Historical association recognized for exhibits Next presentation, ‘Steamboat!’ will debut at museum in February

Staff Writer

By clare M. masi

Historical association recognized for exhibits
Next presentation,
‘Steamboat!’ will debut
at museum in February


PHOTOS BY VERONICA YANKOWSKI  Monmouth County Historical Association Director Dr. Lee Ellen Griffith (l) and curator Bernadette Rogoff share responsibility for  coordinating the association’s popular exhibits.PHOTOS BY VERONICA YANKOWSKI Monmouth County Historical Association Director Dr. Lee Ellen Griffith (l) and curator Bernadette Rogoff share responsibility for coordinating the association’s popular exhibits.

Sarah Tabitha Reid could have had no idea when she first placed her pen to her leather-bound diary in 1868 how many eyes would one day be privy to her world.

Reid’s diary, an intimate, inspiring collection of entries depicting the life of an ordinary (or so she thought) farm woman living in western Freehold in the 19th century is just one of the many interesting pieces of history that have found their way into the Monmouth County Historical Association’s home on Court Street in Freehold

Dr. Lee Ellen Griffith, the museum’s director, explained that the diary came to the association in 1993, donated by Dr. and Mrs. Charles B. Ashanin of Indianapolis, Ind.

"The leather-bound diary, inherited by the Ashanin family, turned out to be a treasure," Griffith said. "It’s a woman’s journal revealing a wealth of information about everyday life on a Freehold farm in the years following the Civil War."

Griffith explained that Reid wrote about the rewards and hardships of farm and family life, about the comfort she found through her faith in God, and about the world she saw about her.

The diary was published with the help of grants from the New Jersey Historical Commission. Copies of the diary may be purchased through the historical association for $12.95.

Reid’s diary and an exhibit created around it came to life in the halls of the county historical association’s museum between 1997-98.

The New Jersey Historical Commis-sion recently presented the Monmouth County Historical Association with an award of recognition for the excellence of its exhibits, research services and public programming for the year 2001.

According to a press release from the historical commission, "The association has mounted innovative exhibits in recent years on childhood life in Monmouth County; a centennial exhibit illustrating the association’s enviable material culture and manuscript collections; the Karagheusian rug mill; and the world of 19th-century farm woman Sarah Tabitha Reid."

Barbara Carver Smith, the former librarian of the association, began the research on the Reid family. Curator Bernadette Rogoff developed the exhibit which featured passages from the diary brought to life with objects from the museum’s collection arranged in tableaux to reflect Sarah’s world as she described it, according to Griffith.

Dr. Delight W. Dodyk, professor of women’s history at Drew University, Madison, brought her expertise to the project with her editing and annotation of the diary.

"We took the lead from Sarah herself," Rogoff explained. "The diary entries included household chores, cooking, baking and farm work. We drew on the 19th-century tools such as pots, pans, cooking utensils and a sewing machine to bring her world to life. We also used items from the agricultural culture

of the time such as baskets and farm equipment to paint a 19th-century Monmouth County landscape."

Rogoff confided that she developed a kinship with Sarah after reading her work.

"I like Sarah," Rogoff said. "Even after a full day’s work, hard times and trouble, she would still look at the sunset and describe her life as ‘just great.’ "

Rogoff added that she felt the diary "quantified the fact that Sarah was actually doing something valuable."

"I don’t know if she wanted her diary read by others, but I think she wanted to be remembered," Rogoff said thoughtfully. "And secretly," she added with a smile, "I think she would have gotten a kick out of all the attention."

The Monmouth County Historical Association museum draws on its 20,000-piece material culture collection as well as its library and archives for much of the material used for the exhibitions.

The association’s upcoming project, "Steamboat!," will be on display at the Court Street headquarters in the borough beginning in February. The exhibit will focus on the impact of steamboat transportation on 19th-century Monmouth County economy and culture, Rogoff explained.

"The exhibit will feature about 150 items, such as skilled paintings and carvings from our collection from various steamships, including photographs and memorabilia such as tickets and bills of lading (cargo)," Rogoff said. "It will also focus on the development of the steamship industry in Monmouth County, which started in the early 1800s and continued until its decline in the 1960s."

The Karagheusian rug mill exhibit remains on display at the museum. Two floors of exhibits depict the mill and its importance in the town of Freehold. "The Karagheusian Rug Mill, A Story of Immigration and Industry," will remain on view until Jan. 6.

According to Griffith, the A&M Karagheusian rug mill operated at Center and Jackson streets in Freehold from 1904 until 1961, when it closed its doors and relocated to the South. The exhibit is a look at the mill and its workers who were so much a part of western Monmouth County’s history in the 20th century.

The museum also includes a place to bring children, a special room that does not have signs that blare "Do Not Touch." In fact, this area was specifically designed to have children "touch."

It’s called the "Discovery Room." A portion of the second floor is devoted to the exhibition depicting childhood life in Monmouth County in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Walls lined with copies of treasured photos of children of yesteryear in their everyday dress and gear give children of today a look at the way things used to be.

Two large treasure chests sit on the old wooden floors, laden with clothes from the 19th century.

Clothes to try on, to play dress up with and have an all-around good time pretending in. One wall has a line of wooden shoes in different sizes, allowing kids to "clunk" their way back through time.

A Victorian dollhouse, some toys, books and a selection of school room benches complete the Discovery Room’s theme for children.

Griffith, who came to Freehold from her work at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, has been with the historical association for 10 years.

Educated at the University of Pennsylvania, Griffith earned a degree in American civilization where her program led her to museum work. Her earlier work included art history and archeology, but Griffith is now where her heart wants to be — doing museum work.

Walking through the association’s library, lined with thousands of leather-bound manuscript documents and file boxes, each holding its own share of history, Griffith explained that there has always been a strong interest in genealogy in this area.

"We have had people from 28 states here doing genealogy research. Because Monmouth County was such an early settlement, people can trace their ancestry back to here," the director explained. "The library and archival collections by their very depth and scope are perhaps even stronger than the museum collection."

The museum also presents educational programs aptly titled "Traveling Trunks Programs."

One of the trunk programs deals with the Battle of Monmouth, where costumed interpreters bring clothing, canteens, maps, prints and other artifacts to give students a sense of what life was like for soldiers and camp followers at the Battle of Monmouth, which was fought in Manalapan and Freehold in June 1778.

Another selection from the "Traveling Trunks" program is "School Days." Interpreters bring the 19th-century schoolhouse to life in today’s classroom, using photographs, reproductions and information on subjects taught and rules of decorum. Students compare their school day with the 19th-century student’s experience.

Video and slide educational presentations are also available, as well as an archeology camp for young people ages 12-15. Three one-week sessions of the camp are presented during July.

Museum hours at 70 Court St. in Freehold are as follows: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, 1-4 p.m.

The library is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Museum admission for adults is $2. Seniors over age 62 are $1.50. Children ages 6-18 are $1, and little ones under 5 are admitted free. Call (732) 462-1466 for additional information.