Like Thieves in the night, without a permit, the Transportation Department hired a demolition group to destroy the 300 year old house of a Revolutionary War hero.
In this new world of "alternative facts" they used for their excuse, structural instability (Not true - they were using it for their office!) and lack of historical significance - (Not true - how many Revolutionary era homes of Patriotic defenders do we have left?).
Well, it's too late now. An irreplaceable and invaluable American historical treasure is turned to rubble proving the ignorance of those who run our state.
I am tempted to wonder how we failed to instill in students in New Jersey a love for and a respect for our National Heritage? I know as an English teacher and as an Art teacher, I did my best. I had students in my Art classes at ME Costello School hike our town, Gloucester City, photograph historic sites such as the Mill Blocks and our Century Club waterworks, and design postcards and coloring books based on their photographs. Their work was displayed at the Gloucester City Historical Society Museum on King Street. I know other teachers, too, who did their best such as the brilliant Louisa Llewellyn of Gloucester City High School.
I know it isn't only New Jersey, after all, I am from Philadelphia and my birthplace razed Benjamin Franklin's House among many other historically significant structures. And my current home town has been known to demolish historic structures as well. Mt. Ephraim allowed to be razed the Harwan Theater and their own Harrison House (a member of the family of above mentioned) once on Rudderow Ave., so that it could sit as a weed infested lot.
As the destructive, greedy, and ignorant push a poisonous pipeline through the pinelands, and gleefully destroy our national heritage, we can wonder what we will leave for our children and the future: parking lots, poisoned waterways, highways and crumbling casinos along beer can strewn eroded beaches.
I am reminded of Joni Mitchell's famous song from a more hopeful decade "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."
No very happy trails for this blogger today,
Jo Ann
No comments:
Post a Comment