Today, I finished the book, "The Fearless Benjamin Lay" which I found deeply moving. One hundred years before the full-scale Abolition movement, before the Underground Railroad, Benjamin Lay was a radical activist, a ceaseless goad to the wealthy educated class of his fellow Quakers, who ran the Meetings and owned slaves. He was not for "gradual emancipation" but immediate release of enslaved people. A dwarf with a spinal deformity, he suffered unending persecution yet persevered in his quest, because his soul was straight and his compassion drove him to use his life to fight this horrifying crime against humanity. I will give the book back to the friend who loaned it to me but the memory of the courage and purity of Benjamin Lay will stay with me. The author is Marcus Redicker. This is an amazing book!
The author asks and answers many of the questions I had such as why have we not heard of Benjamin Lay before? And the answers are enlightening and speak to several other interests of mine: Benjamin Lay was a self-educated commoner. Like many reformers, he had worked with his hands and taught himself. He was not the descendant of wealthy merchants educated at fine schools. Benjamin Lay had seen first-hand, as a sailor, many facets of the horrors of the slave trade, especially in Barbados where public torture and murder of enslaved people was common. Also, many of the educated and refined people of the time, people of power and social standing, were slave holders as for example Thomas Jefferson. I have read several books over the many decades, gradually revealing the sexual exploitation of Sally Hemmings and the enslavement of the offspring of this relationship of Jeffersons with this enslaved woman, including the most recent work on the dna proof of her descendants' relationship to Jefferson.
A topic rarely put at the front of the Abolition movement and the struggle is that along with the exploitation for free labor of kidnapped and enslaved people, one of the deep and powerful and abiding motivations for the oppression of enslaved African people was the access it gave men with money to the bodies of women.
Today pornography and prostitution flourish and journalists and educated men of power and social standing make jokes about it as though the exploitation of the disadvantaged is funny and acceptable, as long as they are women. The recent expose' of widespread intimidation of women for perverted sexual gratification shows us where the ongoing battle is taking place.
For people of conscience the two new fronts in the ongoing war between good and evil are in the cruelty towards animals and the sexual exploitation of women. Just as with Benjamin Lay, who was also aware of the issue of animal cruelty and exploitation, those of us who share this consciousness are continually exposed to ridicule for our beliefs that all creatures deserve justice. Just as we live in a world where people blithely pander to their base desires and justify the practice, like Benjamin Lay, those of us who have reached a conscientious awareness of the injustice must bear up and live on in our principles and hope that as with the on-going and successful struggle against enslavement of people in the U.S., the work against the enslavement and exploitation of animals will one day be seen for the wrong that it is and will cease. And the degradation of women for the entertainment of men along with it.
"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you"
(and in that thought an expansion is treat women the way you would want your mothers, sisters, daughters treated)
Happy New Year!
Happy Trails!
Jo Ann
Friday, December 29, 2017
Thursday, December 28, 2017
More Comments on "The Fearless Benjamin Lay'" book by Marcus Rediler
The Chapter on Benjamin Lay and his love of books and learning is particularly pertinent to the conflict between poetically powers adversarial to a free press that we are experiencing today.
In his attempts to shut down CNN and to pervert free expression by having his rich cronies buy up media outlets, Trump (whom I will NEVER call President) has made war on a basic American safe-guard, the Free Press. Even in Benjamin Lay's time, the mid 1700's the press was under attack in various ways. The Quaker hierarchy of the time suppressed all writing that was anti-slavery as the "meeting" had been overtaken by ministering "men of power" who acquired their wealth to a large measure by the trade in human flesh and the exploitation of the enslaved people. Therefore when any member of the faith attempted to expand the continuous protest against this evil, the speaker was silenced through censure in Meeting or denial of publication.
Fortunately then as now, there were those who respected and protected free speech and our own hero Benjamin Franklin published Benjamin Lay's great work against slavery and false ministry
I believe that great danger is from money and monopoly. Everyone understands censorship but we didn't anticipate that billionaire in protecting their wealth and the means by which they acquire it, as well as the protection of their treasure against taxation by off-shore accounts - as pirates buried their treasure in the Carribbean, that these billionaires would buy and monopolize media and pervert it to their own uses. Hence, Fox news. And the attempted purchase and perversion of CNN that was recently foiled. Next the loss of Net Neutrality is a danger to us. Well voices for truth and justice have aways found a way to make themselves heard and I have faith that will continue to be the case in this war between Good and Evil.
My view of this is that Good is for the greater good of all people, and it is loving and compassionate, that it protects and supports the poor and needy, the weakest, and most vulnerable of our society. Evil is the pursuit of amassed riches, the exploitation of the poor the needy and the vulnerable, the misuse and abuse of people and animals, the setting off of some people as inferior because of color or religion or place of origin. These sides are pretty clear in today's political climate. One leader refuses to pay taxes, hides his money, brags of abusing women, denied his workers their fair pay in New York, and attacks the free press while throwing open the gates to the destruction of our planet by wealth seeking businessmen who wish to destroy our mountain tops by blasting them, poisoning our streams with pollutants, encroaching even further and faster upon those few natural lands left to us, and exploiting the workers at the same time.
If Benjamin Lay were alive today, I think I know where he would stand.
Happy Trails - enjoy the wood while you can - soon the various pipelines (through the pines as well as under the river of the invaded Dakota native American lands) will have polluted and laid waste to those woods.
In History our great war against evil was the war against the exploitation of our colony by the King, the war against enslavement of people, and now it is the war against the waste of our land by blind pursuit of individual wealth seekers. They don't care what they do to our land in their avid urge to gather as much money as they can and hide it.
In his attempts to shut down CNN and to pervert free expression by having his rich cronies buy up media outlets, Trump (whom I will NEVER call President) has made war on a basic American safe-guard, the Free Press. Even in Benjamin Lay's time, the mid 1700's the press was under attack in various ways. The Quaker hierarchy of the time suppressed all writing that was anti-slavery as the "meeting" had been overtaken by ministering "men of power" who acquired their wealth to a large measure by the trade in human flesh and the exploitation of the enslaved people. Therefore when any member of the faith attempted to expand the continuous protest against this evil, the speaker was silenced through censure in Meeting or denial of publication.
Fortunately then as now, there were those who respected and protected free speech and our own hero Benjamin Franklin published Benjamin Lay's great work against slavery and false ministry
I believe that great danger is from money and monopoly. Everyone understands censorship but we didn't anticipate that billionaire in protecting their wealth and the means by which they acquire it, as well as the protection of their treasure against taxation by off-shore accounts - as pirates buried their treasure in the Carribbean, that these billionaires would buy and monopolize media and pervert it to their own uses. Hence, Fox news. And the attempted purchase and perversion of CNN that was recently foiled. Next the loss of Net Neutrality is a danger to us. Well voices for truth and justice have aways found a way to make themselves heard and I have faith that will continue to be the case in this war between Good and Evil.
My view of this is that Good is for the greater good of all people, and it is loving and compassionate, that it protects and supports the poor and needy, the weakest, and most vulnerable of our society. Evil is the pursuit of amassed riches, the exploitation of the poor the needy and the vulnerable, the misuse and abuse of people and animals, the setting off of some people as inferior because of color or religion or place of origin. These sides are pretty clear in today's political climate. One leader refuses to pay taxes, hides his money, brags of abusing women, denied his workers their fair pay in New York, and attacks the free press while throwing open the gates to the destruction of our planet by wealth seeking businessmen who wish to destroy our mountain tops by blasting them, poisoning our streams with pollutants, encroaching even further and faster upon those few natural lands left to us, and exploiting the workers at the same time.
If Benjamin Lay were alive today, I think I know where he would stand.
Happy Trails - enjoy the wood while you can - soon the various pipelines (through the pines as well as under the river of the invaded Dakota native American lands) will have polluted and laid waste to those woods.
In History our great war against evil was the war against the exploitation of our colony by the King, the war against enslavement of people, and now it is the war against the waste of our land by blind pursuit of individual wealth seekers. They don't care what they do to our land in their avid urge to gather as much money as they can and hide it.
Quakers in South Jersey - some thoughts!
In the 1730's a man, Benjamin Lay, who had been born with a spinal deformity (dwarfism and hunchback) stood up in Burlington Quaker Meeting, and struck a sword through a pig bladder of red liquid spraying it upon those slave holding Quakers who were profiting from the sin and abomination of enslaving their fellow man. An emigrant from England, immigrant to Philadelphia, Pa. Benjamin had been cast out, persecuted, shunned and tormented for his belief that enslaving people was an immoral and un-Christian practice. It is hard for us in our modern, post-Civil War period to imagine that a group so pious as the Quakers would betray and persecute one of their own for witnessing to what we hold to be a truth today about the enslavement of people.
A close friend of mine and fellow history aficianado, Barbara Solem, recommended the book "The Fearless Benjamin Lay" written by Marcus Reducer. She had attended a book lecture and heard him speak. She bought the book, loved it and loaned it to me.
This book has great interest to me for three deep reasons: 1. I was once a member of the Philadelphia Monthly Meeting, which I had to leave after I moved and was so beset with employment to support my child and myself, that I couldn't and wouldn't give up my only day off from work to go to meeting in New Jersey AND I had no car which would have required me to pack up my child and take buses to the nearest meetings. I was exhausted. I tried to keep up my attendance in Philadelphia until the morning that my daughter and I were endangered on the bus home by a drug addicted bus driver who kept swerving into the oncoming traffic when he drifted down on the nod. I was released from membership by retained my belief in the basic tenets of the Society of Friends, the light within that guides us to humane and righteous behavior when we listen to it, and a respect for and practice of egalitarian behavior to all creatures, human and animal. Though the last tenet is more characteristic of early 'Primitive Quakerism' there are still many practicing Friends who believe in it.
From time to time, after I retired and my mother gave me her old car, I was able to visit various meetings and remembered with warmth and affection my years with the Friends. Frequently I consider attending again as I have met some meetings that seem populated with truly good Friends and have amongst my acquaintance people who attend there, such as the Medford Meeting.
Also, 2. I have always been interested in those courageous people who stand out against accepted wrongs of their contemporary society to put their safety between the exploitation of the vulnerable and the abuse of the weak by the powerful "Speaking Truth to Power" This is as relevant in today's headlines as it has been in other periods of time. Today we confront the evil behavior of rich and powerful men towards those who fall under their power from Harvey Weinstock abusing women to Kevin Spacey abusing and exploiting young men. You don't have to look far to find other kinds of abuses, of farm workers, of animals, of poor workers producing products for American consumption in slave like factories in foreign countries with unregulated labor practices.
Finally, Benjamin Lay joins a pantheon of heroes of mine from my home-places Philadelphia (where I was born) and South Jersey (where I have lived all my adult life). These people include Alice Paul who fought for women's right to vote, and Abigail and Elizabeth Goodwin who lived devoted to abolition and the support and aid of fugitives from slavery, John Woodman, and all the strands of history that unite good people doing great work - including Harriet Tubman who has ties to South Jersey history through the Underground Railroad and her employment in Cape May. Almost every path that I take near my home, brings me in the vicinity of some good work - the Saddler's Woods for example, and my many samples over the asphalt trails of South Jersey have always taken me by Quaker Meetings from Haddonfield to Greenwich and the dozen or more in between.
I strongly recomment the book "The Fearless Benjamin Lay" to anyone with an interest in humanitarian activism, the history of our country, the Civil War, Anti-slavery movements, South Jersey and Philadelphia history, and religion and religious activism.
Sometimes the trails are sandy hiking paths, sometimes asphalt highways, backroads, and often, the trails are intellectual throughout time and allowing us to enjoy the companionship of great minds.
Happy Trails,
Jo Ann
A close friend of mine and fellow history aficianado, Barbara Solem, recommended the book "The Fearless Benjamin Lay" written by Marcus Reducer. She had attended a book lecture and heard him speak. She bought the book, loved it and loaned it to me.
This book has great interest to me for three deep reasons: 1. I was once a member of the Philadelphia Monthly Meeting, which I had to leave after I moved and was so beset with employment to support my child and myself, that I couldn't and wouldn't give up my only day off from work to go to meeting in New Jersey AND I had no car which would have required me to pack up my child and take buses to the nearest meetings. I was exhausted. I tried to keep up my attendance in Philadelphia until the morning that my daughter and I were endangered on the bus home by a drug addicted bus driver who kept swerving into the oncoming traffic when he drifted down on the nod. I was released from membership by retained my belief in the basic tenets of the Society of Friends, the light within that guides us to humane and righteous behavior when we listen to it, and a respect for and practice of egalitarian behavior to all creatures, human and animal. Though the last tenet is more characteristic of early 'Primitive Quakerism' there are still many practicing Friends who believe in it.
From time to time, after I retired and my mother gave me her old car, I was able to visit various meetings and remembered with warmth and affection my years with the Friends. Frequently I consider attending again as I have met some meetings that seem populated with truly good Friends and have amongst my acquaintance people who attend there, such as the Medford Meeting.
Also, 2. I have always been interested in those courageous people who stand out against accepted wrongs of their contemporary society to put their safety between the exploitation of the vulnerable and the abuse of the weak by the powerful "Speaking Truth to Power" This is as relevant in today's headlines as it has been in other periods of time. Today we confront the evil behavior of rich and powerful men towards those who fall under their power from Harvey Weinstock abusing women to Kevin Spacey abusing and exploiting young men. You don't have to look far to find other kinds of abuses, of farm workers, of animals, of poor workers producing products for American consumption in slave like factories in foreign countries with unregulated labor practices.
Finally, Benjamin Lay joins a pantheon of heroes of mine from my home-places Philadelphia (where I was born) and South Jersey (where I have lived all my adult life). These people include Alice Paul who fought for women's right to vote, and Abigail and Elizabeth Goodwin who lived devoted to abolition and the support and aid of fugitives from slavery, John Woodman, and all the strands of history that unite good people doing great work - including Harriet Tubman who has ties to South Jersey history through the Underground Railroad and her employment in Cape May. Almost every path that I take near my home, brings me in the vicinity of some good work - the Saddler's Woods for example, and my many samples over the asphalt trails of South Jersey have always taken me by Quaker Meetings from Haddonfield to Greenwich and the dozen or more in between.
I strongly recomment the book "The Fearless Benjamin Lay" to anyone with an interest in humanitarian activism, the history of our country, the Civil War, Anti-slavery movements, South Jersey and Philadelphia history, and religion and religious activism.
Sometimes the trails are sandy hiking paths, sometimes asphalt highways, backroads, and often, the trails are intellectual throughout time and allowing us to enjoy the companionship of great minds.
Happy Trails,
Jo Ann
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
Living History Re-Enactments and other live performance providers
If you like history and you have an event, you might like to consider entertaintment such as storytelling for an alternative to a DJ, for example.
One of my best and oldest friends, Dorothy Stanaitis has been providing storytelling programs for adults for many years since her retirement from library work. She was a Children's
Program Director, and also had a story time television program for children, but when she retired she branched out into storytelling for adults. She has many fine programs in American History such as "Rich Man, Poor Man, Beggarman, Thief" and "Rumors, Scandals, and Dirty Rotten Lies" to name just a few, and the one I saw recently was "Don't Touch That Dial" which was a nostalgic look at Radio programs from the Golden Age of Radio.
When I worked as a Historic Site volunteer, I met many Character re-enactors from living history programs, George Washington, Dolly Madison, Molly Pitcher, and Jane Austen, to list just those that came most quickly to mind - oh yes, and Sojourner Truth. I myself portrayed an Abolitionist on the Underground Railroad for several years for Camden County Historical Society for a completely different set of program directors who were in charge a few years back. I based my character on Abigail Goodwin of Salem, New Jersey.
Recently at the Coffee Shop Railroad Station in Merchantville, I picked up a card for a Living History Re-Enactor whose program was called "Notorious" and she portrays Lizzie Borden, Typhoid Mary, and the Bride of Frankenstein: Lightning Strikes Twide. Info from her card says, "For More info on Notorious Women of History contact Kate @ 856-912-1082 and NotoriousDames.com also you can e-mail her at Decotique.info@verionnet. A vintage apparel shop it is located at 13 N. Centre St., Merchantville, NJ 08109
This made me think of characters I would like to see portrayed, Heroic Women. The bad girls always get so much attention but the good ones change the world: Clara Barton, Margaret Sanger, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth White, Ida B. Wells, Billy Jean King, to name just a few - though I guess you shouldn't do women who are still alive and perfectly capable of doing themselves such as Ms King. So scratch that name off the list, maybe put Babe Didrikson in there instead. And of course, my personal favorites Abigail Goodwin of Salem, NJ and Alice Paul of Mount Laurel, NJ.
I wish I were younger and had more energy, I would do it myself. How much fun that would be!
Happy Trails!
Jo Ann
One of my best and oldest friends, Dorothy Stanaitis has been providing storytelling programs for adults for many years since her retirement from library work. She was a Children's
Program Director, and also had a story time television program for children, but when she retired she branched out into storytelling for adults. She has many fine programs in American History such as "Rich Man, Poor Man, Beggarman, Thief" and "Rumors, Scandals, and Dirty Rotten Lies" to name just a few, and the one I saw recently was "Don't Touch That Dial" which was a nostalgic look at Radio programs from the Golden Age of Radio.
When I worked as a Historic Site volunteer, I met many Character re-enactors from living history programs, George Washington, Dolly Madison, Molly Pitcher, and Jane Austen, to list just those that came most quickly to mind - oh yes, and Sojourner Truth. I myself portrayed an Abolitionist on the Underground Railroad for several years for Camden County Historical Society for a completely different set of program directors who were in charge a few years back. I based my character on Abigail Goodwin of Salem, New Jersey.
Recently at the Coffee Shop Railroad Station in Merchantville, I picked up a card for a Living History Re-Enactor whose program was called "Notorious" and she portrays Lizzie Borden, Typhoid Mary, and the Bride of Frankenstein: Lightning Strikes Twide. Info from her card says, "For More info on Notorious Women of History contact Kate @ 856-912-1082 and NotoriousDames.com also you can e-mail her at Decotique.info@verionnet. A vintage apparel shop it is located at 13 N. Centre St., Merchantville, NJ 08109
This made me think of characters I would like to see portrayed, Heroic Women. The bad girls always get so much attention but the good ones change the world: Clara Barton, Margaret Sanger, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth White, Ida B. Wells, Billy Jean King, to name just a few - though I guess you shouldn't do women who are still alive and perfectly capable of doing themselves such as Ms King. So scratch that name off the list, maybe put Babe Didrikson in there instead. And of course, my personal favorites Abigail Goodwin of Salem, NJ and Alice Paul of Mount Laurel, NJ.
I wish I were younger and had more energy, I would do it myself. How much fun that would be!
Happy Trails!
Jo Ann
Saturday, December 23, 2017
The American Holly, mistletoe and bittersweet.
Probably no plant is more symbolic of the holiday season than the American Holly. Of course there is the Christmas Tree, the most famous symbol of all, but shrinking down to plant size, Holly has to take the crown. And after all, though lots of people have Poinsettia in their homes and offices, Poinsettia is not native to our North American clime. Oh, yes, there is also the mistletoe, and New Jersey is, in fact, famous for mistletoe as well as for holly.
Although holly is considered a shrub, it can grow to tree size even 245 to 60 feet tall! I am most fortunate in having the kind of soil and yard that holly likes. There are probably more than half a dozen good size hollies in my yard, some as tall as my house, but my house is one story. I LOVE the bright red berries that brighten the yard in winter when all the leaves are finally gone and the yard is a dull brown - then I look down the drive and my queen of holly shrubs shines its glossy green leaves and waves its red berry bangled branches and everything looks cheerful again.
Interesting fact: hollies are "dioecious" meaning there are male and female plans and you must have both, and close to one another, in order for them to make berries and flowers. Bees and Birds Love the Holly and butterflies lay their eggs at the base of the flower buds each year.
Holly is a symbol of Christmas from pre-Christian times. Along with the evergreen tree, the bright and vigorous endurance of these hearty winter survivors gave people hope of making it through the cold Northern European winter season. Their decorative beauty made them a top choice for decorating homes and churches in days gone by.
A New Jersey connection:
"Elizabeth White (of Whitesbog Village near Browns Mills) experimented with one more type of plant: the American holly, ilex opaca. She even founded her own nursery business—Holly Haven, Inc.—and is credited with having helped to rescue the American holly from obscurity. She was even one of the first members of the Holly Society of America, founded in 1947. Elizabeth White was most famous for successfully cultivating the blueberry at her family's cranberry bog plantation.
Mistletoe: "Mistletoe is most often found dangling over doorways at Christmastime, customarily with the promise of a kiss.
Although holly is considered a shrub, it can grow to tree size even 245 to 60 feet tall! I am most fortunate in having the kind of soil and yard that holly likes. There are probably more than half a dozen good size hollies in my yard, some as tall as my house, but my house is one story. I LOVE the bright red berries that brighten the yard in winter when all the leaves are finally gone and the yard is a dull brown - then I look down the drive and my queen of holly shrubs shines its glossy green leaves and waves its red berry bangled branches and everything looks cheerful again.
Interesting fact: hollies are "dioecious" meaning there are male and female plans and you must have both, and close to one another, in order for them to make berries and flowers. Bees and Birds Love the Holly and butterflies lay their eggs at the base of the flower buds each year.
Holly is a symbol of Christmas from pre-Christian times. Along with the evergreen tree, the bright and vigorous endurance of these hearty winter survivors gave people hope of making it through the cold Northern European winter season. Their decorative beauty made them a top choice for decorating homes and churches in days gone by.
A New Jersey connection:
"Elizabeth White (of Whitesbog Village near Browns Mills) experimented with one more type of plant: the American holly, ilex opaca. She even founded her own nursery business—Holly Haven, Inc.—and is credited with having helped to rescue the American holly from obscurity. She was even one of the first members of the Holly Society of America, founded in 1947. Elizabeth White was most famous for successfully cultivating the blueberry at her family's cranberry bog plantation.
Mistletoe: "Mistletoe is most often found dangling over doorways at Christmastime, customarily with the promise of a kiss.
But the rare plant also drapes the forests of South Jersey, growing in twisted tree limbs 50 to 60 feet in the air. The trick is getting to it. Enter the mistletoe hunter. And his shotgun. Squinting skyward, they stalk treetops for clumps of green. When hunters spot the coveted flora, they squeeze the trigger, pumping a bullet into the branch so it falls to the ground. "Shooting mistletoe is how most people collect it," says David Snyder, a botanist from the New Jersey Office of Natural Lands Management. "It’s so high up that it’s difficult to get. The only other options are to cut down the tree or have utility people saw off the branches. We haven’t developed a better scientific method of collection."
The tradition continues to this day, although it is increasingly obscure. Mistletoe is categorized as endangered, protected by state law, as is bittersweet, pictured below.
Friday, December 22, 2017
Most Christmas Decorations - Pitman, Nj
Another fun day! Today, FridayDecember 22, 2017, a friend and I drove to Pitman, New Jersey to see the house with the MOST Christmas decorations. This house has been celebrated on tv and in the newspapers, so we decided to see it for ourselves!
If you have never visited Pitman Grove, you SHOULD. It is a historic district of quaint houses that date back to Pitman's early years as a Bible Camp Meeting hub. The Grove auditorium, built in 1882, was recently renovated.
The "most decorated house" was not a disappointment. They had so much stuff, they had to expand into a neighboring yard! The many unusual decorations included Santa's bathroom with Santa in the shower, and exotic figures from around the world.
We had 'panzerotti's" at Attillio's pizzeria on Broadway, and visited all the decorations stores, primitives and country style, as well as the latest Art show at the Pitman Art Center, and the free book give-away at the library in the center of town. Although there were many happy visitors strolling the sidewalks of the main street of Pitman, we had no trouble finding parking right off Broadway.
It was a delightful day and lifted our spirits. The gloomy gray threat of storm weather had us in the dumps, and Pitman cheered us right up again. We went down 47 to get there and came home on 45 to enjoy driving through Woodbury.
Happy Trails! And while you are there, pick up a copy of the Country Register - it is free and has tons of information, recipes, events, and locations of even more fun places to visit. For example in this issue, I discovered some history of cranberries, of holly, and a new antique place called Cawman's Antique Mall, 529 Salem Quentin Rd., Salem, NJ open Wed. through Sun 10 - 5. I plan to go there on my next ramble on the roads of South Jersey.
Merry Christmas!
If you have never visited Pitman Grove, you SHOULD. It is a historic district of quaint houses that date back to Pitman's early years as a Bible Camp Meeting hub. The Grove auditorium, built in 1882, was recently renovated.
The "most decorated house" was not a disappointment. They had so much stuff, they had to expand into a neighboring yard! The many unusual decorations included Santa's bathroom with Santa in the shower, and exotic figures from around the world.
We had 'panzerotti's" at Attillio's pizzeria on Broadway, and visited all the decorations stores, primitives and country style, as well as the latest Art show at the Pitman Art Center, and the free book give-away at the library in the center of town. Although there were many happy visitors strolling the sidewalks of the main street of Pitman, we had no trouble finding parking right off Broadway.
It was a delightful day and lifted our spirits. The gloomy gray threat of storm weather had us in the dumps, and Pitman cheered us right up again. We went down 47 to get there and came home on 45 to enjoy driving through Woodbury.
Happy Trails! And while you are there, pick up a copy of the Country Register - it is free and has tons of information, recipes, events, and locations of even more fun places to visit. For example in this issue, I discovered some history of cranberries, of holly, and a new antique place called Cawman's Antique Mall, 529 Salem Quentin Rd., Salem, NJ open Wed. through Sun 10 - 5. I plan to go there on my next ramble on the roads of South Jersey.
Merry Christmas!
Sunday, December 17, 2017
Mount Laurel Day of visits
Another fun day wandering from historic spot to historic spot, this time in Mount Laurel which I didn't know was Evesham! That solves a few small mysteries in my family history search of long ago. One early branch of my family were under the care of the Evesham monthly meeting as per records in the Corson Poley Center in Burlington City. I couldn't quite figure out where Evesham was. Now I know.
We visited the Farmers Hall which was having an open house from 1:00 to 4:00 today and serving hot cider and home-made cookies - my special favorites were the caramel chip and a layered cookie with jam, and chocolate icing! There were also the perennial favorite snickerdoodles.
Farmers' Hall had originally been a kind of grange where farmers met to talk over agricultural practices and seed prices. It later became a police station and post-office, a municipal building, and finally was rescued from becoming a parking lot by the Mt. Laurel Historical Society. This historical societies are my heroes! They have saved so many wonderful old and irreplaceable buildings like this one, by their own sweat and tears. They did remodeling and they always hold fund-raisers and use the proceeds for renovations and upkeep.
We walked across the corner to the oldest Friends Meeting in Burlington County, first meeting built in 1668, then the stone version built in late 1700's. It is a beautiful native stone structure still in use for meeting. Behind it is the brick schoolmaster's dwelling from an early school.
We had veggie burgers at Whelihans for lunch. It was a delightful day finished off by some browsing at Second Time Around Books in Rancocas - a charming book store! Lots of good books on New Jersey history featured there too!
Go on over and check them out! Happy Trails!
Jo Ann
We visited the Farmers Hall which was having an open house from 1:00 to 4:00 today and serving hot cider and home-made cookies - my special favorites were the caramel chip and a layered cookie with jam, and chocolate icing! There were also the perennial favorite snickerdoodles.
Farmers' Hall had originally been a kind of grange where farmers met to talk over agricultural practices and seed prices. It later became a police station and post-office, a municipal building, and finally was rescued from becoming a parking lot by the Mt. Laurel Historical Society. This historical societies are my heroes! They have saved so many wonderful old and irreplaceable buildings like this one, by their own sweat and tears. They did remodeling and they always hold fund-raisers and use the proceeds for renovations and upkeep.
We walked across the corner to the oldest Friends Meeting in Burlington County, first meeting built in 1668, then the stone version built in late 1700's. It is a beautiful native stone structure still in use for meeting. Behind it is the brick schoolmaster's dwelling from an early school.
We had veggie burgers at Whelihans for lunch. It was a delightful day finished off by some browsing at Second Time Around Books in Rancocas - a charming book store! Lots of good books on New Jersey history featured there too!
Go on over and check them out! Happy Trails!
Jo Ann
Saturday, December 16, 2017
Three fun places to visit in MERCHANTVILLE, NJ
Today, Saturday, Dec. 16th, two friends and I had lunch at my all time favorite lunch place, Maritza's on Main Street in Maple Shade. I was dropping off a painting for the small works show at Main Street Art, same Main St. as Maritza's. An old college classmate of mine, Diane Paul is proprietor and artist-in-residence. By the way, looking for a great holiday party, birthday party, or just for fun place, she has great sip and paint classes and a new addition, bleached art t-shirts! She also has a wide array of wonderful gifts.
I was dropping off the 4th in a short series of paintings of historical places in Maple Shade, the railroad station, the one-room school, and the stone silo on Collins Lane with farmhouse, and the Dairy Queen Drive-in. They are $100 each, 8 x 10, framed and ready to hang, so if you are looking for that special and unique gift for a 'Shader' or former 'Shader' drop in and have a look.
After lunch and our errand, we went to Merchantville to check out an all-hand-made health items store called Spirit to Sole Connection, 23 N. Centre St., where I sampled the tea, and home-made cookies and bought a fragrant lavender sachet for my daughter's Christmas stocking.
Next we headed over to the Railroad Station for coffee and for me to show my friends the upstairs gallery where I may try to have an Art Show for my birthday one upcoming year. I love the setting! There was an art show up and several small works at reasonable prices that would, again, make excellent gifts. You can also get lunch there, but we had already had lunch, so we settled for iced oatmeal cookies and hot drinks. I had a pumpkin spice latte' - super delicious and perfect for the late afternoon of a snowy cold day - and also a perfect day for a drive around Merchantville looking at the gorgeous Victorian homes with their snowy white skirts. Just along the railroad beside the station cafe' are several noteworthy Victorian beauties!
Merchantville is the town where I went to high school, graduating in 1963 at age 17. They no longer have a high school because Maple Shade, where I grew up, built their own high school and Merchantville lost the transfer population they needed to keep the high school open. That's too bad. It was a fine high school with dedicated and dignified teachers and a serious and hard-working student body. I learned a lot there, and in fact, became a teacher myself many years later. I always loved that town.
So if you are looking for a nice place to visit, right in your own backyard, give Merchantville a chance. There are several interesting small stores worth trying too, which I am saving for my next visit: Decotique, fine vintage at 13 N. Centre, for example. And I would like to make a return visit to Spirit to Sole connection.
There was a little Christmas shop that we passed while driving down Centre Street that I would like to visit as well.
Happy Trails!
Jo Ann
I was dropping off the 4th in a short series of paintings of historical places in Maple Shade, the railroad station, the one-room school, and the stone silo on Collins Lane with farmhouse, and the Dairy Queen Drive-in. They are $100 each, 8 x 10, framed and ready to hang, so if you are looking for that special and unique gift for a 'Shader' or former 'Shader' drop in and have a look.
After lunch and our errand, we went to Merchantville to check out an all-hand-made health items store called Spirit to Sole Connection, 23 N. Centre St., where I sampled the tea, and home-made cookies and bought a fragrant lavender sachet for my daughter's Christmas stocking.
Next we headed over to the Railroad Station for coffee and for me to show my friends the upstairs gallery where I may try to have an Art Show for my birthday one upcoming year. I love the setting! There was an art show up and several small works at reasonable prices that would, again, make excellent gifts. You can also get lunch there, but we had already had lunch, so we settled for iced oatmeal cookies and hot drinks. I had a pumpkin spice latte' - super delicious and perfect for the late afternoon of a snowy cold day - and also a perfect day for a drive around Merchantville looking at the gorgeous Victorian homes with their snowy white skirts. Just along the railroad beside the station cafe' are several noteworthy Victorian beauties!
Merchantville is the town where I went to high school, graduating in 1963 at age 17. They no longer have a high school because Maple Shade, where I grew up, built their own high school and Merchantville lost the transfer population they needed to keep the high school open. That's too bad. It was a fine high school with dedicated and dignified teachers and a serious and hard-working student body. I learned a lot there, and in fact, became a teacher myself many years later. I always loved that town.
So if you are looking for a nice place to visit, right in your own backyard, give Merchantville a chance. There are several interesting small stores worth trying too, which I am saving for my next visit: Decotique, fine vintage at 13 N. Centre, for example. And I would like to make a return visit to Spirit to Sole connection.
There was a little Christmas shop that we passed while driving down Centre Street that I would like to visit as well.
Happy Trails!
Jo Ann
Prairie Fires final review comments
I am at the end of Prairie Fires, the biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder and a couple of conclusions struck me: 1. The tv series, in which the original Little House stories were taken over by Michael Landon and remolded into his political view, glorified the prairie settlements as the way American kept fed during the depression, whereas in fact, most of the settlers were forced to leave after their ecological devastation of the plains caused the dust storms and heat and drought that followed excessive logging of the forests.
2. The Little House tv series was popularized during the greatest period of Native American civi rights protest, and, similarly, glorified the genocide of the Indigenous people after the greedy land grabs and the fraudulent treaty deals of the Federal Government.
Also worth note, the individualistic survival simplicity is in fact, utterly delusional. No one survived on the plains or anywhere else without help from others then or now. "No man is an island" has always been true. The settlers depended on federal land gifts (so much for limited the federal government preached by Republicans) and endless loans which could never be repaid after ecological disaster destroyed crop after crop and finally forced the failed small farmers off their land and into the westward migration to California to work as agricultural labor.
Still, a very informative and interesting book on many levels and I recommend it highly! It is especially interesting to fans of the work of Willa Cather, another writer of the plains experience.
Today, Saturday, I am off to Maple Shade to put my historic places 8x19 painting of the Drive In Custard Stand in the gallery of Main Street Art to join the other three paintings on display there, The one-room school, and the railroad, and the stone silo. Then on to a health food store I have seen on Facebook at 23 Center St. in Merchantville, all after lunch at Maritza's also on Main Street in Maple Shade.
Tomorrow, off to the Farm Museum in Marlton and Second Time Around Book Store, and lunch with pal, Barb Solem.
Have a wonderful weekend - Happy Trails!
Jo Ann
2. The Little House tv series was popularized during the greatest period of Native American civi rights protest, and, similarly, glorified the genocide of the Indigenous people after the greedy land grabs and the fraudulent treaty deals of the Federal Government.
Also worth note, the individualistic survival simplicity is in fact, utterly delusional. No one survived on the plains or anywhere else without help from others then or now. "No man is an island" has always been true. The settlers depended on federal land gifts (so much for limited the federal government preached by Republicans) and endless loans which could never be repaid after ecological disaster destroyed crop after crop and finally forced the failed small farmers off their land and into the westward migration to California to work as agricultural labor.
Still, a very informative and interesting book on many levels and I recommend it highly! It is especially interesting to fans of the work of Willa Cather, another writer of the plains experience.
Today, Saturday, I am off to Maple Shade to put my historic places 8x19 painting of the Drive In Custard Stand in the gallery of Main Street Art to join the other three paintings on display there, The one-room school, and the railroad, and the stone silo. Then on to a health food store I have seen on Facebook at 23 Center St. in Merchantville, all after lunch at Maritza's also on Main Street in Maple Shade.
Tomorrow, off to the Farm Museum in Marlton and Second Time Around Book Store, and lunch with pal, Barb Solem.
Have a wonderful weekend - Happy Trails!
Jo Ann
Thursday, December 14, 2017
South Phila. Childhood
Sometimes in the morning when I am drinking my first cup of
coffee, before I become engaged with reading a book, or
paying bills, or some other activity, my mind drifts and a memory from my early childhood will come back to me. This morning, I was thinking about the hucksters who came up the alleys behind our our row homes in South Philadelphia. This was a remarkable event because they rode horse drawn wagons! Their wagon beds were piled high with vegetables and they had a swinging silver panned weight hanging from the framed wagon structure.
Housewives would go out into the alley and buy a pound of carrots or green beans (which we called string beans) and the huckster would pile them into the weighing pan. The horse waited patiently, and other housewives gathered at their back gates for their turn.
These vegetable hucksters came from "The Neck" which was some mysterious place south of where we lived and also south of "The Dump" which was a place my parents would go from time to time in search of something. Once we went there for a medicine cabinet which my father installed in the bathroom of our row home. Every year in December we drove down to the Neck for our Christmas tree, which cost about $5.
Many years later, I was idly searching around on the neck and I came across an old etching of the a farm at the neck and this interesting piece of information which I found again today from a different source:
Philadelphia RowHome magazine Winter 2009 by Omar R - issuu
https://issuu.com/gono/docs/gohomephilly.winter09
Jan 5, 2010 - Senick said his family lived on Stone House Lane, around where 3rd and Pattison is now. ... The Neck apparently was first settled before the Revolutionary War by Germans, Swedes and French, among others, by people who were doing what came naturally for a time when the economy was dominated by ...
Although I visited their web site, I couldn't find the article quoted on this teaser. In the original tidbit, it was mentioned that the original settlers were Germans, some of them left here after the Revolutionary War, when several thousand Hessian soldiers had been hired out of German (not yet a unified country) and employed as Mercenary soldiers. Wounded, deserters, and imprisoned Hessian soldiers, left behind after the war, often settled here. Since many of them had been originally peasant farmers in their home duchies, they returned to farming in America. In the marshlands where the Schuylkill and Delaware meet, in the area known as the neck because of its shape between the two rivers, they drained the swamps with canals, built small truck farms, and lived harmoniously for a couple of centuries, joined by Swedes, Irish, and others who were happy to find free land where they could throw up a shack and farm, or raise ducks, pigs, rabbits and other livestock.
Since this land was considered 'waste' being marshy swamp land, it was mostly ignored until Philadelphia filled up, and then areas were turned into land-fill and dumps. Eventually, in the early 1900's and particularly after the second World War, the land was confiscated by the government, the people driven off their small plots, their shacks and cottages burned, and the polluted marshland filled in and turned into the industrial, refineries, ship-yard and airport uses of today.
Since my father's heritage is half German, half English, I have always been interested in the early German settlers of the area where I grew up. Also, when I was a child, my mother was a Sunday School teacher at Gloria Dei, "Old Swedes" Church, and I have also always been interested in the first Swedish settlers in the area because of that early association.
So much of what was when you were a child disappears as time marches on, that you can't help feeling nostalgia for the irreplaceable past - a place you can only visit in your memory.
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
Prairie Fires, b Caroline Fraser and a pertient detail
Anyone who has looked into Pinelands history, would have come across the name Doctor Still. He was an African American healer who practiced in the pines and left a long line and a large line of ancestors who celebrate his history to this day. I have been to lectures several times where his ancestors recount his life and adventures, and to one where historians described efforts to buy his property where he once lived and dispensed his herbal medicines to those in need.
An abiding interest of mine throughout my life has been the history of the forgotten, whether African Americans, the poor, Native Americans, or my own class of 'invisible people' - women. Often I have thought that if I had it to do over again, or more time in my life now, I would take up the study of Women's History, but all I can do is study it independently and I have throughout my life. In fact, I donated an extensive collection of books on that subject to the Alice Paul Foundation's Library at her farmstead in Mount Laurel.
In Prairie Fires, the biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder (author of the series - Little House on the Prairie) author Caroline Fraser includes many fascinating details of the historical context of Laura Ingalls Wilder's childhood, including the land grab that destroyed the Native Americans of the plains. On page 56, she also describes an African American botanical herbal healer, George Tann, who saved her family when they were all sick with malaria, by treating them with quinine. This doctor, a self-taught son of free people, also treated the Osage Indians whose land was being stolen by the illegal settlement of pioneer families like the Ingalls in 1870's Kansas. This doctor, it seems to me is worthy, in his own right, of a biography, I wanted to know more about him.
Such is the colorful and scholarly prose of Caroline Fraser, that there are a constant succession of descriptive details that make this a page-turner, and inspire a longing to 'know more.' You can feel her passion for history in this writing and her broad understanding, as well as appreciate her lively prose style.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves history and anyone who loved the Little House series, in book form or on tv. I never read the books myself, whether because I was older when they became popular, or whether they just never crossed my path, but one of my younger sisters was an avid and devoted fan of the tv series throughout her childhood and her adulthood. I bought the boxed set of the Little House books to read after I finish the biography.
Happy trails
Jo Ann
An abiding interest of mine throughout my life has been the history of the forgotten, whether African Americans, the poor, Native Americans, or my own class of 'invisible people' - women. Often I have thought that if I had it to do over again, or more time in my life now, I would take up the study of Women's History, but all I can do is study it independently and I have throughout my life. In fact, I donated an extensive collection of books on that subject to the Alice Paul Foundation's Library at her farmstead in Mount Laurel.
In Prairie Fires, the biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder (author of the series - Little House on the Prairie) author Caroline Fraser includes many fascinating details of the historical context of Laura Ingalls Wilder's childhood, including the land grab that destroyed the Native Americans of the plains. On page 56, she also describes an African American botanical herbal healer, George Tann, who saved her family when they were all sick with malaria, by treating them with quinine. This doctor, a self-taught son of free people, also treated the Osage Indians whose land was being stolen by the illegal settlement of pioneer families like the Ingalls in 1870's Kansas. This doctor, it seems to me is worthy, in his own right, of a biography, I wanted to know more about him.
Such is the colorful and scholarly prose of Caroline Fraser, that there are a constant succession of descriptive details that make this a page-turner, and inspire a longing to 'know more.' You can feel her passion for history in this writing and her broad understanding, as well as appreciate her lively prose style.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves history and anyone who loved the Little House series, in book form or on tv. I never read the books myself, whether because I was older when they became popular, or whether they just never crossed my path, but one of my younger sisters was an avid and devoted fan of the tv series throughout her childhood and her adulthood. I bought the boxed set of the Little House books to read after I finish the biography.
Happy trails
Jo Ann
Friday, December 1, 2017
Shooting Stars and A Christmas Story
December 13 is he night of the Gemini meteor shower, visible with the naked eye in most of the world. Find a place away from city lights and enjoy the show. It is the best meteor shower of the year!
Decmber 17, at 7 p.m., three hour musical version of A Christmas Story, the beloved classic by Gene Shepherd, tis time interpreted through music by the composers of La La Land. The channel wasn't printed in the magazine where I got this but my guess would be Channel 12.
Decmber 17, at 7 p.m., three hour musical version of A Christmas Story, the beloved classic by Gene Shepherd, tis time interpreted through music by the composers of La La Land. The channel wasn't printed in the magazine where I got this but my guess would be Channel 12.
Thursday, November 30, 2017
Verchios Produce Market on the Brooklawn Circle
I just started a juice fast on Monday, and I was so glad to have Verchio's Produce Market where you can get ANY vegetable or fruit you can think of in massive quantities and cheap! It has cost me less than $10 a day to do this juice fast.
My juice fast journey began with a documentary "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" about an Australian man with 100 pounds overweight and a few diseases both full blown and on the way. He launched himself on a 60 ay juice fast, lost the weight, cured the diseases, got off medications and started this new business to spread the good message about juice fasting. In his documentary, he has medical supervision and information from experts who might be familiar to you from channel 12 such as Dr. Fuhrman.
I am a very health conscious person and I have a good regiment of the gym, and a walk every day (well - most days, averaging 4 or 5 days per week). And I am a vegetarian for most of my live. When I raised my daughter I added fish and chicken to our diet because I was afraid to raise a developing child on a vegetarian diet. It seemed like an experiment then and I wasn't much of a cook so I was afraid of not providing enough protein. I know better now.
Anyhow, despite all that, the occasional treat and a tendency to overeat from time to time, raised my weight to an uncomfortable level. It doesn't take much, as I can attest - just throw 300 calories a day into your diet and reduce your exercise and you can see a steady and gradual weight gain over time. I used to walk to stay slim - 5 to 6 miles a day, but my knees went bad, and I was reduced to 2 miles a day. That plus a fondness for cheese and crackers, and other things, aded up to a 50 pound overage.
Twice I have lost the 50 pounds and stopped paying attention to my diet and gained it back slowly over a few years. The best plan I had was when I joined Barrington Royal Fitness and went on a 1000 calorie diet with an hour walk each day - when I was still working! I lost the 50 pounds in a year! I felt like I had lost 20 years too.
Now I find I cannot hold onto a land or longer than 4months, so I needed, as my heart doctor, Dr. Taditit of the Heart House put it "Something New." I tried weight watchers, which worked for 10 weeks and 12 pounds, but then my senior citizen 10 week plan for $110 ran out and I gained it back. I didn't want to pay out $40 a month for a regular membership. I did weight watchers 3 times!
So far on day 4 of the juice fast I have lost 4 pounds and I feel perfectly fine. I worried about proper bowel function, so I opted to modify and have one small meal a day, breakfast, banana and cereal with almond milk, and then fast the rest of the day on the juice.
I make the juice once every other day and store a pitcher in the fridge, which lasts for a day and a half at an 8 ounce glass every two hours. I get hungry, drink the juice, and it really does stop the hunger. For the rest of the day, I keep to my usual schedule of gym, walk, lessons, chores, and so on. Yesterday, I skipped the gym to work on a painting I had begun the day before. Then I did my ukulele practice, my piano practice, went to my lessons, and came home to read and watch tv. I had yoghurt and banana for breakfast and a cup of herbal tea later in the day, plus juice every 2 hours till bedtime.
So that is this pilgrim's progress so far on the quest for fitness and health and a long life. I'll keep you posted. The restaurant where I am going for lunch is in either Marlton or Medford. It is called Iliano's and they have a delicious minestrone soup that I like a lot. Hiking in the woods with a pal and my dog, Trixie, after lunch.
Happy Trails,
if you want to talk to me about the juice fast use my e-mail.
wrightj45@yahoo.com
Jo Ann.
My juice fast journey began with a documentary "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" about an Australian man with 100 pounds overweight and a few diseases both full blown and on the way. He launched himself on a 60 ay juice fast, lost the weight, cured the diseases, got off medications and started this new business to spread the good message about juice fasting. In his documentary, he has medical supervision and information from experts who might be familiar to you from channel 12 such as Dr. Fuhrman.
I am a very health conscious person and I have a good regiment of the gym, and a walk every day (well - most days, averaging 4 or 5 days per week). And I am a vegetarian for most of my live. When I raised my daughter I added fish and chicken to our diet because I was afraid to raise a developing child on a vegetarian diet. It seemed like an experiment then and I wasn't much of a cook so I was afraid of not providing enough protein. I know better now.
Anyhow, despite all that, the occasional treat and a tendency to overeat from time to time, raised my weight to an uncomfortable level. It doesn't take much, as I can attest - just throw 300 calories a day into your diet and reduce your exercise and you can see a steady and gradual weight gain over time. I used to walk to stay slim - 5 to 6 miles a day, but my knees went bad, and I was reduced to 2 miles a day. That plus a fondness for cheese and crackers, and other things, aded up to a 50 pound overage.
Twice I have lost the 50 pounds and stopped paying attention to my diet and gained it back slowly over a few years. The best plan I had was when I joined Barrington Royal Fitness and went on a 1000 calorie diet with an hour walk each day - when I was still working! I lost the 50 pounds in a year! I felt like I had lost 20 years too.
Now I find I cannot hold onto a land or longer than 4months, so I needed, as my heart doctor, Dr. Taditit of the Heart House put it "Something New." I tried weight watchers, which worked for 10 weeks and 12 pounds, but then my senior citizen 10 week plan for $110 ran out and I gained it back. I didn't want to pay out $40 a month for a regular membership. I did weight watchers 3 times!
So far on day 4 of the juice fast I have lost 4 pounds and I feel perfectly fine. I worried about proper bowel function, so I opted to modify and have one small meal a day, breakfast, banana and cereal with almond milk, and then fast the rest of the day on the juice.
I make the juice once every other day and store a pitcher in the fridge, which lasts for a day and a half at an 8 ounce glass every two hours. I get hungry, drink the juice, and it really does stop the hunger. For the rest of the day, I keep to my usual schedule of gym, walk, lessons, chores, and so on. Yesterday, I skipped the gym to work on a painting I had begun the day before. Then I did my ukulele practice, my piano practice, went to my lessons, and came home to read and watch tv. I had yoghurt and banana for breakfast and a cup of herbal tea later in the day, plus juice every 2 hours till bedtime.
So that is this pilgrim's progress so far on the quest for fitness and health and a long life. I'll keep you posted. The restaurant where I am going for lunch is in either Marlton or Medford. It is called Iliano's and they have a delicious minestrone soup that I like a lot. Hiking in the woods with a pal and my dog, Trixie, after lunch.
Happy Trails,
if you want to talk to me about the juice fast use my e-mail.
wrightj45@yahoo.com
Jo Ann.
Friday, November 24, 2017
The Telford Inn
In my previous post about Thanksgiving at the Telford Inn, I should have mentioned that the Inn was built in the 1700's and has been an Inn, a Stagecoach stop, a post office and a private residence in its long history. It is located on the Bridgeton Pike in Mantua and I have also been there for breakfast brunch which is wonderful!
If you enjoy dining in historic places, you will definitely like the Telford Inn. Prices are reasonable too! I didn't mention in my previous post, but the full Thanksgiving dinner was only $24.
If you enjoy dining in historic places, you will definitely like the Telford Inn. Prices are reasonable too! I didn't mention in my previous post, but the full Thanksgiving dinner was only $24.
Thanksgiving at the Telford Inn and Black Friday at the Amish Market
Mantua has two favorites of mine to offer the day tripper.
One is the Telford Inn, the other is the Amish Market.
Twice now, I have gone to the Telford Inn, Mantua for Thanksgiving Dinner. Could not have been nicer - in front of a crackling fire, with happy people all around, and good food - even for a vegetarian. I had candied sweet potatoes and broccoli au gratin and corn chowder soup. Went with a friend, Gail. We have had Thanksgiving at other historic inns such as the Centerton Inn in Pittsgrove, and the Sugar Hill Inn in Mays Landing. We've gone to Telford twice and like it very much. Took a nice drive out into farm country afterward and then a walk in Knight's Park with my Lab Trixie.
On Black Friday, we avoided the traffic and the crowds who no doubt filled every spot in the mall parking lots, by heading south to Mantua again, to the Amish Market. We had lunch in the cafe' - enjoying the all-you-can-eat lunch buffet which includes dessert (12.99). After, we strolled around and visited the many shops offering not only baked goods and cheeses, but Christmas crafts and florals.
Thanksgiving and Black Friday were also great days for walking in Knight's Park with my Lab friend, Trixie. The trees were aglow and the weather mild and balmy.
If you are looking for a nice way to spend a day, head to Mantua, enjoy lunch at the Amish Market Cafe' and then you can drive out to the farm lands and see Moods Farm with the windmill, and you can stop to shop or window shop at Mullica Hill, maybe even drop in to the Red Mill Antiques for that unique Christmas gift you've been looking for. Everyone loves vintage! I don't think there is any place prettier at this time of year! Although Mood's Farm when the apple orchards are in bloom is like heaven on earth. You can pick your own bushel and head home to make some applesauce!
Always wonderful places to go and things to do in South Jersey!
Happy Trails and hope you had a great Thanksgiving too!
Things I have to be thankful for - living in South Jersey and having a reliable car to drive, lower gas prices, and a group of friends from which I can always find one or two willing road trippers to keep me company!
One is the Telford Inn, the other is the Amish Market.
Twice now, I have gone to the Telford Inn, Mantua for Thanksgiving Dinner. Could not have been nicer - in front of a crackling fire, with happy people all around, and good food - even for a vegetarian. I had candied sweet potatoes and broccoli au gratin and corn chowder soup. Went with a friend, Gail. We have had Thanksgiving at other historic inns such as the Centerton Inn in Pittsgrove, and the Sugar Hill Inn in Mays Landing. We've gone to Telford twice and like it very much. Took a nice drive out into farm country afterward and then a walk in Knight's Park with my Lab Trixie.
On Black Friday, we avoided the traffic and the crowds who no doubt filled every spot in the mall parking lots, by heading south to Mantua again, to the Amish Market. We had lunch in the cafe' - enjoying the all-you-can-eat lunch buffet which includes dessert (12.99). After, we strolled around and visited the many shops offering not only baked goods and cheeses, but Christmas crafts and florals.
Thanksgiving and Black Friday were also great days for walking in Knight's Park with my Lab friend, Trixie. The trees were aglow and the weather mild and balmy.
If you are looking for a nice way to spend a day, head to Mantua, enjoy lunch at the Amish Market Cafe' and then you can drive out to the farm lands and see Moods Farm with the windmill, and you can stop to shop or window shop at Mullica Hill, maybe even drop in to the Red Mill Antiques for that unique Christmas gift you've been looking for. Everyone loves vintage! I don't think there is any place prettier at this time of year! Although Mood's Farm when the apple orchards are in bloom is like heaven on earth. You can pick your own bushel and head home to make some applesauce!
Always wonderful places to go and things to do in South Jersey!
Happy Trails and hope you had a great Thanksgiving too!
Things I have to be thankful for - living in South Jersey and having a reliable car to drive, lower gas prices, and a group of friends from which I can always find one or two willing road trippers to keep me company!
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
A Lot of Holiday Events in Burlington County
So Many Jolly EVENTS IN BURLINGTON COUNTY 2017
November 28, 10:30am-7:45pm – LONGWOOD GARDENS CHRISTMAS BUS TRIP
Enjoy the sights and sounds of Longwood Gardens during the holiday season. Indoor and outdoor displays are infused with color and lights, thousands of seasonal plants exquisitely decorate the Conservatory, and sounds of the season resonate throughout. Arrival at the Gardens is scheduled for 12:00pm, giving plenty of time to take in all that is offered, including the newly-renovated fountain displays. Visit www.longwoodgardens.org for details of the holiday displays. The trip is sponsored by The Rancocas Nature Center and includes bus transportation and entry ticket. Call 609-261-2495 or visit www.rancocasnaturecenter.org for additional information. Cost: $65/per person.
December 2, 12:00-4:00pm – SHINN LOG CABIN OPEN HOUSE, (83 Park Drive, Mount Holly 08060)
Visit the historic structure which houses a collection of artifacts, maintained by the Mount Holly Historical Society. The first to own the cabin and probably the builder was Quaker, Thomas Shinn. He willed the cabin in 1751 to his son, Anguilla, a merchant and importer who sold Jamaican Rum to Native Americans. The Indians rowed canoes down the Rancocas Creek and visited the cabin. A room in the basement was reserved for them when they came to trade.
December 2, 1:00-6:00pm – RIVERFRONT HOLIDAY HOUSE TOUR, Riverfront Historical Society (Beverly Annex Building, Cooper Street)
We have amazing homes and historical buildings for you to see including a few on the Beverly riverbank. The tour will begin at the Riverfront Historical Society. Cost: $15 in advance or $20 at the door. You can order in advance by calling 609-351-3535 or 609-929-3071. Tickets will be available for pick up at 12:00pm at the Riverfront Museum. All proceeds benefit the Riverfront Historical Society.
December 3, 1:00-4:00pm – FARMERS HALL OPEN HOUSE, Mount Laurel
Visit Farmers Hall for a step back in time. The building will be decorated for the holidays by the Mount Laurel Garden Club. For more information visit www.mountlaurelhistoricalsociety.com
December 3, 2:00-4:00pm – ANNUAL HOLIDAY TEA & TOUR, Peachfield (180 Burrs Road, Westampton 08060)
Peachfield will once again be decorated for the holidays, and the New Jersey Colonial Dames will serve their tea specialties of the season at our annual Holiday Tea. Join us as we gather around the hearth with a warming fire and sample our favorite repasts. Rancocas Valley Regional High School Choir will be performing some of our favorite holiday carols. Cost: $18/per adult, $9/per child (under 15 years). Paid reservations in advance are recommended. For more information call 609-267-6996 or email colonialdamesnj@comcast.net. Visit them at www.colonialdamesnj.org
December 4 -30, 1:00pm, 2:00pm, 3:00pm – SMITHVILLE MANSION TOURS, Smithville Mansion (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Enjoy the splendor of a Christmas past with a guided tour of the Historic Smithville Mansion, lavishly decorated for the holidays in a grand Victorian style. The 2017 theme is a Victorian Christmas during Queen Victoria’s reign in the mid 1800’s. Tours are daily and begin at 1:00, 2:00, & 3:00 PM. Cost: Adults/$7, Seniors and Students/$6. No reservation required. For more information visit www.smithvillemansion.org
December 5, 12:00pm – SMITHVILLE HOLIDAY TEA, Smithville Mansion (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
The beautifully decorated Mansion Dining Room is the perfect setting for an afternoon tea. Take a break from shopping and the cold and relax with holiday themed tea and snacks. The afternoon tea includes a guided tour of the magnificent Smithville Mansion, fully decorated for the holidays. Call Jo at 856-767-3159 for reservations. Cost: $25/ per person. For more information visit www.smithvillemansion.org
December 7, 6:30-9:00pm – SMITHVILLE VILLAGE TOURS, Smithville Park (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Join Parks’ staff for a free, guided tour throughout the Historic Village at Smithville Park. Learn about the history of the park while enjoying the beautifully lighted landscape. These evening tours are free and select family nights include a visit from Mr. Scrooge and end with a warm cup of hot cocoa and cookies with Mrs. Claus! Family nights will be held on December 8 & 9, and December 15 &16. Candlelight tours of the Smithville Mansion are also offered on select nights for a fee. For more information visit www.co.burlington.nj.us/Parks or call 609-265-5828
December 7, 7:00pm – CANDLELIGHT TOURS OF SMITHVILLE MANSION, Smithville Mansion (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Enjoy the splendor of the magnificent Smithville Mansion at its grandest during an evening, candlelight tour. These evening tours allow you to see each room fully decorated with all the lights during the night hours. Adults/$12, Students/$10; Reservations can be made by calling 609-261-3295 or email SLeinbach@smithvillemansion.org. For more information visit www.smithvillemansion.org
December 8, 1:00-3:00pm – EVESHAM GREENS SALE, John Inskeep House (10 Madison Court, Marlton 08053)
Holiday wreaths, centerpieces, arrangements and loose fresh greens and baked goods for sale. Grave blankets can be preordered by calling 856-983-3139. For more information visit www.eveshamhistoricalsociety.org/
December 8, 6:30-9:00pm – SMITHVILLE VILLAGE TOURS, Smithville Park (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Join Parks’ staff for a free, guided tour throughout the Historic Village at Smithville Park. Learn about the history of the park while enjoying the beautifully lighted landscape. These evening tours are free and include a visit from Mr. Scrooge and end with a warm cup of hot cocoa and cookies with Mrs. Claus! For more information visit www.co.burlington.nj.us/Parks or call 609-265-5828
December 9, 10:00am-2:00pm – EVESHAM GREENS SALE, John Inskeep House (10 Madison Court, Marlton 08053)
Holiday wreaths, centerpieces, arrangements and loose fresh greens and baked goods for sale. Grave blankets can be preordered by calling 856-983-3139. For more information visit www.eveshamhistoricalsociety.org/
December 9, 11:00am-3:00pm – BATTLE OF IRON WORKS HILL, downtown Mount Holly
Experience December of 1776 through song, colonial crafts, clothing, and presentations. Programs include “Songs of the Revolutionary Era”, “What Did Colonials Wear”, “The Destruction of Rogers Mill and Brewery”, “The Road to Monmouth”, and a visit from Thomas Paine. Sponsored by the Burlington County Lyceum of History and Natural Sciences Association. For more information visit https://bclhnsassoc.org
December 9, 12:00pm – KRAMPUS FESTIVAL, White Hill Mansion (217 4th Street, Fieldsboro 08505)
This is a free event sponsored by Broomstick Betty of Bordentown. This will be an opportunity to purchase unique holiday gifts made by local artisans. For more information visit their website at www.whitehillmansion.com
December 9, 12:00pm – SMITHVILLE HOLIDAY TEA, Smithville Mansion (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
The beautifully decorated Mansion Dining Room is the perfect setting for an afternoon tea. Take a break from shopping and the cold and relax with holiday themed tea and snacks. The afternoon tea includes a guided tour of the magnificent Smithville Mansion, fully decorated for the holidays. Call Jo at 856-767-3159 for reservations. Cost: $25/ per person. For more information visit www.smithvillemansion.org
December 9, 12:00-4:00pm – SHINN LOG CABIN OPEN HOUSE, (83 Park Drive, Mount Holly 08060)
Visit the historic structure which houses a collection of artifacts, maintained by the Mount Holly Historical Society. The first to own the cabin and probably the builder was Quaker, Thomas Shinn. He willed the cabin in 1751 to his son, Anguilla, a merchant and importer who sold Jamaican Rum to Native Americans. The Indians rowed canoes down the Rancocas Creek and visited the cabin. A room in the basement was reserved for them when they came to trade.
December 9, 2:00-4:00pm – PAULSDALE OPEN HOUSE, Paulsdale (218 Hooton Road, Mount Laurel 08054)
Get into the holiday spirit at our annual open house event at Paulsdale. Enjoy the stunning holiday décor crafted by The Garden of Mount Laurel while celebrating the start of the holiday season with food, drinks, and warm conversation. And don’t miss the great gifts in API’s gift shop! For more information visit www.alicepaul.org
December 9, 6:30-9:00pm – SMITHVILLE VILLAGE TOURS, Smithville Park (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Join Parks’ staff for a free, guided tour throughout the Historic Village at Smithville Park. Learn about the history of the park while enjoying the beautifully lighted landscape. These evening tours are free and include a visit from Mr. Scrooge and end with a warm cup of hot cocoa and cookies with Mrs. Claus! For more information visit www.co.burlington.nj.us/Parks or call 609-265-5828
December 10, 11:00am-4:00pm – HOMEMADE HOLIDAY, Whitesbog Village (120 Whitesbog Road, Browns Mills 08015)
Join us for our 2nd year celebrating the holidays as we welcome visitors to explore the many historic buildings of Whitesbog! Handmade Arts & Crafts exhibitors will be spread throughout the village, kid crafts in the art gallery, a candy cane hunt and a special visit from you know who! Wagon rides into the bogs, hot cocoa and warm apple cider, live music and even more! Loads of fun for the entire family!!!! For more information visit www.whitesbog.org
December 10, 1:00-4:00pm – FARMERS HALL OPEN HOUSE, Mount Laurel
Visit Farmers Hall for a step back in time. The building will be decorated for the holidays by the Mount Laurel Garden Club. For more information visit www.mountlaurelhistoricalsociety.com
December 10, 5:00-7:00pm – HOLIDAY HOUSE CANDLELIGHT TOUR, Peachfield (180 Burrs Road, Westampton 08060)
Celebrate Christmas with a Candlelight tour of Peachfield and West Hill Manor. Enjoy decorations and treats from the 1940’s, when the Harker’s called Peachfield home. Visit West Hill Manor for a Victorian Christmas experience. Cost: $10/per person. For more information visit www.colonialdamesnj.org
December 10, 6:30-9:00pm – SMITHVILLE VILLAGE TOURS, Smithville Park (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Join Parks’ staff for a free, guided tour throughout the Historic Village at Smithville Park. Learn about the history of the park while enjoying the beautifully lighted landscape. These evening tours are free and select family nights include a visit from Mr. Scrooge and end with a warm cup of hot cocoa and cookies with Mrs. Claus! Family nights will be held on December 8 & 9, and December 15 &16. Candlelight tours of the Smithville Mansion are also offered on select nights for a fee. For more information visit www.co.burlington.nj.us/Parks or call 609-265-5828
December 10, 7:00pm – CANDLELIGHT TOURS OF SMITHVILLE MANSION, Smithville Mansion (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Enjoy the splendor of the magnificent Smithville Mansion at its grandest during an evening, candlelight tour. These evening tours allow you to see each room fully decorated with all the lights during the night hours. Adults/$12, Students/$10; Reservations can be made by calling 609-261-3295 or email SLeinbach@smithvillemansion.org. For more information visit www.smithvillemansion.org
December 12, 7:00-9:00pm – FARMERS HALL OPEN HOUSE, Mount Laurel
Visit Farmers Hall for a step back in time. The building will be decorated for the holidays by the Mount Laurel Garden Club. For more information visit www.mountlaurelhistoricalsociety.com
December 13, 12:00pm – SMITHVILLE HOLIDAY TEA, Smithville Mansion (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
The beautifully decorated Mansion Dining Room is the perfect setting for an afternoon tea. Take a break from shopping and the cold and relax with holiday themed tea and snacks. The afternoon tea includes a guided tour of the magnificent Smithville Mansion, fully decorated for the holidays. Call Jo at 856-767-3159 for reservations. Cost: $25/ per person. For more information visit www.smithvillemansion.org
December 14, 8:45am – LONGWOOD GARDENS BUS TRIP,
Enjoy the sights and sounds of Longwood Gardens during the holiday season. Indoor and outdoor displays are infused with color and lights, thousands of seasonal plants exquisitely decorate the Conservatory, and sounds of the season resonate throughout. Arrival at the gardens gives plenty of time to take in all that is offered, including the newly-renovated fountain displays. Visit www.longwoodgardens.org for details of the holiday displays. The trip is sponsored by The Mount Holly Historical Society and includes bus transportation, entry ticket, and Yuletide buffet lunch. Contact info@mounthollyhistoricalsociety.org for additional information. Cost: $90/per person.
December 14, 6:30-9:00pm – SMITHVILLE VILLAGE TOURS, Smithville Park (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Join Parks’ staff for a free, guided tour throughout the Historic Village at Smithville Park. Learn about the history of the park while enjoying the beautifully lighted landscape. These evening tours are free and select family nights include a visit from Mr. Scrooge and end with a warm cup of hot cocoa and cookies with Mrs. Claus! Family nights will be held on December 8 & 9, and December 15 &16. Candlelight tours of the Smithville Mansion are also offered on select nights for a fee. For more information visit www.co.burlington.nj.us/Parks or call 609-265-5828
December 14, 7:00pm – CANDLELIGHT TOURS OF SMITHVILLE MANSION, Smithville Mansion (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Enjoy the splendor of the magnificent Smithville Mansion at its grandest during an evening, candlelight tour. These evening tours allow you to see each room fully decorated with all the lights during the night hours. Adults/$12, Students/$10; Reservations can be made by calling 609-261-3295 or email SLeinbach@smithvillemansion.org. For more information visit www.smithvillemansion.org
December 15, 6:30-9:00pm – SMITHVILLE VILLAGE TOURS, Smithville Park (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Join Parks’ staff for a free, guided tour throughout the Historic Village at Smithville Park. Learn about the history of the park while enjoying the beautifully lighted landscape. These evening tours are free include a visit from Mr. Scrooge and end with a warm cup of hot cocoa and cookies with Mrs. Claus! For more information visit www.co.burlington.nj.us/Parks or call 609-265-5828
December 16, 12:00pm – SMITHVILLE HOLIDAY TEA, Smithville Mansion (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
The beautifully decorated Mansion Dining Room is the perfect setting for an afternoon tea. Take a break from shopping and the cold and relax with holiday themed tea and snacks. The afternoon tea includes a guided tour of the magnificent Smithville Mansion, fully decorated for the holidays. Call Jo at 856-767-3159 for reservations. Cost: $25/ per person. For more information visit www.smithvillemansion.org
December 16, 12:00-4:00pm – SHINN LOG CABIN OPEN HOUSE, (83 Park Drive, Mount Holly 08060)
Visit the historic structure which houses a collection of artifacts, maintained by the Mount Holly Historical Society. The first to own the cabin and probably the builder was Quaker, Thomas Shinn. He willed the cabin in 1751 to his son, Anguilla, a merchant and importer who sold Jamaican Rum to Native Americans. The Indians rowed canoes down the Rancocas Creek and visited the cabin. A room in the basement was reserved for them when they came to trade.
December 16, 6:30-9:00pm – SMITHVILLE VILLAGE TOURS, Smithville Park (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Join Parks’ staff for a free, guided tour throughout the Historic Village at Smithville Park. Learn about the history of the park while enjoying the beautifully lighted landscape. These evening tours are free and include a visit from Mr. Scrooge and end with a warm cup of hot cocoa and cookies with Mrs. Claus! For more information visit www.co.burlington.nj.us/Parks or call 609-265-5828
December 17, 1:00-4:00pm – FARMERS HALL OPEN HOUSE, Mount Laurel
Visit Farmers Hall for a step back in time. The building will be decorated for the holidays by the Mount Laurel Garden Club. For more information visit www.mountlaurelhistoricalsociety.com
December 17, 6:30-9:00pm – SMITHVILLE VILLAGE TOURS, Smithville Park (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Join Parks’ staff for a free, guided tour throughout the Historic Village at Smithville Park. Learn about the history of the park while enjoying the beautifully lighted landscape. These evening tours are free and select family nights include a visit from Mr. Scrooge and end with a warm cup of hot cocoa and cookies with Mrs. Claus! Family nights will be held on December 8 & 9, and December 15 &16. Candlelight tours of the Smithville Mansion are also offered on select nights for a fee. For more information visit www.co.burlington.nj.us/Parks or call 609-265-5828
December 17, 7:00pm – CANDLELIGHT TOURS OF SMITHVILLE MANSION, Smithville Mansion (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Enjoy the splendor of the magnificent Smithville Mansion at its grandest during an evening, candlelight tour. These evening tours allow you to see each room fully decorated with all the lights during the night hours. Adults/$12, Students/$10; Reservations can be made by calling 609-261-3295 or email SLeinbach@smithvillemansion.org. For more information visit www.smithvillemansion.org
December 19, 12:00pm – SMITHVILLE HOLIDAY TEA, Smithville Mansion (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
The beautifully decorated Mansion Dining Room is the perfect setting for an afternoon tea. Take a break from shopping and the cold and relax with holiday themed tea and snacks. The afternoon tea includes a guided tour of the magnificent Smithville Mansion, fully decorated for the holidays. Call Jo at 856-767-3159 for reservations. Cost: $25/ per person. For more information visit www.smithvillemansion.org
December 21, 6:30-9:00pm – SMITHVILLE VILLAGE TOURS, Smithville Park (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Join Parks’ staff for a free, guided tour throughout the Historic Village at Smithville Park. Learn about the history of the park while enjoying the beautifully lighted landscape. These evening tours are free and select family nights include a visit from Mr. Scrooge and end with a warm cup of hot cocoa and cookies with Mrs. Claus! Family nights will be held on December 8 & 9, and December 15 &16. Candlelight tours of the Smithville Mansion are also offered on select nights for a fee. For more information visit www.co.burlington.nj.us/Parks or call 609-265-5828
December 21, 7:00pm – CANDLELIGHT TOURS OF SMITHVILLE MANSION, Smithville Mansion (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Enjoy the splendor of the magnificent Smithville Mansion at its grandest during an evening, candlelight tour. These evening tours allow you to see each room fully decorated with all the lights during the night hours. Adults/$12, Students/$10; Reservations can be made by calling 609-261-3295 or email SLeinbach@smithvillemansion.org. For more information visit www.smithvillemansion.org
December 27, 7:00pm – CANDLELIGHT TOURS OF SMITHVILLE MANSION, Smithville Mansion (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Enjoy the splendor of the magnificent Smithville Mansion at its grandest during an evening, candlelight tour. These evening tours allow you to see each room fully decorated with all the lights during the night hours. Adults/$12, Students/$10; Reservations can be made by calling 609-261-3295 or email SLeinbach@smithvillemansion.org. For more information visit www.smithvillemansion.org
December 28, 12:00pm – SMITHVILLE HOLIDAY TEA, Smithville Mansion (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
The beautifully decorated Mansion Dining Room is the perfect setting for an afternoon tea. Take a break from shopping and the cold and relax with holiday themed tea and snacks. The afternoon tea includes a guided tour of the magnificent Smithville Mansion, fully decorated for the holidays. Call Jo at 856-767-3159 for reservations. Cost: $25/ per person. For more information visit www.smithvillemansion.org
December 29, 7:00pm – CANDLELIGHT TOURS OF SMITHVILLE MANSION, Smithville Mansion (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Enjoy the splendor of the magnificent Smithville Mansion at its grandest during an evening, candlelight tour. These evening tours allow you to see each room fully decorated with all the lights during the night hours. Adults/$12, Students/$10; Reservations can be made by calling 609-261-3295 or email SLeinbach@smithvillemansion.org. For more information visit www.smithvillemansion.org
November 28, 10:30am-7:45pm – LONGWOOD GARDENS CHRISTMAS BUS TRIP
Enjoy the sights and sounds of Longwood Gardens during the holiday season. Indoor and outdoor displays are infused with color and lights, thousands of seasonal plants exquisitely decorate the Conservatory, and sounds of the season resonate throughout. Arrival at the Gardens is scheduled for 12:00pm, giving plenty of time to take in all that is offered, including the newly-renovated fountain displays. Visit www.longwoodgardens.org for details of the holiday displays. The trip is sponsored by The Rancocas Nature Center and includes bus transportation and entry ticket. Call 609-261-2495 or visit www.rancocasnaturecenter.org for additional information. Cost: $65/per person.
December 2, 12:00-4:00pm – SHINN LOG CABIN OPEN HOUSE, (83 Park Drive, Mount Holly 08060)
Visit the historic structure which houses a collection of artifacts, maintained by the Mount Holly Historical Society. The first to own the cabin and probably the builder was Quaker, Thomas Shinn. He willed the cabin in 1751 to his son, Anguilla, a merchant and importer who sold Jamaican Rum to Native Americans. The Indians rowed canoes down the Rancocas Creek and visited the cabin. A room in the basement was reserved for them when they came to trade.
December 2, 1:00-6:00pm – RIVERFRONT HOLIDAY HOUSE TOUR, Riverfront Historical Society (Beverly Annex Building, Cooper Street)
We have amazing homes and historical buildings for you to see including a few on the Beverly riverbank. The tour will begin at the Riverfront Historical Society. Cost: $15 in advance or $20 at the door. You can order in advance by calling 609-351-3535 or 609-929-3071. Tickets will be available for pick up at 12:00pm at the Riverfront Museum. All proceeds benefit the Riverfront Historical Society.
December 3, 1:00-4:00pm – FARMERS HALL OPEN HOUSE, Mount Laurel
Visit Farmers Hall for a step back in time. The building will be decorated for the holidays by the Mount Laurel Garden Club. For more information visit www.mountlaurelhistoricalsociety.com
December 3, 2:00-4:00pm – ANNUAL HOLIDAY TEA & TOUR, Peachfield (180 Burrs Road, Westampton 08060)
Peachfield will once again be decorated for the holidays, and the New Jersey Colonial Dames will serve their tea specialties of the season at our annual Holiday Tea. Join us as we gather around the hearth with a warming fire and sample our favorite repasts. Rancocas Valley Regional High School Choir will be performing some of our favorite holiday carols. Cost: $18/per adult, $9/per child (under 15 years). Paid reservations in advance are recommended. For more information call 609-267-6996 or email colonialdamesnj@comcast.net. Visit them at www.colonialdamesnj.org
December 4 -30, 1:00pm, 2:00pm, 3:00pm – SMITHVILLE MANSION TOURS, Smithville Mansion (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Enjoy the splendor of a Christmas past with a guided tour of the Historic Smithville Mansion, lavishly decorated for the holidays in a grand Victorian style. The 2017 theme is a Victorian Christmas during Queen Victoria’s reign in the mid 1800’s. Tours are daily and begin at 1:00, 2:00, & 3:00 PM. Cost: Adults/$7, Seniors and Students/$6. No reservation required. For more information visit www.smithvillemansion.org
December 5, 12:00pm – SMITHVILLE HOLIDAY TEA, Smithville Mansion (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
The beautifully decorated Mansion Dining Room is the perfect setting for an afternoon tea. Take a break from shopping and the cold and relax with holiday themed tea and snacks. The afternoon tea includes a guided tour of the magnificent Smithville Mansion, fully decorated for the holidays. Call Jo at 856-767-3159 for reservations. Cost: $25/ per person. For more information visit www.smithvillemansion.org
December 7, 6:30-9:00pm – SMITHVILLE VILLAGE TOURS, Smithville Park (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Join Parks’ staff for a free, guided tour throughout the Historic Village at Smithville Park. Learn about the history of the park while enjoying the beautifully lighted landscape. These evening tours are free and select family nights include a visit from Mr. Scrooge and end with a warm cup of hot cocoa and cookies with Mrs. Claus! Family nights will be held on December 8 & 9, and December 15 &16. Candlelight tours of the Smithville Mansion are also offered on select nights for a fee. For more information visit www.co.burlington.nj.us/Parks or call 609-265-5828
December 7, 7:00pm – CANDLELIGHT TOURS OF SMITHVILLE MANSION, Smithville Mansion (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Enjoy the splendor of the magnificent Smithville Mansion at its grandest during an evening, candlelight tour. These evening tours allow you to see each room fully decorated with all the lights during the night hours. Adults/$12, Students/$10; Reservations can be made by calling 609-261-3295 or email SLeinbach@smithvillemansion.org. For more information visit www.smithvillemansion.org
December 8, 1:00-3:00pm – EVESHAM GREENS SALE, John Inskeep House (10 Madison Court, Marlton 08053)
Holiday wreaths, centerpieces, arrangements and loose fresh greens and baked goods for sale. Grave blankets can be preordered by calling 856-983-3139. For more information visit www.eveshamhistoricalsociety.org/
December 8, 6:30-9:00pm – SMITHVILLE VILLAGE TOURS, Smithville Park (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Join Parks’ staff for a free, guided tour throughout the Historic Village at Smithville Park. Learn about the history of the park while enjoying the beautifully lighted landscape. These evening tours are free and include a visit from Mr. Scrooge and end with a warm cup of hot cocoa and cookies with Mrs. Claus! For more information visit www.co.burlington.nj.us/Parks or call 609-265-5828
December 9, 10:00am-2:00pm – EVESHAM GREENS SALE, John Inskeep House (10 Madison Court, Marlton 08053)
Holiday wreaths, centerpieces, arrangements and loose fresh greens and baked goods for sale. Grave blankets can be preordered by calling 856-983-3139. For more information visit www.eveshamhistoricalsociety.org/
December 9, 11:00am-3:00pm – BATTLE OF IRON WORKS HILL, downtown Mount Holly
Experience December of 1776 through song, colonial crafts, clothing, and presentations. Programs include “Songs of the Revolutionary Era”, “What Did Colonials Wear”, “The Destruction of Rogers Mill and Brewery”, “The Road to Monmouth”, and a visit from Thomas Paine. Sponsored by the Burlington County Lyceum of History and Natural Sciences Association. For more information visit https://bclhnsassoc.org
December 9, 12:00pm – KRAMPUS FESTIVAL, White Hill Mansion (217 4th Street, Fieldsboro 08505)
This is a free event sponsored by Broomstick Betty of Bordentown. This will be an opportunity to purchase unique holiday gifts made by local artisans. For more information visit their website at www.whitehillmansion.com
December 9, 12:00pm – SMITHVILLE HOLIDAY TEA, Smithville Mansion (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
The beautifully decorated Mansion Dining Room is the perfect setting for an afternoon tea. Take a break from shopping and the cold and relax with holiday themed tea and snacks. The afternoon tea includes a guided tour of the magnificent Smithville Mansion, fully decorated for the holidays. Call Jo at 856-767-3159 for reservations. Cost: $25/ per person. For more information visit www.smithvillemansion.org
December 9, 12:00-4:00pm – SHINN LOG CABIN OPEN HOUSE, (83 Park Drive, Mount Holly 08060)
Visit the historic structure which houses a collection of artifacts, maintained by the Mount Holly Historical Society. The first to own the cabin and probably the builder was Quaker, Thomas Shinn. He willed the cabin in 1751 to his son, Anguilla, a merchant and importer who sold Jamaican Rum to Native Americans. The Indians rowed canoes down the Rancocas Creek and visited the cabin. A room in the basement was reserved for them when they came to trade.
December 9, 2:00-4:00pm – PAULSDALE OPEN HOUSE, Paulsdale (218 Hooton Road, Mount Laurel 08054)
Get into the holiday spirit at our annual open house event at Paulsdale. Enjoy the stunning holiday décor crafted by The Garden of Mount Laurel while celebrating the start of the holiday season with food, drinks, and warm conversation. And don’t miss the great gifts in API’s gift shop! For more information visit www.alicepaul.org
December 9, 6:30-9:00pm – SMITHVILLE VILLAGE TOURS, Smithville Park (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Join Parks’ staff for a free, guided tour throughout the Historic Village at Smithville Park. Learn about the history of the park while enjoying the beautifully lighted landscape. These evening tours are free and include a visit from Mr. Scrooge and end with a warm cup of hot cocoa and cookies with Mrs. Claus! For more information visit www.co.burlington.nj.us/Parks or call 609-265-5828
December 10, 11:00am-4:00pm – HOMEMADE HOLIDAY, Whitesbog Village (120 Whitesbog Road, Browns Mills 08015)
Join us for our 2nd year celebrating the holidays as we welcome visitors to explore the many historic buildings of Whitesbog! Handmade Arts & Crafts exhibitors will be spread throughout the village, kid crafts in the art gallery, a candy cane hunt and a special visit from you know who! Wagon rides into the bogs, hot cocoa and warm apple cider, live music and even more! Loads of fun for the entire family!!!! For more information visit www.whitesbog.org
December 10, 1:00-4:00pm – FARMERS HALL OPEN HOUSE, Mount Laurel
Visit Farmers Hall for a step back in time. The building will be decorated for the holidays by the Mount Laurel Garden Club. For more information visit www.mountlaurelhistoricalsociety.com
December 10, 5:00-7:00pm – HOLIDAY HOUSE CANDLELIGHT TOUR, Peachfield (180 Burrs Road, Westampton 08060)
Celebrate Christmas with a Candlelight tour of Peachfield and West Hill Manor. Enjoy decorations and treats from the 1940’s, when the Harker’s called Peachfield home. Visit West Hill Manor for a Victorian Christmas experience. Cost: $10/per person. For more information visit www.colonialdamesnj.org
December 10, 6:30-9:00pm – SMITHVILLE VILLAGE TOURS, Smithville Park (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Join Parks’ staff for a free, guided tour throughout the Historic Village at Smithville Park. Learn about the history of the park while enjoying the beautifully lighted landscape. These evening tours are free and select family nights include a visit from Mr. Scrooge and end with a warm cup of hot cocoa and cookies with Mrs. Claus! Family nights will be held on December 8 & 9, and December 15 &16. Candlelight tours of the Smithville Mansion are also offered on select nights for a fee. For more information visit www.co.burlington.nj.us/Parks or call 609-265-5828
December 10, 7:00pm – CANDLELIGHT TOURS OF SMITHVILLE MANSION, Smithville Mansion (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Enjoy the splendor of the magnificent Smithville Mansion at its grandest during an evening, candlelight tour. These evening tours allow you to see each room fully decorated with all the lights during the night hours. Adults/$12, Students/$10; Reservations can be made by calling 609-261-3295 or email SLeinbach@smithvillemansion.org. For more information visit www.smithvillemansion.org
December 12, 7:00-9:00pm – FARMERS HALL OPEN HOUSE, Mount Laurel
Visit Farmers Hall for a step back in time. The building will be decorated for the holidays by the Mount Laurel Garden Club. For more information visit www.mountlaurelhistoricalsociety.com
December 13, 12:00pm – SMITHVILLE HOLIDAY TEA, Smithville Mansion (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
The beautifully decorated Mansion Dining Room is the perfect setting for an afternoon tea. Take a break from shopping and the cold and relax with holiday themed tea and snacks. The afternoon tea includes a guided tour of the magnificent Smithville Mansion, fully decorated for the holidays. Call Jo at 856-767-3159 for reservations. Cost: $25/ per person. For more information visit www.smithvillemansion.org
December 14, 8:45am – LONGWOOD GARDENS BUS TRIP,
Enjoy the sights and sounds of Longwood Gardens during the holiday season. Indoor and outdoor displays are infused with color and lights, thousands of seasonal plants exquisitely decorate the Conservatory, and sounds of the season resonate throughout. Arrival at the gardens gives plenty of time to take in all that is offered, including the newly-renovated fountain displays. Visit www.longwoodgardens.org for details of the holiday displays. The trip is sponsored by The Mount Holly Historical Society and includes bus transportation, entry ticket, and Yuletide buffet lunch. Contact info@mounthollyhistoricalsociety.org for additional information. Cost: $90/per person.
December 14, 6:30-9:00pm – SMITHVILLE VILLAGE TOURS, Smithville Park (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Join Parks’ staff for a free, guided tour throughout the Historic Village at Smithville Park. Learn about the history of the park while enjoying the beautifully lighted landscape. These evening tours are free and select family nights include a visit from Mr. Scrooge and end with a warm cup of hot cocoa and cookies with Mrs. Claus! Family nights will be held on December 8 & 9, and December 15 &16. Candlelight tours of the Smithville Mansion are also offered on select nights for a fee. For more information visit www.co.burlington.nj.us/Parks or call 609-265-5828
December 14, 7:00pm – CANDLELIGHT TOURS OF SMITHVILLE MANSION, Smithville Mansion (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Enjoy the splendor of the magnificent Smithville Mansion at its grandest during an evening, candlelight tour. These evening tours allow you to see each room fully decorated with all the lights during the night hours. Adults/$12, Students/$10; Reservations can be made by calling 609-261-3295 or email SLeinbach@smithvillemansion.org. For more information visit www.smithvillemansion.org
December 15, 6:30-9:00pm – SMITHVILLE VILLAGE TOURS, Smithville Park (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Join Parks’ staff for a free, guided tour throughout the Historic Village at Smithville Park. Learn about the history of the park while enjoying the beautifully lighted landscape. These evening tours are free include a visit from Mr. Scrooge and end with a warm cup of hot cocoa and cookies with Mrs. Claus! For more information visit www.co.burlington.nj.us/Parks or call 609-265-5828
December 16, 12:00pm – SMITHVILLE HOLIDAY TEA, Smithville Mansion (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
The beautifully decorated Mansion Dining Room is the perfect setting for an afternoon tea. Take a break from shopping and the cold and relax with holiday themed tea and snacks. The afternoon tea includes a guided tour of the magnificent Smithville Mansion, fully decorated for the holidays. Call Jo at 856-767-3159 for reservations. Cost: $25/ per person. For more information visit www.smithvillemansion.org
December 16, 12:00-4:00pm – SHINN LOG CABIN OPEN HOUSE, (83 Park Drive, Mount Holly 08060)
Visit the historic structure which houses a collection of artifacts, maintained by the Mount Holly Historical Society. The first to own the cabin and probably the builder was Quaker, Thomas Shinn. He willed the cabin in 1751 to his son, Anguilla, a merchant and importer who sold Jamaican Rum to Native Americans. The Indians rowed canoes down the Rancocas Creek and visited the cabin. A room in the basement was reserved for them when they came to trade.
December 16, 6:30-9:00pm – SMITHVILLE VILLAGE TOURS, Smithville Park (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Join Parks’ staff for a free, guided tour throughout the Historic Village at Smithville Park. Learn about the history of the park while enjoying the beautifully lighted landscape. These evening tours are free and include a visit from Mr. Scrooge and end with a warm cup of hot cocoa and cookies with Mrs. Claus! For more information visit www.co.burlington.nj.us/Parks or call 609-265-5828
December 17, 1:00-4:00pm – FARMERS HALL OPEN HOUSE, Mount Laurel
Visit Farmers Hall for a step back in time. The building will be decorated for the holidays by the Mount Laurel Garden Club. For more information visit www.mountlaurelhistoricalsociety.com
December 17, 6:30-9:00pm – SMITHVILLE VILLAGE TOURS, Smithville Park (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Join Parks’ staff for a free, guided tour throughout the Historic Village at Smithville Park. Learn about the history of the park while enjoying the beautifully lighted landscape. These evening tours are free and select family nights include a visit from Mr. Scrooge and end with a warm cup of hot cocoa and cookies with Mrs. Claus! Family nights will be held on December 8 & 9, and December 15 &16. Candlelight tours of the Smithville Mansion are also offered on select nights for a fee. For more information visit www.co.burlington.nj.us/Parks or call 609-265-5828
December 17, 7:00pm – CANDLELIGHT TOURS OF SMITHVILLE MANSION, Smithville Mansion (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Enjoy the splendor of the magnificent Smithville Mansion at its grandest during an evening, candlelight tour. These evening tours allow you to see each room fully decorated with all the lights during the night hours. Adults/$12, Students/$10; Reservations can be made by calling 609-261-3295 or email SLeinbach@smithvillemansion.org. For more information visit www.smithvillemansion.org
December 19, 12:00pm – SMITHVILLE HOLIDAY TEA, Smithville Mansion (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
The beautifully decorated Mansion Dining Room is the perfect setting for an afternoon tea. Take a break from shopping and the cold and relax with holiday themed tea and snacks. The afternoon tea includes a guided tour of the magnificent Smithville Mansion, fully decorated for the holidays. Call Jo at 856-767-3159 for reservations. Cost: $25/ per person. For more information visit www.smithvillemansion.org
December 21, 6:30-9:00pm – SMITHVILLE VILLAGE TOURS, Smithville Park (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Join Parks’ staff for a free, guided tour throughout the Historic Village at Smithville Park. Learn about the history of the park while enjoying the beautifully lighted landscape. These evening tours are free and select family nights include a visit from Mr. Scrooge and end with a warm cup of hot cocoa and cookies with Mrs. Claus! Family nights will be held on December 8 & 9, and December 15 &16. Candlelight tours of the Smithville Mansion are also offered on select nights for a fee. For more information visit www.co.burlington.nj.us/Parks or call 609-265-5828
December 21, 7:00pm – CANDLELIGHT TOURS OF SMITHVILLE MANSION, Smithville Mansion (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Enjoy the splendor of the magnificent Smithville Mansion at its grandest during an evening, candlelight tour. These evening tours allow you to see each room fully decorated with all the lights during the night hours. Adults/$12, Students/$10; Reservations can be made by calling 609-261-3295 or email SLeinbach@smithvillemansion.org. For more information visit www.smithvillemansion.org
December 27, 7:00pm – CANDLELIGHT TOURS OF SMITHVILLE MANSION, Smithville Mansion (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Enjoy the splendor of the magnificent Smithville Mansion at its grandest during an evening, candlelight tour. These evening tours allow you to see each room fully decorated with all the lights during the night hours. Adults/$12, Students/$10; Reservations can be made by calling 609-261-3295 or email SLeinbach@smithvillemansion.org. For more information visit www.smithvillemansion.org
December 28, 12:00pm – SMITHVILLE HOLIDAY TEA, Smithville Mansion (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
The beautifully decorated Mansion Dining Room is the perfect setting for an afternoon tea. Take a break from shopping and the cold and relax with holiday themed tea and snacks. The afternoon tea includes a guided tour of the magnificent Smithville Mansion, fully decorated for the holidays. Call Jo at 856-767-3159 for reservations. Cost: $25/ per person. For more information visit www.smithvillemansion.org
December 29, 7:00pm – CANDLELIGHT TOURS OF SMITHVILLE MANSION, Smithville Mansion (803 Smithville Road, Eastampton 08060)
Enjoy the splendor of the magnificent Smithville Mansion at its grandest during an evening, candlelight tour. These evening tours allow you to see each room fully decorated with all the lights during the night hours. Adults/$12, Students/$10; Reservations can be made by calling 609-261-3295 or email SLeinbach@smithvillemansion.org. For more information visit www.smithvillemansion.org
Saturday, November 18, 2017
The Museum of American History at Deptford, NJ
Finally, today, an adventure day-trip pal and I found our way to the Museum of American History at Deptford, NJ. It is located at 138 Andaloro Way and the phone number is 856-812-1121.
First let me say that my favorite items in this collection are the train platform ice skating figures, sleighs and sledders made in post World War II Germany from old bullet shells and other discarded munitions, melted down and re-cast for souvenir sale. I love that things of killing were turned into things of beauty and celebration.
But, really, I love EVERYTHING about this museum, the implements of farm history for example. The curator is a descendant of the Sauslein farm family of Maple Shade, a place where I grew up in the late 1950's. My brother and I hunted for fossils at the clay pits (as they were known to us) but the grounds of a pottery manufacturing concern in those times. The farm implements from their properties were inherited and now reside in the museum which has, since its last residence in a school building in Glamssboro, become a Foundation to protect and preserve the artifacts.
Some of the groups of artifacts on display include Fossils, Glass and Ceramics, Antique Tools and Equipment, Farm Implements, and upcoming - November 24 through Jan.28, the 15th Annual Antique Toy Train Display (another favorite of mine).
Frankly I like the new housing of the collection better than the large impersonal school building setting where it was a couple of years ago, in Glamssboro. I visited the collection there several times with different friends and when different exhibits were being held, for example there was a World War Exhibit that I saw there, and there was the annual toy train exhibit at Christmas time that I visited.
It is wonderful to see history up close and personal and to see an individual collector expanding and conserving his collection. These smaller local museums are always my favorites! Remember the Prehistory Museum in Greenwich? I wrote about that one many times and the wonderful collection of Native American pottery and projectile points. The last time I was there, an oyster fisherman came in with a mastodon molar he had unearthed near Port Norris. He was looking to sell it but of course, these museums don't buy, they house donated local collections. I saw one of those mastodon teeth at the American History Museum in Deptford today. It reminded me of the other museum and the other visit a couple of years before in Greenwich.
I do hope you visit this museum and help support history in our area. I plan to become a member. Membership is $20 for individuals and includes free admission and a newsletter.
for more information:
info@southjerseymuseum.org
www.southjerseymuseum.org
and they are on Facebook!
If, like me, you are a train fan, you may want to have lunch at the Woodbury Train Station before you visit the museum, and if like me you are a hiker/walker, you may want to combine your lunch and museum trip with a walk around Red Bank Battlefield in National Park, they are all fairly close to one another.
Happy Trails!
Jo Ann
First let me say that my favorite items in this collection are the train platform ice skating figures, sleighs and sledders made in post World War II Germany from old bullet shells and other discarded munitions, melted down and re-cast for souvenir sale. I love that things of killing were turned into things of beauty and celebration.
But, really, I love EVERYTHING about this museum, the implements of farm history for example. The curator is a descendant of the Sauslein farm family of Maple Shade, a place where I grew up in the late 1950's. My brother and I hunted for fossils at the clay pits (as they were known to us) but the grounds of a pottery manufacturing concern in those times. The farm implements from their properties were inherited and now reside in the museum which has, since its last residence in a school building in Glamssboro, become a Foundation to protect and preserve the artifacts.
Some of the groups of artifacts on display include Fossils, Glass and Ceramics, Antique Tools and Equipment, Farm Implements, and upcoming - November 24 through Jan.28, the 15th Annual Antique Toy Train Display (another favorite of mine).
Frankly I like the new housing of the collection better than the large impersonal school building setting where it was a couple of years ago, in Glamssboro. I visited the collection there several times with different friends and when different exhibits were being held, for example there was a World War Exhibit that I saw there, and there was the annual toy train exhibit at Christmas time that I visited.
It is wonderful to see history up close and personal and to see an individual collector expanding and conserving his collection. These smaller local museums are always my favorites! Remember the Prehistory Museum in Greenwich? I wrote about that one many times and the wonderful collection of Native American pottery and projectile points. The last time I was there, an oyster fisherman came in with a mastodon molar he had unearthed near Port Norris. He was looking to sell it but of course, these museums don't buy, they house donated local collections. I saw one of those mastodon teeth at the American History Museum in Deptford today. It reminded me of the other museum and the other visit a couple of years before in Greenwich.
I do hope you visit this museum and help support history in our area. I plan to become a member. Membership is $20 for individuals and includes free admission and a newsletter.
for more information:
info@southjerseymuseum.org
www.southjerseymuseum.org
and they are on Facebook!
If, like me, you are a train fan, you may want to have lunch at the Woodbury Train Station before you visit the museum, and if like me you are a hiker/walker, you may want to combine your lunch and museum trip with a walk around Red Bank Battlefield in National Park, they are all fairly close to one another.
Happy Trails!
Jo Ann
Generations and Populations
When I was a teacher, I used to use the Pop Clock for various lessons about America. One year's theme was Continents of the World, World History (Great Civilizations), World History (Indigenous Peoples), another was Art History Periods, Great Artists of the World, and one was The United States. In the research I did for the US, I looked at ancestry groups and found interesting information which is now out-dated. So, after a conversation with friends at lunch last week, I decided to see the current breakdown of ancestry groups:
Those claiming German ancestry remain the largest group at just over 17 percent, almost even with Hispanics at 17%, African Americans are 13%, Irish are 11% (7 more Irish in American than in Ireland!!) English are 8.7%, Italians 6%, Jewish 1.4%.
And on the generations:
1901 to 1924 - The Greatest Generation
1924 to 1940 - The Silent Generation
1940 - 1960 - Baby Boomers
1960-80 Generation X
1980 to early 2000 - Millennials
2000 - present Generation Z
There are interesting articles on Pop Clock as well as population anises of various kinds but the information I found most easily was on google.
Those claiming German ancestry remain the largest group at just over 17 percent, almost even with Hispanics at 17%, African Americans are 13%, Irish are 11% (7 more Irish in American than in Ireland!!) English are 8.7%, Italians 6%, Jewish 1.4%.
And on the generations:
1901 to 1924 - The Greatest Generation
1924 to 1940 - The Silent Generation
1940 - 1960 - Baby Boomers
1960-80 Generation X
1980 to early 2000 - Millennials
2000 - present Generation Z
There are interesting articles on Pop Clock as well as population anises of various kinds but the information I found most easily was on google.
Saturday, November 11, 2017
Historic Events on Holidays
From The Atlantic Magazine, November 2017 issue:
George Washington and his army crossed the Delaware on December 25, 1776 to launch a surprise attack the next morning on a garrison of Hessian troops celebrating Christmas. The Continental troops forces marched, hungry and ill clad against the cold and snow, to make this attack. The decisive victory increased morale and gave our faltering Revolution the boost it needed to convince everyone we might have a chance.
George Washington and his army crossed the Delaware on December 25, 1776 to launch a surprise attack the next morning on a garrison of Hessian troops celebrating Christmas. The Continental troops forces marched, hungry and ill clad against the cold and snow, to make this attack. The decisive victory increased morale and gave our faltering Revolution the boost it needed to convince everyone we might have a chance.
Friday, November 10, 2017
50 Years Old - the Rolling Stone Magazine AND Review of movie, LBJ
Reading Dec. issue of the Atlantic. No doubt if you are anywhere near my age, you, at least once. read The Rolling Stone. This is the 50th anniversary and like a person who lived it up and never cared about health or longevity, it doesn't look like the RS is going much past 50. The last 52% owned by founder Jann Wenner is up for sale. He had already sold the first 48%. A biography of Jann Wenner, himself, is also about to be released and was reviewed in the Atlantic. There were three quotes I thought interesting enough for orange highlighter and posting here. One has to do with writing and the other with history:
1.A writer needs to feel the freedom to look stupid, even to make a fool of himself, in order to do the kind of work he has always imagined but never before quite pulled off.
2.Everything we read about the past is bound to be incomplete, because although we might know what unfolded, we can never really know how the experience felt.
As a writer and as a person looking back on a long life, both of these ideas made a glow in my mind when I read them. Hope they provoke some interesting thoughts in yours too!
The story that gets pieced together takes the place of memory, then becomes the memory.
3.History is not what happened but what remains when everything else is forgotten.
A couple of days ago, I saw the movie LBJ and it was fantastic. First of all Woody Harrelson did a great character study of LBJ. But you did have to get past the prosthetic ugly face that they made him wear, unnecessarily, I think.
It was a very pertinent film to our own time in that it does a creditable sketch of the way LBJ made a bridge between irreconcilable opposite sides. He got the racist Southern politicians to make enough compromise with the Northern liberals to get the Civil Rights Act passed. And, we have LBJ to thank for Medicare - THANK YOU!!
It was also a fascinating thing to ponder how the real LBJ made a huge turn-about from his former political conservative position to the Great Society reformer that he became. He saw the future and he got on board while others, stuck in the quicksand of their outdated positions sank only deeper.
If you get the time, go see the movie. If not, catch it on tv. You will have a lot to think about! And compare. To think we went from my heroic past Presidents Lincoln, FDR, and LBJ to the greedy, impulsive, reckless fool the other 42% have put in charge now.
Well, Happy Trails,
Jo Ann
1.A writer needs to feel the freedom to look stupid, even to make a fool of himself, in order to do the kind of work he has always imagined but never before quite pulled off.
2.Everything we read about the past is bound to be incomplete, because although we might know what unfolded, we can never really know how the experience felt.
As a writer and as a person looking back on a long life, both of these ideas made a glow in my mind when I read them. Hope they provoke some interesting thoughts in yours too!
The story that gets pieced together takes the place of memory, then becomes the memory.
3.History is not what happened but what remains when everything else is forgotten.
A couple of days ago, I saw the movie LBJ and it was fantastic. First of all Woody Harrelson did a great character study of LBJ. But you did have to get past the prosthetic ugly face that they made him wear, unnecessarily, I think.
It was a very pertinent film to our own time in that it does a creditable sketch of the way LBJ made a bridge between irreconcilable opposite sides. He got the racist Southern politicians to make enough compromise with the Northern liberals to get the Civil Rights Act passed. And, we have LBJ to thank for Medicare - THANK YOU!!
It was also a fascinating thing to ponder how the real LBJ made a huge turn-about from his former political conservative position to the Great Society reformer that he became. He saw the future and he got on board while others, stuck in the quicksand of their outdated positions sank only deeper.
If you get the time, go see the movie. If not, catch it on tv. You will have a lot to think about! And compare. To think we went from my heroic past Presidents Lincoln, FDR, and LBJ to the greedy, impulsive, reckless fool the other 42% have put in charge now.
Well, Happy Trails,
Jo Ann
Thursday, November 2, 2017
Burlington Count Events
In case you are not on their mailing list, Marisa Bozarth sent this out today in e-mail:
This week in Burlington CountyHistory events
November 1-5, 2017November 1-3, noon-4:00pm – “ALICE PAUL: IN PURSUIT OF ORDINARY EQUALITYEXHIBIT”, Paulsdale (218 Hooton Road, Mount Laurel 08054) Enjoy a tour of historic Paulsdale, the childhood home of Alice Stokes Paul, who fought for the right to vote for women. Tours begin with a 15-minute DVE presentation, The Life of Alice Stokes Paul, 1885-1977. Guests then walk around the porch to learn about the farm that once surrounded Paulsdale. Inside the house, visitors view the exhibit Alice Paul: In Pursuit of Ordinary Equality and learn about the Paul family’s daily life in the house, the restoration of the site, and its present-day use as a women’s history center and a leadership institute for women and girls. Admission is $5 per person. For more information contact the Alice Paul Institute at 856-231-1885 or email info@alicepaul.org. Visit their website at www.alicepaul.org
November 2, 6:00pm-8:00pm - “FEMINISM 101 LECTURE SERIES: NEVERTHELESS, SHE PERSISTED: VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN”, Paulsdale (218 Hooton Road, MountLaurel 08054) An in-depth look at how intimate partner violence and rape effect American women. We will explore the concept of rape culture and see how the U.S. compares to other nations as we look at statistics on violence against women. Admission is $12.50 per person. For more information contact the Alice Paul Institute at 856-231-1885 or email info@alicepaul.org. Visit their website at www.alicepaul.org
November 4, 9:00am-noon – “ARMED FORCES HERITAGE MUSEUM”, Freedom Park (86 Union Street, Medford 08055)The mobile museum will be at the WWI monument dedication. November 4, 10:00am-2:00pm – “OPEN HOUSE AT SHIPMAN MANSION”, Shipman Mansion (221 Edgewater Avenue, Edgewater Park 08010)The Shipman Mansion is a Second Empire style home built c. 1869 on the banks of the Delaware River by Paul and Alice Shipman. It is listed on the NJ and Federal Registry of Historic Places. Many of its original architectural details are preserved including the fireplaces, three-story stairwell, and ceiling medallions. The mansion also houses a collection of antique canoes and artifacts from the early history of the Red Dragon CanoeClub founding in 1887. For more information contact the Shipman Mansion at 856-986-7969. Visit their website at www.shipmanmansion.org
November 4, 10:00am-3:00pm – “VOLUNTEER WORKDAY”, Whitesbog Village (120 W. Whitesbog Road, Browns Mills 08015)Have a scout troop of family friend? Bring them to the village! We have benches to paint, trails to clear, supplies to organize, signs to create…We are open to all and all abilities! We have tools, gloves, drop clothes, etc. to get you started. This month we are working in the Garden, the garage, shed, on the trails and the General Store and porch. All participants get lunch in the General Store. Burn calories, meet new people, get volunteer hours for school. For more information contact Whitesbog Preservation Trust at 609-893-4646. Visit their website at www.whitesbog.org
November 4, noon-3:00pm – “OPEN HOUSE AT RIVERFRONT HISTORICAL SOCIETY”, Riverfront Historical Society (Beverly Library Annex, 441 Cooper Street, Beverly08010)Visit the present collection and a new donation table to see recent gifts. This month’s surprise is a model of a room in Wall Rope made in the 1930’s as a gift for Mr. Wall. The model has equipment and people from a work area that you can see. The full story will be told next month. For more information contact the Historical Society at 609-387-1079. Visit their website at www.orgsites.com/nj/riverfronthistoricalsociety
November 4, noon-4:00pm – “OPEN HOUSE AT SHINN-CURTIS LOG CABIN”, Mount Holly Historical Society (83 Park Drive, Mount Holly 08060)The log cabin is an historic structure which houses a collection of artifacts maintained by the Mount Holly Historical Society. The first to own the cabin and probably the builder was Quaker, Thomas Shinn. He willed the cabin in 1751 to his son, Anguilla, a merchant and importer who sold Jamaican Rum from the cabin to local Native Americans. The Indians rowed their canoes down the Rancocas Creek and visited the cabin. A room in the basement was reserved for them when they came to trade.
November 4, 6:00pm – “MOONLIGHT WALK”, Whitesbog Village (120 W. Whitesbog Road, Browns Mills 08015)Listen to the night sounds of the Pines, learn about Whitesbog and experience the seasonal changes of the Pinelands. All walks are 3-5 miles in length, weather permitting and led by experience leaders. Well behaved dogs on leash are welcome. A donation of $5 is suggested. RSVP by leaving your name and contact number at 609-893-4646. Visit their website at www.whitesbog.org
November 4, 7:00pm-midnight – “PUBLIC GHOST HUNT”, White Hill Mansion (217 4th Street, Fieldsboro 08505)Lean ghost hunting from paranormal investigators. Use professional equipment and hunt with the investigators. You never know who or what you may find! Tickets are $35 each. Tickets can be purchased at www.whitehillmansion.com.
I wish I could post the same for you from Camden County, but if there is such mailing list, I don't have it! It is a wonderful idea to keep everyone informed of what's going on and promote attendance in that way!
This week in Burlington CountyHistory events
November 1-5, 2017November 1-3, noon-4:00pm – “ALICE PAUL: IN PURSUIT OF ORDINARY EQUALITYEXHIBIT”, Paulsdale (218 Hooton Road, Mount Laurel 08054) Enjoy a tour of historic Paulsdale, the childhood home of Alice Stokes Paul, who fought for the right to vote for women. Tours begin with a 15-minute DVE presentation, The Life of Alice Stokes Paul, 1885-1977. Guests then walk around the porch to learn about the farm that once surrounded Paulsdale. Inside the house, visitors view the exhibit Alice Paul: In Pursuit of Ordinary Equality and learn about the Paul family’s daily life in the house, the restoration of the site, and its present-day use as a women’s history center and a leadership institute for women and girls. Admission is $5 per person. For more information contact the Alice Paul Institute at 856-231-1885 or email info@alicepaul.org. Visit their website at www.alicepaul.org
November 2, 6:00pm-8:00pm - “FEMINISM 101 LECTURE SERIES: NEVERTHELESS, SHE PERSISTED: VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN”, Paulsdale (218 Hooton Road, MountLaurel 08054) An in-depth look at how intimate partner violence and rape effect American women. We will explore the concept of rape culture and see how the U.S. compares to other nations as we look at statistics on violence against women. Admission is $12.50 per person. For more information contact the Alice Paul Institute at 856-231-1885 or email info@alicepaul.org. Visit their website at www.alicepaul.org
November 4, 9:00am-noon – “ARMED FORCES HERITAGE MUSEUM”, Freedom Park (86 Union Street, Medford 08055)The mobile museum will be at the WWI monument dedication. November 4, 10:00am-2:00pm – “OPEN HOUSE AT SHIPMAN MANSION”, Shipman Mansion (221 Edgewater Avenue, Edgewater Park 08010)The Shipman Mansion is a Second Empire style home built c. 1869 on the banks of the Delaware River by Paul and Alice Shipman. It is listed on the NJ and Federal Registry of Historic Places. Many of its original architectural details are preserved including the fireplaces, three-story stairwell, and ceiling medallions. The mansion also houses a collection of antique canoes and artifacts from the early history of the Red Dragon CanoeClub founding in 1887. For more information contact the Shipman Mansion at 856-986-7969. Visit their website at www.shipmanmansion.org
November 4, 10:00am-3:00pm – “VOLUNTEER WORKDAY”, Whitesbog Village (120 W. Whitesbog Road, Browns Mills 08015)Have a scout troop of family friend? Bring them to the village! We have benches to paint, trails to clear, supplies to organize, signs to create…We are open to all and all abilities! We have tools, gloves, drop clothes, etc. to get you started. This month we are working in the Garden, the garage, shed, on the trails and the General Store and porch. All participants get lunch in the General Store. Burn calories, meet new people, get volunteer hours for school. For more information contact Whitesbog Preservation Trust at 609-893-4646. Visit their website at www.whitesbog.org
November 4, noon-3:00pm – “OPEN HOUSE AT RIVERFRONT HISTORICAL SOCIETY”, Riverfront Historical Society (Beverly Library Annex, 441 Cooper Street, Beverly08010)Visit the present collection and a new donation table to see recent gifts. This month’s surprise is a model of a room in Wall Rope made in the 1930’s as a gift for Mr. Wall. The model has equipment and people from a work area that you can see. The full story will be told next month. For more information contact the Historical Society at 609-387-1079. Visit their website at www.orgsites.com/nj/riverfronthistoricalsociety
November 4, noon-4:00pm – “OPEN HOUSE AT SHINN-CURTIS LOG CABIN”, Mount Holly Historical Society (83 Park Drive, Mount Holly 08060)The log cabin is an historic structure which houses a collection of artifacts maintained by the Mount Holly Historical Society. The first to own the cabin and probably the builder was Quaker, Thomas Shinn. He willed the cabin in 1751 to his son, Anguilla, a merchant and importer who sold Jamaican Rum from the cabin to local Native Americans. The Indians rowed their canoes down the Rancocas Creek and visited the cabin. A room in the basement was reserved for them when they came to trade.
November 4, 6:00pm – “MOONLIGHT WALK”, Whitesbog Village (120 W. Whitesbog Road, Browns Mills 08015)Listen to the night sounds of the Pines, learn about Whitesbog and experience the seasonal changes of the Pinelands. All walks are 3-5 miles in length, weather permitting and led by experience leaders. Well behaved dogs on leash are welcome. A donation of $5 is suggested. RSVP by leaving your name and contact number at 609-893-4646. Visit their website at www.whitesbog.org
November 4, 7:00pm-midnight – “PUBLIC GHOST HUNT”, White Hill Mansion (217 4th Street, Fieldsboro 08505)Lean ghost hunting from paranormal investigators. Use professional equipment and hunt with the investigators. You never know who or what you may find! Tickets are $35 each. Tickets can be purchased at www.whitehillmansion.com.
I wish I could post the same for you from Camden County, but if there is such mailing list, I don't have it! It is a wonderful idea to keep everyone informed of what's going on and promote attendance in that way!
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