b"A Song of Fire and Ice in MaplewoodWoolley turns 100BY ADRIANNA DONATLeft: Woolley's ice wagon was pulled by horses. Right: Woolley's model T coal truck - 1925.D onald Maxton remembers theOur family has been at the helm of this businessThe sourcing and distribution of coal and ice were entertainmentvalueofliv- since its inception, adapting and growing throughcritical components of Woolleys operations. Coal ar-ing near Woolley Fuel in theeachgeneration,saysNormanWoolleyJr.,whorived by train from the Lehigh Valley and was catego-1950s and '60s. took the company reins from his father.rized into sizes from potato-sized stove coal to finer CoalwasshippedtoNorman Jr.s son, Norman E. Woolley, currentlygrains like rice coal used in automatic coal feeders. WoolleysviatheRahwayruns the day-to-day operations at Woolley.The ice, sourced from Canada, was transported in ValleyRailroad,usuallyinFrom its humble beginnings, Woolley Fuel haslargeblocks,storedinsawdustandinsulatedwith the late afternoon, and stored in huge silos, Maxtonevolved through various energy eras, initially servingblanketstoprolongitsusability.Mostcustomers says. When I was a toddler, my mom took me tothe community with coal and ice, transitioning towantedregularde-watch the train when she heard the locomotive blastoil, and now finding ways to serve customers withliveries. The ice was its horn at the Rutgers Street grade crossing. Kidsrenewable fuel technologies. veryheavy,with would gather in DeHart Park and wave to the trainmost wagons weigh-crew as they passed by. The Beginning ing over seven tons, Woolley started its life as Woolley Coal and Icesays Norman Jr.in 1924, transitioned to Woolley Fuel, and is nowIn Woolleys early days, area residents dependedWoolleysfacility known as Woolley Home Solutions. It is one of theoniceforrefrigerationandcoalforcookingandplayedanoversized oldest continuously operating businesses in Maple- heating.ThecompanysdeliverieskeptresidentsroleintheDeHart wood. From its iconic coal silos and delivery vehicleshomes livable. Parkneighborhood. to its products daily presence, Woolley is a nameWe started with horse-drawn wagons for distri- JoeZellers,who four generations have known. bution, a nod to my grandfathers love for horses,grew up there in the One hundred years ago, brothers Norman andsays Norman E. The horses were given rest days af- 1940s, says, For us Herb Woolley purchased the lot at 12 Burnett Av- ter hauling heavy loads up steep streets like Clintonneighborhoodboys,L-R: Nephi Woolley with his enue with financial help from their father, Nephi. and Curtiss. one of the most antic- son Norman W. Woolley Sr. 18/ matters magazine / summer 2024"