| plainsboro
on postcards
Undivided Back Era (1901-1907)
The use of the word "Post Card"
was granted by the government to private printers on December
24, 1901. In this era, private citizens began to take black and
white photographs and have them printed on paper with post card
backs. Most postcards were made on manufactured stock. The Eastman
Kodak Company first listed a photographic postcard stock-"Velox"-in
its 1902 catalogue. In 1904 the company added "Azo".
"Azo" and "Velox", along with Ansco Company's
competing brand, "Cyko", were the papers most commonly
used during 1901-1914. Postage was 1-cent adhesive stamp. Writing
was not permitted on the address side; however, many publishers
often left a wide white border on the side or bottom of the view
side so a short message could be added.
Divided Back Era (1907-1914)
Post cards with a divided back, that is
with a printed line down the middle, were permitted starting March
1, 1907. The address was to be written on the right side and written
messages to the left.
Both kinds of cards were done in very small
numbers, so sometimes only one or two examples survive. Real photo
postcards were done by two separate groups of people. The first
were locals who happened to own a camera. The most common camera
that was used was the "No.3-A Folding Pocket Kodak"
whose film size is postcard-size. (3.25 inch by 5.5 inch). The
second were itinerant photographers who made their living by traveling
from town to town, taking pictures and then selling the results
to the local citizens. Typically an advance man would come through
town advertising when the photographer would be there. The citizens
could then have a picture taken in front of their place of business.
(MacNamee Hotel and J.D. Van Doren's General Store) or the photographer
would take views of local sites. In this case the views are the
trolley station on Plainsboro Road, the grist mill/saw mill on
Maple Avenue, the railroad station on Plainsboro Road, the Walker-Gordon
office and boarding house and the wheel right and blacksmith shops
on the Trenton & New Brunswick Turnpike (US Route #1). In
some cases, local farm families would be photographed on the front
porch of their house. There are no examples for Plainsboro. They
probably do exist and hopefully will be found.
The Undivided era was shorter, as the sending
of real photo cards did not become a popular pastime until 1904.
As a result undivided backs are more rare than divided backs.
The era of 1901 to 1914 is considered the
Golden Age of postcards.
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Views of Plainsboro on Real Photo Postcards
1903-1915
This collection of 20 post cards depicts
what the area in and around the village of Plainsboro looked like
during the period of 1903 to 1915. This era was before the actual
formation of Plainsboro as a political entity in 1919.
All the roads were packed
dirt and local travel was still by horse and buggy. (There were
very few cars). All of the cards are from the "divided back"
era (after March 1st, 1907 except for the view of US Route 1 in 1903).
This view is 1903 and shows the Williamson
Shops on right (blacksmith and wheelwright) that catered to the
horse and wagon. This card is postmarked Princeton 1905. These
buildings were demolished when the road was widened. This view
is of the Trenton & New Brunswick Turnpike, a 19th century
toll road, which became New Jersey Route #26 in 1927 and officially
became U.S. Route #1 in January 1953. Mapleton Road to Kingston
is to the right and Plainsboro Road is to the left. We are looking
south toward Trenton. Note that the road is a 2-lane dirt road.
The bridge in the distance is the bridge over the Millstone River.
At this time the road was owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad. It
was ceded to the townships through which it passed on May 14,
1903. The card says "This road goes to Penn's Neck but you
never could find that". Also note the wagons and wagon wheels
and the hand water pump.
This card says "Grange Hall and school".
This card is post marked Plainsboro August 18, 1915. This building
was originally the one-room school in the village of Plainsboro
and was built in 1883. It was moved toward the east so that there
would be room for the two-room school. It was
moved by Lewis Okeson. This building then became the meeting hall
for the Plainsboro Grange #184 that was chartered on December
19, 1908. It was also used as a meeting hall for the Jr.Order
of United American Mechanics #299, charted on April 9, 1912 and
the Plainsboro Building and Loan Association. In 1914, it was
jacked up and a new first floor was added. It also contained a
barber shop on the first floor. A few years later, the 2-room
school became overcrowded and the 2nd floor was used again as a
school room. Doctor Amos Stults (who is 94, having been born in
1910) remebers going to the 3rd and 4th grade on the second floor
of this building. This building burned to the ground on Feburary
17, 1928. Ray Sohl remembers that it burned in the early evening
and he saw an "orange glow toward the east ". It was
owned by the Plainsboro Improvement Company and was a tottal loss
and never rebuilt. This building was probably the most important
building in the village of Plainsboro. In June of 1918 the County
Superintendent of Public Instruction wrote a letter concerning
the Plainsboro School. "I want to put myself on record as
disapproving of the school accommodations provided in the second
story of the rental building, both as to the entrance, particularly
the stairway, and to the safety of the lives of the pupils in
case of fire. The law regarding school accommodations and safety
must be complied with in order to justify me in continuing the
State School Appropriations". In other words to continue
funding monuey from the state. What to do? The locals were able
to request the Cranbury School Board to put a vote, the construction
of a new 2-room schoool, not to exceed $12,000. It was defeated.
What to do? Well, how about forming your own township and take
matters into your own hands. This was taken up with the State Legislature
and on May 6, 1919 Plainsboro was officially voted into existence.Now
you know the first of the story.
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