The cables and choiring strings Hart Crane salutes in “To Brooklyn Bridge” were made in Trenton, where a humble truss bridge over the Delaware still unhumbly claims TRENTON MAKES THE WORLD TAKES.

Since the main cables and suspension ropes for two other great American bridges were made by John A. Roebling’s Sons, not to mention the elevator ropes used in the world’s most famous skyscraper, the world also has “taken” what Fortune magazine called “the vitals” of the George Washington, the Golden Gate, and the Empire State Building. Clifford W. Zink elaborately documents and illustrates it in The Roebling Legacy (Princeton Landmark Publications $50). Mr. Zink, who grew up in Westwood and graduated from Bergen Catholic High School, will speak on the great cables of the GWB.
Mr. Zink made a donation of his book for our library.

The Mount Tabor Historical Society will hold its Annual House Tour. Mt Tabor was the site of Methodist camp meetings in the late 1800s, evolved into a vacation community and later permanent residences for those seeking a historic and community-spirited town.

Located along Route 53 between Denville and Morris Plains. $20 per person.

973-586-1564
www.mounttabornj.org

Meet at the Steuben House to learn the history of New Bridge Landing and how you can contribute We rely on interested volunteers to open Historic New Bridge Landing. wright@cybernex.net

Bergen County Historical Society honors Major-General Friedrich Wilhelm Baron von Steuben at Historic New Bridge Landing.

Re-enactors of the Third NJ Regiment (aka Jersey Blues) will demonstrate military dress and skills of the American Revolution. Displaying Jersey Dutch artifacts and furnishings, the Steuben and Demarest Houses will be open to visitors. Refreshments and a gift shop are available in the Campbell-Christie House, a restored tavern house dating back to 1774. A Jersey Dutch Out Kitchen will demonstrate culinary arts of the period. At 1 PM, historian Kevin Wright will speak on Baron von Steuben's association to the landmark Zabriskie-Steben House, the only extant 18th century building in America that Steuben actually owned.

The Zabriskie-Steuben House in River Edge is an important historic memorial to the German immigrant who trained and organized the Continental troops. On December 23, 1783, the NJ Legislature presented the use and income of the confiscated estate of Jan Zabriskie at New Bridge to Baron von Steuben on condition he “hold, occupy and enjoy the said estate in person, and not by tenant.” General Philemon Dickinson wrote the Baron, informing him that he could comply with the terms of the gift “by keeping a bed & Servants there & visiting the premises now & then.” In 1786, Steuben leased the mansion and gristmill to Jan Zabriskie, son of its former Loyalist owner, who operated the store and mill in partnership with Steuben’s aide-de-camp, Captain Benjamin Walker. In 1788, the Baron offered to sell his “large well-built stone house, thoroughly rebuilt lately … situated on the bank of the river by which produce can be conveyed to New York in a few hours, and sloops of 40 tons burden may load and discharge along side of the mill.” Ever since, this landmark of Bergen Dutch sandstone architecture has carried the name of the Prussian Inspector-General of the Continental troops.

Established in Elizabeth, NJ, under Col. Elias Dayton in 1776, the Third NJ Regiment saw action at Scotch Plains, Brandywine, and Germantown. Wintering at Valley Forge in 1778, Lt. Col. Francis, of the Third NJ, assisted General von Steuben in drilling the troops. The Regiment fought at Monmouth and Springfield before joining the siege and final victory at Yorktown in 1781.

By donation, Adults $7, Ch $5, BCHS members free.
Takes place at Historic New Bridge Landing, 1201-1209 Main St, River Edge, NJ.

AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR ROUNDTABLE:

The 1780 War of Outposts: Why the British attacked Paramus
Tuesday, September 27, 2011 

Acute hostility across a frozen Hudson River inspired military movements by both sides. A team of Bergen
County Historical Society researchers will tell how a British incursion played out near the Dutch Reformed Church. Soon to be a guidebook! .

Where are meetings held?  The Iron Horse. Westwood, N.J.  Open to the public?  Yes, definitely.  What time?  Come between 6:00 and 6:30 PM for conversation and fellowship.  Meals?  Optional dinners costing $20, including gratuity.  Advance reservations?  Not required.  Admission charges or dues?  Not required.  Questions? Contact Chairman David Whieldon at 201-967-7692.

http://www.millbrooknj.com/

Henry Hudson explored the river that now bears his name in 1609. The arrival of the steamboat 200 years later, and the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, made the Hudson one of America's busiest rivers. From 1826 until the middle of the 20th century, more than a dozen lighthouses guided ships past its islands and shallows...

I'll explain why there were once 14 lighthouses on the Hudson, tell how seven were saved as historic landmarks, and describe the lives of the brave men and women who spent their lives tending the lights. The slide show includes my original photography of Hudson River lighthouses, bridges, scenery, and landmarks, plus vintage maps and images of historic people and places, including some of the Hudson's "lost" lighthouses.

Kevin Woyce
Author / Lecturer
Jersey Shore History & Facts
Hudson River Lighthouses & History

For centuries, ancient peoples of North America baked or boiled a large orangey squash, called gescundhac, even drying strips to preserve for winter nourishment. In 1609, native communities along the Hudson River offered pumpkins to Henry Hudson’s crew. European colonists applied the name, “pompion,” a word describing “a large ripe melon,” to the North American fruit, which English speakers corrupted into “pumpkin.” So how did the pumpkin transform into the Jack-O-Lantern of the Irish-American commemoration of All Hallow’s Eve?

The Bergen County Historical Society will host a Harvest Homecoming at Historic New Bridge Landing, 1201-1209 Main Street, River Edge, NJ 07661, from 6:30 to 9:30 PM on Saturday, October 22, 2011. At 7 PM in the Steuben House, historian Kevin Wright, author of 1609: A Country That Was Never Lost, will speak on the history of the pumpkin. A photographic exhibit, entitled, “Hier Ligt Begraven: Historic Cemeteries and Family Burying Grounds of Bergen County,” features views from historic cemeteries, gravestone art and inscriptions, which bear silent witness to those who made our history. The suggested donation is $7 for adults, $5 for children, and free for BCHS members. In conjunction with our Harvest Homecoming, BCHS will be collecting non-perishable can goods for donation to the Center for Food Action. Please join us in supporting our neighbors in need!

Throughout the evening, visitors may partake of period refreshments and a gift shop in the Campbell-Christie House, a restored 18th century tavern relocated from New Milford to the grounds of the Bergen County Historical Society in 1977. The Demarest House, beautifully restored by the Blauvelt-Demarest Foundation, will also be open, displaying Bergen Dutch furnishings. Local artifacts exhibited in the Steuben House include a Revolutionary War musket, fished from the Hackensack River at New Bridge by a nine-year old boy in 1914.

The Bergen County Historical Society was instrumental in saving the Steuben House in River Edge in 1928, establishing its museum headquarters there in 1939. As a non-profit, 501(c)(3) volunteer organization, founded in 1902, we welcome membership. We are not a government agency and do not receive public funds or grants for operating support.

AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR ROUNDTABLE:

The Washington life story—from his maps!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011

The maps that the commander used can speak, and they’ve spoken to historian and tour guide Barnet Schecter, author of The Battle for New York. He’ll explain how his study of an atlas in Yale University’s Sterling Library led him to prepare maps and text for his newest work, George Washington’s America: A Biography Through His Maps.
The author-speaker will sell and sign copies of books and/or booklets. 

News: The Iron Horse has been damaged by fire, so we’ll meet
Oct. 25 and Nov. 15 at the Pascack Historical Society, 19 Ridge Ave.
(near Pascack Rd.), Park Ridge, N.J. (White frame building looks like
a church.) Same speakers, but no meals. Street parking available.

Getting there: Use your GPS system. Or go to street maps,
Internet maps, or www.pascackhistoricalsociety.org.

When to arrive: Doors open 6:30 pm; meeting starts 7:30 pm.

Help remove trash and invasive vegetation at Historic New Bridge Landing on UJA Federation’s 13th annual Mitzvah Day.

The goal of Mitzvah Day is to involve people in a variety of community service activities throughout northern New Jersey thus enabling them to understand and experience, first hand, the vast network of social service agencies and organizations.  Last year, over 1400 people participated in this wonderful event.

Pre-register online at www.ujannj.org/mitzvahday or walk-ins must sign up at Solomon Schechter Day School, New Milford. Questions? Contact Alice Blass at 201-820-3948 or aliceb@ujannj.org.

To honor American veterans of all wars and to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War, the Bergen County Historical Society proudly presents “A Nation at War” from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, November 6, 2011, at Historic New Bridge Landing, 1201-1209 Main Street, River Edge, NJ, 07661. Suggested donation: $7 adult, $5 children, BCHS members free.

Starting at 1 p.m., the Second Rhode Island Volunteers, a Civil War re-enactment troop, will interpret the life of Union soldiers. Visitors may tour the Zabriskie-Steuben House, which survived more of the American Revolution than any other home in America. Refreshments will be served in the Campbell-Christie House, a restored 18th-century tavern, where there is also a Gift Shop. The Demarest House displays Jersey Dutch furnishings and demonstrations of open-hearth cooking will be offered in the authentic Jersey Dutch Out-Kitchen.

A ceremony honoring fallen heroes will take place at 3 p.m. as the troops form ranks. Bob Costello, portraying Abraham Lincoln, will read the Gettysburg Address. Reverend David Moreno will offer prayers for the fallen. Taps will follow a military salute. Several lectures will begin at 3:30 p.m. Displaying period medical tools, Bill Gent will speak first on the topic of “Medicine in the Civil War.” Joseph LeMay follows with “The Home Front-Waldwick and Ridgewood in WWII.” Bob Costello, again portraying President Abraham Lincoln, will conclude with “A Time with Abe Lincoln.”

The Bergen County Historical Society is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) volunteer organization, founded in 1902 to preserve important evidence of the past and to promote historical literacy through interesting programs and publications.
We don't receive public operating support or grants, but rely entirely upon private donations, membership dues and volunteer contributions of time and talent. We are presently trying to raise $350,000 to construct a first-rate historical museum building and library for Bergen County on the Society’s property at Historic New Bridge Landing, 1201 Main Street, River Edge, NJ 07661.

AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR ROUNDTABLE:
Rebel encampments, famed mansion, archives
Tuesday, November 15, 2011

The Ford family and other owners preserved Washington’s headquarters until it became the centerpiece of the first national historical park. Dr. Jude M. Pfister, Chief of Cultural Resources, will discuss the house, families, and museum manuscripts. (Note well: This meeting is scheduled for November 15, not the usual fourth Tuesday of the month, to avoid a conflict with Thanksgiving.) 
The author-speaker will sell and sign copies of books and/or booklets. 

News: The Iron Horse has been damaged by fire, so we’ll meet
Nov. 15 at the Pascack Historical Society, 19 Ridge Ave.
(near Pascack Rd.), Park Ridge, N.J. (White frame building looks like
a church.) Same speakers, but no meals. Street parking available.

Getting there: Use your GPS system. Or go to street maps,
Internet maps, or www.pascackhistoricalsociety.org.

When to arrive: Doors open 6:30 pm; meeting starts 7:30 pm.

The Ford Motor Company operated an assembly plant in Mahwah from 1955 to 1980.  At the time of its completion, it was the largest motor vehicle assembly plant in the United States.  The Ford plant, along with other businesses, such as, American Brake Shoe and Foundry Company, helped contribute to the economic development of the town.

Come and relive the planning, development, operations and demise of the plant through a visual presentation and narrative of its history, including the impressions and experiences of people who worked there.  

Mr. O’Brien has served as the president of the Mahwah Regional Chamber of Commerce and is currently a member of the Mahwah Museum Society Board of Trustees.

Enjoy Jersey Dutch holiday treats, refreshments and a visit with Sinter Klaas in the restored tavern in Campbell-Christie House, 1201 Main Street, River Edge, NJ 07661 from 1 to 4:00 P.M. on Sunday, December 4, 2011. See open-hearth cooking in authentic Jersey Dutch Out Kitchen and tour historic homes. For that special holiday gift, browse unique historical gift shop. At 1:30 P.M., historian, author and BCHS Past President Kevin Wright will speak on his family's "Thirty Years at the Steuben House 1981-2011." Tickets for the 28th Annual Colonial Christmas Concerts, featuring Linda Russell & Companie, will also be on sale.

Experience History in one of the storied places where it was made! For further info on membership in the Bergen County Historical Society, a non-profit volunteer association, or our museum drive to build a Bergen County Hall of History, visit: http://www.bergencountyhistory.org or call 201-343-9492.

28th Annual Colonial Christmas Concerts tickets will be available for purchase this day.

Takes place in the Steuben House at Historic New Bridge Landing, 1209 Main Street, River Edge, NJ 07661.

TWO CONCERTS each night:
Saturday: 7:00 & 8:30 pm
Saturday, Both Shows SOLD OUT.

Sunday: 6:00 & 7:30 pm. Sunday, Both Shows SOLD OUT. Gift shop, Out-Kitchen & Demarest House OPEN.

TAVERN FARE: The Black Horse Tavern in the Campbell-Christie House will be open for light tavern fare. Choose from soup & herb biscuit from the Rolling Pin Cafe in Westwood, poughman plate, bread pudding, hot mulled cider and more. Additional cost.

Saturday, Tavern Open: 6 pm to 9 pm.
Sunday, Tavern Open: 5 pm to 8 pm.
Come before or after your concert for light tavern fare. Seating limited.

Concert: $25 per person (BCHS $20)
Questions: (201-560-2114)

No refunds or exchanges. Suggest wearing walking shoes. Parking in parking area at corner of Main St. & Hackensack Ave., River Edge. New ADA compliant stonedust path connects the 3 houses and parking area! No parking at the Steuben House.

Close out the winter holiday season at Historic New Bridge Landing! Members and guests are invited to bring a favorite food or drink and to share in an afternoon of celebration and New Year cheer.

In olden times, festivities surrounding Twelfth Night were the most lavish of the year, featuring a great feast with bonfires, plays, music, dancing and wassailing. The ancient custom of wassailing involved making twelve fires of straw and drinking toasts of cider or ale. A mock king, called the King of Beans, or Lord of Misrule, was elected by lot: The guest who discovered a bean in his or her slice of Twelfth Night Cake was elected sovereign for the revelries. In some places, these kings and queens placed white crosses in the rafters to exclude hobgoblins, witches and bugs for the remainder of the year.

Takes place in Campbell-Christie House, 1201 Main St, River Edge, NJ 07661.

Suggested donation: $7 adult, $5 children, BCHS members free.

Google map:
1201 Main Street, River Edge, NJ

The Bergen County Historical Society marks the back-to-back midwinter feasts of Brigit’s Day and Candlemas at Historic New Bridge Landing on Sunday, January 29, 2012. 
Suggested donations: $7 per adult, $5 per child, BCHS members, free.

Candle making will be demonstrated at the Out Kitchen from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Accomplished harpist Ardis A. Cavin, an adjunct professor at Bergen Community College, will give a 45-minute performance of Irish ballads on Celtic harp in the Steuben House at 3 p.m. She was recently featured in a Channel 13 program, "Ballads from Britain."

A special exhibit of antique lighting devices, ranging from a 2,000-year-old oil lamp to examples of the earliest light bulbs, will be displayed in the Dwelling Room of the Steuben House. Throughout the afternoon, an à la carte menu of seasonal treats, including crepes, mashed potatoes, soda bread and hot cider will be available in the Campbell-Christie House, a restored 18th-century tavern. The Gift Shop will sell handmade Brigid’s Crosses, which Donal O'Riordain, of County Cork, Ireland, weaves from fresh rushes cut from the lakeshore. He learned this ancient folk craft from his grandmother, who made the Crosses as far back as the 1940s. She passed away in 1994, aged 87 years.

Brigit's Day and Candlemas come midway between the winter solstice and spring equinox, when snowdrops, the first flower of spring, make their appearance, signaling nature’s awakening from winter's sleep. Candlemas is named for the blessing of candles, used to protect homes from lightning, evil spirits, and for procession through farm field and orchard.

As evidenced by Groundhog's Day, weather prognostication was commonly practiced in anticipation of spring sowing. Good weather at Candlemas is taken to indicate severe winter weather later. Hence, the saying, If Candlemas Day is bright and clear, there'll be two winters in the year. Another old English proverb proclaimed, If Candlemas be fair and bright, winter has another flight. If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, winter will not come again.

Rush crosses, woven on Brigid's Eve, were believed to protect the house and livestock from adversity. The feast was celebrated with a supper of pancakes taken from a plate laid on a rush cross.
Historic New Bridge Landing, 1201-1209 Main Street, River Edge, NJ 07661 from 1 to 5 P.M.

John Zinn is an independent historian with special interest in the Civil War era and baseball history.  He is the chair of the New Jersey Civil War 150th Anniversary Committee and the chairman of the board of the New Jersey Historical Society.  John holds BA and MBA degrees from Rutgers University.  He is a Vietnam veteran.  John is the author of "The Mutinous Regiment: The Thirty-third New Jersey in the Civil War,"  "The Major League Pennant Races of 1916: "The Most Maddening Baseball Melee in History," (with Paul Zinn), and the editor of a forthcoming book on Ebbets Field in Brooklyn (also with Paul Zinn).  He has contributed numerous articles to anthologies on New Jersey and the Civil War and 19th century baseball.
 
New Jersey Base Ball During the Civil War Era (1855-1870) - base ball (two words in the 19th century) came to New Jersey in the 1850's and grew rapidly throughout the Civil War era.  This talk describes the game's early beginnings in New Jersey, prominent teams and players.  The impact of the war on the game's development in New Jersey and how New Jersey soldiers took the new game with them to the front will also be discussed.  There will also be an explanation of how the game differed from the modern game especially with regard to rules and equipment (or the lack thereof). 
y

LECTURE PROGRAM LOCATION MAP: Unless otherwise noted, all lecture programs are held at the Second Reformed Church, corner of Anderson and Union Streets, Hackensack, NJ on the third Thursday of the month at 7:30 pm. The public is invited to attend. No fee. Second Reformed Church, 436 Union Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601.

A Country Ball upon the Anniversary of Washington’s Birthday will be held at New Bridge Landing on Sunday. Under Denise Piccino’s direction, the Tricorne Ensemble will demonstrate 18th-century dances in the parlor of the Steuben House! Ridley & Anne Enslow provide musical accompaniment on fiddle and hammered dulcimer. Rodger Yaden portrays General Washington. Join us in the tavern for hot cider and crullers. Don’t miss Mary and Barbara cooking in the Bergen Dutch Out-Kitchen. Suggested donation: $7 adult, $5 children, BCHS members free.

Historic New Bridge Landing, 1201-1209 Main Street, River Edge, 07661.

BCHS EVENT:
Revolutionary War Weekend at Historic New Bridge Landing features Bergen County: The 1780 War of Outposts
March 24 & 25, 2012

Do you know Bergen County was a Revolutionary War battleground? Reach out and touch the past—perhaps as close as your own backyard—on March 24-25, 2012, at Historic New Bridge Landing, 1201-1209 Main St., River Edge, NJ 07661, when the Bergen County Historical Society presents Bergen County: The War of Outposts, March 23, 1780. Saturday is free, but donations are welcome! Sunday admission is $7 Adults, $5 Children and BCHS members free. For further info, visit: http://www.bergencountyhistory.org

On Saturday, March 24, from noon to 4:30 PM, members of His Majesty’s 22nd Regiment of Foot and Loyalist 4th Battalion, NJ Volunteers, will perform the day-to-day duties of soldiers, such as sewing, leatherwork, musket maintenance and military drills. The Campbell Christie House, 1201 Main St., with its gift shop will be open. The Zabriskie-Steuben House will open from 2 to 3 PM, when NJ historian Kevin Wright presents a Power Point program on Historic New Bridge: The Bridge That Saved a Nation.

On Sunday, March 25, interact with the soldiers and learn about the arms, clothing, food and history of two storied Revolutionary War regiments. At 2 PM, Sunday, March 25th in the Steuben House, join us for an illustrated talk on a British daybreak attack against the Continental outpost at Paramus Church in Ridgewood on March 23, 1780, when British and German troops en route burned the Bergen County Courthouse and home of Sheriff Adam Boyd in Hackensack, converged on 300 Continental troops stationed around Paramus Church and in Ho-Ho-Kus, and then fought a rear-guard battle at New Bridge in River Edge, New Milford and Teaneck. Dr. Henry Bischoff, Todd Braisted, Donald M. Londahl-Smidt, Peggy Norris, Deborah Powell, Joseph Suplicki and Kevin Wright will present their collaborative work to date on the first installment of a Revolutionary War Guidebook to Bergen County, featuring old and new research into maps, military reports, journals, pension applications, newspaper and eye-witness accounts that trace the routes of the raiders and the scenes of battle action for this important episode in the frigid winter of 1779-80, known as the War of Outposts. Discussion of the evidence and input is welcome! Donation: $7 Adults, $5 Children, BCHS members free.

AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR ROUNDTABLE:
How French aristocrat Lafayette served the cause
Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Young, inexperienced, unable to speak English, the marquis rose in Washington’s esteem and by solid accomplishment to the status of genuine hero. That’s the message from Nick Sunday, Paterson historian and art historian.

Where are meetings held?  The Iron Horse. Westwood, N.J.  Open to the public?  Yes, definitely.  What time?  Come between 6:00 and 6:30 PM for conversation and fellowship.  Meals?  Optional dinners costing $22, including gratuity.  Advance reservations?  Not required.  Admission charges or dues?  Not required.  Questions? Contact Chairman David Whieldon at 201-967-7692.

At 2:30 pm, historian and author Kevin Wright will speak on "Indigenous People of Bergen County" at the Steuben House.

The first Dark Moon after the Long Moon marks the arrival of Chwame gischuch, the Shad Moon, and the New Year of the ancient Sanhicans and Minisinks, locally known as the Hackensacks and Tappans. Native peoples returned from their winter villages, gathering at the narrows of the great streams, in places such as Acquackanonck (Garfield) and Aschatking (New Bridge), to set their fykes and weirs and catch smelt and later shad as these fish ran up the rivers in great numbers.  

Takes place at Historic New Bridge Landing,
1201-1209 Main St, River Edge, NJ.

AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR ROUNDTABLE:
The Turtle: America’s first submarine!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012

David Bushnell designed and built a one-man submersible that nearly sank a British flagship in New York’s harbor. Now Roy Manstan, retired U.S. Navy diver and engineer, with colleagues in Connecticut, has built a replica. Does it float? Does it work? Would he board it? Roy supplies the answers.

Where are meetings held?  The Iron Horse. Westwood, N.J.  Open to the public?  Yes, definitely.  What time?  Come between 6:00 and 6:30 PM for conversation and fellowship.  Meals?  Optional dinners costing $22, including gratuity.  Advance reservations?  Not required.  Admission charges or dues?  Not required.  Questions? Contact Chairman David Whieldon at 201-967-7692.

Pinkster is the Dutch name for Whitsunday or Pentecost, when a flower-crowned May Queen and King led merry-makers from door-to-door, gathering dyed eggs, butter, bread, cream, coffee, sugar, and tallow candles in baskets for a festive supper and dance. Toasts with buttermilk, known as “white wine,” and recital of the Pinkster Ode welcomed the return of summer.

Lift your spirit with a joyous celebration of Pinkster at Historic New Bridge Landing, 1201-1209 Main Street, River Edge, from 1 to 5 PM on Sunday, May 20th, and imagine you are back in the days when country folk celebrated greening woodlands and flowering meadows with a dance around the Maypole and sporting contests. Donation: $7 adult, $5 children, BCHS members free.

This year’s celebrate features country-dances in honor of the May Queen with Ridley and Anne Enslow on fiddle and hammered dulcimer from 1:15 to 2 PM. A reading of the Pinkster Ode (Extracts from Ode, Composed on a May Morning by William Wordsworth, May 1826) will be held in the Steuben House at 2 PM, followed by a short history of the holiday, presented by historian Kevin Wright. The cooking of Dutch donuts or “oliebollen” will be demonstrated in the Out Kitchen between 2 and 3 PM. Pinkster cake, doughnuts and lemonade will be served in the restored eighteenth century tavern in the Campbell-Christie House. The Demarest House, with its display of Jersey Dutch furnishings, will also be open for tours. The Tricorne Ensemble will dance around the Maypole at 3 PM.

The name of the holiday derives from the Greek word, Pentecost, meaning “fiftieth day,” which originally signified the ancient Jewish celebration of the first fruits of the harvest, arriving seven weeks after Passover. On the seventh Sunday after Easter, Christians commemorate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles. The English identified this holiday with the white garments of baptismal candidates, calling it Whitsunday or “White Sunday.” Among the Jersey Dutch, a rose-colored Azalea blossom, known as the “Pinxter blomachee,” was the May bush.

Experience history in one of the storied places where it was made! Come to Historic New Bridge Landing.

AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR ROUNDTABLE:
Where Americans fought well in New Jersey
Tuesday, May 22, 2012

The Battle of Monmouth climaxed the British retreat from Philadelphia—and though rebels performed well, it’s spurred controversy ever since. Joe Bilby, a curator at New Jersey’s National Guard Militia Museum in Sea Girt, gives his perspective on Washington’s tactics in this pivotal engagement.

Where are meetings held?  The Iron Horse. Westwood, N.J.  Open to the public?  Yes, definitely.  What time?  Come between 6:00 and 6:30 PM for conversation and fellowship.  Meals?  Optional dinners costing $22, including gratuity.  Advance reservations?  Not required.  Admission charges or dues?  Not required.  Questions? Contact Chairman David Whieldon at 201-967-7692.

Don Hagist will speak on “James Simpson, soldier at New Bridge” on Saturday.

Todd Braisted speaks Sunday “All Roads lead to New Bridge: The British Grand Forage of 1777” both in Steuben House.

New Bridge was home to two prominent Loyalists, Jan Zabriskie and Lt. Col. Abraham Van Buskirk, who lived on opposite sides of the river in what is now Teaneck and River Edge. on December 23, 1783, the State of New Jersey presented the confiscated estate of Loyalist Jan Zabriskie at New Bridge, consisting of a 12-room stone mansion, gristmill and about 40 acres of land, to Major-General Baron von Steuben, Inspector-General of the Continental Army. According to the wishes of the Legislature, he was to “hold, occupy and enjoy the said estate in person, and not by tenant.”

Prior to the American Revolution, feasts, fireworks, music and illuminations honored His Majesty King George III on his natal day in June. The Bergen County Historical Society will celebrate its Revolutionary War Loyalist heritage with the second annual celebration of the King’s Birthday at Historic New Bridge Landing, 1201-1209 Main Street, River Edge, NJ, 07661. Bergen’s population, which included many Loyalists during the war, certainly would have partaken in such activities. This year, members of the 4th Battalion, New Jersey Volunteers, the Loyalist corps raised in Bergen County by Lt. Col. Abraham Van Buskirk, of New Bridge, will be on hand from to give demonstrations of musketry, cooking, and drill. Visitors can try their hand with quill and ink to sign oaths of loyalist to the king!

HNBL, all 3 houses open, exhibits, tavern, gift shop & outkitchen. By donation: $7 ad, $5 ch, BCHS members free.

BCHS Annual Luncheon & Meeting
June 23, 2012, 12-4 pm
BCHS Annual Luncheon & Awards Ceremony

Parking in HNBL parking lot by blue entrance sign. The Steuben House parking lot has been removed.

Experience history in one of the storied places where it was made! As resident state curator and historical interpreter, Kevin Wright lived with his family lived in the Steuben House for sixteen years, during which time he made a thorough investigation and study of this landmark home and its storied surroundings. Through extensive documentary research, including the reconstruction of deeds going back to the seventeenth century, he has resolved many of the questions that perplexed past researchers and historians. Where was the Latin School at New Bridge located? Where was the eighteenth-century tavern on the east side of the bridge? Who built the Steuben House and when? What was Baron von Steuben's connection to the property? For the inside story of the Revolutionary War battleground at The Bridge That Saved A Nation, meet at the Campbell-Christie House, Historic New Bridge Landing, 1201 Main Street, River Edge, NJ 07661 for a Walking Tour of Historic New Bridge Landing at 10 AM on Sunday, July 24, 2011.

Suggested donation: $7 adult, $5 children, BCHS members free.
The Black Horse Tavern & Gift Shop in the Campbell-Christie House will be open for lemonade & cookies at the conclusion.

Rain or shine, tho inside if rain.

The Steuben House displays a selection of rare and interesting artifacts—some not shown for decades—including Rachel Bourdette’s frying pan, which according to legend was used to prepare corn cakes for General Washington while visiting General Greene’s headquarters in the family’s home near Fort Lee. Another object of curiosity is a Revolutionary War musket, of a type used by American Continental soldiers, which a nine-year-old boy retrieved from the Hackensack River in 1903 while fishing at New Bridge. Visitors may also see a Hackensack pie plate, imprinted with a likeness of Lafayette, made at Henry Van Saun’s River Edge pottery in 1825 to celebrate the French hero’s return visit to Bergen County as part of his national tour.

The Bergen County Historical Society, a non-profit volunteer organization founded in 1902, is currently raising funds to build a Bergen County Museum of History on its property, which forms the core of Historic New Bridge Landing Park.

BCHS EVENTS:
Our events generally take place at Historic New Bridge Landing. The Steuben House and Campbell-Christie House are open for special events. 1201 & 1209 Main St, River Edge, NJ. DIRECTIONS

BCHS LECTURE PROGRAM LOCATION Unless otherwise noted, all lecture programs are held at the Second Reformed Church, corner of Anderson and Union Streets, Hackensack, NJ on the third Thursday of the month at 7:30 pm. The public is invited to attend. No fee. Second Reformed Church, 436 Union Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601

ROUNDTABLE MEETING:
Where are meetings held?  The Iron Horse Restaurant, Westwood, N.J.  Open to the public?  Yes, definitely.  What time?  Come between 6:30 and 7:00 PM for conversation and fellowship.  Meals?  Optional dinner starting at 7:00 PM and costing $20, including gratuity.  Advance reservations?  Not required.  Admission charges or dues?  None.  Questions?  Contact Chairman David Whieldon at 201-967-7692.
20 Washington Avenue, Westwood. Westbound Washington Avenue just west of Broadway and the railroad tracks.