Spent some time recently looking up old Roseville maps and found some interesting atlases; I present some details from those pages for your edification and enjoyment:
Note that the Roseville Armory is of a different configuration than the current structure, with houses on Bathgate place where the armory now extends. The current armory was built by the state in 1909, and the armory that preceded it was a wooden building, built and owned by the Essex Troop.
I did a little research to update and elaborate on my initial take on the Roseville Avenue Armory. The Essex Troop evolved out of a ceremonial mounted group intended to add some military color to Newark civil ceremonies and dedications. It was founded as a private organization, not part of the NJ National Guard, in 1890 and the membership initially drilled dismounted in "the old City Armory on Orange Street, just west of Broad street." Mounted drills were conducted in "Hill's Roseville Riding Academy" which was described in 1925 as being "on the site of the present Armory building."
The troop began training with the National Guard at Sea Girt in 1892 and formally became part of the state National Guard organization in 1893. In the same year the unit began to conduct pistol practice in the Roseville Riding Academy.
In 1893, a committee of officers, led by Frederick Frelinghuysen, was apointed to find a new "home" for the Essex Troop. The group purchased the Roseville Riding academy "and adjacent properties" and, in 1896-97 replaced the existing building with an Armory at a cost of $50,000, paid for by subscriptions from "members and friends of the Troop" secured by a lien on the property.
By 1902 Captain William Bryant, commander of the Essex Troop, was lobbying the state to build a new and larger armory. This required legislative approval, but, in true New Jersey political tradition, Bryant "had a wide acquaintance with members of the Legislature" so the "Essex Troop armory bill" appropriating $125,000 for construction, was introduced in 1903. There were questions about the funding from legislators in other areas of the state, however, and the bill, which seemed to have passed, failed due to two "incorrectly recorded" votes. Ah, New Jersey! :-)
Eventually, with some horse trading of approval votes for a new armory in Trenton, the bill passed in 1907. Prices had risen since 1903, however, or at least so said the state appointed architect, who refused to go ahead with the plan. The freeholders of Essex County coughed up another $25,000, but with it came a new designer, Essex County architect and founding Essex Troop member Charles A. Gifford.
The new armory as planned did not provide for stables (odd considering the unit was a cavalry troop), so the original trustees of the old armory sold part of the property on which the new armory would stand to the state for $35,000 to provide money for stables and other amenities. In the end, according to the Essex Troop history of 1925, "the new armory was state owned, while the title to the land and that part of the line of the wall dividing the grill-room from the armory proper (including the stables on the south)remained with the Trustees of the Essex Troop. Part of the stables were apparently later leased to private individuals as a source of extra funds for Essex Troop activities.
So that's the convoluted story of how the present building came to be built in 1908 (although modified/butchered in the 1960s)-- and knowing New Jersey poltics, that's probably not the half of it! :-)
I think the driver of the car was Thomas A Smith, Mr Smith had a real estate office originally on Roseville Avenue and later on Orange Street. He was active in Democratic Party politics and sponsored a small party at that Orange Street office for Pete Rodino's first campaign, Rodino attended. I worked for Tom Smith selling Christmas Trees on the corner of North Seventh Streets and Seventh Avenue about 1953 when I was a Freshman at Barringer. If I remember correctly He was a First Sargeant during WWII and worked on the AM-Can Highway. I believe his family lived in an apartment on Eighth Street. His wife and he had a couple of daughters. He later had an office downtown Newark about 1958. He was a credit to Roseville and was very active in the community. He was always honest and a generous employer with a great sense of humor.
Thomas Smith and Mrs. Smith Had 3 duaghters, Phyllis Smith( SRL Class of 60)Pudgy Smith's( SRL Class of 64) and a younger sister named Mary Jean ? They also lived on the corner 6th Street and 7th Ave.in the big yellow house. The last place that I remember them living was on Roseville Ave. and ^th Ave. in the Apartment Building on the 1st floor. There is a picture of the back steps to their aprtment on this website.
BTW, I just retired from the BSA after 30+ year. My new email is jaydalbo.@hotmail.com. Let's continue to keep in touch. My very,very best to you and your family.
I lived on the corner of 7th Ave. & 7 th St. back in the late 50s. (Home owned by the Huber's) Here's a picture (1960) facing north on 7th St. of the two youngest Smith girls on the day of my First Holy Communion. Pudgy's on the right. (aka Marilyn) and her sister Mary Jane or it could have been Mary Jean.
We were close friends back then and we always bought our Christmas Trees from across the street. Tom Smith was a great guy and used to take us to the public swimming pool up in South/East Orange, I believe.
Only 102 degrees here in TX, today. I hope John C. got the picture.
