Barb Solem called to ask if I had picked up the winter 2017 edition of Sojourn, the new journal published out of Stockton State College. I had gotten the Summer issue but had been greatly disappointed. Once again, the old beat up topics were dragged out of their moldy and dusty boxes for yet another annotated, footnoted flogging - the East West Jersey Line and whether Ogden Nash ever lived at Nash's cabin.....Who the hell cares! No one even remembers who Ogden Nash is.
As for the East West Line, a more interesting article may have been to interview Bill Bolger who, in his 60's, hiked the line from end to end. Even better, a little reportage on the Hugg Harrison Glover House which was built in the late 1600's, added onto in the 1700's and was home to a Revolutionary War patriot who fought alongside General LaFayette in the battle of Gloucester on the Delaware. The house, as you no doubt read, was demolished in secret by the DOT while various groups were working on funding and strategies to save it.
South Jersey isn't dead and writing about our history doesn't need to be either. I have read other good publications with charming, and fascinating information and many blogs exist that reflect people actually going places and researching their history in New Jersey. Also, there are fascinating people who work in history who would be worthy of interviewing such as Bonnie Beth Elwell of Camden County Historical Society, who is also president of the Salem Genealogical Society and who published an Arcadia book on Pittsgrove, Upper Pittsgrove and Elmer. How about an article on Arcadia and how it is saving our local history one town at a time!
On March 29, I am going to interview Wes Hughes, who is head of the volunteers at Batsto and also is on the Batsto Citizen's Committee. He had done some research on the CCC in New Jersey but so many publication roadblocks were set in his path he had to abandon it, so I want to capture his story on this blog. I love print media and don't want to see internet media push it out, but I have to say, Print Media - Get With It! Recently I replaced Time Magazine with a subscription to This Week Magazine, because it is more timely, broader, covers the whole world and an assortment of subjects. It is fun as well as enlightening. They are not mutually exclusive!
Happy Trails - Oh yes, you can get the new winter edition of Sojourn at amazon.com. I heard that it is much much better and has several excellent articles including one on Margaret Mead and her mother's research on Italian immigrant farm communities in South Jersey. Can't wait to get it and I will review it when it comes. I had some trouble getting the title accepted at amazon.com but finally it found it and I should have it in a few days.
Jo Ann
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