Tags: history

At the Heritage Forum we will hear about some important marketing and tourism projects, communication efforts and interpretation projects all occurring in the Pinelands. We will also spend time in a series of round table group discussions to begin to develop task forces to help move some of the clear goals identified by focus group participants forward for the coming year.

If you are invloved in historic preservation efforts in the Pinelands, please contact Mike at mikeh@pinelandsalliance.org or 609 859-8860 x24 for more information on this program and to RSVP (space is limited)

In 1826, Samuel Richards built the classically-inspired Atsion Mansion overlooking the ironworks and mill pond that provided water power to the town. The State purchased the mansion in 1954 as part of what is now Wharton State Forest. After many years of disrepair and several restoration efforts, the mansion is now open to the public for tours. Join us for an exclusive look into this historic site.

Advance reservations required for all programs. All programs are $10 per person. Payment at the door in the form of cash or check only, please make checks payable to Pinelands Preservation Alliance. Please contact PPA at 609-859- 8860 x 12 or email janewiltshire@pinelandsalliance.org for reservations, directions and information.

Highlights two Pinelands industries: lumbering and cranberry harvesting. Tours of the restored sawmill and cranberry sorting and packing house as static exhibits, and a visit to the active cranberry bogs.

Advance reservations required for all programs. All programs are $10 per person. Payment at the door in the form of cash or check only, please make checks payable to Pinelands Preservation Alliance. Please contact PPA at 609-859- 8860 x 12 or email janewiltshire@pinelandsalliance.org for reservations, directions and information.

New Jersey documentary filmmaker Robert A. Emmons Jr. explores one of New Jersey's obscure treasures, the lost glory of the Depression-era Central Railroad of New Jersey's Blue Comet passenger train.

Advance reservations required for all programs. All programs are $10 per person. Payment at the door in the form of cash or check only, please make checks payable to Pinelands Preservation Alliance. Please contact PPA at 609-859- 8860 x 12 for information and directions.

The Philadelphia Botanical Club and the Academy of Natural Sciences celebrates the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of On The Origin of Species with a symposium on plants and evolution. This symposium will cover both the historical and philosophical implications of the theory of evolution and current research into plant evolution. The speakers include:

• James Lennox, University of Pittsburgh
  "Chance, Design, and Contrivance: Asa Gray, Charles Darwin, and the Metaphysics of Orchids"
• Karl Niklas, Cornell University
  "Darwin's Second 'Abominable Mystery': Why Are There So Many Angiosperms?"
• Tatyana Livshultz, the Academy of Natural Sciences
  "Evolution of Pollination Mechanisms in the Milkweed Family (Apocynaceae)"

Sponsored by the Academy of Natural Sciences.

An illustrated talk about the Shamong in Tabernacle Township weaves together maps, photos, and artifacts.

Author George Flemming's (Brotherton) fascinating illustrated talk about the Shamong in Tabernacle Township weaves together maps, old photographs, archeological research, authentic artifacts and memories long gone.

Advance reservations required for all programs. All programs are $10 per person. Payment at the door in the form of cash or check only, please make checks payable to Pinelands Preservation Alliance. Please contact PPA at 609-859- 8860 x 21 or email becky@pinelandsalliance.org for reservations, directions and information.

Presenter Ted Gordon will talk about Hanover Furnace and Mary Ann Forge, the ironworks' role in history and their lasting legacy in the Pinelands. Reservations requested. $5/member, $7/non-members.

Sponsored by the Whitesbog Preservation Trust.

This session will begin at 8:30AM and include lunch, and end at 2:30PM. At the Heritage Forum we will hear about some important marketing and tourism projects, communication efforts and interpretation projects all occurring in the Pinelands. We will also spend time in a series of round table group discussions to begin to develop task forces to help move some of the clear goals identified by focus group participants forward for the coming year. Agenda. Pre-registration required; space is limited.

For more information on the book go to Plexus Publishing.

Copies of the book will be for sale.

Traveling to Bass River Twp. Pickup: Parking Lot, Wells Mills County Park, Waretown. FEE: $6.00 per person. AGE: 9 years - Adult. Pre-registration required.

Sponsored by Ocean County Parks Dept.

Joan Berkey, author of "Early Architecture of Cape May County, NJ: the Heavy Timber Frame Tradition", will lead a tour focused on the 17th and 18th century buildings-mostly houses-still standing in Cape May and Atlantic Counties.

Advance reservations required for all programs. All programs are $10 per person. Payment at the door in the form of cash or check only, please make checks payable to Pinelands Preservation Alliance. Please contact PPA at 609-859- 8860 x 12 or email janewiltshire@pinelandsalliance.org for reservations, directions and information.

****This program has been re-scheduled from original Nov. 13 due to the Nor'easter that hit the Shore****

Although extinct for 50 years, much still remains of the numerous South Jersey Railroads. We will trace the routes of the Tuckerton, Central of New Jersey, and Pennsylvania Railroads. Pack a lunch, dress for the weather and be prepared for short walks.Traveling to Ocean and
Burlington Counties. Pick-up: Parking Lot, Wells Mills County Park, Waretown. Fee: $14.00 per person. Age: 9 years - Adult.

Sponsored by Ocean County Parks Dept.

Film: The Blue Comet - Friday, June 18, 7:00 pm

Speaker: Robert Emmons Jr.

Description: Robert Emmons Jr., a New Jersey digital documentary filmmaker and Rutgers University professor of filmmaking and elctronic media, explores one of New Jersey's obscure treasures, the depression era Central Railroad of New Jersey's Blue Comet passenger train. Mr. Emmons' film explores the train's past, present and future as well as transportation and vacation history in New Jersey. See the Blue Comet as a powerful locomotive and one of the most treasured toy trains ever conceived by Lionel! Robert A. Emmons is a recipient of the Mexico Lindbergh-Carranza Goodwill Award as a "Messenger of Peace" for his film Goodwill: The Flight of Emilio Carranza.

Advance reservations required for all programs.

5 miles, easy/moderate pace. The 290-acre park features a diverse collection of habitats and terrain, upland forests and meadows and also offers beautiful Rancocas Creek vistas and wildlife observation opportunities. It is known for the Smithville-Mount Holly Bicycle Railroad and the Star high-wheeled bicycle. Meet at the Smith's Woods access parking lot, East Railroad Av. Option for lunch at Vincentown Diner after the hike. Leashed dogs are welcome!

We start with an old-fashioned campfire (bring your hot dogs & marshmallows!) We calm our nerves with some good, old-time music. Then, with a little ghostly light from the moon, we search the woods, cautiously, for that most infamous denizen of the Pine Barrens.

Pre-registration required. $15/person. Registration available online.

Please join us on Friday, April 16 from 3:00 - 6:30pm at the Pinelands Preservation Alliance offices at the historic Bishop Farmstead for a Pinelands Heritage Partnership Membership & Fundraising Workshop. The goal of this program is to provide you with specific tools and examples to allow you to increase your organization's capacity in both people and dollars. Please see the agenda below.

Please RSVP for this program by contacting Mike at or mikeh@pinelandsalliance.org.

AGENDA

2:00 -2:30pm
Early Bird Special! A tour of the historic Bishop Farmstead, including 1753 farmhouse and circa 1930's barn.

2:30 -3:00pm
Sign In

3:00-3:15pm
Welcome and Introductions

3:15-4:15pm
Featured Presentation: Membership & Fundraising 101
Speaker: Margaret O'Gorman, Executive Director, Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey

4:15-4:45pm
Private Financing for Preservation & Adaptive Re-use
Speaker: Ron Emrich, Executive Director, Preservation New Jersey

4:45-5:00pm
BREAK (Light refreshments will be served)

5:00-5:30pm
Status of State Historic Preservation Funding
Speaker: Catherine Goulet, Principal Historic Preservation Specialist, New Jersey Historic Trust

5:30-6:00pm
Case study: Eagle Theatre in Hammonton
Overview of the capital campaign to restore the Eagle Theatre in Hammonton.
Speaker: Rose Mineo, Managing Director, Eagle Theatre

6:00-6:30pm
Brainstorming/Discussion Session

6:30pm
Adjourn

We start with an old-fashioned campfire (bring your hot dogs & marshmallows!) We calm our nerves with some good, old-time music. Then, with a little ghostly light from the moon, we search the woods, cautiously, for that most infamous denizen of the Pine Barrens.

Pre-registration required. $15/person. Registration available online.

We start with an old-fashioned campfire (bring your hot dogs & marshmallows!) We calm our nerves with some good, old-time music. Then, with a little ghostly light from the moon, we search the woods, cautiously, for that most infamous denizen of the Pine Barrens.

Pre-registration required. $15/person. Registration available online.

Join Tom Boyle as he explores Double Trouble State Park in Ocean County for nesting species and other surprises. A preserved historic village associated with early industries adds interest to this site. Leader: Tom Boyle. This is a joint trip with SHBO. Cost: NJA members, $15; nonmembers, $20.

Please call to preregister for all field trips. You can also register by mailing a check to Rancocas Nature Center, 794 Rancocas Road, Mount Holly, NJ 08060. To facilitate sending site directions, please include your e-mail address when you register or request that directions be mailed. Trips take place rain or shine (within reasonable limits). Group size is limited and a minimum number of participants is necessary. Bring binoculars and/or scopes, lunch (if desired), and dress appropriately for the weather.

Sponsored by the NJ Audubon Society.

Speaker: Robert Emmons Jr.

Description: Robert Emmons Jr., a New Jersey digital documentary filmmaker and Rutgers University professor of filmmaking and electronic media, explores one of New Jersey's obscure treasures, the depression era Central Railroad of New Jersey's Blue Comet passenger train. Mr. Emmons' film explores the train's past, present and future as well as transportation and vacation history in New Jersey. See the Blue Comet as a powerful locomotive and one of the most treasured toy trains ever conceived by Lionel! Robert A. Emmons is a recipient of the Mexico Lindbergh-Carranza Goodwill Award as a "Messenger of Peace" for his film Goodwill: The Flight of Emilio Carranza.

Advance reservations required for all programs.

Part of the 2010 Pinelands Heritage Series, sponsored by PPA and Preservation New Jersey.

Speaker: Joseph Laufer

Description: This illustrated lecture provides an overview of one of the most famous African American families of Burlington County. Former slaves, Charity and Levin Still settled in Shamong, Burlington County, and despite their many struggles raised a family of very successful and influential citizens. One of their sons, Dr. James Still, "Black Doctor of the Pines," became a highly successful medical practitioner administering herbal medicine to his patients while overcoming prejudice and envy by the mainstream medical profession. Brothers William (a leader in the Underground Railroad movement in Philadelphia) and Peter (whose story of survival is monumental) are also discussed as part of the Still Family legacy. Mr. Laufer uses Dr. Still's autobiography Early Recollections of Dr. James Still, published in 1877, as his guide for the story of this inspirational family. Joe Laufer is the Historian for Burlington County.

Advance reservations required for all programs.

$10 per person payable at the door in cash or check.

Part of the 2010 Pinelands Heritage Series, sponsored by PPA and Preservation New Jersey.

Speaker: William Guthrie

Description: The Lenape in New Jersey before the "European Invasion" knew about and used what they found in the environment for material goods,food,shelter and clothing. This presentation will involve examining artifacts and learning how they were crafted, listening to authetnic stories, and otherwise being involved in a consideration of what it was to live here long ago in what is now New Jersey. Bill Guthrie is a professor of education at Rider University.

Advance reservations required for all programs.

$10 per person payable at the door in cash or check.

Part of the 2010 Pinelands Heritage Series, sponsored by PPA and Preservation New Jersey.

Quarterly Lecture Series. 1 PM. $5 members, $7 non-members, by reservation. "The Last of the Pine Barren's Charcoal Makers," Presenter: Ted Gordon.

Sponsored by the Whitesbog Preservation Trust.

Tour Guide: Ted Gordon

Description: In 1766 Charles Reed erected an ironworks at Atsion that operated successfully for a number of years. Atsion was an important industrial center during those early years, even making iron products that were used to support the revolutionary war effort. The village grew and by the early 19th century 700 people lived in the town. After the iron industry failed in the mid-1800s, a paper mill was built at Atsion that eventually operated as a cotton mill and later as a cranberry packing and sorting house. Come and learn about the history of this fascinating ghost town as you do a walking tour of the old village. Ted Gordon is a Pinelands historian and botanist.

Advance reservations required.

$10 payable cash or check at the door.

Part of the 2010 Pinelands Heritage Series, sponsored by PPA and Preservation New Jersey.

Tour Guide: Jim Cicalese

Description: Come on a walking tour of historic Medford, a town with many ties to the Pinelands, both past and present. In a brief introduction, we will explore the early colonial and industrial history of Medford and discuss how it's location on the edge of the New Jersey Pinelands contributed to its growth. On the tour we will see interesting examples of architectural styles, from a 1760s brick colonial to a Sears kit house. Buildings from 19th century industry are still standing throughout the village and have been adapted to new uses, including three cranberry sorting sheds, a company store and a train station. Jim Cicalese is an amateur historian specializing in Colonial History. He is the Head of Docents at Carpenters Hall in Philadelphia and is the past president of the Historic Medford Village Association.

Advance reservations required for all programs.

$10 per person payable at the door in cash or check.

Part of the 2010 Pinelands Heritage Series, sponsored by PPA and Preservation New Jersey.

Tour Guide: Hammonton Historical Society'sHistoric Trail Committee

Description: Tour sites will includes the historic Eagle Theatre, Hammonton Train Station, various store fronts, memorial parks, museums, houses of worship and many homes.

Advance reservations required for all programs.

$10 per person payable at the door in cash or check.

Part of the 2010 Pinelands Heritage Series, sponsored by PPA and Preservation New Jersey.

Tour Guides: Joan Berkey and Richard Regensburg

Description: Come and explore two historic Pinelands sites located in Estell Manor Park in Atlantic County. The park houses the ruins of the early 19th century Estellville Glassworks and the Bethlehem Loading Company, a WWI munitions loading facility. The Glassworks ruins include the melting furnace, pot house, flattening house, cutting house and worker's homes. The Bethlehem Loading Company Historic District comprise the remains of the 75 mm, 155 mm and 8-inch shell loading complexes as well as stables, administration buildings, bunkers, a power plant and officers quarters. Participants are asked to bring a brown bag lunch (lunch break will be from 12-1pm) and bug spray (significant time will be spent in the woods). Dress for extensive walking and bring bottled water. Dick Regensburg is a retired archaeologist who for several years oversaw the park and helped to preserve its many archaeological sites. Joan Berkey is an architectural historian who prepared the nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for the Bethlehem Loading Company Historic District.

Advance reservations required for all programs.

$10 per person payable at the door in cash or check.

Part of the 2010 Pinelands Heritage Series, sponsored by PPA and Preservation New Jersey.

Take a video tour of historic Harrisville, the remains of a company town now located in Wharton State Forest. Isolated deep in the Pinelands, Harrisville is a genuine ghost town from the late 1800's. Once a flourishing village, it was abandoned in 1891 after the driving force of the community, the great paper mill, went out of business. Today the evocative ruins of the paper mill can be seen but are fenced off for safety and preservation reasons. Download the video podcast for your iPhone/iPod and use the map at right for a guided tour of Harrisville Village with author and historian Barbara Solem Stull, author of Ghost Towns and Other Quirky Places of the New jersey Pine Barrens.Download the accompanying podcast tour map of Harrisville.

Come hear author Barbara Solem tell stories about these old towns in the Pine Barrens. FREE. No RSVP required.

Come to a book signing by authors Dave Hart and John Calu for their new book, Trenton: A Novel. Copies of the book will be available for sale. Copies of the pair's other fictional titles about the Pinelands and Jersey Shore will also be available for purchase and signing. Light refreshments will be served. FREE.

1774. The revolution brewing in the American colonies is set to erupt in violent conflict. In Hopewell, near Trenton, New Jersey, the nearly lifeless body of an orphan girl is pulled from the Delaware River by a son of John Hart, a man whose passion for independence has brought down the wrath of the British Crown and its many local sympathizers.

Thus begins an epic two-part saga in which the Harts become pivotal players in the cause of freedom, pitted against a powerful enemy alongside George Washington, Ben Franklin, and other patriots from throughout the colonies. John Hart becomes a hunted man, and young Edward Hart-deeply inspired by the writings of Thomas Paine-falls in love, enlists in Washington's ragtag army, and suffers tragic losses on and off the battlefield before victory at Trenton changes his life and alters the course of history.

In the explosive second part, modern day Trenton comes into vivid focus as Luis Alma-son of Cuban immigrants, hero, and reluctant candidate for mayor-struggles to hold his family together. Against a backdrop of crime, corruption, and murder, a mystery unfolds linking the Alma family to the Harts of Hopewell, and a young man from the wrong side of the tracks discovers that the key to Trenton's future may lie in a secret from its past.

Calu and Hart have enjoyed a productive collaboration as novelists since 2003. Their published work includes a contemporary adventure series featuring enigmatic Garden State sites, obscure local legends, and everyday mysteries along the Jersey Shore and in the Pine Barrens. They are currently at work on another novel in the series entitled 'Spirits of Cedar Bridge'.

Annual gathering of Pine Barrens authors, artists, photographers, historians and archeologists, craftsmen, musicians, historical and environmental groups.

Clich HERE for the flyer with complete details on this event.

PRESENTS
The 6th Annual - Lines on the Pines
The ABC's of the Pine Barrens - "Aboard the Blue Comet"
Sunday - March 13, 2011
Indoor Event - Open to the Public
Frog Rock Golf & Country Club
755 South White Horse Pike / Route 30, Hammonton, NJ 08037

1:00 PM - 4:00 PM - Artists & Authors - Art, Books and Crafts - FREE EVENT

4:30 PM - 7:30PM Buffet Dinner & Presentation

Reservation & Prepayment Required : $30

"A Distant Memory: The Rusty Trail of the Blue Comet". Speakers: Paul W. Schopp & Dr. Robert A. Emmons, Jr. Entertainment: Valerie Vaughn & Bram Taylor

Mail to: Lines on the Pines (check made out to L. Stanton) - PO Box 93 - Elwood, NJ 08217
Your cancelled check is your receipt. For more Info, call: 609-561-1665 or email: linesonthepines@comcast.net
Please provide phone # and email on check. Sponsors: It's a Sign of the Pines and Plexus Publishing, Inc.

Burlington County College. Featuring presentations, field trips and bus tours.

Sponsored by the NJ Pinelands Commission and Burlington County College.

Speaker: Joe Laufer, Burlington County Historian

Location: Medford Friends Meeting House

Description: This film, produced by Lenape School District Televison, provides an overview of one of the most famous African American families of Burlington County. Former slaves, Charity and Levin Still settled in Shamong, Burlington County, and despite their many struggles raised a family of very successful and influential citizens. One of their sons, Dr. James Still, "Black Doctor of the Pines," became a highly successful medical practitioner administering herbal medicine to his patients while overcoming prejudice and envy by the mainstream medical profession. Brothers William (a leader in the Underground Railroad movement in Philadelphia) and Peter (whose story of survival is monumental) are also discussed as part of the Still Family legacy.

Joe Laufer, the Burlington County Historian, will introduce the film and speak afterwards..

Cost: $10

Registration:Register online or call 609 859-8860 x14 or email tomdunn@pinelandsalliance.org

Speakers: Rob Auermuller, Superintendent, Wharton State Forest; Barbara Solem, author

Location: Atsion Mansion, Atsion Ranger Station

Description: In 1766 Charles Reed erected an ironworks at Atsion that operated successfully for a number of years. Atsion was an important industrial center during those early years, even making iron products that were used to support the revolutionary war effort. The village grew and by the early 19th century 700 people lived in the town. After the iron industry failed in the mid-1800s, a paper mill was built at Atsion that eventually operated as a cotton mill and later as a cranberry packing and sorting house. Come and learn about the history of this fascinating ghost town as you do a walking tour of the old village. For those interested, Barbara Solem (author of Ghost Towns and Other Quirky Places in the New Jersey Pine Barrens) will offer a tour of the village after the mansion tour.

Cost: $10/person

Registration: Register onlineor call 609 859-8860 x14or email tomdunn@pinelandsalliance.org

$5 donation/person requested. Reservations requested.

Walks are 3 - 5 miles long, and led by experienced leaders. $5 donation/person, reservations requested.

Burlington County College. Featuring presentations, field trips and bus tours.

Sponsored by the NJ Pinelands Commission and Burlington County College.

$5 donation/person requested. Reservations requested.

Walks are 3 - 5 miles long, and led by experienced leaders. $5 donation/person, reservations requested.

Description: Discover the prehistoric history of the Pinelands before the formation of Native American tribes (pre-Lenape). The presentation will cover the period from 10,000 BC to 1000 AD and include a discussion on the changing Pinelands landscape during the archaic and early woodland periods and close-up examination of artifacts from each time period.

Speakers: Archaeologist Jack Cresson and Cherokee High School (Evesham) Earth Science teacher Robert Clarke.

Cost: $10

SPACE IS LIMITED; REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.

Registration: Register online or call 609 859-8860 x14 or email tomdunn@pinelandsalliance.org

PPA's Pinelands Heritage Series explores the history and culture of the New Jersey Pinelands.

$5 donation/person requested. Reservations requested.

Walks are 3 - 5 miles long, and led by experienced leaders. $5 donation/person, reservations requested.

$5 donation/person requested. Reservations requested.

Hike to Martha Furnace. 5 miles easy pace. Hike to the site of the furnace that operated many years ago. Bring lunch and water we will eat by the lake after the hike. Meet Harrisville Lake. Leaders: Janet Horton cell (609) 706-5691 janeth1@comcast.net

Sponsored by the Outdoor Club of South Jersey.

Description: This program provides a natural science-based overview of man's use of Pinelands forest resources. For over 400-years, this great wilderness provided the raw materials needed for America's rapid industrialization. Vast stands of Atlantic whitecedar were over-exploited to sheath growing cities. Before fossil fuels, carbon stores were tied up in tree stock. Pines and oaks were coal mines, which provided the combustibles needed to support local manufacture. Pines were oil wells, tapped for their petroleum-like gum turpentine that furnished naval stores for shipyards, and other gum by-products. Additional tree-based goods included lumber, medicines, and other more unusual output like tessels, bird-lime, and hoop-poles.

Speaker: Mark Demitroff is a PhD Geography student at the University of Delaware, and a native to the Pine Barrens. He is by trade a tree expert and geomorphologist, and loves to revel in local history with his colleagues at the West Jersey Historical Round Table.

Cost: $10

SPACE IS LIMITED; REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.

Registration: Register online or call 609 859-8860 x14 or email tomdunn@pinelandsalliance.org

The Pinelands Heritage Series explores the history and culture of the New Jersey Pinelands.