Dover, 1960; Blackwell Street. By Henry Boschen © Click to enlarge. Re-posted by popular demand from 2015.
By Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor @Blogfinger.net
Henry Boschen (1922-2011) made this wonderful black and white image in 1960 on Blackwell Street in Dover, New Jersey, a blue collar town in Morris County which was founded in 1869. In 1960, before the Rockaway Townsquare Mall was built in 1977, Dover was the place to go for shopping. It was a diverse town, and many of the merchants were Jewish. A growing Hispanic population was beginning to change the personality of Dover. Spanish restaurants and credit unions were opening. Most of the immigrants were from a particular town in Puerto Rico.
Henry’s image captures the warmth of Christmas in 1960 when shoppers would flock to visit downtown Dover where an old-fashioned homespun style was found in the shops. You could buy a fine men’s suit at the Quality Shop and pick up fresh fish at Fred’s. The Walk-Well shoe store was a family business, as were many of the stores downtown.
Dover Photo was one of the few Leica dealerships in New Jersey, so aficionados like me would go there to buy lenses, superb cameras and darkroom gear. Murray and his sons would offer technical advice to visitors. They displayed original photos and they offered trade-ins on equipment. I was one of their best customers.
Dover General Hospital, known for its excellent nursing and physician care, was sixty years old that year and was within walking distance to downtown. It was founded by a group of Dover women who wanted to improve healthcare at the turn of the century.
My first medical office was on Blackwell Street. I chose Dover because they had no cardiologist and I wanted to work in the trenches instead of at some ivory tower. The National Community Bank downtown gave me a mortgage before I even saw my first patient. The town doctors told the banker that I was a good risk. My practice was busy from day one.
Henry Boschen, my patient and friend, gave me this print, and it is a great treasure.
RICHARD BURTON
I fondly remember Christmas shopping in Dover. Crown Freidland, Furstman & Feinberg, Annie Fink to name a few, were some of my favorites stores. I also was a regular customer at Dover Photo and still to this day am friends with Murray’s son Steven. Thanks for the trip down memory lane Paul.
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I grew up in Dover during this timeframe. I think I still have some things from Dover Camera. We went to the stores there and belong to the Methodist Church on Blackwell street.
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Hi Henry. Thanks for contacting us from the land of the Dovericans. I haven’t been back recently, but too bad that Dover Photo closed. I hear that Fred’s Fish Market is also gone. But I also hear that the town is still just fine. Can you recommend a good Spanish restaurant there?
Paul
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My husband and I grew up in Dover and graduated from DHS in 1951. Nine years later, he opened his Dental Practice in Dover.two of our four daughters were “gift wrappers” at Herb Horowitz’s Quality shop during the Christmas shopping season. He became very active in the life of the town. I still live in the area with many happy memories. Murray’s son took the pictures at one of our daughters weddings.
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I grew up in Dover (what a great place it was) and walked up this street every day on my way home from school, graduated from Dover High in ’62, so this is such a familiar scene to me. Looking at the photo I am transported back to that very instant. I can even hear the Christmas carols being played over the loudspeakers from the Presbyterian church where local church choirs went to ‘be on the air’. I’m betting this was a Friday afternoon.
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It was good growing up in Dover and I still live here. The picture brought back many good memories of Friday night shopping in town, seeing all my friends.
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I lived on Sussex on top of the barber shop, next to Petrone’s market. I remember the Inseras akapela next to the speaker on the pole. Henry Zenith appliance store where we got a fridge, thanks to his kindness.
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This picture dates from at the earliest late 1964. Note vehicle parked next to mailbox. 1965 or 66 full-size Pontiac.
Editor’s note: Thanks Darrell. Dover was a wonderful town. When I had to go to the hospital in the middle of the night, I would wind up at the Traveler’s Diner for sustenance and comfort, especially on a wintry night.
The town seemed so welcoming, and the hospital staff, especially the nurses were so caring because it was neighbors helping neighbors. And everyone knew the merchants; there was no mall then. —Paul
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Great memories, thanks! I went to DHS with Mr Boschen’s daughter and my very first job was wrapping Christmas presents at Fine’s on the corner across from Newberry’s. My big brother would take me to double feature Bond movies at the Baker Theatre and I took dance classes above it! It was a wonderful life!
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Chris: Thanks for the memories. Do you remember Jack Rice, the mayor of Dover, who ran the coffee shop at Dover General? His daughter and grandson own the Purple Glaze donut shop in Asbury Park.
Paul
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Growing up in Dover gave me my small town values. Christmas in Dover was magical, the familiar faces in the stores, to my friendly Uncle Bud the policemen who eventually became Dover’s Police Chief.
I loved hearing the Christmas carols being played around town as people went from store to store to finish their shopping. Back then people had a special happiness at that time of year.
I worked in the Lakeland Savings and Loan, and back then people had Christmas clubs where they saved money every week for their Christmas gifts and very few used credit cards. We were a whole different generation back; you would save your money for something you want to buy rather than borrow.
It’s the feelings I remember so much about Christmas in Dover, and no one can take away your good memories of Christmas in Dover in the fifties and early sixties because they were the best of times.
Merry Christmas to all.
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Hi Paul!
Sorry but I don’t remember the Mayor. My foster dad would take me to Zanellis for a Rocky Road ice cream sundae every Sunday after mass at Sacred Heart. He would buy the newspaper and all was well with the world!
So funny because my son just moved out to LA last year from Asbury Park – he’s still in a local band there, the Parlor Mob!
Happy Hannukah! Chris
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My first job, when in high school, was at the Quality Shop. I bought my first camera at Dover photo. And I remember cashing in the Christmas Club my uncle set up for me every year and Christmas shopping in the stores shown in your photo.
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Wonderful memories—– Mr Rice was my neighbor on Liberty St
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Dennis: I bought a couple of suits from Herb at the Quality Shop when I arrived in Dover from the Navy where I wore the same thing every day. His wife (? Mindy) was around to make sure that it all matched.
I also worked in a men’s shop in high school. Werner’s on Park Avenue in Rutherford, a town a lot like Dover, was where I got to sell shirts and ties and boxer shorts, but my favorite job was selling Florsheim shoes. They were cordovan and were so beautiful. They were the most expensive shoe in the store at $25.00 per pair. My father didn’t let me buy those Florsheim’s. Instead we went to Thom McCan. —–Paul
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It was so nice that I was able to find this.
Scott Petrone
Family owned Petrone’ Market for 60 years
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Lived in Budd Lake in the 80’s. Went to a great fish mkt in Dover to buy our fish but can’t remember the name of the mkt. Great little town.
D/R
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D.R. It was Fred’s. Happy New Year to you and Roseann. Paul
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