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Rick Epstein
May 4, 20201 min read
That Puzzling Tombstone
MONUMENTAL MYSTERY -- When the tombstone shop, headquartered in a barn across from the cemetery, went out of business in 1961, a big...
683 views0 comments
Rick Epstein
May 3, 20204 min read
Capt. Slater and Honest Abe
Capt. William H. – (1819-1900) was born in Kingwood Township and was a merchant and postmaster in Baptistown. He was township clerk and...
314 views1 comment
Rick Epstein
May 2, 20204 min read
Drag Racing on The Concrete
DRAG RACES – From the mid-1960s to about '75, drag races were conducted in Kingwood Township, just south of Fairview Road on a stretch of...
1,209 views2 comments
Rick Epstein
May 1, 20204 min read
He Left France for His Health
MALLET-PREVOST, Paul Henri – (1756-1833) If Frenchtown has a founder, it is this man. He was born in Geneva, Switzerland, on Jan. 30,...
300 views0 comments
Rick Epstein
Apr 30, 20201 min read
The Chill-ness of Bessie Hoff
After yesterday's tragic posting, how about this little heart-warmer? HOFF, Bessie L. – (1879-1935) and her husband, Cornelius S.,...
798 views1 comment
Rick Epstein
Apr 29, 20202 min read
Fast Car, Five Deaths
Tragedy north of town – In the wee hours of Sunday, Aug. 2, 1953, the combination of restless boys and a powerful car would exact a heavy...
1,799 views1 comment
Rick Epstein
Apr 28, 20203 min read
Heaven on Earth for Boys
TREASURE ISLAND – is a 42-acre island a few miles south of Frenchtown. Although it is closer to Pennsylvania, it is part of Kingwood...
534 views1 comment
Rick Epstein
Apr 27, 20203 min read
Rescue at the Island Club
FRENCHTOWN ISLAND CLUB – was established on Pinkerton Island in 1888 by eight Frenchtown residents and eight Lambertville residents....
2,201 views0 comments
Rick Epstein
Apr 25, 20202 min read
Daredevil Jumps, Editor Yawns
Bridge jumper – From 1904 on into the '20s, Murphy Jones, an African-American garbage collector was jumping into the Delaware River from...
351 views0 comments
Rick Epstein
Apr 24, 20205 min read
Timber Rafts Built Frenchtown
TIMBER RAFTS – In 1764 former sailor Daniel Skinner (1733-1813) of Callicoon, N.Y., fastened together a batch of logs – six 70-foot pines...
660 views0 comments
Rick Epstein
Apr 23, 20202 min read
Cops Vs. Hot Rodders
HOT RODDERS – In the early 1950s Frenchtown was beset by a new problem: reckless young men in powerful cars. In March of 1952 Mayor Hugh...
370 views1 comment
Rick Epstein
Apr 22, 20202 min read
Doctor Shot for Malpractice?
RICE, Dr. William – (1836-1901) was Frenchtown's second mayor, serving in 1868-69. A Bucks County native, he joined the Frenchtown...
330 views0 comments
Rick Epstein
Apr 21, 20201 min read
Grover Cleveland Fished Here
The Frenchtown Star gives this account of the time Grover Cleveland came from his home in Princeton and went fishing with Howard...
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Rick Epstein
Apr 20, 20203 min read
Caught a Snapper by the Tail
Horace “Huck” Sipes – (1905-2003) pressman for his father's printing business and newspaper, the Frenchtown Star. When William H. Sipes...
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Rick Epstein
Apr 19, 20204 min read
Blood on the Tracks
The first of many trains arrived in Frenchtown in 1853 and with them came commerce, mobility, excitement – and sometimes tragedy. The...
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Rick Epstein
Apr 18, 20203 min read
Keep Tots off the Tracks!
From 1853 to 1976 trains were rolling through Frenchtown along riverside tracks. Some of the trains were slow, but others that weren't...
436 views0 comments
Rick Epstein
Apr 17, 20203 min read
The Towpath That Isn't
That hiking and biking trail that goes along the river the length of Frenchtown is called “The Towpath,” and maybe it will be a towpath...
904 views1 comment
Rick Epstein
Apr 16, 20206 min read
They Called It "Death Valley News"
Delaware Valley News – was where I had a seven-year bout with workaholism. And I've been resting up ever since. No one but a workaholic...
701 views0 comments
Rick Epstein
Apr 14, 20203 min read
The Bridge, Part 2
The Delaware River bridge's wooden-plank deck was replaced with a steel open-grate deck in 1949. Although the superstructure is 20th...
245 views0 comments
Rick Epstein
Apr 14, 20203 min read
The Bridge, Part I
THE BRIDGE – The Alexandria Delaware Bridge Co. was organized in 1842 and it got quick results. Pedestrians could cross the new covered...
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