When we first saw this postcard marked ‘Belgrove Drive,’ we knew instantly we wanted to use it for Then & Now. But where exactly on the long Kearny street was the photo taken? And when? Luckily, the answer was on the back. There, some unnamed person had written the date, 1910, and a note: ‘Looking toward our house from Midland Ave. to the cut & 659.’ We don’t know if the house numbers were the same then as now; if so, 659 would have been somewhere on the left. The message writer did identify the house on the right as being ‘Cornwalls.’ For those unfamiliar with Kearny, this view is looking north from Midland, and at the far end Belgrove dead-ends at what is still called ‘the cut,’ the deep trench through which the railroad tracks ran. The trains and tracks are long gone, but the trench is still there. Belgrove today has fewer trees, but it remains fairly leafy and is lined with lovely homes. No hitching posts, though. That’s a hitching post at the curb between the first two trees in the photo. Wouldn’t it be nice if some of the old ‘street decor’ like that were still in place? Then again, maybe not. Someone would probably try to feed it quarters.
– Karen Zautyk
