The first meeting of 2003 will be held Sunday, February 9, at 2 p.m. at the Kirch-Ford House. A program on the History of Costume will be presented by Kimberly Costa. Kimberly is a graduate of Rutgers University specializing in Woman's History and Textiles. She makes al of her own colonial costumes and is also a part-time builde at Red Mill Inn Museum. Refreshments will be served after the program. attendees are asked to bring heirloom recipes for a Recipe Swap. Due to limited seating, please call Nancy Micou at (908) 580-9801 if you wish to attned. Snow date is March 9.

Alan Siegel to give Lincoln talk.

Alan Siegel will be he speaker at the Bound Brook-Middlesex Rotary Club's second annual Lincoln Day dinner. Siegel's speech will be entitled "Not Everybody Loved Lincoln." He will tell how there was considerable dissent about Lincoln's policies, even in New Jersey. The dinner will benefit scholarships for Bound Brook and Middlesex high school students and will also be a fund-raiser for theUunited Methodist Women, who will prepare an all-American turkey dinner with all the trimmings. The dinner is 6 p.m. February 12 at the United Methodist Church, corner of Union Avenue and Livingston Street, Bound Brook. Tickets are $30 per person and are available from Bound Brook Dry Cleaners on Union Avenue Avenue in Bound Brook, from the church office at (732) 356-1372, or fom any Rotarian. For more information, please contact (732) 563-0295 or jbib@aol.com.

Treasurer Jane Wallace

On November 10, 2002 the Society sponsored an antiques program, with special guest Doug Reeder. Members and guests made a small donation to the Society for Mr. Reeder's desctiption and explanation of their antique items, and a nice amount was raised to support historical preservation in Warren. We thank Mr. Reeder for his generosity in making this appearance.

The next meeting of the Warren Township Historical Society will be on Sunday, September 9. Alan A. Siegel will unveil his new book on New Jersey in the Civil War, give a brief talk and autograph copies that we'll have for sale. This year, we are having our meetings at the Kirch-Ford House at 2 p.m., in conjunction with the regular monthly open houses of the Kirch-Ford House.

Award-winning history teacher and author, William Chemerka, presented a talk on the famous Revolutionary War unit, Morgan's Rifles, for the Warren Township Historical Society on May 20, at 2:30 p.m. at the Kirch-Ford House.

Dressed as a Revolutionary War rifleman and armed with a flintlock, tomahawk and scalping knife, Chemerka traced the unit's formation and the career of its leader, Daniel Morgan.

Chemerka has been seen as a historical commentator on the History Channel, C-SPAN and the Arts & Entertainment Network. He will be featured on The History Channel's forthcoming "Hunters & Heroes: Daniel Boon & Davy Crockett" special.

Bound copies of Warren History, Volume Two (to match Volume One published five years ago) were prepared by Warren Township Historical Society and distributaed to those who submitted their prepaid orders. No extras were prepared.

The Society sponsored four meetings during 2000:

Sunday, October 22, at 2 p.m. at the Mt. Bethel Meeting House. A program by Dr. Marc Mappen, Associate Dean, Rutgers University, entitled "Great Controversies of American History."

Sponsored by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, Dr. Mappen's program explores puzzles from the American past, including: Did Lizzie Borden kill her parents? Who blew up the USS Maine? Did Jefferson have a slave mistress? Did Shoeless Joe Jackson throw the 1919 World Series? Were the Rosenbergs guilty? Who killed Martin Luther King?

Dr. Mappen's presentation explores common-sense solutions to these mysteries and discusses how historians weigh the evidence, separating reasonable conclusions from unsupported allegations and conspiracy theories.

Sunday, September 17, 2000, at 2pm, a program by Charles F. McSorley on "Mathew Brady, Cameraman of the Civil War," at the American Legion Hall. Slides and lecture focused on Brady's effort to preserve on film a tragic period in our history.

May 18: Early American to Civil War Music, The History of America through Music, with a fiddle and guitar and examples of American Clog Dancing, presented by Nancy Shill at the Brick Academy in Basking Ridge.

Sunday, June 4, at 2 p.m. at the Mt. Bethel Meeting House. Jan Riemer, president of the New Jersey Genealogy Society, spoke on "Basic Genealogy."

At the last meeting in 1999 the following new officers were elected:

East Jersey Olde Town Village is looking for any info and photos of our old Smalleytown School House. (We had a photo with four students out in front of it. Any copies around?)

The treasurer has begun collecting dues for 2001. Remit to Jane Wallace, 88 Round Top Road, Warren, New Jersey 07059. Individual membership is $10, contributing membership $20. 

The library meeting room was filled with members and guests, including several high school students, when Alan Siegel presented his second slide show of Warren sites.

The previous group of pictures showed buildings and places that can been seen in Warren today--as they appear today. October's resentation dealt more with places, people, and things as they once appeared, places that no longer exist, etc. Members and guests shared with the group knowledge they have of these scenes from Warren's past.

The Society had pamphlets and other information available at a table at the Municipal Complex on Pride in Warren Day, Saturday, October 9.

On the following Saturday, October 16, members of the Society conducted tours of Mt. Bethel Village for The Heritage Trails Association, a Somerset County organization that encourages knowledge and appreciation of Somerset's heritage and lore. Tours were held at 10 a.m. and again at 1 p.m. Special thanks to speakers Jack Farrell, George Bebbington, and Bill Halsey.

On Sunday, June 6, members of the Society journeyed to Griggstown to tour the Mule Tender's Barracks Museum. The museum is sponsored by the Griggstown Historical Society and features models, artifacts and historic photographs illustrating canal work and life. It is adjacent to the Delaware & Raritan Canal and gate keepers house. Many thinks to Bill Halsey, who arranged this trip. He is also associated with the Mule Tender's Barracks Museum and is constructing a working model of the canal locks.

Congratulations are in order for our treasurer and long-time member Jane Wallace, who received an award for historic preservation from the Somerset County Cultural and Heritage Commission. Jane was recognized for the restoration and maintenance of her historic homestead, whose original section was built in the eighteenth century. Jane and her late husband Robert came to Warren and moved into the house in 1946.

Alan Siegel is at it again! His latest book, Somerset County in Vintage Post Cards, another volume from Arcadia Publishers, which put out Images of Warren, is available from the Somerset County Historical Society. Address your order to P. O. Box 632 Somerville, N. J. 08876 and enclose $20.

Pass the word that the Kirch-Ford House will continue to be open the second Sunday of every month throughout the summer and fall (except October, when the open house will be held on Saturday to coincide with Pride in Warren Day). If you have any collection of small items that might be suitable for the glass display case, please let Donna Shjarback know (908) 757-2536.

The Society has published Cemetery Records of Warren Township, compiled by Alan A. Siegel. Its regular price is $12.50 or $14.50 if ordered by mail. Members may purchase copies for $11.00 or $13.00 by mail.

The April 1999 meeting was well attended by members and also several high school students. The program, presented by Alan Siegel, was titled "Name That Site," and used a quiz format where the audience had to write the name of Warren historical sites shown on sildes. As the discussion evolved, we came to realize that there are places in Warren that we know about as interesting and historical, but we don't really have much solid information on them. If you would like to research and write up any Warren historic site or event, please go right to it and give your product to Alan Siegel for "Warren History."

The Annual Meeting of the Warren Historical Society was held November 15, 1998. The following officers were elected for 1999:

The twenty-two members present discussed projects and programs for 1999. The Society will cooperate with the Warren Township Historic Sites Committee in holding the 1998 Holiday Open House afternoon at the Kirch-Ford House and the Mt. Bethel Meeting House.

In response to the request for family histories Frank Freehauif has presented the Society with a copy of "A Listing of the Descendants of Richard Roff, Patrick Sharkey, Silas S. Blazier & Johann Philip Frühauf." The general public as well as Society members are urged to send genealogies and family histories to the Society for deposit.

Preparing this skillfully-researched book is only the latest in a long list of contributions by Alan Siegel to Warren history. In recognition of his efforts and accomplishments Alan was a recipient of the Warren Township Committee's Outstanding Volunteer Award at its meeting on July 2, 1998. This is Warren's highest municipal honor, awarded to only two or three citizens each year. Alan certainly deserves to join the ranks of those whose volunteer work has been so acknowledged. A large representation from the Historical Society was present to see Alan honored.

The October 1988 meeting of the Society attracted a large number of members and guests who were eager to learn about historical and genealogical research using the wonders of technology.

Special thanks to Early Irwin and Tom Harding (below) who presented a most informative program on Using Computers and the Internet for Genealogical and Historical Research.

Steve Zluky, right, was the guest speaker at the Society's May 1998 meeting. He exhibited and explained items from his extensive collection of antique tools and kitchen ware.

Alan Siegel, left, was thanked for his ten years' service as Society president, and Susie Boyce, center, was named incoming president.

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