Following is another installment of New Gretna News which will be published here on the Blog from time to time. The original scan from the Tuckerton Beacon is supplemented by photos and comments. Hopefully this approach will add interest and additional content to the original article.
The article begins with an announcement of the reconstruction of Job's Creek to eliminate a bad curve that was causing accidents. It shows that, even in the early days of the automobile, traffic safety was an issue.
A 1916 accident on the Job's Creek bridge was one
of many that caused the Freeholders to reconstruct the bridge.
The reconstruction of the Job's Creek Bridge, 1922
Notice the two girls in swimsuits at the project.
The news article continues with the July 4th celebration at the New Gretna Presbyterian Church. The churches were focal point of community activity in old time New Gretna.
The Lodges referred to were fraternal organizations including the Knights of Pythias and the Sons and Daughters of Liberty.
Knights of Pythias Ribbon
belonging to Elvin McAnney
Elvin McAnney
The next entry reminds us of the sacrifice of our local residents in the fighting of World War I and the appreciation shown by the community.
Howard M. Allen (l) with his parents, Capt. Edward Allen and Margaret .
Howard Allen in the front yard of his
parents North Maple Avenue home.
Unfortunately, Howard returned from the war two years later, a casualty of a gas attack in the trench warfare in Europe, as noted in the following June 16, 1921 Tuckerton Beacon article
The July 3, 1919 news article ends with the following.
Walter Atkinson ran a bus service out of Tuckerton which served the area for many years. It started with a horse drawn coach and evolved to a motorized bus service after the advent of the automobile.
Walter Atkinson by his horse drawn bus
at the old Mullica River bridge in 1903.
Well, I hope you enjoyed our July 3, 1919 news clipping from the Tuckerton Beacon. I know some of you out in the Blog-O-Sphere are related to people mentioned in the article. If so, let's hear from you!
Pete S
PS- POP QUIZ. How did Job's Creek get it's name?