Keyport Historical
Society turns 30
VERONICA YANKOWSKI Borough Historian Jack Jeandron (l) and Historical Society President Bill Longo stand outside of the Steamboat Dock Museum in Keyport on Monday.
KEYPORT — To the delight of its members, the Keyport Historical Society is alive and kicking, 30 years after it all began.
"Before Keyport was a town, there was a plantation which was here from 1714 to 1829," said Jack Jeandron, borough historian and charter member of the historical society. "When the Kearneys [who owned the plantation] came to what is now Keyport, they built a home on Wolf Pit Hill [the senior building on Beers Street]. The house was there until 1972 when it burned down. That was the touchstone for the formulation of the Keyport historical society."
The group initially worked at identifying and preserving buildings in the borough, but now it concentrates on preserving Keyport artifacts.
"There was a lot of support to create a historical society. We had lost a very important historical building, and we wanted to stop that from happening again," said Jeandron.
VERONICA YANKOWSKI One of the many exhibits at Keyport’s Steamboat Dock Museum is this Hammond typewriter from the late 1800s.
For a while, the group, which had 200 charter members, met at the Keyport Banking Company on the corner of Broad and West Front streets, before it moved on to the Keyport Reform Church. Things were going well, but the society wanted a permanent home.
The group was offered two places to settle into — a historic home on Broad Street and the waterfront Steamboat Dock building, said Jeandron.
"The home would have been nice, but we would have had to hold a mortgage for the place. Mayor William Ralph offered us the waterfront property in 1974 to lease for $1 a year, and all of the members gladly accepted," he added.
Jeandron said the building needed work that was completed before the grand opening in 1976.
"It was a very significant time with the bicentennial. We were absolutely mobbed. We received quite a response, and people began offering lots of artifacts. There was just so much support to start the society. We couldn’t have asked for anything better," said Jeandron.
Things got better each year, he said, until a nor’easter hit the area in November 1992.
"We had 2 feet of water and waves in the museum. The water was so high, and people’s houses were ruined in a lot of places. We had a mannequin dressed up in Victorian clothing. We used to joke that she was last seen floating down Broad Street," said Jeandron.
As a result of the storm, the museum lost its carpeting, glass cases, and a few artifacts.
"We did lose a few things, but we were very fortunate to receive money from OSHA (Occupational Safety Health Administration) to fix the museum again. We worked like beavers, and got the building in tip-top shape. I don’t know how we did it, but thankfully we were able to," said Jeandron.
The museum reopened in the summer of 1993.
The museum holds many different exhibits, with 80 percent of them permanent.
On display is an aerial photo of Keyport in the 1950s, a hutch from the old drug store, a complete kitchen with a potbellied stove, and china in a china cabinet. The museum’s main room also reveals the full story of the borough’s history. There is information about the once thriving oyster business, steamboats, the business district, and an aeromarine display.
"The society, via the museum facility, continues to provide a home for hundreds of photographs and artifacts, thus providing a kaleidoscope of Keyport’s history over the years," said Jeandron. "Visitors are often pleased to find what they were looking for or things they never knew about the town."
"There is something here for everybody, young or old," said Tom Gallo, a two-time past society president. "I find the society enriching and very rewarding. There is just something about it. Keyport is a town so full of rich history. We want everyone to stop in to the museum and take part."
Members are proud of what they started, but they are even happier about the present, and the future. "It’s been great, and this year in particular is really going well. All of our events have been well attended and new members have been joining. The society is in really great shape," said Gallo.
"We have a whole slate of activities this year that we are really excited about," said society President William Longo. "A lot of people are not necessarily aware of who we are and what we do. We would like to have people come in to the museum, see what we have, enjoy what is there, and possibly even join the museum. We are here for the public."
Over the next few months, the historical society will be displaying exhibits on steamboats, aeromarine plane manufacturing, the oyster business, as well as offering presentations on the Lenape Indians, and how to research genealogy.
Gallo said although the society is in great shape, there are some "sketchy plans" about possibly expanding and adding a floor to the museum.
"Time, money, and permission willing, we would like to build up onto pilings 3 to 4 feet above sea level and build another floor in order to house the rarer artifacts," said Gallo. "It would be nice to do that, but if we cannot, that is OK. We love being down on the waterfront where we are. It’s such a great spot for a museum about Keyport."
Longo said the museum has become a major waterfront attraction.
"People visit us during their walks along the bay, and then find themselves spending an hour or two looking at exhibits. Many return another time bringing friends from out of town."
The museum, at the foot of Broad Street, is open Sundays from 1-4 p.m. between May and September, and the admission is free. Members said that the museum can be opened at almost any time with advanced notice.
The society also holds monthly educational programs at its general meetings, on the first Monday of the month, from March through December, except during holidays.
"Keyport’s history has been so varied and very interesting. We would like everyone to be able to enjoy it the way that we do," said Jeandron. "We are here to serve the public."