Friends of Washington Township set to create historical society (Nov. 24)
By: Lauren Burgoon
WASHINGTON Washington is a town with a rich history: It boasts buildings that predate the Revolutionary War, a 19th century one-room schoolhouse, and even a mention in one of Benjamin Franklin’s diaries. Yet it is the only town in Mercer County without its own historical society.
That could soon change as the Friends of Washington Township, a nonprofit group dedicated to protecting and promoting the town’s history, is set to create a historical society division. Plans will likely be finalized by early 2006, creating Washington’s first historical society and enabling history buffs to better educate their neighbors about the town’s stories.
"The Friends already are involved in the Robbins House and Little Red Schoolhouse, but this will allow us to it to the next level, that level being education," Friends member Nancy Tindall said. "We hope all residents will come to appreciate the history we share in this town."
That history includes stories most residents have never heard, Janet Van Ness said. She is involved in the group setting up the society under the Friends. Ms. Van Ness can tick off Washington’s noted links to the past, such as Benjamin Franklin’s mention of Old York Road in a diary and the birth of the Israeli air force happening at the Trenton-Robbinsville Airport, but said few people know these stories. Even worse, most are not collected in a single historic volume for the town.
The historical society’s primary focus will be assembling that 150-year history. The group will spend the next few years gathering and transcribing stories, written accounts and photographs in anticipation of Washington’s sesquicentennial on March 15, 2009.
"We feel there are so many people out there with stories to tell and memorabilia and photographs of the past. We want to collect and protect those memories," Ms. Van Ness said.
The society also plans to research more thoroughly Washington’s role in the Revolutionary War. The group is fortunate for its proximity to Trenton, Ms. Van Ness said, where state records, deed searches and old documents are available for perusal.
The historical society will "do its homework on Washington Township," she said, in preparation for classroom lessons, community forums and more. The society could, for example, delve more deeply into the history of buildings suspected to hold an important link to the past and give town officials a clear background on the importance of buildings under consideration for preservation.
"We feel strongly that there are many sites in town that deserve to be protected. There is no reason why they can’t be saved," Ms. Van Ness said, adding that more of Washington’s history is disappearing annually because the sites are recognized as important. "There is so much history we have yet to tap into."
Creating the society under the Friends organization will benefit both, Ms. Van Ness and Ms. Tindall said. The Friends is already incorporated and has a nonprofit designation, allowing the society to skip those administrative steps. By including a historic society, the Friends will now be eligible for grants awarded to societies in other towns. And both groups will benefit from the other’s expertise and members’ enthusiasm, Ms. Tindall said.
"We’re so excited to have this additional dimension. There is so much enthusiasm emerging and so much talent that the historical society can bring," she said. "There is a lot of synergy between the groups and in the end, we’ll both come out stronger."
Part of the groups’ merger will include increasing the Friends’ board of trustees membership to include historical society representation. There are plenty of people to choose from Ms. Van Ness said people interested in the society range from professors and teachers to amateur historians to people who do not even live in town, but whose families have Washington ties.
While the historical society can assist the town in research and arguments for site preservation, it will operate separate from the municipality. The Town Council has yet to decide whether to establish a township historic preservation group, as existed under the former government as a Planning Board subcommittee. Most commissions and subcommittees have not been created yet.
Those interested in joining the historical society or Friends of Washington Township, or those with photographs, memorabilia or stories to share can contact Ms. Van Nest at 259-2288, leave a message at the Robbins House at 426-9214 or e-mail Ms. Tindall at [email protected].

