Welcome to The Trenton Project’s crowdsourcing site relating to the history of Trenton in the 1960s. Over the past several years, we’ve collected hundreds of photos from dozens of sources. The images we’ve found have told us much about Trenton in the 1960s and answered many questions about the events of April 1968, the main focus of our work. But some photos raise further questions. So we’re turning to you–the people we have spoken with over the years, and your recommendations of friends and family members–in the hopes that together we can fill the gaps in this story. We’re grateful for any time you can give. And we hope you enjoy this detective work as much as we do.
We invite you to start on the Gallery page: pick a category, explore the photos, and add your notes. You can comment on one photo, or all of them. In some cases, we’re trying to identify and find specific individuals. In others, we are using the photos to trigger your own memories. You can share your name, or answer anonymously.
What will happen to your answers? As many of you know, we are working on both a larger documentary film and a book; both are the result of years of research and ongoing conversations with dozens of Trentonians. That work has already produced student research projects and micro-documentaries. After our launch and premiere, we will make this collected research available for others to use in their own Trenton projects. One of our goals is to work with teachers to prepare this material for classroom use, beginning with Trenton High School. Your time and memories will be appreciated not only by us, but by future students and researchers.
Please do forward this invitation to friends or family who might appreciate contributing to this effort.
Here’s an example: As we began research in 2015, we quickly became interested in the unrest and protests at Trenton Central High. We were intrigued by one photo from the Trenton Times. We had a barely legible online version, since original copies of the paper are hard to find. But we started to ask about the events of December 1967. Then, at the Trenton High Class of 1967 50th Reunion, alum Bob Borsok told us he had clipped the photo in 1967 and saved it. He sent it to us a few days later, giving us a much clearer view. We would love to talk to people who participated in this march. This is one of the photos we’re asking about.