Sunday, May 5 – Somerset County
Doris Duke Author Brings Socialite Inspiration to Bridgewater Historic Headquarters
History Talk & Book Re-Issue Party
Location: 9 Van Veghten Drive, Bridgewater NJ
Date & Time: Sunday, May 5th, 2019 @1:30pm
The Somerset County Historical Society is pleased to announce the third in its 2019 series of History Talks at the society’s headquarters in the Historic Van Veghten House. Ms. Rikki Lyn Hauss will share the story about Doris Duke and the recent controversy over the demolition of her estate home in Hillsborough.
Ms. Hauss, a Hillsborough resident herself, fell in love with the Duke Estate as a teenager but didn’t discover the extraordinary woman who owned it until a few years later. An active member of the grassroots organization DORIS, she was involved on the front lines in the effort to save Duke’s historic mansion from the bulldozer. After the unsuccessful effort, she captured the dramatic story and memoirs of it in a self-published book, The Duchess of South Somerville. In a first for the historical society, this program is also the official book release of the revised second edition of her book. “It is exactly what Doris would have wanted,” Hauss explains, “She would’ve relished the opportunity to share the re-release with her immediate community.”
Rikki Lyn will welcome questions from the audience during her seminar. The Duchess of South Somerville is Hauss’ way of bringing old stories to life again and igniting a renaissance of curiosity for both residents and heritage tourists of Somerset County.
Doors at the Van Veghten House will open at 1:30. The talk will begin at 2 PM. Light refreshments will be available before and after the presentation. Books will be autographed and sold for $20, and commemorative DORIS pins will also be available for just $1. Members of the press and public are encouraged to attend. As space is limited, and an overflow crowd is anticipated, please reserve a seat by calling 732-425-2751 or sending an email to PR@somersethistorynj.org. 
