Historical Society of Stillwater Township

04/05 :  World War I and World War II in Poetry

   The Historical Society of Stillwater Township is pleased to announce the President of The Six Centuries Club of America and Publisher of Sensations Magazine, David Messineo presentation of 'World War I and World War II in Poetry' on Thursday, May 13, 7:30pm at the Stillwater Museum. The event will blend Mr. Messineo's original poems on the two topics, along with additional poems from the time period. Mr. Messineo is one of 26 individuals statewide to receive a 2009 New Jersey State Jefferson Award for Public Service for his services with The Six Centuries Club and Sensations Magazine. His publication is a three-time winner in the national American Literary Magazine Awards. The goal of The Six Centuries Club is to generate a greater appreciation and awareness of American history.

A brief business meeting of the Historical Society and refreshments will follow. The program is free for Historical Society of Stillwater Township members, and is open to the public for a suggested donation of $10.
[Submitted by admin]

27/04 :  Sussex County History Day

   Sussex County History Day will be held at Sussex County Community College on Saturday, May 1, 2010 from 9 to 3. The event features authors and representatives from numerous historical, genealogical and similar societies from Sussex and the surrounding counties. Co-sponsored by the Sussex County Historical Society and the college, the event is free and open to the general public. For more information on the day's presentations and exhibits, please see this New Jersey Herald article

16/03 :  Drew University Plans Workshops

   Don't miss out on the last Historic Preservation Workshops of the year!

Are your old lilacs out of reach? Has your wisteria gone mad? Are the boxwoods overgrown? Come to the Cross Estate Gardens in Bernardsville for a hands-on pruning workshop with Marta McDowell.

Saturday, March 27 from 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Preservation Pruning Workshop: Pruning in a historic garden requires special skills as well as regular application. This one-day intensive will cover rejuvenation pruning and maintenance pruning within the context of a period landscape. We will also discuss specialty pruning techniques for formal gardens such as pleaching, pollarding and espalier. In addition to lectures in the library of the Cross Estate mansion, students will practice techniques in the garden under the supervision of the instructor. Bring your pruners and gloves, and dress for the weather.

Join Drew again in April for a workshop with Amy Hollander...

Saturday, April 17 from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Volunteers-It Takes a Village: Preservation has always been a grassroots movement which relies upon volunteers as advocates both to save our historic environment and to showcase it. Today the competition for volunteers is fierce and the dynamic of "the volunteer" is changing. This workshop addresses the changing dynamic of today's volunteer-who they are, what they are looking for, how to attract them to join the preservation cause and how to keep them involved. Participants will engage in hands-on activities including mock interviews, surveys and worksheets that can provide the tools needed to develop a volunteer initiative for your preservation organization. This workshop is designed to assist an organization in understanding its volunteer needs and the motivations of different volunteering demographics, as well as developing volunteer job descriptions, and recruiting plan.

For a registration form or for more information, visit [link] or call 973/408-3185.

[Submitted by Betty English]

24/02 :  Christmas Open House 2006

   Christmas Open House So Festive
The Christmas Open House, held on Sunday, December 3rd, 2006, was quite a starter for our holiday season. On hand were Mr. And Mrs. Santa (AKA Don and Una Lee Williams), many of our society’s members who volunteered to serve refreshments to our guests from the community, Mr. Ray Hecht with his staff, horses and carriage to give rides through the village, and a wonderful group of young carolers (courtesy of member Mrs. Anna Marie Fleck) who entertained everyone with spirited renditions of Christmas favorites. Thank you Carolyn Celli and Edie Lambert, for a wonderful event, once again!



Mr. Ray Hecht and his staff prepare to drive our guests through the village with their horses and carriage.


Organizer Carolyn Celli and Elfette Sarah Meyer watch over the Bake Sale goodies. Sarah is the daughter of new member, Lynn Rosenkrans Meyer and granddaughter of Mac and Gladys Rosenkrans.


Carolers entertained guests with many Christmas favorites.


Mr. and Mrs. Santa listen to the Christmas wishes of Rachel Roof, granddaughter of members Gus and of Elsie Roof.

11/01 :  Historical Photos of Newton

   The First Baptist Church of Newton has published a webpage titled \"Vintage Historic Photos of Newton, New Jersey\". Included are various early 1900\'s postcard pictures of Newton as well as a peak inside the circa 1908 pharmacy on Spring Street! You can see this site listed on our Websites of Interest links page. Enjoy!

14/10 :  First Fall Festival Fabulous Fun '06

   The Historical Society held its first ever Annual Fall Festival on Saturday, October 14th, and it was a wonderful success, not only from a fund raising perspective, but also from a community standpoint, with the fantastic outpouring of the Stillwater community as a whole. Ed Chammings and his tractor with a hay ride were a great attraction, and he pulled many a crowd through the village to the "Pumpkin Patch" for the children. Mr. Ray Hecht and his horse and wagon rides were another popular attraction, as were the pony rides, the hay maze, the children's games and the brisk (though SUNNY) autumn weather. Thank you, Chris Petrullo, Deborah Drumm, and their committee, for the amazing effort that turned out to be a grand event. We can hardly wait to see what they will have in store for all of us next year!