The Monmouth County Historical Commission honored Garden Club R.F.D. for its efforts in preserving the historic Little Red Schoolhouse at 951 Middletown Lincroft Rd. As the Garden Club RFD gets ready to celebrate the 75th anniversary of its origin, the club is also marking another milestone.
Garden Club RFD (Rural Free Delivery) was recently honored by the Monmouth County Historical Commission (MCHC) for its work in preserving the historic oneroom schoolhouse that the club has called home since 1954.
“I am really happy that we applied for the award and then, of course, that we won it,” Jacquie Nelson, club president, said.
Garden Club RFD, founded on Sept. 18, 1941, was presented with the MCHC’s preservation award for the club’s work to preserve the historic Little Red Schoolhouse at 951 Middletown Lincroft Road.
The Little Red Schoolhouse, nestled at the corner of Middletown Lincroft and Dwight roads, was built in 1842 and operated as a school until 1909.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF GARDEN CLUB RFD One teacher educated approximately 49 children of all ages from first grade to high school in the one-room schoolhouse, which was then known as the Union School House/School House #9. “When the garden club took over, the schoolhouse had been very neglected,” Beverly Achenberg, awards chair for the club, said. “There was no plumbing, no electricity. … It basically existed as a farm outbuilding.”
Some of the restoration efforts have included mold removal, front door lock replacement, complete realignment of the front door and repairing damage done to the schoolhouse’s more than 100-year-old outhouse.
The outhouse was a gift of then-member Mary Brasch who donated it when the Club decided to use the Schoolhouse for their meetings.
“I think Garden Club RFD is the only garden club in New Jersey that has a historical property as a meeting place,” Achenberg said.
The Little Red Schoolhouse, whose building and property are presently owned by Middletown Township, was officially designated as a National Historic Site in 1976 and Achenberg said the township did assist the Club in its maintenance. “We did what we could on our own, removing the mold, repainting, but Middletown Township did provide us with manpower where we needed it, which was wonderful,” Achenberg said.
Achenberg said the historic site has undergone numerous restoration efforts since the garden club took over in 1954 — including painting, carpentry and an extension to the schoolhouse building that included a kitchen and indoor bathroom.
“We work very hard, and I think it’s wonderful to be recognized with this award,” she said.
In the coming year, the garden club will celebrate its 75th anniversary at the Little Red Schoolhouse, and members look forward to continuing the work of preserving the one-room building.
“We’re looking forward to having a flower show in 2016 that will be free to the community and will continue to offer other programs at Middletown Art Center and the Middletown Library where the community can join us,” Nelson said.
“We will try to do a variety of things that will satisfy what the club members would like as well.”
Another goal, according to Nelson, would be visiting different gardens in the area, including the New York Botanical Garden and the Chanticleer and Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania.
“You go to these so that it opens your mind to see what other people are doing and what can be done,” Ruth Korn, publicity chair for the club, said. “It’s always good to expand and to think ahead and try new and different things.”
Nelson said the club’s 75th anniversary celebration will likely be an open house with an invitation to surrounding communities to come and view the historic site and its surrounding grounds.
“We would also like to encourage local young people to get interested in gardening.
They are the future care-takers of our gardens,” she said.
Garden Club R.F.D. is a member of the Garden Club of New Jersey, which is part of the Central Atlantic Region of the National Garden Club.
For more information about Garden Club RFD or to become a member, contact June Smith, membership chair, at 732-671- 9216.