "normal" I could only admire her parents for the job that they did. Some there were "uppity" but many were just really nice and I found that some of those I thought unapproachable were actually shy. "Kostenbaders" was such a frequently mentioned name in town back in those days. It is nice to finally know the people who lived it (that includes Rusty who sounds more human in dog's clothing).
Definitely old enough to remember the Dairy Queen being across from David's Country Inn aka "The Warren House." How about Muhlbauer's butcher shop down around the same area somewhere? CE
while the retail trivia forum has been discussing Kostenbaders Liquor store...we still have some of these old church keys around the house...Linda i went to school in the same grade as you...and graduated HHS with you...enough said...nice to hear you are well
oldman - Did they renumber the street there? If not, then that's not where Domino's is. It would be the new Panadaria/Hackettstown Chinese building. Domino's/Cozy Corner looks like it was an addition on to the older building next door.
GC...Dominoes...is located where the former Kostenbaders Beverages...was...and Cozy Corner is a recent transplant...the Original Cozy Corner was located on Willow Grove street diagonally across from the hospital...the business still exists under a different name...i cannot explain the address difference...the buildings have not changed...the Dominoes/Cozy Corner building is separate and distinct from the larger building next door...there is a very narrow alleyway that runs between the two buildings
oldman, if you graduated with me in 1976 at HHS then why do you call yourself oldman??? Youngman would be better! Any other hints as to who you are? I also would like to clear up some urban legends about Rusty. Yes he was a great dog and was quite the romeo around town. My apology to any families who had to guard their female dog who was in heat because I know Rusty kept his vigil outside your door! However, when it was time to take the money to the bank for a deposit, we did not just hang the bag around his neck and send him down the block and across Main to the bank. He carried the bag in his mouth and was on a leash with the employee from the Liquor store, usually Boogy Beers. At the bank he would jump up with his front legs and let the teller take the bag. I think there was always some kind of treat waiting behind the counter. Then he would carry the bag back to Kostenbaders with the doposit slips. Another time during the night he alerted my Mom when he heard someone breaking into the store. He also figured out how to open two doors to let himself out of our apartment upstairs...yes he was quite the dog!
Linda Grace Hoffman
76 HHS . So you know the Burks that lived across the back parking lot, nice family, that house is gone now too, and we all loved rusty we just knew who was leading it was rusty ,
Lind...oldman/youngman...thats a matter of opinion...i remember your mother Shirley quite well...also Rusty the dog...Bogie Beers...too...i was friends and went to school with Jean and Jill Burk from kindergarten...my dad was friends with their father Harrie Burk ...remember the welding shop he had in the barn behind the house...i also knew the Farrells from the bakery...went to school with Jocelin { correct my spelling}...i still live just outside of Hackettstown with my family...enough said...
by the way...where the heck are Jean and Jill Burk...they dont seem to participate in this forum...ps...Linda...you must remember Helens Toyland...that was just across the street from the beverage store...when i had money i bought kites and glider kits there...enough
I believe the Burk twins, and sisters Geri and Vicky all live in Mt LAKES? Yes we all grew up together. My aunt lived on Liberty ST next to Hiblers Lumber and since I had no backyard (only a parkinglot) I spent alot of time playing in her yard and swimming in the Burks pool! Oh Yea Helens Toyland was a place I spent alot of time in. Also I worked for Harry Cohens when he moved across the street but I seem to remember when Cohens first came to town his store was either in where Helens toyland was or next to that. Eventually that store became a dog grooming business. Also fond memories of Al Kings and Johnnys Hotdog. Anyone else hang out at Kleese? the bar up on 46...John was the bartender? My first Taylor Pork Roll was from Stewerts Rootbeer. My first time eating Perogies was while skiing at Mt Bethel ski area, loved to ski so spent alot of time there in the winters. People here in the south never heard of PorkRoll!
the name of the circus was the Hoxie brothers circus. As kids we used to go help them set up when they came into town. In return, they gave us all free passes to get into the big show.
Linda, which house did you live in for a while on 4th st.? I grew up on 4thst. only 3 houses away from Dusty and Pal. We moved there in 1966. My mom still lives in the same house. I knew you from the licquor store, but I dont remember you from fourth st. I was seven years old in 1966.
We lived in the house right next to Pal and Dusty I was only 2 when we moved away in 1959.
Linda...i went to Klees and Al Kings also...still make trip now and then to hot Dog Johnnies...i remember Mt Bethel Ski area also...that place closed and is very overgrown...you would never know it was a ski area...on the other hand...some very industrious folks from Hackettstown did start a business to ship pork roll to people from New Jersey who miss it...it was called Pork Roll Express...they recently closed down...
The pork roll business belonged to my old friend Donna Beers, she just moved to Colorado!
This is so cool , stuff back in the days ,old freinds find each other , as we talk about the area , Al Kings was a good place. My dad and I would stop there on our way home from all day out on the soda route. My Dad owned the Brook Dale soda distributership in Great meadows and Belvidere. and later on he added a snack line Groff potatoe chips and Bensel pretzels back then they came in tins .
on the street in Htown where i grew up...we had Hoffmans beverages delivered door to door...Dugans had milk... cheese and baked goods...Charles Chips delivered to your home...Welsh Farms delivered...milk cheese...cheesecakes and all manner of dairy goods... and dont forget Jimmy The Fish...with his fresh fish...not that we bought all those things...but we got the sales pitch...the one i miss the most...and who had perfected home delivery was Welsh Farms Dairy in Long Valley NJ...they perfected home delivery ...long before internet shopping became popular...you could order dairy products at nite ...on your computer...and have them delivered the next day... and the milk and products very high quality...we did not bother with the Fuller Brush man...and assorted aluminum siding salesmen...who pestered you...not to mention...Encyclopedia salesmen
Charles Chips potato chips were the best......don't seem to be able to find anything close these days...I think we found an old Welsh Farms milk box in the house when we cleaned out....and we did have a full set of World Book Encyclopedia, used in the days before GOOGLE. i love this post, reminds me of simpler times.
Oldman, intrigued by the picture, where is Buck Hill now? I didn't move up here until the late 70's
Bessie Buck Hill ...is still where you last saw it...on the north end of Hackettstown...it is very well known for the lighted cross and star during Easter and Christmas.. Christian holidays...the Stanowicz family built a home on top of the mountain...and the holiday lights have shown down on Hackettstown ever since...i grew up in the shadow of Buck Hill
Bessie, Buck Hill is the location of the Star at Christmas, and the Cross at Easter. I am not the best with direction, but I would say it is in the north part of town?
a little history...Buck Hill was originally called Malvern hill...but civil war veterans who returned to Hackettstown remarked how much it resembled a hill they had seen during the war...they started calling Malvern hill...Buck Hill...and it caught on...there is also an old story of an indian chief being buried somewhere on the hill...Buck Hill is located in north Hackettstown...if you leave Hackettstown on North Main street...you are climbing the base of Buck Hill...here is an old view of Buck Hill
yes many of those old homes and buildings are still there...and lived in and being taken care of
My mom used to work at Al Kings. I was only about 4 or 5 years old at the time, but I have vivid memories of hanging out there with my mom, eating hamburgers and drinking soda probably for about 50 cents. Man I love this site.
Linda, I know which house you used to live in on 4th St. As a matter of fact, the people who moved in there after you guys moved away, still live there. Alot of the same families still live there from the early sixties. It was a fantastic neighborhood to grow up on.
heres some more trivia...Al King...was a professional boxer...he fought some big name boxers...then he opened up his fast food stand...he owned other businesses also...Al also owned an early Corvette...either a 53 0r 54 ...when i worked at a local gas station...people always asked about the old guy and his Corvette...and it was kind of a local legend that some where in the north part of Hackettstown that an old Corvette was hidden away in a garage...in mint condition...people used to ask all the time...when i worked at the gas station...i still remember Al driving his old Corvette...i have no idea what ever happened to the car
Oldman - you've got the Buck Hill story Backwards.
It was Buck Hill and the Civil War Vets thought it looked like Malvern Hill and renamed it. But it never stuck and eventually reverted back to just Buck Hill.
Anyone remember drinking beer out along the canal at the base of Buck Hill before they built West Valley View Woods? Police would almost never come way out there, and if they did you scattered into the woods and popped out on Grand Ave. Carrying the keg down that towpath was a chore though.
i was out there drinking beer...but we knew how far to go out so the Police would not bother us...at the time we used to hang out at the strawberry field...watching dirt bikers like Tom Seville ride there...i also knew Binky Buell...he used to come back to our campsite and have a beer...i helped Binky wet sand and work on his 30 Model A coupe...he also taught me how to work on Ford flathead V-8s... Binky lived in the last house closest to the strawberry field...this was back in the mid-seventies...who remembers the parties at the quarry near the high school...that was a regular friday night event
How about the "Wood Chopper" paper service. Getting Boogie to delivery beer to the house while someone pretended to be your dad in the bathroom. Oh and another institution, "The Quarry Queen"
Florist on the square was located next to Davids Country Inn where L. David For the home was. I worked there in there in the early 70's I was the Santa's helper on the steps at Christmas time. This is Conrad's father posting Ho Ho Ho
conradsmother i been meaning to ask all of you h-town history buffs for a while now.
in the old days, the county line sport shop. the owner there and my father cleared the land on cat swap road for the NJ Arms Collectors Club shooting range. I think it was in 1948 or 1950.
I learned to shoot there on CatSwamp Road starting when i was five years old in 1959.
Catswamp was a dirt road in those days.
anyone got some memory of any of this?
lets see...where do i start...Bogie delivered adult beverages all over Hackettstown...never to my parents house...they did want to see the delivery car that Bogie drove pull in front of their house... { everybody knew what that car was delivering}...they preferred to get their own beverages from the store...the Wood Chopper...was an elderly woman who drove all over Hackettstown picking up old newspapers in a 1962 chevy station wagon...she stopped by my parents house all the time...she sold the newspapers for money to live on...{ the story went that she was related to the family who owned the mill on east avenue...and that she lost her two children to accidents in the mill}...she lived just across from the current Quik Chek on Mountain Avenue...the Quarry Queen...if you bring up the issue about the Quarry Queen...then you were there...and you dont need your memory refreshed
the shooting range you speak of has been shut down...Cat Swamp rd has now become a paved road...with very expensive homes all along it...the shooting range was shut down due to one of the new home owners complaints that a shot hit their home...that shooting range property is now for sale...
oldman -
the gun range on catswap road? the key for the gate was kept at the county line sport shop.
we would stop at the shop n the morning and pick up the key and then go open up the range.
catswap road was still a dirt road in those days.
my father and the father of the current owner at the sport shop cleared the trees for the range circa 1950. do you recall anything about this place?
if you are related to the owners of County Line Sport Shop...you are related to me...Dick Hart and his brother ran and owned County Line for years...Dick ran the auto repair business in the back of the building...and his brother ran the sport shop...the shooting range has been shut down and the property is now for sale...if you go up that road...you will see a for sale sign marking the entrance to the property and i remember when Catswamp was a dirt road...in some places...the road is not much better today...
no relation sir other than the association through the NJ Arms Collectors Club.
it is a shame that the range is closed. I knew that it was up for sale.
i think my day cleared the trees there with the father of the current owners of the shop. maybe 1950 -1952.
and i bet i am older than you are oldman!
OH! I remember the lady in the station wagon who collected the papers. Who was that?? And where was there a mill on East Avenue? I do not remember that.....
the newspaper lady was nicknamed the Woodchopper...she was a member of the family that owned the mill on east avenue...part of the mill dam still exists in the river and part of the mill building still stands along the river...if you look closely you can see old millstones embedded in masonry of the building
Im only 45 but lived in town all my life and reading most of this topic brings back some lost memories. Thanks to all who commented and sparked the old knoggin.
here is a trivia question for all of you pld Hackettstonians. My father Teamer had a small deli on Main st. that was located right across the street from the old Central house. On one side was the old Esso gas station. On the other side was the original Leo's. We lived upstairs. The years were around 1963-1965. I believe that a lawyer has his office in that same building. When Jack and Jill dairy store came into town, it put my father out of business. He ended up closing his store, and eventually ran that deli. What was the name of my fathers deli on Main st?
Marine0441...before you get carried away about your fathers closed deli...{ and i knew your dad}...you had better think about the effects of Shop Rite opening up on main street in 1961...they put Acme out of business also...by 1970...also remember Rubys butcher shop across from the Methodist Church...they went out of business also...and i remember when your dad ran Jack and Jills...they were known for having very fresh milk...the one deli store that still amazes me on main street is the old Community Deli...it has had a succession of owners...and with periodic interruptions has still stayed open...hey look at the Sub Shack...near the Hess station...still there after all these years...they must be doing something right...
BrotherDog, don't know anything about the shooting range but sure remember the County Line Sports Shop - loved looking at all of the bright colored lures and fly hooks in the cases. As a kid, it was almost like a Christmas morning every time I went in there. I was too young to buy anything but the owners were VERY nice and patient. I loved fishing in the Musconetcong. CE
Drew, I dont know who you are, but I wasnt getting carried away. But you still didnt answer the question.
Any one remember Knapp's? It was on the corner of Main and Moore (I think it was Moore) right down from the fire station. It had a good newspaper and magazine section and a nice counter for sandwiches and ice cream. I especially remember buying Little LuLu and Archie comicbooks and Mad Magazine. One of my favorite summer stops.
Millie - I posted earlier about Knapp's. Great place to go before or after the movies at the Strand. Loved the soda fountain and chocolate cokes!!
I also bought comic books at Knapps along with Bubble Gum.
Archie and Little Lulu were among my favorites too , as well as, Katey Keen, Tom and Jerry, and any Disney character title, such as Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse...
I think comic books were a dime then!
Marine0441...who owned the deli before your father...by the way i had your uncle Sass for history at Hackettstown High school
The woodchoppers real name was Bertha. I think her last name was DeHart. She lived on Water Street.
Dune i bought books and magazines at both Knapps...and Thorpes Stationary store...Thorpes had a huge selection of magazines...and they sold cards...and books...Mr Thorpe was a WW1 veteran...and used to march in the memorial day parade in his WW1 uniform
I remember Mr. Thorp.....didnt he also start up the Historical Society? or, at least work there.....
Oldman, good question. I dont know the answer. I was 4 years old or there abouts when my dad started there. We lived upstairs.. But I have many a vivid memory from back then.
as i remember Thorpes stationary store was located right near Kerrs Pharmacy...i used to buy Matchbox cars and magazines there when i had the money on my way home from school...i might have even shoveled snow off of his side walk...as i did for many businesses...on main street...Marine0441...your father was doing a good job at Jack and Jill deli...they had fresh products...and the store still operates...under different management...i used to walk there to get the fresh milk...
If my memory is still okay, as you face the Strand, Thorps was to the left. Where Plates is today.
Thorp's and Kerr's were over in the block where Kostenbader and Dad and Lad were.
lv mom and Christine are both correct the newspaprer Thorps was by Kerrs, I used to get papers there to deliver. The one with the ice cream fountain was by the Strand.
i remember Knapps...quite well...he was right next to the Strande Theatre...he always had his newspapers in piles...you had to fold the newspapers a certain way...to deliver them...it was very important to get the newspaper right on the front porch of the home...or in between the doors...customers would complain if the found the newspaper on their lawn or driveway...i delivered for the Newark Evening News...the Morristown Daily Record...the Daily Advance...also the Family Forum...and heaven help you if a customer got a wet newspaper...the Morristown Daily Record was very good newspaper to deliver for...they gave you gifts...and bonuses for prompt delivery...my paper routes varied from 30 to 158 customers...we were paid by the papers delivered...and also received free sample newspapers to hand out on our routes...and you delivered whether it was raining snowing or whatever...
I've enjoyed this thread and tried to think of anything that's been left out. So here are a few -
There used to be a paint store that sold coins for collections about half-way between Church Street and the Community Center on Main Street. Anyone remember that? I still have a 1845 penny I got there.
For a short period of time, as I can remember, there was a knick-knack store at the corner Moore and Main, in the same block as The Strand. I saved my pennies and knickles for a month to buy my mother a heavy ceramic pie plate there - she still uses is (even at 84) - awesome apple pies.
There was a ladies salon between the Jigger Shop and College - about half way I recall. Used to find it funny to find women in there under those hair dryers.
Here are two doctors - anyone remember these guys? There was a Dr. circa 69-70 across the street from the baseball fields at the end of Moore Street - in a yellow house. Recall getting my polio shots there because my mother didn't want me to have the little star-scar on my arm. I was bummed out at the time - but now I stand out - ha! The other doctor - boys should remember - was the guy who gave us of the the pee-wee football teams their physicals, and he was located near the Clarendon (spelling?)
Finally - and since I no longer live up in the north world - I have lately been informed the head-stone place on 57/24 is no longer there - is that true? Funny - for half my life I drive past a place where you buy granite only after you die, and now your wife wants you to buy it early and put it in the kitchen. Makes you wonder - you've bought granite and she has a drawer full of knives - that can't be good.
the paint store with the coin section you mention was Krafts Paint store...it was owned by the Kraft brothers... they were twin brothers...who also belonged to the Hackettstown Coin Club...it closed years ago... and the building burned down...the doctor near the Clarendon you mention...was the late Dr Steven Stanowicz...he served Hackettstown athletics for many years...he passed away...many years ago...he was our family doctor for many years...the tombstone company closed years ago...and the lot sits vacant...looking for a new occupant...
OK - that answers the penny question-
And what became of the Music Store on Main Street across the street from the Jigger Shop? I've got two guitars still from there (sold another a couple of years ago).
Does anyone remember Dr. Shevitz, the doctor that was on Grand Avenue on the same block as the bank? I remember going to him as a little girl and thinking he was so incredible. My mom tells me that I hugged him after getting a shot!!!! Don't remember that but if Mom says so it must be true!!!!
i dont remember what year the music store closed down...but it has been gone for years...and the building has had many incarnations over the years...
I remember Dr. Shevitz very well. When I and one of my sisters were little girls in the mid-'50s and were sick, he made house calls. And we always got a shot!
Stephan-you are talking about Dr. Stanowicz. His office was on the corner of Grand Ave. and Washington St. across from the post office.
I remember Dr. Shevitz also and Barbara is right he did make house calls and we always got a shot. I love this forum so many memories.
Thanks all for the responses - I remember Dr. Stanowicz - I remember he'd punch you in the stomach at the end of the football physical just to test your reflexes for getting hit.
Does anyone remember you could get pickles out of a barrel at the Shop Rite on Stiger? Now I'm feeling really old.
yes i remember the old Shop Rite... they had those garlic pickles right in front of the deli...you bought the pickles and they sold it to you in a waxed bag...who remembers when the Oscar Meyer Weiner Mobile used to be at the old Shop Rite...in the parking lot...dusted off a few cobwebs...on this one...and before McDonalds had happy meals...Oscar Meyer...put a toy wiener whistle...in each pack of hot dogs purchased...i still have my wiener whistle...from way back then...
When did the bowling alley close by the Moose Lodge and when did the one on H'town Mt. burn down?
Oh those pickles rocked. Back in the late 60s for whatever reason my mother decided to relive her days in France, and would take us to the old canal basin on Rockport Rd to gather up duck eggs. No one ever seemed to mind. They were pretty tasty.
But for McDonalds, I can remember when the original McDonalds was build in H'town, and going there with my parents. Back then you were pretty happy to get a small fries and a small McDonalds burger. Now people probably couldn't survive that - would need to get the xxx large of everything. Happy Meals? You were happy when you got to go.
Anyone remember the lollipops Dr. Stanowicz gave to children who had received an injection? The sticks were colored plastic in the shape of little garden tools - rakes, hoes, shovels.
In the 50's you got a shot for almost everything or felt lucky if you just got a giant yellow sulfa pill to try to swollow several times a day. Also, Dr. Stanowitz and Dr. Salandi (dentist) did very basic medical/dental checks on every student in our school. I'm sure the other town physicians participated throughout the community. CE
yes i do remember the tool shaped lollypops at Dr Stanowitz office...he also dispensed medication right in his office so you did not have to go to a pharmacy...and then he had that miniature human skeleton model on his desk...all in all a great doctor...
Yes Dr Mc Donald was the same in belvidere he did it all and gave you a shot and the pills all there and it was like 20 dollars total
Do you remember the white small medicine pouches that he would provide in his office ? ;and the large glass containers in the back room which contained the pills. Oh , how the times have changed. Doc. Stan was always there for us..loved HHS football...first thing you had to do every season was "cough".
BobR yes i do remember Dr Stanowitz "cough" ...hernia test...he was our family doctor since he began his practice in the mid-nineteen forties...he lost his son Fritz...in a bad car accident...i went to school with Fritz...in our family Dr Stanowitz was very well respected...at one time he used to do house calls...something that most people now would not think a doctor ever did
Another great thing about "Doc" Stanowicz was if you were sick or injured, you simply showed up at his office, and he would see you. You might have had to wait a bit, but he would take care of you!....Now you call a doctor's office and your lucky if you can get in within a week.
I remember Doc Stanowitz making a few house calls to my house to put stitches in my head after cracking my head open. I also remember the white pouches that he put your medicine in. Those were the days. Sometimes I wish that we could have them back. Even if for a day.
Doctor Stanowitz...stitched me up a few times too...and remember...before Hackettstown Hospital opened up ...you had the Hackettstown Rescue Squad...and local Doctors on call on Sunday...on another note...here is a picture of the Strand Theatre that i located...anyone who visited Doctor Stanowitz...must have spent some time there...
Does anyone remember Joanna's Luncheonette on Rt 46 where Jeff's Golf Shop is now located, across the road from the Budd Lake Diner? I used to stop in for breakfast on Saturday mornings after my flying lessons in Hackettstown. Joanna started referring to me as the Red Baron when she found out where I'd just come from and eventually named one of her specialty pancakes "The Red Baron".
Anyone remember who the lovely brunette was who sat in the Strand "ticket cage" in the 1950's? I believe she was in HHS class of early to mid 1950's. I just remember standing outside waiting for a ride and all of the truck drivers (and others - remember no I-80 then) would just stare at her. She and the Strand manager Mr. Loerch gave the place more an appearance of Madison Ave. instead of small town Main. CE
I miss the Strand the flash backs of the trip home with the date you took to the movies , do you remember the last movie you seen and who you went with ?
Well one of our town stores has become retail trivia Second Time Around has left and moved to washington
The best was going to the Strand and then to the Cottage for ice cream afterwards. And then you would WALK home. (Sigh) How about the good old days?
anyone here remember The Colorado Mining Company...that was a restaurant that replaced the Riverview Tavern...{ where there were so many clambakes... at The Riverview Tavern that the riverbed was paved with clam shells }...the site is now the SOS Woodstoves building
Does anyone remember Camp. St. Joseph Villa? It was an all boys Catholic camp located off Drakestown Road. If you do, please let me know. We went to Dr. Hall's when sick. I also remember going to the creek for picnics. Is the fish hatchery still there?
If anyone call help I would appreciate it. Thanks.
Laura Simoes Old man I remember the place when it was called uncle albys the hostest was a beautiful blonde girl whos name will come to me was a dark an cosey place
last movie i seen at the strand was Excalibur in 1981 with a very pretty young lady
Fish hatchery still there! Don't know if they still have alot of fish or not, though. (I just love this thread!! It is almost 2 years old!!)
the last i remember anything about Camp St Josephs Villa...was in the early 1980s...the place had apparently fallen into disuse...and arsonists were burning it down...i remember a big fire up there... the smoke was visible from all over Hackettstown...
Ahhh! Sweet memories you all!
I did not have the time to read all the posts, but they sure bring back memories!
I graduated in 1970 from HHS. Lived here since 1968. Has anyone mentioned the ShopRite on Stiger Street? Used to shop with Mom and Dad there,,, remember the sawdust on the floors, etc.
Bob Pomicter, Jr.
xtro181 The ShopRite and the subsequent fire have been discussed......if you have the time, there are some really interesting posts on this topic that might bring a smile and a nice memory to you!
Speaking of the old Shop Rite on Stiger Street, I can still remember the sign they had by the entrance/exit doors. "We love your pet and all his tricks, but sometimes pets and food don't mix, they scare some people more or less, and sometimes leave an awful mess, so we hope that you will abide, when we ask you to leave your pets outside!"
Nothing like some crisp Fall sun and weather to bring me right back to the old HHS football field by the Sandbar, the smell of Chot Morrison's (and others) cigar, hot dogs cooking, the standard college sweaters with the big "H", and the flashes of orange/black dominating the afternoon - really rare that the Tigers lost..what fun! CE
i was the guy who spread the sawdust at the old Shop Rite at 80 main street...i also filled the ice house out front...amongst other things...thats a long time ago...
the fire was in January of 1986...just before the annual Can-Can sale...the store burned to the ground
I remember the Shoprite fire. My grandfather had a role of film worth of pictures of that event which he told a few people about and the police showed up and took all of his pictures. They claimed they needed them as evidence so he gave them everything he had and never did get them back. That tiny little joint was perfect for the West side of town. I still remember the goofy patterns in the floor tile as well.
Back to the STrand - last movie I saw there was Friday the 13th the original one - saw it twice. Then after school got out went with some friends camping along the AT north of Millbrook Rd and ended up camping the first night right above Camp Crystal Lake. We talked a good game but spent the night cowering in sleeping bags.
Here's a picture of the varsity letter sweater with the "H". Still have mine after 40+ years. Seen better days. Three letters in varsity wrestling 67-68 season @ 98 lbs 67-68 season @ 98/106 lbs and 69-70 season @ 123 lbs. Placed 4th in District 16 all three years. Always meet a P'burg wrestler in the semi finals OUCH.
We didnt have sweaters we had the jackets. I still have my "H" that I got for being on the honor roll my senior year. You only got the "H" if you made the honor roll all four marking periods.
Thanks for the memory.
LVMomOfBoys 
the purpose of the sawdust was to keep the floors in the meat dept...from getting slippery...we used to get bundles of sawdust...and the saw dust had to be swept out and discarded everyday...any one here ever clean a grease trap....i did...nasty
Remembering the Friday night dances starting with the "sweater backs" and all of those so very romantic slow dancing songs...girls could only ask a guy to dance if it was one of maybe two "ladies choices" of the night. CE
Talking about Shop Rite, does anyone remember the days when your parents smoked in that store and threw their butts on the floor! Holly crap. Do that today and the smoke police will hang you on the spot. Sounds gross but it was what it was way back when.
Oldman, the Mining Co. was like being in a mine. Never in a place that served food that was so dark. Once & Done
i remember Colorado Mining Co...having the mining theme...i have only seen that at one other restaurant...Tonys Mining Co. in Cornwall PA...it was opened by a man who had worked in the mines...it was shaped like a mining building...and featured real mining gear and equipment all over the interior...and it was an excellent restaurant...
Does anyone remember Phil Quick from Great Meadows? He drove an old blue Dodge pick up truck with "P Quick" painted on the door. He sold vegetables from his truck. He would drive slowly thru the streets yelling out of his window "Maters, Corn, Taters, whatever was fresh for the day.
Keith Eshback I dont remember that but I remmeber Jimmy the Fish. He would drive around yelling fresh fish. LOL!
Also, George McPeak, from the farm across the street from where the Dairy Bar once was. George would let himself in our house, and take orders for fresh meat for the next week. He would then go back to his farm, and slaughter the livestock for next week's orders. He would drive his old flat bed truck, with cardboard barrels, filled with everyone's orders, layered in wax paper. The Mcpeak farm used draft horses to do a lot of their field work. My parents would take us down to the farm to ride the horses. They were huge! Three of us on one horse. George used to ride them bare back, and jump the fences with them. What a Sight! So much fun. Simple.
There was a yard goods store on Main St. in the vicinity of JJ Newberry's, same side, sold notions too, don't remember the name of it; it wasn't there too long maybe five years. I remember buying fabric there. I'm a seamstress. I was disappointed when it moved out. Had to go all the way to JoAnn's in Ledgewood after that.
ccriter 
who remembers when Hackettstown had a Western Union Telegram office...you could send or receive a telegram...and they would deliver a telegram right to your door...my family received a telegram when a relative passed away...the telegram office was located just past the Valentine St...intersection...on the right side as you headed east on main St...
Halloween, Halloween, Oh what funny things are seen.........
This is the time of the year I remember going down to the Jigger Shop. We went down to the shop to buy the orange Halloween whistles. The whistles made of wax, were ment to be chewed for the flavor.Any one remember?
Halloween
How about the times we went up to Bests to steel pumpkins. Buying shaving cream for mischief nite, ringing door bells, toilet paper,eggs , soaping windows, do you remember all of that fun............ I sure wish it was 1970 again
Halloween
Who can remember the tale of the Hooker Man? Mostly sighted in Long Valley, But also has been seen on the tracks up from the old Kevel Chevy Dealer.
Hackettstown Halloween Parade...if you have lived in and around Hackettstown as long as me...you remember the Halloween parade...you got dressed in a costume...and marched down main street...prizes were awarded...not to mention...you also got to trick or treat...and who can forget mischief night back then...at the community center they had apple bobbing contests...thats a long time ago...enjoy
there are so many versions of the Hookerman story...the most common...is that a Central Of New Jersey Railroad brakeman fell and his arm cut off while working on the railroad... in Long Valley...the old story goes that the old brakeman...prowls the old railroad tracks seeking out his lost arm...swinging a railroad lantern...that explains the lights...the legend later expanded to other local railroad tracks...there are other Hookerman stories from all over the United States...and that story came to be used on the Hackettstown railroad tracks...never seen a Hookerman here yet
Does anyone still sit on the tracks looking for the Hooker Man? Is he still looking for his arm?
How about the Snyder Road Ghost? Scared the #@%& out of us, we the Vega wouldn't start and it sounded like someone walking around the car.
Snyder Road Ghost?
That was a cool one I put a cut off switch on the coil of my car so the coil would not work but the starter did , buddy and I freaked out the two girls that were with us lol
The class of HHS 1980 celebrated their 30th Class reunion last night. Oh heck some of us been celebrating since Thursday! Just wanted to thank the organizers and wish safe travels to all that are going home! Itg was great!
Love the picture. Looks like a great time was had by all. You have me thinking about who I should know from your class of 80. What were a couple of the most revisted memories in your class ?
WOW good question Bob. ALot of us reminisced about our party spot "The Grove" (Near alumni field), Alot of teachers, (we even had a moment of slence for lost classmates, teachers and recently Michelle). Several classmates reprduced pictures that were taken when we were in HS also. Overall a very good time!
there is another old ghost story concerning railroad tracks in the area...there is a tale of a dis-embodied head that bobs up and down the abandoned Sussex Branch railroad bed in the vicinity of Waterloo Village...maybe this ghost lost his head while working for the railroad...and still prowls around looking for its lost body...
I am hoping someone can remember a store named Axford's. I think it was a men's clothing store. I remember seeing it driving through Hackettstown with my parents during the 30's and 40's. As I am doing genealogy research, I am especially interested in the owner..who he might be.
FamilyHunter I am thankful that I don't remember back to the 30's and 40's - before my time! BUT my grandfather owned a store that in today's standards would be considered sort of a department store called Solomon's. Just wondering if anyone remembers? Thanks
WOW!! My favorite thread hit 1000 posts!!!
Sorry that I don't remember Solomons....what year and where in town?
LVMomOfBoys - Solomon's was actually on the corner of High and Main Streets (on High). There was a red brick 2-family house that was taken down many years ago (the exact twin of the red brick 2-family house across from the Moore Street fire station) where Bach's expanded (which is now the Trading Post). My grandfather (Louis Solomon) died in the early 1950's. He owned the store prior to the time. Thanks so much for your response. It would mean the world to me if someone remembered my grandfather and his many years here in town. My sons (now 19 and 21 years old) were actually the 3rd generation to go through the Hackettstown school system. This town is definitely home!!!!
lsricc: My family moved to Hackettstown in 1966, and I feel like an "old timer" but you really are! How wonderful that you have carried on your grandfather's legacy by staying in town! I think there are a few longer tenured residents on the forum here.......Millie comes to mind....who probably do remember your grandfather. Keep checking back! Regards to you :)
Question for oldman. You mentioned you had just missed the shooting at the old Mansfield Inn. That was May 23, 1982. I am very curious what you saw just before you left.
Also , someone mentioned the little store on Mt. Bethel road. It was called "Litchenstiens" They had a sign out front with the name and it also had written on it, "Be a friend to man and woman". The older woman that owned it, Dorothy I think, was also so nice and pleasent.
jimmy 
when i was at the scene of the shooting at the Mansfield Inn...the place was empty... i guess everyone had run for their lives...i wanted to buy a six pack...i put the six pack back and left...when i got to my friends house across town the police scanner was buzzing with news of a shooting...i remarked that i was just there...and the place was empty...Lichtensteins store closed many years ago...i remember the old woman who ran it...in any event...here is a picture of the Grand Union Market that used to be in the Flock Building on Main street...that is now an annex to the Hackettstown Trading Post
"Litchenstiens" I remember going in there that was a long time ago. some of those little stores were the Best. the Buttzville store was full of odd stuff a dark stuffed store. there was a shooting in Hackettstown a long the tracks that we are not allowed to talk about, we were at the tannery ball field and HPD got us all out of there quick every one jumped in my van and we headed to Cavanugha's bar where we hung out till it was over
i remember Cavanaghs bar very well...they had a very good bar pizza pie...thats back in the old days when you still had the Central House { also known as Doughertys when Bill Dougherty ran the place} and the Warren House was still in business...i went to school with the Cavanaghs...also...my dad used to have a cold one there also
Caged Animal. The shooting you are talking about on the R.R. tracks occurred in Mansfield twp. around 1976? I won't mention his name, but he had a rifle and was shooting people traveling on Rockport road and at people riding dirt bikes along the tracks. He was eventually surrounded in a field around Donaldsons farm. He had attempted to crawl under a fence in the field and his rifle went off hitting him in the head. He had killed or wounded several people...
Oldman. At the point you were in the Mansfield Inn, everyone was probably in the parking lot helping the shooters girlfriend who had just had an argument with the shooter. A few minutes later he came back with a revolver and shot four people in the bar. Three of them were laying on the bar floor and the fourth, the bartender was outside with a headwound. You probably would have noticed if you had come in the bar then....sounds like you missed being a victim literally by seconds......
Jaf Dolly, the name the store that started with an "L" was Lobel's. It was around in the 90s and sold kids clothes. I used to think it was an awesome store.
the bartender that day of the shootings at the mansfield inn was Paul Hemphill...he got shot in the face...i have always thought that i missed that fateful incident by seconds...i just missed the shootings...i was at the scene of the shootings on the tracks in 1977 {go figure} i heard the shots being fired...and strangely enough...a freight train came through town right in the middle of that incident i remember the train backing down the tracks towards the leather factory...i thought that was rather odd...but i guess the engineer had spotted some of the carnage along the tracks...i knew the gunman... {dont ask} and a good friend of mine lost his life that day...in that incident...he was one of the best and brightest people i have ever had the privilege to know...he was 21 and had just gotten engaged... his whole life was ahead of him...i still miss him...and wonder what he would have accomplished in this life...all these years later i still find it difficult to talk about the shootings along the tracks in 1977
the train backing down the tracks had some local police on it. waterloo blue grass festival was going on that weekend.
I love this thread and am amazed that it's still going strong after 1,000 posts, but please, let's not go into the 1977 shooting! There are still many relatives of the victims and shooter in town. Those of us who were here then, know the story, thsoe that don't should just research it.
There's a book available at the Hackettstown Museum - "Historic Main Street, Hackettstown, NJ", which is chock full of information on the businesses on Main Street from the early 1800's through 2005 (when it was published).
The Book is Historic main street hackettstown new jersey by Leonard Frank and Raymond Lemasters
Isricc, I agree with LVMomofBoys. Keep checking Retail Trivia for memories of your grandfather's store. I do not remember Solomon's. We came to Hackettstown immediately after WWll. I was five. For several years my parents, like many people with very young families in the post-war baby and building boom, were so busy they scarcely had time to shop. I remember mostly going to the A&P grocery store and the Jigger Shop on Main St. and Foster's gas station. And the thick heavy Sears-Roebuck mail-order catalog. Sometime after 1950 our family had grown older, and we began shopping in a lot more stores.
who remembers the old Kevils Chevy on high street...my family bought several cars from there...the old story was that during a renovation...during the late 1960s...they cleaned out the parts department...and buried many old classic chevy parts...behind the rear part of the dealer ship lot...then there was old kebbie the parts manager...he was something to deal with...i did better with Burd Chevy in Washington
Bought my 80 Camaro there on a special order. However I did buy an 1976 K20 Camper Special and the a 1977 L-82 Corvette from Burd
please don't lend items to the hackettstown historical museum and die ... these items will not be returned to the survivors .... they " absorb " them .
Millie, Thanks for your response. I have, in fact, contacted that Hackettstown Historical Society and they are very kindly checking into their archives for me. I will be going there to visit and look for myself once I have some time off from work and can get there while they are open. Thanks again to everyone. My family's history is so deeply embedded with Hackettstown' own history that I find it all so intriguing. Thanks again.
Burd Chevy in washington went out of business years ago...but i got to know the owner...the stories he could tell about selling the early Corvettes...and classic Chevies...he was great to talk with...they also had a great parts department
Yes, I agree about the parts department. Phil Green worked the counter there. He eventually went to Kevil Chevorlet in their Budd Lake location. He lived in Hackettstown up by the college. He passed away a while ago. RIP
Oldman, I saw a much earlier post about Al King and his Corvette. After talking to my dad, he believes the car went up for auction at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, AZ a couple of years ago and brought a final bid of 1 million dollars.
Red 
i still remember Al King driving his Corvette around Hackettstown...i never knew the final disposition of the car...i do know that at one time Al...tried to trade his Corvette for a Studebaker Avanti...i knew the guy who owned the Avanti...the deal never went through...1 million dollars would be a lot for a 53 Corvette...but i do know Al took good care of his car
from what I remember, the Corvette on Barrett-Jackson was serial number 003 which would explain the high bid it brought and my dad seemed to recall that was Al's car. And I do believe it had been restored since then.
Does anyone remember "Carl's Place" on the corner of East Ave and Mt Ave.? a tiny news stand that had candy and soft drinks. think their name was Capis?
JetsFan yes i remember Carls place it was very small...they sold little packs of cookies...snacks and soda...that place got torn down for Pizza Hut to come to town...which subsequently was demolished for Rite Aid...Carls place closed many years ago...i dont remember the owners name...i do remember stopping there on my way to the river to fish for sodas and snacks
I remember Carl's Place. I went to school with Louie Capis who I remember saying his uncle owned the store.
who remembers the Caputo family...they owned Tonys pizza on main street...i went to school with and was a friend of Vincent Caputo...and my family were friends with them...i knew Johnny Caputo...and his sister also...they were very nice people
I remember Vinnie Caputo. He married Darlene. Dont remember her last name. I think his family moved out of state? I could be wrong about that. Didnt he rescue a kid out of the Musconetcong when he was around 12 years old?
Vinnie married Doreen Gee...they were high school sweethearts...Vinnie was rescued from drowning...at the Beattys mill dam near east ave...he went tubing after school...with buddies and got caught in the undertow...of the falls...his mother threw a thank you party for the guys who saved him from drowning...i was supposed to be there that day...but i had to work...Vinnie always said that there must be a purpose in this life for him...since he survived that incident
Oldman, thanks for straightening me out. I had the facts a little twisted (my old brain). Who was it that saved him? I remember seeing the article in the Hackettstown Gazette.
I may be wrong, but I think he was rescued by a kid name "Eve" (Yve?) who lived near there, and iroinically enough, the 1977 shooter.
i believe that Vinnie was saved by the 1977 gunman...and i think Yves Loriqer was there also...they all went tubing together...that was back when the water ran over the top of the dam on east avenue...rather than around it...the water was pretty high that day...Yves Loriqers family owned a body shop right across from the Pumphouse and lived next door...Yves was a pretty decent guy to know...i have not heard from him in years
The Caputos were friends of the family and neighbors. I believe they had another Pizza Restaurant in Morristown. I rember Vince and I think he had a sister. My brother and i use to mow their lawn. Tonys made great Pizza. I recall 30 cents a slice. I would not eat much lunch at the middle school(former Elem. school) so I could have a slice of pizza or stop at the Jigger Shop on the walk home. I rember having a 6 cent soup and 2 cent milk. My Dad would give me 35 cents a day supposedly for a hot lunch; so with a little planning and being thrifty, I could have a nice late afternoon treat.
What was wrong Bob?? You didnt like the chicken croquets they served at the Middle School? :) I believe oldman is right, memory serves that the shooter did save Vinnie in the river. Amazing how far you could stretch 35 cents!!
the food at the Washington Street School cafeteria...may not have been an issue but the crowding while trying to eat when i attended that school was a problem...i use to skip out for lunch and go to Farrels bakery to get something to eat...and i never got caught...
it was crowded in that little cafeteria, besides the butter cookies and eclairs at farrels were worth the risk, thats for sure. remember the giant fan in the alley window , the smell that came out of there was great. we used to get the appliance boxes from the trading post and get in em and roll down that little alley , didnt seem so little to me then. probably wouldn't be able to do that now a days.
who remembers Frank Delello...who owned the furniture store on main street...he was famous for standing out side his store leaning on the parking meter...Frank lived across from the Caputos...on east valley view street...the store was...Suburban Furniture...i am testing my memory now...his store was right near Newberrys..
i remember frank delello, and the fact that he had a furniture store. cant remember exactly where it was, probably was at the other end of town from bud class's "reliable furniture" which was down by rockaway sales. frank had a son bill, who had a small "head shop" for a while in town. there was another head shop in the early 70's, in the area of where the old music store and lemasters cleaners was, i think that one was called the "no name".
Anyone remember being able to go to the leather tanning factory and pick up scraps? I recall learning all this leather working stuff at summer camp at the ball fields off Warren Street - then spending the rest of the summer getting scraps and working on making all sorts of leather stuff on the front porch. I can still remember that smell.
Knew the Dellelo family. I recall him being involved with H Town politics and he got an OK to build their house on an angle along Valley View ave. Some eyebrows were raised with the variance/OK. Before the house was built there was a field with some of the best blackberry bushes you will ever find.
Question about a different main street store,maybe furniture business; what was the name of the store across from Rockaway Sales in the 60s ; I got my first bicycle from them via Santa , a green sting ray with bananna seat.Next to a barber shop I think.
and thanks to contributors to questions I raise..it is great reliving and thinking about these things...
that was Reliable Furniture bob. owned by bud class. he also owned a motel down in wildwood crest.
Farrells had THE BEST sticky buns, you know, the ones that were all gooey and nutty on top.....have never found one as good, since.
The furniture store across the street from Rockaway Sales was owned by the Kass's. Bud Class and John Hurley owned an appliance store named Class and Hurley's.
Reliable Furniture was owned by the Kass Family...i also got my first bike there it was a Schwinn Stingray { you should see what those bikes go for now}...my family was friends with the Kass family...they were great to deal with...i also went to the leather factory and got scraps...you could walk right into the factory and ask...we made all sorts of things out of those scraps...the Farrels had great ginger bread men...i have not found a ginger bread cookie like theirs anywhere since...they also had coconut buns that were outstanding...i used to pick blackberries on the hill where Delellos house was built also...once when picking berries there i stumbled upon a huge bees nest...that cut short my berry picking...who remembers when you could sleigh ride down the hill on valley view street...the town would close the road...when there was enough snow...
thanks for the clarification, memory is a little foggy. bud owned the golden nugget in wildwood, went there on a few family vacations.
old man I have to side with you the Farrels had great ginger bread men..
Wow that takes me back to the 60s Hackettstown and Washington were like big city compaired to belvidere and blairstown as best as I can remember .
if anyone knows a bakery that makes a Very Good Ginger Bread man...please let me know...i will go there...my family and i miss Farrels in so many ways...for all their fresh baked goods
Cheesecake bakery about 1 mile west of Tannersville outlets on the back road. Were quite good and about 7 inches long. Very cute!
The best sleigh hill was behind where Home Depot is now - though I haven't been there in like 15 years. I have a friend who lives out in Blairstown now that remembers his father taking him and his brother to sleigh on Allamuchy Mountain when they were building Route 80. That would have been fun. I also remember being dumb enough to skateboard down 517 to Towpath Apartments - that was really dumb. And I've still got the scars to prove it.
I also got a Schwinn Stingray (Orange) at Krass. That was a great bike - lasted my entire youth.
What ever happened to the Pharmacy at Main and High Street - Lynch family owned it. I remember I went to school with their son until we moved out of H-town around '77.
i know there are several Hackettstown High school...graduates.. who contribute here on a regular basis...that went to school with Kevin Eshelman...he was the classmate that went on to be in movies and TV...Kevin...had a decent part in the movie "Platoon" back in 1986...i remember him very well...
Bachs drug store was on the corner of main and high. My mom worked there for a while. Not sure what happened to it, there is still a Bachs Surgical Supply somewhere around the area. There are no pharmacies in town anymore. only the large chain that is down where Carls Place used to sit years ago.
I went to school with Kevin too, was wild to see him in Platoon and on Law and Order.
Nonny-Bachs Surgical is still on Main St. We do have a Pharmacy in town and one darn good one also. Skyland Pharmacy is on Stiger St.
I was in Drama Club with Kevin and we were all so thrilled that he went on to pursue "The Carft" I remember the Law and Order episode he was in....but could never bring myself to watch Platoon ~~ didn't know he was in it!!! And as for sleighriding, as a kid we used to go to Roehrich Farm , which also was across the street from Greenway before Hastings was built, and sled down that hill. Awesome. Cook St from Sharp to Lafayette was a good run too. Although Tommy Malaska split his chin open doing that one year......
My cousin Darryl and I had our own sleigh riding mountain, and we called it our "suicide hill". Man what great times we had. And I believe we both have some scars to prove it. Due to construction, it no longer exists as a hill. But it still exists in our memory. I knew Kevin Eshelman, hew is a good bro. To bad he didnt make it, but god bless him for trying
I remember sleigh riding down that hill behind the Host Diner on Xmas eve with two buddies All three of us had toboggans and raced down What a rush. A cold quiet night and just us boneheads flying down on a sheet of frozen snow.
i was in drama class with Kevin...when he caught the acting bug...Mr May was our teacher...a very distinguished man who actually performed on Broadway...Mr May offered me a part in the school play...but i did not have the nerve to take him up on it
Sleigh riding down the hill at East Valley View ave. brings back the frozen memories. Tobogans, sleighs, round silver saucers; one to three sitting or lying on top of each other on a sleigh trying to make it down an extra block.....and we all had to wear those black boots with the metal buckles that would freeze up and not close too well. They would close the street too and put out the horses. Does this go on anymore ?
We all would hope that the snow plow operator (who smoked the cigar and plowed at a feverish pace) would leave some snow on the road. Sometimes he left some; some times he plowed it clean.
knew there was a new little stip mall on stiger, didnt know it had a drug store. (i am saying new, but its probably been there for years already !!) but i honestly dont go through town via main street, depending on which end of town i am going, i come in via rusling road, or rockport. try to avoid main, was a traffic nightmare when i was a kid, and its worse now.
the hill behind host diner was great, was the walk back up that was bad. they used to close quite a few streets for sleigh riding back in the day.
the snowplow driver was Mr Runyon..i can still hear that old payloader running up my street with the snow plow chained to it...you could hear that thing coming from a long ways off...he cleared all the intersections...etc...did you ever venture up to the sleigh riding hill at the end of fourth st...behind the Lutheran church...to get there you climbed up the side of the Morris Canal...and climbed to the top of the hill on an old trail...it was an unfinished road...that went straight down to the creek at the bottom...today that site is a condominium development...that was a fast place to go sleigh riding...it was a walk...but well worth it...
Before The SHOP RITE on Stiger Street the building was Smith's Garage. They sold Desoto, Plymouth, Dodge and Chrysler cars. They also sold Hershey's ice cream.
What hasn't changed: the livestock auction, Tichenors and Kappers. You really can't go home again, but a native son is still a Tiger! Charlie Browns has now closed so the Claredon is at risk again.
Mike O'Hea Yes, I remember that open vegetationless run. It was a strange site because of how at one point you felt deep in the woods and all of a suden it opened up to a steep clear grade. If the snow was not deep you would hit rocks; you also had to lug your sleigh up the hill. There was a hunter's cabin near that site too. The stream below may be what is called Trout Brook in Htown. At the top of the hill on opposite slope there was a swamp with those tall reed like plants that we would dip in kerosene and light up to keep the mosquitos away. We called them "punks", but I have no idea why. Who owned that hill back in the 60s and 70s ? Saw a lot of deer , fox and even grouse on the hill.
* hill above Morris Canal near the Lutheran Church
Yes I remember the hill well, spent many a winter day on that hill. That was some of the best sledding in town still have some scars to prove it. Also remember them closing down East Valley View for sledding that was lots of fun. I can recall racing skateboards and homemade go carts down those hills as well.
earnhardt I lived for many years right next to the hill that was used for sledding, which ran towards the Trout Brook. The Trout Brook runs parallel to Route 46 in that area. It was referred to as the "proposed road". The property owner had the road built in anticipation of building homes on the hill. His proposal for the houses was never approved. The hunters cabin you mentioned was actually a slaughter house when the canal was in use. Part of the foundation still exists. The "proposed road" is now the entry road into The Hills of Independence. The swamp is still there, my house overlooks it and we see deer, foxes, many different types of birds and a couple of times a year a bear.
home made go carts...the fastest one had wheels stolen from shop-rite carts...but you did not read that...here...made plenty of home built go carts...i also remember the hunting cabin on the hill behind the Lutheran church...you had to pass right by there to get to the sled hill ...it was small with a couple of bunks...not much...the sleigh riding hill was an unfinished road...for a proposed development...condominiums have built all over that site now... the condos actually stretch all the way back from rt 46 to where the hunting cabin stood...yes that is trout brook at the bottom of the hill...one of my fondest memories is having to roll off of my sled so i did not go into trout brook at the end of the hill...
The Budd Lake Merry go Round was owned by Old PoP Sharp. He ran the ride for years
in Ciney Island. then bought it to Budd Lake. My grandfather built it . I ran the ride
when a teen. PoP Sharp was a funny ( grouchy ) guy. Smoke big cigars. His apt was built on the back of the ride. Pop would forget to turn off his gas stove. He d walk into
his apt. and there would be an explosition The old man was never hurt, but would cuss up
a storm.
bROC Now I understand what you mean when you refer to the hunting shed. It was actually a play house and was built by the original owners of the house nearby. My father tore it down when we had a number of uninvited guests using it for their sexual pleasure.
Moved to H'town in 1953 at 8 years old. I remember the prettiest girls were from H'town and the best high school football team was H'town. Great memories of the class of 63. Go Tigers.
Biker Len I remember Smith's Garage and the ice cream. Also remember punks. I never lit one so I didnt realize that you soaked them in kerosene. This is a great forum brings back lots of memories.
I've been at this site now for 4hrs!!!!!!!!!(Just what you do when you're old and retired) Such fun to read everyone's blogs, even see my cousin, Linda, on this. NOw I'm trying to get on. If this appears, I've made it. HHS-1958
Kathy Seber Stevens the slaughter house that you refer to is the former Klotz & Ackley slaughter house... { and it does date back to the Morris Canal days}...they butchered meat there to sell at their main street store...it later became Tynans Meat Market...
I just went all the way through retail Trivia. The words are there, but most of the pictures are not. Anyone know why?
Oldman, I thought that not alot of people knew about that hill at the end of Fourth St. We used to go sledding at night with only the light of the moon. Those were some great times.
the only reason i can think of that we sleighed that hill was because the snow lasted longer than valley view street...and the hill was steeper...you could also sleigh ride back down to fourth street on your way out...
I had forgotten about those old black, rubber boots with the ice caked metal snaps. The more ice you had to pry off, the more fun you had. Punks were fun. I don't remember them keeping away the bugs as much as they were supposed to. About the ages of 8 or so we would wander down to the Musconetcong through the corn fields picking out some dry corn silk from the tops of the husks, find some huge boulder in the middle of the river, and smoke that stuff - learned not to inhale very quickly! CE
I see some pictures so try again, M.
testing your memories here...this corner at the intersection of rt 46 {main street}...and high street...was at one time Zellars Gulf Station...it is now Richs Fix It...here is a very early view...when it was a Cities service gas station...
if you have ever wondered what the view from the cupola on top of Charlie Browns/ The Clarendon building looked like...here is a view from the early 1900s...looking east...you can see the church spires of the Methodist church...and the Presbyterian church in the distance...the Hackettstown firehouse on Moore street can be seen also...
Back then Gas/Service Stations were works of art they looked warm and freindly not like to day just give me your money and get out
Oldman:
Zellars garage was once also Smiths Gas Station owned by Claude Smith and then his brother Les took it over. Claude went on to work and retire from Hackettstown Post Office and eventually move to Florida. He has since passed away.
joyful I was thinking about this the other day. Does anyone remember the name of the exercise place that was on Main St. in the early 70's. I believe it is a nail salon now. It was across the street from the X ford dealership.
Spent most of the afternoon reading these 1,000 something posts about retail trivia in Hackettstown. I will try to answer a few of the unanswered questions. Frank Delello used to have a furniture store on Main street in the 60's and later relocated it to downstairs of the Newberrys store. Chet Lee started out across the street at Foster and Lee and later became Leeters, Inc. where the Trading Post wholesale furniture building is now. I worked there for a great many of years and then opened my own business down the street in the 80's next to the first Super Stuff Store.My store was called Joy Boutique and owned it about 6 years and then sold to someone that was opening up a craft store there. After Super Stuff moved to the old Hackettstown Hardware store, Michael Mattease became my neighbor owning the store called the Coffee Grinder. Just found out recently that way, way back in time before Leeters came to be..there was a store on that site(the former Flock Building) called Snyder's Dept. store...Had to be there before my time as their phone number was
the number 44..Also remember Doc. Harmon who used to make house calls and Dr. Miller who did the same.
my mother worked for Dr Harmon...he was not most pleasant person to work for...Dr.miller was better to deal with...better yet...Dr Stanowicz...as far as i am concerned he served his community...very well...
As a kid I can remember going to Dr. Miller, he always had a cig in his mouth and his ashtray was always overflowing. He was great Dr., Smoked and lived a long life. When Dr. Stanowicz passed, his children had a garage sale. I had to buy the picture of Christ walking with children. Always hung in the office.
Thanks for the historic pics. After staring at the gas station location awhile; I wonder back to think about how cool it was to go to the soda machines with just some small change at these stations and how you could grab a quality map for free. Next maybe walk on those wooden floors at Dad and Lad as you were watched very closely by the older lady and gentlemen. They always had a great supply of outdoor/hunting boots. Something as a youngster I found kinda neat were the narrow alley walkways between the parking lots and Main St. right near the gas station and hardware store. Western Auto,Legetts(sp) drug store, Peoples Bank - the center of a healthy downtown H Town before the malls and box stores.
* does anyone remeber the soda machine in the old Board of Education bldg - ten cents..and you would pull them down a channel to get them out on the walk home from school .?
who remembers stopping on the way home from school...at the old Hackettstown Police Dept...on Washington st...to get a drink of water from the water fountain in the lobby...the walls were lined with pictures of old car crashes...they also had candy when you trick or treated there...if you went to Dad & Lad you must remember the old two headed stuffed calf they had on display there...better yet...if you really remember the old days at Dad & Lad...how about when Louie Lusardi worked there...ps here is what stood at the corner where the gulf station and later Richs Fix It is now...the American House Hotel
Wow Old Man did I see the price of gas was 16 cents a gallon - Wouldn't that be great!
i remember stopping at the old police station. i had very special "connections" in there. went in the front door, fountain was right there, stop and and say hi. then out the back door and head home. i worked for a few years at dad and lad , not at the same time as lou , but i remember shopping there when lou worked there. the 2 headed calf was there when i worked there, and they had the most beautiful old brass cash register that you had to crank by hand to ring up the sale.
nonny There used to be a hobby store where you could buy model planes and tanks etc down by Warren Street near the Pres. Church. Heading back up town you could stop at Leo's and get Ice Cream near Charles Ort Real Estate (who I recall sponsored our baseball team until I moved up into the big leagues played with complete uniforms out the be American Legion field. I also recall an early Chinese restaurant at Church and Main Street in what had been a diner. Was pretty cool - our first exposure to Chinese food outside of Manhatten. And Alpine Bike and Ski on Mountain Avenue - got my skis for Mt. Bethel lessons there as well as ten speeds later in life before we moved to Schooleys Mountain.
Louie Lusardi at Dad & Lads was a classic salesman! If you were just buying a pair of jeans, he would try to seel you a belt too. If you were buying boots, he'd try to sell you socks!
ALWAYS stopped into the police station, waved hello to Mr. Ryan, had a drink, went on my way. Do remember Alpine....do you remember the house next door that had a fire and a little boy was lost? Remember when Mr. Ort turned his insurance office into a secondhand store? Furbished my first apartment out of college from his store!!
I always stopped in at the police station to get a drink on warm day. Oh the memories.
i remember Mr Orts second hand store...he later closed up and sold second things and antiques out of the barn on Plane street...he was an interesting man to talk to...i also remember the Chinese restaurant on the corner of Church and Main street...who remembers when Rockaway Sales also sold military surplus...it was set up where the garden center is now...
I havent seen Mr. Ort around in awhile, but last time I saw him was at the Blue Mist Diner having breakfast, dressed in a suit with a hat, and when I asked him how he was he answered "Practically perfect!!". He is well into his 90's, yes? (He IS still with us, isnt he?) He is quite a character and was always interesting to talk to.
Mr. Ort is stll alive and living still in Hackettstown area. Always will remember him too by his answer to "How are you today, Mr. Ort?" and his reply was always "Only Fantastic" or "Practically perfect". I remember his wife also as being my girlscout leader many years ago.
Mrs. Ort was a great bird whistler!! I remember going to GS camp on their property, "The Trees" down behind Hackettstown Diner! Wasnt she responsible for getting GS really going in Hackettstown?? Thanks, joyful, glad to know he is still with us!
Military Surplus - I can still remember my father had like 4-5 old ammo canisters from there he used for tools, ice fishing equipment, etc.
I also remember - of all things - the old small post office boxes they used to have around town on concrete posts - ours was at the corner of Moore and Madison - thought of that lately when wife sent me off to mail Christmas cards last month - found a post office box in an old residential area where I live now - reminded me of those small ones we used to have in H-town.
Does anyone remember the Orange Savings Bank that first opened next to the Post Office on Grand Avenue - I recall my mother running us off to open savings accounts and picking up a toaster (which still works and I used in my first homes and apartments for years). I think we also picked up a bunch of green glasses there as well. They expanded, I recall, by having a branch at the old Mall and at the Shop Rite / Jamesway shopping center out on Rt 57. Which - by the way - was across from the old Hoffman's Home of Fine Baking -
I believe Mrs. Ort was on the Ed Sullivan show one year, whistling. The Orts also had nice fireworks at the Pond on the 4th of July, and a beautiful Christmas tree decorated for the holidays, on their property. I remember her girl scout sleep overs well. We loved to run up and down all those flights of stairs, including the 'secret' stairway...
Thinking of Orange bank(near the Rescue squad); what did they make or manufacture at that brick factory tucked away next to the creek ? Is it still in business ? If not; it might make a cool loft development.
Bob R., I cannot remember the name of the factory, but the building is now Grand Rental Station, they rent tools, tents, trailers, power equipment, etc.
Remember Orange Savings Bank very well both on Main Street and then located across from Post Office where branch manager was Ken Brown. It is now Hudson Savings Bank. Not really sure what they manufactured in that brick building by the creek on Maple Avenue but now it is a Rental business. Mr. and Mrs. Ort's property "The Trees" was sold to a local attorney.
Does anyone remember the "Golden Cue" pool hall on Main St. ? I believe it was right next to Leeter's. As a kid, I remember my uncle and his cronies hanging out there.
Deviljet..I vaguely remember that pool hall on Main Street and must have seen it as I was employed by Leeters for many years but remember more vividly the pool hall they had upstairs at the old Clarendon Hotel for a while. Does anyone remember the old Endicott Johnson shoe store on Main Street?
Yes, I remember that shoe store - wasn't it located where that dog grooming shop is now (across Liberty Street from Domino's)? My mom used to take me to Leonard's Youth Togs for my clothes and then we would head across the street to that shoe store for my back-to-school shoes. As for Leonard's, I have a very early memory of getting shoes as a toddler from Mr. Leonard (doubt that was his name, but that's what I called him) and for some reason, I was crying the whole time. He was a very nice man, as were his daughter Irma, and her husband Dick who took over the business from him. One of the salesladies, Nancy, sold me my very first bra!
As for the Chinese restaurant that Stephan mentioned, I think that was called Kam Fu.
That was a cool place, with lots of red and gold chinese art placed around the inside.
I love this thread...takes me back to simpler times!
leedee The Endicott Johnson Shoe store was about two doors up on Main St. from the old Tomaineos Barber Shop (now Jack's Sizzor Whiz). (sp)
Does anyone know the name of the shoe store that I'm thinking of then? Again, it was located on the corner of Main and Liberty streets. I think the building was red at that time and I seem to recall that the lady who ran the store had the last name Costello or something like that.
Bobr,
The brick factory was known as Surf Chemical, I think it was on Maple ave.
The bank was National Community Bank, kind of across from the Rescue Squad,
Surf Chemical,,,,,,,,,,,,I dont know what they made, but I remember,as a kid it was in opperation. That was the brick factory I remember.
Who remembers the name of the creek along side of the brick building?
information overload...and questions besides...Father Costello and family ran the Endicott Johnson shoe store...they later re-located...near Tomanios barber shop...A Big thank you ...for remembering Kam Fu..they had great Chinese food...as far as the Orange savings bank...i helped save their Grand-Opening...i was riding my bike..on Valentines street...and i found a big packet of papers...i took them to the Police station...{then on Washington street}...the bank called my dads home to thank me for my honesty...i still have my Orange Savings Bank...Orange shaped bank...Surf Chemical...was locally known..as the Table Stamp Factory...it could have been a silk mill...the creek that ran alongside that building was locally known as Shits Creek because it stunk from all the crap that was dumped into it...that creek started out as pure spring water...and after all the washwater...and crap was dumped into it...it was terrible...i once saw it flow blue in color...on the same...subject...who ice skated...on the old wastewater ponds by the old Lackawanna Leather factory...if you skated there...you were on frozen waste water..
Afraid that creek along the brick building had the name Sh*t Creek because at that time everyone had septic systems that seeped into the creek. That shoe store may have been a Shoe Repair and Tailor shop that was on the corner of Main and Liberty.
Waste water and the leather factory - I remember after rains the area down near the railroad track in back would have huge puddles of runoff about tw feet deep. We would ride our bikes through it. I remember my best friend coming down the hill to plow through and crashing headfirst into the water. There's no way that could have been good. He's sort of bald now - wonder if that had anything to do with it. But that water was highly contaminated - no doubt.
Wan't there a nudist colony outside of town in Mt. Olive Twnship.
Camp Goodland was the name of the nudist camp to which you are referring.
It's still there, but I'm not usre it still goes by that original name.
I remember the waste water pond right behind the Tannery Field. It was gross looking; the urban legend about it, when we were kids, was that it was acid and if you stuck your finger in it, the skin would fall off!
deviljet...if you played baseball or football...at tannery field...you must remember...the pumps turning on and pumping the brown liquid into the pond on Grand Ave...and you could smell...the chemical odor... P.S....i worked on a construction job at the old tannery site...and the ground water there was purple...as far as Sh*ts creek...there may have been sewer runoff there...but at least one apartment complex...and house on Parke Ave...dumped wash water directly into the creek...i saw the outflow pipes...not to mention the two dumps located on Maple ave...Camp Goodland is still there...and people still flock to the place to get an all-over tan...the place even got a mention in Weird NJ...because the nudist Camp is owned by a Dr. Lust...
The Faulk family lived next to the old silk mill, a couple of door down from the silk factory was the old school house. The concrete block house next to the squad bldg. was was originally a house, the foundation of it was concrete & beer bottles. The house on the corner of Maple & Plane was owned by the Power's family, Frank power's was one of the founding fathers of the rescue squad.
You all can take all this a little further, just figured I would stimulate this thread a little bit.
THE MAN ianimal,
I forgot to post this in my last post, but I believe you have not mentioned the car. Badfinger...
the Badfinger race car was a 65 Chevelle...that had a middle finger painted on the roof...the image caused a problem at a race track...where...they insisted that the middle finger image be covered or removed...Butch Tracy...figures in this story...he had something to do with this car...
Just to change the theme a bit. How many remember the old Orange Pit restaurant on 57 and when all the developments came into our town.We were one of the first homes in Kenwood Village and at that time..Sunnyview and Willow Grove were being developed as well. Had no streets just a path going up into town so we mothers could walk our babies up to Newberries which was the only"big" store we had in Hackettstown at that time.
I remember the orange pit if you read the posts on this thread you will find posts from the owners daughter
Remember the Orange Pit!!! And remember when we all DID walk everywhere? And it was not big deal.
Yes, LVMomBoys those were the "Good Old Days"..We lived in Kenwood Village and sidewalks were not even installed back then- but our kids walked everywhere too or rode their bikes. Come to think of it..we probably were a lot healthier then too.
what i remember about all the developments...that came to Hackettstown...was once rt 80 was built...the town got flooded with people from ..New York city...and the cities like Paterson...the schools were overloaded...and the kids and families who moved out here all brought their wise ass attitudes...with them...at school there was always fights...some of the city guys would pull knives during confrontations...thats what changed Hackettstown...
We used to go off on our bikes all day long. (Without a cell phone or walkie talkies!!) I dont know if I would let my kids do that now! But back then, everyone's mom was home and everyone in town knew who you were, so there was always someone who had their eye on you! (Which meant if you got into mischief, your Mom knew before you even got home :)
During the winters we walked to school with pants on under our skirts because pants were not allowed to be worn to school by girls. And getting to school was no trouble really, because everyone was out early shovelling their sidewalks. Or we walked in the road which was ok, because nobody drove in bad weather.
Those were the days yes you knew every on your block and people watched out for everyones kids why have we let this slip away / most familys only had one car thats why towns did so well moms walked to stores to shop
well those old days are over....Hackettstown...has become a different place now...and i remember when people watched out for each other...its now a part of the Rat race...
Stephan- Loving your memories, neighbor. The pickles, orange savings bank, tannery leather, pre-school at the college. I never collected eggs in the wild, but remember your mothers (is it french) back door and artichokes on the back deck. Moore St was a great place to grow up.
Funny how many people stopped at the police station to drink from the fountain. I did too and felt so cool walking in there. I'm suprised there wasn't a line.
Eshback poster- if you see this- did your mother live across from the college. I have fond memories of my mother and I visiting a very interesting woman there.
Mr. Ort is most likely close to 98 years old and living at Heath Village on Schooleys Mtn. Rd. I'm sure he would love to get a card or visit from any of you who still live in that area. He lost his wife, Eleanor in the 1990's and recently two of his sons, Charles, Jr. and David who lived in Texas. I visited him a year ago and he was very lucid and wonderful company. CE
Who remembers Thomas's on Trout Brook; just before entering the hatchery area(behind the school)? Was a great spot for catching trout and to this day I am not 100 pct positive if we were on hatchery property or not.
I think there was spring and an old building nearby. Who was Thomas ? That stretch on Trout Brook near the old Tannery had no trout,but it picked up again right at that dam. There also use to be some trout near the livestock auction building,but again, never in that stretch near the Tannery pond.
at this time the hatchery has a fence that runs right up to grand avenue...i fished back in there too...it probably was and is hatchery property...i dont know much of the Thomas...you asked about...but the whole area including the school...was once a farm...and the area from the dam...back till grand avenue was once a pond that belonged to Centenary College...as far as trout fishing on the stretch by the livestock market...it was good...from the John Deere shop until the fence at Pyronics plant...after Pyronics there was a deep pool that had trout...after that point the brook turned very swampy...it only returns to a brook shortly before...it crosses under the railroad tracks
heres a picture...not very...good..of the Hackettstown Shop-Rite..the morning after it burned down...
All you historians should be adding to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackettstown,_New_Jersey
!!!
Rebecka Does anyone remember a gun store that was part of a gas station on 46, just east of the river? I remember my bother and I got our first guns there - I got a nice lever-action 22, my brother a semi Winchester. I recall that was also were we went to get our annual hunting licenses for small game. Though I wasn't supposed to use it in NJ for small game - I sure laid waste to many a squirrel with that Browning. Got to where I could hit 'em on the run.
Does anyone remember the old North Warren Real Estate office - does that still exist?
The gun store is where you could also get your fishing license? The owner passed away recently, don't know if the store is still there or not. Somebody on here will have better details.
the sports shop you ask about was County Line Sports...it was owned by the late Dick Hart...it was a gas station...sports shop...auto repair...shop...Dicks brother ran the gun shop...he was a gunsmith who fixed and sold guns...they also sold hunting and fishing licenses... and fish bait...one of Dick Harts sons took over the business...North Warren real estate...is still there on the same side of rt 46...i bought my hunting licenses for years at County Line Sports...last i knew County Line was still open for business
Oldman, talking to my dad, he says that Badfinger was in fact a 66 Biscayne that belonged to Pat McVickers originally and was kept at John Zellar's gas station. When McVickers still had the car and was running it in Indianapolis, NHRA told him to either cover or remove the hand painted on the roof with the middle finger extended, so he taped over it. It was then purchased by Rich Tiffany who lived on Mt. Bethel Rd. He then wrecked the car and the only remaining paint on the roof of the car was the hand with the finger. Tiffany then purchased my dad's 66 Chevelle and put the 427 out of that car into the Chevelle and sold it.
Oldman's great old photo of the service station on Main and High (Jan.1) reminded me of an early 1960s "Celebrity Sighting" reported in the Hackettstown Gazette. Jackie Kennedy and her driver stopped there, according to the paper, on their way to visit her relatives at the Rutherford Estate in Allamuchy. Someone at the station put up a sign noting the event. Since Rt. 46 was the primary highway from New York to northern PA before the completion of Route 80, I assume a lot of "celebrities" came through Hackettstown, mostly unnoticed.
Related to the above visit by the Kennedys; there ia a very small and old stone church in Allamuchy near the route 80 interchange tucked away on a small road. There was a baptism or wedding held there with some connection to the Kennedy Family. That is all I recall. looks like a church belonging in England.
Jackie Onassis was traveling from her home near Peapack when she stopped in Hackettstown...she stopped at a local service station to use the restroom...the story goes that the station owners removed the toilet seat and hung it on the wall in the office...and marked it "Jackie O sat here"...Jackie Gleason...Art Carney and Fred Waring are some of the celebrities that regularly passed through Hackettstown before rt 80 opened up...Perry Como visited his daughter in town when she was a student at Centenary College For Women...Jackie Gleason used to play golf at Shawnee on the Delaware
I was always told that there was a train siding at High Street that allowed FDR to quietly be unloaded and transported by car to the Mercer manion in Allamuchy, and that the section of 517 from High Street to Allamuchy was paved as an early project during the New Deal just for that purpose.
My mother was a realtor there during the 70s and there were a number of celebreties that lived in and around the area. Most are aware of Merv Griffin, but also some Broadway actors and actresses.
But I also know like every other town in northern NJ there's the old claim -George Washington slept here.
The old train station still stands on the Allamuchy/Johnsonburg Road today. FDR came into here to visit the Rutherford and Stuyvesant Estates (where Panther Valley is now).
There also used to be talk around town that Vince Lombardi used to visit Hackettstown in the summer and would drink at the Central House.
there is no record of FDR ever visiting Hackettstown...there was no railroad siding on High St for his train...and it is speculation...that rt 517 was paved to Allamuchy to benefit the Rutherford/Stuyvesant estates...even when FDR visited Allamuchy there was no railroad siding large enough to accomodate his train they simply stopped the train on the railroad tracks and sat there while FDR made his visit...
deviljet...i have never heard the Vince Lombardi story...but it would not surprise me because Bill Dougherty the owner of the Central House was a well known and connected guy...on another point Babe Ruth was known to go to the former Island Park in Buttzville when it was a roadhouse to drink and fish...he would hop a train and get off in Buttzville...and spend the day there
Thanks for the correction on the FDR tale Oldman - another myth proven false. But it did make for a good story - I guess. Of course if they hadn't drained it he could have taken the canal.
My Mom (who is in her 90s) and I wonder if anyone remembers the little store on Main Street that sold sewing and needlework supplies, ribbons, lace... It was close to the old A&P, deep and narrow with one long counter, and even in the 1950s seemed like it must be the oldest, or at least most old-fachioned store in town. It may have been "Hoovers"? (No vacuum cleaners.)
Rebecka. I think that was sitting at one time where the current Hess Station is now.
Milly: That store was called Hoovers and later Henry Monetti had his real estate office there.
the old Stewarts Root beer was on rt 46 east...next to Bills service station...it closed in the 70s...
The magazine store next to the Strand was Napp's. Gusto Platte's Jewelery Store was on the corner. Mr Platte was the railroad watch inspector. I purchased my first railroad wtch from him when I started railroading in 1972. Catty corner across Main Street was the Jigger Shop, another s newspaper and magazine shop. The 3rd newspaper shop was Thorpes which was across the street from Newberry's.
Oldman, I have a question from a while ago about your post about Buck Hill and the story about the Indian Chief Buried on the Hill. Any more information on that it sounds very interesting.
the old story is that an Indian Chief was buried on Buck Hill...the story goes that he was buried with a large Buck Deer to guide him into the happy hunting grounds...and that seems to be the tradition with Indians when they inhabited the area...to bury an important Chief with a large Buck deer... their are local people with knowledge of the burial site...i have scouted out Buck Hill for many years and found no trace of the burial site...and i would assume that a Chiefs burial site may have been hidden...so only his own people would know to find the site...
oldman, Thanks for the story. I would like to find it but I have heard people saying the Burial site is on private Property. I love this kind of stuff thanks again.
Does anyone remember local veteranarian, Dr. Boyd (1950s and 60s)? His office and clinic were on Rt. 46, close to the bottom of Budd Lake/Hackettstown hill, on the right as you drive east. He had the unusual hobby of turning young skunks into pets. He taught local boys how to catch baby skunks without getting sprayed, and then he removed the scent glands so they could be kept as pets. He said they made good pets. The Hackettstown Gazette published the story every few years. I never met anyone who actually had a pet skunk, and wondered how they turned out.
I remember Mrs. Boyd as the kids librarian. I used to go to the library every day, loved to read, and she always let me work behind the counter, checking out books. I LOVED her. I don't know if Dr. Boyd was still alive at that time.....would have been in the mid 60's probably. Never heard about the skunks!
DH who was born and raised in Hackettstown area and I remember Dr. Boyd but do not remember him working with skunks. He was a good Veteranarian.
Walter Boyd was my father. I remember him 'de-scenting' skunks (as he called it). I did get sprayed once while observing the operation. He died in 1963 at aged 62.
My Mom Doris Boyd was a librarian after my Dad died. While he was alive, she was a stay-at-home mom. She went to work to support us. She died in 2001 at aged 88.
Every time I drive past our old house on Rt 46 I am amazed at how nicely the new owners have remodeled it. We lived in the back part of the building. When we were kids we used to have to go through the waiting room to use the only first floor bathroom!
Thank you to all of you for your kind words about my parents.
AMBoyd Mr. Boyd, I just want you to know what an effect your mother had on me, and I give her alot of credit for cultivating my love of reading. She was such a lovely woman, and I will never forget her. I am 50 years old now.....and I met her when I was probably about 8 or 9 years old. I walked home from school and stopped in nearly every day to see her. (and to "help" her ;) So, thank you. She was a great woman.
I was looking at the Forum and saw some mentions of the Strand Theater. Was anyone as impressed as I as a child by the murals on the walls? They were very stylized, almost cartoons. As I grew older and became interested in film I learned the right wall was the temple scene from Griffith's Intolerence. I believe the left was a scene from a Gloria swanson film called Madame Sans-Gene, but I'm not certain about that. Do any Forum followers remember that art?
htown49years I dont remember much about the murals in the Strand Theater...but I do remember the intermission commercials for snacks http://youtu.be/SHYgjyGoV9s
If anyone can find pictures of the old Strand art, I would love to see them posted here. the movies were so well attended in those days I just remember either the usher with the flashlight helping me to a seat or being amidst a large group of people trying to get out.
When I was about 9 years old my dog developed a fatal disease. 'Doc Boyd' told my father it was hopeless and the dog should be 'put to sleep.' I was standing there listening and all I could do was hang my head knowing I would lose my favorite pet that day. All of a sudden I heard Doc tell Dad maybe he could do something but not to expect that it would be a cure. My father reluctantly agreed with money being so tight but later told me that Doc Boyd hardly charged him anything for it. I'll never forget him for that.
Oh wow, I dont have any recollection of murals in the Strand. Oldman? Pictures? (he usually has a photo of whatever comes up for discussion!!)
I dont have any old pictures of the murals at the Strand Theater...i do have a current interior shot...it is now a dance studio...I still recognize the old theater
here is a picture of the old Mall theater at the now defunct Hackettstown mall...this is the snack and candy area...I can almost smell the popcorn
Mom of 2 Oldman - unreal. Those light fixtures - OMG - that brings back memories. Was always a thrill if you're folks would actually let and your friends head on down that dark hallway (where you bypassed the PG file for the R-rated job - stuffing your face with buttered popcorn).
Saw Friday the 13th at the Strand - twice. Then camped above the lake and boy scout camp that summer. Scared to death.
better yet...who paid more for movie tickets to sit upstairs...in what was it called the Loge the balcony that overlooked the main theater seating...
That is a great photo in front of the Strand. Do you have any idea what year it is??
My 7th birthday my mother took me and most of my class to the Strand to watch a Disney movie and we all sat upstairs. It was great. I also remember that back in those days people could smoke in the theater.
The movie playing is "The Sign of the Ram" with Susan Peters. IMDB shows 1948 release.
if you are as old as me and saw many movies at the Strand Theater...you would remember standing in line all the way around the corner by Bachs drug store waiting to purchase movie tickets...those were the days...movie tickets were 50 cents back then
Oh boy, your eyes are better than mine! I couldnt work that out for nothing!!! (Thanks!)
It's surprising to me when people in their 50's think they're that old when my mom is over 75 years young and my grandparents passed away at 90.
I used to clean the Strand Theater after hours when I went to college in the late '70's. there was a crazy old man that used to try to get in while I was there.....creepy.
DB Does any one remember the left side of the screen had fire door. We used to exit the door at the end of the movie. I kind of remember trying to enter via that door for free.
I also remember as a kid, a bunch of us banging and kicking that door , as a movie was playing. We then ran, up the alley to hackettstown hardware,waiting but never caught.
What fun we made,harmless kids we wear back then...
I remember the fire door very well...there were some clever people who would buy a ticket for the movie...and then run down and open the fire door to let their friends in for free...and I also remember the door being kicked during a movie...small world
Oldman, did you notice in the black and white pic of the strand, there is a dog on the roof on the building to the left?
Joe M The dog is watching over that part of Main St.
I looked up the show that is playing there - Susan Peters - The Sign of The Ram, that was out in 1948. That looks pretty close to the clothing and the stove in the window of the shop underneath the dog.
the dog is on top of what I believe was Sears Roebucks catalog store...that store later moved next to A&P in Washington Township
The nudist camp on Mine Hill Road is a local business little known to most of its neighbors. When our family moved directly across from it in the late 1940s, my Dad told my Mom it was a "summer camp." By the time she realized it was not an ordinary children's summer camp, our home was half built. Camp Goodland turned out to be a good neighbor over the years we lived on Mine Hill Road. I came to associate the sound of their meal gong with summer: beginning in May it rang out just on weekends, by June every day, and by September, again just weekends. Anyone who wanted to sneak a peek at nudists had to make a real effort to see through the thick brush surrounding the camp. Paula Kramer, the owner, was a pleasant businesswoman who loved her several dogs. One winter my dad crawled out on the ice at Ort's pond to pull her dog out of the water to safety. Paula declared him a hero.
here is an old camp Goodland postcard...with the naughty bits removed...when I was a kid we did not call this nudism...it was called skinny dipping...
My Dad did get a free membership, but public nudity was not his thing so he never attended. My parents did get to know Paula much more as a neighbor. Early one summer she asked them if she could hire my youngest sister who was a junior in high school to help out around the main building checking in people as they drove up, assisting setting tables, etc. all under Paula's supervision. Apparently, there was a "dress code" (some kind of cover-up apron, at least) right at the main building itself. If someone completely nude came up to the front porch where my sister was assigned to work, Paula immediately came furiously buzzing out the door with a "Leave the porch and do not return until you have something on. I will not have you scandalizing the little neighbor girl!" Sounds like one way to enforce ground rules.
I did not know there were postcards. Thank you for sharing.
one of my favorite stories about Camp Goodland...was that if you trespassed on the property they had armed guards who would shoot rock salt at you...that sure kept me away...
Thread closed due to length. Please use part two.
http://www.hackettstownlife.com/forum/310283
