You are Viewing an Archived Copy from the New Jersey State Library FOR THREE CENTU IES PEOPLE/ PURPOSE / PROGRESS Design/layout: Howard Goldstein You are Viewing an Archived Copy from the New Jersey State Library THE NEW JERSE~ TERCENTENARY 1664-1964 REPORT OF THE NEW JERSEY TERCENTENA'RY COMM,ISSION Trenton 1966 You are Viewing an Archived Copy from the New Jersey State Library You are Viewing an Archived Copy from the New Jersey State Library STATE OF NEW .JERSEY TERCENTENARY COMMISSION D~ 1664-1964 / For Three CenturieJ People PmpoJe ProgreJs Richard J. Hughes Governor STATE HOUSE, TRENTON EXPORT 2-2131, EXTENSION 300 December 1, 1966 His Excellency Covernor Richard J. Hughes and the Honorable Members of the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey: I have the honor to transmit to you herewith the Report of the State of New Jersey Tercentenary Commission. This report describee the activities of the Commission from its establishment on June 24, 1958 to the completion of its work on December 31, 1964. It was the task of the Commission to organize a program of events that Would appropriately commemorate the three hundredth anniversary of the founding of New Jersey in 1664. I believe this report will show that the Commission effectively met its responsibility, and that the ~ercentenary obs~rvance instilled in the people of our state a renewfd spirit of pride in the New Jersey heritage. It is particularly gratifying to the Commission that the idea of the Tercentenary caught the imagination of so large a proportior. of New Jersey's citizens, inspiring many thousands of persons, young and old, to volunteer their efforts. The excitement and the achievements of the Tercentenary celebration were due to this remarkable demonstration of public enthusiasm at least as much ae to the work of the Commission i teelf. This, I believe, is the true measure of our success. Paul L. Troase, ~ airman Paul L :r1OUt, ChainDaD, Clif''''': c.. OwIcs E. Pa.rJ'iqton, Auemblymaa and Vice-OWnnan, P.i.",..; C. J(..",e!b Chad..,. Ho~""'/I To_,bi~; C. ~n .. A. R. G...... PJ"d.,.o. TOIV,,,h,~; C; Prederid: H. G,orl. Sbon HN},; C; HtnIJ S. Ha~, Scnato" B.dio"",,: C. Mariob Wcst H....... ~ H,II,J.J,; C; Dr. Qilford L. Lold, RiJ,.."otHi; C; John T. Soja, PJiuh"h; C; 1ljcbard R. Stout, Seaote><. AlI..h..,,: C. Wdlwn A. WildHnf.ld, 0,_,,; C. Onid S. Oo';cs, Eucutift Diroao,; C. R"ll"f H. McDoooush. Secrdary. You are Viewing an Archived Copy from the New Jersey State Library MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION Chairman: Paul L. Troast, Clifton Vice-Chairman: Assemblyman Charles E. Farrington, Mercer County Kenneth Chorley, Hopewell Township Mrs. A. R. Green, Elsinboro Township Frederick H. Groel, Short Hills Senator Anthony J. Grossi, Passaic County Assemblywoman Marion West Higgins, Bergen County Clifford L. Lord, Ridgewood John T. Soja, Elizabeth Senator Richard R. Stout, Monmouth County Justice William A. Wachenfeld, Orange FORM'ER MEMBERS Senator Robert C. Crane, Union County Assemblyman Benjamin Franklin, III, Morris County Senator Henry S. Haines, Burlington County Joseph G. Hancock, Greenwich Senator John A. Lynch, Middlesex County Richard P. McCormick, Piscataway Township STAFF Secretary: Roger H. McDonough, Director, New Jersey State Library Executive Director: David S. Davies You are Viewing an Archived Copy from the New Jersey State Library CONTENTS Page Letter of Transmittal 3 Members of the Commission 4 Preface 6 Foreword 7 Chapter One. The Commission: Organization and Financial Support 11 Chapter Two. Advisory Program Committees. 19 Chapter Three. Historical Programs. .. 37 Chapter Four. Educational, Cultural and Religious Programs " 55 Chapter Five. Publicity and Special Events. .. 67 Chapter Six. The New Jersey Pavilion at the New York World's Fair. .. 91 Chapter Seven. Tercentenary at the Grass Roots: Local and County Programs. 103 Conclusion 111 APPENDICES A. Reports of County and Municipal Tercentenary Programs 115 B. Laws pertaining to the New Jersey Tercentenary . 187 C. Staff of the Commission and the New Jersey Pavilion at the World's Fair 193 D. Financial Statement of the Commission . 195 E. The New Jersey Tercentenary Fund: Council of Industrial Executives Contributors to the Fund 199 F. Report of the New Jersey Tercentenary Celebration Commission (Federal) 209 G. The New Jersey Tercentenary Historymobile: Outline of Exhibitions . 212 H. Regional Art Exhibitions 220 I. Tercentenary Competitions 221 J. Tercentenary Toastmasters 232 K. The New Jersey Pavilion at the New York World's Fair: Performing Arts Schedule; Contributors of Exhibits . 234 L. Directory of Local and County Tercentenary Committees and Chairmen 245 M. Tercentenary Publications 251 5 You are Viewing an Archived Copy from the New Jersey State Library PREFACE This report was prepared for the Commission by Bernard Bush, Historical Editor of the New Jersey State Library. Indispensable to his work were the final report to the Commission submit­ ted by the Executive Director, David S. Davies, and the cooperation of Mrs. Pauline Callahan, assistant to the Executive Director. The information presented was gathered from individuals and institutions too numerous to be named here. To all of them the Commission is grateful. The Commission also wishes to express its appreciation to Mrs. Stella Wilcox, Mrs. Joan Cannon, and Miss Christine Stepowany of the State Library staff, who typed and helped to proofread the manuscript. 6 You are Viewing an Archived Copy from the New Jersey State Library FOREWORD In 1964 New Jersey observed the three hundredth anniversary of its founding. This volume presents in brief compass the story of how the New Jersey Ter­ centenary Commission planned and conducted the wide-ranging programs that marked the historic birthday. Although this report describes the accom­ plishments of the Commission, it stands, in fact, as a testimonial to the tens of thousands of citizens of the state who participated actively on hundreds of committees and in a far larger number of formal projects. Never before had the people of our state joined in such a common historical and cultural en­ deavor. Through their dedicated efforts, their good will, and their enthusiasm, they strengthened our sense of community and made the observance a con­ spicuous success. The historical basis for the anniversary can be related simply. On March 12, 1664, King Charles II of England granted to his brother James, Duke of York, a vast territory in North America extending from the St. Lawrence River to the Delaware, including the Middle Atlantic region occupied by New Netherland. The weak and sparsely settled Dutch colony was quickly conquered by an expeditionary force and English rule began. On June 23-24 the Duke deeded to John, Lord Berkeley, and Sir George Carteret a portion of his grant, bounded on the west by the Delaware 'River, on the south by Delaware Bay, and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and the Hudson River. To the north was the sister colony of New York. The new proprietary colony was named for the Channel Isle of Jersey, the ancestral home of the Carterets, which had been a haven for the royal family during the English Civil War. This was the beginning of New Jersey. In the three centuries that followed, the colony and state of New Jersey played its part in the shaping of America. While sharing much in common with t'he rest of the nation, at the same time it evolved as a discrete community and made unique contributions to American life. 7 You are Viewing an Archived Copy from the New Jersey State Library To ,commemorate the founding of New Jersey and to inform its six million citizens-many of them new residents-of the traditions and achievements of the state, the New Jersey Tercentenary celebration was inaugurated. Three men began the train of events that led to the Tercentenary observance: John T. Cunningham, author, historian, and former reporter for The Newark Evening News; Dr. Richard P, McCormick, professor of history at Rutgers, The State University; and Roger H, McDonough, director of the State Library. They proposed the idea of the Tercentenary observance to Governor Robert B. Meyner in March, 1958, and at his request they prepared a memorandum which read in part: We see the Tercentenary as a rare opportunity for New Jerseyans to look with pride upon a notable history, to reemphasize the strong economic and intellectual role of the state in modern times and to look to the future of New Jersey. Basic in the celebration, of course, must be a philosophy, a motif. This, we believe, must not be a "backward-looking" spirit, focusing only on 1664. Rather, the approach should be from the past to the present-and thence to the future. We especially urge that the observance be designed for enduring rather than temporary impact. Surely there is a need for spectacular observance in the form of pageants and special events-all traditional parts of an anniversary-but the Tercentenary should serve also as an occasion for contributions to the preservation and interpretation of New Jersey's heritage. This proposal was accepted by the Governor and embodied in legislation which created the State of New Jersey ,Tercentenary Commission. The Commission was authorized to conduct a statewide commemorative program culminating in 1964. Subsequent legislation assigned to the Commission responsibility for the New Jersey pavilion at the New York World's Fair in 1964-65. It was decided in the earliest stages of planning that the Tercentenary observ­ ance must involve in every way possible the active and enthusiastic participa­ tion of the people of the state. It seemed neither feasible nor desirable for an official agency, however well staffed and financed, to impose its program upon the public.