Historic Happenings Blog

Sunday, March 8 -- Union County NJ Women Vote: The 19th Amendment at 100 The Suffrage Movement and the Work of Alice Paul   This year marks the centennial of women's suffrage in the U. S. Why did it take so long? How did we finally get there?  Discover the answers to these questions in Linda Barth's presentation, "Alice Paul: Champion of Women's Suffrage," based on her book of the same name.  The Union Township Historical Society will host Linda on Sunday, March 8, at 2 pm at Connecticut Farms Presbyterian Church, 888 Stuyvesant Avenue, Union. Admission is free. Refreshments will be served during the book signing, following the presentation. Linda’s program brings to life the suffragists’ dramatic story of bringing the vote to American women. New Jersey women were prime movers in that struggle—with marches, protests, and jail time. Learn about the role of New Jersey suffragist Alice Paul in securing the ratification of the 19th Amendment...

Sunday, December 8 – Union County Union Township Historical Society Holiday Workshop           The UTHS will host a Holiday Craft Workshop on Sunday, December 8, from 2 to 4 pm at the Caldwell Parsonage, 909 Caldwell Avenue, Union.          Children of all ages, accompanied by a guardian, are welcome to attend. Members will assist the children in decorating Gingerbread People and in making pomanders and various ornaments.           Pomanders are fresh citrus fruit decorated in designs made with whole cloves. Pomanders date back to the Middle Ages, when they were used as room fresheners and hung as good luck charms. Today, we use pomanders as ornaments hung on trees or placed in bowls for holiday scents.          Refreshments will be served.        ...

Saturday-Sunday, October 19-20 – Union County               The Union Township Historical Society will host Four Centuries in a Weekend at the Caldwell Parsonage, 909 Caldwell Avenue, Union , on October 19th and 20th (12 noon-5 pm both days). Refreshments will be served. Admission is free.             Rev. James Caldwell, portrayed by Meridoc Burkhardt, will greet visitors to the museum. His appearance is made possible in part through a HEART (History, Education, Arts Reaching Thousands) Grant from the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Students from the Kawameeh Middle School National Junior Honor Society and the Union High School History Club will serve as historical interpreters (aka docents).           Members of Girl Scout Troop 40024 will assist with colonial doll-making and colonial games. Visito...

Sunday, June 9 – Union County COMMEMORATION OF HANNAH CALDWELL DAY          Hannah Caldwell Day (June 7) will be commemorated at the Caldwell Parsonage, 909 Caldwell Avenue, Union, on Sunday, June 9, from 2 to 5 pm. Members of the Union High School History Club, along with Union Township Historical Society members in colonial costume, will host an open house of the Parsonage, as well as tours of the Union Tool Museum in the adjacent carriage house (barn).          There will be photo ops for children with prop tricorn hats and colonial-style bonnets; and kids can make “church” dolls and play colonial games.          "Rev. James Caldwell," portrayed by Doc Burkhardt, will greet visitors and recall the heroism of his wife during the American Revolution, specifically the Battle of Connecticut Farms on that fateful day in 1780.      ...

Sunday, April 7 – Union County       The Union Township Historical Society will host Michael Gabriele on Sunday, April 7, at 2 pm for a program on his book  New Jersey Folk Revival Music – History and Tradition.  The event will be held at Connecticut Farms Presbyterian Church, 888 Stuyvesant Avenue, Union. The presentation will include a short live-music segment and a book-signing. Admission is free, but donations are gratefully accepted. Refreshments will be served.       The book, published by Arcadia Publishing/The History Press, is a narrative on the evolution, traditions, and history of folk revival music in our state. Beginning with tavern revelers and fiddle players in the 1700s, the story moves to the “Guitar Mania” of the mid-1800s; to monumental recordings made at Victor studios in Camden in the early 1900s; to legendary artists, such as Woody Guthrie, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, and Bob Dylan; to the...

Sunday, March 24 – Union County     At Connecticut Farms Presbyterian Church, on Sunday, March 24, at 2 pm the Union Township Historical Society will host Robert A. Mayers (pictured). He will present "Revolutionary New Jersey: Forgotten Towns and Crossroads of the American Revolution,” based on his new book of the same name, customized for Union and Union County.               Mayers thrives on discovering facts about the American Revolution not found in works of earlier writers. The descendant of Patriot soldier, Corporal John Allison, the American Revolution is personal to him.          Visits to Rev War sites, combined with research into original documents and oral accounts, help Mayers bring history alive. His audiences comment that they regret having tuned out history when they were in school. Mayers' presentations are for everyone--not ju...

Sunday, February 10 -- Union County         The Union Township Historical Society will host open houses from 2 pm to 5 pm on  Sunday, February 10 , and  Sunday, February 24 , at the Caldwell Parsonage, 909 Caldwell Avenue, Union. Admission is free. Refreshments will be served.      In commemoration of Black History Month, an exhibit, "The Veterans of Vauxhall," by the Vauxhall Historical Society will be on display; as well as an exhibit by the UTHS on Eulace Peacock, Union High School Class of 1933 track star, who competed against Jesse Owens and later became his business partner.

Sunday, February 24 -- Union County         The Union Township Historical Society will host open houses from 2 pm to 5 pm on Sunday, February 24, at the Caldwell Parsonage, 909 Caldwell Avenue, Union. Admission is free. Refreshments will be served.       In commemoration of Black History Month, an exhibit, "The Veterans of Vauxhall," by the Vauxhall Historical Society will be on display; as well as an exhibit by the UTHS on Eulace Peacock, Union High School Class of 1933 track star, who competed against Jesse Owens and later became his business partner.  

Sunday, February 10 -- Union County         The Union Township Historical Society will host open houses from 2 pm to 5 pm on  Sunday, February 10 , and  Sunday, February 24 , at the Caldwell Parsonage, 909 Caldwell Avenue, Union. Admission is free. Refreshments will be served.      In commemoration of Black History Month, an exhibit, "The Veterans of Vauxhall," by the Vauxhall Historical Society will be on display; as well as an exhibit by the UTHS on Eulace Peacock, Union High School Class of 1933 track star, who competed against Jesse Owens and later became his business partner.

Saturday, February 2 – Union County    The Union Township Historical Society will host a presentation, "The Unfortunate History of Slavery in New Jersey," by Rick Geffken  on Saturday, February 2, at 2 pm at the Union Public Library, 1980 Morris Avenue.    Sadly, our state was the last in the North to outlaw slavery. Mr. Geffken will review the legacy of New Jersey's 200-year history of human bondage with images and stories of slaves, owners, and the abolitionist movement. He has written articles for historical newsletters and blogs, as well as presented research at the NJ History and Historic Preservation Conference. Mr. Geffken also appeared on the NJ cable TV show, Family Historian .          Admission is free. Refreshments will be served. For more information, please call 908-591-4377.