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Preserving the Legacy of 2000-2003

Historical Society

1908 photo of Long Hill Road
Long Hill Road, Millington looking east from Basking Ridge Road - 1908
(photo courtesy of Dale Monetti)
logo of the Historical Society   
 
The Long Hill Township Historical Society was established in 1965 as the Passaic Township Historical Society.  The formation of the society evolved from the Passaic Township Tercentenary Committee. Every municipality throughout the state was asked to chronicle the State of New Jersey's tercentennial in some manner. 

The Township Committee appointed the Passaic Township Tercentenary Committee to lead the project in our township.  One result was the publication of "Passaic Township, A Short History Published in Connection with the New Jersey Tercentennial 1664-1964".

Members of this committee were responsible for establishing the Passaic Township Historical Society in 1965.  The first officers were Ms. Gwendolyn Thomas, president; Mr. Reinhart Rist, vice president; Ms. Esther Cornish, secretary; and Mr. Jean Cornish, treasurer.

The organization is dedicated to the preservation of the cultural and historical heritage of the community.  The current officers and meeting schedule are listed at the bottom of this page.

The society annually presents an award to an eighth grade student graduating from Central School who has demonstrated the most interest in and best understanding of the history of Long Hill Township.  The winner of this award in 2000 was Scott Spinelli, a resident of Gillette.

In 2007, the Historical Society has scheduled these presentations:
     
  • March 8, 2007 "George Catlin - Painted the Wild West" by Alf Walton 
  • April 12, 2007 "Basking Ridge Churchyard Update" by George Fricke 
  • May 10, 2007 "The Jersey Devil" by Angus Kress Gillespie 
  • June 14, 2007 to be announced 
  • September 13, 2007 to be announced 
  • October 11, 2007 "Barns Are Noble" by Mark Pilipski 
  • November 8, 2007 "The Great Swamp in Pictures" by Sherb Naulty 
  • December 13, 2007: Christmas Party

Projects completed by the Historical Society have included:

  • Creation of an official township flag which was presented to township officials for display in the town hall;
  • Tours of historical homes in the township in 1981 and 1995;
  • Publication of "A Guide to Historic Buildings and Sites in Passaic Township"in 1984;
  • Publication of "Passaic Township, A Short History Published in Connection with the New Jersey Tercentennial 1664-1964";
  • Images of America, Long Hill Township, A Photographic History written by Mary Lou Weller, Historian of the Society, was released in 1997.  The book is available for purchase through the Historical Society.  Contact Rene Phelan.
  • Completion of the project to establish a memorial marker for the Revolutionary War Beacon at the corner of Long Hill Road and Pleasant Plains Road.
  • A donation was made to the Morris County Heritage Commission for an historical marker on Central Avenue to commemorate the Stirling Workers' District.
Flashing icon that says: New  The Society has a number of maps, books, photographs, audio tapes, and artifacts, which are shelved in the Training Room at the Long Hill Public Library.  Members of the Society are available in the Library every Wednesday between 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM to assist interested community members.  A list of the holdings is on file at the Library.  (This material is NOT catalogued in the Library's catalog system.) The collection includes the following:
  • 50 historical maps of Long Hill Township
  • Two albums of photographs of houses, residents, and local topics
  • Books and tapes of remembrances of life in Long Hill Township during the early to mid 1900's
  • Family information and histories.
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Long Hill Township Historical Society
Bill Watts, President, 908-647-6456
Larry Fast, Vice President
Ann Oster, Secretary
Rene Phelan, Treasurer, 908-647-2111
Trustees:
Phyllis Fast
Claire Monroe
Barbara Grillo
Town Historian:
Mary Lou Weller
Meetings: 2st Thursday at 7:30 at the Long Hill First Aid Squad Building. (Except January, July and August.)
 
MEMBERSHIP DUES
Life Membership$100
Contributing Member$25
Sustaining Member$25
Business or Professional$25
Individual Member$10
Send dues to:
Rene Phelan
51 Circle Drive
Millington, NJ 07946
March 1st, 2001 - Jack Jacobs, a Millington resident and one of the three surviving New Jersey recipients of the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for valor in combat.  Mr. Jacobs will share his experiences during his military career including his time in Vietnam.  Read Captain Jacob's CMOH Citation.
The mouseover pop-ups can not be printed directly.  For convenience, the contents of these pop-ups are repeated below.
"JACOBS, JACK H."

Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army, U.S. Army Element, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Republic of Vietnam.
Place and date: Kien Phong Province, Republic of Vietnam, 9 March 1968.
Entered service at: Trenton, N.J.  Born: 2 August 1945, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.  Capt. Jacobs (then 1st Lt.), Infantry, distinguished himself while serving as assistant battalion advisor, 2d Battalion, 16th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division, Army of the Republic of Vietnam.  The 2d Battalion was advancing to contact when it came under intense heavy machine gun and mortar fire from a Viet Cong battalion positioned in well fortified bunkers.  As the 2d Battalion deployed into attack formation its advance was halted by devastating fire.  Capt. Jacobs, with the command element of the lead company, called for and directed air strikes on the enemy positions to facilitate a renewed attack.  Due to the intensity of the enemy fire and heavy casualties to the command group, including the company commander, the attack stopped and the friendly troops became disorganized.  Although wounded by mortar fragments, Capt. Jacobs assumed command of the allied company, ordered a withdrawal from the exposed position and established a defensive perimeter.  Despite profuse bleeding from head wounds which impaired his vision, Capt. Jacobs, with complete disregard for his safety, returned under intense fire to evacuate a seriously wounded advisor to the safety of a wooded area where he administered lifesaving first aid.  He then returned through heavy automatic weapons fire to evacuate the wounded company commander.  Capt. Jacobs made repeated trips across the fire-swept open rice paddies evacuating wounded and their weapons.  On 3 separate occasions, Capt. Jacobs contacted and drove off Viet Cong squads who were searching for allied wounded and weapons, single-handedly killing 3 and wounding several others.  His gallant actions and extraordinary heroism saved the lives of 1 U.S. advisor and 13 allied soldiers.  Through his effort the allied company was restored to an effective fighting unit and prevented defeat of the friendly forces by a strong and determined enemy.  Capt. Jacobs, by his gallantry and bravery in action in the highest traditions of the military service, has reflected great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

Citation courtesy of the CMOH Society.


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