VOL. 33, NO. 1 Winter/Spring 2011
(see
Save the Dates
on page 3)
T
he Morris County HeritageCommission History Re-GrantProgram has awarded a total of$20,068 in re-grant funding to nine or-ganizations in the county for generaloperating support (GOS) and historyprojects.Funding for the re-grant pro-gram is awarded to theHeritage Commissionas a GOS grant fromthe New Jersey His-torical Commission.The Heritage Com-mission re-grants thefunds to non-profitorganizations basedin Morris Countywith collections orprogramming relat-ing to the history of thecounty or the state. TheHeritage Commissionhas been awarded GOSfunds for the re-grant program fromthe New Jersey Historical Commissionsince 2001.Three organizations received grantsfor general operating support: theBoonton Historical Society & Museumreceived an award of $1,500 to coverinsurance costs, the Boonton Town-ship Historical Society was awarded$3,667 to assist with insurance andutility bill expenses, and the Do-ver Area Historical Society was alsogranted $3,554 for insurance and util-ity bills.
Heritage Commission AwardsHistory Grants
The Heritage Commission alsoawarded the Glen Alpin Conservan-cy a grant in the amount of $2,012for a website upgrade project, andMacculloch Hall was the recipient ofa $2,260 grant for the purchase of con-servation-quality Venetian blinds. TheMountain Lakes Centennial Com-mittee was awarded $1,000to assist with reproduc-tion and conserva-tion of photographsfor the upcomingtownship centen-nial celebrations.The Passaic RiverCoalition received$2,600 to help withcosts associatedwith speaker hono-rariums and printing.The Rockaway BoroughHistorical Committee wasawarded $1,275 toward thepurchase of computer equipment toexpand public outreach program-ming, and the Washington TownshipHistorical Society was granted $2,200to aid in the purchase of collectionmanagement equipment.More information about the re-grant program or any of the otherprograms sponsored by the MorrisCounty Heritage Commission may beobtained by calling the Commission at(973)829-8117, visiting our website at
or by email at
.
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Save the Dates!
B
e sure to mark your calendarfor the Morris County Heri-tage Commission’s upcomingprogram on a popular historical sub- ject: local cemeteries. New Jersey’sHistorical Cemeteries: “Burial Cus-toms, Traditions and Preservation”is a two-part series to be held on con-secutive Wednesdays, March 23 andMarch 30, at 6:00 p.m. The location isthe Morris County Cultural Center,300 Mendham Road (County Route510) in Morris Township.The series focuses on the culturalhistory of New Jersey’s historic cem-eteries and burial grounds from theseventeenth century through the early
twenty-rst century. It provides an
overview of the state’s historic burialplaces and the grave markers theycontain. Lecture topics include typesand designs of burial grounds, thesweeping changes in nineteenth-cen-tury burial practices and their impacton New Jersey cemetery landscapes,“Victorian Valhalla” markers andmonuments, religious and culturalgraveyard traditions, the history ofcremation, the memorial park move-ment, and other modern intermenttrends.The series also will include informa-tion on cataloguing historic markers,common preservation problems andsolutions, an update on cemetery pres-ervation issues recently in the news,
2
Commissioners’ Corner
Y
ou’ve probably heard or even been part of a discussion that is takingplace within historical communities all across the country—how torespond to cash-strapped governing bodies that want to cut fund-ing for historical societies and preservation commissions because of theweak economy.
Many of these elected ofcials were elected by voters caught in an epic
economic hiccup that has left them feeling vulnerable and uncertain.Someone must have dropped the ball, they say. Municipal governmentsare loath to be accused of any excess spending and are desperate for bud-get cutbacks. “We just can’t afford historic preservation,” they declare,hoping to close the subject.
It is up to historical communities everywhere to point out the implications
of stripping historical budgets by labeling them “unnecessary spend-ing.” Many municipal historic committees and societies do tremendouswork on a few thousand dollars a year. Often this is far less than $1 perresident. And studies show that historic preservation is sound economicpolicy, delivering returns many times the initial investment via local anddestination tourism.Historians can further point out that most municipalities’ Master Plans
include a historic preservation element that pledges ofcials to preserve
their town’s historical resources. How much might be lost forever if mu-nicipalities in effect suspend this obligation when times are tough?The historical community must help governing bodies make choices for thelong term during these stressful economic times, despite political pressure.To paraphrase a popular mode of expressing comparative values:Making do with fewer municipal services: a necessary inconvenience
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Saving $50 on your local taxes: a cheap night out
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Preserving our history and cultural heritage in tough times: priceless
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Virginia Vogt, Commissioner
Dan Beards Appointedto Commission, ReplacingRetiring Member KarenAnn Kurlander
D
aniel Beards of RandolphTownship has been appointedto the Morris County HeritageCommission by the Board of Chosen
Freeholders for a ve-year term.
Mr. Beards has been a Morris Coun-ty resident for over twenty years. Heis a retired human resources executivewith risk management and facilitiesplanning expertise.Beards has served on the RandolphTownship Planning Board and Boardof Adjustment. He is an avid pho-tographer and has generously do-nated the use of his photographs tothe Morristown National Park, Mor-ris County Visitors Center, MorrisCounty Historical Society, and othernon-profit organizations. MCHCcommissioners welcomed Mr. Beardsat their regular February meeting.
Beards lls the seat recently va
-cated by Karen Ann Kurlander, whowas a member of the Commissionsince April 2005. During her tenureMs. Kurlander served as secretaryand as chair of the publications com-mittee, where she was responsiblefor editing the Commission’s bro-chures, newsletters, books and otherpublished materials, both print andelectronic. The Commission and theMorris County Freeholders are grate-ful for her many years of dedicatedvolunteer service.
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The freeholders appointed Dan Beards of Randolph Township to the Heritage Com-mission. in January.
Morris County Historical SocietyReceives Archival Collection
I
n January 2011, the Morris County Historical Society at Acorn Hall (MCHS)
received a donation of a signicant archive of local legal papers dating
from 1713 to 1934.These papers are associated with some of the most im-
portant business, social, and political gures in Morris County’s history, in
-cluding Mahlon Dickerson, Joseph Kirkbride, Silas Condict, Ario Pardee, and
Frederick A. Caneld. Also represented are important local businesses such
as the Dickerson Suckasunny Mining Company and the Morris County Trac-tion Company.The collection contains more than 600 items including indentures, land surveys,deeds, stocks and bonds, wills, receipts, genealogical materials, and other docu-ments. Some of the indentures predate the Revolutionary War, with the earliestdated 1745. The earliest land surveys date from between 1713 and 1718.An independent appraiser who reviewed the collection said, “Taken as agroup, the papers offer a detailed view of businesses, particularly those relatedto coal mining and iron, and the business dealings of prominent individuals inthe Morris County area during a period lasting over 200 years. Much of this
(see
Archival Collection
on page 3)
3
and commentary on current grave-yard restoration efforts.Program presenters are RichardVeit, associate professor in the Depart-ment of History and Anthropologyat Monmouth University, and MarkNonestied, staff member with theMiddlesex County Cultural & Heri-tage Commission.Richard Veit is a historical archaeol-ogist whose research interests includecolonial and modern grave markers,historic ceramics, and vernacular ar-chitecture. He is the author of
DiggingNew Jersey’s Past: Historical Archaeologyin the Garden State
(Rutgers: 2002), co-author of New Jersey Cemeteries andTombstones: History in the Landscape(Rivergate books: 2008), and numer-ous articles. He is a member of the As-sociation for Gravestone Studies.Mark Nonestied has been a staffmember with the Middlesex CountyCultural & Heritage Commission since1991. He currently serves as director of
Program Presenters Mark Nonestied and Dr. Richard Veit
(from
Save the Dates
on page 1)(from
Archival Collection
on page 2)
One of the documents recently accessioned by the Morris County Historical Society
information is unique and would havebeen lost to today’s scholars if these pa-
pers, probably originally the les of anow-defunct legal ofce, had not been
discovered and rescued.”The collection was found in thebasement of a Morristown building.The buyer of the building, recogniz-ing the significance of the papers,contacted the Morris County Histori-cal Society. MCHS’s director, Bonnie-Lynn Nadzeika, catalogued the papers
and researched their signicance. The
documents will become a permanentpart of the Society’s archives, and willeventually be digitized so they arereadily available to researchers. Thedonor of the collection wishes to re-main anonymous.The Morris County Historical So-ciety, founded in 1946, is a volunteer,
non-prot organization dedicated to
encouraging and developing an ap-preciation for and an understandingof the history of Morris County and
the state of New Jersey. Its headquar
-ters, Acorn Hall, 68 Morris Avenue in
Morristown, is an 1853 Italianate Villa-
style Victorian mansion open to thepublic on Mondays, Thursdays, andSundays. For directions or additionalinformation call (973)267-3465 or see
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exhibits and programming at East Jer-sey Old Town Village in Piscataway.He is a member of the Associationfor Gravestone Studies and servedon the Board of Trustees of EvergreenCemetery, North Brunswick. He haslectured widely on New Jersey cem-etery topics and is the co-author of
New Jersey Cemeteries and Tombstones:History in the Landscape
(RivergateBooks: 2008).The series will be of interest tohistorical societies, planning boards,historic preservationists, and anyonewith an interest in the cultural histo-ry, art and archaeology of graveyardlandscapes.There is no charge to attend theprogram; however, advance registra-tion is appreciated. To register, pleasecontact Peg Shultz at the HeritageCommission by email at
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Newsletter Archives: Winter/Spring 2011
Heritage commission Awards History Grants; Local Cemeteries event; Commissioners’ Corner; Dan Beards Appointed to Commission;Morris County Historical Society
Receives Archival Collection; Old Stone Union Church Ruins Undergo Stabilization; Butler Museum Closed For Renovation; Quips and Quotes… (More)
Receives Archival Collection; Old Stone Union Church Ruins Undergo Stabilization; Butler Museum Closed For Renovation; Quips and Quotes… (More)
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