New Jersey Archives - The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

Apr192016 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Ads from the Open Road, Volume 3: Local News Edition

For this third installment of vintage billboard photos, I have a gallery of roadside advertisements for local news broadcasts. Just about all of these date from the 1970s and '80s, and include ads for news broadcasts as well as local weather and sports teams. All images courtesy Duke University’s Digital Collections site. Click for a larger version.

Jul312013 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Vintage Photo Wednesday, Vol. 38: Late 1950s Ford Dealership in Newark, New Jersey

Vintage Photo Wednesday

It's difficult to remember for many, but once upon a time Newark, New Jersey was a thriving city and a point of pride for the state. And while I'm not going to claim that the Hagin & Koplin Ford dealership was the jewel of Newark, it sure made for a damn gorgeous photo. (via Alden Jewell) As urban car dealerships go, this is a beauty. While the main showroom building is pretty nondescript, it's the signage that really makes this shine. The big, bold usage of the Ford crest -- first introduced in 1950 -- with its neon adornments is of course the first thing to strike the eye. I especially love how the crest was integrated into the building itself, something that must have cost extra to build. The cars on this lot have been identified as 1959 models, so this photo was likely tak...

Jun102013 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Photo Gallery: 1973-74 United States Oil Shortage Crisis, Vol. 1

Capsules, Featured Posts, History

Ask anyone who was of driving age in the United States during the 1970s, and they likely remember well the two major oil shortage crises the country faced. The first oil shortage crisis, which lasted from October 1973 until March 1974, was set off when the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries, or the OAPEC (consisting of the Arab members of OPEC, plus Egypt, Syria and Tunisia), proclaimed an oil embargo. This was reportedly in response to the U.S. supplying Israel with arms following the 1973 Yom Kippur War. On October 16, 1973, OPEC announced a decision to raise the posted price of oil by 70%, to $5.11 a barrel. In the United States, the retail price of a gallon of gasoline rose from a national average of 38.5 cents in May 1973 to 55.1 cents in June 1974. President Richar

Mar202013 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Vintage Photo Wednesday, Vol. 30: Two Guys in the ’50s and ’70s

Vintage Photo Wednesday

I've written about how much I miss the old Two Guys department store. I consider it a vital piece of my New Jersey upbringing and heritage, and I know others feel the same way. So imagine my excitement when I stumbled across this pair of old photographs. The first one comes from the golden age of Two Guys -- 1952 to be precise -- and is an interior shot from an unknown location. It shows the arcade/play area located by the entrance and cart return. Just 10 cents gets you a ride on the Rally Traffic Police Bike or the Tooner Ville Trolley! The next photo is in glorious color, although it has considerably less visual interest for store enthusiasts. This is an aerial shot taken above the Hackensack Two Guys in November 1974. Just about the only thing definitively marking this is a Two ...

Feb132013 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Vintage Photo Wednesday, Vol. 27: Franklin Township Deli, 1936

Vintage Photo Wednesday

We return to New Jersey for this week's vintage photograph, specifically Franklin Township. This shot, taken in February 1936, depicts a woman in front of a small grocery store/delicatessen. She's either fixing a tattered awning or taking it down, I can't be sure which. This is from the days before big supermarkets were a common sight. A few brand names figure prominently in this scene -- Coca-Cola and White Rose Tea. Everyone knows Coca-Cola of course, but fewer know about White Rose. It is a rather large independent wholesale food distributor in the New York/New Jersey metro area and has been in operation since the late 19th century. They got into the tea business in the early 1900s. Below the display window it's all about tobacco. I see a sign for Granger Rough Cut (pipe tobac

Jan302013 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Vintage Photo Wednesday, Vol. 25: Calco Chemical Company, 1936

Vintage Photo Wednesday

Here's a snowy scene from the 1930s -- it's the parking lot of the Calco Chemical Company building, located near the Raritan River in Bound Brook, New Jersey. This was shot in February 1936. Calco was founded in 1915 as a manufacturer of "coal-tar intermediates required to make synthetic dyestuffs." I have no idea what that means, but it sounds nasty. In any case, Calco was acquired by the American Cyanamid Company in 1929 (you can see that designation underneath the main sign). Astute readers will recognize that name from one of my lovely Thanksgiving advertisements. I don't know exactly when this facility was closed for good, but according to my research it had been completely demolished by 2002 at the latest. Related articles Vintage Photo Wednesday, Vol. 23: Going to the...

Jan232013 by Chris Holmes2 Comments

Vintage Photo Wednesday, Vol. 24: Holland Tunnel Opening, 1927

Vintage Photo Wednesday

Here's another tunnel-related vintage photo for you. Although the source (New York Public Library Digital Gallery) doesn't note the year, I'm going with 1927. Take a look and you'll see why. (Click for a larger version.) The reason I'm going with 1927 is because the Holland Tunnel, which connects Manhattan with Jersey City, opened in November 1927. I don't imagine that these unnamed officials, decked out in their late '20s finery, would be taking pictures and shaking hands across the border in the middle of construction. Or maybe they did, who knows. Update: An astute reader identifies the two men shaking hands as New York and New Jersey governors Al Smith and A. Harry Moore, respectively. Thanks! Related articles On This Day In 1927, The Holland Tunnel Appears On The Cover

Jan162013 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Vintage Photo Wednesday, Vol. 23: Going to the Garment Factory, 1936

History, Vintage Photo Wednesday

Thanks to the new focus of my Vintage Photo Wednesday series on New Jersey, I'm learning some really interesting things about my home state. For instance, the town of Roosevelt -- located roughly 20 miles east of Trenton -- was established as Jersey Homesteads in 1937 as one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's many New Deal initiatives. So you can probably guess where the name came from. Here's an excerpt on the history of Roosevelt from Rutgers University: In early 1933, Title II, Section 208, of the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) created the Division of Subsistence Homesteads, the purpose of which was to decentralize industry from congested cities and enable workers to improve their standards of living through the help of subsistence agriculture. Jersey Homesteads was uniqu...

Jan92013 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Vintage Photo Wednesday, Vol. 22: Hudson Tunnel Station Newsies, 1909

Vintage Photo Wednesday

Starting this week I'm going to start featuring more vintage photographs from my home state of New Jersey -- the good, the bad, and the just plain neat. It's a great opportunity for me to both share and learn more about the Garden State, so save your mob/pollution jokes please. As with most of the other photos I've shared, I'm going to attempt to clean things up a bit. I'm no Shorpy but I do what I can. This week's image was taken by Lewis Wickes Hine, who shot countless numbers of pictures depicting child labor at the turn of the century and later. This photo shows a group of newsies hawking papers at the Hudson Tunnel Station in Jersey City in December 1909. From the Library of Congress page description: "Newsie selling at the Hudson Tunnel Station, Jersey City. Boy on left is Patr...