Well, we found it, and you can too! Set your gps for millville, stay on 47 through the town, until you cross over 49. One and a half miles past that, just outside the city, you'll see the sign for Peek's Preserve on the right and a small parking lot. There is a nice little walking trail and a boardwalk overlook with a pretty view of the marshland along the Maurice River. There is also a 'field office' where you can get a brochure and trail map (which you don't really need) and there is a clean visitor's bathroom beside the parking lot.
My hiking buddy and I were a bit confused at two contrasting signs. One said this was a wildlife refuge, the other said it was hunting by permit. I don't know about you, but I thought 'REFUGE' meant no hunting. The ranger in the field office said it was okay, it was only bow hunting by permit. Well, just because it is quieter than bullets, bow hunting does not, to my mind, fit in the idea of REFUGE and as a hiker, I don't find it comforting. He gave us the usual talk on overpopulation of deer.
Nonetheless it is a nice little appetizer trail to a bigger hike at Maurice River Bluffs, which I have written about before. You go back into town, cross over the river (I think it may be 49) take the left after the WAWA, which I think is 555 and a left on Silver Run Rd. My sketchy directions however, can and should be supplemented by a trip on the internet via google to the site on the Maurice River Bluffs, which also offers a trail map for the bluffs - a BEAUTIFUL hike! We like about 3 miles or a hour, so the two together work well and don't forget lunch at Wildflowers. We had a delicious acorn squash soup.
Peek's Preserve offered about 1 and a half miles. You can get in a good hour at the bluffs with, again, the World War II bunkers and other interesting sites, and some beaches for picnics.
On a different topic:
A friend and fellow volunteer at Red Bank sent us this link to an article about our re-enactment at Red Bank Battlefield, just passed this last Sunday, if you'd like to read about it, here's the link:
http://www.nj.com/gloucester-county/index.ssf/2013/10/national_park_recreates_history_at_red_bank_battlefield.html#incart_river
If that doesn't work, (as I see it isn't in html format) try taking the first part and using that by cut and paste by itself.
Happy Trails!
Jo Ann
And don't forget you can always contact me at
wrightj45@yahho.com
pss. Thanks to all those who have sent comments. I find them very interesting and encouragine!
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Monday, October 28, 2013
Good Site Review Whitall House, Red Bank Battlefield, and more...
Yesterday we had our biggest event of the year at the Whitall House, Red Bank Battleifield. It was the Batttle of Red Bank Re-enactment, a very impressive affair if you are interested in history, the Revolution, South Jersey History or re-enactment.
I worked as docent in the surgery room of the house but had to leave early due to a head-cold.
One of the Whitall Descendant branches, Russ Worthington's family, comes to visit us from time to time and they were there yesterday. We keep in touch via e-mail and he sent me this site that he has put up about the house. It is very interesting and I wanted to pass it along:
http://worthy2be.wordpress.com/2012/09/17/the-whitall-house/
Today, a hiking buddy and I are going to find Peek's Preserve outside of Millville; we heard of it through our boat trips with Capt. Dave on the Maurice River and today we are going to actually walk the trail. I will let you know about it after I return from it. We are hoping it has gotten cold enough to force the ticks and chiggers into retreat as my hiking buddy was down with Lymes and has stayed out of the woods for the past couple of months.
Happy Trails!
Jo Ann
I worked as docent in the surgery room of the house but had to leave early due to a head-cold.
One of the Whitall Descendant branches, Russ Worthington's family, comes to visit us from time to time and they were there yesterday. We keep in touch via e-mail and he sent me this site that he has put up about the house. It is very interesting and I wanted to pass it along:
http://worthy2be.wordpress.com/2012/09/17/the-whitall-house/
Today, a hiking buddy and I are going to find Peek's Preserve outside of Millville; we heard of it through our boat trips with Capt. Dave on the Maurice River and today we are going to actually walk the trail. I will let you know about it after I return from it. We are hoping it has gotten cold enough to force the ticks and chiggers into retreat as my hiking buddy was down with Lymes and has stayed out of the woods for the past couple of months.
Happy Trails!
Jo Ann
Friday, October 25, 2013
EVENT & More
EVENT - This Sunday, October 27, 2013, don't miss the annual Re-enactment of the Battle of Red Bank at National Park, (not the Red Bank up north - OUR Red Bank on the Delaware!) Forgive me, those of you who are familiar with our South Jersey historic sites. You'd be surprised how many people think the Battle of Red Bank took place in Red Bank, up north. Anyhow, the Whitall house will be open for tours beginnning at 10:00 a.m. and there will be two periods of re-enactment complete with cannons roaring and rifles firing. I'll be giving tours in the room we call the Surgery, where we talk about Revolutionary Era medicine and the wounded of Red Bank. Hope to see you there! For more info:
100 County Road 642 National Park, NJ 08063
MORE: I think I mentioned in a blog some time ago that when I was a child, my Uncle Yock (Joseph Frederick Young) worked at the Ocean City Post Office as a mail sorter. Whenever he had postals with no addresses, he would put our family's address which was on Warnock Street, in South Philadelphia at that time (the late 1940's and early 1950's). That began my life-long interest in postcards and in mail related things such as stamps. I sold my stamp collection in the 1980's in one of my 19 moves. You will let go of a lot of treasure when you move often. Like an over burdened pack mule, you just can't carry one more thing up the mountain.
Anyhow, a coincident event was that I learned you could send a letter to a Chamber of Commerce at almost any city in the USA and you'd get a response, usually a large manila envelope with maps, brochuresand other interesting things, including once, a pen pal. To a child between the ages of 5 and 12, this was incredible power. You could travel the country by brochure, and that's just what I did. My parents were kind enough to allow me to tack up a huge map of the USA above my 'vanity' and they supplied me with stamps and I wrote to states as far away as Alaska and Texas.
Recently, I wrote an essay on that for my writers' club, Riverton Writers, and as an experiment, I wrote to St. Louis, Missouri Chamber of Commerce, to see if they were still there and still sent stuff, sixty years after my original experiement in this age of the internet. Today, in the mail, I got another large manila envelope with a glossy tour magazine, map and brochures to that city. I chose that city because I had just finished reading Undaunted Courage, about the Lewis and Clark expedition. In fact, Merriweather Lewis had just committed suicide at the end of the book, a day or two after I sent off to the Chamber of Commerce.
If you, too, have been a Lewis and Clark fan, and if you have wondered if he had been murdered or killed himself, and I have wavered between those two possibilities many times over the years when each new decade another essay came along purporting to prove one theory or another. I am convinced it was suicide and let that be a lesson to us all to maintain balanced lives and not overextend ourselves, especially if we have a family history of depression. My family history, fortunately is more riddled by enthusiasm that depression. We go up but rarely come down.
Write to a Chamber of Commerce of your choice and let me know what happens:
wrightj45@yahoo.com
I love to get stuff in the mail, don't you?
Happy Trails and Happy Mails, Jo Ann
100 County Road 642 National Park, NJ 08063
MORE: I think I mentioned in a blog some time ago that when I was a child, my Uncle Yock (Joseph Frederick Young) worked at the Ocean City Post Office as a mail sorter. Whenever he had postals with no addresses, he would put our family's address which was on Warnock Street, in South Philadelphia at that time (the late 1940's and early 1950's). That began my life-long interest in postcards and in mail related things such as stamps. I sold my stamp collection in the 1980's in one of my 19 moves. You will let go of a lot of treasure when you move often. Like an over burdened pack mule, you just can't carry one more thing up the mountain.
Anyhow, a coincident event was that I learned you could send a letter to a Chamber of Commerce at almost any city in the USA and you'd get a response, usually a large manila envelope with maps, brochuresand other interesting things, including once, a pen pal. To a child between the ages of 5 and 12, this was incredible power. You could travel the country by brochure, and that's just what I did. My parents were kind enough to allow me to tack up a huge map of the USA above my 'vanity' and they supplied me with stamps and I wrote to states as far away as Alaska and Texas.
Recently, I wrote an essay on that for my writers' club, Riverton Writers, and as an experiment, I wrote to St. Louis, Missouri Chamber of Commerce, to see if they were still there and still sent stuff, sixty years after my original experiement in this age of the internet. Today, in the mail, I got another large manila envelope with a glossy tour magazine, map and brochures to that city. I chose that city because I had just finished reading Undaunted Courage, about the Lewis and Clark expedition. In fact, Merriweather Lewis had just committed suicide at the end of the book, a day or two after I sent off to the Chamber of Commerce.
If you, too, have been a Lewis and Clark fan, and if you have wondered if he had been murdered or killed himself, and I have wavered between those two possibilities many times over the years when each new decade another essay came along purporting to prove one theory or another. I am convinced it was suicide and let that be a lesson to us all to maintain balanced lives and not overextend ourselves, especially if we have a family history of depression. My family history, fortunately is more riddled by enthusiasm that depression. We go up but rarely come down.
Write to a Chamber of Commerce of your choice and let me know what happens:
wrightj45@yahoo.com
I love to get stuff in the mail, don't you?
Happy Trails and Happy Mails, Jo Ann
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Lecture at the Library
A lecture will be given on "Hidden History in South Jersey" tomorrow night, Wednesday Oct 23 at 7:00 p.m. at the Cherry Hill Library. I've heard this author speak before, recently actually at the Ocean Co. Historical Society. He spoke about Harriet Tubman in Cape May. His is very personable and his lectures are fun and interesting. Hope to see you there!
Happy Trails, Jo Ann
To confirm call Phone - 856.667.0300
Happy Trails, Jo Ann
To confirm call Phone - 856.667.0300
Monday, October 21, 2013
Model Trains continued
There will be a model train show at the Burlington County Massonic Lodge, November 2 from 9:a.m. to 3 p.m.. The address is 2308 Mt. Holly Rd., Burlington Twp., NJ.
I will try to get there but I have a post-50th Reunion breakfast in Maple Shade that day. It may break up early enough to leave time to go over and if it does, I'll be happy to stop in and see the trains.
Even though the train museum is closed at Jim Thorpe, there is still the train ride and the train station, though I'm not sure when the train stops running. I know it is seasonal. My family always loved to take train rides, short though they usually were. We took several in W.Va. where my parents lived before they passed away and several in Pennsylvania like the Strasbourg Train ride. It is a fun thing to do especially this time of year.
A friend told me on the phone that there is a huge train display at a place called Roadside America. Don't know much about that but I'll look itup.
Okay, here's the link
http://www.roadsideamericainc.com/
And it is open September through the winter daily and costs about $7. It looks pretty far, though. They say they are about 40 miles from a few places that are over an hour from here, Gettysburg and Harrisburg, so I would guess it must be a 2 hour drive. For now, I think I'll stick with Burlington.
Happy Trails (If you want to take the train ride at Jim Thorpe, here is the info copied from their website. They warn you to call ahead, especially on weekdays, to make sure the train is open and running.
Jo Ann
I will try to get there but I have a post-50th Reunion breakfast in Maple Shade that day. It may break up early enough to leave time to go over and if it does, I'll be happy to stop in and see the trains.
Even though the train museum is closed at Jim Thorpe, there is still the train ride and the train station, though I'm not sure when the train stops running. I know it is seasonal. My family always loved to take train rides, short though they usually were. We took several in W.Va. where my parents lived before they passed away and several in Pennsylvania like the Strasbourg Train ride. It is a fun thing to do especially this time of year.
A friend told me on the phone that there is a huge train display at a place called Roadside America. Don't know much about that but I'll look itup.
Okay, here's the link
http://www.roadsideamericainc.com/
And it is open September through the winter daily and costs about $7. It looks pretty far, though. They say they are about 40 miles from a few places that are over an hour from here, Gettysburg and Harrisburg, so I would guess it must be a 2 hour drive. For now, I think I'll stick with Burlington.
Happy Trails (If you want to take the train ride at Jim Thorpe, here is the info copied from their website. They warn you to call ahead, especially on weekdays, to make sure the train is open and running.
Jo Ann
| LEHIGH GORGE SCENIC RAILWAY INC. -website- |
Bring
the entire family for a spectacular one-hour train ride into the
beautiful Lehigh Gorge State Park. From the comfort of our historic
1920's era open window coaches, you can witness the grand sights
available only by train. Mountain vistas, trackside streams and flowing
rivers, and fellow adventurers enjoying hiking, biking and white water
rafting are just a few of the visual delights waiting for you on the
Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway.
|
Former Central RR of New Jersey Train Station, Jim Thorpe, PA, 18229
570-325-8485 |
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Dinah Won't You Blow Your Horn! More train stuff
Bad News model train afficianados! I don't know how many of you ever visited the Model Train exhibit at Jim Thorpe, Pa., but I did and it was MAGNIFICENT! It even had a nighttime display where all the lights went down and the houses and trains lit up. I loved it! So I was planning to visit again this fall now that I'm to become the proud owner of an "N" gauge train set of my own, but the Train Exhibit is no more.
As of January 2012, they closed their doors forever. I'm glad I did get to see it at least once, but I'm heartbroken that I will never see it again. Anyone know of any other model train exhibits? My e-mail is wrightj45@yahoo.com
If I don't hear of any others, I'll ask at Mac's Trains. He probably knows where they are.
Jo Ann
As of January 2012, they closed their doors forever. I'm glad I did get to see it at least once, but I'm heartbroken that I will never see it again. Anyone know of any other model train exhibits? My e-mail is wrightj45@yahoo.com
If I don't hear of any others, I'll ask at Mac's Trains. He probably knows where they are.
Jo Ann
The Magic of Model Trains
Mac's Trains
Every day when I drive to Big Timber Creek to walk my dog, Trixie Belden, I pass a small store-front shop with trains and models in boxes and bins out front. I always mean to stop by because since childhood I have been a big fan of model trains, though from a distance..
When I was growing up in South Philadelphia in the 1950's, my father bought trains for my brother, two years younger than I am. Now, don't get me wrong, my brother loved the trains, but I adored them from afar not just because they were for him, but because they made an entire small world. We had the really big platform that you can imagine a gifted carpenter and an iron-worker such as my father was, would make. It took the major part of the living room with a tree to the ceiling. We had tunnels and mountains, lakes and a village, a skating pond and a great number of lead figures walking, skating, waiting in the train station.
The hosues were that glittering pasteboard type made in "occupied Japan" with waxed paper windows and a hole in the botttom so you cluld put Christmas lights in them and they would glow.
The magic of it all just entranced me. The sets grew as the years went by and my other brother, Neal, got his set. The trains would cross one another with heart-stopping speed. Truth be told, I never ASKED for a set, I simply privately loved them because I knew they weren't for girls. That doesn't mean that I, in any way scorned my dolls. I loved them too, it was just the power of those trains was magnetic. They raced around the track in all their weighty metal complexity. Once in awhile, I was allowed to drive the trains from the control box and that was an awesome responsibility. .
Adding to the magic was the tradition of the time and place, of putting everything up in one night after the children were put to bed. Armed with hammers, nails, industrial staplers, and my Godfather, Neal Schmidt, my mother's cooking and a case of beer, they would stay up all night to perform the magic every year on Christmas Eve and when we awoke on Christmas morning, there would be this entire tiny world and the whistle blowing train. Under the platform were the gifts, robots and trucks for my brother Joe, dolls and books and tea sets for me.
Eventually my father gave the train sets to my brothers who, less sentimental than I am, and into which category most people would belong, my brothers sold their train sets.
Well, you can't hold on to everything, as I have grown to understand myself.
Back to today, Saturday, October 17, on the way home from the Big Timber Creek dog park, I decided to pull over and drop in at the little train shop. Mac, the proprietor, gave me a tour and it was impressive. He had stacked platforms to allow him to display several kinds of train sets, Lionel and others, which I am too train ignormant to be able to name. The top set in a 3 tiered shelving area were enormous. But the star of the show to me was the middle set, just like the ones I knew growing up except this one not only blew a whistle and had smoke coming out the stack, but there were voices coming out of it giving orders to the train engineer. As much as I loved it, it is far too large for my house.
The little 'N' gauge, however looked just right and I'm going to buy it for myself for Christmas this year (or maybe even for my birthday which is in November. Mac kindly offered to help me with securing the tracks to a sheet of wood when I'm ready to buy my set. I'm so excited! In return, I told him I'd blog about his shop.
Mac's Trains
Buy Sell Trade
304 N. Black Horse Pike
Runnemede, NJ 08078
cell 856-725-5479
shop 856-939-0350
I can't wait to get started. I think I'll leave mine up the whole first year and simply change the landscape to match the season. I could have spring, then little boats on the pond in the summer, and snow in the winter.
Train Postcards
On another but relatd topic, as I mentioned before, I collect postcards and have been sending 30 of them to my daughter for her birthday. Recently, almost as if a prediction, I came across three train postcards, which I rarely to never see. Two of them are the Mount Royal train station, one a train passing through at Mount Royal and the other is a color postal of a train in the mountains in Pennsylvania.
I hope a new obsession isn't rooting itself in my heart. There is just too much to learn and know to get too deep into the model train hobby at this point in my life, though one 'N' gauge set seems modest enough.
Happy Trails! Can't You hear the whistle blowing?
Hope to see you at Mac's Trains one of these days! It is just in time for Christmas.
As it happens, I didn't have my camera with me but I'll go back and take some photos to post SOON!
And I'll post a pic of my new train set when I get it set up.
Every day when I drive to Big Timber Creek to walk my dog, Trixie Belden, I pass a small store-front shop with trains and models in boxes and bins out front. I always mean to stop by because since childhood I have been a big fan of model trains, though from a distance..
When I was growing up in South Philadelphia in the 1950's, my father bought trains for my brother, two years younger than I am. Now, don't get me wrong, my brother loved the trains, but I adored them from afar not just because they were for him, but because they made an entire small world. We had the really big platform that you can imagine a gifted carpenter and an iron-worker such as my father was, would make. It took the major part of the living room with a tree to the ceiling. We had tunnels and mountains, lakes and a village, a skating pond and a great number of lead figures walking, skating, waiting in the train station.
The hosues were that glittering pasteboard type made in "occupied Japan" with waxed paper windows and a hole in the botttom so you cluld put Christmas lights in them and they would glow.
The magic of it all just entranced me. The sets grew as the years went by and my other brother, Neal, got his set. The trains would cross one another with heart-stopping speed. Truth be told, I never ASKED for a set, I simply privately loved them because I knew they weren't for girls. That doesn't mean that I, in any way scorned my dolls. I loved them too, it was just the power of those trains was magnetic. They raced around the track in all their weighty metal complexity. Once in awhile, I was allowed to drive the trains from the control box and that was an awesome responsibility. .
Adding to the magic was the tradition of the time and place, of putting everything up in one night after the children were put to bed. Armed with hammers, nails, industrial staplers, and my Godfather, Neal Schmidt, my mother's cooking and a case of beer, they would stay up all night to perform the magic every year on Christmas Eve and when we awoke on Christmas morning, there would be this entire tiny world and the whistle blowing train. Under the platform were the gifts, robots and trucks for my brother Joe, dolls and books and tea sets for me.
Eventually my father gave the train sets to my brothers who, less sentimental than I am, and into which category most people would belong, my brothers sold their train sets.
Well, you can't hold on to everything, as I have grown to understand myself.
Back to today, Saturday, October 17, on the way home from the Big Timber Creek dog park, I decided to pull over and drop in at the little train shop. Mac, the proprietor, gave me a tour and it was impressive. He had stacked platforms to allow him to display several kinds of train sets, Lionel and others, which I am too train ignormant to be able to name. The top set in a 3 tiered shelving area were enormous. But the star of the show to me was the middle set, just like the ones I knew growing up except this one not only blew a whistle and had smoke coming out the stack, but there were voices coming out of it giving orders to the train engineer. As much as I loved it, it is far too large for my house.
The little 'N' gauge, however looked just right and I'm going to buy it for myself for Christmas this year (or maybe even for my birthday which is in November. Mac kindly offered to help me with securing the tracks to a sheet of wood when I'm ready to buy my set. I'm so excited! In return, I told him I'd blog about his shop.
Mac's Trains
Buy Sell Trade
304 N. Black Horse Pike
Runnemede, NJ 08078
cell 856-725-5479
shop 856-939-0350
I can't wait to get started. I think I'll leave mine up the whole first year and simply change the landscape to match the season. I could have spring, then little boats on the pond in the summer, and snow in the winter.
Train Postcards
On another but relatd topic, as I mentioned before, I collect postcards and have been sending 30 of them to my daughter for her birthday. Recently, almost as if a prediction, I came across three train postcards, which I rarely to never see. Two of them are the Mount Royal train station, one a train passing through at Mount Royal and the other is a color postal of a train in the mountains in Pennsylvania.
I hope a new obsession isn't rooting itself in my heart. There is just too much to learn and know to get too deep into the model train hobby at this point in my life, though one 'N' gauge set seems modest enough.
Happy Trails! Can't You hear the whistle blowing?
Hope to see you at Mac's Trains one of these days! It is just in time for Christmas.
As it happens, I didn't have my camera with me but I'll go back and take some photos to post SOON!
And I'll post a pic of my new train set when I get it set up.
Friday, October 18, 2013
Upcoming Event-Fossils at Inversand
This was just in my e-mail and I will certainly try to attend:
The Gloucester County Chapter of The Archaeological Society of New Jersey will meet
The Gloucester County Chapter of The Archaeological Society of New Jersey will meet
November 6th, Wednesday 6:00 P.M. at the West Deptford Public Library, 420 Crown Point
Road, Thorofare, New Jersey.
Our program title, Inversand "Dig", will be presented by Dr. Ken Lacovara from Drexel University.
This seminar will be about the fossils found at the Inversand Site located in Gloucester County.
All are welcome to share interest in this educational evening.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Speaker and 'steps'-upcoming events
A speaker from the Mutter Museum will be at the Whitall House at Red Bank Battlefield to speak on 18th century medicine on Saturday 10/12/13 morning at 10:00.
To return the favor to our 'Mother City' Philadelphia, let me share with you this excellent web site and an event they are having later that same day in Phila. - a ceremony to install a plaque to commemmorate the steps on the waterfront directly ordered by William Penn.
http://hiddencityphila.org/2013/10/honoring-william-penns-steps-at-last/
Harry K. author of the web site "Hidden City" is a fine speaker and a brilliant and devoted historian of Philadelphia. I have his book on the watefront and have taken a course at Camden County College on that subject after being inspired by his lecture and book. Having been born in Philadelphia and raised there before moving to New Jersey for the rest of my life, I feel a kinship with that noble birthplace of American history.
I will be at the Whitall Hosue lecture, but must return home after that and will not be able to attend the waterfront dedication. Later that day is my 50th High School Reunion! Hard to beliee it was 50 years ago that I graduated from Merchantville High School (so long ago that it isn't a high school anymore).
If you have any questions or comments on any of this write me at - wrightj45@yahoo.com
Tomorrow evening I'll be at the Oaklyn Ritz Theater for August in Osage County. I'll write a review after the show but it'll be too late for you to see it because I believe it is the last night of the play. Anyhow the Ritz deserves a little essay too being a historic theater and one of the very few left still standing and operating.
Happy Trails! Jo Ann
To return the favor to our 'Mother City' Philadelphia, let me share with you this excellent web site and an event they are having later that same day in Phila. - a ceremony to install a plaque to commemmorate the steps on the waterfront directly ordered by William Penn.
http://hiddencityphila.org/2013/10/honoring-william-penns-steps-at-last/
Harry K. author of the web site "Hidden City" is a fine speaker and a brilliant and devoted historian of Philadelphia. I have his book on the watefront and have taken a course at Camden County College on that subject after being inspired by his lecture and book. Having been born in Philadelphia and raised there before moving to New Jersey for the rest of my life, I feel a kinship with that noble birthplace of American history.
I will be at the Whitall Hosue lecture, but must return home after that and will not be able to attend the waterfront dedication. Later that day is my 50th High School Reunion! Hard to beliee it was 50 years ago that I graduated from Merchantville High School (so long ago that it isn't a high school anymore).
If you have any questions or comments on any of this write me at - wrightj45@yahoo.com
Tomorrow evening I'll be at the Oaklyn Ritz Theater for August in Osage County. I'll write a review after the show but it'll be too late for you to see it because I believe it is the last night of the play. Anyhow the Ritz deserves a little essay too being a historic theater and one of the very few left still standing and operating.
Happy Trails! Jo Ann
Sunday, October 6, 2013
My favorite cemeteries and why
My four favorite cemeteries are Eglington in Mount Royal, the Newton Friends Burial Ground near the old train station in West Collingswood, The Stranger's Burial Ground in West Deptford and the Mount Vernon Street Cemetery in Camden.
Only one of these is a favorite for aesthetic reasons and that would be Eglington, the oldest still functioning cemetery in the United States, begun in 1776 by John Eglington whose family plot is near the Kings Highway entrance at Mount Royal. It is a beautiful and evocative place, nice to walk in and visit.
Whoops, I lied, I have another which I CANNOT leave out Harleigh Cemetary in Camden.
Old Quaker Burial Ground.
1. Collingswood
The first Quakers in the area settled along Newton Creek in what is now Collingswood. A house of one of the founders, Thackara, is still standing and still occupied with brick work on the roof that says
1754. The Quakers were there in the late 1600's and they had a burial ground near their original meeting house which is now gone and replaced by a train station. The railroad is very important in the
directions. The railroad runs parallel to the White Horse Pike on the West Collingswood side of town. Collings Ave. intersects it. If you take Collings Ave, cross over White Horse pike and cross over the
railroad track. On the right is a small refurbished one room school called the Champion School dating to 1812, but originally called the Union School. To the left is Lynne Ave. and an old train station.
The grassy area runs paralel to the train tracks. At the back corner next to the Newton Creek is the oldest burial ground with stones embedded in a concrete fence and the oldest broken stones thrown into
the center. One of the Quakers was married to a non-member and they wouldn't allow her to be buried there so he started another burial next door, the Sloan family burial ground. There is a plaque that tells the story.
Next to that is the Revolutionary Burial ground filled with members of both the Thackara family and and the Sloans. And that leads back to the Train station.
Now on the other side of the railroad is an apartment complex on Eldridge Ave. (which crosses over to both sides of the railroad.) On Eldridge is the old Thackara house.
When the Quakers moved, they went to the Camden area and built the Newton Meeting which is still there. It is near the bridge approach on the Rutgers side,
I remember seeing it but I can't place it accurately in my mental map now. They wanted to take their burial stones but the local historians wouldn't permit it and that is why they are still in Collingswood.
The Strangers Burial Ground in Deptford and the Ashbook in Glendora are both sites where dead Hessian soldiers were interred after teh Battle of Red Bank, where 300 to 400 of them fell in a 40 minute period in a failed attempt to take Fort Mercer. I visit them because I feel sorry for those young men dead in a foreign place with their families never knowing what happened or where they were and never able to visit their graves. Since I have Hessian ancestors from the 1840's not the Revolutionary Period, I sometimes feel a 'kinship' duty to visit with them.
Harleigh I love because it is majestic and a gem of a setting. Also it is where my favorite poet, is buried, Walt Whitman of course, and right behind it is the Camden County Historical Socity and Pomona Hall - home place of the Cooper family founders of the Camden area.
I'm posting this because it is Halloween and the time to consider the other side of this world.
Happy Trails and if you know of a cemetery I should visit, let me know and I'll go!
wrightj45@yahoo.com
ps. Don't forget to visit Hoag Levins article on the Camden County Historical Society and Museum Site - it is excellent!
pss. One of these days I've got to get to the National Cemetery in Beverly, NJ because my Grandmother Lyons is buried there.
Only one of these is a favorite for aesthetic reasons and that would be Eglington, the oldest still functioning cemetery in the United States, begun in 1776 by John Eglington whose family plot is near the Kings Highway entrance at Mount Royal. It is a beautiful and evocative place, nice to walk in and visit.
Whoops, I lied, I have another which I CANNOT leave out Harleigh Cemetary in Camden.
Old Quaker Burial Ground.
1. Collingswood
The first Quakers in the area settled along Newton Creek in what is now Collingswood. A house of one of the founders, Thackara, is still standing and still occupied with brick work on the roof that says
1754. The Quakers were there in the late 1600's and they had a burial ground near their original meeting house which is now gone and replaced by a train station. The railroad is very important in the
directions. The railroad runs parallel to the White Horse Pike on the West Collingswood side of town. Collings Ave. intersects it. If you take Collings Ave, cross over White Horse pike and cross over the
railroad track. On the right is a small refurbished one room school called the Champion School dating to 1812, but originally called the Union School. To the left is Lynne Ave. and an old train station.
The grassy area runs paralel to the train tracks. At the back corner next to the Newton Creek is the oldest burial ground with stones embedded in a concrete fence and the oldest broken stones thrown into
the center. One of the Quakers was married to a non-member and they wouldn't allow her to be buried there so he started another burial next door, the Sloan family burial ground. There is a plaque that tells the story.
Next to that is the Revolutionary Burial ground filled with members of both the Thackara family and and the Sloans. And that leads back to the Train station.
Now on the other side of the railroad is an apartment complex on Eldridge Ave. (which crosses over to both sides of the railroad.) On Eldridge is the old Thackara house.
When the Quakers moved, they went to the Camden area and built the Newton Meeting which is still there. It is near the bridge approach on the Rutgers side,
I remember seeing it but I can't place it accurately in my mental map now. They wanted to take their burial stones but the local historians wouldn't permit it and that is why they are still in Collingswood.
The Strangers Burial Ground in Deptford and the Ashbook in Glendora are both sites where dead Hessian soldiers were interred after teh Battle of Red Bank, where 300 to 400 of them fell in a 40 minute period in a failed attempt to take Fort Mercer. I visit them because I feel sorry for those young men dead in a foreign place with their families never knowing what happened or where they were and never able to visit their graves. Since I have Hessian ancestors from the 1840's not the Revolutionary Period, I sometimes feel a 'kinship' duty to visit with them.
Harleigh I love because it is majestic and a gem of a setting. Also it is where my favorite poet, is buried, Walt Whitman of course, and right behind it is the Camden County Historical Socity and Pomona Hall - home place of the Cooper family founders of the Camden area.
I'm posting this because it is Halloween and the time to consider the other side of this world.
Happy Trails and if you know of a cemetery I should visit, let me know and I'll go!
wrightj45@yahoo.com
ps. Don't forget to visit Hoag Levins article on the Camden County Historical Society and Museum Site - it is excellent!
pss. One of these days I've got to get to the National Cemetery in Beverly, NJ because my Grandmother Lyons is buried there.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Hidden History of South Jersey Revisted and Expanded
I just got word that Cherry Hill Library will host a lecture on Hiden History of South Jersey, so the author who spoke today at Cape May County Historic Society Museum is doubtless the speaker, and if you missed him today, you can hear him:
October 23rd, Lower Level Conference Center 1:00 p.m. and I just checked YES it is Gordon Bond
Contact: Cherry Hill Historical Commission 856-488-7886
The last lecture I attended was FASCINATING - Cherry Hill: Looking Below the Surface (of Cherry Hill)
Hope to see you there - Happy Trails! Jo Ann
October 23rd, Lower Level Conference Center 1:00 p.m. and I just checked YES it is Gordon Bond
Contact: Cherry Hill Historical Commission 856-488-7886
The last lecture I attended was FASCINATING - Cherry Hill: Looking Below the Surface (of Cherry Hill)
Hope to see you there - Happy Trails! Jo Ann
Cape May County Museum Lunch and Lectures
Today I enjoyed two excellent lectures at the Cape May Co. Museum:
Dorothy Stanaities did her excellent piece "Remember The Ladies" which focused on women of the Am. Rev. period. She is vivacious, entertaining, and has all her information down pat - a great treat.
Gordon Bond did a lecture on Harriet Tubman that was very good indeed. It was from his book The Hidden History of South Jersey From the Capitol to the Shore. He, also, gave an excellent and informative talk. We had lunch under the trees on the grounds and the summer, seashore breeze blew under clear skies and leaves just beginning to be burnished by the retreating sun. It was a splendid day in every way.
I have bought Bond's book and can't wait to read it but I am falling behind being a slow reader and I'm only 1/3 through Undaunted Courage, the Lewis and Clark Expedition, so you won't bet a review for a long tim.
Book of Ages is next in line, the story of Benjamin Franklin's sister Jane Mecom.
I'm just now wading through the armload of newlsetters, newspapers, brochures and flyers that I took from the CMCMuseum and if I see anything of special interest you'll see it here tomorrow. I would have told you about this earlier, but I didn't know too far ahead of time where I was going or what was happening there - I only knew I was going to the seashore with a friend.
Dorothy Stanaities did her excellent piece "Remember The Ladies" which focused on women of the Am. Rev. period. She is vivacious, entertaining, and has all her information down pat - a great treat.
Gordon Bond did a lecture on Harriet Tubman that was very good indeed. It was from his book The Hidden History of South Jersey From the Capitol to the Shore. He, also, gave an excellent and informative talk. We had lunch under the trees on the grounds and the summer, seashore breeze blew under clear skies and leaves just beginning to be burnished by the retreating sun. It was a splendid day in every way.
I have bought Bond's book and can't wait to read it but I am falling behind being a slow reader and I'm only 1/3 through Undaunted Courage, the Lewis and Clark Expedition, so you won't bet a review for a long tim.
Book of Ages is next in line, the story of Benjamin Franklin's sister Jane Mecom.
I'm just now wading through the armload of newlsetters, newspapers, brochures and flyers that I took from the CMCMuseum and if I see anything of special interest you'll see it here tomorrow. I would have told you about this earlier, but I didn't know too far ahead of time where I was going or what was happening there - I only knew I was going to the seashore with a friend.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Sites of interest
You may already be signed up for these web sites or you may not have heard of them, so I'm sharing them with you. First is a newly updated Revolutionary war site of great interest and, I think, well done. Perhaps it grew out of the recent series of meetings on this topic which I wish I could have attended. However, my sister is currently without a car and I have to drive her to work four or five days a week and my travels have been somewhat curtailed. Family first!
Site #1
http://www.revolutionarynj.org/place/red-bank-battlefield-park-nhl/
In season with the month of Halloween and recognition of the world of the dead, here is a GREAT cemetery essay. I have visited all the cemeteries in this excellent essay by Hoag Levins and it did give puase to think not only of our mortality and our forebears, but also about the preservation of their last resting places.
site #2
http://historiccamdencounty.com/ccnews81.shtml
Also check out thei home page of the Camden County Historical Society - always interesting
http://cchsnj.com/
Also I regularly receive and read e-mail digests from (site #3) Ghost Towns of Southern New Jersey. In today's digest there was a note of this upcoming event:
Monday, October 7, 2013, 8:00 PM at the
Bud Duble Senior Center
33 Cooper Folly Road
Atco, NJ 08004 (Across from Winslow Township Middle School and
next to the library)
I'll write more later and post some photos from Pennsbury and Red Dragon Canoe Club, but I've got to get the dog over to the Big Timber Creek Dog Park now. We are entranced by the beauty of the autumn weather.
Happy Trails!
Jo Ann
wrightj45@yahoo.com
ps. Feel free to add to the list of sites by e-mailing your favorites to me and I'll post them
Site #1
http://www.revolutionarynj.org/place/red-bank-battlefield-park-nhl/
In season with the month of Halloween and recognition of the world of the dead, here is a GREAT cemetery essay. I have visited all the cemeteries in this excellent essay by Hoag Levins and it did give puase to think not only of our mortality and our forebears, but also about the preservation of their last resting places.
site #2
http://historiccamdencounty.com/ccnews81.shtml
Also check out thei home page of the Camden County Historical Society - always interesting
http://cchsnj.com/
Also I regularly receive and read e-mail digests from (site #3) Ghost Towns of Southern New Jersey. In today's digest there was a note of this upcoming event:
Monday, October 7, 2013, 8:00 PM at the
Bud Duble Senior Center
33 Cooper Folly Road
Atco, NJ 08004 (Across from Winslow Township Middle School and
next to the library)
I'll write more later and post some photos from Pennsbury and Red Dragon Canoe Club, but I've got to get the dog over to the Big Timber Creek Dog Park now. We are entranced by the beauty of the autumn weather.
Happy Trails!
Jo Ann
wrightj45@yahoo.com
ps. Feel free to add to the list of sites by e-mailing your favorites to me and I'll post them
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Pennsbury Manor
To understand New Jersey history a littel better, sometimes you have to cross the river. The Whitall History Readers' Book Club took a field trip this week to Pennsbury Manor, just outside of Bristol, Pa.
For information contactwww.pennsburymanor.org
Pennsbury is open from August to December 2013. Our tour guide had been a military history man until he came to Pennsbury Manor, so knowing that we were from Red Bank Battlefield, we established an instant raport. He was one of thos extraordinary docents who can tell just how much information to offer. Since we are all sincere and enthusiastic history researchers, we were interested in EVERYTHING he had to tell us about the complex and fascinating William Penn.
There are 14 sites to visit at Pennsbury Manor including a museum with a gift shop. The house tour was very interesting.
If you ar driving and have a gps, the address is 400 Pennsbury Memorial Rd., Morriville, Pa. 19057,
phone 215-946-0400
My personal favorites were the Brew House in the kitchen outbuilding, where there were many tools I have never seen before including a 'hatchell' of which I have been curious because I have a special interest in fibers. It has been my hope to someday learn spinning and weaving, and I have already tried knitting. It seems magical to me that people learned how to turn a stiff fibrous grassy plant into flax fiber and then into yarn on a spindle and finally into linen. What a laborious process! The flax was harvested, most likely by scythe, then soaked, then 'hatchelled' then stripped though a tool the name of which I have forgotten, then the fibers were spun and the spindle, when full went to the weaver. My generation of chldren like many before me, were raised on fairytells that involved princesses making weaving deals with jealous and cunning little people with magic powers to turn straw into gold. They got their fingers pricked on spinning wheels and all sorts of adventures ensued. Natrurally, I always wanted to see spinning wheels.
We had lunch at nearby Bristol at the King George Tavern located at 102 Radcliffe St. The King George is the oldest continuously operating tavern in the COUNTRY. It was built in 1765 and was the headquarters of General Cadwalader during the Revolution. Among the predictable tavern fair food choices there are delicious vegetarian options available. I had potato soup and a hummus and avocado wrap both of which were delicious.
Bristol itself, boasts 50 historic sites on a self-guided tour brochure available at the King George Tavern. We didn't have time on this trip, but if you start out early and have a whole day available to you, the places on the list look interesting.
For information contactwww.pennsburymanor.org
Pennsbury is open from August to December 2013. Our tour guide had been a military history man until he came to Pennsbury Manor, so knowing that we were from Red Bank Battlefield, we established an instant raport. He was one of thos extraordinary docents who can tell just how much information to offer. Since we are all sincere and enthusiastic history researchers, we were interested in EVERYTHING he had to tell us about the complex and fascinating William Penn.
There are 14 sites to visit at Pennsbury Manor including a museum with a gift shop. The house tour was very interesting.
If you ar driving and have a gps, the address is 400 Pennsbury Memorial Rd., Morriville, Pa. 19057,
phone 215-946-0400
My personal favorites were the Brew House in the kitchen outbuilding, where there were many tools I have never seen before including a 'hatchell' of which I have been curious because I have a special interest in fibers. It has been my hope to someday learn spinning and weaving, and I have already tried knitting. It seems magical to me that people learned how to turn a stiff fibrous grassy plant into flax fiber and then into yarn on a spindle and finally into linen. What a laborious process! The flax was harvested, most likely by scythe, then soaked, then 'hatchelled' then stripped though a tool the name of which I have forgotten, then the fibers were spun and the spindle, when full went to the weaver. My generation of chldren like many before me, were raised on fairytells that involved princesses making weaving deals with jealous and cunning little people with magic powers to turn straw into gold. They got their fingers pricked on spinning wheels and all sorts of adventures ensued. Natrurally, I always wanted to see spinning wheels.
We had lunch at nearby Bristol at the King George Tavern located at 102 Radcliffe St. The King George is the oldest continuously operating tavern in the COUNTRY. It was built in 1765 and was the headquarters of General Cadwalader during the Revolution. Among the predictable tavern fair food choices there are delicious vegetarian options available. I had potato soup and a hummus and avocado wrap both of which were delicious.
Bristol itself, boasts 50 historic sites on a self-guided tour brochure available at the King George Tavern. We didn't have time on this trip, but if you start out early and have a whole day available to you, the places on the list look interesting.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Two things to do this weekend September 21/22, 2013
On Saturday, you can attend the Burlington County Historians' Roundtable at the historic Red Dragon Canoe Club, located 221 Edgewater Ave., Edgewater Park, NJ 609-387-9817. The original Red Dragon Canoe Club was founded in 1883 by Woodward Norgrave. They moved to the building they now inhabit in 1925. That's a hundred and thirteen years of operation! Pretty commendable.
On Sunday the 22, we have Field Day at the Whitall House, Red Bank Battlefield, National Park, NJ. If you haven't seen the upstairs yet, come early and take a tour. It is Soldiers Weekend - a new event and I'll have to see what that means. I'll be on duty from 12:30 to 3:00 probably in the museum room.
My Weimaraner Lab Mix, Trixie, and I spent the morning at the Big Timber Creek Dog Park which was gorgeous - what absolutely intoxicating weather! If you have any cobwebs in your head, go hike the trails at the BTCDP and let the fresh air of the woodland trails blow them away. You don't need a dog to hike the bridle paths. Coming from the Camden direction on the Black Horse Pike, make a left onto Chews Landing Road, then in 20 miles another left into the drive of the clearly marked park.
If you do have a dog, I recommend you go early, as on weekends the park gets crowded in good weather.
I've finished the 1300 page novel Sacajewea, very well researched and now I've begun Undaunted Courage, about the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Happy Trails! Jo Ann
On Sunday the 22, we have Field Day at the Whitall House, Red Bank Battlefield, National Park, NJ. If you haven't seen the upstairs yet, come early and take a tour. It is Soldiers Weekend - a new event and I'll have to see what that means. I'll be on duty from 12:30 to 3:00 probably in the museum room.
My Weimaraner Lab Mix, Trixie, and I spent the morning at the Big Timber Creek Dog Park which was gorgeous - what absolutely intoxicating weather! If you have any cobwebs in your head, go hike the trails at the BTCDP and let the fresh air of the woodland trails blow them away. You don't need a dog to hike the bridle paths. Coming from the Camden direction on the Black Horse Pike, make a left onto Chews Landing Road, then in 20 miles another left into the drive of the clearly marked park.
If you do have a dog, I recommend you go early, as on weekends the park gets crowded in good weather.
I've finished the 1300 page novel Sacajewea, very well researched and now I've begun Undaunted Courage, about the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Happy Trails! Jo Ann
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
#10 and final note on the CCC in New Jersey Plus GSoSC
A fellow history buff told me about this letter written by a veteran of teh CCC, called "It's a Great Life" by Robert L. Miller. Find the letter at this link (copy and paste):
http://new deal.feri.org/ccc/ccc009.htm
It really sums of the experience of the CCC from an insider and makes me wish we had a such a program today for our out of work young people. At the end of the poignant letter he writes "I enrolled as a boy, unsteady, groping, unsure. I wanted something but could not describe it or discover a means for attaining it. Then I discovered what it was I was seeking. It was the right to call myself a man. My life at camp had given me that right, and I shall be ever grateful to President Roosevelt and the CCC.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission presents:
GOT WORK? New Deal/WPA in New Jersey Lecture Series
Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013 1:30 and again at 3:00 plus
Kathleen Duxbury discussing the CCC Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013 at 2:00 p.m.
East Jersey Olde Towne Village, 1050 River Rd., Piscataway, NJ (free - but registration required by mail at above address)
Last night I went to the Salem Co. Genealogical Society Lecture series, the first of the year (with Harry Schaeffer, a fellow docent at the Whitall House Red Bank Battlefield) where Jim Schulte presented on 350 years of New Jersey history.
The audience is very historically well educated and interested. He divided us into groups and gave us a large sheet of oak tag and a marker. Then we were given a couple of minutes to write down historical sites or events or figures for each letter of the alphabet. After each letter, we shared what we had written. Needless to say with such an audience, there were many new and very interesting items. It was so much fun. Often at the many courses and lectures I attend, a presenter lectures and all around the room, you see heads dropping. This time, everyone was fully engaged and having a ball. I think most of us learned something new.
Happy History!
http://new deal.feri.org/ccc/ccc009.htm
It really sums of the experience of the CCC from an insider and makes me wish we had a such a program today for our out of work young people. At the end of the poignant letter he writes "I enrolled as a boy, unsteady, groping, unsure. I wanted something but could not describe it or discover a means for attaining it. Then I discovered what it was I was seeking. It was the right to call myself a man. My life at camp had given me that right, and I shall be ever grateful to President Roosevelt and the CCC.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission presents:
GOT WORK? New Deal/WPA in New Jersey Lecture Series
Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013 1:30 and again at 3:00 plus
Kathleen Duxbury discussing the CCC Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013 at 2:00 p.m.
East Jersey Olde Towne Village, 1050 River Rd., Piscataway, NJ (free - but registration required by mail at above address)
Last night I went to the Salem Co. Genealogical Society Lecture series, the first of the year (with Harry Schaeffer, a fellow docent at the Whitall House Red Bank Battlefield) where Jim Schulte presented on 350 years of New Jersey history.
The audience is very historically well educated and interested. He divided us into groups and gave us a large sheet of oak tag and a marker. Then we were given a couple of minutes to write down historical sites or events or figures for each letter of the alphabet. After each letter, we shared what we had written. Needless to say with such an audience, there were many new and very interesting items. It was so much fun. Often at the many courses and lectures I attend, a presenter lectures and all around the room, you see heads dropping. This time, everyone was fully engaged and having a ball. I think most of us learned something new.
Happy History!
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
#9 in CCC in NJ
Hi folks, if your interest has been whetted for more on the Civilian Conservation Corps in New Jersey, there are several places you can go on the 'net for more; there are also books, video, and of course, the signage at the State Parks on the hikes.
Internet Resources:
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/fsahtml/fahome.html
http://www.loc.gov/search/greatdepression.html
The Farm Security Administration was responsible for literally thousands of wonderful photographs of New Jersey in the 1930's. One photographer whose name I saw over and over was Arthur Rothstein. You can find information about him as well.
Books:
The WPA Guide to 1930's NJ
The Tree Army: A Pictorial History of the CCC1933-1942 - S. Cohen
In the Shadow of the mountain: The Spirit of the CCC E. G. Hill
Nature's New deal: The CCC and the Roots of the America Environmental Movement, N. M. Maher
The Dream and the Deal: The Federal Writers' Project 1935-1943, M. Lesey
Utopia, New Jersey: Travels in the Nearest Eden, Perdita Buchan
Video: The CCC Boys, Video Library (Living in Virginia)
Audio Book: Franklin Delano Roosevelt by Roy Jenkins
Museum
http://www.nps.gov/shen/photosmultimedia/photogallery.htm
GROUPS
www.cccalumni.org
And for all things Pine Barren, don't forget Barb Solem's book
Ghosttowns and Other Quirky Places in the New Jersey Pine Barrens
Tonight Jim Schulte will be speaking athe Salem County Genealogical Society at Friends' Village, Friends Dr., Woodstown, NJ
Internet Resources:
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/fsahtml/fahome.html
http://www.loc.gov/search/greatdepression.html
The Farm Security Administration was responsible for literally thousands of wonderful photographs of New Jersey in the 1930's. One photographer whose name I saw over and over was Arthur Rothstein. You can find information about him as well.
Books:
The WPA Guide to 1930's NJ
The Tree Army: A Pictorial History of the CCC1933-1942 - S. Cohen
In the Shadow of the mountain: The Spirit of the CCC E. G. Hill
Nature's New deal: The CCC and the Roots of the America Environmental Movement, N. M. Maher
The Dream and the Deal: The Federal Writers' Project 1935-1943, M. Lesey
Utopia, New Jersey: Travels in the Nearest Eden, Perdita Buchan
Video: The CCC Boys, Video Library (Living in Virginia)
Audio Book: Franklin Delano Roosevelt by Roy Jenkins
Museum
http://www.nps.gov/shen/photosmultimedia/photogallery.htm
GROUPS
www.cccalumni.org
And for all things Pine Barren, don't forget Barb Solem's book
Ghosttowns and Other Quirky Places in the New Jersey Pine Barrens
Tonight Jim Schulte will be speaking athe Salem County Genealogical Society at Friends' Village, Friends Dr., Woodstown, NJ
Phone:(856) 769-1500
Monday, September 9, 2013
Greenwich Arts Faire
Hello, any of you who have ever visited Greenwich for the historic house tour or the Arts and Crafts festival, know that it is well worth your time and trouble to get there. I especially enjoy the fair - it ends the summer and starts harvest for me. It wasn't that easy to find out when it was being held, however. My early searches only gave me last year's info, so finally today, via a vendor's link, I found out this year's dates and times.
It will be held September 28th and 29 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. When I get there, I'll try to get information on their Holiday Historic House tour - one that I always strongly recommend. It is so festive and beautiful.
Happy Trails!
Jo Ann
It will be held September 28th and 29 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. When I get there, I'll try to get information on their Holiday Historic House tour - one that I always strongly recommend. It is so festive and beautiful.
Happy Trails!
Jo Ann
#8Protest and Rebellion in the Ranks
Now, you must remember that the CCC men were generally between the ages of 16 and 24. Indeed, my own father was a6 when he joined in Philadelphia and served in the creation of the Skyline Drive. Strange to reflect on it now, we made so many vacations there when I was a child, and my father rarely reminisced about his time there in the CCC. I don't think I really got it until I was middle aged. We take it for granted that kids understand stuff that is, in essence, meaningless to them like human language to dogs and cats. He probably told us about it but I had no context for acronyms like the CCC or the WPA and probably it rolled right through my brain like rain through a gutter.
Anyhow, young men do have a propensity for rebellion, and the young CCC boys of Manahawkin had suffered enough when their leaders blew reveile one morning after a 24 hour fire fight. The refused to get up or obey orders to return to regular duties. Thirty-one of them were expelled and sent home. They weren't the only ones. In West Orange, 125 men protested teh quality of their food and the imposition of a curfew. That's not unlike what happens at home. However, these young men were being prepared for the war that many could see looming on the horizon and a soldier must be able to 'rise and shine' no matter how tired from his battles the day before, and a soldier can't carry on about his rations or curfew in camp, so fourteen of the protesting CCC men were taken by the police out of camp and returned home.
I have no way of knowing what happened to them after that but chances are good they ended up in the army, navy or marine corps eventually for the 2nd World War where the hours, work, food and rules were most definitely far more grueling, not to mention deadly.
Well, some fellows like my own dad not only survived the CCC, the military and the war, but lived long and productive lives thereafter. And many of us, their children, wish we had been less self-centered and asked them to tell us more about their experiences, while we still had them with us. I miss my father every day. He was a true hero and a loving and devoted husband to my mother, and father to us kids.
Happy Trails!
Jo Ann (wrightj45@yahoo.com)
On another subject - the Fido Fest yesterday was hilarious and moving. Tomorrow, more on that!
Anyhow, young men do have a propensity for rebellion, and the young CCC boys of Manahawkin had suffered enough when their leaders blew reveile one morning after a 24 hour fire fight. The refused to get up or obey orders to return to regular duties. Thirty-one of them were expelled and sent home. They weren't the only ones. In West Orange, 125 men protested teh quality of their food and the imposition of a curfew. That's not unlike what happens at home. However, these young men were being prepared for the war that many could see looming on the horizon and a soldier must be able to 'rise and shine' no matter how tired from his battles the day before, and a soldier can't carry on about his rations or curfew in camp, so fourteen of the protesting CCC men were taken by the police out of camp and returned home.
I have no way of knowing what happened to them after that but chances are good they ended up in the army, navy or marine corps eventually for the 2nd World War where the hours, work, food and rules were most definitely far more grueling, not to mention deadly.
Well, some fellows like my own dad not only survived the CCC, the military and the war, but lived long and productive lives thereafter. And many of us, their children, wish we had been less self-centered and asked them to tell us more about their experiences, while we still had them with us. I miss my father every day. He was a true hero and a loving and devoted husband to my mother, and father to us kids.
Happy Trails!
Jo Ann (wrightj45@yahoo.com)
On another subject - the Fido Fest yesterday was hilarious and moving. Tomorrow, more on that!
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Soldiers Weekend & Lecture
Two upcoming events worth note: A Historic Soldiers Weekend will be held at Fort Mott, New Jersey on September 28th and 29 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be an encampment and several authors will be there. Also there will be numerous period vehicles on display. The Address is Fort Mott, 454 Fort Mott Road, Pennsville, NJ 08070 This is a 'timeline' event which means more than one military period will be on display.
For more information go to: Soldiers Weekend.com
or call Fort Mott at (856)935-3218
I got this information for an old buddy, Jeff M. at the Burlington County Historical Society, Corson Poley Center in Burlington. My friend Barbara Solem and I were at the Wood Street Arts and Crafts Fair there after going to the Vegetarian Picnic at Long Bridge, earlier in the day. We dropped in so Barb could look at some manuscripts in their collection in regard to Atsion, where she is a docent, and Batsto, about which she is writing a book. I mentioned how sorry I was that I had missed the lecture series this year and he told me there was one coming up:
SEPT>29th from 2-4, hear Alan Jeffe about the Chein Toy Company with a display of Chein Toys at the museum. The fee is $5 with light refeshments and there is a Q and A following the lecture. I have always very much enjoyed the lectures in their series , so if you are looking for something to do that day, which is a Sunday, hope you decide to come over.
So there are two good weekend events for the upcoming month of September. The weather is great for being outdoors! ENJOY
Happy Trails, Jo Ann
wrightj45@yahoo.com
For more information go to: Soldiers Weekend.com
or call Fort Mott at (856)935-3218
I got this information for an old buddy, Jeff M. at the Burlington County Historical Society, Corson Poley Center in Burlington. My friend Barbara Solem and I were at the Wood Street Arts and Crafts Fair there after going to the Vegetarian Picnic at Long Bridge, earlier in the day. We dropped in so Barb could look at some manuscripts in their collection in regard to Atsion, where she is a docent, and Batsto, about which she is writing a book. I mentioned how sorry I was that I had missed the lecture series this year and he told me there was one coming up:
SEPT>29th from 2-4, hear Alan Jeffe about the Chein Toy Company with a display of Chein Toys at the museum. The fee is $5 with light refeshments and there is a Q and A following the lecture. I have always very much enjoyed the lectures in their series , so if you are looking for something to do that day, which is a Sunday, hope you decide to come over.
So there are two good weekend events for the upcoming month of September. The weather is great for being outdoors! ENJOY
Happy Trails, Jo Ann
wrightj45@yahoo.com
Friday, September 6, 2013
Update on the update
Please bring a vegan dish to the picnic if you are coming. For those unfamiliar with this term:
Vegetarian means no meat, fish, meat products such as sausage or bacon. Vegan means no meat, fish or dairy or eggs or honey. Salad, grain based foods such as tabouli, or crackers and humus are some suggestions. Of course fruit is always welcome, too! There is a $2 fee to cover rental of the pavilian and there are hiking trails at the site.
Additional directions include the following:
Long Bridge Park, Pavilion 3, Deacon Rd & Mt Holly Bypass (Rt 541), Hainesport, NJ 08036
(This is a charming park with a Revolutionary War connection. I think I've written about it before.)
Vegetarian means no meat, fish, meat products such as sausage or bacon. Vegan means no meat, fish or dairy or eggs or honey. Salad, grain based foods such as tabouli, or crackers and humus are some suggestions. Of course fruit is always welcome, too! There is a $2 fee to cover rental of the pavilian and there are hiking trails at the site.
Additional directions include the following:
Long Bridge Park, Pavilion 3, Deacon Rd & Mt Holly Bypass (Rt 541), Hainesport, NJ 08036
(This is a charming park with a Revolutionary War connection. I think I've written about it before.)
Update on Vegetarian Picnic
I checked and found out the location and time for the Vegetarian Society of New Jersey picnic:
VSSJ POTLUCK PICNIC ... Saturday September 7, 9am until dusk ... 1000 Main St, Belmar NJ 07719
VSSJ POTLUCK PICNIC ... Saturday September 7, 9am until dusk ... 1000 Main St, Belmar NJ 07719
Fido Festival USA
A quick interjection before I do another Civilian Conservation Corps entry: On September 7th and 8th from 10:00 a.m. to 5: p.m. there will be a festival of dogs at the Salem County Fairgrounds, Woodstown, NJ.
There will be contests, entertainment, a parade, tips and adoptions from rescues and shelters. Of course there will be food vendors too and they say (on their postcard), "much much more."
Although I have never been to the Fido Fest myself, a close friend you've heard me mention many times, a hiking buddy, Barbara Spector, is also a volunteer at local shelters and spay clinics and she has been to the Fair, and she says it is hilarious and uplifting. Personally, I'm looking forward to the world famous frisbee dog demonstrations. My dog has only a few tricks (and those the conventional ones, sit and shake hands - even roll over) but she is well behaved over all and a most satisfactory companion.
For someone who loves to walk more than anything, you can't ask for a better pal than a dog. She doesn't care where, or what the weather, she is always ready to put on the collar or harness & leash (preferably off the leash) and walk.
We especially like to hike in the woods however and will be most joyful when the weather stays as cool as it is becoming now and we can do longer hikes in the Pine Barrens without threat of ticks and chiggers.
I'll be at a Vegetarian Society Picnic tomorrow - sorry, I'm going with another friend and I have no further information on that! Then Sunday, I'll be at Fido Fest with Trixie, my Lab/Weimaraner mix. On Monday, it's the 'Boards' for me and several other retired teacher friends. We like the seashore best at the END of the season.
My next entry on the CCC will be #8 Protest and Rebellion - so get tuned in again!
Meanwhile, Happy Trails to you and if you have a dog you take on the trail with you - bring your dog to Fido Fest at the Woodstown Fairgrounds. For more info:
www.fidofestivalUSA.com or call 856-Fido-3436
Happy Trails! Jo Ann
There will be contests, entertainment, a parade, tips and adoptions from rescues and shelters. Of course there will be food vendors too and they say (on their postcard), "much much more."
Although I have never been to the Fido Fest myself, a close friend you've heard me mention many times, a hiking buddy, Barbara Spector, is also a volunteer at local shelters and spay clinics and she has been to the Fair, and she says it is hilarious and uplifting. Personally, I'm looking forward to the world famous frisbee dog demonstrations. My dog has only a few tricks (and those the conventional ones, sit and shake hands - even roll over) but she is well behaved over all and a most satisfactory companion.
For someone who loves to walk more than anything, you can't ask for a better pal than a dog. She doesn't care where, or what the weather, she is always ready to put on the collar or harness & leash (preferably off the leash) and walk.
We especially like to hike in the woods however and will be most joyful when the weather stays as cool as it is becoming now and we can do longer hikes in the Pine Barrens without threat of ticks and chiggers.
I'll be at a Vegetarian Society Picnic tomorrow - sorry, I'm going with another friend and I have no further information on that! Then Sunday, I'll be at Fido Fest with Trixie, my Lab/Weimaraner mix. On Monday, it's the 'Boards' for me and several other retired teacher friends. We like the seashore best at the END of the season.
My next entry on the CCC will be #8 Protest and Rebellion - so get tuned in again!
Meanwhile, Happy Trails to you and if you have a dog you take on the trail with you - bring your dog to Fido Fest at the Woodstown Fairgrounds. For more info:
www.fidofestivalUSA.com or call 856-Fido-3436
Happy Trails! Jo Ann
Thursday, September 5, 2013
#7 in the Series: CCC in SJ - Lebanon State Forest
Way back in the 1970's a group of friends of my 'then-husband' and I would rent a cabin in what is now Brendan Byrne Forest, and was then Lebanon State Forest. It was the most wonderful weekend. We would rent in winter and there would be snow and we'd have wood for the fireplace and some of the group played guitar and sang. We ate, hiked, sang, told stories, and in every way had such a wonderful time that all these years later it is still a fond memory for me.
Those cabins are still in great shape though I no longer camp in them. The last time I did, my daughter was about 10 and we camped there with another mother and daughters. We hiked and built a fire in the fireplace and played games and had a wonderful time.
Never at either of those times did I know that the cabins had been built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Those young men worked there for 10 years clearing roads, digging fire breaks, re-building bridges, and planting trees. They also built the handsome pavilion on Pakim Pond, which gets my vote for prettiest pond in South Jersey. What a splendid view from the Pavilion over the pond. I frequently go there with my dog and often another friend or two and we hike the 'cranberry trail' from Pakim Pond to the Ranger Station. We take a picnic lunch to eat in the Pavilion overlooking the Pond, and if we have energy when we get back, we hike around the pond where colorful clumps of carnivorous plants can be seen in season. Now, however, I often think about the young fellows who worked those 10 years at Lebanon and I feel their ghostly presence with me when I hike. I hope they feel my gratitude for their labor.
Happy Trails!
Oh, by the way, the last time I was there, about a month ago, there was a fellow playing guitar in the pavilion. He was playing Neil Young songs and it was a funny and poignant jump back in time to a younger and more festive period in my life. But not a happier time!
According to the London School of Economics, the two happiest years in a person's life are age 23 and age 69 - so I like to think I have something to look forward to down the road. I am pretty happy now, though! I believe hiking every day and visiting the woods regularly definitely increases happiness and well-being, so does volunteering - giving something back!
Jo Ann
Those cabins are still in great shape though I no longer camp in them. The last time I did, my daughter was about 10 and we camped there with another mother and daughters. We hiked and built a fire in the fireplace and played games and had a wonderful time.
Never at either of those times did I know that the cabins had been built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Those young men worked there for 10 years clearing roads, digging fire breaks, re-building bridges, and planting trees. They also built the handsome pavilion on Pakim Pond, which gets my vote for prettiest pond in South Jersey. What a splendid view from the Pavilion over the pond. I frequently go there with my dog and often another friend or two and we hike the 'cranberry trail' from Pakim Pond to the Ranger Station. We take a picnic lunch to eat in the Pavilion overlooking the Pond, and if we have energy when we get back, we hike around the pond where colorful clumps of carnivorous plants can be seen in season. Now, however, I often think about the young fellows who worked those 10 years at Lebanon and I feel their ghostly presence with me when I hike. I hope they feel my gratitude for their labor.
Happy Trails!
Oh, by the way, the last time I was there, about a month ago, there was a fellow playing guitar in the pavilion. He was playing Neil Young songs and it was a funny and poignant jump back in time to a younger and more festive period in my life. But not a happier time!
According to the London School of Economics, the two happiest years in a person's life are age 23 and age 69 - so I like to think I have something to look forward to down the road. I am pretty happy now, though! I believe hiking every day and visiting the woods regularly definitely increases happiness and well-being, so does volunteering - giving something back!
Jo Ann
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
CCC in BellePlain State ForestPart6
There was a large Civilian Conservation Camp (three camps) at Belle Plain State Forest and one of the big projects they achieved was excavating the cranberry bogs of the Meisle Family farm to create Lake Nummy.
If you have never been there, you should go, it is a lovely park and beautiful lake named for a local Native American Chief.
Many of the parks also have cabins and shelters, and lean-tos, built by the CCC in creating Rest and Relaxation Recreation areas out of old farms and reclaimed forest areas.
If you have never been there, you should go, it is a lovely park and beautiful lake named for a local Native American Chief.
Many of the parks also have cabins and shelters, and lean-tos, built by the CCC in creating Rest and Relaxation Recreation areas out of old farms and reclaimed forest areas.
Monday, September 2, 2013
CCC in NJ - Part 5, Bass River State Park
In the woods at Bass River, you will find a memorial that tells the story of the CCC and their forest reclamation work as well as the great fire of 1936. The photo display there is excellent. Among the many pieces of information are photographs of what the facilities looked like at that time.
Company 225 served at camp S55, called New Gretna at the time. Three yong men died in the forest fire of 1936, when they were encircled and engulfed by the flames, their escape cut off: Stanly Carr, Edward Sullivan and John La Salle.
Along with the memorial, there are ruins to be found with partial tiled floors that I found particularly evocative, thinking of the young fellows learning trades they could use later in life. They learned carpentry by building their barracks and tiling the floors, they learned to cook, and at certain camps such as the one at Parvin, they actually went to school and learned all sorts of useful things; it was a kind of CCC College. What a most useful and worthy projgram, the results of which will be with us for another couple of generations or longer.
Another memorial worthy of your visit is the fire tower at Bass River, also built by the CCC and considering the dangers of forest fires, a very crucial function.
I hope you are enjoying your Labor day. Sadly, the weather is keeping me in as I don't want to get caught by road flooding as I did a couple of weeks back and spent literally hours on the road trying to get home from a 20 minute errand. Needless to say, I didn't get over to Peter J. Maguire's grave in Arlington Cemetery today, as I had planned to do, maybe later -
Instead, I'm 'scrap-booking' which is my first foray into this wildly popular hobby. My daughter's 30th Birthday is coming up and since she was the most photographed and documented child 'not of a Royal family' I decided to put those mementos and photos to work in a nice reminder for her of the past 30 years.
It was a reminder to me of how fast time flies and all the loved ones I've lost since then, as well as all the fun I've had and the friends I still share my time with.
Some people worry that they won't find things to do when they retire. I wish they would contact me - I have more things to do than I could get accomplished in 3 lifetimes! I used to give my newly retired friends a list of 36 fun places to go and things to do. Along with that, of course, there is blogging! I jsut read an article that siad 66% of retired people find blogging a pleasant activity. I would have to agree and sharing information is always useful.
Happy Trails Jo Ann wrightj45@yahoo.com
Company 225 served at camp S55, called New Gretna at the time. Three yong men died in the forest fire of 1936, when they were encircled and engulfed by the flames, their escape cut off: Stanly Carr, Edward Sullivan and John La Salle.
Along with the memorial, there are ruins to be found with partial tiled floors that I found particularly evocative, thinking of the young fellows learning trades they could use later in life. They learned carpentry by building their barracks and tiling the floors, they learned to cook, and at certain camps such as the one at Parvin, they actually went to school and learned all sorts of useful things; it was a kind of CCC College. What a most useful and worthy projgram, the results of which will be with us for another couple of generations or longer.
Another memorial worthy of your visit is the fire tower at Bass River, also built by the CCC and considering the dangers of forest fires, a very crucial function.
I hope you are enjoying your Labor day. Sadly, the weather is keeping me in as I don't want to get caught by road flooding as I did a couple of weeks back and spent literally hours on the road trying to get home from a 20 minute errand. Needless to say, I didn't get over to Peter J. Maguire's grave in Arlington Cemetery today, as I had planned to do, maybe later -
Instead, I'm 'scrap-booking' which is my first foray into this wildly popular hobby. My daughter's 30th Birthday is coming up and since she was the most photographed and documented child 'not of a Royal family' I decided to put those mementos and photos to work in a nice reminder for her of the past 30 years.
It was a reminder to me of how fast time flies and all the loved ones I've lost since then, as well as all the fun I've had and the friends I still share my time with.
Some people worry that they won't find things to do when they retire. I wish they would contact me - I have more things to do than I could get accomplished in 3 lifetimes! I used to give my newly retired friends a list of 36 fun places to go and things to do. Along with that, of course, there is blogging! I jsut read an article that siad 66% of retired people find blogging a pleasant activity. I would have to agree and sharing information is always useful.
Happy Trails Jo Ann wrightj45@yahoo.com
Saturday, August 31, 2013
CCC at Parvin
Parvin State Park is located at 701 Almond Rd., Pittsgrove, NJ
It is one of my favorite parks and in general, I am there hiking with my dog and a friend once a week or every two weeks - more often in the winter. The trail we take is about 3 miles, or one hour. The people are friendly, the rangers helpful and it is a perfect length of trail (and there is a good bathroom!).
My friends and I usually bring a picnic lunch and there are tables. If you want to camp there, you can rent cabins, shelters or spots for tents. There is a lake and a beach too.
Along the trail you'll find a display of information boards on the Civilian Conservation Corps. The workers dredged (BY HAND) Thundergust Lake which was Filled up with fallen trees and debris. They re-built the bridge, and they built the Ranger Station. There is much more information available - I think the Ranger Station even has an essay they will let you read if you show interest.
As you may be aware, there are NO natural lakes in South Jersey, all of them are man-made in regard to shipping of products from the mills and in regard to running the mills themselves from water power. You can see the dam that creates Thundergust Lake at Parvin. Many of the products shipped on the waterways involved cutting the forests. The trees were cut for fuel to run the iron and glass industries, to make charcoal and the wood was cut for building supplies.
Just yesterday while 3 friends and I enjoyed a day in Millville, I was reminded via Captain Dave Sherer's lecture on his boat trip down the Maurice River, of how much cutting of the trees took place. The very landing where Captain Dave's boat is moored was once called 'shingle landing' because all the cedar trees were cut for housing shingles and great boat loads went up the river on schooners called coasters because they could lift the center boards to manage the shallow draws of inland rivers.
So we can thank the Civilian Conservation Corps for replanting the trees harvested from our original forests, and we can doubly thank the far seeing individuals who saved those patches of forest we have left.
Happy Labor Day - I promise I will get to pay honor to Peter J. Maguire's grave sometime this weekend!
Happy Trails, Jo Ann
It is one of my favorite parks and in general, I am there hiking with my dog and a friend once a week or every two weeks - more often in the winter. The trail we take is about 3 miles, or one hour. The people are friendly, the rangers helpful and it is a perfect length of trail (and there is a good bathroom!).
My friends and I usually bring a picnic lunch and there are tables. If you want to camp there, you can rent cabins, shelters or spots for tents. There is a lake and a beach too.
Along the trail you'll find a display of information boards on the Civilian Conservation Corps. The workers dredged (BY HAND) Thundergust Lake which was Filled up with fallen trees and debris. They re-built the bridge, and they built the Ranger Station. There is much more information available - I think the Ranger Station even has an essay they will let you read if you show interest.
As you may be aware, there are NO natural lakes in South Jersey, all of them are man-made in regard to shipping of products from the mills and in regard to running the mills themselves from water power. You can see the dam that creates Thundergust Lake at Parvin. Many of the products shipped on the waterways involved cutting the forests. The trees were cut for fuel to run the iron and glass industries, to make charcoal and the wood was cut for building supplies.
Just yesterday while 3 friends and I enjoyed a day in Millville, I was reminded via Captain Dave Sherer's lecture on his boat trip down the Maurice River, of how much cutting of the trees took place. The very landing where Captain Dave's boat is moored was once called 'shingle landing' because all the cedar trees were cut for housing shingles and great boat loads went up the river on schooners called coasters because they could lift the center boards to manage the shallow draws of inland rivers.
So we can thank the Civilian Conservation Corps for replanting the trees harvested from our original forests, and we can doubly thank the far seeing individuals who saved those patches of forest we have left.
Happy Labor Day - I promise I will get to pay honor to Peter J. Maguire's grave sometime this weekend!
Happy Trails, Jo Ann
Friday, August 30, 2013
CCC Begins, March 31st 1933 & Peter J. Maguire Memorial
From the Sithsonian Magazine, March, 2008, Page 18
"On March 31, 1933, FDR signs on the CCC. . . 3 million men ages 17 - 28 plant 3 billion trees, lay 97,000 miles of road an drain 84 million acres of farm land in 9 years."
I've lost this copy of the magazine and tried to find it on-line with no luck. I found a March issue for that year but there was nothing listed in it about the CCC, so I started to doubt myself about which issue it was - no matter, the facts remain.
I have mentioned that I have a book called Utopia, New Jersey: Travels in the Nearest Eda, Perdita Buchan. I heard her speak at the Samuel Azziz Museum in the synagogue at Woodbine one summer and bought the book which I seriously enjoyed. You can get this book at amazon.com second hand for $5.
. Albert Einstein was a supporter of the program and the town which was named Roosevelt after President Roosevelt died in 1945. Artist Ben Shahn painted a mural which can be seen in the local public school, though I haven't visited or seen it myself. I'd like to, some day.
There was opposition from the Garment workers Union as well as the usual political fighting over spending and the project faltered. Today about 800 people live in what has become seomthing of a small artists' colony. It is in the National and NJ Register of Historic Places and I understand there is a dvd documentary from 1983 about it. I have not been able to find the flm in vhs or dvd format. Images of the mural can be found on the internet however!
Next blog entry will be on Parvin State Park!
Today my friends and I are off to Wildflowers for Vegan lunch (the Black bean burger is delicious) then to the Maurice River Boat Cruise with Capt. Dave. Hope you have a fun plan too! If not, look through my blogs and you'll be sure to find a fun day trip to start off the Labor Day Weekend.
We have not only fairer Labor practices thanks to Peter J. Maguire, a pioneer in the Labor Movement, but the Labor Day holiday we celebrate this weekend. Peter J. Maguire's grave is in Arlington Cemetary, Pennsauken, NJ and there is a nice memorial setting. In years past, I've made it a point to visit his grave during Labord Day and perhaps this year I'll get over there too!
Happy Trails, Jo Ann wrightj45@yahoo.com
"On March 31, 1933, FDR signs on the CCC. . . 3 million men ages 17 - 28 plant 3 billion trees, lay 97,000 miles of road an drain 84 million acres of farm land in 9 years."
I've lost this copy of the magazine and tried to find it on-line with no luck. I found a March issue for that year but there was nothing listed in it about the CCC, so I started to doubt myself about which issue it was - no matter, the facts remain.
I have mentioned that I have a book called Utopia, New Jersey: Travels in the Nearest Eda, Perdita Buchan. I heard her speak at the Samuel Azziz Museum in the synagogue at Woodbine one summer and bought the book which I seriously enjoyed. You can get this book at amazon.com second hand for $5.
. Albert Einstein was a supporter of the program and the town which was named Roosevelt after President Roosevelt died in 1945. Artist Ben Shahn painted a mural which can be seen in the local public school, though I haven't visited or seen it myself. I'd like to, some day.
There was opposition from the Garment workers Union as well as the usual political fighting over spending and the project faltered. Today about 800 people live in what has become seomthing of a small artists' colony. It is in the National and NJ Register of Historic Places and I understand there is a dvd documentary from 1983 about it. I have not been able to find the flm in vhs or dvd format. Images of the mural can be found on the internet however!
Next blog entry will be on Parvin State Park!
Today my friends and I are off to Wildflowers for Vegan lunch (the Black bean burger is delicious) then to the Maurice River Boat Cruise with Capt. Dave. Hope you have a fun plan too! If not, look through my blogs and you'll be sure to find a fun day trip to start off the Labor Day Weekend.
We have not only fairer Labor practices thanks to Peter J. Maguire, a pioneer in the Labor Movement, but the Labor Day holiday we celebrate this weekend. Peter J. Maguire's grave is in Arlington Cemetary, Pennsauken, NJ and there is a nice memorial setting. In years past, I've made it a point to visit his grave during Labord Day and perhaps this year I'll get over there too!
Happy Trails, Jo Ann wrightj45@yahoo.com
Thursday, August 29, 2013
CCC in New Jersey, Part 2 - State Guides
One of the most interesting projects in the WPA, to me, is the State Guides series. A troop of writers and photographers were sent all around to all the states to document local history and what each village, hamlet, town and city was like at that point in time.
You can still buy THE WPA GUIDE TO 1930'S NEW JERSEY, from amazon.com for $25 used, and for many other states as well. It is a veritable treasure trove. Mine has two dozen page markers sticking out the side and it is riddled with highlighter markings and margin notes. I've found so many interesting places in it and so many interesting facts and observations about other places as well. When I was doing African American History for the Underground Railroad in SJ, a presentation I did costumed as an Abolitionist for several years for Camden Co. Hist. Society, I discovered Gouldtown and it engendered a whole mystery and research project which I wrote about in this blog - "Did she or didn't she?" regarding the controversy around Salem proprietor Fenwick's granddaughter and her African American husband..
One of the interesting things I read in the Guide was the difference between the 1st printing and the 2nd. The 1st talked about the Labor dispute at Seabrook Farms. It was intentionally left out of the 2nd printing, then explained in subsequent printings.
The book was so interesting, I wrote a novel based on it. My characters are a writer and a photographer traveling around SJ working on the State Guide.
I'll be presenting on the CCC in NJ at the Salem County Genealogical Society on December 10 at 7:00pm at Friends Village, Friends Drive in Woodstown, Nj and I'll be selling my book there that night, if you are interested. Also, if you'd like to buy the book, it is $10 (about what I paid to print it) and you can contact me by e-mail wrightj45@yahoo.com
Part 3 in this series will talk about Dorothea Lange, Depression Era photographer, and NJ resident, as well as WPA worker.
You can still buy THE WPA GUIDE TO 1930'S NEW JERSEY, from amazon.com for $25 used, and for many other states as well. It is a veritable treasure trove. Mine has two dozen page markers sticking out the side and it is riddled with highlighter markings and margin notes. I've found so many interesting places in it and so many interesting facts and observations about other places as well. When I was doing African American History for the Underground Railroad in SJ, a presentation I did costumed as an Abolitionist for several years for Camden Co. Hist. Society, I discovered Gouldtown and it engendered a whole mystery and research project which I wrote about in this blog - "Did she or didn't she?" regarding the controversy around Salem proprietor Fenwick's granddaughter and her African American husband..
One of the interesting things I read in the Guide was the difference between the 1st printing and the 2nd. The 1st talked about the Labor dispute at Seabrook Farms. It was intentionally left out of the 2nd printing, then explained in subsequent printings.
The book was so interesting, I wrote a novel based on it. My characters are a writer and a photographer traveling around SJ working on the State Guide.
I'll be presenting on the CCC in NJ at the Salem County Genealogical Society on December 10 at 7:00pm at Friends Village, Friends Drive in Woodstown, Nj and I'll be selling my book there that night, if you are interested. Also, if you'd like to buy the book, it is $10 (about what I paid to print it) and you can contact me by e-mail wrightj45@yahoo.com
Part 3 in this series will talk about Dorothea Lange, Depression Era photographer, and NJ resident, as well as WPA worker.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Civilian Conservation Corps (in New Jersey) 80th Anniversary
I mentioned in a previous post that I met up with a friend of a friend to offer my slight research on the CCC in NJ for a possible book. Reading over my Power Point Presentation again, in preparation for the visit, it came to me that it would be a good thing to share on this blog. I created the presentation five years ago for the Pinelands Preservation Heritage Series of lectures. My talk was given in conjunction with a bus trip and the whole was called "Heart of the Pines - A Depression Era Tour.
When I handed over my research to Wes Hughes, a volunteer at Batsto Village, he asked "What got you interested in this topic in the first place?" The answer was my father. My father served in the Civilian Conservation Corps on the Skyline Drive when he was 16 years of age. My father, Joseph Wright, had lost his father that year, and his grandmother, Catherine Young, had suffered a stroke in Ocean City. Dad's mother, Mabel Wright, went to Ocean City to take care of her paralyzed mother and my father was left more or less on his own. WPA Recruiters came to Phladelphia, to a site near where my father lived and so he joined up.
He was sent to live in barracks like buildings in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and it had a profound influence on him and the rest of his life. He didn't talk about it much, but he kept his certificate from that experience in his fireproof safe and I often looked at it and the picture of him at that age. He said it was bitter cold and hard hard work, all by hand. Once a week they would take them to a nearby town for R & R, but the locals didn't like them much. I had the impression that my father found it a great adventure, and it hardened him up for the next phase which was that he followed in his father's footsteps and joined the Merchant Marines after his CCC enrollment was up.
So, this will be a series of about 20 postings on the CCC in NJ. My next experience with the CCC was hiking with a freind probably ten years ago and coming across the remains of tiled floors and other building elements in the middle of the woods. We found out it had been a CCC camp. Since I knew what that meant from my father's experience, I became more interested. My knowledge was close to nothing. For all I knew, the CCC had been the Skyline Drive period. I began to do some research.
As you may be aware, the Civilian Conservation Corps was part of a broader program called the Works Projects Administration, or WPA, pushed into life by the efforts of President Roosevelt in the 1930's. It served many purposes: it jump started our Depression economy by putting men to work and giving them income, and it used the surplus of labor to complete many public programs to improve our nation, the repair of bridges, the reforestation of wantonly ruined woodlands and rivers, the documentation of historic buildings, and a myriad of other projects. Writers captured slave narratives before the last of our citizens to suffer that himan rights tragedy departed this earth. Artists made mosaic murals on public buildings. Visionary social architects designed and populated Utopian towns and villages such as Roosevelt, NJ and Woodbine, in order to save Jewish people in Russia and Eastern block countries from pogroms and other atrocities committed against them. The vast scope of the enterprise beggars the imagination. It made us what we are today and reminded us of what we were. You see the evidence of this effort all around you today, in 1930's black and white framed photographs on municipal building walls, preserved historic sites, local parks with walkways where swamps existed before. Also it prepared our young men for the coming of World War II.
Next blog entry I'll talk a little about the State Guides series, and in following blogs, I'll give you the names and locations of state parks where CCC history is preserved. At the end of the series I'll offer a bibliography for further research.
Happy Trails! Jo Ann
wrightj45@yahoo.com
When I handed over my research to Wes Hughes, a volunteer at Batsto Village, he asked "What got you interested in this topic in the first place?" The answer was my father. My father served in the Civilian Conservation Corps on the Skyline Drive when he was 16 years of age. My father, Joseph Wright, had lost his father that year, and his grandmother, Catherine Young, had suffered a stroke in Ocean City. Dad's mother, Mabel Wright, went to Ocean City to take care of her paralyzed mother and my father was left more or less on his own. WPA Recruiters came to Phladelphia, to a site near where my father lived and so he joined up.
He was sent to live in barracks like buildings in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and it had a profound influence on him and the rest of his life. He didn't talk about it much, but he kept his certificate from that experience in his fireproof safe and I often looked at it and the picture of him at that age. He said it was bitter cold and hard hard work, all by hand. Once a week they would take them to a nearby town for R & R, but the locals didn't like them much. I had the impression that my father found it a great adventure, and it hardened him up for the next phase which was that he followed in his father's footsteps and joined the Merchant Marines after his CCC enrollment was up.
So, this will be a series of about 20 postings on the CCC in NJ. My next experience with the CCC was hiking with a freind probably ten years ago and coming across the remains of tiled floors and other building elements in the middle of the woods. We found out it had been a CCC camp. Since I knew what that meant from my father's experience, I became more interested. My knowledge was close to nothing. For all I knew, the CCC had been the Skyline Drive period. I began to do some research.
As you may be aware, the Civilian Conservation Corps was part of a broader program called the Works Projects Administration, or WPA, pushed into life by the efforts of President Roosevelt in the 1930's. It served many purposes: it jump started our Depression economy by putting men to work and giving them income, and it used the surplus of labor to complete many public programs to improve our nation, the repair of bridges, the reforestation of wantonly ruined woodlands and rivers, the documentation of historic buildings, and a myriad of other projects. Writers captured slave narratives before the last of our citizens to suffer that himan rights tragedy departed this earth. Artists made mosaic murals on public buildings. Visionary social architects designed and populated Utopian towns and villages such as Roosevelt, NJ and Woodbine, in order to save Jewish people in Russia and Eastern block countries from pogroms and other atrocities committed against them. The vast scope of the enterprise beggars the imagination. It made us what we are today and reminded us of what we were. You see the evidence of this effort all around you today, in 1930's black and white framed photographs on municipal building walls, preserved historic sites, local parks with walkways where swamps existed before. Also it prepared our young men for the coming of World War II.
Next blog entry I'll talk a little about the State Guides series, and in following blogs, I'll give you the names and locations of state parks where CCC history is preserved. At the end of the series I'll offer a bibliography for further research.
Happy Trails! Jo Ann
wrightj45@yahoo.com
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Blacksmith at Batsto
It was our great good fortune to be hiking at Batsto on Sunday when the Blacksmith, Toby Kroll was working with an apprentice in the Blacksmith building near the Wharton mansion. We had hiked the nature trail, my friend Barb Solem, her dog Oskar and my dog Trixie, and I. And we had enjoyed our picnic lunch in the shady picnic area adjacent to the parking lot. We decided to walk through the village next and we stopped at the outbuildings. I wanted to see my favorite the Stagecoach, and Barb was interested in what they had in general as she is writing a book on Batsto.
Toby was very generous with his time, attention and also very informative. It is hard to remember all you hear when you visit historic places and take the tours, or speak with the docents. I'm often interested in what bits of information stick with me. I have a notably poor memory. This time one very interesting thing that Toby told us was that there had been, in early days (18th and 19 centiuries) quite a few women blacksmiths.
He said so many men were taken for war that father soften introduced their daughters to the art of blacksmithing and also, wives often took over when husbands were taken for service. Toby talked to us about appreenticeship and the 'secrets' of the trade, how blacksmiths were closed mouthed about their trade secrets. Also he talked about how the Blacksmith shop was often a gathering place for men waiting for things to be mended or horses to be shod.
If you are interested in this ancient art and would like to learn more, you can visit or contact:
Three Cedars Forge
Alloway, NJ
toby@threecedarsforge.com
Toby attends events and works at various reenactment sites. He used to come to our big October event at Red Bank Battlefield before the untimely demise of our former Curator, Megan Giordano.
Next Up - The Civilian Conservation Corps in New Jersey
Some 5 years ago, I did a presentation on this topic for the Pinelands Preservation Alliance out of the Historical Society building at Egg Harbor Twp. I still have my Power Point Presentation and I'm sharing the information with a Batsto docent named Wes Hughes, so I thought I would do a series on this blog about that topic as this is the 80th anniversary of the CCC. That will be my next blog entry.
As always you can contact me at
wrightj45@yahoo.com
Happy Trails! Jo Ann
Toby was very generous with his time, attention and also very informative. It is hard to remember all you hear when you visit historic places and take the tours, or speak with the docents. I'm often interested in what bits of information stick with me. I have a notably poor memory. This time one very interesting thing that Toby told us was that there had been, in early days (18th and 19 centiuries) quite a few women blacksmiths.
He said so many men were taken for war that father soften introduced their daughters to the art of blacksmithing and also, wives often took over when husbands were taken for service. Toby talked to us about appreenticeship and the 'secrets' of the trade, how blacksmiths were closed mouthed about their trade secrets. Also he talked about how the Blacksmith shop was often a gathering place for men waiting for things to be mended or horses to be shod.
If you are interested in this ancient art and would like to learn more, you can visit or contact:
Three Cedars Forge
Alloway, NJ
toby@threecedarsforge.com
Toby attends events and works at various reenactment sites. He used to come to our big October event at Red Bank Battlefield before the untimely demise of our former Curator, Megan Giordano.
Next Up - The Civilian Conservation Corps in New Jersey
Some 5 years ago, I did a presentation on this topic for the Pinelands Preservation Alliance out of the Historical Society building at Egg Harbor Twp. I still have my Power Point Presentation and I'm sharing the information with a Batsto docent named Wes Hughes, so I thought I would do a series on this blog about that topic as this is the 80th anniversary of the CCC. That will be my next blog entry.
As always you can contact me at
wrightj45@yahoo.com
Happy Trails! Jo Ann
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Higbees Beach, Cape May, NJ Dog Friendly!
The spcial day trip of the week was to Higbee Beach, near Cape May, New Jersey
West End of New England Road, Cape May, NJ
Phone: (609) 628-2436
www.njfishandwildlife.org
Higbee Beach is famous to "Birders" because it is in the migratory corridor of spring and fall migrating birds . Of course, this is the end of summer, so we were there for another reason, Higbee Beach is a place you can take your dog! My friend, Barbara Spector and I, along with my canine companion of 8 months, Trixie, drove down on a lovely day to enjoy the beach and the view of the ferries going between Delaware and New Jersey. We stopped to pick up my cousin Patty on the way to the beach. The water was very warm - so warm it made me nervous, not to mention the large quantity of dead creatures floating in it like a seafood stew, baby horshoe crabs, jellyfish, and even a baby turtle!
Nonetheless, we enjoyed wading, and watching the big boats and it was Trixie's first trip to the seashore.
There was no traffic because we went on a weekday. Also, it is not a crowded beach and the people are friendly.
My cousin Patty, by the way, lives in the Villas, formerly known as the Milman estates in the 1920's when first built. They are little gems and very reasonable in price and taxes. You couldn't do better at the seashore. And, neither my cousin, who has lived there for 3 years nor her mother, who lived there for about 15 years, has ever experienced storm damage or flooding, though my cousin has been evacuated twice.
Tomorrow, I'm off to hike at Batsto. I've missed the woods and I'm meeting a friend, Babara Solem, and an aquaintance, Wes, a volunteer at Batsto. He is interested in some research I did for a presentation on the Civilian Conservation Corps in New Jersey. I gave the presentation a couple of years back in the summer lecture series of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance. I'm happy for my work to be of use to someone. I believe Wes may be considering a book on the CCC in NJ - a valuable and fascinating topic!
Happy Trails, Jo Ann
West End of New England Road, Cape May, NJ
Phone: (609) 628-2436
www.njfishandwildlife.org
Higbee Beach is famous to "Birders" because it is in the migratory corridor of spring and fall migrating birds . Of course, this is the end of summer, so we were there for another reason, Higbee Beach is a place you can take your dog! My friend, Barbara Spector and I, along with my canine companion of 8 months, Trixie, drove down on a lovely day to enjoy the beach and the view of the ferries going between Delaware and New Jersey. We stopped to pick up my cousin Patty on the way to the beach. The water was very warm - so warm it made me nervous, not to mention the large quantity of dead creatures floating in it like a seafood stew, baby horshoe crabs, jellyfish, and even a baby turtle!
Nonetheless, we enjoyed wading, and watching the big boats and it was Trixie's first trip to the seashore.
There was no traffic because we went on a weekday. Also, it is not a crowded beach and the people are friendly.
My cousin Patty, by the way, lives in the Villas, formerly known as the Milman estates in the 1920's when first built. They are little gems and very reasonable in price and taxes. You couldn't do better at the seashore. And, neither my cousin, who has lived there for 3 years nor her mother, who lived there for about 15 years, has ever experienced storm damage or flooding, though my cousin has been evacuated twice.
Tomorrow, I'm off to hike at Batsto. I've missed the woods and I'm meeting a friend, Babara Solem, and an aquaintance, Wes, a volunteer at Batsto. He is interested in some research I did for a presentation on the Civilian Conservation Corps in New Jersey. I gave the presentation a couple of years back in the summer lecture series of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance. I'm happy for my work to be of use to someone. I believe Wes may be considering a book on the CCC in NJ - a valuable and fascinating topic!
Happy Trails, Jo Ann
Monday, August 19, 2013
Vercchio's and a Compliment August 19, 2013
My daughter visited my blog today. She is the filmmaker I mentioned in an earlier blog who is traveling the country filming interviews and music with contemporary museicians and tying it into the roots of our music world. It is called "The 78 PROJECT." She sent me an update from their expedition to Louisiana, then she visited my blog and sent this comment:
"I checked out your blog. That's an amazing picture of the cranberry harvest. Is that new? I'm really impressed with your page views, too. You've got a lot of people looking at your work, you should definitely keep up the pace on it! It's going to stand as a great document on the preservation of culture in New Jersey (it's something we talk to EVERYONE about while we're out filming. what are the people in their world doing to integrate history and their heritage into their day to day lives. In Louisiana, all the young people are learning French again and speaking it at home. Love,Lavinia"
That gives me such inspiration.
Meanwhile two places caught my attention today. I went to Vercchio's Produce Market on the Brooklawn Circle right off Route 130. I only needed Pine Barrens honey and some blueberries but my sister bought a huge cart of a great variety of fruits and vegetables. She has a family and she cooks . It's just me and the cats and dogs here (they don't eat much produce) and I eat mostly fresh and raw - salads and cereal, and so on. Anyhow I was struck again with the enormous bounty of our state. Such beautiful and perfect fruits and vegetables and so cheap! We live in paradise!
Along with the observation on fruit, I have been struck (not literally, but nearly) by the variety of nuts falling around us out of the trees right now. It is easy to crunch right over them in parking lots and on park trails without stopping to look at them and try to imagine what they are. I picked up 4 varieties of nuts from Big Timber Creek and a parking lot outside of the Gloucester County Historical Society Library in the last couple of days. I'm thinking of an experiment to plant them and see what comes up next spring. I may take a photo first, though.
A final note: I worked a couple of hours in the Museum Room at Whitall House at Red Bank Battlefield yesterday. It was our 3rd Sunday of the month Field Day and our theme was TEA. We had a tea expert giving a tea in the kitchen, and a table set for tea in the great room. My duty was to explain the battle in the museum room, so I didn't talk much about tea, although as we all know it was so much at the heart of the beginning of our Revolution. I'm going to check to see when the Tea Burning Commemoration at Greenwich is held this year. More on that later . We had a good crowd on Sunday.
"I checked out your blog. That's an amazing picture of the cranberry harvest. Is that new? I'm really impressed with your page views, too. You've got a lot of people looking at your work, you should definitely keep up the pace on it! It's going to stand as a great document on the preservation of culture in New Jersey (it's something we talk to EVERYONE about while we're out filming. what are the people in their world doing to integrate history and their heritage into their day to day lives. In Louisiana, all the young people are learning French again and speaking it at home. Love,Lavinia"
That gives me such inspiration.
Meanwhile two places caught my attention today. I went to Vercchio's Produce Market on the Brooklawn Circle right off Route 130. I only needed Pine Barrens honey and some blueberries but my sister bought a huge cart of a great variety of fruits and vegetables. She has a family and she cooks . It's just me and the cats and dogs here (they don't eat much produce) and I eat mostly fresh and raw - salads and cereal, and so on. Anyhow I was struck again with the enormous bounty of our state. Such beautiful and perfect fruits and vegetables and so cheap! We live in paradise!
Along with the observation on fruit, I have been struck (not literally, but nearly) by the variety of nuts falling around us out of the trees right now. It is easy to crunch right over them in parking lots and on park trails without stopping to look at them and try to imagine what they are. I picked up 4 varieties of nuts from Big Timber Creek and a parking lot outside of the Gloucester County Historical Society Library in the last couple of days. I'm thinking of an experiment to plant them and see what comes up next spring. I may take a photo first, though.
A final note: I worked a couple of hours in the Museum Room at Whitall House at Red Bank Battlefield yesterday. It was our 3rd Sunday of the month Field Day and our theme was TEA. We had a tea expert giving a tea in the kitchen, and a table set for tea in the great room. My duty was to explain the battle in the museum room, so I didn't talk much about tea, although as we all know it was so much at the heart of the beginning of our Revolution. I'm going to check to see when the Tea Burning Commemoration at Greenwich is held this year. More on that later . We had a good crowd on Sunday.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Correction & Addition - Events
The Burlington County Historians Roundtable is not on the 7th of Sept. but the 21st - no additional details as of yet.
Another event - As you may be aware, I adopted a dog from the Animal Orphanage in Voorhees in January of this year and she is the delight of my life. Along with historic places, the outdoors, and vegetarian/vegan food and ecology, I am interested in helping animals. I not only have adopted and care for five cats and Trixie, my new dog, I also donate to various charities such as the Alley Cat Allies.
On Saturday, September 21st from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m the 17th Annual Hoofstock Pet Festival will be held at John Connolly Park, 605 Centennial Blvd., Voorhees, NJ near the Voorhees Post Office. Admission is $1 which goes to help the homeless pets. There will all kinds of contests, prizes, flea marketing and other experiences and you can adopt! There will be music and a Police K-9 Demo, which I look forward to seeing. For more information, visit:
www.theanmalorphanage.org
Another event - As you may be aware, I adopted a dog from the Animal Orphanage in Voorhees in January of this year and she is the delight of my life. Along with historic places, the outdoors, and vegetarian/vegan food and ecology, I am interested in helping animals. I not only have adopted and care for five cats and Trixie, my new dog, I also donate to various charities such as the Alley Cat Allies.
On Saturday, September 21st from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m the 17th Annual Hoofstock Pet Festival will be held at John Connolly Park, 605 Centennial Blvd., Voorhees, NJ near the Voorhees Post Office. Admission is $1 which goes to help the homeless pets. There will all kinds of contests, prizes, flea marketing and other experiences and you can adopt! There will be music and a Police K-9 Demo, which I look forward to seeing. For more information, visit:
www.theanmalorphanage.org
Upcoming Events September 2013
Upcoming events for September - The first two that I know about and that I will be attending are the Burlington Crafts Fair on September 7th. I don't usually go in for these anymore - too crowded, too expensive, I like more room and less people, but I have to say this one is worth it. It is charming - especially on Wood Street.
The Burlington County Historican's Roundtable takes place that same day in Edgewater at the Dragon Canoe CLub. I couldn't get updated info on this off the internet - probably my fault - however you can probably try and have better luck with it. I will go with a friend who knows more about it.
Hope to see you at one of these fun events! Happy Trails, Jo Ann wrightj45@yahoo.com
The Burlington County Historican's Roundtable takes place that same day in Edgewater at the Dragon Canoe CLub. I couldn't get updated info on this off the internet - probably my fault - however you can probably try and have better luck with it. I will go with a friend who knows more about it.
Hope to see you at one of these fun events! Happy Trails, Jo Ann wrightj45@yahoo.com
Burlington City day trip
BURLINGTON,
Friday, August 17, 2013
Our plan to take the Maurice River Cruise with Captain Dave on Friday fell through. The boat
was fully booked and there were no seats left. It is our fault because we had to postpone
calling for reservations until the last minute because one of our group was sick and we didn’t
know if she’d be well enough to come along. She was not! And more
on that later.
Anyhow, we talked about alternatives and finally agreed on lunch at the Café’ Galleria
in Burlington
and a stroll through the Historic Burlington
Antiques & Art Emporium,
one of my favorite places to visit.
I usually find something to buy, but this time, I went out empty handed and one of my friends bought something.Barbara Solem bought two
books.
By the way, our lunch at Café’ Galleria was entirely
Vegetarian and almost Vegan! Gail Kerr
and I had corn pudding and fried tomatoes, which came also with grilled
zucchini, and Barbara had a veggie burger with sautéed vegetables on top. We all agreed our lunches were delicious and
I might add that along with the gorgeous paintings on the walls, and the
beautiful view of the Delaware River, the
prices were very modest. It is a superb
place to eat a meal.
We ambled on down the charming main street of Burlington unti with got
to the Antiques Emporium which was 3
blocks from the Café’. There are 85 and
more dealers in this enormous building.
You’d never guess from the outside, it is down a broad alley, and then
you go inside and it is 14,000 square feet!
I have no head for such figures, I would tell you it was the size of a
jumbo Quonset hut shopping place or the size of 4 big barns, but I think you
get the picture, there are at least 4 large aisles lined with individual
shopping stalls which reflect the unique collecting eye of the owners: There are antique toys, of course furniture
(my favorite its rustic) and everything from frilly 1950’s aprons to gorgeous
hand crafted cedar canoes.
I asked my two
companions to each pick a favorite item.
Barbara’s favorite was a giant statue we all thought might be molded
plaster or some kind of fired ceramic material, def. not wood or metal. We couldn’t ell if he was a Civil War
general, or General Custer. Gail’s
favorite was a two tiered pie crust style table. My favorite item was a sleigh, a real
transportation type sleigh, not a toy sled
However, I was also entranced by the aforementioned hand
made and utterly beautiful, graceful canoes, which were about $1500 – more than
I could afford for a whim.
After strolling along the Delaware
River and talking about the mysterious island, we drove to St.
Mary’s cemetery. Barbara is writing a
book on Batsto and she has been searching for graves of the several important
families of the Batsto dynasty. More on
her book later – she is 3 chapters into it.
Now, back to the sick friend. I can’t stress enough how important it is to
wear tall socks and to spray with insecticide before hiking in the woods
especially in April, tick season, and August, chigger season. Last year I was the notable victim with the
most sever case of chiggers anyone had ever seen. This year, Barbara Spector is the victim with
a case of Lymes disease. She had headache,
aching joints and exhaustion, so she went to the doctor and had a blood test
and was positive for Lymes. She is
recovering now on antibiotics. Spray,
and if you don’t feel well, aske for Lymes test – the quicker you catch it the
better off you are. And on the subject
of bugs – I bought these nifty mosquito repellent plastic bracelets for the
wrist or the ankle from amazon.com. Very
inexpensive and a great way to keep off the mosquitos, especially now that West
Nile has reached New Jersey. So spray, and wear the repelling bracelets.
If you want to stay out of the woods, remember to hike our
charming small towns, Mullica Hill, Bordentown, Burlington, Tom’s River and many others.
Happy Trails! Jo Ann
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Maurice River Boat Cruise
Hello! Enjoying this short respite of cool weather? I spent the first half of the day at the Big Timber Creek Dog Park. Tomorrow, it is my hope that two of my friends and I will be able to take the Maurice River Boat Cruise with Captain Dave. To make a reservation, call 856-327-1530. It costs abotu $10 or $15 depending on the day and your age. We will have lunch at the Vegan Restaurant Wildflowers, too. What a splendid day. If you are new to the posts on the Maurice River Cruises, you WILL see Osprey and Eagles, guaranteed. I've taken the boat ride half a dozen times and we have always seen Eagles.
It was Captain Dave's cruise that gave my friends and I the information we followed up on to take our Maurice River Bluffs hikes recently. There is another reserve for hiking but I will have to wait till tomorrow to catch the name. This time I will bring a pen and notebook and take down some information for my next post. I highly recommend this boat trip and a day at Millville.
Other things of interest coming up:
Old Stone House Village is hosting a Civil War encampment featuring Steve Sonnen, who will be available to answer questions and offer information about our Civil War heritage. It is running Aug. 17 and 18 and the Old Stone House is worth seeing too. This is in Washington Twp. but I am sorry that I was unable to find a road address for gps locating. You can, however, call 856-981-3096 for more information.
It was Captain Dave's cruise that gave my friends and I the information we followed up on to take our Maurice River Bluffs hikes recently. There is another reserve for hiking but I will have to wait till tomorrow to catch the name. This time I will bring a pen and notebook and take down some information for my next post. I highly recommend this boat trip and a day at Millville.
Other things of interest coming up:
Old Stone House Village is hosting a Civil War encampment featuring Steve Sonnen, who will be available to answer questions and offer information about our Civil War heritage. It is running Aug. 17 and 18 and the Old Stone House is worth seeing too. This is in Washington Twp. but I am sorry that I was unable to find a road address for gps locating. You can, however, call 856-981-3096 for more information.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Vegan/Vegetarian Picnic
“An Animate, wakeful landscape” from Shambhala Sun Nov. 2011
pg. 11
One day recently, I was feeling a small weather system of
disappointment in myself for neglecting (uncharacteristically) my written and
stated goals for writing this year: my diary
of the sixties, my travel book on Revolutionary War sites in SJ, and, my family
history project. My shoulders were
drooping with guilt and I was wondering, “Well, Jo Ann, What have you got to
say for yourself? What have you done
with this year?”
The only thing I could come up with was my blog: historicplacessj.blogspot.com, which as of
today has had 29,941 page views, 1,083 last month, 43 yesterday and 33
today. Also, I have printed out a list
of my topics. There were 160 so far. I
know all this because blogspot.com (an excellent site) keeps statistics on your
site and even tells you from whence the visitor traffic has emerged.
By the way, I have completed 160 entries as of the one I am
posting today.
So, on that day of self-evaluation and disappointment, I felt
cheered up enormously by this particular project. I write two or three entries a week,
sometimes more and sometimes less.
Knowing how many people stop by is a spur to write more and write
better.
Although my topics are generally
field trips I’ve taken to historic spots, I do make forays into other
territories as well, for example, I began a thought trail in regard to vegan
and vegetarian eating awhile back. I
connected it to John Woolman, a noted 18th century religious thinker
of the Religious Society of Friends, whose house, in Mount Holly, New Jersey, I
had visited a couple of times with friends.
He was a tailor, itinerant preacher, and journalist, and an
all around wonderful human being. He
preached against slavery, cruelty to animals, and he exhorted others to live
lives filled with awareness of the origins of things, such as that colored
clothes were produced by the enslavement of people on indigo plantations, so he
wore plain uncolored linen clothes and lived a vegetarian lifestyle. He wrote about this and other concerns in his
diary and essays, a copy of which can still be purchased from amazon. com for
$8 and an additional $3.50 for shipping and handling. I’m sure Mr. Woolman would like you to buy
second hand.
Strictly speaking, the house in Mount Holly
isn’t John Woolman’s house, but his daughter’s, however, it has been preserved
in his honor and to keep a memorial to his testimonies in regard to peace,
equality, simplicity, and integrity.
Another connection to Vegan and Vegetarian eating is the
American Society of Vegans: American Vegan Society - PO Box 369, Malaga
NJ
08328 ..... Egg Harbor Township New Jersey. Which I have also visited
with friends.
My main topic for this essay for my blog
today, however, is the Compassion for Animals/Respect for the Environment CARE
Picnic which I attended on Saturday, August the 10th at Hoopes Park,
West Ashbridge Street,
outside of West Chester, Pa. I
was a passenger and my hostess was Barbara Solem, author of Ghosttowns and
Other Quirky Places in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Her other guest/passenger was Steve, a
treasurer for the Vegetarian Society of South Jersey. Contact info for this group is:
www.vssj.com
or veg@vssj.com or 1-877-www.vssj
(999-8775) They are also on facebook but
I haven’t visited that page as yet.
The food was marvelous: We had the usual veggie burgers but also
excellent cole slaw, a slaw that I think may have been zucchini, several grain
dishes, roasted corn on the cob, and beautifully carved fruits of many
kinds. That’s just a few of the foods
available. The deserts were delicious
and my favorites were small tarts made with ground nut shells for the crust, an
almond custard and slice of fruit on top, plus a wonderful apple pie. We were given several booklets with many
tempting recipes to try, though I tend towards simple salads in daily eating
personally.
The other great thing about this picnic was
the people. Those who care about animals
and the environment are often generally thoughtful people and these were no
exception. They were kindly, attentive,
open and friendly people. It felt good
to eat cruelty free and delicious food and to spend a sunny afternoon with
compassionate and friendly people.
The traffic, however, well, that’s another
story. We had driven out there on Route
322 which goes across New Jersey and straight
into Pennsylvania
and out into their countryside. It was
mysteriously jammed up on the way out so we took a different route going home. It was nothing however to the traffic I
encountered during our two recent storms with caused widespread flooding in my
area which is bounded by many creeks, Big Timber, Newton,
and the Delaware River, Cooper
River, and far too much
asphalt in the form of highways.
Many of my friends, in their sixties, are
health conscious. We try to eat
sensibly, exercise, and enjoy the outdoors (not just for the health benefits,
of course – we find the outdoors spiritually refreshing and enjoyable). When I opened my mail today, I saw this
interesting list of seven things to do to help outfit your home for safety in
the later years of your life. I thought
I’d pass it on:
1.Low-vision keyboard
2.Motion sensor lighting
3.Bed rails
4.Zipper Pulls
5.Safety strips
6.Tub Bars
7.Carpet tape
I’m not ready for most of these yet, but I would like indoor
motion sensor lighting!
Happy Trails to you!
Jo Ann
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Eating Out Vegan Style at the Villas
I had two interesting vegetarian/vegan experiences this week. On Friday, I drove to the Villas (a very interesting housing/architecture subject for some time in the future) to visit my cousin Patty, who is in her third summer there. After her mother passed away and left her the little house, her husband also died, so she pulled up stakes in Pa. and headed for the shore in NJ. The house is charming and the location near the Bay is beautiful. Because it is a suburb, it doesn't get clogged with traffic the way Cape May does, and we have found many interesting places to walk nearby.
I blogged about Cox Hall Creek before, it is a recovered golf course - a fascinating botanical experiment to see what grows when you let the tortured earth return to its chosen state. I hiked there eyars ago when it was still grassy and looked like a recovering golf course. Now it looks more like a natural woods/meadow. There is a beautiful lake there with a tiny island and a gazebo - very picturesque. We couldn't see the lake or much of the park last time because it was raining, but I believe I did put in a little history. I have a photo that I will post later on today when I get home from Timber Creek Park.
Another hiking family we met there told me that there is a Civil War site not far from there but it was hot and I had nothing tow write with so I will wait and hope they get in touch with me by e-mail with more info.
Or, I might try to track it down via google.
Also, for my day-tripper readers I wanted to mention a fine place to eat, Harpoon Henry's at 91 Beach drive, N. Cape May 609-886-5529. Of the many things I like about Harpoon Henry's, we sat outside on a patio where dogs were allowed. It was far far too hot for Trixie to remain in the car while we ate lunch, so this was a great benefit. And they were so kind there - the waitress brought a tin pail of water for Trixie. Whenever we human gal pals go to lunch, I always buy a special treat for Trixie at Wawa, this time it was Chef Boyardee spaghetti and meatballs. Mainly I pick something with the kind of pkg. that she can eat from.
My friend Gail, and cousin Patty, enjoyed sharing a "half foot" of onion rings, and I had a vegetarian selection - a veggie burger. They had other vegetarian and healthful choices too, salads, and a nice selection of sides and appetizers such as a humms dish, where we vegan/vegetarians usually browse in restaurants that don't offer meatless choices. That is getting to be more and more rare, however, as my generation ages and grows wiser and eats more with a more health conscious and environmentally friendly point of view. The restaurants follow.
Tomorrow I'll post photos from Cox Hall Creek Park and also I'll post on the Vegan Picinic in West Chester that I attended with two friends on Saturday.
Off to Timber Creek Park, now. Happy Trails!
Jo Ann
I blogged about Cox Hall Creek before, it is a recovered golf course - a fascinating botanical experiment to see what grows when you let the tortured earth return to its chosen state. I hiked there eyars ago when it was still grassy and looked like a recovering golf course. Now it looks more like a natural woods/meadow. There is a beautiful lake there with a tiny island and a gazebo - very picturesque. We couldn't see the lake or much of the park last time because it was raining, but I believe I did put in a little history. I have a photo that I will post later on today when I get home from Timber Creek Park.
Another hiking family we met there told me that there is a Civil War site not far from there but it was hot and I had nothing tow write with so I will wait and hope they get in touch with me by e-mail with more info.
Or, I might try to track it down via google.
Also, for my day-tripper readers I wanted to mention a fine place to eat, Harpoon Henry's at 91 Beach drive, N. Cape May 609-886-5529. Of the many things I like about Harpoon Henry's, we sat outside on a patio where dogs were allowed. It was far far too hot for Trixie to remain in the car while we ate lunch, so this was a great benefit. And they were so kind there - the waitress brought a tin pail of water for Trixie. Whenever we human gal pals go to lunch, I always buy a special treat for Trixie at Wawa, this time it was Chef Boyardee spaghetti and meatballs. Mainly I pick something with the kind of pkg. that she can eat from.
My friend Gail, and cousin Patty, enjoyed sharing a "half foot" of onion rings, and I had a vegetarian selection - a veggie burger. They had other vegetarian and healthful choices too, salads, and a nice selection of sides and appetizers such as a humms dish, where we vegan/vegetarians usually browse in restaurants that don't offer meatless choices. That is getting to be more and more rare, however, as my generation ages and grows wiser and eats more with a more health conscious and environmentally friendly point of view. The restaurants follow.
Tomorrow I'll post photos from Cox Hall Creek Park and also I'll post on the Vegan Picinic in West Chester that I attended with two friends on Saturday.
Off to Timber Creek Park, now. Happy Trails!
Jo Ann
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