Historic Happenings Blog

Fall Speaker Event - " Blazing Skies:  Nike Missles at Fort Hancock" West Park Recreation Center, 615 West Park Avenue, Oakhurst, NJ 07755 Wednesday, October 14, 2020, 7:15 pm The end of WWII saw the birth of a new era, the Cold War Era, and the threat of nuclear attack on the United States. To counter this threat, the US Army deployed the Nike Guided Missile Anti-Aircraft System around the major metropolitan centers to defend against just such an attack on our nation. A presentation by members of the Fort Hancock Nike Association will tell the story of the once highly classified Nike System and how it worked to protect these cities from attack by placing nuclear-armed missiles literally in people's back yards. Several of these Nike Missile Bases were once located right here in Monmouth County defending the New York and Philadelphia areas. The members of the Fort Hancock Nike Association are veterans of the Nike Guided Missile System having served at missi...

“Election Memorabilia: The Stuff of American Campaigning” Township of Ocean Historical Museum 703 Deal Road, Ocean, NJ 07712 Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019, through Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020 Election Memorabilia exhibit opens Holiday Weekend The mini-exhibit, “Election Memorabilia: The Stuff of American Campaigning,” opens in the "Our Town" Gallery on December 7. Even before we moved to the Eden Woolley House, the Museum boasted an impressive collection of election artifacts, a gift from Ocean Township resident and Museum member William Mullaney, assembled over decades of an active career in politics. The new exhibit shows off gems from the collection—buttons, banners, jewelry, and hats, to name a few. There are invitations to national political conventions and presidential inaugurations, a plastic doll of Barry Goldwater, Al Smith and Herbert Hoover medallions, and handmade signs in support of local candidates many oldtimers will remember. Colorful stuff It’s no surprise tha...

"Votes for Women: Suffrage in New Jersey " Richmond Gallery, Eden Woolley House, 703 Deal Road, Ocean, NJ 07712​ When the Founders crafted the U.S. Constitution, they gave the authority to decide who could vote to the states. All but one decided it would be men—white, property-owning men, 21 years old and older. The one exception was New Jersey. For the first few decades of our new nation, property-owning women in New Jersey could vote. But in 1807, state legislators took a step backward and rescinded the right. New Jersey women joined their sisters across the country who were shut off from the ballot. The start of a movement Most historians mark the start of the American suffrage movement from the 1848 Women’s Convention in Seneca Falls, New York, organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. Both women had discovered their political voice fighting for the abolition of slavery. Both had felt the sting of being shut out by male-dominated leadership....

The Ocean Township Historical Museum's  (Doors open at 1:30, Tea served 2 to 4)  Woman's Club of Asbury Park Building  57 Wickapecko Dr., Ocean  $25 per person  (Open to the public)  Homemade tea sandwiches, scones, and desserts. Gift basket raffle. Hand-crafted items. Fancy Hot contest, 50/50 raffle. Table Prizes. 

The Ocean Township Historical Museum's  (Doors open at 1:30, Tea served 2 to 4)  Woman's Club of Asbury Park Building  57 Wickapecko Dr., Ocean  $25 per person  (Open to the public)  Homemade tea sandwiches, scones, and desserts. Gift basket raffle. Hand-crafted items. Fancy Hot contest, 50/50 raffle. Table Prizes. 

Roald Dahl's MATILDA Book by Dennis Kelly  Music and Lyrics by Tim Minchin DATES Preview: March 6, 7:30 pm – All Seats $32 March 12 & 19 at 7:30 PM; March 7, 14, 21 at 2 PM; March 7, 14, 21 at 8 PM; March 8, 15, 22 at 3 PM; March 12, 18, 19, 20 at 1 PM ABOUT Based on the popular children’s book of the same name by British writer Roald Dahl, best known for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical is the award-winning musical that has captivated the world since created by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Matilda the Musical revels in the anarchy of childhood, the power of imagination and the inspiring story of a girl who dreams of a better life. With book by Dennis Kelly and original songs by Tim Minchin, Matilda has won 47 international awards including five Tony Awards. Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical is presented by special arrangement with Music Theater International (MTI). TICKETS WEEKDAYS : Premium Adult: $62, Regular Adult: $55, Senior: $54 SA...

Turn old jewelry and more into cash and benefit the Ocean Township Historical Museum Wednesday, February 19,  2020, 6 to 8 p.m. at the Eden Woolley House, Ocean Township Library Complex, 703 Deal Road, Ocean, NJ 07712 www.oceanmuseum.org 732-531-2136,  Fully licensed local jeweler and appraiser Earth Treasures will  buy your unwanted jewelry and donate 15% of its profit to the Museum.*  Bring your gold, silver, and platinum items (not just jewelry), costume and estate jewelry. An appraiser will meet with you in a private session.  You walk away with cash.  Visit shopearthtreasures.com/sell-your-jewelry for a full list of saleable items. (Earth Treasures will keep the fundraiser open at its store one week past the event.)  Tell a friend. * The donation comes from Earth Treasures’ profit, not your payment.  You receive the same price for your items as you would at its store.

AXCBT presents The Nutcracker ROCKS Dec. 20th, 27th & 28th at 8 PM  Dec. 21st at 2 PM & 7 PM Dec. 22nd & 29th at 2 PM  TICKETS: Premium Adult $54; Regular Adult $48; Premium Senior $46; Regular Senior $40; Students $26 A holiday event for the whole family, The Nutcracker ROCKS is a mixture of high-power music and dance that will transport you to a land of brave toy soldiers and sweet sugar plum fairies. Based on Hoffman’s original story, choreographer Gabriel Chajnik translates the Victorian-era Nutcracker from the bustles and ruffles of the 1890s to contemporary times in this premiere from the Axelrod Contemporary Ballet Theater. Clara’s rocker Uncle Drosselmeier shakes things up when he shows up to a distinguished Manhattan holiday party with his electric guitar and his amazing toys, igniting the imagination of people young and old. The beloved Tchaikovsky score is reimagined in collaboration with renowned rocker Alex Levine, a member of The Gaslight An...

Township of Ocean Tree Lighting and Celebration (Monmouth County) December 8 @ 4:30 pm   Free Please join the Mayor & Council as well as Santa Claus at our Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony to take place on Sunday, December 8, beginning at 4:30 p.m., at our museum, 703 Deal Road.  You’ll be warmed from the inside out with hot chocolate and treats, music performed by the Navesink brass, and much more while we await the arrival of Santa Claus and gather together to light the Christmas Tree!

SHREK THE MUSICAL Music by Jeanine Tesori. Book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire Based on the DreamWorks Animation Motion Picture and the book by William Steig NOVEMBER 30, at 2pm and 7pm DECEMBER 1, at 3pm DECEMBER 7, at 2pm and 7pm DECEMBER 8, at 3pm TICKETS: Adults $27, Students $23 Based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film, Shrek The Musical is a Tony Award-winning fairy tale adventure, featuring all new songs from Jeanine Tesori (Thoroughly Modern Millie; Caroline, or Change) and a sidesplitting book by David Lindsay-Abaire. Shrek brings all the beloved characters you know from the film to life on stage and proves there's more to the story than meets the ears.​ BUY TICKETS

35th Annual Holiday Weekend Saturday, December 7, 2019 - 11:00 am to 4:00 pm Sunday, December 8, 2019 - 11:00 am to 4:00 pm Eden Woolley House, 703 Deal Road, Ocean, NJ 07712 Saturday and Sunday, December 7 and 8 Holiday open house and mini-exhibit premiere It’s become a time-honored custom. On the first weekend of each December, we open the doors of the Museum and invite the public in to launch the holiday season. This year, our annual Holiday Open House falls on Saturday (11 to 4) and Sunday (11 to 5:30), December 7 and 8. The halls are decked The galleries are filled with model trains, seasonal collections, handmade crafts, and home-baked delicacies. Living history interpreters entertain visitors with holiday songs and traditions. Children hunt for hidden snowmen. The Garden Club sells wreaths on the porch. And we draw the winning quilt raffle ticket at 3 o’clock on Sunday afternoon. Sunday afternoon blends into the evening as guests arrive at the Museum grounds starting at 4:30 for...

"Deal Test Site: 100 Years of History ”  Our Town Gallery, Eden Woolley House, 703 Deal Road, Ocean, NJ 07712  Deal Test Site exhibit premieres The mini-exhibit opening December 1 features the story of the Township’s most historically significant site. Bounded by Deal Road, Whalepond Road, and Dow Ave., the 208 acres we know today as Joe Palaia Park were once the Deal Test Site, an internationally renowned research facility. The same buildings that park visitors pass by today once held scientists from AT&T’s Western Electric research arm (later known as Bell Labs) working on telecommunication breakthroughs that made history. Later in those same buildings, the U.S. Army Signal Corps ran satellite tracking operations that attracted scientists from around the world. The exhibit traces the site’s history from prehistoric times to today, focusing on the 100 years since AT&T chose rural Ocean Township as an ideal spot to conduct its experiments in wireless communications. Th...

GUYS AND DOLLS Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser, Book by Abe Burrows and Joe Swerling November 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16 at 8 PM; November 3, 10, 17 at 3 PM; November 7, 14 at 1 PM; November 7, 14 at 7 PM; November 2, 9, 16 at 2 PM TICKETS: Premium Adult: $64, Regular Adult: $58, Premium Senior: $56,  Regular Senior: $50 Considered by theater critics and lovers to be “the perfect musical comedy,” Guys and Dolls is Frank Loesser’s masterpiece. Written for Broadway in 1950, Guys and Dolls received praise from critics and won Tony, Drama Desk and Olivier Awards and ran for 1,200 performances. Set in Damon Runyon’s mythical New York City, Guys and Dolls is an oddball romantic comedy whose brassy immortals score includes exuberant dance numbers, comic turns and ballads that have become standards for generations: “Luck Be a Lady,” “Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat,” “I’ll Know,” “If I Were a Bell” and “Adelaide’s Lament.”   LEARN MORE