Ocean County: 100 Years Ago This Week! (November 13-26, 1925) Life & Seasons

Read and experience these long-ago people with their celebrations, tragedies and seasons lived through the same shores, streets and towns we inhabit today.

Presented here is this week's New Jersey Courier Brevities column (we’ve taken a bit of editorial license and renamed it Life & Seasons), written by NJ Courier editor, William H. Fischer, as he sat at his desk above Main Street near Washington Street. Next week begins more news and features from this newspaper plus the Ocean County Review and Tuckerton Beacon.

Full editions of each week's newspapers will soon be available to Barnegat Bay Maritime Museum members to enjoy. If you haven't yet, please consider supporting us by joining today!

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LIFE & SEASONS

​Friday the 13th.
Armistice day is over.
Another rainy Sunday.
New moon next Monday.
Yes, there was an election!
No school on Armistice day.
Freeholders meet next Tuesday.
Thanksgiving day is the next holiday.
And now the cry is for Indian summer.
Auto license tests at courthouse yesterday.
The County Library Commission met here last Friday.
Soon be Christmas. Look at the calendar and see for yourself.
Quite a number from here were in the Republican parade Friday night.
Armistice day was the finest weather we have had on November 11, since the first Armistice day, in 1918.
The Ocean County Title Company has erected a large sign on its Main street lot, formerly the Widmaier property, stating that it will build a home for itself there soon. It is understood that it will put more stock out for this purpose.
Mrs. Huntley, of Dayton ave., has bought the Mrs. Marion Beach beauty parlor business.

​Fire Company No. 1 will hold a benefit show at the Traco on Monday and Tuesday, November 23, 24.
When is a land turtle supposed to hole away for the winter? Roy Goble picked one up on Lakehurst road, last week, and gave it to Kenneth Jennings.
Reports say there will soon be something doing in the Toms River dam project.
Sun rise tomorrow at 6:43, sunset, 4:45, making ten hours and two minutes of sunshine. From now on to the end of the year, the sun rises later and later, losing forty minutes in all; but sunset at its earliest is but ten minutes earlier than tomorrow.
The Dover Township School Board is working out plans for a cafeteria. The equipment will probably cost about $5000, as it must be sufficient to feed 600 pupils, or thereabouts. It is planned to equip it for 300, and run it in two shifts. The committee which is working on the plan are Mrs. Crabbe, Principal Finck, and District Chief Fischer.
Sunday evening, after the clouds cleared away, the northern horizon was all aglow with northern lights--a cloudy, milky white light.
The yearly Red Cross roll call is held from Armistice day to Thanksgiving day. At Toms River it is planned to do most of the work tomorrow and Sunday. So have your dollar ready when the canvasser calls.
Piling have been driven for the foundation of the ice plant on the Main Shore road, in Berkeley, opposite Frank Polhemus's garage. This building will be of heavy concrete foundation, starting with solid concrete walls, two feet thick, and higher up of concrete blocks.
Mr. VanKirk, of Island Heights, on Wednesday, showed the Courier man a picture of the Ocean House, taken after the north end had been added, but before the older south end had been raised to the full three stories to correspond with the south end. The picture must be more than fifty years old. On the porch of the old house are a number of bewhiskered lodgers, the sight of which carries an ol'timer back to boyhood days.
Venus and Jupiter both show in the early evening sky, in the southwest. By the way Jupiter has chased across the whole sky this summer and fall to get where Venus is, I should think it would make Juno rather jealous.
Isaac Richtmeyer, veteran fireman has retired from Fire Company No. 1. Mr. Richtmeyer, as fireman and as member of the Fire Commission, has been prominent for years in fire protection affairs in this town, and has had a great deal to do in getting the department up to its present efficiency.

​After a little the swamps and the springs ought to be filled up, if it keeps on raining two to three days each week.
Some job to keep the leaves raked up these windy days.
Lots of red fire and music Friday evening.
Wild cherry trees now take their turn to show bright colored leaves.
Football has taken a firm hold on the imagination of the youth of the town. Five and six year old boys run, tackle and kick, just as in spring and summer they throw, catch and bat.
The Senior Class of T.R.H.S., with their teachers, spent Armistice Day on a picnic outing at Schenck's Mills. The weather was fine and all enjoyed a day of sport.

​Cold winds.
Windy weather.
Moonlit nights comings.
New moon last Monday.
Only 41 days left of 1925.
Football season is closing.
Roses bloom out of doors.
Most of the trees are bare.
Coal is scarce, scarcer, scarcest!
Freeholders met here Thursday.
See golden dandelions in the grass.
Christmas five weeks from today.
Thanksgiving Day next Thursday.
Well, we see some green grass yet.
No school next Thursday and Friday.
Chrysanthemum is the season's flower.
We do not brag much of the weather this fall.
Red Cross drive this week--have you paid your dollar?
Notice the brilliancy of Venus in the southwest these evenings.
Big demand for oak wood--and most of it for sale is green, just cut down.
Coke and soft coal are being sold in town--no hard coal except buckwheat.

​Harry Irons has purchased a Nash Six sedan from the M.M. Motor Co.
They tell there were over six hundred visitors at Pinewald last Sunday.
This is the time of year when shooting stars are supposed to be more numerous.
Sunrise tomorrow at 6:51, sunset at 4:40, leaving 9 hours and 49 minutes of sunshine.
Mornings are getting darker and darker--or, at any rate, Mr. Sun he gets himself up later and later.
Owing to the Thursday holiday next week, Courier forms must close on Wednesday. News and advertisements must be in earlier than usual.
Numerous complaints have been received regarding the nailing of posters on the poles and trees along the streets. It is indeed unsightly to travel along through the town and see signs nailed up on every available spot. The electric light company and phone companies forbid this. It is requested that some action be taken.
Toms River Kiwanis Club held Ladies Night in the form of a "bucolic festival, at the Novins hall, West Water street, Monday night. A turkey dinner was served by the Novins restaurant. The Kiwanians and their ladies came dressed in overalls, sunbonnets, any kind of old-fashioned clothes. Prizes were awarded Mrs. Theodore Moore, Miss Marie Snyder and Miss Mary Costello.
The Courier yesterday received a letter from George Wissmach, who is at Woodmen Colorado. The letter came by air mail, costing 32 cents to send it, and got into New York at 11:30 P.M., November 18, the day it started from Woodmen. In fact it was just 24 hours from Colorado to Toms River. George's letter will be printed next week.
They make up family parties to come down to the barbershop, ice cream parlors and movies now, on Saturday nights. Pop gets a shave and a haircut, Mom has her hair bobbed, and the children all get a haircut around. Then they all hotfoot it for the movies. After the show it is the ice cream parlor and then motor back home.

​George C. VanHise has bought the string of cranberry bogs on Quail Run. Some are in good shape and some are pretty well grown up, but he expects to put them all in condition soon.
Harry Harris is building a warehouse on the Robbins street end of his Main street property. With his restaurant here and one in Point Pleasant, he finds he needs more storage room for supplies.
Ted Horner, station agent at Pine Beach, had both hands badly poisoned with ivy, climbing a fence on the opening day of the hunting season.
Leonard, son of Mr. and Mrs. Asa Francis Salvador, was badly scalded by upsetting a kettle of hot water, Thursday of last week. While his condition has been serious, recovery is expected. He is five years old, but has stood the pain without a whimper.
Jack Costa this week took the place of policeman Walter Irons.
One of our young men tells us that times have changed and the girl buys the man the engagement ring now!
Weather stays cool--if not cold--for the time of year.
Monday and Tuesday next are the dates of the benefit of Fire Co. No. 1, at the Traco. Sid Chaplin, in "The Man on the Box," and four acts of vaudeville are promised.
Several new houses going up on Whitesville road and more on Hooper avenue. Most anywhere you go you can see new houses, started or just completed.
Fire Company No. 2 was called out twice last week. On Thursday night, there was a fire on the Rosenkranz house, on Church road, Pleasant Plains, damaging hallway, stairs and attic. They were also at Ocean Gate Saturday afternoon when the Frey cottage burnt.
The Double Trouble Co., gave their employees a Turkey dinner on Monday last. The dinner was served in the sorting room by the lady employees. Thirty were seated at the long table. All enjoyed the bountiful meal after dinner music and dancing was enjoyed by all.
Newell Harker smashed up his sedan Saturday night, when, coming down Dover road, he failed to make the turn into South Main street, and hit a tree across that street.

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