History of a House – 516 West Elm Street

History of a House

516 West Elm Street

Childhood Home of Robert Peacock

It Happened 90 Years ago this month

And a former Plymouth Resident was at the center of the Trial

By Jack Coll

1-7-2025

     Over the years I’ve written dozens of articles under the sub-title of “History of a House,” and this chapter of “History of a House” is perhaps the most interesting, and most challenging article I’ve ever written. 

     The house at 516 West Elm Street is located in the Connaughtown section of Plymouth Township, a stone’s throw from the Conshohocken boarder.  The house, likely built in the 1870’s, is one of the oldest houses along that section of West Elm Street.  The row houses on West Elm Street in the Conshohocken district, the 300 and 400 blocks were mostly all constructed from 1900-1920’s.

      Connaughtown, (also spelled Connaughttown, and pronounced cunny-town)  is located on the Western Border of Conshohocken near the Schuylkill River, in Plymouth Township.

     Connaughtown was settled by immigrants from the Connaught Province of Ireland, who came to America, to work in the neighboring Alan Wood Steel Mills.

     You’re about to read the most amazing, most unlikely story of Robert Peacock, who was born in 1883, to John Peacock and Anna Smith, Anna was the sister of Thomas and Charles Smith who were both long-time residents of Conshohocken.  Robert’s father, who likely worked at the Alan Wood Steel Mills, or the Fulton Foundry lived with his wife Anna at 516 West Elm Street when Robert was born.  Robert was also a cousin to Willis H. Baldwin, and related to the Smith, Herron and Heffenfinger families, all Conshohocken residents at the time.

     Robert Peacock was born during a very prosperous period in our country thanks to the mass production of railroads creating traveling and shipping conveniences.  Thanks to Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell, the nation was beginning to see light and sound.  The era of cowboys, outlaws, and Indians began moving in a different direction toward civility and unfortunately, reservations.     When Peacock was born in 1883, there were only 38 States, Chester A. Arthur was the 21^st President of the United States, (September 19, 1881—March 4, 1885)  Also in 1883 the New York’s Metropolitan Opera House opened.  And, after fourteen years of construction the Brooklyn Bridge opened on May 24, 1883.  Two years later on June 17, 1885, the Statue of Liberty arrived for the first time in the New York Harbor.  

      In the early 1880’s Connaughtown had about a dozen dwelling or-so, 516 West Elm Street being one of them.  There was the Connaughtown Hotel/Bar owned by Samuel Beatty, there were also another drinking establishment located at 641 Elm Street and served as a watering hole for the employees of the nearby steel mill.  (Most recently The Mansion House) Going back before the turn of the century Saturday nights were reserved for drinking and dancing, commonly known as “Ladies Night Out.”   

     To understand the unlikely rise and career of Robert Peacock, you have-to understand that he was born into a house with no running water, no electric, and no plumbing.  Every house in Conshohocken and Plymouth had out-houses in their backyard. A deep hole, with a bucket on top where one would run in and out of no matter the climate, to take care of their business.  There were no concrete sidewalks, no paved roads, and horse and buggy was the main means of transportation.  The dirt streets were constantly filled with horse do-do, and I can assure you that in the summer, with every house having their windows wide open, (of course there was no air conditioning) if you weren’t smelling the hot furnaces of the steel mill, you were smelling the little gifts the horses left behind in front of your house.

     The short story of Robert Peacock is this;  born in 1883, quit school in the eighth grade, (not sure if he attended school in Plymouth, or Conshohocken.  (The Ivy Rock School was yet to be built)  Worked a few odd jobs until he became a young man, he moved to Atlantic City, New Jersey, became a lawyer, was later appointed as Assistant Attorney General of New Jersey, and in 1935, was named as the Assistant Prosecutor in the Baby Lindbergh kidnapping trial, It was dubbed as “The trial of the century.”  The Lindbergh trial began on January 2, 1935 at a courthouse in Flemington New Jersey, on January 3, an Associated Press photograph appeared in hundreds of newspapers around the world of Peacock, holding up the clothing that 20 month old Charles Lindbergh Jr. was wearing when the baby was kidnapped.     To understand the magnitude of the kidnapping trial, and the story of Robert Peacock we first must talk about Charles Lindbergh, the kidnapping of Baby Lindbergh, and the trial of Bruno Richard Hauptmann, the electric chair, and a town under siege and held hostage for six weeks.     Charles Augustus Lindbergh, 1902-1974 was an American Aviator and military officer.  On May 20, 1927, he made the first non-stop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance of 3,600 miles, flying alone for 33-1/2 hours, his aircraft, “The Spirit of St. Louis” was designed and built by Ryan Airline Company.

     He became a worldwide celebrity eclipsing big time stars of the decade like Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Rudolph Valentino, Mary Pickford, Greta Garbo, Cecil B. DeMille, Buster Keaton and dozens of other superstars of the day.

     Lindbergh’s epic solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean set the world record.  Upon his return President Calvin Coolidge greeted Lindbergh at the Washington Monument in a ceremony that thousands attended and was the first syndicated radio broadcast in history.

     Mayor of New York, Jimmy Walker threw Lindbergh the biggest ticker tape parade in New York’s history, four million out of six million New York city residents attended

     Lindbergh went on a nationwide tour of America in the Spirit of St. Louis, stopping at all major cities in all 48 states.  After visiting more than 80 cities throughout America, in the fall of 1927, in which millions of Americans showed their appreciation Lindbergh toured with another Good Will Tour to Central and South America

     The constant media attention and fans trolling his house twenty-four hours a day forced Lindbergh into semi seclusion. Lindbergh with the help of a Princeton realtor, put together 13 parcels of property totaling 425 acres, in the near-inaccessible Sourland Mountains of Central New Jersey.  His property was in both Hopewell township, in Mercer County, and East Amwell township, in Hunterdon County.

     (Just a quick reminder for our readers;  Dozens of books have been written about the Baby Lindbergh kidnapping, dozens of documentary films have been made about the kidnaping and several movies.  We don’t have the space for all the details of the kidnapping but suggest if you’re interested, do yourself a deep-dive into the case by reading, or even taking a day trip to Flemington New Jersey, and tour the courthouse where the trial was held or visit the Hunterdon County Historical Society, (Located a block from the courthouse) or visit the New Jersey State Police Museum where they have a great display pertaining to the kidnapping and trial, along with the electric chair that Hauptmann was put to death in.)

     (Here’s the short version with a few interesting highlights)

On March 1, 1932, Charles Lindbergh Jr., the 20-month old son of aviation hero Charles Lindbergh and his wife Ann Morrow Lindbergh, was kidnapped from the family’s new mansion in Hopewell New Jersey,  a ransom of $50,000  was demanded in a ransom note. The morning after the kidnapping, authorities notified President Herbert Hoover of the crime.

      On May 12, 1932, the body of 20 month old Charles Lindbergh Jr. was discovered.  The baby’s body was discovered by a truck driver near the Lindbergh mansion.

     The New Jersey State Police took charge of the investigation headed by Colonel H. Schwarzkopf, the father of Gulf War Leader General H. Norman Schwarzkopf.  Schwarzkopf was appointed by the FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. 

      In September of 1934, a German immigrant carpenter named Bruno Richard Hauptmann was arrested for the crime.

     The “Trial of the Century” commenced on January 2, 1935, (90 Years Ago) in Flemington, New Jersey to an outside crowd of 60,000 observers.

The Judge in the case was Judge Thomas Whitaker Trenchard.  After 29 court sessions, 162 witnesses, and 381 exhibits, the case was given to the jury at 11:20 am, Wednesday, February 13, 1935  Eleven and a half hours later the jurors returned, reportly after five ballots, that began seven for guilty, five for acquittal, finally ending with a unanimous vote of guilty.

     After a trial that lasted from January 2, to February 13, 1935, at the conclusion of the six week trial Hauptmann was found guilty of First Degree Murder and sentenced to death.

     He was executed in the electric chair at the New Jersey prison on April 3, 1936.  The crime spurred the United States Congress to pass the Federal Kidnapping act, (Commonly referred to as the “Little Lindbergh Law” which made transporting a kidnapping victim across state lines a Federal crime.)

     The Flemington County Courthouse where the trial was held in 1935, was constructed in 1828,  500 tickets were handed out per day for a courtroom that was built to hold 250 people.  Tickets were scalped,  one ticket sold for $500.  Passes came in four colors based on whether the person was a guest, worked for the court, was a member of the press or was a witness.

     Tens of thousands of on-lookers clamored for trail tickets distributed by the County Sheriff John Curtiss.  Among the curious were Movie Stars, New York Socialites, and Gangsters.  The Lindbergh’s were inundated by offers of assistance, even Al Capone, an American gangster, offered his help from prison.

     After a few days, in an effort to allow more people to witness the trial, it was decided by Sheriff Curtiss that 500 passes would be handed out for the morning court session and 500 passes for the afternoon session.  Sheriff Curtiss made a habit of trying to seat local residents and skinny people first.

     Sheriff Curtiss allowed tourist to have access to the courthouse the first Sunday after the trial began.  That day, 50,000 people showed up to tour both the town and courthouse.

     The local newspaper, “The Hunterdon County Democrat” reported that on many days of the trial that traffic was backed up six miles in both directions trying to get into town.

     Inside the courtroom David T. Wilentz, Attorney General of New Jersey, led the Prosecution. 

 Wilentz, was 38 years old, and was trying his first criminal case as Attorney General, he was a dapper, cigar-smoking, confident little man who built a convincing circumstantial case.  By his side throughout the trial was former Conshohocken/Plymouth resident Robert Peacock, Assistant Attorney General of New Jersey and assistant Prosecutor throughout the Lindbergh trial.

          The assistant prosecutors included Joseph Lanigan, Richard Stockton lll, and Plymouth/Conshohocken’s own Robert Peacock, Hunterdon County prosecutor Anthony Hauk Jr, and Special Council George Large.  Charles Lindbergh, allegedly with a concealed gun in a shoulder holster, sat directly behind the prosecution team along with State Police superintendent H. Norman Schwarzkopf.

     The Lindbergh kidnapping was one of the most notorious cases of the 20^th century.  In the end, the Lindbergh’s ended up donating the mansion known as “The Highfields.”  The mansion, built in 1931 has been owned by the state of New Jersey since the Lindbergh’s donated the house in 1933 and moved to Europe.  The house today remains largely unchanged from its orginal design giving drive-by visitors a glimpse into the life of one of the 20^th century’s most famous figures.      

     The house in not open to the public for tours as it is a state owned rehabilitation center.

Robert Peacock’s obituary and a few other interesting facts about the Lindbergh kidnapping below:

Robert Peacock’s Obituary—July 1956

The Deputy Attorney General Robert Peacock passed away in July of 1956. He  lived at 2805 Ocean Avenue  in Brigantine, died after a short illness in Atlantic City Hospital, he was 72.

     For many years he was a resident of Atlantic City before moving to Brigantine and established a permanent home there in 1926. 

     Mr. Peacock was one of the State Bar’s most notable examples of how a poor boy deprived of educational advantage acquired a knowledge of law that made him eventually a shining light in is profession.  Because of his own experiences he always had deep sympathy for persons who needed legal assistance but could not afford it, and many a client was served capably without it costing a fee.

     Mr. Peacock never had schooling above the eighth grade Grammer school, which he completed at the age of 12, until in later life he attended the Rider Business College in Trenton, and emerged with a competent knowledge of business and economics.  While at Rider he won fame as a track star, and for ten years thereafter he played in the Burlington County Baseball League.

     He was born in Conshohocken in 1883.  After quitting school,   he studied law at home at night and then entered the law office of Samuel A. Atkinson , of Mt. Holly New Jersey, at that time prosecutor of Burlington County.  He successfully passed examinations for the State Bar and Atkinson made him Assistant Prosecutor.  He served as township clerk of Florence, Burlington County, and in 1905 was secretary to Assembly Speaker Samuel K. Robbins.

     He was elected assemblyman from Burlington County from 1913 to 1915 and in 1915 was made Burlington County Solicitor and acted in that capacity until 1925.

     He was appointed a special prosecutor by the Attorney General in five murder cases in the county, one being the famous Rider Cranberry bog payroll murder on October 5, 1916, when nine masked bandits attempted to hold up an auto near Atsion, driven by Mrs. Elsie Rider Smathers, wife of a brother of Judge William A. Smathers, of Atlantic City, Killed Henry Rider, bog owner, and wounded several others.  Peacock handled the case so competently that two of the bandits were electrocuted, and another is serving a life term in Italy.

     Peacock was defense counsel in 19 murder cases, and only one of his clients was executed.  He was appointed police recorder for Brigantine in 1927.  In the fall of 1934, he was assigned to investigate Atlantic County affairs and probe illegal registration.

     As assistant Attorney General he was assigned to help prepare the state’s case against Hauptmann for the murder of the Lindbergh baby.  As the result the work at this trial Peacock was appointed special prosecutor for the State Police.

     He was the winner of the Morris Guards trophy awarded in 1934.

     Mr. Peacock was survived by his wife Helen, a daughter, Mary Jane Peacock, a son, J. Robert Peacock two brothers, Charles and Frank Peacock, of Florence and a sister Mrs. John Camp, of Delanco.

There were a lot of back-stories and side-stories in and about this case, we obviously don’t have enough space to tell all the stories, remember, there have been dozens of books written about the case, not to mention dozens of documentary films a several movies.

Having spent the better part of the last 35 years as a photo-journalist, I really

got a kick out of the article below, extremely interesting to me, I hope you enjoy it!!

Below is an article that appeared in the Hunterdon County Democrat

Newspaper, Published in Flemington New Jersey on January 12, 1935

Photo Men Form “Picture Pool” For Trail Films

Locked Door of Darkroom Gives All Members an Equal Chance

By Gerald E. Zich

(Writer for the Hunterdon County Democrat Newspaper)

     Newspapers photographers established the first “Cooperative Dark Room” in the history of newspaper photography is one of the precedents of news coverage resulting from the Hauptmann trial

     Among the dough-making machines and flour sifting of the (Hexter’s) bakery on Bloomfield Avenue, Flemington, the film developing and picture printing equipment of the cooperatives has been set up to supply copies of every picture taken within the courtroom to twenty newspaper and press association representatives.  (According to the Hunterdon County Historical Society the bakery building still stands today and is the “Twice Told Tales” Book Store)

     Under supervision of Art Sorensen, free-lance photographer and former picture syndicate executive , a  system of distributing the pictures to every participating member at exactly the same minute is solving the problem of giving every newspaper an “even break” in starting the pictures from Flemington to New York, Philadelphia and Washington.

Intended to ban photos

  At the outset, it was Justice Trenchard’s intention to ban all photographers from the courtroom.  He felt that camera’s would not lend to the decorum and order of the trial chamber.

     A veteran photographer, Frank Murta of Acme News Pictures, visited the judge in the interest of all the 132 picture service and cameramen who are connected with the highly efficient graphic coverage of the trial.  Murta told the judge of the vast outlay of money represented in this professional group, and after citing the adventuresome chapters of a typical news cameraman’s life, won a permit to place four picked photographers in the room. They were to be allowed to take pictures at vantage points three times in each court day, immediately before the ten o’clock convening, during the noon recess and after court adjourned.

     While the judge occupied the bench, or a witness was in the witness chair, no photographs were to be permitted. The pictures taken of Colonel and Mrs. Lindbergh in the witness chair were unauthorized “scoops”.

Runners From The Courtroom

     The four picked photographers in the courtroom represent no particular picture service, but work for all twenty members of the cooperative.  Runners carry the exposed plates from the courtroom to the bakery building.  There, experienced operators have the developing solutions ready in big porcelain tanks.  Special printing cameras are put into service to make twenty prints of each picture.  These prints are dried by electricity and are inserted into envelopes bearing the names of members

     Three times daily, at an appointed hour, the twenty representatives gather in the outer room.  The door is locked so that no member can beat the others.  While the labeled envelopes are being passed out, motorcycles are being warmed outside by messengers whose job it is to carry the precious pictures to waiting airplanes, ready for flights at the temporary landing fields which dot Flemington’s boarder.  When every representative had been given a copy of every picture the door is unlocked.  After that, what happens is the business of the picture service.

     Fourteen airplanes are engaged in this special taxi service, and on a busy day, the planes make three trips to the cities once with each “take” of pictures.  There are two planes for each of six members, Acme, International, Wide World Photos, Associated Press, Daily News and Journal, Philadelphia Bulletin runs a flying darkroom for pictures taken outside of the courtroom.  Developing the plates en-route.  Thirteen of the newspapers which maintain their own picture engraving staffs cooperate with the services owning the planes in flying pictures to the cities.

120 Photos in 80 Minutes

     The reason for the “even break” system and the locked door is apparent.  In the metropolitan daily newspaper field, a few moments difference in the printing of papers affects the comparative value of the edition.  All start from Flemington at scratch, thanks to the system and the rest depends on the speed of the planes and the efficiency of the engravers.  Even before they planes leave the ground at Flemington, the city offices have been notified by telephone to get their engravers ready for rush orders.

     The record for speed, “one and one half finished pictures in a minute,” was established on Friday.  Six plates were developed, printed with twenty copies, a total of 120 pictures, distributed to members and ready to take the air in eighty minutes.

     The photographs of Hauptmann are exceptionally clear and lifelike.  Cameramen call him an “idea subject,” attributing has excellent pictures to his sallow complexion ( Sallow meaning an unhealthy yellowish skin color) and pronounced features.  Murta explained that every picture taken thus far has been a “candid” photo unposed by Hauptmann, and often taken without his knowledge.  Lindbergh does not like to be snapped, but he will never “duck a picture” by concealing his face.  He prefers to outwit the cameramen by avoiding them. 

3 Hours Camera to Reader

     The idea of the speed that is attained in carrying the pictures was graphically illustrated in the Daily Mirror last Sunday.  Photo showed a motorcycle dispatch carrier leaving the Courthouse at 1 P. M. for darkroom.  Less than two blocks away from the courthouse.

     At 1:16 the rider arrived at the airfield.  At 1:24 the plane was at Newark Airport, forty miles away; at 1:26 another cycle rider was receiving the pictures from the plane at the airport.  At 1:44 the pictures were in the hands of the engravers in the Mirror plant, Midtown, Manhattan.

     City Editor George Clark of the Mirror told the writer Sunday that in an hour after the pictures are received, they can be printed in the paper and on the street.  Thus, it is possible within approximately three hours from the time pictures are snapped in Flemington to them in the hands of the newspaper readers.

     For broader distribution the syndicates participating in the pool have set up darkrooms at Camden and Newark airports where the prints are rephotographed and hundreds of duplicates made for further distribution via, airmail direct from these two airports.

In Newark the Star-Eagle engraving plant is being used to make engravings and matrices or molds of the engravings which are rushed back to Newark Airport and dispatched by plane to all parts of the country.

End #####

Notes of Interest***

William Randolph Hearst, alone, with his syndicated newspaper chain, had 50 reporters there.

Reporters came from London, Paris, Italy, Germany, Russia, Australia and Alaska.

Newspapers were king at that time, readership had not yet been affected by radio, television or internet.

On the day of the verdict 10,000 people waited outside

There were 12 daily newspapers in New York in 1932 and they all sent out reporters to cover the story.

By New Years 1935, Flemington overflowed with 700 reporters, thousands of curious spectators and hundreds of communications technicians vendors hawking miniature kidnap ladders, locks of “the Lindbergh baby hair” and photos of Charles Lindbergh

At 8:44 on the evening of April 3, 1936 in the New Jersey State Prison, two thousand volts of electricity were sent through Richard Hauptmann’s body.

1300 Associated Press Newspapers depend upon twenty-two people, four were teletype experts, seven reporters, six photographers, five tele-type operators depend millions of readers of Associated Press Newspapers in all parts of the world for complete and accurate and up-to-the-minute news of the trial.

To illustrate the speed with which this little group works, six minutes after Justice Trenchard adjourned court last Friday, thirteen metropolitan Newspapers in New York, Philadelphia and Brooklyn had his closing words in their offices. 

There was also United Press and International News Services.

At times copy was too heavy for the automatic printer to carry, two morse telegraph wires, with direct New York connections .

Associated Press also had six staff photographers in Flemington for the trial.

More than 700 newspaper reporters, photographers, and staff descended on Flemington.  Each edition of the different newspapers would devote 4-5-6, and sometimes eight pages of coverage everyday

This was the biggest trial ever seen in America

In the end, the Lindbergh’s ended up donating the mansion to charity and moved overseas.

The Lindbergh kidnapping was  one of the most notorious case of the 20^th century.

In the end, Robert Peacock was a kid from Plymouth’s poor side of town, who was born in the 1880’s, and left the dirt roads of Connaughtown, to become a major player in “The Trial of the Century,” a trial that was followed around the world.

     Donna and I traveled to Flemington, New Jersey to spend the day, looking for information on the Lindbergh case and Robert Peacock.  We weren’t disappointed and found the town of Flemington to be very clean, friendly, and extremely helpful.  Listed below is a list of resource points that allowed me to put this article together, Thanks to all!!

Information sources for this article include:

The Historic Courthouse in Flemington New Jersey

Thanks to Officer Davis for the tour and information.

71 Main Street

Flemington, New Jersey

Hunterdon County Historical Society

114 Main Street

Flemington, New Jersey

Thanks to Pam Robinson

New Jersey State Police Museum

1040 River Road

Ewing, New Jersey

Atlantic City Free Public Library

1 North Tennessee Avenue

A special thank you to Jacqueline

Books:

“When The Circus Came To Town”

Flemington, New Jersey and the Lindbergh Kidnapping Trial

By James Davidson 

Arcadia Publishing

New Jersey’s Lindbergh

Kidnapping and Trail

By James Davidson and Mark W. Falzini

Newspapers:

Hunterdon County Democrat Newspaper

Founded in 1838

January 12, 1935

Photo of Robert Peacock

Page 7

Conshohocken Recorder Newspaper

Founded in 1869

January 4, 1935

Native of Here In Noted Case

Thank you for reading. If you’re looking for a fun event, check out the Conshohocken Adult Prom on February 22nd