Historic Happenings Blog

Volume 3, Issue 4
Monmouth County Historical Commission Grant Award Ceremony
Thank you to the Monmouth County Historical Commission for supporting the restoration of the original smokehouse on the grounds of the Taylor-Butler House. Our new Director of Collections, Bernadette Rogoff, can't wait to start working on the project. 
Phebe Mills (1800-1896), Three Dancing Ladies. Watercolor, pen and ink on wove paper. Barnegat Township, Ocean County, NJ, dated 1812. Gift of Mrs. J. Amory Haskell, 1940 Conservation at the Historical Association
This month, The Historical Association welcomed back six newly-conserved works on paper from the Conservation Center for Art and Historical Artifacts in Philadelphia. The group included an 1810 decorative watercolor and ink birth record of the Brown family of Keyport, the 1780 John Mason fracture, an early 1849 watercolor view of Long Branch, a watercolor view of Haddon Hall by John Evans Redman in 1830, a pen and ink drawing of Captain James Lawrenc…

NEW JERSEY STUDIES ACADEMIC ALLIANCE AUTHORS’ AWARDS PROGRAM ~ 2019 CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
by Deborah Mercer
February 25 to April 30, 2019

The New Jersey authors’ awards were instituted in 1994 to encourage and celebrate books about New Jersey. Awards are considered for works in five, non-fiction categories:         edited works                 popular                scholarly                reference                reproduction of primary resources All works nominated should provide a new understanding of New Jersey’s history and culture, demonstrate evidence of original research in the application of New Jersey resources and/or reveal new insights into a topic. The work must have appeared in the previous two calendar years: 2017 to 2019. There is no in-state residency requirement for authors/editors/compilers. All works should utilize appropriate primary resources. Although the principle criterion for an award to a scholarly or reference work is the well-written provision of information, a nomi…

Monday, April 29 – Monmouth County
"The Magnificent Seven of Middletown Sports" Monday, April 29, 2019, 7:00 pm
 Mark Stewart, sports author and historian, will present his selections for the best athletes in the history of Middletown. Compile your own list and feel free to share during the Q and A session that will follow! The event will begin at 7:00 pm at the Middletown Township Public Library (new location) at 55 New Monmouth Road on Monday, April 29, 2019. All are welcome free of charge. Information may be found at https://www.facebook.com/MiddletownHistory.

Benefitting music education and the youth of Asbury Park, The Asbury Park Music & Film Festival is unlike any other event of its kind in that it explores and celebrates a single, and perhaps the most dramatic, aspect of cinema…the role of music in film.Every City has its own rhythm… its own history…its own journey to greatness. For more than 100 years, Asbury Park has been a fabled music destination. From the bandstand shows of Arthur Pryor in 1904 to the more than 70 clubs which formed a cradle of rock during the 60s and 70s, Asbury Park and Music are forever intertwined.The lineup this year includes amazing films and musical acts, all which mean something to Asbury Park and anyone who loves this town. Please visit https://www.apmff.org to view event info and for ticket information. www.aphistoricalsociety.org| P.O. Box 543 Asbury Park, NJ 07712 |info@aphistoricalsociety.org

Sunday, April 28 – Morris County
Curator’s Tour at Macculloch Hall Sunday, April 28, 2:00 pm
 Join guest curator Alfred Giraldi for a guided tour of Anchors Aweigh: Macculloch Hall and U.S. Naval History. FREE with museum admission and for members. Anchors Aweigh: Macculloch Hall and U.S. Naval History, through mid-July 2019  Includes children’s exhibition, Don’t Give Up the Ship!
   The Navy has played a significant role in the Macculloch family’s history. A grandson of George and Louisa Macculloch, Henry William Miller (1836-1904), a graduate of the Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1853, served on the USS Mohican at the battle of Port Royal and participated in the blockade of Charleston, South Carolina during the Civil War. He resigned from the Navy in 1866 with the rank of lieutenant commander.
    Henry’s younger brother, Jacob William Miller (1847-1918), graduated from the Naval Academy in 1867. As a lieutenant, he was sent to Nicaragua to explore a possible canal route, and in 1877 he ser…

Sunday, April 28 -- Burlington County
MRS. HARKER’S TEA Phillis Wheatley April 28, 2019 – 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
  The first published African-American poet and female published writer, Phillis Wheatley’s life began in West Africa. Sold into slavery when only seven, she was bought by the affluent and well-connected Wheatley family of Boston. Mrs. Wheatley found the girl “uncommonly intelligent,” educated Phillis and had her work inside the house. Through the Wheatleys she met Benjamin Franklin, attended balls, and wrote a poem for George Washington. The very talented Dr. Daisy Century will portray Phillis Wheatley during the tea. Tea, sandwiches, and cookies will be served. This is a seated buffet tea.
   Admission is $20 per person. Seating is limited; prepaid reservations are required to guarantee seating. Please call 609-267-6996, or email at colonialdamesnj@comcast.net.     
   This event takes place at Peachfield, the Headquarters of The National Society of The Colonial Dames of Americ…

Sunday, April 28 – Morris County
Walking Tour of the Boonton Ironworks
  The Boonton Historical Society Walking Tours Begin Another Season! Joe Macasek, the well-known Morris Canal expert and author of Guide to the Morris Canal in Morris County, will lead our first walking tour of 2019 "Boonton Ironworks and the Morris Canal" on Sunday, April 28 at 1:30 PM. Joe will point out the remnants of the canal and ironworks that still exist in town. 
   The tour is free for members of the historical society, and there is a suggested donation of $5.00 for nonmembers. The tour meets at the Boonton Historical Society, 210 Main Street, Boonton NJ, and lasts approximately 2 hours. Refreshments served after the tour at the museum, which will be open from 1 to 5 p.m.Boonton Historical Society, boontonhistory@yahoo.com; 973-402-8840

Sunday, April 28 – Essex County
Rosedale Cemetery Tour
Sunday, April 28 from 1:30 to 3:30pm. Founded over 175 years ago, Rosedale Cemetery marked the beginning of a new movement in how America took care of its deceased. We’ll venture into the new section for this guided tour, discussing grave imagery as well as the people who are buried there. Led by Executive Director Jane Eliasof. Admission is $10/person, registration required. Call 973-744-1796 or send a note to mail@montclairhistorical.org.Tour begins at the Rosedale Chapel for a brief introduction at 408 Orange Road, Montclair, NJ. Carpooling is suggested due to limited parking on site. Tour is about 2 miles of walking. www.montclairhistory.org.
   If you are not a member, you may join prior to the event or at the event for admission by contacting the Montclair History Center at 973-744-1796, at www.montclairhistory.org, or sending a note to mail@montclairhistorical.org.
   About the Montclair History Center: The Montclair History Ce…