I don't know. Here is the 1930 map of the area.
http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.885142&lng=-74.567731&z=17&type=nj1930&gpx=
Guy
I don't know. Here is the 1930 map of the area.
http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.885142&lng=-74.567731&z=17&type=nj1930&gpx=
Guy
A
anghew025
Guest
Hi everyone. I'm just walking in the door from work and I'm exhausted so I only skimmed through the threads and didn't follow hyperlinks YET. I will do that in the AM. I just wanted to say that the gold placard my husband had made up for the frame on his picture says, "James Service Station 1934". I'm not sure where he got that date from but thats what is on there. Hope that helps some.
I spoke to two of my uncles tonight, one is 63 and the other is 80 years old. Both are from the Medford area. When asked about it they both mentioned the gas station at Chairville and then the Sunoco station with the vacuum cleaner repair shop behind it. My uncle who is 80 said he could not remember any other gas stations between the Red Lion Circle and the Marlton Circle. He also seemed to be sure there was never a gas station between the Red Lion Circle and Four Mile Circle.
The only thing he questioned was an outdoors store that used to be on Route 70 between Chairville and the Red Lion Circle. That building was torn down a few years ago and I think the concrete pad is still visible. He wondered if that used to be something else, possibly a gas station, but he didn't really think so. The name Davis Grove didn't ring a bell with either one of them either.
On another note I think there used to be a Gulf station in downtown Medford, near Harriets Oil Service. Not sure how long it was there, if it was at all. If there was a Gulf station in downtown Medford I would doubt they would have another one so close to it on Route 70 (Route 40).
I know there was Lamb's Garage in Medford, which was close to Kirby's Mill and the Medford train station. Lamb's Garage dates back to the 30's and isn't really that far from Route 70. They also sold gas. Would they put gas stations that close to each other back then?
Side note: Lamb's Garage moved to Route 70, then became Morgan Ford and finally Medford Ford.
The only thing he questioned was an outdoors store that used to be on Route 70 between Chairville and the Red Lion Circle. That building was torn down a few years ago and I think the concrete pad is still visible. He wondered if that used to be something else, possibly a gas station, but he didn't really think so. The name Davis Grove didn't ring a bell with either one of them either.
On another note I think there used to be a Gulf station in downtown Medford, near Harriets Oil Service. Not sure how long it was there, if it was at all. If there was a Gulf station in downtown Medford I would doubt they would have another one so close to it on Route 70 (Route 40).
I know there was Lamb's Garage in Medford, which was close to Kirby's Mill and the Medford train station. Lamb's Garage dates back to the 30's and isn't really that far from Route 70. They also sold gas. Would they put gas stations that close to each other back then?
Side note: Lamb's Garage moved to Route 70, then became Morgan Ford and finally Medford Ford.
I was going to take a photo of that place just before they removed it but didn't, however, it was not the same one in the photo for sure. It was more like a large roadside stand of some sort completely unlike the photo. Towards the end that building was leaning pretty badly which must have forced them to remove it.
Good work getting your relatives involved in our search.
Guy
A
anghew025
Guest
Morning Tee. Just wondering, are you saying that RT 70 was constructed in 1931 or are you just rough estimating? Thanks.
In Marlton, Main Street and Old Marlton Pike was designated Route 40 in 1928. It wasn't until about 1931 that the RR bed between Marlton and Medford was removed and the present day Route 70 was built and the designation of Route 40 (70) was changed to reflect the new location. This coincides with my photo above showing the Cow Tunnels being built in 1931.
BTW, it wasn't until the 1940's before Route 40 was changed to Route 70.
Guy
BTW, it wasn't until the 1940's before Route 40 was changed to Route 70.
Guy
A
anghew025
Guest
Hi everyone;
This is LMC's husband, the creator of all this controversy. I feel the need to jump on here and try to help clear up things about what I started. I too have been crunching times and dates from all you folk and info that I have from my father and personal items that were my Great-grandfathers,the person in question with the station. So here we go, Tee-Gate&Jerseyman, I hope you can follow this
....
1.My GG was born in Scranton,Pa. in 1895 and moved to Collingswood, NJ around 1929,according to letters I have,shortly after that,moving to Merchantville in 1930.
2.According to Tee-Gate's picture of the cow tunnels(really?), i am to assume that Rt-70/40 was widened in 1931?. If that is true,it leads me to my third point...
3.From what Dad told me, the state had told my GG that the station had to be moved because of "road-widening".Could my GG had meant,"road-improving"?Meaning ,laying the concrete?
4. My GG later moved to Tuckerton in 1939, opening up a station in New Gretna during the war at the point of Rt9 and Rt542. This I know is true because of pics I have of my dad as a youth at the station. Dad said that the Davis Grove station was run by my GG before he was born in 1937. So I've deduced the pic of the Davis Grove station I have is between 1931 and 1937.
5. Another clue is that my father told me that this station was where my grandfather and grandmother met each other before getting married. Unfortunately, I dont have that year yet. My grandfather drove a shipping truck for a local (Tuckerton) company back and forth to Philadelphia and stopped at my GG's station. That is why my father says this station is on Rt 70/40,as it was one of the few main routes to go to Philly.
6. Finally,(I think), I pulled up a simple mapquest map of directions between Merchantville and Medford,and its main route 70/40. So, I had a thought... What if the Davis Grove station is somewhere between the Rt70/73 circle and the junction of Rt 70&130?
To finish up, I would just like to say and send a thousand thanks to all of you folk helping out my wife and I with this. You all have done more than we ever expected anyone to do for us. Since all of the players in this riddle have passed on except for my pop,you people have been an unbelieveable source of info. Its tough asking my pop about all this, since it brings up his past and the realization that he is the last one around of his youth.I have had this picture for years and have always wondered where Davis Grove was,since Pop thinks part of the structure is still there. I'm positive, with this websites forum and you great and knowledgeable people, I am closer than ever to solving since mystery. And if ever in some way return the favor, i hope that I will be able to without hesitation.
Sincerely,
Douglas M Cranmer
This is LMC's husband, the creator of all this controversy. I feel the need to jump on here and try to help clear up things about what I started. I too have been crunching times and dates from all you folk and info that I have from my father and personal items that were my Great-grandfathers,the person in question with the station. So here we go, Tee-Gate&Jerseyman, I hope you can follow this
....1.My GG was born in Scranton,Pa. in 1895 and moved to Collingswood, NJ around 1929,according to letters I have,shortly after that,moving to Merchantville in 1930.
2.According to Tee-Gate's picture of the cow tunnels(really?), i am to assume that Rt-70/40 was widened in 1931?. If that is true,it leads me to my third point...
3.From what Dad told me, the state had told my GG that the station had to be moved because of "road-widening".Could my GG had meant,"road-improving"?Meaning ,laying the concrete?
4. My GG later moved to Tuckerton in 1939, opening up a station in New Gretna during the war at the point of Rt9 and Rt542. This I know is true because of pics I have of my dad as a youth at the station. Dad said that the Davis Grove station was run by my GG before he was born in 1937. So I've deduced the pic of the Davis Grove station I have is between 1931 and 1937.
5. Another clue is that my father told me that this station was where my grandfather and grandmother met each other before getting married. Unfortunately, I dont have that year yet. My grandfather drove a shipping truck for a local (Tuckerton) company back and forth to Philadelphia and stopped at my GG's station. That is why my father says this station is on Rt 70/40,as it was one of the few main routes to go to Philly.
6. Finally,(I think), I pulled up a simple mapquest map of directions between Merchantville and Medford,and its main route 70/40. So, I had a thought... What if the Davis Grove station is somewhere between the Rt70/73 circle and the junction of Rt 70&130?
To finish up, I would just like to say and send a thousand thanks to all of you folk helping out my wife and I with this. You all have done more than we ever expected anyone to do for us. Since all of the players in this riddle have passed on except for my pop,you people have been an unbelieveable source of info. Its tough asking my pop about all this, since it brings up his past and the realization that he is the last one around of his youth.I have had this picture for years and have always wondered where Davis Grove was,since Pop thinks part of the structure is still there. I'm positive, with this websites forum and you great and knowledgeable people, I am closer than ever to solving since mystery. And if ever in some way return the favor, i hope that I will be able to without hesitation.
Sincerely,
Douglas M Cranmer
As far as I know Route 40 (70) was never there before 1930 so there could not have been widening. It most likely was being built in the late 1920s so it shows on the aerial maps which by the way are from 1931 and not 1930. Your photo shows cement in front of it so that leads me to believe it was already built and there would be no need for widening. There are only two lanes even today, so there was nothing to widen. Now if your thoughts of it being from the Marlton Circle and west, than that may have been possible and there would be a reason for it to be moved. And as always I could be wrong.
Yes, they were cow tunnels. When the road went through it effectively blocked the farmer from getting his cows across safely. Back then farmers were of high regard and so the tunnels were built. When you take your road trip pull into the Rita's Water Ice by the Medford circle and park by the stream. You can see the one there and I recommend taking a walk down to it if you don't mind doing that. You can actually walk all the way under 70 to the other side. They widened that section where they removed the circle and one portion of it is much newer. Wear boots since it at times is wet.
Another view of the duel tunnel.
Rita’s
Guy
Folks:
This will be a multiple response to the many postings in this thread. First, to quote Yogi Berra, “this is déjà vu all over again.” While it is a minor point, to be correct in our terminology—and to repeat a past thread—the roadway is properly paved with concrete—of which cement is a component, along with stone and sand and, perhaps, other ingredients. Sorry if I am being pedantic in my palaver.
Now, Trailhead00—excellent detective work on locating a website that identifies the different versions for Gulf Oil Corporation’s logo and when the company introduced those various versions. The roadside stand that you and Guy mention did appear on the 1936 SHD drawings and it definitely was NOT a filling station, but a farmstand.
Regarding the discussion of State Route 40, the state legislature first authorized construction of this roadway in 1927 as a dedicated route from Camden to Lakewood. At some point after 1929, the SHD revised its plans and decided to bypass Lakewood and end the road at Laurelton. East of that point, today’s Route 70 was Route 34. Reported completion dates for the various sections are as follows:
Section.....................Location......................Date
....7..........................Rt. 38 to 41.................1932
....8..........................Rt. 41 to 73 (S-41).......1933
....9..........................Rt. 73 to east of 541.....1933
....4..........................east of 541 to US 206....1932
....5..........................US 206 to 72 (S-40)......1931
....6..........................72 to Burl./Ocean Line....1932
....3..........................County Line to W 539....1930
....2..........................W 539 to Horicon Ave....1930
....1..........................Horicon Ave. to 37........1938
...10A........................37 to west of US 9.......1937
During the SHD’s Grand Renumbering scheme of 1953, the state renumbered 40 to 70 to avoid confusion with US 40, the Harding Highway. For those who want to look up the laws on the Rutgers Law School website, the 1927 act is part of Chapter 319 and the 1929 act is part of Chapter 125, section 15, located on page 215.
Doug, if we are going to widen the search area for the location of the Davis Grove filling station, it may require not only another trip to Mount Holly, which I now have a reason to do next week, but it will also require to trip to Camden to visit the county clerk’s office there. I will probably have a reason to go there sometime during the next month, but it will not be soon.
I believe the SHD did not actually undertake the widening project depicted on the drawings dated November 1936 until during the 1940s, but I could be mistaken about that dating. I recollect as a child seeing signage for the Rockafeller Memorial Highway along Route 70 and the story was that the Rockafeller Foundation paid for a portion of the highway’s more modern construction.
I will continue to check my sources here for the location of Davis Grove. Meanwhile, if anyone else has information, please chime in.
There is another Medford member—RMickle—who has not signed on lately, but he may have information concerning Davis Grove. I will PM him and see if I can elicit a response from him about this filling station.
Best regards,
Jerseyman
This will be a multiple response to the many postings in this thread. First, to quote Yogi Berra, “this is déjà vu all over again.” While it is a minor point, to be correct in our terminology—and to repeat a past thread—the roadway is properly paved with concrete—of which cement is a component, along with stone and sand and, perhaps, other ingredients. Sorry if I am being pedantic in my palaver.
Now, Trailhead00—excellent detective work on locating a website that identifies the different versions for Gulf Oil Corporation’s logo and when the company introduced those various versions. The roadside stand that you and Guy mention did appear on the 1936 SHD drawings and it definitely was NOT a filling station, but a farmstand.
Regarding the discussion of State Route 40, the state legislature first authorized construction of this roadway in 1927 as a dedicated route from Camden to Lakewood. At some point after 1929, the SHD revised its plans and decided to bypass Lakewood and end the road at Laurelton. East of that point, today’s Route 70 was Route 34. Reported completion dates for the various sections are as follows:
Section.....................Location......................Date
....7..........................Rt. 38 to 41.................1932
....8..........................Rt. 41 to 73 (S-41).......1933
....9..........................Rt. 73 to east of 541.....1933
....4..........................east of 541 to US 206....1932
....5..........................US 206 to 72 (S-40)......1931
....6..........................72 to Burl./Ocean Line....1932
....3..........................County Line to W 539....1930
....2..........................W 539 to Horicon Ave....1930
....1..........................Horicon Ave. to 37........1938
...10A........................37 to west of US 9.......1937
During the SHD’s Grand Renumbering scheme of 1953, the state renumbered 40 to 70 to avoid confusion with US 40, the Harding Highway. For those who want to look up the laws on the Rutgers Law School website, the 1927 act is part of Chapter 319 and the 1929 act is part of Chapter 125, section 15, located on page 215.
Doug, if we are going to widen the search area for the location of the Davis Grove filling station, it may require not only another trip to Mount Holly, which I now have a reason to do next week, but it will also require to trip to Camden to visit the county clerk’s office there. I will probably have a reason to go there sometime during the next month, but it will not be soon.
I believe the SHD did not actually undertake the widening project depicted on the drawings dated November 1936 until during the 1940s, but I could be mistaken about that dating. I recollect as a child seeing signage for the Rockafeller Memorial Highway along Route 70 and the story was that the Rockafeller Foundation paid for a portion of the highway’s more modern construction.
I will continue to check my sources here for the location of Davis Grove. Meanwhile, if anyone else has information, please chime in.
There is another Medford member—RMickle—who has not signed on lately, but he may have information concerning Davis Grove. I will PM him and see if I can elicit a response from him about this filling station.
Best regards,
Jerseyman
Here's a shot in the dark, Isn't there a Grove St. near Haddonfield that intersects Rt. 70? Jerseyman: I guess my cement pond is actually a concrete pond. Something I should know since I'm in the construction business!
Something I should know since I'm in the construction business!
Here's a shot in the dark, Isn't there a Grove St. near Haddonfield that intersects Rt. 70? Jerseyman: I guess my cement pond is actually a concrete pond.
Don't feel bad, I never knew it as concrete. I have always known it and called it cement, and I suspect it will always be called that by me.
Guy
I have been looking over the 1931 aerials and noticed that the section in Medford had not even been started by then. All of the rest of the road was either paved or it appears unpaved. Go to this link and switch back and forth between 1930 and topo and you can see that 70 stopped at Brannin Road and did not start up again past the Medford circle towards Marlton.
http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.90473244309851&lng=-74.82416868209839&z=16&type=nj1930&gpx=
Guy
http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.90473244309851&lng=-74.82416868209839&z=16&type=nj1930&gpx=
Guy
A
anghew025
Guest
TeeGate:
This is Doug again. I been looking at that latest map you put up and your right. Rt70/40 practically dissappears on the 1930 map through Marlton. But something else has tweaked my interest. Try this theory. I looked at the map of the road that Oji mentioned; of Grove St. in Haddonfield. It does intersect Rt 70. The north side of that road is Haddonfield Rd. The old Garden State Park used to be right there.That was built in 1937. What was there BEFORE that? Also, from the Grove St/Haddonfield Rd-Rt 70 intersection to my Great-Grandfathers address in Merchantville(Willis Ave), the distance is only about 3-4 mile.(I hope your following this). Finally, Grove St., Haddonfield Rd., and Rt 70/40 are all on the 1930 aerial photos. MAYBE???? Or am I grasping at straws.....
Doug
This is Doug again. I been looking at that latest map you put up and your right. Rt70/40 practically dissappears on the 1930 map through Marlton. But something else has tweaked my interest. Try this theory. I looked at the map of the road that Oji mentioned; of Grove St. in Haddonfield. It does intersect Rt 70. The north side of that road is Haddonfield Rd. The old Garden State Park used to be right there.That was built in 1937. What was there BEFORE that? Also, from the Grove St/Haddonfield Rd-Rt 70 intersection to my Great-Grandfathers address in Merchantville(Willis Ave), the distance is only about 3-4 mile.(I hope your following this). Finally, Grove St., Haddonfield Rd., and Rt 70/40 are all on the 1930 aerial photos. MAYBE???? Or am I grasping at straws.....
Doug
http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.903300369733024&lng=-74.81932997703552&z=17&type=nj1930&gpx=
Where the marker is on the map is that the turntable area ?
Jim
Where the marker is on the map is that the turntable area ?
Jim
I just realized you mentioned Willis Ave. I know a 90 year old man who lived there and is still alive. And a friend of mine in his mid 60's lived there. I will ask my friend tomorrow what he may know, and I know the nursing home the 90 year old is in. His mind is still very good, but his body is failing. He is fascinated with the pines and Cherry Hill, and even went on tours with Henry Beck. Some of his photo's are in the history of Cherry Hill book. If anyone has been in the Commerce Bank in Cherry Hill by the mall his dad is in the mural there showing the Church Road fire house. I actually have copies of the original photo with the names of everyone in that photo. Here is the one at the bank.
Guy