Rick Epstein
The Perils of Factory Work
INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS The Frenchtown factories – are where the blood really flowed. When rolling through the microfilm of the old...
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Rick Epstein
Jun 14, 20203 min read
Frenchtown Made Wheels for the World
MANUFACTURING Spokes, hubs, wheels, etc. – In the second half of the 1800s, Frenchtown was a major manufacturer of spokes, hubs and...
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Rick Epstein
Jun 13, 20202 min read
If You Needed a Horse, the Opdyckes Had Them
Elisha W. – (1852-1912) carried the mail between Frenchtown and Flemington for eight years before going into the horse business circa...
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Rick Epstein
Jun 12, 20204 min read
"Dance Country": Smothering a Dream
“DANCE COUNTRY” – In 1989 Thomas Henry of Holland Township wanted to convert the recently closed Barn Theatre in Frenchtown into a...
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Rick Epstein
Jun 11, 20202 min read
Spirits Animate the Frenchtown Inn
GHOSTS -- The Animated Inn – Andrew and Colleen Tomko have no doubt that the Frenchtown Inn contains spirits. Since 1996 it has been...
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Rick Epstein
Jun 10, 20202 min read
Ghosts at The National!
GHOSTS -- at The National. Winnifred Seip (Kalnas) lived in The National Hotel in 1955-60. She used to tell her daughter Christina about...
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Rick Epstein
Jun 9, 20202 min read
Arthur Lundy Settled Here After the Gold Rush
LUNDY, Arthur W. – (1816-1905) The gray house at 25 Front Street that will be next-door neighbor to the new ArtYard theater and gallery...
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Rick Epstein
Jun 8, 20203 min read
Beloved Frenchtown Lawman Slain Doing a Favor in Holland
DOAN, Clarence – (1893-1938) part-time Frenchtown constable, carpenter and projectionist at Fred Sipes' silent-movie theater. He was an...
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Rick Epstein
Jun 7, 20202 min read
Frenchtown Was Gloria Sipes' Playground
PALEVEDA, Gloria Sipes – (1925-1999) Daughter of Fred and Marguerite Eichlin Sipes, she wrote a column called “A Fond Look Back” for the...
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Rick Epstein
Jun 6, 20201 min read
How Robert Rittenhouse Got Lost at Sea
RITTENHOUSE, Robert W. – (1879-1935) Spend some time in the Frenchtown Cemetery (it's my second home), and you'll surely notice the...
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Rick Epstein
Jun 5, 20202 min read
Heavy Truck + Weak Bridge = Big Splash (Why A&P Opened Late)
A&P – The grocery store's opening at 26 Bridge Street, Frenchtown, was delayed a day “by the auto truck loaded with their goods crashing...
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Rick Epstein
Jun 4, 20202 min read
Mother Nature's Own Water Fountain
ARTESIAN WELL – When a 100-foot well was dug for the Barn Theatre in Frenchtown, a pressurized water source was tapped, resulting in an...
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Rick Epstein
Jun 3, 20201 min read
Mrs. Bellis Allowed No Hanky Panky at the Barn Theatre
BELLIS, Nelverna Eichlin – (1906-1978) was the no-nonsense manager of the Barn Theatre in Frenchtown for most of its existence – from the...
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Rick Epstein
Jun 2, 20202 min read
Frenchtown's 3rd Mayor Had a Playful Side
FARGO, Franklin B. “Frank” – (1833-1902) third mayor of Frenchtown. He was born in Chester, Conn., and came to Frenchtown in 1856. He...
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Rick Epstein
Jun 1, 20202 min read
How Frenchtown Got Street Lights (in case you wondered)
STREET LAMPS – An anonymous columnist in the Frenchtown Star reminisced about what it was like before Frenchtown had street lights: On...
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Rick Epstein
May 31, 20202 min read
Mr. Pendleton's Last Day at the Frenchtown Bank
The Frenchtown Union National Bank on Bridge Street installed a new vault in 1923. One September morning in 1926 it disappointed the...
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Rick Epstein
May 30, 20203 min read
6 Die in Milford Train Wreck; Frenchtown Man Swims Away
TRAIN WRECK IN MILFORD – Six people died after a torrential downpour on Oct. 4, 1877, washed the Quequacomissicong bridge right out from...
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Rick Epstein
May 28, 20203 min read
Flood Destroyed Bridges, Took Stockton Toll Taker on Wild Ride
FLOOD OF 1841 – On Jan. 8, all the river bridges from Easton to Trenton were swept away, except for half the Lambertville-New Hope...
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Rick Epstein
May 27, 20202 min read
Frenchtown's First Prisoner Busted the Place Up
MUSSELMAN, Jefferson – the first occupant of Frenchtown's holding cell. When the mayor and council of the new borough of Frenchtown went...
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Rick Epstein
May 26, 20203 min read
Gem Theatre's Brief Run
GEM THEATRE – In 1932 C. Wilmot Milbury added the Gem Theatre onto the back of the big brick store at 10 Bridge Street. It opened July...
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