By jennifer dome
Staff Writer
The original Spotswood Post Office was at the corner of Main Street and DeVoe Avenue. The site is now a cemetery for St. Peter’s Episcopal Church.
SPOTSWOOD — After more than two years of hard work, three borough residents have bound the history of their town in the pages of a book.
Images of America: Spotswood was released for sale this summer, and according to one of the authors, Bruce Eckman, collecting enough pictures for the book seemed daunting at first.
Yet, Eckman and co-authors Jack Eichenlaub and Roy Dey Jr. pulled together 128 pages of photographs and captions that bring the history of the borough to life.
"Senior citizens all over town brought in hundreds of pictures," Eckman said.
The West End Hotel was located on Manalapan Road, the present site of the Methodist Church. It often served as a place to stay for travelers headed from New York to Bordentown and Trenton.
Many borough residents lent the three authors their pictures and their stories to help fill the book with a detailed progression of the town. Eckman said he would particularly like to thank Janine V. Balazs, director of the borough’s Office on Aging.
According to Eckman, Balazs and the borough’s Economic Development Commission, of which he and Eichenlaub are members, were approached with the idea for the book at the same time. Dey also joined in on the project and became the "computer expert," Eckman said.
"Between the three of us, we recalled and remembered a bunch of different things," Eckman said.
The introduction of the book details the founding of Spotswood, which was named in honor of the Scottish hometown of James Johnstone. Johnstone was the first European settler of Spotswood and came from Spotteswoode, Scotland, the book states.
Outlined in the introduction is the beginning of the borough’s government, including the rise of the first mayor, Arthur B. Appleby, who the book says was a "staunch Democrat."
The pictures in the book show various maps of the borough and surrounding areas, various churches that have existed and still do exist, and the growth of the school system over the decades. Old commercial buildings, such as the West End Hotel and the Underhill general store, are pictured in the book as well.
The various editions of publisher Arcadia’s Images of America series, including the newest Spotswood edition, are sold at major bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders, Eckman said. The Spotswood edition is also sold at several local stores, he said, including Ace Hardware on Main Street, Snowhill Discount Liquors on Snowhill Street, and Brian’s Lawnmower & Saw Sales & Service on Manalapan Road.