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| By: Leon Tovey, Staff Writer | 07/29/2005 |
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JAMESBURG — Borough Historian Tom Bodall wants residents who have a connection to two venerable area landmarks to make history with him.
Mr. Bodall is trying to assemble collections of historic artifacts relating to the Forsgate Country Club and to the New Jersey Training School for a pair of exhibits he plans to display in the fall and winter at the museum at Lakeview: Buckelew Mansion.
"It's kind of funny, because even though both places are in Monroe, they have this historical association with Jamesburg," said Mr. Bodall, referring to the fact that both Forsgate and the training school had Jamesburg mailing addresses until 1999, when Monroe Township finally got its own post office.
Mr. Bodall plans to run "Forsgate Remembered" from Sept. 25 to Jan. 9, 2006, and "State Home Memories" — a nod to the training school's historic name, the New Jersey State Home for Boys — from Feb. 12 to May 28, 2006.
The two exhibits are meant to capitalize on his current exhibit, "Helmetta: From Snuff to Snuffed Out," which details the history of the neighboring borough and its once-thriving snuff mill and which kicked off on June 12.
"It's been quite successful," he said of the Helmetta exhibit, which runs until Sept. 10. "It's really helped renew interest in the (Buckelew) house."
Mr. Bodall said that for the Forsgate exhibit he already has collected more than a dozen artifacts over the past six months. They range from postcards to old milk containers, and give a fairly comprehensive history of the club. It started out as a dairy farm owned by a once penniless Scottish businessman who made his fortune in insurance but died before the club was completed in 1931.
The Training School exhibit is not as far along. So far, Mr. Bodall has received a few items from a family member of a former employee at the school, among them an old employee handbook.
To put together a truly comprehensive exhibit, Mr. Bodall needs more. Potential donors can either give items to the Jamesburg Historical Association (donations are tax deductible) or make arrangements to loan them temporarily.
Anyone with items relating to the two exhibits can contact Mr. Bodall by phone at (732) 521-2040 or by e-mail at webmaster@jamesburg.net.