Historical Society of Ocean GroveNEWSWW LETTER Spring 2010

Forty Fabulous Years ago the HSOG was founded by a few forward thinking residents who saw the need to preserve the venerable history of Ocean Grove. Since then, our mission has remained strong, to pledge to preserve, document and en-courage community interest in the history of our unique and beautiful town, and to sustain the heritage and honor of being on the National and the New Jersey State Register of Historic Places.

Amazingly, we have welcomed more than 40,000 people who have passed through our doors to browse, do research, visit our exhibits, or par-ticipate in one of our popular events. The House Tour, Garden Tour, History Day, Auctions, An-tique and Postcard Shows, Walking Tours, Teddy Bear Tea, Doll House Exhibit and The Centen-nial Cottage provide diverse programs.

But this year, even as we embrace more chal-lenges, our finances have been compromised. State of New Jersey deficits have seriously im-

pacted our support from grant funding.

We respectfully seek your personal help to main-tain the level of service and good will so valued by our visitors and the community at large in this our celebratory year.

A minimal $40 donation would represent a $1 for every year we have preserved the history of our sparkling jewel by the sea. Or, perhaps you could consider $5 a year for each of those Fabu-lous Forty Years, or a $200 donation. We deeply appreciate your gift to support a vibrant society with immeasurable value to enhance your per-sonal investment in Ocean Grove.

Please consider becoming a partner in our Forty and Fabulous campaign and celebrate with us at the festivities we have planned at the Illumi-nation Party on July 22, 2010. As always your membership and continued generosity are of great value to the HSOG.

Forty & Fabulous

The HSOG will sponsor its 42nd Annual House Tour on Friday, July 16, 2010, from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Last year’s tour was very successful, and the committee anticipates the same this year. The tour always includes some of the loveliest and most historic homes in Ocean Grove as well as at least one tent, the Great Auditorium, Cen-tennial Cottage, and the HSOG Museum. Mu-sic will be provided at several locations. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 on the day of the tour, and are nonrefundable. The tour will

take place rain or shine. Tickets, which include entry into all tour stops, are limited. You are urged to buy them in advance to avoid dis-appointment. They may be purchased at the HSOG Museum, by calling (732) 774-1869, or by mail. Check or credit card (Visa, Master-Card, or Discovery) may be used. If requesting tickets by mail, please include a stamped, self-addressed envelope along with your check to: HSOG, Attn: House Tour, P.O. Box 446, Ocean Grove, NJ 07756. Please note that children under twelve are not admitted.

42nd Annual House Tour

Full stock of Ocean Grove Girl tee shirts & our

New Tote bags are now available!

Shop online at.

Plan your next Family Celebration in our beautiful Cottage Garden for fees & reservations call 732-774-1869

C O N T E N T S

42nd Annual House Tour 1

Presidents Report 2

Forty and Fabulous 1

Cottage Events 3

Brick Remembrance 4

Beersheba Awards Dinner 6Summer Events 5

Endowment Fund 2

Speaker at September Meeting 2

Angel of Victory Garden Tour 3

Morro Castle Topic of June Meeting 7

Hudson River Tour 8

The HSOG is a non-profit 501 (3)(C)independent organization. This newsletter is published by the HSOG and is written and edited by i t s members .

Vol. XXXIX No. 78

M I S S I O N

H S O G O f f i c e r s

President’s MessageIt is the start again of what I’m sure will be anoth-er superlative summer season of Historical Society events. This is the second year of three years of ma-jor reductions in NJ state operational funding. This funding now only pays for one-twentieth of the op-erational budget needed to sustain the current level of our public efforts to share the history of Ocean Grove. The one positive offset has been the Development Committee’s past two fundraising campaigns. We again need your support with this year’s campaign, “Forty and Fabulous,” celebrating our 40th year.

Besides our financial need, we need more volunteers and committee members. Please consider offering just two hours every other week from June through September as a docent in one of our museums. It is a great way to learn the history of Ocean Grove. Please don’t wait, contact us now at (732-774-1869).

I want to share our most recent effort to obtain a sta-bilization grant from the New Jersey Cultural Trust. If funded, it will provide the opportunity to: modern-ize and reorganize the Museum’s facilities to establish a premier gift and consignment store, improve traffic flow to the permanent and seasonal exhibits, improve financial stability via new business opportunities, ex-pand operational capacity, and establish a dedicated research area. I need to especially acknowledge Cate Comerford who provided pro bono the architectural renderings for the design submitted. Raymond Russomano, President

Election YearOn September 27th 2010 at the HSOG Annual Meet-ing elections of new officers will be held. The annual meeting is in Francis Asbury Manor at 7 PM and be-gins with a special historical program. Elections will be part of the business meeting that will begin after the guest speaker’s presentation. Anyone interested in becoming an officer can call the Society at 732-774-1869 and leave your information for a follow-up conversation with the Nominating Committee Chair. The Nominating Committee will provide a recommended slate of officers and also accept nomi-nations from the floor at the meeting.

Dollhouse ExhibitDuring the Christmas season we had a fine collection of houses, fourteen to be exact, and some of the largest we’ve ever had as well. Our visitors voted Joyce Klepper’s pink Victorian house their favorite. We were delighted to discover that a roombox loaned by Caroline Ripley was made by Eugene Kupjack, the famous miniatures artist.The 2010 show will feature “Mid-Century Marvels: Mini Metal Dwellings from the 1950s.” If you would like to participate in the upcoming December exhibit, please contact the Museum. Vicki Bacolo

HSOG Endowment Fund EstablishedThe Historical Society of Ocean Grove has estab-lished an Endowment Fund. This was made pos-sible through a large donation from the estate of Mary Jane Schwartz. Many of you know Mary Jane, as she was a lifelong resident of Ocean Grove and a long-time member of the Historical Society’s Executive Board. Her brother was known for his active involvement as an Ocean Grove volunteer fireman.

In addition to this donation, the Historical Soci-ety also received a number of checks in memory of Edgar E. Price from California. Mr. Price visited Ocean Grove in his youth and never forgot his time spent here. Our Administrative Assistant received a call in January from his son, who told her that his father’s obituary asked for donations to the HSOG in lieu of flowers.

A resolution to establish an Endowment Fund was passed at the January 11th meeting. The text of the resolution is as follows: “All memorial gifts will be deposited in the Endowment Fund unless other-wise specifically designated. For the first ten years of the fund’s existence, all interest will be reinvest-ed in the fund. After that, interest only will be used each year as needed.” Several members have in-quired about bequeathing the HSOG in their wills, and now the mechanism for proper endowment has been established. Herb Bachmann, Treasurer

Noted Author to Speak at September MeetingThe annual meeting of the Historical Society of Ocean Grove will be held Monday, September 27, at 7:00 p.m. at Francis Asbury Manor. Speaking at the meeting will be Mary Walton, noted writ-er and author of five books. A resident of Ocean Grove since 1998, she was a staff writer for many years at the Philadelphia Inquirer. Her topic at the September meeting will be her soon-to-be-published book “A Women’s Crusade: Alice Paul and the Ballot Box.” The book will be published August 20, 2010 in conjunction with the 90th Anniversary of the Nineteenth Amend-ment to the Constitution.

“A Woman’s Crusade” focuses on the final years of the suffrage movement from 1912 to 1920. A pio-neer in nonviolent civil disobedience, Alice Paul, a New Jersey Quaker, was schooled in the tactics of the British suffragists which revolutionized the stagnant women’s suffrage movement in America. With daring and unconventional tactics that in-cluded the first picket line at the White House, she succeeded in forcing a reluctant U. S. Congress to pass the Nineteenth Amendment, giving all Amer-ican women the right to vote.

Since its founding in 1970, the Historical Society of Ocean

Grove has pledged itself to preserve, document, and

encourage community interest in the history of Ocean Grove. The purpose of this non-profit

Society is to sustain the heritage and honor of

being designated a National Historic District.

A legacy of past tradition which in current practice is

preserved and includes: • the Camp Meeting heritage of Ocean Grove and Ocean

Grove’s unique history • the family seashore resort of natural beauty that has welcomed and delighted

vacationers including U.S. presidents and other

famous people • the Historic District buildings,

structures, and objects that we control and maintain

• the largest assemblage of authentic Victorian architec-ture in the nation established

as a 19th century planned community.

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entry into all tour stops, are limited. You are urged to buy them in ad-vance to avoid disappointment. They may be purchased at the HSOG Museum, by calling (732) 774-1869, or by mail. Check or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, or Discovery) may be used. If requesting tickets by mail, please include a stamped, self-addressed envelope along with your check to: HSOG, Attn: House Tour, P.O. Box 446, Ocean Grove, NJ 07756.

The HSOG will sponsor its Annual Ocean Grove Garden Tour for the Angel of Victory on Friday, July 30, 2010, from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Last year’s tour was very successful, and the committee anticipates the same this year. The tour always includes some of the loveliest Gardens in Ocean Grove as well as public gardens and urns. Refreshments will be available Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 on the day of the tour, and are nonre-fundable. The tour will take place rain or shine. Tickets, which include

A n n u a l O c e a n G r o v e G a r d e n T o u r

Summer at Centennial CottageHave you promised yourself that you would spend your summer doing more than simply sitting at the beach? Do you wish you could meet with interesting people from around the world? Would you like to expand your hori-zons and learn a new skill? Centennial Cot-tage is the answer to your wishes.

Centennial Cottage is a Victorian cottage from the 1880s that is open to the public from late June to early September. It takes many souls to open our home to visitors, and we would be thrilled to add you to our list of docents. You will meet and greet visitors from everywhere!

A number of events have been scheduled at the Cottage this season such as a Teddy Bear Tea for children, an Illumination Party to cel-ebrate our society’s 40th year, tours six days a week, and many craft workshops.Workshops This Year

Monday, July 12 “Large Paper Flowers and Decoupage Vase”Wednesday, July 14 “Counted Cross Stitch Crazy Quilt Heart”Monday, Wednesday, Friday July 19/21/23 “Take the Hard Out of Hardanger” * Monday, July 26 “Vintage Hand Sewing Techniques”Tuesday, July 27 “Calligraphy”Friday, July 30 “Paper Beads: Necklaces and Earrings”Friday August 13 “Altered Books”Monday, August 16 “Quilting: Hand Piecing”

All workshops are $15 plus an additional $5 kit fee. *This workshop (Take the Hard Out of Hardanger) is $35 plus a $15 kit fee.

If interested, sign up now before it’s too late. Please call the Museum at 732-774-1869 to learn more about the Cottage and its offer-ings. Mary Solecki, Cottage Co-chair

Help! Curtains Needed Centennial Cottage needs “new” curtains for its parlor windows. Antique curtains have been on the front and side parlor windows for many years. Time has taken its toll on them, and now they are beyond repair. If anyone has antique curtains that they would like to donate to the Cottage, the measurements are as follows: 2 windows are 28” wide and 62” long, 2 windows are 21” wide and 62” longYour generosity will allow us to continue sharing a Victorian cottage with all our visitors. For more information, please contact the museum at 732-774-1869. Thank you for your assistance. Julian Hamer, Cottage Co-chair

Antique Auction Sat. May 29th The HSOG will hold its annual spring auction on Saturday, May 29. Preview from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on the day of the auction. The auction begins at 11:00 a.m. in the Youth Temple.

Some of the items to be sold are Nuttings, toys, linens, textiles, vintage children’s books, pottery ( Roseville, McCoy, etc.) antique & collectible dolls, 1930’s Teddy bear, baseball items, tobacco silks, glassware, Lenox, doll high chair, paintings, Bessie Pease Gutman print, vintage clothing, postcards, box lots of ephemera, antique & vintage furniture, lots of Asbury Park and Ocean Grove collectibles, and memorabilia including early souvenir china, ruby flash glass, sterling spoons, pennants, and other Jersey Shore items plus much more.

Absentee bids will be accepted. Auction lists are available at the Museum for $3. A 10% buyer’s premium will be charged on all items bought at the auction. Food service will be available.

Enter to win a free workshop this summer!Fill out the entry form and either mail entry or drop it at museum before July 1.One winner will be chosen at random on July 1 from all entries.

Name

Street Address City

State Zip

Phone Number e-Mail

Workshop

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Remembering HSOG in Your WillThrough your participation in preserving and educating people about the proud history of Ocean Grove and the Camp Meeting heritage. You can continue helping this task by remembering the Historical Society of Ocean Grove in your will. We are registered with the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(3) © non- profit organization. Your attorney or financial advisor can assist you in remembering us.

Last summer as part of the 40th Anniversary of Centennial Cottage we installed a border of bricks around the rose garden. It is so beautiful and we want you all to be a part of this lovely space. Perhaps you may choose to remember a loved one, or have your name or your family’s name engraved on a brick or two. The cost is just $100 for three lines with up to thirteen letters per line. We are planning a dedication at the Illumination Party on July 22nd at 7:30 p.m. In order to have your brick included in the dedication, please return your payment with the completed form below.

Rose

Gar

den

Rem

embr

ance

Your Brick is a perfect way to say thanks!

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PRESERVATION AWARDS BANQUET, Monday, June 21st, 2010, 6:00 PM THE STARVING ARTIST at DAYS For Information Call 774-1869, or fax us at 774-1685, or E-mail us info@oceangrovehistory.orgPlease reserve places for the Awards Banquet Buffet Dinner. Enclosed check for the amount of $ (at $30.00 per reservation) Tables for 4, 6, or 8, indicate your tablemates. Cost includes: Salad Greens, Rigatoni with Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce, Chicken Francoise & Roast Loin of Pork with Peppercorn Sauce, Wild Rice, Grilled Asparagus and Yellow Squash, Whipped Cream Sheet-Cake, Beverages & Gratuity.

Name Street

City State Zip

Phone e-mail Address Please send Check to: HSOG, P.O. Box 446, Ocean Grove, NJ 07756Deadline: June 19, 2010, Make checks payable to HSOG or You may charge on your Visa, MasterCard or Discover Note: Limited seating available.

Nomination Form for Historical Preservation AwardWe wish to nominate the following:

Commercial Residential

Person or Group Streetscape

Name of Nominee

Address Phone

Your name and phone number:Return by May 17, 2010, to: HSOG, P.O. Box 446, Ocean Grove, NJ 07756Please list below the reasons for your recommendation.

Beersheba Awards Dinner June 21st The 15th Annual Beersheba Awards Dinner will be held Monday, June 21, at 6:00 p.m. at the Starving Artist Restaurant at Days. This year’s awards will honor homeowners, businesses, and individuals who have contributed their time and effort to renovate, restore, and/or generate activities that are in keeping with the history and traditions of Ocean Grove.

We invite you to participate in these very special awards by submitting nominations using the form provided below, nominating individuals, businesses, or organizations whose efforts to enhance our town merit recognition. Categories include civic, homeowners, commercial, and street-scape.

We also invite you to join us in support of the Historical Society at a delicious buffet dinner the evening of the awards. Space is limited so we encourage our members to purchase tickets for the evening at their earliest convenience. Cost is $30 per person

We look forward to members and friends joining us for this celebration of our town and its many historical treasures. It is only through our shared commitment and stewardship of Ocean Grove that we can hope to share the beauty of our town with generations to come. Please help us honor those who have committed themselves to this work.

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Ted Bell will lead walking tour.A walking tour of the Beersheba Award winners for 2010 will be led by Ted Bell on Friday, June 25th.This popular free event begins at 6 PM in front of the Mu-seum and continues until dark. In the past some 25-30 people have participat-ed in the walk which tries to include all the 2010 preservation award winners. Contact the Society at 732-774-1869 for further information.

Morro Castle Topic of June MeetingLocal historian Gary Crawford will be the speaker at the June 28th meeting of the Historical Society of Ocean Grove. Mr. Crawford’s topic will be the Morro Castle, the ship that burned off the coast of Monmouth County.Mr. Crawford is a lifelong resident of the Jersey Shore area. He has been an active member of the New Jersey Museum of Transportation’s Pine Creek Railroad at Allaire State Park for over forty years and holds a steam locomotive engineer’s license. His Morro Castle interests are a family issue, as his grandfather and three brothers were on the beach during the tragedy, helping to bring in survivors and victims from the churning surf. His grandfather spoke often of the disas-ter. Crawford has published a book on the history of Bradley Beach as well as a book on the Morro Castle, with two fic-tion novels about to be published. The general meeting will be held at Francis Asbury Man-or on Monday, June 28 at 7:00 p.m.

Devastating Fire Destroys Ocean Grove Landmarks! March 13, 2010

photo by: Ted Aanensen

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We are always looking for new members to help preserve Ocean Grove History.

The Annual Ocean Grove History Day will feature a panel presentation by Ocean Grove author Mary Walton & Lyndell O’Hara on the woman’s movement at the national, state & local level at the turn of 19th century, Community Room, Saturday July 10th, 10:30 -12noon. It promises to be an exciting & informative time.

Historical Society of Ocean GroveP. O. Box 446Ocean GroveNew Jersey 07756

Historical Society Tel. 732.774.1869

Don’t Miss the Illumination Garden

Party July 22, 7:30 PM at the

Centennial Cottage Gardens

Deposit Due Now: $100.00 Check payable to: Sherry Callahan Travel Associates

Balance Due: September 1, 2010 Hudson Valley

Name

Please check one Single Double

Roommate

Address

State Zip

Email

Phone

Mail reservations to Susan at:

HSOG P.O. Box 446, Ocean Grove, NJ 07756

A delightful two day tour of the Lower Hudson Valley

DAY 1: Depart Ocean Grove- Get an early morning start in a Deluxe Motor Coach for a comfortable ride to the lovely Hudson River Valley. Travel to West Point for a guided tour of the United States Military Academy, including the Cadet Chapel, Trophy Point as well as the West Point Museum.Enjoy lunch at Hotel Thayer the dining room commands sweeping views of this site the Hudson River. Continue your journey north to Poughkeepsie, New York. Check into your Poughkeepsie Hotel to relax before tour & dinner at the Culi-nary Institute of America. Truly recognized as the leader in culinary education, our dinner should be one to savor.Day 2: Start your day with a hot breakfast at Hotel.First stop today is the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park. This neoclassic style mansion is furnished with fabulous artifacts from abroad and many period reproductions, truly a great perspective of the wealth and excess of the Gilded Age.Continue on through Hyde Park to see the Georgian Colonial mansion known as Springwood. America’s 32nd president, Franklin D. Roosevelt was born and lived much of his life here. Here too is the F.D.R. Library and Mu-seum. Lunch (0n your own) is at a Mariner’s Harbor on the Roundout Landing. After lunch, board the Rip Van Winkle cruise boat for a delightful Fall Foliage Hudson River Cruise for a memorable fall scenic view of the mid- Hudson River. See Hudson River lighthouses, Wyndcliff Mansion, Dinsmore, (Astor),

Wilderstein (Stuckely), Vanderbilt Mansion, PayneMansion, Mt. St Alphon-sus seminary and other fascinating unique locations on the Hudson River waterfront. TRIP INCLUDES: Deluxe motor coach transportation, overnight lodging, dinner, lunch, guided tours of historic mansions, river cruise, all gratuities. $350.00 pp double $400.00 singleFor the benefit of Historical Society of Ocean Grove

October 12 – 13, 2010 All InclusiveHistoric Hudson River Estates And Towns Fall Foliage Too!