TIME TO REMEMBER

Another year has come, and gone. It's time to give a moment or two to remember friends who have passed on. One way or another they are still with us.

It has been a couple of years since one of my friends answered his last call. His grand-daughter drew the picture below. It makes a very nice memory. 

In addition to this Officr, there are others who have passed away in 2012. They leave us and their families behind.  Miss you guys!

"M" IS FOR MORRIS PLAINS

This "M" is for Morris Plains, NJ. The badge is part of my Municipal Collection.

George Washington never slept here, but he may have marched on the trailsin the area during the Revolutionary War.  Old George did have his Head Quarters in the area back back in his day.  It is now Morristown, NJ.  Morris Plains is the neighboring community.

As a formal municipality Morris Plains didn't come into existence until after the country had forty-eight states. That would be 1926. General Washington never saw that coming.

Like many towns in New Jersey this community was created out of another. Technically it isn't a Town, but a Borough. The tag "bedroom community" also fits here. Many of the residents work in "The City" - New York. They have direct access via train that goes into Penn Station. That train passed my old home in a neighboring Borough.

What I recall best about this place was a little steakhouse. It was called Arthur's. I recall there was one in Hoboken too. These communities have the train and restaurants in common. 

When I checked Google to see if this restaurant was still in business I learned that they were, and that they were also considered one of the best steakhouses in New Jersey. I should have eaten there more often.

The badge from this fine police department is relatively new to my collection. It comes to me from across the pond in the United Kingdom. How it got there I have no idea, but I was glad to bring it home.

This badge is the old traditional shape for NJ police. It is a shell with two panels at the top, and a reverse stamped State Seal in the center. The panels have the words Morris Plains and Police stamped with recessed black enamel fill. A large number box is at the bottom with the number "24" located dead center. Ironically this is also the 24th  Badge in my display in alphabetical order by municipality.

I'm very pleased to have this fine item in my Municipal Collection, and now that it is there it makes my mouth water for some good steak. At least I can enjoy that fine memory.

"M" IS FOR MILLVILLE

This badge is rather unique. It certainly is old, but also has a very unusual shape for a Jersey badge  It comes from the municipality of Millville, N.J.

In my Municipal Collection this is the twenty-third consecutive community to be identified in alphabetical order. Hence this badge is  headlined here as "M" is For Millville.

I have had  it for over twenty-five years. This is another item that I don't know anything about. That is unusual. It is from a  Community in Cumberland County. 

To me that was farm country. Be that as it may, I always liked this old west styled badge, but at the same time would have considered trading it for something from Newark or just a "City."

Because I wanted to say something about the community I did some Google work. I learned that this place is centered nicely between the NJ Turnpike, The Garden State Parkway,  and The Atlantic City Expressway. That makes it a 'metropolis" for sure, and the twenty-four thousand residents helps too.

The place has roots to colonial days. Several mills were built in the area which contributed to the adoption of the name "Millville." Today there are many art galleries on High Street in the downtown area.

I learned that there is even an airport here. In fact it was designated as "America's First Defense Airport" during Worked War II. 

Well I learned something about this community, plus one other major bit of information that I did not know. Millville is a City. That means I like it more, and eventually will move it to my City Collection. That is good news for me. Now I will no longer  consider it for trade.

As noted this badge looks like it was from out West. It simply reads: Millville, and at the bottom Police.  In the center is one of the largest State Seals I have seen. The reason for this can be seen by looking at the back. In an open cutout there is a five point "Star." The State Seal had to be large enough to cover the star. I guess this was done for budgetary reasons.

For now this badge will stay put. It will be my reminder that every badge needs to be checked thoroughly, and that includes its' history. I have learned my lesson.

MUNICIPALS: "M" IS FOR MILLBURN

Millburn is a great municipality in Essex County, NJ. I remember it well.

I have a few badges from here and they are a major part of my Municipal collection. The three badges pictured represent my twenty-second community in alphabetical order with this "M" being for Millburn. 

A distant relative served on the police force in this town in the 60's. Unfortunately I never met the man, at least I don't remember doing so. I do recall my father making comments about nice the job in that community must be.

On Sunday's Dad often cranked up his old Hudson and we would take a ride through all those nice places that seemed light years away. We would go through Millburn, Chatham, and out to Schooley's Mountain. The ride took up an afternoon.   

These places seemed like "frontier towns" when I was a kid, but that changed. I became an adult, I got a job, and they stopped making Hudson's. They also stopped making a couple of my father's other choice vehicles (Studebaker and Desoto).    

The biggest change came with the construction of the Interstate Highway (I-78 and I-287) and "24." With these roads the small town became a suburb of Newark.  

I lived in Chatham, and saw my driving time to work drop from thirty five minutes to fifteen minutes (My Chevy could fly). Once at work I established many friends and contacts that helped with the badge collection. The three above were all given to me by a fellow probation officer who definitely had the right connection. He donated them to my collection.

These are three nice badges. They are all early (1900 -1950) shields in good condition. The first badge is an Auxiliary Police (# 166).  It is actually in excellent condition as the picture reveals. 

The second badge is marked Special Police (#22). This item is of a design not common for N.J. police. It has twin pillars on the sides, with  an eagle on the top. There are also four tiny stars on this badge.

The last badge is the officers shield. It is simply marked Police (#19). This badge, like the other two are marked with the name Millburn, NJ. All have the State Seal at center point and are plated to match the finish on the badge.   

These items have been in my collection a good twenty-five years. It is nice to see them on a daily basis, and yes they do trigger some great memories.
 

NEWARK POLICE CONVERTIBLE - COOL RIDE

Rank has its' privileges for sure. This Captain not only has a Chauffeur, but the car is a convertible.

Of course this picture was taken a long long time ago - Jan. 2, 1921. I think the present day guys use armored vehicles  - with roofs!

The picture included Newark Police Commissioner Brennan discussing a traffic concern with   Traffic Division Captain McRell.  The driver was Officer Harry Marsley.

While not a badge this picture is a nice part of my collection, and well worth sharing here with other collectors.

MUNICIPALS: "M" IS FOR MEDFORD

"M" is for the fine community of Medford, N.J. The badge is the twenty-first in alphabetical order in this display of various municipalities. 

This Town is is in South Jersey near the Delaware River. I imagine it is still very nice. Truth be told I have never visited the place.
  
My understanding is that Medford is a fairly large community. Even though that is true I still know zip about this town. It is, despite the wife's concern, a proper fit in my Municipal Collection.

I recently got this badge from another collector. I thought it would be a nice fit in the collection. As badges go this is right around three inches tall with the State Seal at center.

There are four panels on this shield and they read: Patrolman,  Medford, Police, NJ. The bottom line is I like it, and I am very pleased to have it.

PICTURE OF OLD TIME NEWARK OFFICER

For the first 40 years all I would collect were badges. As a result my overall collection was small (The wife disagrees).

During the last five or so years I have "trimmed up" the badge displays by adding an old picture, some handcuffs or a whistle. I think these other items make the collection look just a little bit better (The wife disagrees).

The  above is not an original, but it is of a Newark Officer. His badge can be clearly identified as second edition N.P.D.  I like it and thought it is well worth sharing here. Hope everyone enjoys it too (The wife concurs on that wish).