Ocean County Historical Society Offers Bus Trips, Lectures and More

Jul 18, 2023

By Rick Mellerup | on August 30, 2023

TIMELESS TOUR: The third annual Ocean County History Day is Sept. 16, on society grounds in Toms River. Learn about the county’s noble past while enjoying Revolutionary War-era music. (Supplied Photo)

The Ocean County Historical Society, headquartered at 26 Hadley Ave. in Toms River, has planned a busy autumn season.

From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16 (a rain date is set for Sept. 17), the society, in conjunction with the Ocean County Cultural and Heritage Commission and the Captain Joshua Huddy chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, will present its third annual Ocean County History Day. The event will take place on the grounds of the society and will feature displays by numerous historical organizations that will help tell the rich history of the county. There will also be historic re-enactors, museum tours, a snack table, a used book sale and a 50/50. A musical group, Ministers of Apollo, will perform Revolutionary War-era music throughout the day employing voice, harpsichord, fife and drum.

At 11 a.m. visitors will have the opportunity to meet Revolutionary War patriot Reuben Randolph. At 11:30 George Washington will make an appearance. Then, at noon, War of 1812 re-enactor Jeff Brown will give a talk about one of America’s “forgotten wars,” which was far more than the burning of Washington, the bombardment of Fort McHenry and the Battle of New Orleans.

On Saturday, Sept. 23 the society is sponsoring a bus trip to the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia. The cost is $45 for members and students and $55 for nonmembers, which pays for the charter bus, a tip for the driver and museum admission.

The bus will depart promptly at 9 a.m., but participants are urged to arrive at the society HQ by 8:30. The bus will depart from the museum at 2:30 p.m. and is expected to be back in Toms River by 4 p.m. There is a restaurant in the museum, and there are plenty of others in the immediate neighborhood. For more information or to reserve a spot, call Jeff Schenker at 609-339-9134.

At 2 p.m. the next day, Sunday, Sept. 24, George Washington will once again visit the historical society’s HQ. The re-enactor, Schenker, who is the society’s president, a longtime history teacher at Toms River High School South and currently an adjunct professor of history at Ocean County College, will portray Washington in 1799, the last year of his life. He will reflect on Washington’s service in the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, his role in the Constitutional Convention, his two terms as president and his views on slavery. Seating is limited, so reserve a seat for the free program by emailing [email protected] and provide your name, ZIP Code, email address and the date of the program.

The society is sponsoring another bus trip on Saturday, Oct. 7. The destination this time is Lancaster, Pa. Tickets are $50 for members and students and $60 for nonmembers. Once again, to reserve a spot call Schenker at 609-339-9134.

The bus will leave the society’s HQ at 8 a.m. with boarding beginning at 7:30. The first stop will be at the famous Kitchen Kettle Village for shopping and lunch. A visit to an Amish farm, house and schoolhouse will follow. It is expected the bus will return to Toms River by 7 p.m.

Just in time for Halloween, at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 15, Richard Veit, Ph.D., will be presenting a talk titled “Stranger Stop and Cast an Eye: An Introduction to New Jersey’s Historic Burial Grounds.”

Veit is a professor of anthropology and associate dean of the Wayne D. McMurray School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Monmouth University. The author of eight books, he focuses his research on the colonial Middle Atlantic Region.

“Far from being scary, spooky places, New Jersey’s historic burial grounds are treasure troves of information for historians, genealogists, archaeologists, and art historians,” says a society blurb about the event. “This richly illustrated presentation examines New Jersey historic cemeteries from High Point to Cape May. It provides a chronological overview of New Jersey’s historic burial places from the colonial period to the present.”

The society’s speaker series is free, but once again, seating is limited, so reserve a seat by emailing [email protected].

On Sunday, Nov. 12 at 2 p.m., yet another speaker series presentation will feature railroad historian John Kilbride, a 34-year veteran of Amtrak who has written or contributed to numerous publications for national railroad historical societies and railroad books. It is titled “Trackside Along the Camden and Amboy Railroad.”

“Train travel was an exciting improvement in New Jersey’s early 1800s, overtaking stagecoaches as a way of travel between New York and Philadelphia,” says a society blurb. “… Eyewitness accounts of early travel through New Jersey and the corporate strength of the C&A as it expanded its empire and the monopoly created in its relatively short history will be explained.”

Make sure to reserve a seat.

A presentation set for 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 10 has a long title – “A War Against Disease and Despair: Immigrants, Nurses, Soldiers, and the Transformation of Patient Care on Ellis Island During World War I.”

“While known primarily for its use as an immigrant facility, Ellis Island went through several major changes from the time war was declared in Europe in 1914, to the time that the last military members left the island in 1919. During the First World War, Ellis Island and its associated hospital facilities would be victims of German terrorism, a mobilization point for thousands of Red Cross nurses bound for the front lines, and a debarkation hospital that was the first stop home for countless sick and wounded soldiers returning from the battlefield.”

The presenter will be Ryan Radice, a historian from Scotch Plains and Monmouth University graduate. His research interests include immigration history, the American Revolution and the early republic, and the history and archaeology of New Jersey cemeteries and military sites.

Reserve a seat by emailing [email protected].

For over 70 years, the society has been collecting, preserving and interpreting stories, artifacts, and archival resources that celebrate Ocean County’s distinct heritage.

It is headquartered at the Elizabeth Sculthorp Force House, a museum in a Gothic Revival style Victorian home built in the mid-1800s. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the State Register of Historic Places, and the New Jersey Women’s Heritage Trail. The Richard L. Strickler Research Center, a contemporary addition to the house, is an extensive repository of books, maps and historical and genealogical records that provides students, researchers, genealogists and history enthusiasts with essential resources necessary for telling the stories of Ocean County.

Docent-led guided tours of the Force House, including group tours, are available, by appointment only, every Tuesday and Thursday – except national or state holidays – along with the first and third Saturday of each month from 1 to 3 p.m. Email [email protected] or call 732-341-1880 to arrange for a tour. The tours are free, although a donation would be appreciated.

School groups are especially welcome.

The research center is open every Tuesday and Wednesday and the first and third Saturday of every month, 1 to 4 p.m. Contact [email protected] or call 732-341-1880 for more information.

— Rick Mellerup

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