Twin challenges for historical societyMonday, November 16, 2009
Last updated: Monday November 16, 2009, 6:51 AM
By HARVY LIPMAN
RECORD COLUMNIST
The Cash-starved Bergen County Historical Society stresses it's not part of Bergen County government.
LESLIE BARBARO/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
From left, Bergen County Historical Society Treasurer Bill Farrelly, past President Kevin Wright and current President Deborah Powell at the Steuben House at Historic New Bridge Landing. The society owns five acres at the park.
The Bergen County Historical Society suffers from something of an identity crisis.
It's not that the society's staff and members don't know the group's purpose. Rather, the problem lies in the public perception of the group — or more accurately, misperception.
"One of the biggest obstacles for us is that people always think that we're part of the county government," said Deborah Powell, the society president. "We'll hold events and ask people to donate, and without fail someone will say, 'Why should I donate? I pay my taxes.' They assume we get funding from the county, whereas we don't."
In fact, the county sometimes gets credit for the society's work.
"If you drive around Bergen County and see those blue historic markers, people always think the county put them up," said Kevin Wright, the group's past president. "They're ours."
Those markers are a small portion of what the society has accomplished in its 107 years.
Its collection of more than 4,000 artifacts ranges from a cigar-store Indian to a 15-foot Native American white cedar canoe to furniture dating to the Bergen Dutch settlers. Its library and document collection at Felician College in Lodi includes thousands of books, periodicals, pamphlets, documents and photographs.
The society's centerpiece, however, is the five acres it owns at Historic New Bridge Landing in River Edge. That land, along with another two acres owned by the state and a chunk of Teaneck's Brett Park along the Hackensack River, is home to the historical site overseen by the Historic New Bridge Landing Park Commission.
The commission includes representatives from the society, the state, the county, Teaneck, River Edge, New Milford and the non-profit Blauvelt Demarest Foundation.
New Bridge played a critical role in the Revolutionary War. In November 1776, George Washington and his 2,000 troops crossed the river at New Bridge to escape capture by British forces who had attacked them in Fort Lee.
"This was the crossroads of the revolution," Wright said.
Today the site contains three historic houses.
The Campbell Christie House, built in 1774 in New Milford, is owned by Bergen County, which moved it to the society's land at the New Bridge park in 1977. It is operated and maintained by the society, which will take ownership of it when a 50-year lease with the county runs out.
The Steuben House, built in 1752, is a state-owned structure on the west bank of the river. It housed the society's collection of artifacts until a flood during an April 2007 nor'easter damaged many items and forced the society to relocate them. The collection is now temporarily housed in The Record building on River Street in Hackensack.
The third historic building is the Demarest House Museum, owned by the Blauvelt Demarest Foundation. This 18th-century building was moved to New Bridge from New Milford in 1955. Its ownership will also transfer to the society at the end of its 99-year lease. Two other historic structures, an out-kitchen and a barn, sit on the property.
Located at the intersection of Hackensack Avenue and Main Street in River Edge, less than half a mile north of Route 4, the New Bridge site would seem perfectly placed as a tourist attraction. Thousands of cars pass daily. But most people are unaware the park is even there. The view from Hackensack Avenue is blocked by an old junkyard, which the state has purchased and plans to replace with a visitors center.
The society also would like to build a museum on its land as a permanent home for its collection of artifacts.
"The one thing we need is a safe environment for the collection that is climate-controlled and flood-resistant," said Mike Trepicchio, the society's first vice president. "And we want it to look historically accurate on the outside. For $1.5 million we could build a state-of-the-art museum."
There's just one stumbling block: The society doesn't have the money. Nor does it at the moment have the wherewithal to raise it. And in this area, the organization's problems go beyond perception. For more than a century, the society has operated with no paid staff, relying on volunteers.
"We do what we do very well, but we're not fund-raisers," Wright noted. The society would like to hire a grant writer to help bring in foundation funding and a development director to raise donations. But such professionals don't come cheap.
"We tried to craft a grant for $50,000 so we could hire a fund-raiser, but we were turned down," Wright said.
"We applied for a general operating grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, but they told us we live in the wealthiest community in the state and we should go out and get private donations," Powell added.
So the society tried to do just that. "In the spring of '08 we started a campaign — just as the economy started tanking," Trepicchio said. "That took a lot of the wind out of our sails."
The group tried reaching out to the business community, but "every company we contacted was cutting back," said Bill Farrelly, its treasurer. "They all wanted to know how they could provide us with in-kind assistance. But our primary need isn't in-kind. We need cash."
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Spending on programs: The society spends 82 cents of every $1 on its programs, well above average. Plus
Spending on fund raising: The organization spent no money on fund raising and raised only about $10,000 from the public last year. It acknowledges the need to professionalize its fund-raising effort. Minus
Executive compensation: All executives work as unpaid volunteers. Plus
Financial stability: The society owns land appraised at about $5 million and has investments worth about $225,000. It has maintained adequate funds to maintain its collections. Plus
Outcomes: The organization conducts lectures, tours and educational activities at the historic site and around the county. Plus
Demand for services: Prior to 2001, when the state had a full-time staffer at the Steuben House, about 16,000 students a year visited the site, but that has since fallen off. Neutral
Transparency: The organization readily provided all financial and other relevant documents. Plus
E-mail:
lipman@northjersey.comBergen County Historical Society
PO Box 55
River Edge, NJ 07661
201-343-9492
bergencountyhistory.org
The society operates most of Historic New Bridge Landing Park, makes collections of thousands of historical artifacts and documents available to the public and conducts tours and lectures.
Annual expenses
Program services: $70,640 (81.8 percent)
Management: $15,700 (18.2 percent)
Fund-raising: $0
Source: Organization's latest tax return
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Below is the article as it appeared on page L-3 of today's paper:
