2015-02 - Ocean's Heritage Newsletter

Ocean’s Heritage, Winter 2015

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The Eden Woolley House

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A new idea for preserving and sharing local history

Family Stories video history project underway

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t’s not that the Museum calendar isn’t already quite full. But a good idea is a good idea, and this is one that couldn’t wait. So, on Friday, November 21, we launched the pilot of a new project: “Family Stories Video Histories.�

tor. He and Dallas collaborate to hone the footage into a coherent interview.

A copy of the resulting DVD goes to the family, another to the Museum where it may be used in historical research and educational programs. A $25 donation helps cover expenses.

The new project is designed to preserve and share the personal recollections of family members and friends whose familiar stories tell of how things used to be, of how we came to be, of events and characters well worth remembering. We are inviting people into the Museum to sit down, interview loved ones, and preserve and share personal and local history.

Making it happen

Member Mort Burke is our technical expert.

Once again, the skill and generosity of our talented members brought the good idea to life. Former talk-show host Dallas Grove volunteered to spearhead the project.

Video engineer Mort Burke offered his time (and equipment) to videotape and edit.

One good idea leads to another The pilot produced a charming and captivating interview between Gail Levenson and her 90-year-old mother Florence Harris. So captivating, in fact, that another idea occurred to us: Why not share it more broadly?

How it works

We have arranged with Ocean TV, the township’s community cable channel (77 on Cablevision and 22 on Verizon FiOS) to air a monthly Museum-produced program, “Hometown History,� featuring, among other things, highlights of our “Family Stories.� Stay tuned for details!

Interested parties contact the Museum to request a videotaping. Dallas works with participants, helping them identify key themes and stories, select photos, and prepare for the interview.

She is there during the taping to support and coach. Mort is cameraman and direc-

Who in your family or circle of friends holds the stories? Honor them with an invitation to participate in the Family Stories Video History Project. Call (732-531-9264) or email (oceanmuseum.org) to explore the possibilities.

Professional interviewer and Museum member Dallas Grove coaches Florence Harris, 90, and her daughter Gail Levenson, at the videotaping of the Family Stories pilot.

Florence’s Story

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lorence Harris, subject of the “Family Storiesâ€? pilot, shared memories of her grandparents, Russian ĂŠmigrĂŠs who settled in Brooklyn around 1910. He was a Talmudic scholar; she was a determined survivor who led the family to the U.S. and helped it survive the Depression by brewing bathtub gin. Florence’s husband joined the Marines in 1939 at 18. Before his wartime deployment overseas, he was a member of the Drum and Bugle Corps that accompanied Franklin Roosevelt on his recuperative visits to Warm Springs, Georgia. Family stories include recollections of first-hand impressions of the President. Florence herself had a connection with the Roosevelts. She worked for 17 years for a children’s organization founded by First Lady Eleanor. Trudie Lash, the wife of Eleanor’s biographer Joseph Lash, was her co-worker.

Florence’s grandparents

Ocean’s Heritage, Winter 2015

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Left: Model trains encircled a village green created from Victorian paper cut-outs. Center: The Hearth and Home Gallery is transformed into a Museum Store where crafters Jeanne Ribsam and Marion Vogler sit ready to help shoppers. Right: Bethany Swartz (9) and Cate Dorocher (8) of Westfield fill out their “Find the Christmas Trees” game cards.

The Holiday Weekend was our own “Brigadoon”

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he Scottish village of Brigadoon appears magically for one day every 100 years. We do better than that. For two days every year, the Woolley House becomes a transformed space, a soon-to-disappear setting where guests welcome in the start of the holiday season.

On December 6 and 7, more than 300 people entered that transformed space to enjoy model trains, vintage toys, galleries dressed for the season, a bit of shopping, and the premiere of a mini-exhibit. The Holiday Weekend was a record-breaker, earning rave reviews and more than $2,540 for the Museum treasury.

Phoebe Woolley (aka Heather MacDonald), dressed in her 18th century garb

and playing her dulcimer, entertained visitors in the Richmond Gallery. The Our Town Gallery featured a model train layout, a delightful collection of vintage popup books, and a new exhibit--”Oakhurst School Remembered.” The Hearth and Home Gallery, emptied of artifacts, was for two days a charming boutique and bakery, filled to overflowing with hand-crafted gifts and home-baked treats.

Children searched from gallery to gallery to complete their “Find the Christmas Trees” game cards. Parents and grandparents added their own memories at the Oakhurst School exhibit and amused a new generation with stories of what school was like decades ago. “Boys and girls had sepa-

Support from trusts and foundations

Saturday and Sunday, May 2 and 3

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ou know that the Museum is an all-volunteer organization and that all the funds we raise go to operate and maintain the Woolley House. But perhaps you do not know the role that several trusts and foundations play in raising those funds. Our sincere thanks to those listed here whose generosity helps make our operations possible.

• The William T. and Marie J. Henderson Foundation ($1,000) • The Wells Fargo Charitable Foundation ($1,000) • The Rita & Harry Greenberger Foundation Inc. ($500) • The Brunetti Foundation ($500) • The Renzulli Charitable Trust, sponsored by Libero Marx and Giuliana M. Renzulli ($250.00)

rated playgrounds!” marveled nine-yearold Lilli Kenny, visiting with her grandmother Mary Osborn Siver.

The finale of the weekend was the drawing of the winning quilt raffle ticket, Sunday afternoon.

Wayside resident and Museum member Anne Marie Sparaco won. Anne Marie--like all the Holiday Weekend visitors --left happy.

2014 quilt winner, Anne Marie Sparaco

Weekend in Old Monmouth For the eighth year in a row, more than 40 of Monmouth County’s most note-worthy historical sites are opening to the public, all at the same time. Saturday and Sunday, May 2 and 3 are the dates of this year’s “Weekend in Old Monmouth,” a self-guided tour sponsored by the Board of Chosen Freeholders and the county Historical Commissioin. And once again, the Eden Woolley House is featured.

In recent years, the tour has included sites from around the county as diverse as the Ocean Grove Auditorium and National Guard Militia Museum, Sea Girt. Tour guide books (available on

line and at each site, including our Museum) describe each venue, suggest tour routes, and provide an easy-to-use map.

Details of this year’s event will be posted on the county’s website. Google “Weekend in Old Monmouth.”

“Four Corners,” Shrewsbury

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Ocean’s Heritage, Winter 2015

Speaker, March 10

New Jersey author to speak on state’s history of innovation

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rom bubble wrap to bar codes – we’re surrounded by inventions that range from clever to life-changing. Yet, with due deference to Edison, we rarely stop to wonder where the innovations that ease, enrich, and extend our lives come from.

ing way of life. Join us 7:15 p.m., Tuesday, March 10 at the old Oakhurst Schoolhouse (Board of Ed Offices) auditorium, 163 Monmouth Road, Oakhurst to hear Linda Barth, author of A History of Inventing in New Jersey, speak.

It turns out that bubble wrap and bar codes--not to mention the Band-Aid, air-conditioner, drive-in theater, cell phone, transistor, artificial knee, color television, electric guitar, professional baseball, and M&Ms--are among the inventions that came from the fourth most patentholding state in the union.* Our own New Jersey!

Linda’s fascination with New Jersey history was piqued when she became a fourth grade teacher and taught it as part of the curriculum. Over time, her interest in state history expanded to writing and preservation. Linda now spends her time writing, speaking, and volunteering for nonprofit groups such as the D&R Canal Watch, the American Canal Society, and the League of Historical Societies of New Jersey.

Share the pride and learn about the creative New Jersey minds that have given us a safer, more efficient, and more entertain-

brief general meeting (long enough for the election of Museum officers). It is the next in the Museum’s Speakers’ Series.

The speaker event is open to the public, free of charge. Donations are appreciated. Refreshments are served. (We collect and welcome nonperishable items for the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties.)

The March event begins with a very

* The U. S. Patent Office has been tracking patents by state since 1977. New Jersey companies and residents have received 115,000 patents to date. Only California, Texas, and New York--states with much larger populations--exceeded New Jersey’s total (115,000).

State History Fair

F Reserve your table

Spring Tea tickets available starting March 1

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he Museum’s 11th Annual Spring Tea will be held Saturday, April 25, from 2 to 4 (seating at 1:30) at the West Park Avenue Recreation Center, Oakhurst. Tickets ($25) are available starting March 1. Call 732-531-2136 to reserve your space. Single tickets are available, but the most fun is coming with friends and reserving tables for four or eight!

You’ll enjoy tasty tea sandwiches, breads, desserts, and scones (with whipped cream, butter, or jam)--all made by Museum volunteers. You’ll be offered a variety of delicious teas. There will be a gift basket auction, a sale of

quilted crafts and doll clothes, and a fancy hat contest.

The Tea sells out every year. Please buy your tickets early. They must be purchased in advance--none are sold at the door.

Gift Auction Items Welcome Did you receive a holiday gift you can’t use? Maybe we can! We welcome new items for the Spring Tea gift baskets. Call 732531-2136 or simply bring your items to the Museum (hours are printed on the back of the newsletter). We will transform your donations into delightful packages--and revenue for the Museum!

or the past decade, historical organizations from across the state have come together to put on a show for thousands of appreciative visitors. And this year, the annual event is in our own backyard (well, almost). On Saturday, May 9, 11 to 5, rain or shine, the New Jersey History Fair is at the Monmouth Battlefield State Park in Manalapan.

Our Museum will be there with exhibits, quilters, demonstrations, and music--and you are invited.

Bring the family. Browse the “artisan and authors” marketplace, visit the booths of historical and genealogical societies, watch Civil and Revolutionary War re-enactors, and meet historical characters the likes of Clara Barton, General Henry Clinton, (and of course, our own Phoebe Woolley).

Ocean’s Heritage, Winter 2015

4 Thinking ahead

How about a Woolley Family Reunion?

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Message from the Museum

President

“History teaches everything including the future.” --Lamartine

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his January, a very special group of Museum volunteers completed the 28th year of our Third-Grade School Program. Beginning in 1987, Reba Eichorn, a retired Wanamassa third-grade teacher and Museum docent, realized that we could help children understand the history of their community using the pictures and artifacts in our Museum. We approached the school administration and the third-grade program was born.

Every year since, an annual Museum class trip has been part of the social studies curriculum in the Ocean Township schools.

Under the direction of chairman Ellen Gulick, this year a team of 15 volunteers brought history to life for 13 third-grade classes (about 250 students). In the past 28 years, we estimate that over 7,000 students have visited the Museum and learned about the history of Ocean Township, surrounding areas, and what life was like in the 18th and 19th centuries--before electricity, indoor plumbing, and the technological advances third-graders can’t imagine life without. Some of those original third-graders are now parents with third-graders of their own!

A key mission of this Museum is education. We thank and congratulate our current and past docents who have helped us carry out this mission by illuminating local history for all the students, teachers and parent chaperones who have come through our doors.

Thank you for your time and enthusiasm. You are special people.

he idea occurred when a visitor to the Museum came bearing gifts. She is a Woolley descendent who had brought with her pages of genealogical research on the family. Her documentation may be exceptional, but her connection and her interest are not.

Since the Woolley House opened in 2009 --and even before--Woolley family members have lent their support to our mission.

They range from Frank West, a Woolley descendent and gifted artisan who crafted the model of the house that helped us to raise Eden Woolley, 1804 to 1892, for whom awareness (and money) before the move, to the Museum is named, lived in the house Phil Parratt, master carpenter who devoted (today’s Museum) in 1849 when the Town- hours of skilled labor to the restoration.

Museum records for the Woolley Family ship of Ocean was incorporated and served on its first elected governing body. go back to the 10th Century to a Ralph De Walegh in Chesire, England. Thirteen generations of Walegh, Woley, Wolley, Woolley’s appear in English records before Emanuel Wooley, born 1625, left England for Newport, Rhode Island. Our own Eden Woolley, is a descendant in Emanuel’s line--as are countless others, some living in this area.

The idea is to host a reunion--invite Woolley descendents (and anyone interested in the family’s history) to get together to meet each other, share family stories, and see what the Museum has learned and collected on their ancestors. We’re holding Sunday, August 16, as a target date, but we need to spread the word and hear from you.

Please call the Museum (732-531-2136) or email (oceanmuseum@verizon.net) if this sounds like a party you’d like to attend!

The Museum in 2014

By the Numbers

The numbers show at a glance that 2014 was a very good year

1,899 Visitors (all told) to the Museum 250 3rd grade visitors 3 Exhibit openings (History of Houses, Morro Castle, Oakhurst School Remembered)

385 Household memberships (many more members; we’ve just begun this year tracking number of people)

714 People attending Museum-sponsored off-site events

(Speakers’ Program, Spring Tea, Anniversary Luncheon, . . .)

9,687 Website visits (oceanmuseum.org) 59,976 Dollars raised from all sources (39% fund-raisers, 27% memberships, 16% foundations, 8% grants)

Paul Edelson

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Ocean’s Heritage, Winter 2015

Jean Ellen Byrnes, Class of 1957, credits her experience as Safety Patrol captain with influencing her choice to become a teacher. She taught for 25 years, including time in a rural Nebraska classroom of kindergarten, first, and second graders and in a progressive open classroom in Colorado. Her “I Remember”recalls attitudes and practices unimaginable in today’s schools.

I Remember . . .

Safety Patrol at Oakhurst School My Safety Patrol memories are among my happiest of Oakhurst School, a place where we shared a wonderful sense of family. Safety Patrol members and officers were appointed by our teachers, and it was quite an honor to be named, for the 1956-1957 school year, the first female captain--ever.

As the captain, I was in charge of the patrol. My friend Lorraine Hartigan Nonnenberg was appointed lieutenant. We wore badges: blue for the captain, red for the lieutenant, and silver for the “regulars.” (We loved our badges. My brother Terry--who was Safety Patrol lieutenant in 1955-- remembers one of his friends wearing his badge all day long and even in his class picture!)

Keeping the kids safe--and in line

hind the school. It was my job to tell the upper grades when they could re-enter the building. I leaned out of the window at the second floor landing so I could see everything on the playground. So exhilarating!

We also monitored the lines as the students entered the building and passed through the halls before school and during recess breaks. We didn’t allow talking or drinking from the water fountains. If students talked or pushed, we could take them out of line and/or report them to their teachers.

Left in charge of a classroom On rainy, snowy or bitter cold days, Lorraine and I would supervise entire classes in their rooms so the teachers could take a break, for about half an hour. I always worked in Mrs. Hyer’s 3rd grade, playing games with the kids, like “eraser tag “ and “It is I.” I was the only person in authority; there was no adult in the room. Lorraine had a separate classroom. That would NEVER happen today!!

In general, our jobs were to supervise children on the playground before school, at recess, and during lunch breaks. (Boys and girls were segregated during recess, The rewards playing on different sides of the school.)

Every spring, the Safety Patrol went If there were problems of any kind to a New York Giants baseball game as --fighting, rough play, name-calling, a reward for our service. I had a great cheating, recklessness on the swings and time for two years in a row. The last see-saws, playing in areas that were off- year, I remember calling “Say hey, Willimits--we were expected to intervene lie” to Willie Mays who played, I beand/or tell the teacher on duty. As I remember, the Safety Patrol had no time to Left to right: Mary Osborn Siver, Sue Thomas, lieve, center field. He always waved and Jean Ellen Byrnes on the Oakhurst School back to us. What a thrill! play during these breaks.

Lorraine and I agree that being on We were very committed to our re- playground, 1954. the Safety Patrol--caring for classrooms sponsibilities. Terry remembers checking of children--was a highlight of our the woods surrounding the school to make sure the kids had school years.

We loved children and I believe those activities heard the bell and lined up on time. On occasion, a student influenced our decisions to become teachers. (We both began would not hear the bell and panic to discover that everyone our careers in the Bradley School in Asbury Park.) I rememhad gone into the building --leaving him alone in the woods! ber Mrs. Hyer telling me, “You have to become a teacher!”

I remember making the rounds during the lunch hour --to the girl’s bathroom in the basement of the old building, Jean Ellen Byrnes through the hallways, and to the playgrounds and fields be-

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Ocean’s Heritage, Winter 2015

A new slate of officers to be presented at the March 10 General Membership Meeting/Speaker Event

The Proposed 2015-2017 Slate of Officers/Trustees

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he Museum Board is made up of seven elected officers, six elected trustees, and a flexible number of appointed directors. The officers are elected to two-year terms. The trustees serve six-year overlapping terms. The officers and trustees are elected at a General Membership meeting. This year, that meeting is the March 10 Speaker’s Event (details at the bottom of the page). Following the election, the officers and trustees meet to name the appointed directors and complete the Board, consistent with Museum’s strategic goals.

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fficers

President: Paul Edelson Current Museum President. Charter member of the Museum (former trustee, budget committee, property management team, and more). 30+ years of community service (Zoning and Planning Boards, Board of Education, Boy Scouts).

1st Vice President (Events): Brenda Wityk Former President and Museum Director. The force behind Museum gift auctions and other successful Museum fundraisers. A leader in the school and church communities.

Paul Edelson

Brenda Wityk

Nancy Emmons

Jack McCormack

Nancy Ehrlich

Sergie Conklin

Ginny Richmond

Eileen McCormack

Peggy Dellinger

2nd Vice President (Membership): Nancy Emmons Current Membership VP and Museum docent.

Long-time Oakhurst resident, retired from Bell Laboratories and now working for Monmouth Racetrack.

Treasurer: Jack McCormack Current Treasurer. Retired Director of Information Systems Auditing for several Fortune 50 companies. Worked for McCormack, Baker and Neral, CPAs, and established their information technology department.

Corresponding Secretary: Nancy Ehrlich New to the Board. Drawn to the Museum by her interest in her Wanamassa centennial home.

Former Asbury Park and Ocean Grove business owner. Currently a jewelry designer, bookkeeper, and freelance social media consultant.

Recording Secretary: Sergie Conklin Current Recording Secretary, Museum docent, and quilter. Her interest in history brought her to the Museum after her careeer as a social worker for the state of New Jersey.

Museum Director: Ginny Richmond Museum President for ten years. Led the organization through the transition to the Woolley House.

Most recently Corresponding Secretary. Retired teacher (20 years in the Long Branch School system).

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rustees (2015-2021)* Eileen McCormack Current Curator and IT Director, former Museum Director. Created systems and brought professional practices to the management of the Museum collection and records. Retired chemist and IT professional.

Peggy Dellinger Co-founder of the Museum and its first president. Currently a trustee, exhibit director, and newsletter editor. * Trustees serving unexpired terms--2013-2019: Bob Landis, Joal Leone; 2011-2017: Marge Edelson, Kathy Parratt

Election of Officers/Trustees at the Speaker’s Event

7:15 p.m. Tuesday, March 10, at the Oakhurst School auditorium, 163 Monmouth Road, Oakhurst. Nominations accepted from the floor.

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Ocean’s Heritage, Winter 2015

Ocean Township High at 50

Upcoming exhibit marks significant anniversary in the Our Town Gallery in September.

We need to hear from you. We are looking for photos, memorabilia, and memories. (Our Research Library has a complete collection of yearbooks, so we are all set on that front.) Call (732-531-2136) if you have material to share. Email us (oceanmuseum@verizon.net) to include your OTHS memory in the summer newsletter.

Math Club, 1969, year of OTHS’s first 4-year graduating class.

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his year Ocean Township High School celebrates its 50th year. Before 1965, 8th graders graduating from Township elementary schools chose between Asbury Park and Long Branch High. The opening of the new school was a turning point for Ocean--and for Asbury, the district that had up to then educated most of the township’s teens.

The Museum is noting this significant anniversary with a mini-exhibit, “Ocean Township High at 50,” opening

Are your 2015 dues paid?

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useum membership runs for a calendar year. That means, if you haven’t already, it’s time to pay your 2015 dues. Nearly a third of our revenue comes from our memberships. They keep us afloat --and demonstrate (to grant-givers and others) the extent of our community support.

Pippa says, ” The newsletter is a benefit of membership! Don’t lose it!”

Photo by Carly Watt

In memory We mourn the passing in recent months of seven friends and Museum members.

Paul Manganelli, 68, Jersey City native and 45-year Oakhurst resident, died September 25. He was a business owner in Asbury Park.

Nora Kirlew, 85, died November 28. Nora was born in England and had lived the last 36 years in Ocean Township. She owned a ceramic shop in Long Branch.

Jane Young, 87, of Ocean Grove, died Saturday, December 27. Jane worked for NJ Bell and later AT&T for a total of 42 years. We knew her as a Museum member and quilter.

Nicholas Baldino, 90, of Red Bank, died January 11. He served as a World War II bombardier and had a distinguished career in finance. Nick was profiled as “Oakhurst School’s (Almost) Oldest Alum” in the last issue of the newsletter.

Mark your calendar

Coming Events General Meeting and Speaker Event

“New Jersey, the Invention State” Tuesday, March 10, 7:15—Oakhurst School Auditorium. Author Linda Barth covers the highlights of her latest book, A History of Inventing in New Jersey.

Spring Tea Saturday, April 25, 1:30 seating— West Park Recreation Center. Tickets on sale March 1.

Weekend at Old Monmouth Saturday and Sunday, May 2 and 3.

A self-guided tour of Monmouth County’s premiere historical sites, including the Eden Woolley House.

New Jersey History Fair Saturday, May 9, 11 to 5 (rain or shine) --Monmouth Battlefield State Park, Manalapan.

General Meeting and Speaker Event New Jersey’s Covered Bridges

Tuesday, June 9, 7:15—Oakhurst School.

Exhibit opening

Fashion: The History of What We Wear Sunday, June 28—The Richmond Gallery of the Eden Woolley House. An exploration of the historical, cultural, and technical influences on what we wear.

American Doll Tea Sunday, July 12 (Rain date July 19)— The Woolley House and grounds.

Tickets ($30 for one child and her favorite adult) go on sale June 1.

Helyn Slovak, 96, of Interlaken, died January 21. Helyn was a professional dancer in the 1920s and an accomplished artist whose work, “The Skaters,” was used by UNICEF on a greeting card.

Woolley Family Reunion

James Serano, 95, died January 30. Jim was a generous Museum supporter who sponsored our quilt raffle tickets for many years. We honored the heroism that earned him a Silver Star in our exhibit,” Loved Ones Go to War: Local Stories of WWII.”

Mini-exhibit opening

Don Curtis, 80, died February 5. Don was a long-time Oakhurst resident and a

Sunday, September 6—The Richmond Gallery of the Eden Woolley House.

tireless, respected community and church leader whose contributions touched many.

Sunday, August 16—The Woolley House and grounds.

Ocean Twp. High School at 50

Ocean’s Heritage, Winter 2015

7:15 p.m., Tuesday March 10, 2015 Speaker-, Linda Barth

New Jersey, the Invention State

Oakhurst Schoolhouse, 163 Monmouth Rd.

The Eden Woolley House

Home of the Township of Ocean Historical Museum

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Museum Hours

/ - 365 ( - 365Äť/,- 395g5.)5j Thursday evening: 7 to 9 (April to November) g-.5 ( 5h( 5 /( 3-5) 5." 5')(."95g5.)5j5 ‘The Twp. of Ocean Historical Museum received an operating support grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State.’

The Township of Ocean Historical Museum

2015 Household Membership Application New____ Renewal____

Date_______________________________

Name(s) as you would like it (them) to appear on your membership card and correspondence.

_______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ Number of people in your household (your membership includes them all) ___________________ Street ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Town_______________________________________ State________________________ Zip________________________________ Phone________________________ Email (used only to send notice of Museum events )_____________________________________________ Please check your level of support ___ Friend of the Museum $5000+ ___ Silver Member $250 ___ Supporter $25+

___ Platinum Member $1000+ ___ Benefactor $100+ ___ Basic Member $15+

___ Gold Member $500+ ___ Patron $50+

Please check the volunteer opportunities that interest you ___Historical research ___ Grant preparation

___Collections/Acquisitions ___Public relations

___Fund-raising ___ Restoration

___ 3rd Grade program ___ Exhibits

___ Oral histories ___ Tour guide/Docent

___ Membership ___ Quilting/Crafts ___Office work ___Gardening ___ Other ____________________

Detach and mail to Township of Ocean Historical Museum, P.O. Box 516, Oakhurst, NJ 07755 ------For Office use only:----Check $___________________

Cash ____________________