Speaker Series — January 2025
January 26 @ 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
January 26th, 2025 at 2pm
981 Ye Greate Street Greenwich, NJ 08323
Paulie Wenger is a PhD student in American Civilization at the University of Delaware. He is also a senior adjunct instructor in History and Sociology at Atlantic Cape Community College. He has worked at several New Jersey museums, including the Burlington County Prison Museum, Princeton University Art Museum, and Whitesbog Preservation Trust.
Title: New Jersey’s Lost Infidel: The Life and Works of Tamar Davis, 1821-1866
Tamar Davis, from Upper Alloway Creek, New Jersey, was throughout her tumultuous life a chronicler of church history, fiery skeptic, science writer, romance novelist, nationally-known poet, and convicted counterfeiter and forger. Her writings angered many, gained a loyal fanbase, and covered some of the most pivotal moments in the United States history, including the publishing of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the Maine Liquor Law of 1851, and the ongoing United States Civil War. But what caused Davis, wealthy from her writing career for publications like the Boston Investigator, Philadelphia Dollar Newspaper, and New York Dispatch to find herself in one year of solitary confinement at the New Jersey State Prison and soon after forgotten to the annals of history? This is a story that has never been told before and is almost more strange than fiction.
If you would like to attend via Zoom rather than in person, please email brittlp48@gmail.com by January 24th, 2025.
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CUMBERLAND COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY’S SITES TO SEE AND VISIT ALONG YE GREATE STREET IN GREENWICH
· 1730 Gibbon House – This well-preserved townhouse was erected by Nicholas Gibbon, who built his home in the village because it was convenient for his shipping business. The house is an excellent example of Flemish bond patterned brick work, with red and blue alternating headers and stretchers forming the pattern and a pent-roof. (Hours open: Tuesday through Sunday – 1 to 4 p.m. Closed January, February and March.)
· Cumberland County Log Granary – When the granary was built, this part of South Jersey was known as New Sweden. It is said to be the oldest agricultural building in the United States. (Same hours as the Gibbon House.)
· 1930 Red Barn Museum – On display are items once used in the homes, farms and industries of Cumberland County. (Same hours as the Gibbon House.)
· Warren and Reba Lummis Genealogical & Historical Library – This modern building (1969) was constructed in an authentic colonial style in order to harmonize with the other buildings on Ye Great Street. The decorative spikes on the slate roof prevent snow or ice from sliding off the roof. Originally built as a bank, the building is now owned by the Society and houses its genealogical library and many documents pertinent to the county’s history. (Hours open: Wednesday – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday – 1 to 4 p.m.)
· 1852 John DuBois Maritime Museum – This museum is home to an extraordinary collection of South Jersey Maritime artifacts collected by John DuBois. Visitors can step back in time and learn of Greenwich’s rich maritime history. It provides a look at the water industry that flourished in the area until the Second World War. Exhibits include models of oyster boats that once plied the bay. (Hours open: April through mid-December – Sundays only 1 – 4 p.m.)
· Alan Ewing Carman Museum of Prehistory in Cumberland County – This museum is home to the Archeological American Indian and Fossil Collection of Alan Ewing Carman. They were collected over fifty-one years of field work. (Hours open: Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday – 1 to 4 p.m. Closed January, February and March.)
· 1908 Tea Burners’ Monument – The monument was erected in 1908 to commemorate the burning of tea in protest of the hated British Tea Tax. No event in the history of Cumberland County has received such recognition or has been so highly honored as this act on the part of the young patriots whose names are listed on the monument.
OTHER SITES IN CUMBERLAND COUNTY MANAGED BY THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Cumberland County Liberty Bell – located in the Cumberland County Courthouse, Broad Street, Bridgeton, New Jersey
Potter’s Tavern – located on Broad Street in Bridgeton, New Jersey (Open on July 4th each year.)
Old Stone Church – located in Fairfield Township, Bridgeton, New Jersey
Additional information on front page.