Historic Happenings Blog

Please be advised that in light of current events, and after careful consideration,  the NJ State History Fair will not be held in 2020. We fully intend to resume the Fair in 2021 - the date is TBD.  Please know that we remain committed to the  SPIRIT of the JERSEYS and consider it a signature event for the NJ Division of Parks and Forestry.  As the only statewide, all-inclusive, interpretive history gathering of its kind, we believe it to be a trailblazing event that has contributed positively to the public’s awareness and understanding of not only New Jersey’s history, but that of America’s as well. We want to THANK YOU for your past involvement and hope that you will continue to support the Fair as a participant going forward.  So please stay tuned and look for the “SPIRIT” to return in 2021 better than ever!  Updates will be posted on the fair’s web site,  www.njhistoryfair.org .

Walking tour of the battlefield.- Monmouth Battlefield State Park 16 Business Route 33, Manalapan Township, NJ 07726 On Sunday, meet at the Monmouth Battlefield visitor center at 1:30 pm for a free guided walking tour of the battlefield with Friends of Monmouth Battlefield President, Dr. David Martin. Appropriate hiking apparel is encouraged. Monmouth Battlefield State Park is located at 16 New Jersey Business 33, Manalapan, NJ. For more information, visit  www.friendsofmonmouth.org . Walking tour of the battlefield. Meet at Visitor Center at 1:30 PM. (1st Sunday of the Month)

Battle of Monmouth June 20, 21 2020 clock Jun 20 at 8:30 AM – Jun 21 at 4 PM Monmouth Battlefield State Park 16 Business Route 33, Manalapan Township, NJ 07726

Who Are The People In Your Neighborhood? Community Asset Mapping A half-day workshop that will be presented by NJ Volunteer Organizations Active After a Disaster (NJVOAD) for NJCAR. Many community organizations focus on the needs or deficits of the community. Every community has needs and deficits that nonprofit organizations should attend to.  Nevertheless, it is also possible to focus on assets and strengths -- emphasizing what the community does have, not what it does not. Those assets and strengths can be used to meet those same community needs; they can improve community life. To draw upon a community's assets, we first have to find out what they are. So in this workshop, we will focus on identifying community assets and resources. We will also show how they can be harnessed to meet community needs and to strengthen the community as a whole. We will be hosting this event in two locations: March 3, 2020- Morris Museum: 6 Normandy Heights Rd, Morristown, NJ 07960 March 4, 2020- ...

Enjoy a wonderful winter soirée! The New Jersey State Youth Orchestra (NJSYO) presents the Symphonic Youth Orchestra to perform holiday hits such as Frosty the Snowman, Auld Lang Syne, and Let It Snow. These talented musicians, in grades 9 thru 12, are led by Musical Director/Conductor Ben Ringer. This is a Family Concert and all ages are welcome. Bring the kids & their friends! Free concert begins at 7pm; doors open at 6:00 pm. Location is Monmouth County Library Headquarters in Manalapan. Seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Wednesday, October 16, 1:00-2:30 pm    Carol Simon Levin, Reclaiming Our Voice: New Jersey's Role in the Fight for Woman Suffrage .   In the years following the American Revolution, women had the right to vote in only one state—New Jersey—a right they would lose in 1807 and not win back for more than five generations. New Jersey’s role in the struggle to regain that right is largely overlooked. It is well-known that Elizabeth Cady Stanton proclaimed “all men  and women  are created equal” at the Women’s Rights Convention of 1848 in Seneca Falls NY, but few know that she lived in Tenafly, NJ when she and Susan B. Anthony founded the National Woman Suffrage Association and wrote the first three volumes of their  History of Woman Suffrage.   Similarly, few realize that Lucy Stone was a resident of South Orange in 1858 when she refused to pay taxes, stating “No Taxation Without Representation,” or that she spoke before the NJ legislature on ...

Wednesday, October 16 -- Monmouth County 9:30-10:30 am Dr. Walter D. Greason, From the Pines to the Waves: Wealth, Leadership, and Historic Preservation      New Jersey’s history hinges on the events in Monmouth County. Long before the Battle of Monmouth, however, the economic patterns of land-use and local governance established traditions that continue to shape the state in the twenty-first century. Few teachers and scholars have examined these patterns, but the emergence of the new history of capitalism since 2015 has excited the interest of historians, anthropologists, sociologists, journalists, and geographers. This presentation will explore the recent advances in the study of New Jersey across these disciplinary boundaries, featuring emerging insights from student researchers. Valuable to elected officials, policymakers, and educators, the successful opening of the T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center, a National Historic Landmark, will provide an important case s...

"Patriotism Incarnate" JERSEY BAYSHORE COUNTRY

Are you or your organization planning to participate in the  2019 SPIRIT of the JERSEYS State History Fair but haven't yet registered for the event? If so,  DON'T GET LEFT OUT!  Over 70 exhibitors have already registered. This year's fair will be held on  Saturday, September 14 th , at Monmouth Battlefield State Park, Manalapan (Monmouth County); rain date Sunday, September 15th .   If you or your organization has already completed an application, we  THANK YOU  for your support of the Fair and look forward to seeing you on the 14th of September! If you or your organization has  never attended the fair , we want to extend a special invitation for you to participate in this award-winning state-wide history event. As always, we hope to have groups participating from every county in New Jersey and are almost at that goal with only six to go – Cape May, Atlantic, Essex, Gloucester, Salem and Warren.  Registration is easy and can be done...

Sunday, September 8 - Manalapan, Monmouth County New Jersey Troops in the Battle of Monmouth On Sunday at 2:00 pm, attend a program on the role of New Jersey Troops in the Battle of Monmouth. Meet in the  Monmouth Battlefield visitor center auditorium. Monmouth Battlefield State Park is located at 16 New Jersey Business 33, Manalapan, NJ. For more information, visit  www.friendsofmonmouth.org .

"Monmouth County Clerk & Archives" JERSEY BAYSHORE COUNTRY

Calling all potential exhibitors...At long last registration for the 2019 Spirit of the Jerseys State History Fair is NOW OPEN! Fifteen years ago, the NJ Divisi on of Parks and Forestry marked the centennial of the State’s acquisition of its first historic site, the Indian King Tavern in Haddonfield, with the very first SPIRIT of the JERSEYS State History Fair. Since that time the event has expanded each year as more organizations have chosen to participate. As we've posted here, the  # NJStateHistoryFair  will again be held at Monmouth Battlefield State Park on Saturday, September 14 in Manalapan, NJ from 11:00 am - 5:00 pm (with a rain date to be held for Sunday, September 15). Our registration team has reached out to all the groups who have participated in the past as well as to many who haven't yet joined us. We hope to receive registration forms from both past and new exhibitors and that many will join us for Spirit of the Jerseys 2019. Don’t miss out! Register now at...

MONMOUTH BATTLEFIELD STATE PARK SITE TO HOST RE-ENACTMENTS OF CRITICAL AMERICAN REVOLUTION BATTLE ON JUNE 22-23 Monmouth Battlefield State Park will be filled with Gen. George Washington's Continental Army troops and British Redcoats as they prepare to skirmish this weekend for the annual re-enactment of the pivotal Battle of Monmouth.  Cannons and muskets will fire during the reenacted battle, which historians have long considered a strategic turning point in the American Revolution. The story of the Battle of Monmouth is also dramatically recounted through the groundbreaking musical Hamilton in the song "Stay Alive."  In addition to the battle reenactments, numerous other events to commemorate the 241st anniversary of the battle fought on June 28, 1778, are scheduled Saturday, June 29 and Sunday, June 30 at Monmouth Battlefield State Park's visitor center. The park is at 20 Business Route 33 in Manalapan, Monmouth County.   This weekend, encampments will open at 9 a...