Monmouth Battlefield State Park, Manalapan, recently benefited from the efforts of two Boy Scout troops.
Young men from Troop 66 of Matawan and Troop 101 of Morganville worked together to restore a historic fence line at the park.
Stephen O’Keefe of Troop 66 recently completed his sophomore year at Colts Neck High School. The Marlboro native had to plan and execute a community service project to fulfill the requirements needed to earn the rank of Eagle Scout.
“Scouting has been an integral part of my life since I was little,” Stephen said. “I am glad I was able to give back to a program and a community that has given me so much.”
Stephen said he chose to complete his Eagle Scout project at Monmouth Battlefield State Park because of his love for history and the outdoors.
The fence line is in the hedgerow (off Freehold-Englishtown Road), which is about a 10-minute walk from the visitors center at the state park. The hedgerow experienced intense fighting during the Battle of Monmouth in June 1778.
Stephen’s project consisted of clearing overgrown vegetation along a one-tenth of a mile section of the fence line, taking the fence apart, sorting out rotted and unusable wood, reconstructing the fence and cleaning up and patrolling the work site.
The fence is known as a worm fence, which means there are no nails or pegs; the fence is stable based on its own structure.
Stephen said he appreciated the work that his fellow scouts, including his brother, Danny, contributed at the state park during the weekend of June 6-7.
“It was great to see those guys come out and help on the project. They all put in good work, and it was great to see everyone’s efforts pay off. I love history and the outdoors and I was really lucky to find a project that combined both of those things and gave back to the community.
“It was great to help the park aesthetically while also improving the historical accuracy. I am very thankful for having so many great volunteers on the project. Thanks to their hard work we were able to finish the project earlier than expected, which was great,” the young man said.
Stephen said Michael Timpanaro, the historian at Monmouth Battlefield State Park, was a big help during the project.
“His help and expertise were indispensable, and he give a speech to the workers about the history of the battle and the site we were working on,” Stephen said.
Timpanaro is the state park’s liaison to scout troops and said, “The Eagle Scout projects are a big help in the park. The scouts work on projects the park staff can’t work on right away, and it helps the public enjoy the park.”
— Contact Peter Elacqua at [email protected]