county_historian

The Rancocas is a river of many names: to the Indians, the Ancocas; to the colonists, the Northampton River; to us, the Rancocas. This illustrated lecture relates the history of the towns which grew up along the Rancocas and its 3 branches: The Main stem: 8 miles from Rancocas State Park to the Delaware River; The North branch: 31 miles from Lebanon State Forest to Rancocas State Park; The South branch, which includes both the south east and south western spurs. 14 municipalities out of the 40 in Burlington County are touched directly by the waters of the Rancocas. Joe presents historical vignettes about each of the communities from their early days and on through their halcyon days as commercial centers. The lecture explores the ecological, recreational and commercial uses of the Rancocas throughout the years since 1677 when the first Quaker settlers arrived in Burlington. Emphasis is on cultural history in this lecture.

NAVIGATING BURLINGTON COUNTY: STEAMBOATING ON THE DELAWARE AND ITS TRIBUTARIES.

The Golden Age of Steamboats in Burlington County spanned ten decades, from 1820 to 1920. During that time, dozens of steamboats navigated the Delaware River from Philadelphia to Bordentown, with stops at numerous locations in Burlington County along the Delaware River. Some of the boats even ventured into the Rancocas waterway. This illustrated lecture will present historic pictures of the steamboat era in Burlington County from the private collection of Delaware Valley Historian, Paul W. Schopp, from collections of other individuals who submitted pictures for a pictorial history of Burlington County, and from a descendant of George Ridgeway Van Sciver, founder of a Burlington County-based company that built several of the steamboats that plied the Delaware River in this area. The lecture will also identify the location of the wharfs on the Delaware and Rancocas, and provide anecdotal information about this exciting period in our history. In 2007, under the sponsorship of the Burlington County Freeholders, a series of riverboat tours were conducted to acquaint county residents with this long-past era that helped define Burlington County.

BURLINGTON COUNTY: CROSSROADS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

This is an illustrated lecture which focuses on the role played by Burlington County at different times in the evolving history of the Republic. As a natural crossroads between Philadelphia and New York, by water, by rail and by highway, many pivotal events of the Revolutionary war took place in Burlington County. The county became the tactical center of diversionary activity prior to the Battle of Trenton from December 19-25, 1776. The towns of Bordentown, Blackhorse (Columbus), Springfield, Mount Holly and Moorestown were involved as the Hessians were lured from Bordentown and Blackhorse to Springfield (Battle of Petticoat Bridge) and Mt. Holly (Battle of Iron Works Hill) as Washington planned his surprise crossing of the Delaware into Trenton.A year-and-a-half later, as the British abandoned Philadelphia, they traveled through the Burlington County towns of Moorestown, Mt. Laurel, Hainesport (the skirmish at Long Bridge), Mt. Holly, Mansfield and Chesterfield on their way to what would become the Battle of Monmouth on June 28, 1778. Taking over Quaker Meeting Houses in some of these towns, the British plundered their way through Burlington County.There were river bombardments at Beverly, Burlington, Fieldsboro and Bordentown during 1778, and throughout the war Batsto was a key munitions manufacturing center for the militia. The State of New Jersey is celebrating its role as the Crossroads of the American Revolution, and this lecture highlights Burlington County’s link to the crossroads.

QUAKER MEETING HOUSES OF BURLINGTON COUNTY, NEW JERSEY

An illustrated lecture based on a self-guided auto tour created by the author. The lecture covers the 20 past or present Quaker or "Friends" Meeting Houses in Burlington County. Through Mr. Laufer's personal collection of pictures of these best-preserved colonial buildings in the county, you are given an insight into the period and the Quaker influence on the development of Burlington County. Click here for a Self-guided tour of the 21 Quaker Meeting Houses.

Related Link: Quaker Meeting Houses

PEOPLE AND PLACES OF HISTORIC VINCENTOWN AND SOUTHAMPTON TOWNSHIP

Vincentwown historically was and remains the largest village in Southampton Township. Like many Burlington County villages it owes its initial development to religion and the exploitation of waterpower for industrial purposes. The land on which it would be built was acquired by Vincent Leeds in 1743. It was not, however, until 1781 that the town's first institution appeared: the Friends Meeting House. Then followed the influence of the Burr and Irick families. By 1834, Vincentown was not only a small industrial development, but also a service center for the surrounding farming community. Vincentown today is an archetypical survivor of a West Jersey country town. Only about 15 of its some 200 buildings postdate the 1930s. Most of its houses are set close together, although a few occupy larger lots. Vincentown's 19th-century townscape gives the village both itrs charm and its historical importance. The Village is listed on both the State and National Historic Registers. Relying on oral histories, the help of town historian Dorothy Best and long-time members of the Southampton Historical Society, Mr. Laufer has created an illustrated tour of the village identifying 80 locations and their historical and architectural signficiance. Although focusing mostly on the Village of Vincentown, Mr. Laufer will briefly touch upon some of the outlying areas of the broader Southampton Township. The audience will see why this quaint community freeze-frames a period of rural Burlington County history long lost to the development and sprawl which surrounds it.

NOTABLE WOMEN IN THE HISTORY OF BURLINGTON COUNTY

An illustrated lecture which describes the major contributions of six Burlington County Women to the history of the region and beyond. The individuals highlighted are: Patience Lovell Wright (1725-1786); Indian Ann Roberts (1805-1894); Clara Harlowe Barton (1821-1912); Mary Irick Drexel (1868-1948); Elizabeth Coleman White (1871-1954); and Alice Stokes Paul (1885-1977) (Website: Alice Paul Institute)

Six other Burlington County women (Click here) are given passing recognition for their contributions to society in the course of the lecture.

Click Here for Lecture Summary

HISTORIC BURLINGTON COUNTY ONE-ROOM SCHOOL HOUSES

An illustrated lecture about 14 historic schools in Burlington County, most of them restored one-room school houses. When the Quaker colonists set up their communities, the first thing they built was a school. This recognition of the preeminence of education in society has been memorialized in the proliferation of restored one-room school houses throughout Burlington County. Some have been moved from their original location in order to be preserved. They have been outfitted in colonial furniture and antique school supplies in order to memorialize the conditions under which our forebears were educated. This illustrated lecture shows both the interior and exterior of the many restored school houses, preeminent among them, the Brainerd Street School in Mount Holly. Others in Bordentown, Vincentown, Medford, Tabernacle, Maple Shade, Mansfield, Burlington City and Willingboro are highlighted for their history and style. In addition to the restored school houses, some that now have other uses are also pointed out. Click here for illustrated lecture summary

THE HISTORIC COMPANY TOWNS OF BURLINGTON COUNTY, NEW JERSEY

An illustrated lecture which describes the 6 unique company towns of Burlington County:

Batsto and Atsion , which were created around the Bog Iron industry which flourished for approximately 100 years between the Revolutionary and Civil Wars.
Smithville in Eastampton Township which was created first as a company town for the Shreve Cotton Works and was succeeded by the H.B. Smith Woodworking Machine Company after the Civil War.
Whitesbog , a community in present-day Pemberton Township which grew up around the Cranberry and Blueberry industry of the J.J. White Company.
Roebling, a town created in 1905 by Charles Roebling in order to house workers for the new John Roebling Iron Foundry, established to support the production of wire rope for bridges and other industrial uses as support for Roebling's Trenton factories which were inadequate to keep up with the demand at the time. Roebling Main Gate Museum.

Mr. Laufer will compare Burlington County's company towns with those in other parts of the country generally founded in conjuction with mining, railroading and other similar industries. He will also point out the similarities in planning, services, and overall philosophy for the several Burlington County towns, as well as their differences.

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORIC SITES OF BURLINGTON COUNTY

This Power Point adaptation of the printed tour guide prepared by Historian Giles R. Wright under a grant from the Office of Cultural Affairs and Tourism provides additional pictorial information on the original 16 Black History sites listed in the guide and adds other locations not listed in the guide. As indicated by Mr. Wright in his introduction: "No New Jersey county has a richer black historical presence than Burlington County. The black presence on soil that is today Burlington County is in fact older than the county iteself." By 1790 the county had the largest black population of the state's five southern counties. But probably of greater import, it also had the largest free black population of any county in New Jersey. Burlington County was the home of John Woolman, the Quaker champion of Emancipation and many slaves were helped by the Quaker committment to freedom for all. The Delaware Valley was known as the "cradle of emancipation," and some of the earliest forms of black organized life can be found in Burlington County. This illustrated lecture provides an overview of the people and places that contributed to the African American presence in Burlington County. CLICK HERE FOR TOUR

WILLIAM PENN AND THE QUAKER INFLUENCE IN NEW JERSEY

In an age when it took months to get information back and forth from Europe to the Colonies, it is hard to imagine how William Penn (1644-1718) pulled off his “Holy Experiment” as an “absentee landlord”. He only spent 2 years and 11 months of his 76 year life in the colonies. In 1682, at the age of 38, he made his first trip to America, returning to England after only 2 years. He remained in England for the next 16 years, returning briefly to America in 1699, staying for only 11 months and returning to England in November, 1701, never to return again.

Yet Penn has been called America’s first Great Champion for Liberty and Peace, the person who planted the seed of America’s nationhood, and whose writings greatly influenced the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and America’s Constitution.

While most closely associated with Pennsylvania, Penn’s first involvement in the colonies preceded his Pennsylvania connection by 6 years. In 1675, at the age of 31 he arbitrated a dispute between Quakers in West Jersey and became one of the trustees of West New Jersey. In 1677 he wrote his “Concessions and Agreements” for West Jersey, which contained provisions for the right to trial by jury, freedom from arbitrary imprisonment for debt, and an edict against capital punishment. Penn also strongly argued for religious freedom in the “Concessions”.

Burlington County Historian, Joseph Laufer, will explore the role played by William Penn in the creation of the State of New Jersey, with special influence on his and the overall Quaker influence in colonial Burlington County. It is his contention that the spirit infused by Penn and the early Quaker colonists into early Burlington County continues to this day in the quality of life enjoyed here.

STATUES, MONUMENTS, AND LANDMARKS OF BURLINGTON COUNTY

Burlington County contains dozens of sculptures, monuments and memorials that commemorate people and events, celebrate heroism, and identify locations of historic interest. Some are simply adornments for properties or buildings that have gained significance because of their association with the history of the county. In 2007, we identified 35 significant scultures and monuments for our annual "New Views" art project. This illustrated lecture takes you on a tour of Burlington County towns which have these unique monuments to our rich heritage. For a description and illustration of the monuments included in this lecture, CLICK HERE.

THE JACK ALLEN MEMORIAL EARLY COUNTRY LIVING MUSEUM

An illustrated lecture introducing the audience to the amazing collection of memorabilia collected by dairy farmer Jack Allen of Vincentown. Jack died in 2006, and his family and friends were determined to preserve his collection of items depicting a simpler life at the turn of the 20th Century in a typical New Jersey country town whose major industry was agricluture. The museum, although far from displaying all of the 6,000 artifacts in the Allen collection, is now open on the third Sunday of the month. This illustrated lecture previews and describes many of the artifacts on display or slated for future display at the museum located at 224 Landing Street, Southampton in a converted horse arena and barn just outside the village of Vincentown.

Click here for a link to the Allen Museum website

LITERARY BURLINGTON COUNTY

Dozens of names and institutions in the annals of Burlington County stand as testimony to the contributions of our citizenry to the fields of poetry, literature, history and journalism. This illustrated lecture will identify Burlington County writers, historic libraries and literary forums over the past three decades. People like John Woolman, Thomas Paine, Francis Hopkinson, James Fennimore Cooper and James Still head the list. Their writings inspired movements such as the abolition of slavery and the American Revolution; they chronicled the struggles of Native Americans and African Americans and life in colonial times. Lesser known journalists and writers include Richard Gilder, a noted poet, author and editor of Century Magazine; historian George DeCou; journalist Isaac Collins; and authors of children's books, Stephen Meader and Mary Biddle Fitler. The works of May and Joseph Taylor are recalled. Burlington's County's historic librarys played an important literary role in our history, among them, The Library Company of Burlington, The Beverly Free Library, The Sally Stretch Keen Memorial Library in Vincentown, and the Burlington County Lyceum of History and Natural Science in Mt. Holly. We also highlight the Rancocas Lyceum and Old St. Mary's Church, where the words and poetry of Reverend Johnathan O'Dell led to his confinement and eventual expulsion due to his Loyalist suport of King George. For a description and illustration of the sites included in this lecture, CLICK HERE.

THE PINELANDS PANORAMA - BURLINGTON COUNTY'S 7 PINELANDS MUNICIPALITIES

In the Spring of 2006, a tour of historic sites selected from the 7 southern Burlington County "Pinelands" Municipalities was conducted under the leadership of the County Historian. Prior to the tour, a Power Point presentation was given at the Burlington County Library promoting the tour. This presentation has been edited for general use and is now a part of the historian's lecture repertoir. You can view pictures of the selected sites by clicking below. In addition to the formal pictures, there are also pictures taken on tour showing the group of participants visiting the various venues. CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES.

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NEW JERSEY: MILITARY CONNECTIONS: MEMORIALS, BASES, AND CEMETERIES

A speech delivered by Joe Laufer on May 30, 2006 at Memorial Day ceremonies held at Laurel Hall, LeisureTowne, Southampton, NJ. Mr. Laufer shows that despite having been found by conscientious objectors (the Quaker colonizers), Burlington County has a rich military connection. The lecture summarizes the history of Beverly National Cemetery, the Arneytown Veteran's Cemetery, Several cemeteries honoring Black Civil War heroes; Four highways honoring Veterans, Fort Dix, McGuire AFB, a Memorial to Unkown Soldiers of the Revolutionary War in Springfield and other military connections.

H.B. SMITH, THE SMITHVILLE EXPERIMENT AND THE STAR BICYCLE

An illustrated lecture which higlights the contributions of H.B. Smith to the history of Burlington County, with particular emphasis on the H.B. Smith Industrial Village he created beginning in 1865 and expanded through the 1880s. Click here for Smithville Chronology
Descendants of H.B. Smith occupied the Smithville Mansion until 1962. It is now owned and operated by Burlington County as an historic site, museum and exhibit center.

In addition to the mansion, the county has restored several other buildings on the grounds and has designated the surrounding property as a County Park facility. Mr. Laufer is President of the H.B. Smith Industrial Village Conservancy.

Organized as the Britannia Fire Company in 1752, Relief is the oldest continuously active volunteer fire company in the United States. Original leather buckets, lanterns and other memoriabilia, including the historic steamer shown above, are on display at the historic fire house on Pine St. near the corner of Mill St. This lecture tells about the early history of the company and illustrates the hundreds of artifacts that the company possesses and wishes to display in a museum it is planning. The company recently restored and preserved its historic minutes and charters. The lecture includes pictures of these historic documents.

In October, 2007, Holy Eucharist Church in Tabernacle celebrated its 25th Anniversary. Mr. Laufer was invited to write the history of this unique Pinelands Catholic Church. In addition to writing the history, he created an illustrated history of the Catholic presence in Burlington County for the past 162 years. Tracing the development of the parish from St. Paul's Church in Burlington, through Sacred Heart in Mount Holly, then St. Mary's in Medford, Laufer brings us to the creation of Holy Eucharist Parish in 1982 in a farm field in the center of Protestant Tabernacle, New Jersey. The creation of a modern Post-Vatican II Church which blended in with the rural character of the region is described and illustrated. The process which involved parishioners in the design of the church and the selection of the unique stained glass windows and other church adornments are described as only an "insider" who participated in the process could do. Not only a story of this relatively new parish, it delves into the history of the Catholics of New Jersey, of the Diocese of Trenton and of Burlington County. CLICK HERE FOR ANNIVERSARY BOOKLET WHICH CONTAINS COMPLETE PARISH HISTORY.

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NEW JERSEY: CROSSROADS OF AMERICAN HISTORY

An illustrated lecture which focuses on the role played by Burlington County at different times in the evolving history of the Republic. Mr. Laufer makes a case for the fact that the seeds of American Liberty which grew into the American Constitution were first sewn in Burlington County through William Penn's "Concessions and Agreements" and other actions taken by early Quaker Settlers. Also, the seeds for the liberation of slaves were planted in Burlington County long before the Civil War by patriots like John Woolman of Mount Holly. As a natural crossroads between Philadelphia and New York, by water, by rail and by highway, many pivotal events of the Revolutionary war took place in Burlington County. In the history of farming and industry, Burlington County also played a major role, with its model industrial towns, such as Smithville and Roebling, and its cranberry and blueberry industry, housed at Whitesbog and surrounding areas. This stimulating lecture will provide new insights into the roots of American Liberty planted so firmly in the soil of Burlington County, New Jersey.

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NEW JERSEY: TERCENTENARY - 1694-1994

An illustrated lecture designed to trace the 300-year history of Burlington County, which Mr. Laufer calls the true "Cradle of U.S. Liberty." Special attention is given to the role of William Penn in the establishment of West Jersey, the Quaker influence on the development of the area, and the unique county historic sites open to the public. This lecture broadens the scope of the "Crossroads of Liberty" lecture, to include other historic elements in the county.