VAN HARLINGEN HISTORICAL SOCIETY
of Montgomery Township, NJ
MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP BICENTENNIAL QUILT
The Van
Harlingen Historical Society (VHHS) was founded in 1965 to help
preserve the heritage of the Montgomery Township area and to interpret
the area’s history through educational programs, publications, and
exhibits. VHHS
believes that by educating our people about our rich history, we create
a stronger sense of community.
As advocates for preservation of sites and settings, we help the town make better decisions regarding development. To learn more about our mission and history visit our About Us page, then go to our Membership page to find out how to join up!
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Save the
date – November 20 
William Gillette, Ph.D., professor of history at Rutgers University,
will discuss The Role of New Jersey in the
Civil War. Dr. Gillette will reconsider the
state's wartime role. The
traditional view that New Jersey was a copperhead (e.g., a Northern Democrat
who opposed the Union's war policy and favored a negotiated peace) stronghold
will be rebutted. The home front
and the battlefront will be touched on, but emphasis will be given to the
political front. The event will
take place at 7:30 at the Mary Jacobs Library, 64 Washington St., Rocky
Hill. Please pre-register by
emailing info@vanharlingen.org with
your name and phone #.
 The Greening of Gulick House –
December 7th 2-4 p.m. Please join us at an OPEN HOUSE at the Dirck Gulick House,
VHHS headquarters. It will be
decorated befitting the season. There will be a demonstration on how to make
Williamsburg kissing balls and a few will be for sale. The event is free but donations
are appreciated. Please call
908-359-3498 for additional information.
Bedensville
Schoolhouse gets a face lift
The Bedensville Schoolhouse has been all spruced up with a
new exterior paint job and looks great.
Society members began the job of scraping and quickly realized we needed
professional help. Mike Girvan, a
Montgomery Township School District teacher and coach by profession, paints
during the summer. He brought in
his expert crew and the schoolhouse was looking lovely in a few days.
Walter C.
Baker is 100 years old  Walter Baker (center) with friends Duncan Campbell,
Jr., Carolyn Dixon, Elaine Zeltner, Historian,
author, and long time society member Walter Baker reached 100 years on June 13, 2008. Walter, former entomologist, retired from a long
distinguished career in the public health field in 1978 and turned his eye
toward Montgomery Township historical activities. He served as recording secretary and chair of the Van
Harlingen Historical Society's nominating committee for many years. He is currently an honorary trustee. In
1981, he began interviewing township people to ensure their stories were not lost
to future generations. To date,
Walter has piloted over 20 oral histories through to publication. Click here to go to the publications page. One of his many special interests is
documenting and preserving local cemeteries. The 2008 2nd edition of his book, Family
Burying Grounds Montgomery Township Somerset County, complete with photographs, came
out (with the help of Judy Peters) just in time for May in Montgomery 2008. The society is placing a stone
bench with plaque at the Dirck Gulick House, society headquarters, in honor of
Walter.
May in
Montgomery 2008 Digging up the past in
Montgomery: a cemetery tour
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The Dirck Gulick House and Library are opened on the last Saturday of each month from 10-12. If you are traveling a long distance, please call historian Ursula Brecknell at 908-359-3498 before coming. |