SEE YOU AT OUR SUMMER PICNIC!
Our annual Chester Historical Society Summer Picnic will be held on Sunday, August 14th from noon to 4 p.m. at the beautiful Willowwood Arboretum in Chester. All CHS members will receive invitations, directions, details, and reservation forms in the mail in mid-July. The Stone Barn at Willowwood will provide shade and shelter from the elements if it's rainy, and members' delicious side dishes and desserts will complement the picnic ham and brisket for a splendid repast. Enjoy a self-guided walking tour around the historic gardens, too. We look forward to seeing everybody -- it's always a pleasant event.
SUMMER READING EXTENDED to SEPTEMBER 15th
Great news -- we have more time to complete our summer reading assignment! Our CHS book review program originally scheduled for July 14th has been postponed to September 15th. All who attend the program are asked to help review pages 25 through 70 of Frances Greenidge's "Chester, New Jersey -- a Scrapbook of History" (see related article). We will meet on Thursday, September 15th at 7 p.m. at the Chester Library. When we last left off (on page 25), we learned about the Native American Indians who lived here, about the early settlers who came from England via the Hamptons on Long Island, and about some of the prominent folks in and around Black River, which later became known as Chester.
Readers are asked to make notes of any additional facts or lore they may have in reference to the "Scrapbook" information, and to identify current street addresses and house numbers whenever possible so that the data can be updated and refined. Oftentimes, an historic reference is identified as "the Caleb Horton farm on South Road," for example. If the current address is known, we would like to state this for future updates to the "Scrapbook" -- so please, contribute any supplemental information you may have. In between facts, we love reminiscing, and folklore, too.
Our "Scrapbook" reviews will continue when we meet on October 13, and November 10th at 7 p.m. at the Chester Library. Each of our review sessions is being recorded so that all of your contributions can be enjoyed and incorporated into the updated "Scrapbook." Copies of the "Scrapbook" may be obtained by contacting Alison Dahl,
908 879-7673, and are $15 each if picked up in person, $20 each if mailed. If you'd like to skip the reading and just learn about Chester history by attending the program, by all means join us! All are welcome and refreshments will be served.