ROEBLING Photographs from the past can tell a lot about the personality and history of a town, preserving images of buildings, people and landscapes that have long since vanished.
The memories of Roebling residents who worked at the steel mill and watched the village grow throughout the past century someday will be gone, but the faces and places are being preserved through efforts such as the publication of a new book on the history of the town.
By:Vanessa S. Holt
The history of the Village of Roebling is vividly captured in photographs and text from the past century in a new book simply called "Roebling," assembled over the past year by residents and local historians and published by Arcadia Publishing, based in South Carolina.
The pictures range from historical portraits of the Roebling founding family to shots of steel mill workers at work and at home, and the book includes images of the mill buildings that are now almost completely gone.
The seven chapters in the 128-page book also include special sections on World War II, religious institutions, leisure activities and family life in the village.
Many of the faces in the book will be familiar to residents, because they are the faces of their fathers, mothers and grandparents, next-door neighbors and friends.
Information for the book was compiled by Friends of Roebling Rose Menton, Daniel Roth, Michelle Scott, Joseph Varga, Joseph B. Varga, Loretta Varga and Paul Varga in association with the Roebling Garden Club and all of the residents who shared their pictures and memories.
Mr. Roth said he had seen other books in the Arcadia Publishing series, which spotlights areas of regional and local interest across the country, and thought it would be appropriate for Roebling to have a book documenting its history.
Each of the Friends took on a different role, whether typing, organizing, researching or gathering photographs.
The Friends organized hundreds of pictures into separate categories and narrowed them down into individual chapter headings. Last spring Arcadia accepted the Friends’ proposal for a Roebling book.
A native of neighboring Burlington Township, Mr. Roth moved to Roebling several years ago and quickly developed an interest in the rich history of the village. Many of Friends of Roebling are lifelong residents or come from a family with a long history in the village, but some are relative newcomers who have an interest in history, he said.
A number of the photographs in the book come from the collection of Roebling Historical Society founder Lou Borbi and from other residents, including Shirley and Tom Pierson, Carol Sheaffer, Joseph Zahorsky, Ray Thompson and many others.
"There were a lot of people in town that were excited about this idea who dug through their collections," said Mr. Roth. "I adore the town and its history."
The Friends of Roebling spent several months trying to identify the people in the photographs they gathered, interviewing and visiting residents and former residents, and listening to their unique stories. While many Roebling residents are familiar with the basic history of the village, founded in 1904 by Charles G. Roebling, the photographs show the real day-to-day life that history books often omit.
"There’s not much I didn’t know about the town," said lifelong resident Loretta Varga, "but there were pictures that I hadn’t seen before. It was an honor to work with those people on that committee and to see how hard they worked."
For Mr. Roth it also was an opportunity to learn more about the village’s history. For example, he said he had not been aware that there was an African-American church and school in the village in the early 1900s, and many photographs show an old Boy Scout hut along the river that is no longer standing.
One of the most noticeable changes in Roebling over the years has been the deterioration of the steel mill site, which is now mostly demolished for a revitalization project.
"We’re really happy to be able to get this grouping of pictures all in one spot," said Mr. Roth. "We tried to capture the essence of the town as far as the livelihood as well the Roebling family who started it all."
Proceeds from the sale of the book will benefit the activities of the Roebling Garden Club, which will purchase memorial plaques for trees in Roebling Park and continue its ongoing efforts with plantings and beautification projects in town.
The club also will hold a house and garden tour this year on June 30.
The "Roebling" book is available through Roebling Garden Club at its Web site, http://www.roebling.org, or by calling Loretta Varga at 499-1160.
Books are $19.95 each, or to have a copy mailed to you the cost is $23.50 including shipping. The books also will be available at many area book and collectible stores.