End of the Semester

All good things must come to an end.  This saying rings true for this semester.  I hope you all have enjoyed reading my work this semester as much as I have enjoyed creating it.  I have visited many places and have learned much about the history of South Jersey.  The posts will still come to the blog, but they will be few and far between as I will lack the time that I would need to continue this blog in its full capacity.  Here are some of my favorite posts from the last few months.  Red Bank Battle Field.  Wheaton Village. SS Atlantus. Lucy. Cranberries. Forgotten Towns. Prison Museum. Train Museum. Enjoy these posts and all the history that South Jersey has to offer.

Peace

-Dave

North Pemberton Train Station Museum

from kevinhooa (flickr.com)

First, thankyou to all of you who voted for where you wanted me to go next.  As you wanted today I went to the Pemberton Train Station in Pemberton, NJ.  The station is right down the road from Fort Dix.  My first piece of advice is to go if you have a chance.  The station hasn’t been an operating station in many years, but has been a museum since 1999.  The two gentlemen that were there, were extremely helpful and knew a lot about the history of not only the station, but New Jersey’s history in general.  Inside of the museum were many train artifacts, like the ticket punches, lights, whistles and bells.  Many of these items are over a hundred years old and were used on trains that went through the Pemberton Station.  Outside there are several train cars and some tracks in place.  Besides just the train artifacts, there are also many other pieces in the museum about other aspects of NJ.  There are many Native American Pieces, some fossils and tons of maps of the area.  The museum doesn’t charge admission and runs purely on donations and volunteers.  It is truly a gem and I hope that everyone has a chance to check it out.

Peace

-Dave

Winter Festival Preview

Photo from flickr user carlogambino

During the Month of December, South Jersey becomes inundated with winter festivals.  The problem is many people don’t know about any of them, or just know about the one in their community.  I am going to give you a rundown of some of the festivals in the area so that you can choose which ones you want to attend.

A Blogstrolling we will go…

-Is Washington Township really cursed??? YOU decide… [Hidden History]

-There is actually a mansion in Burlington County.  It is the mansion of HB Smith, you can actually go to visit the grounds and check out the mansion.[Cup O' Jersey]

-Mini horses are cool, and local on route 579 in our own backyards in New Jersey.[NJ 579]

-There are always cool things going on in the depths of the New Jersey Pine Barrens, be sure check them out every month, but here is December.[Piney Power]

-Christmas trees do grow in New Jersey and many places offer them to be cut down. [New Jersey Events]

-Even more local Christmas trees and how to find them near you.[Philly Burbs]

-Paulsboro’s men in blue are doing their part to help the community and so can you.  Stop by the station and drop off a toy for Christmas up until Christmas Eve for local children.[NJ Events]

You choose.

So far I have been visiting the places I want to go in South Jersey.  Here is your opportunity to tell me where you want me to go.  This way I can be your test dummy and go to a place that you have never been before. 

Prison Museum

The front of the prison from flickr user kevinhooa

I just got back from visiting the Burlington County Prison Museum in Mount Holly, NJ.  Nestled in the historic part of Mount Holly the old prison still stands and is now a museum that is open to the public.  The prison opened in 1811 and was in operation until 1965.  When you enter the building, you walk directly into the small gift shop and pay for your entrance fee ($4 for adults, $2 for children and students).  The worker at the counter will then give you two brochures.  One is the map of the prison, the tour is self guided.  The second, is a brief history of the prison.  Don’t make the mistake I did, read the history right then and there.  I waited until after I left the museum, but it would have been much better for me to read the history before exploring. 

Q & A with Megan Giordano

Megan Giordano is the Museum Curator of Red Bank Battlefield in National Park, NJ.  The battlefield is one of the great historical treasures in Gloucester County and I had a chance to visit it earlier this year.

Q: How did you become a museum curator?

A: I have always been interested in history, so I majored in American History as an undergraduate. Then I received a fellowship from the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture and got a Master’s Degree from the University of Delaware. I focused on American history and museum studies. Most of all, I studied material culture — what objects can teach us about people in the past.

Some Upcoming Events

November 15th- There is a striped bass tournament being held by the Jersey Coast Shark Anglers.  This is a two day event.  There is a $150 entry fee. 

At the Pemberton Township High School from 9-3, the 10th annual collectible, toy and train show will be held.  Admission is three dollars.  The event is sponsored by the Pemberton Township Historic Trust.

Annual Craft/Vendor fair at Southern Regional High School from 9-2. Admission is $1.

The 34th Annual Pineland’s Cultural Society Day & Homeplace Festival will be held at Albert Music Hall on rt 532 at 7:30 pm.

November 19th-Ocean County College will host a celebration of Native American Heritage Month at 11am.  Native singers and dancers will perform.  Event is free.

November 20th-The South County Branch library in Atco will be holding an event for Native American Heritage Month.  Environmentalist Maggie Liebe will share Indian stories, and then create a craft for Thanksgiving. 4-8.

November 25th-The Voorhees Library will host an event for Native American History Month.  Enjoy stories and a Thanksgiving Craft. 6:30-7:30

Lucy

Lucy the Elephant has become one of the most popular and one of the coolest landmarks at the shore. Lucy is located in Margate, in Atlantic County. Lucy was made in 1881 and since then has moved from Atlantic City to Margate. The legs of the elephant act as stairs and the rest of the body is divided up into rooms. She is an amazing sight, weighing over 90 tons and standing 65 feet high. In the early twenties the tavern inside of Lucy was forced to close because of prohibition. When the law was lifted, Lucy was once again a tavern. By the sixties Lucy was dilapidated and was deemed a public hazard. Before she was torn down there was a massive movement to save her. Today Lucy still stands high at the corners of Decatur and Atlantic Avenues in Margate. There is a great museum inside the elephant. Admission is $6 for adults and $3 for children. During November and December, Lucy is open on Wed, Thurs and Fri from 11-4. On the weekends it is open from 10-5. Here is a cool video from Weird NJ. Enjoy.

Peace

-Dave

Cranberries in NJ

whitesbog from flickr user La Fattina

Big Sis commented a while ago about the massive cranberry harvesting in NJ, well here is some info about how to learn more about the cranberry industry. There are three local farms that are great to visit. The first is Double Trouble State Park, in Berkely Township. The park is open to the public and there is no entrance fee. Cloverdale Farm in Barneget, NJ is a little more closed off to the public, but does offer tours of the bogs. The tour at the end of this month is already booked, but keep checking as a worker there told me that there will most likely be more. The last farm is Whitesbog Village. Whitesbog actually has a driving tour that takes you on a 5 mile loop. Please sign in at the kiosk befor driving. On Sat November 15th Whitesbog has a moonlight walk at 7pm for $5. The tour is led by experienced guides and gives a great history of the bogs.  Enjoy all the cranberry history NJ has to offer.

Peace

-Dave