Community History teaches New Jerseyans the basic skills they need to learn about and share their local histories. While the program itself lasts less than a year, that work often continues well beyond the time participants spend in the cohort. This month, we want to highlight the ongoing history-based work being done by three organizations who participated in past Community History cohorts and recently received an NJCH grant to either continue the projects they started during the program, or to launch new community-engaged public history projects.
Historic Paulus Hook Association
Prototypical image of a historic site map created by Historic Paulus Hook Association during Community History 2022.
During Community History, Historic Paulus Hook Association (2022 cohort) researched the living past of local historic sites in Jersey City, sending out surveys and hosting public meetings to learn what aspects of this history the community found most compelling. This fall, they received an Incubation Grant to continue this work. They will use their funds to develop interactive and immersive experiences that will bring the history of Paulus Hook, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Jersey City, into the community’s awareness and memory.
Their main goal is to create a historic story map based on their research as well as personal narratives collected from the community. The map will inform the development of a historic walking tour of Paulus Hook and supplemental scavenger hunt. They will pilot the walking tour during the incubation phase to gather feedback from the community, which they will use to refine their script and determine which stops need to be added or removed. Eventually, they hope to expand this project into a city-wide story map.
Preserve Shady Rest Committee
Quote from a recorded walk-through of the Shady Rest Gold & Country Club, pulled from their Community History 2023 showcase presentation.
Preserve Shady Rest Committee (2023 cohort) also received an Incubation Grant to create an inclusive master plan for the historic interpretation of Shady Rest Golf & Country Club (1921), a National Historic Landmark which makes a significant and unique contribution to the appreciation of Black history and culture. The project will be informed by input from its Community History project, which gathered feedback and stories from community members with long-term ties to the Club.
They deployed different tools to capture and share these stories, including a mobile onsite story board, postcards and flyers distributed onsite, and recorded interviews. During the incubation period, the Committee will assemble specialists to begin research, assessment, and preparation of an interpretation plan of the site to better preserve and present its history.
Haddonfield Public Library
Haddonfield Public Library (2023 cohort) received an Action Grant to curate 3-4 traveling trunks that feature hands-on exploration of historical topics relating to the borough’s history. Themes will feature Black Haddonfield History, notable women in Haddonfield, and Native Americans in Haddonfield. The goal of the project is to create more learning opportunities and access to resources that engage youth in the history of Haddonfield, which builds on their Community History project centered on expanding community access to the library’s collections related to local history.
To facilitate students’ exploration of marginalized histories, the traveling trunks will contain informational picture books and nonfiction books, flash drives containing period music, replicated primary source documents and tangible materials such as clothing or tools.
We are thrilled to see each of these organizations expanding on their community history work, and we can’t wait to see the projects that emerge from the newest cohort, which will begin in March 2024. Applications for that cohort are open now and due by January 17, 2024. Be on the lookout for a future blog post to hear more about the upcoming cohort!