Mrs. Fisher and her entourage, San Francisco, 1910
Last month’s column began a series about the namesakes of several of Ewing’s public elementary schools, and that series will continue next month. But with the hope that July’s paper may reach your mailbox by Sunday, June 30, July’s column addresses another topic entirely.
THEN: Few people know that a Ewing resident literally made history just over a century ago. Harriet White Fisher, a 40-something prosperous society woman, lived in Ewing on Old Ewingville Road, in a “Trenton villa” once known as Bella Vista (and demolished just a few years ago).
Fisher was the widow of Clark Fisher, the owner of Fisher and Norris Anvils, an anvil manufacturing company on Fair Street in Trenton. After his death in 1903, she successfully took over the business — an extremely unusual thing for a woman to do in the dawning years of the 20th Century. She was so successful that she became known as the “Anvil Queen of America.”
But that is not the event that made history. Having visited Europe previously, she decided to travel around the world via a relatively new conveyance — the motorcar. So in 1909, she purchased a 1909 Locomobile, hired a chauffeur named Harold Brooks, packed her “essentials” into several trunks and suitcases, brought along her butler, maid, and terrier “Honk-Honk,” and headed east.
For the next thirteen months, she traveled by car (and occasionally steamship) to 10 countries on four continents, including places in Europe, Africa, Asia and India, ultimately becoming the first woman to drive around the world by automobile.
In many places roads and bridges were non-existent, gas was hard to find, and travel was perilous. Flexibility and inventiveness were absolute essentials on this trip. The travelers were received as royalty in some places, and with great apprehension in others. Despite all odds, they circled the globe and returned to Trenton in August of 1910.
Their successful journey was largely due to the resourcefulness and dedication of Harold Brooks. Fisher’s chauffeur and personal secretary. The 23-year-old Brooks was not only responsible for driving the car most of the way, he also handled all engine and body repairs; tire patches; purchasing and shipping of gasoline, oil and parts to meet them along the way; finding and/or creating bridges, ferries and/or platforms to enable crossing a multitude of waterways; hunting of quail, pheasant or pigeons for dinner; and documenting the trip through photographs (and finding/processing film!).
Brooks kept a diary of the trip from his perspective, and saved many of the trip artifacts, receipts and correspondence. Some of his photos were used in the book Fisher published about the trip in 1911. During his lifetime, he shared the story with many groups and individuals, and even recorded his narrative on tape in 1956.
NOW: Fortunately, these materials have been kept in the family, and are on public display for the first time this summer at an exhibit at the Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie in Cadwalader Park.
One of Brooks’ grandchildren is Ewing resident Rebecca Urban, who has spent much of the past several years collecting and organizing the inherited boxes of materials, artifacts, photos and documents from her grandfather’s journey. She has put them together in this fascinating exhibit, which opened Saturday, June 15, and will remain up until September 22.
But of timely interest is that Urban will be speaking at Ellarslie about her grandfather’s trip on Sunday, June 30, at 2 pm. She knows his trip inside and out, and is clearly so proud of this history-making accomplishment in which her grandfather participated. I strongly encourage you to visit the exhibit, and if possible, hear her talk. It is a unique glimpse of a world long gone, and an amazing story.
The Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie Mansion is located in Cadwalader Park on Parkside Avenue in Trenton. Museum hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m.The museum is closed Monday and municipal holidays. Information on this exhibit and others is available on their website at www.ellarslie.org, or by calling 609-989-3632.
Do you have a Ewing story to tell, a memory to share, or a suggested topic? Send it to Helen at ewingthenandnow@gmail.com.
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