Princeton Junction, N.J. some fond memories (Trenton, Hightstown: apartments, houses)

[xbassman]

We located to Princeton Junction in the early 50's and I remember the Princeton Hightstown Road being built. It used to run right in front of our house - a 2 lane! I remember fishing on Grovers Mill Pond, going thru the old mill that was there. Working for a farmer who raised cantalope and tomatoes and had an apple press for making cider - some "hard" too! Drag races on Rabbit Hill Road, delivering home grown veggies to a family close to the pond named Wells...little did I know it was Orsen Wells parents. I remember stories of War of the Worlds where the space ships landed in Barney Press's field, I used to rabbit hunt there. Taking the bus to Dutch Neck School K-8, Mrs. Hockenberry was one of my teachers. Remember names like Herbert, Seitz, Froleich, Cushman, Hendrickson, Carpenter, Terhune, Applegate, and more. Trout fishing in some stream near Rocky Hill, pizza at the Kings Inn in Kingston I think. Bowling alley on main street in Princeton, all you could eat lobster tails at some rest. on main street Princeton. Selling programs at the Princeton Univ. home games, I recall the balcony at the picture show in Princeton...fond memories! Snow and ice, always hated that. Made gas money shoveling out driveways and sidewalks, hated that too. Remember one gang fight in the Junction. Never amounted to much, the punks from Trenton turned tail and ran. Princeton High was a blur, graduated in 62 and enlisted to see the world. Discharged in Texas, called it home since 66. WOW...all kinds of things flood my mind when I think of those days. Thanks for letting me dump some memories on your forum.

[block911]

Thanks for sharing

[Lucario]

wow.

[jerseyj]

Great Memories!

Princeton-Hightstown Rd (Rte 571) is now 4 lanes with a speed of 50 mph!

Grovers Mill Pond was recently dredged and restocked.
A history of Grover's Mill

The Welles family no longer lives in the area LOL!
File:Landingsite statue.JPG - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Heinz tomato farm is now High School South.
Dutch Neck School is still operational but, I'll bet Ms. Hockenberry is not teaching there any more.
The bowling alley in Princeton is gone but the movie theatre is still there.

The punks are still in Trenton but they are meaner!

Do you remember the Schenck farmhouse on Southfield Rd?
Schenck Farmhouse, Zaitz Park

Thank you for sharing your memories! Come back and "dump" some more

[usedtobeanyer]

That was great, thanks for sharing. I've only lived in the area for 4 years and I found that fascinating. Would love to see photos and hear more!

[xbassman]

No, I don't remember the Schenck farmhouse or Southfield Rd., the name is ringing an old bell, you might give me more directions to it and I might remember. Do remember back in the early 60's Nikita Khrushchev making a stop at the P.J. train station. Might have had something to do with the Cuban missle crisis but don't think so as I was in the blockaid off Cuba in 62 or 63. Speaking of farmhouses, I remember the Cowart or Coward farm house. It sat on the corner of Princeton Hightstown Road and the road from Grovers Mill Pond. They called it Coward's Corner. Another farm I remember was on Rabbit Hill Road, the Dey Farm...big potato farmers and good friends. Another Dey had a large farm on the road from Govers Mill to Cranbury. Might have been called the Cranbury Neck Road but not sure. The Terhunes had a farm in Dutch Neck somewhere and I went to school with Gary Mount and they had a rather large farm somewhere. The very first oriental person I ever saw were the folks that started what I think was called the Wing Hing farm (a truck farm) on the Princeton Highstown Road near Rabbit Hill Road. I remember a place called the Sheep Wash, it was a swimming hole off the road that went into Penns Neck fm P.J. A short distance after you went over the RR bridge you turned right on a dirt road which wound down to the hole with rope swing. Almost across the street was a public swimming pool. Anyone remember the "dinky" that went from P.J. station to Princeton? My Uncle was a conductor on it for years. Another Uncle was the Chief of Police in Princeton for years, Andy Anderson. They say that things you remember as a kid are bigger than they really were or are, but I can say the country around my house was wide open. I could grab my shotgun and pick almost any direction and hunt in fields and woods that WERE large. Acres and acres of alfalfa fields, potato fields, etc. We shot pheasant out the back window, hunted groundhog, had a trap line near the house and racoon, muskrats, possum, skunk and the occasional house cat were caught. There was an old guy in Highstown that bought our furs. Another memory flash...the Hightstown Diner. My parents would treat us and take us there. Greek folks that always had pot roast on the menu. Don't misunderstand memories of P.J. with a longing to return. My ranch in Texas sits around other ranches and would total over 10,000 acres with wildlife everywhere, wide open spaces. Coyotes yipping at sundown, owls hooting in the woods, deer, fox, wild hogs (a problem). What I call a laid back lifestyle. I can sit on the back porch in the morning or evening, drinking my coffee, and watch my cattle milling around doing what cows do. Might be a fence or two to mend, put out hay, but for the most part just enjoy what God has blessed us with. More memories will be posted as they come to me while rocking on the back porch.

[Fairfax Mom]

All the fields are apartments filled with spoiled yuppies and Whole Foods

[Lucario]

Originally Posted by Fairfax Mom

All the fields are apartments filled with spoiled yuppies and Whole Foods

Hey!

[jerseyj]

Southfield Rd is further down Princeton-Hightstown Rd toward Hightstown.

There are still 2 popular diners in Hightstown.

The Coward farmhouse is gone and until recently the property was called the Coward Tract. It has been renamed the Ron Rogers Arboretum and is home to a memorial for the area victims of 9-11. Ron Rogers was a lontime resident who wandered around town planting trees.
The Dey farms are still operated by the Dey family.

Gary Mount and his wife Pam own Terhune Orchards in Lawrence. Pam is the Mayor of Lawrence.

The "dinky" is still in operation, $1.50 one way.

Great memories! But it sounds like you have found your little slice of heaven in Texas

[xbassman]

No, I don't remember the Schenck farmhouse or Southfield Rd., the name is ringing an old bell, you might give me more directions to it and I might remember. Do remember back in the early 60's Nikita Khrushchev making a stop at the P.J. train station. Might have had something to do with the Cuban missle crisis but don't think so as I was in the blockaid off Cuba in 62 or 63. Speaking of farmhouses, I remember the Cowart or Coward farm house. It sat on the corner of Princeton Hightstown Road and the road from Grovers Mill Pond. They called it Coward's Corner. Another farm I remember was on Rabbit Hill Road, the Dey Farm...big potato farmers and good friends. Another Dey had a large farm on the road from Govers Mill to Cranbury. Might have been called the Cranbury Neck Road but not sure. The Terhunes had a farm in Dutch Neck somewhere and I went to school with Gary Mount and they had a rather large farm somewhere. The very first oriental person I ever saw were the folks that started what I think was called the Wing Hing farm (a truck farm) on the Princeton Highstown Road near Rabbit Hill Road. I remember a place called the Sheep Wash, it was a swimming hole off the road that went into Penns Neck fm P.J. A short distance after you went over the RR bridge you turned right on a dirt road which wound down to the hole with rope swing. Almost across the street was a public swimming pool. Anyone remember the "dinky" that went from P.J. station to Princeton? My Uncle was a conductor on it for years. Another Uncle was the Chief of Police in Princeton for years, Andy Anderson. They say that things you remember as a kid are bigger than they really were or are, but I can say the country around my house was wide open. I could grab my shotgun and pick almost any direction and hunt in fields and woods that WERE large. Acres and acres of alfalfa fields, potato fields, etc. We shot pheasant out the back window, hunted groundhog, had a trap line near the house and racoon, muskrats, possum, skunk and the occasional house cat were caught. There was an old guy in Highstown that bought our furs. Another memory flash...the Hightstown Diner. My parents would treat us and take us there. Greek folks that always had pot roast on the menu. Don't misunderstand memories of P.J. with a longing to return. My ranch in Texas sits around other ranches and would total over 10,000 acres with wildlife everywhere, wide open spaces. Coyotes yipping at sundown, owls hooting in the woods, deer, fox, wild hogs (a problem). What I call a laid back lifestyle. I can sit on the back porch in the morning or evening, drinking my coffee, and watch my cattle milling around doing what cows do. Might be a fence or two to mend, put out hay, but for the most part just enjoy what God has blessed us with. More memories will be posted as they come to me while rocking on the back porch.