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SHREWSBURY HISTORICAL SOCIETY Historic WEDDING DRESSES Preservation Award 2020-2021 The National Society of the After repeated delays in opening the SHS Wedding Dresses Daughters of the American exhibit due to restrictions imposed by the COVID-19, Trustees Revolution has honored SHS (all following safety protocols), opened the Wedding Dresses President and former exhibit during a toned down reception at SHS on Thursday Shrewsbury Mayor Don evening, October l. The following evening, Trustees were joined Burden (2010-2018) a Historic Preservation by SHS Life-Time members, exhibit sponsors and press to Recognition Award. The preview the twenty (20) wedding dresses and other wedding award with a certificate of memorabilia currently on display. appreciation and Subsequently, more than four hundred visitors to SHS have accompanying DAR medal viewed the exhibit with so many favorable comments and praises was presented by members complimenting the team's eforts towards the success of the of the Shrewsbury Towne exhibit. Visitors expanded beyond Shrewsbury friends and SHS Chapter of the DAR at a members to an array of visitors from surrounding communities presentation ceremony on and guests from out of state. Guests also included family December 14, 2020. The members across multi generations whose family's garments are citation reads, "this award part of the display. recognizes and honors an individual who has done Exhibited items highlighted many familiar names associated with recent, remarkable volunteer the Shrewsbury's history--Alfano, Allen, Blair, Buncher, Burden, work at the community level, Crilly, D'Aloia, Martinelly, Menut, Milnes, Riordan, Siciliano, including achievements in Wilson, etc. the areas of historic preservation, publication, So much credit goes to Judi Buncher, a resident of Tinton Falls preservation of properties and an engaged member of Christ Church Shrewsbury, for what and records as well at time seemed endless hours of cleaning, repairing, and restoring photography collections and the dresses for exhibit. No details were missed. SHS is surely the service as a historical guide benefciary of her talents. Judi's husband Stuart often or interpreter." accompanied Judi in a welcomed supportive role.

Trustee Robin Blair donated valuable hours in cataloging all the

Preserving Shrewsbury History 1 SPRING NEWSLETTER SPRING 2021 SHS Endures Financial Stress articles on display which matched the energy of her sister Gee Gee Blair in producing the attractive and informative visitor's Not unlike any volunteer viewer guide. Noteworthy of course was the crew of Trustees Don organization, the COVID-19 Burden, Mark Degenhart, Mike Forrest, Mike Jones and Marty Pandemic has placed the Kowalski who constructed the platforms for the display. Mary Shrewsbury Historical Society Lea Burden meticulous maintained all the fnancial and under some unprecedented attendance records for the exhibit. fnancial stress. Despite the fact that we received some much Interestingly and unexpectedly, fve additional dresses have been appreciated donations in added to the collection. Many of these donations were inspired conjunction with the Wedding by guests who solicited interest on the part of SHS to host Dresses exhibit, the requirement additional garments. These items are now being restored and to limit the number of visitors to the building has impacted our mannequins being constructed for the next phase of the exhibit. revenue stream. While closed to the public for January, February and March, the Coupled with the fact that we intent is to open the exhibit sometime in April. The dresses will were unable to host our annual be on display, pandemic issues notwithstanding, during Weekend fundraising "Autumn Party" our in Old Monmouth, Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. Later a operating expenses continued. determination will be made regarding visiting hours. In the This event is a major fundraiser interim, limited special viewings can be made by appointment for us, and since we survive on only by calling 732-530-7974. memberships and fundraisers, we sorely feel the short fall. Electric, gas, and phone bills need to be paid. Insurance bills need to be Shrewsbury Receives Wiliam G. Pomeroy Award honored, and minimal maintenance projects have to be January brought the long awaited news that The Shrewsbury addressed. Thankfully, we didn't Historical Society has received acknowledgment of a William G. incur any major expenses to Pomeroy grant in the amount of $1,140.00 for the installation of sustain SHS. a Roadside Marker identifying Shrewsbury's "Historic Four Corners" as a site on the National Register of Historic Places. We certainly appreciate all the support our members and friends Sites designations included are the Allen House (5/8/1974), the extend to SHS annually. Your Wardell House (7/24/1974), the Shrewsbury Historic District support continues to keep us (7/17/1978), and Christ Church (10/25/1995). The "Four Corners" strong, resilient, and serving our remains "the crossroad of civilization in Monmouth County" audiences and community. Please help us to continue to The National Register of Historic Places is the ofcial list of the preserve the history of Nation's historic places worthy of preservation. More than Shrewsbury --"the crossroad of 93,000 properties are listed in the National Register, representing civilization in Monmouth County" 1.8 million contributing resources (e.g. buildings, sites, districts, structures and objects). When a property or district is placed on The Shrewsbury Historical Society the National Register, the designation does not include funding is a 501c3 nonproft, Federal Tax ID #23 727 0111. for a plaque or sign. As a result, many do not have any signage. The Pomeroy Foundation bridges the gap to provide grants so

Preserving Shrewsbury History 2 SPRING NEWSLETTER SPRING 2021 public properties and historic districts can commemorate their placement and share this achievement with their community.

With the application for funding , support from Mayor Erik Anderson and the entire Shrewsbury Borough Council was approved at the council meeting of January 19, 2021, The intent is to place the sign on the southwest corner of Broad Street and Sycamore Avenue.

"To Preserve and Protect” Profles of the People Who Recorded the History and Heritage of Monmouth County, New Jersey

A recent publication from the ofce of the Monmouth County Clerk by Christine Giordano Hanlon and Historian Rick Gefen, identifes and captures the contributions of 43 local historians who have dedicated their time, research & scholarship, and writing talents to preserve the history of Monmouth County. The ofcial song of Monmouth County

Monmouth County, fair are thy hills and waters Grand thy view of river and bay and sea. Monmouth County, fair are thy lovely daughters, Fairer, sweeter daughters could never be. Hills of Highlands, villages, farms and islands, Monmouth County, county that's home to me. Smack & Seaman-1939 Among the many historians recognized within the book are several with long time associations with Shrewsbury--Franklin Ellis, George H. Moss, Jr., John Edward Stillwell, Jr., Don Burden, Lillian Burry, Randall Gabrielan, Joseph Hammond, Mary Ann Kiernan, Barbara Kolarsick-Harrigan, Gilda Rogers, George and Kathy Dorn Severini, Muriel Smith, Dr. Richard Veit, Rik van Hemmen, etc.

Complimentary copies of the 112 page hard cover book with illustrations are available through the Monmouth County Clerk's Ofce in Freehold.

Tribute to Bele Giblon

Upon the death of Mrs. Robert "Belle" Giblon (1920-2020), the family requested that in lieu of fowers, contributions may be made to the Shrewsbury Historical Society. The memorial fund continues to grow as friends and family honor her. Belle was a long time member of the Shrewsbury Garden Club, the Shrewsbury Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and a Trustee of the Shrewsbury Historical Society.

Over the years, the Giblon's hosted several Shrewsbury Historical

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Society fund raising events at their home "The Swift House", 420 Sycamore Avenue, was a farm house originally purchased by Mr. Giblon in 1953. Upon purchasing the home, Mr. Giblon, an award winning marine engineer, added a freplace in the original kitchen and single handedly constructed a pool and cabana on property overlooking the adjacent horse pastures of Narrow Gate Farm, current home of the Bonanno family. Contributions to the Belle Giblon Memorial Fund will help sustain the annual operating costs of SHS.

Gif to Honor SHS Founder J. Louise Jost Citing and acknowledging the impact that J. Louise Jost (d. 1999) made of the life and career of Marilynn W. Stout, Petersburg, Pennsylvania, a gift of a vintage wedding dress and a German made signature doll has been gifted along with a generous contribution of $5,000. The momentary gift was received with the directive "to support and insure the continuation of the dedicated work at the Shrewsbury Historical Society as inspired by my mentor, J. Louise Jost.”

Jost & Stout 1952

Borden Estate Gifed Multiple items to SHS From 912 Broad Street

From this Greek Revival-shingle home of the Borden Home built in 1891, an assortment of many of the home's contents have been gifted to the Shrewsbury Historical Society. These gifts of epic proportion insure that many of the gifted items represent and preserve signifcant elements of Shrewsbury's history of the late 1800's and early 1900's. All items have been inventoried and cataloged at SHS. The home was the residence of founding members and long time trustees of SHS Francis R. Borden (d. 2005) and Margaret Emily Borden (d.2020). Many of the gift items were originally collected by their parents Charles F. Borden (d.1960 )and Helen Reynolds Borden (d.1981). The Borden family legacy remains a prominent part of the history of Monmouth County and Shrewsbury. SHS is greatly appreciative of the gift items, many now on permanent display at SHS.

Partial list of gifted items: cut glass wine chiller, wooden pull toys, Asian motif china & pottery, children's play toys, parlor high chair, infant cycle, sleigh bells, wicker doll carriage, Noritake china, wooden doll swing, Waterford crystal, World War I equipment, church stain glass window, miniature toy soldiers,

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Limoges dinner ware, Shaker Firkin barrels, silver place settings and apothecary jars. Of special signifcance was the vast library of books, maps, magazines and pamphlets that had been accumulated by Mrs. Charles (Helen Reynolds) Borden (d. 1981).

Milionaire's Row Sycamore Avenue Welcomes Two New Homes:

"Lone Oak”

Construction is well underway for the rebuild of "Lone Oak" most recently referred to as the Florence Forgotson residence. In 1906, J. Wright Brown, a prominent Wall Street broker, purchased the Sycamore Avenue property from Mrs. Sarah Bell and quickly expanded the existing farm house into a fourteen room mansion. The Browns named their estate Lone Oak because of the more than three hundred year old majestic oak tree that is to the west towards the rear of the property. At the time the oak tree measured twenty-three feet in diameter. It was thought to be the oldest and largest in Monmouth County. Mr. Brown died in 1956. The Browns sold the home in 1930 to Mr. & Mrs. William H. La Boyteaux. At the time, the home contained a reception hall, living room, solarium, dining room, maids' dining room, kitchen, butler's pantry, laundry, six master bedrooms and fve bathrooms. The property also has a long standing connection with the "Curley Family" wherein Mr. James K. Curley who was the superintendant of "Lone Oak". In 1946, Colonel and Mrs. John E. Adams (Florence Forgotson) purchased the 28 acre estate. Mrs. Forgotson, Esq., occupied the home as her residence ultimately passing in 2007. The home was purchased by Chimento Associates who proceeded to renovate the home only to discover some major structural faws which necessitate the demise of the home, minus the remaining chimneys. Today a new structure is under construction.

"Thornbrooke"

"The Castle"

People passing by 469 Sycamore Avenue are noticing the construction of a new residence on the site of the Jef Rich family whose home was destroyed during a horrendous fre, February 4, 2013. The lot had remained vacant until construction began on the new home in late 2020. Local folks commonly referred to the home as "The Yellow House on Sycamore Avenue". The house that was seen from Sycamore Avenue was actually the back of the home. The front of the home faced south overlooking the vast lawns and gardens which is today's Thornbrooke Estates. "The Castle" was built by the de Coppet family in the early 1900's . It was a sixteen room house with a center hall

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with beautiful inlaid parquet foors. The large, high ceiling rooms were furnished with French and Italian furniture, much of imported from Europe. There were three freplaces on the frst foor and two on the second foor. Frederick Yorg (Fritz) worked for the de Coppet's for more than thirty years. The de Coppets loved music and entertained the famous pianist, Lgnace Jan Paderewski and Earnest Schelling. The de Coppets built a rather large pond and a dam on the property. Local children skated on the pond in the wintertime. James A Curly as a boy had a most unusual job. L.C. de Coppet hired him to run a boat with an outboard motor around the pond to agitate the water so green scum wouldn't collect on it. Shrewsbury residents admired Mr. de Coppet's country attire which included knickers and a beret. Mr. de Coppet had one of the very early autos, a French buckboard, called a De Dion Bouton. Later he imported from France a lemon yellow Mors with a rear door. Louis Chevrolet, who perfected the automobile named for him was Mr. de Coppet's chaufeur. In 1919, Mr. de Coppet owned a Cadillac which was frequently driven around Shrewsbury by his coachman.

Unquestionably, the new residents of these two properties on "Millionaires Row" will relish the tales and memories long associated with their presence on Sycamore Avenue.

New Website Launched: www.shrewsburyhistoricalsocietynj.org

Recognizing the importance to expand access to information and the archives of SHS, a revitalized website is now up and running. Our website is being maintained by Karen Reeman. She has captured and posted many of the highlights of SHS. Moving forward, she will not only be updating the site on a regular basis but adding additional information from our collection of books, artifacts, maps, and other items of historic signifcance. Please check out the site at your convenience. Any suggestions to make the site more robust are welcomed. SHS also has a functioning e-mail account which is regularly accessed: [email protected]

In keeping with maximizing the benefts ofered through electronic usage of equipment, SHS now has a projector that can be used for power point presentations of a computer. When DAR member Deborah Hvizdos relocated to North Carolina, she generously donated this equipment to SHS for usage by members and guests. Thank you Deb for this welcomed donation.

And in keeping up with the electronic age, we now have a Venmo account: ShrewsburyHistorical-Society. This has enabled us to receive donations during the Wedding Dresses exhibit as well as Membership Dues as well as other donations.

In Memorium

Elinor (Babs) R. D'Aloia--March 27, 2020

Margaret Emily Borden--April 22, 2020

Carolyn Alt--November 12, 2020

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Isabel Verna Westlake Giblon--December 23, 2020

Dr. Steven Norwitz--December 23, 2020

New Life Members

Mr. & Mrs. Martin Barger

Mr & Mrs. Richard Davis

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Honecker

Ms. Deborah Lichtig

Mr. & Mrs. Donald Sweeney

Tapestries Gifed to Monmouth County Library

Working with personnel from the Monmouth County Library, Eastern Branch-Shrewsbury, a home for two tapestries (88 x 60) encased in 4 inch beveled wooden frames will soon be on permanent display at the Broad Street location. The machine woven tapestries were believed to have been woven in Aubusson, a community in the upper valley of the Cruse River in Central France. The actual artist has yet to be identifed. The work depicts typical French country hunting scenes with huntsmen and their dogs prominently integrated within the tapestry. The two tapestries were reportedly once housed in the Board of Directors suite at the John Wannamaker store in Philadelphia. It remains unknown how they became the property of Shrewsbury resident Charles Francis Borden (1887-1960). The tapestries were initially displayed in an adjoining room to Mr. Borden's ofce at his residence at 912 Broad Street. Family members were insistent that the tapestries should remain in Shrewsbury and if possible integrated into the Borden family association with Broad Street. Thanks to the grand daughters of Mr. Borden, Abbie Close (Montour Falls, NY) and Cindy Close (Cambridge, MA), agreement and arrangements were completed to move the tapestries to the library where they could be properly exhibited and enjoyed by library employees and patrons. A word of thanks to William Schindler, SHS member & Beechwood Drive resident for helping to transport the tapestries. Also, a thank you to Ellen Jackson, Tinton Falls, who spent many hours restoring the fabrics. The Shrewsbury Historical Society has gifted a plague of acknowledgment that will be placed alongside the two tapestries.

Wreaths Across America

Representatives of the Shrewsbury Historical Society along with several members of the community participated in the Wreaths Across America held at the cemetery at The Presbyterian Church at Shrewsbury on a cold winter Saturday morning , December 19. The was the frst time that Shrewsbury participated in this national program to honor both living and deceased veterans. This year, colorful wreaths were placed on 68 grave sites along with military fags representing the branch of military service of each veteran interned. The cemetery is the fnal resting place of many Shrewsbury residents from the 1700's through the Vietnam War. The program was lead by Jacob Rue, a ffth or sixth generation of his family who had been part of the Shrewsbury community dating back to the 1700's. Mrs. Bruce Rue Campbell is credited with designing the ofcial Shrewsbury seal dating back to 1943. Another familiar family name is that of Robert E. Campbell who was killed in action in Italy 1944 close to the end of World War 11. The Robert E. Campbell Award is a highlight of the annual commencement program at the Shrewsbury Borough School. The success of this frst Wreaths Across America in Shrewsbury inspired its organizers to participate again in 2021.

Preserving Shrewsbury History 7 Trustee Authors Book

Dutch and English settlers brought the first enslaved people to New Jersey in the seventeenth century. By the time of the Revolutionary War, slavery was an established practice on labor-intensive farms throughout what became known as the Garden State. The progenitor of the influential Morris family, Lewis Morris, brought Barbadian slaves to toil on his estate of Tinton Manor in Monmouth County. “Colonel Tye,” an escaped slave from Shrewsbury, joined the British “Ethiopian Regiment” during the Revolutionary War and led raids throughout the towns and villages near his former home. Charles Reeves and Hannah Van Clief married soon after their emancipation in 1850 and became prominent citizens of Lincroft, as did their next four generations. Author Rick Geffken reveals stories from New Jersey’s dark history of slavery.

Rick is a trustee of the Shrewsbury Historical Society, past president and a trustee of the Jersey Coast Heritage Museum at Sandlass House, former publisher of the Monmouth Connection and a member of the Navesink Maritime Historical Association and the Monmouth County Historical Association. He is currently heading up a project called the New Jersey Slavery Records Index. Rick Geffken will be hosting at least a dozen Zoom presentations during Black History Month, including those for the Eatontown Historical Museum on Sunday, Feb. 14; the Asbury Park Historical Society on Thursday, Feb. 18; the Parker Homestead-1665 on Sunday, Feb. 21; and the Friends of the Crawford House on Sunday, Feb. 28. His subsequent presentations include those for the Long Branch Library on Tuesday, March 23; the Red Bank Public Library on Wednesday, March 31; and the Monmouth County Genealogy Society on Tuesday, April 20. See these organizations’ websites for details

Shrewsbury Historical Society Museum, Education, and Research Center

2021 Membership Dues

Life Members No Longer Pay Annual Dues

Individual $15.00______Business $100.00______

Family $25.00______Life $250.00______

Additional Tax Deductible Contribution ______

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Venmo accepted - ShrewsburyHistorical-Society

ANNUAL DUES 2021 January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021

Shrewsbury Historical Society P.O. Box 333 Shrewsbury, NJ 07702-0333

SHS is supported by membership dues and contributions. SHS is an independent organization and does not receive subsidies or other financial support from the Borough of Shrewsbury.

Shrewsbury Historical Society PO Box 333 Shrewsbury, NJ 07702

SHS OFFICERS & TRUSTEES 2021

President Donald W. Burden Vice-President Robin Blair Secretary Jenny Jones Treasurer Mary Lea Burden

TRUSTEES

Ms. Gee Gee Blair Mr. & Mrs. David Koch Ms. Robin Blair Mr. & Mrs. Martin Kowalski Mr. & Mrs. Donald Burden Mr. & Mrs. Theodore Kurdyla Dr. & Mrs. Stephen Chagares Rev. Lisa S. Mitchell Mr. & Mrs. Dan Colella Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Moeller Mr. & Mrs. Mark Degenhart Mr. & Mrs. William Morris (Emeriti) Dr. & Mrs. Patrick DiBello Mr. & Mrs. William Moss Mr. Rick Geffken Mr. & Mrs. Michael Forrest Mr. & Mrs. Robert Honecker Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey Reger Mr. & Mrs. Michael Jones Mr. & Mrs. Harry Ticehurst (Emeriti) Newsletter Editor: Dena Reger