Blog

A Brief History of Education in Early Cumberland County

By Victoria Scannella In the early days of the American Revolution, prior even to the writing of the Declaration of Independence, interest in education was being taken up by those living in Southern New Jersey. As early as 1773, a man named John Westcott created the first private school in the state. Continuing on this path, the pastor of [...]

The Rum Runner Trial of Cumberland County

By Victoria Scannella In the time of Prohibition, lasting in New Jersey from 1922 to 1933, parts of South Jersey were most famously known as “Rum Row”, the most famous for being the largest of the “Rum Rows” along the East Coast.  Although cities such as New York, Chicago, and Atlantic City were all notorious for their bootlegging, the [...]

What is a Deed of Gift?

Obtaining a signed copy of a Deed of Gift is an important step to processing and making the donation fully part of the collections. Without that form, we are unable to do each of the necessary steps to document the donation and fully claim possession of it. In this blog, we will unpack what exactly a Deed of Gift [...]

Chronology of Greenwich, N.J. Cumberland County — UPDATED

Warren Adams 21st Century   2001- Sara Langley Watson honored for 34 years as president of the Cumberland County Historical Society. 2002- Ship John sold to a Philadelphian, no opening. 2002- Meeting to repair the dike; many agencies involved. 2002- Roaming pig of Greenwich caught by "Reds" and Scott Gifford of Hancock Harbor. 2003- Roads to Bayside and Ragged [...]

See the World in a New Way: A Brief History of the Stereoscope

Tia Antonelli For some time in the early nineteenth century, the eyes were a focal point of scientific research. Scientists were fascinated by what our eyes could do, both individually and in tandem with one another – what were the limits? What can someone see with two eyes versus one eye? During this period of interest, scientists discovered “binocular [...]

A Spoonful of False Promises: Patent Medicines and George H. Whipple & Son Drugstore

Brittney Ingersoll In 1870, George Henry Whipple and Edwin F. Brewster started Whipple & Son Drugstore in Bridgeton, NJ on the corner of Broad and Fayette Street. Although the partnership was short-lived, with Whipple purchasing Brewster’s interest in the company only a year later, the store flourished into a successful operation for a number of decades. Whipple’s store sold [...]

Nameless Faces of the Past

Brittney Ingersoll Today, old photographs can be found in attics, basements, antique shops, and even archives that showcase people whose identities have been lost to time. Although their names may be gone, we can still learn so much from their pictures. The details of the images themselves and the types of photographs provide information that allows us to better [...]

An Ancestor of the Salem Witch Trials in Fairfield, NJ: Rev. Noyes Parris and the Fairfield Presbyterian Church, 1692-1748

Brittney Ingersoll Working in a research and genealogical library, it is common for people to be excited to share their ancestry and the great figures of the past that they are related to. Seldom, though, do you hear of the sketchy individuals lurking amongst the branches of people’s family trees - those family members who have left a black [...]

The Mystery of the Buried Box

Brittney Ingersoll The Cumberland County Historical Society received a donation in November of a small little metal box (2.25 in x 1.25 in ), with cards in it for a Tak-A-Tik company in Bridgeton, NJ that was owned by Isadore William Goldberg. This small little box found buried in the ground led us to learn more about individuals and [...]