Readers are asked to help!
By John Tredrea, Special Writer
STOCKTON — Did you know that the Belvidere Railroad track line ran on land that is now the path along the Delaware and Raritan Canal?
And that American troops who fought in World War II engaged in training exercises in and along canal and river before going overseas?
Readers will be able see photos of those images of bygone days, and many other interesting images as well, in a forthcoming book about the federally designated Delaware and Raritan Scenic Byway (DRSB).
And readers can help now. Anyone who has pre-1970 photos of landmarks, signs, intersections, businesses and activities in the DRSB area can call 609-397-3586, or email [email protected] to ask about having those photos reproduced for the forthcoming book. All pictures will be returned to the owners and credit given to the contributors.
On June 26, Edie Sharp (Delaware River Mill Society and Byway administrator), Keith Strunk (author), Stephanie Fox (NJ State Park naturalist) and Marty Kyde (former president of the Delaware River Greenway Partnership) signed a contract with publisher, Arcadia Press.
”The book doesn’t have a definite title yet, but it will be a pictorial history of the byway,” said Ms. Sharp. “The DRSB runs from Frenchtown to Trenton. The idea of the book is to give people an idea of how the byway has looked over the years and how it has changed.”
”We hope to have the book ready for sale by next year’s Shad Fest,” said Ms. Sharp. Lambertville’s well-attended Shad Festival is held annually in late April.
”We have a lot of great photos for the book already and hope to get more,” Ms. Sharp said.
”We’ve gotten the photos from Rutgers University, the state archives, the Frenchtown Historical Society and other places. There are photos of quarries that used to operate near the byway, photos of intersections from a long time ago. And we have some great photos of trains of the Belvidere line. Those trains were still running in the 1940s. The track was torn up in the 1970s, when they made the park.”