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JAMESBURG: DVD depicts early life in borough

By Jenine Clancy
JAMESBURG — The bygone days of the borough can now be seen in the present day thanks to Commander of the American Legion Star Post 127 Allan E. Brown.
The 73-year-old Monroe resident, who grew up in Jamesburg, converted the 16-millimeter film onto a DVD.
The 22-minute, black and white video, depicts businesses on East and West Railroad Avenue’s somewhere between the years 1931 and 1932.
"You see a fire company running up and down the street putting out a pretend fire, children coming out of church, Mr. Brown said. "It’s really interesting."
Mr. Brown said a fellow legion member gave him the video, however no one knows who was behind the camera of the original recording.
One interesting piece of footage Mr. Brown said is the Jamesburg Motor Cycle Polo Team, which was active back in the 1930’s, playing the sport in front of spectators.
"The men would ride their motorcycles and kick a ball and play polo," he said of the team that won Middlesex County Championships in 1930. "If you could imagine, it was pretty exciting.
Each video costs $10, and Mr. Brown said the costs would help offset a memorial that was built for Jamesburg veterans.
"Over 400 names of people who served in World War II, North Korea and Vietnam were engraved on this memorial," he said of the granite slabs that were presented to the veterans of Jamesburg on this past year’s Memorial Day. "All the funds from the DVD help support the memorial."
So far Mr. Brown has sold more than 100 DVD’s. He continues to sell them on an as-need basis.
"Pieces of history sometimes get lost, and our hindsight doesn’t go back that far. It’s a reflection of the era, and important to see," he said.