Mount Laurel . . . or East Anglia?

Mim and I are huge fans of British TV.  From Monty Python, to Upstairs/Downstairs, to Foyle's War, we can't get enough.

That's right, yeah?

One of our all-time favorite British shows is Lovejoy, starring Ian McShane in the title role.

You can divvie me anytime . . .

Lovejoy (just Lovejoy, no Mister and no first name) is an antiques dealer with a shop located in East Anglia. He's what's known as a "divvie" - a person with the ability to pick out amazing antique items and someone who can immediately tell the reals from the fakes. He and his friends (which include Lady Jane played by Phyllis Logan who some of you may know as Mrs. Hughes on Downton Abbey) get into all kinds of adventures and intrigue throughout the series. Who knew that antiques could be so exciting?

Look at how thrilled they all are . . . 

Ian McShane, of course, is just as well known for his turn as Al Swearengen on HBO's Deadwood, where he is just as awesome (albiet in a much different way). . . 

Lovejoy didn't drink or swear nearly as much as Al but they both rock . . . 

Anyway . . . my explorations recently brought me to an abandoned antiques shop in Mount Laurel, NJ, near Springdale Road, that could very well have been ripped from the Lovejoy set.

This is one of those places that I don't know anything about, except that it's obviously closed and apparently at some point they had a wood burning stove, as evidenced from this sign in the window, letting the local firemen know that if they see smoke, the place isn't burning up, they are just trying to keep warm.

It's a really cool building and I hope that the current owners re-open at some point or that someone buys it and starts it up again. Unfortunately, though, it will probably end up being torn down to create a parking lot or something equally stupid.  :(

Gotta love progress, right?

Sigh. . . 

Until Next Time,

Miss Myo

xoxoxoxoxoxo

Amatol, NJ

Today is Labor Day here in the USA, and what better day to post about a long gone town that was built for folks who were employed by the munitions factory that gave the town its name. Amatol, NJ.

Cafeteria building in Amatol during the town's brief heyday...

On March 14, 1918, construction began on a munitions factory located in Mullica Township, NJ, not far from City of Hammonton (the Blueberry Capital of the World).  The factory and the town around it became known as Amatol.

As the factory was built to keep the military supplied for fighting during World War I, once the battles were over, there seemed little reason to keep things going and the town and factory were demolished.

A great site about the history of Amatol can be found here: http://amatol.atlantic.edu/

The Crew and I visited the Amatol site in June 2013. At one point there was a pretty large wall still standing as well as an almost complete building, but by the time of our visit, only rubble remained. The old Atlantic City Speedway is also in this vicinity, but we didn't explore that (yet)!

We still managed to see some pretty cool stuff, though!

It is always very interesting to see a piece of pretty much forgotten history (especially when it's nearly in your own backyard).  However, it's also somewhat sad to see the remains of what once was (and possibly still could be) a thriving bit of industry and community.

At any rate, Happy Labor Day to all. Fall is on the way so enjoy the warm weather while it lasts, and keep looking forward to the crisp, beautiful days of autumn and the adventures this time of year holds!

Until Next Time...

Miss Myo

xoxoxoxo

The War of the Worlds Memorial, Princeton Junction, NJ

The martians have landed...

On October 30, 1938, H.G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds" narrated by Orson Welles was broadcast over the radio waves.  Though this was a work of fiction, many folks believed it was the real deal and aliens were invading.

In Princeton Junction, NJ, sits Van Nest Park, in which sits a memorial to this awesome event in broadcasting history, as the main action of the story takes place in Grover's Mill, NJ.

We visited there today, and besides having to deal with "undesirables"  (as you often do when visiting sites in NJ) and graffiti on the monument (ditto) it was a pretty cool site to see!

Maybe one day martians really will invade and they will do something about the "undesirables."  One can only hope...

Until Next Time,

Myo

xoxoxoxo