Stafford Historical Society

The Manahawkin Baptist Church will be using our Cultural Center this Thursday May 2 if anyone is interested in taking part.

Our trees are blooming and we are ready to spruce up Heritage Park. We'll see everyone on Wednesday April 24 at 6:30 pm at the train station!

It's time for some Spring cleaning!

Join us for our April monthly meeting as we participate in the NJ Clean Communities Program and give our park a little spruce up for the season.

We will meet on Wednesday, April 24 at Heritage Park (by the Train Station) beginning at 6:30 pm.

If you cannot be there right away, please join us when your schedule allows that evening.

Trash bags will be provided. Dress for the weather, as we will be outside. Please bring any yard cleaning tools, including leaf blowers/vacuums if you have them!

The Stafford Historical Society will receive a grant from the New Jersey Clean Communities program following the clean up that will help us maintain our beautiful properties.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday April 24!

Mark your calendars now for our May 15 meeting at 7 pm at the Old Baptist Church Cultural Center for a presentation on the Hindenburg!

Tonight's the night!

We'll see everyone at 7 pm at the Old Baptist Church, 120 N. Main Street in Manahawkin...bring a friend to this free program!

We hope to see everyone on Wednesday March 27 at 7 pm.

Also, be sure to save the date for our April meeting. We will beet on Wednesday April 24 at 6:30 pm at Heritage Park. We will be doing a park clean up as part the NJ Clean Communities grant program. See you soon!

We will be rescheduling our monthly meeting for February to Wednesday March 27 at 7 pm at the Old Baptist Church Cultural Center at 120 N. Main Street in Manahawkin and we assure you, it will be worth the wait!

Last year we were honored to be chosen by local author William Joe Lewis as the site of the premiere of his documentary The Reluctant Piney. It was a fantastic red-carpet evening. This year we will welcome Bill back on March 27 as he releases his brand new 4th book, South Jersey Legends & Lore: Tales from the Pine Barrens and Beyond.

We’ll see everyone for a book talk and meet and greet with some light refreshments and all things Piney Tribe on Wednesday March 27 at 7 pm. Remember to bring a friend and as always, our programs are open to all whether you are a member or not! The new book will be for sale that evening or you can pre-order through the website www.pineytribe.com

Reminder: There will be no meeting in February.

A wonderful gift from friend of the society, Janette Hansen.

She has shared her mom's school pictures from Manahawkin Elementary School from 1938. The teacher was Miss Edna Hazelton. Note that in the index, the columns going up and down are naming the rows going across.

The girl in the top row, second from the right would have been 95 today Janette's mother, Janet Bragg Hansen.

The school was located on Beach Avenue and after it burned in 1974 the land eventually became the site of the Stafford Township Emergency Medical Services and is currently the Beach Avenue Park.

We'd love to hear all of your stories and memories of those featured in the photos of your times in the Beach Avenue school!

Thank you Janette for this look back into Stafford's history and the names and faces of many residents we all recognize when they were children.

Don't forget, if you have any treasured photos that depict Stafford history there's no need to part with them to share. We can easily scan any photos in just a few minutes and tell the stories of our town to residents new and old!

From our friends over at the Tuckerton Railroad page…amazing photo!

A very rare photo. Manahawkin and Long Beach Island railroad 1 0-4-4t aka the Forney named the Harvey Cedars and nickname the yelllowjacket. Location unknown of photograph

Here’s a great Throwback Thursday with some never before seen photos from the little Hamlet known as Cedar Run in Stafford Township.

Earlier this week a gentleman named Bob Ferrari reached out to us looking for some help identifying the location of his great grandparents’ garage. With some context clues we were able to decipher that it was on Route 9 South on the East side just after the church and old school.

We know that many of you may have even more stories and memories of this place and of these Cedar Run families and got Bob’s permission to post these. Please feel free to share stories in the comments and enjoy the photos of an era gone by. Some of these buildings still stand today!

A few words from Bob and some names of his family members in the photos…

My great-grandfather had a service garage in Cedar Run in the 1920-40's. His name was Julius Steffens.

My family was Julius Steffens (Owned the garage)
Emma Steffens Nee Klinger (wife of Julius)
Richard Steffens (son of Julius)
Olivette Steffens Nee Hastings (wife of Richard)
Lilian Borkholm Nee Hastings (mother of Olivette Steffens)
Peter Borkholm
Laurette Ferrari Nee Steffens (my mother) baby in those pictures

Come join us, won’t you?

Whether you have been a member for decades or have always wondered what we do and how to become a part of it, we would be thrilled to have you!

Our annual membership drive and renewal has begun. We were able to accomplish many wonderful things in 2023 thanks to the generosity of our members and those who attended our events and visited our museums.

We have more exciting projects planned and even bigger goals for 2024 and you can be a part of it.

Help us preserve the bountiful history of Stafford Township and the treasured landmark buildings that make our town so special.

We are also thrilled to announce that membership renewals, donations and even scholarship contributions can now be made through our website via PayPal!
Simply click the link below…
http://staffordhistory.org/membership.html

If you prefer a more traditional method, just print the membership letter from this post and mail it with a check payable to:
Stafford Township Historical Society, Inc.
PO Box 1097
Manahawkin, NJ 08050

We welcome members of all ages throughout the year and are looking forward to seeing old friends as well as meeting new smiling faces in 2024 and beyond!

We'll see everyone tonight!

Happy New Year to all!

Wednesday January 17 will be our monthly meeting at 6:30 PM at the Old Baptist Church Cultural Center, 120 N. Main Street.

In lieu of a speaker we will be meeting to fold, stuff and label our yearly membership renewal packets for mailing.

A strong membership, dues contributions and donations are essential to our society and we hope you are able to attend to help achieve this goal.

We will also be rolling up our sleeves and doing some housekeeping tasks by removing the holiday decorations from the church, train station and Old Stone Store and packing them away for the season.

We have exciting things to look forward to in the coming months including Stafford Township’s 275th birthday! We will be discussing this and many other ideas for 2024, see you there!

Happy New Year to all!

Wednesday January 17 will be our monthly meeting at 6:30 PM at the Old Baptist Church Cultural Center, 120 N. Main Street.

In lieu of a speaker we will be meeting to fold, stuff and label our yearly membership renewal packets for mailing.

A strong membership, dues contributions and donations are essential to our society and we hope you are able to attend to help achieve this goal.

We will also be rolling up our sleeves and doing some housekeeping tasks by removing the holiday decorations from the church, train station and Old Stone Store and packing them away for the season.

We have exciting things to look forward to in the coming months including Stafford Township’s 275th birthday! We will be discussing this and many other ideas for 2024, see you there!

🎄 All are invited to our annual holiday cheer meeting this Wednesday, December 20th at 6 pm at the old Manahawkin Baptist Church, 120 N. Main Street. Come out and see the building decorated for Christmas and enjoy the warm and cozy surroundings.

Bring a snack and some cheer to share while enjoying the company of other historical society members. 🎄

There is no formal agenda - we'll talk about our 2023 successes and share ideas for 2024.

Hope you can join us and bring a friend!

A very special thank you to each and every one of you who donated to our fundraisers this year to make the painting of the interior of the church possible.

We would also like to thank Jim Brady at Galloway Painting, LLC and the Lewis family and Lewis Remodels for your generous donations that made our little church shine again!

Finally, to all of our volunteers who transformed the church for the holiday season and the Stafford PTO Chef's Tour and turned it into a magical place, our deepest gratitude!

We can't wait to welcome everyone into the heart and home of the Stafford Historical Society!

The third annual Stafford Recreation Holiday Wonderland and Christmas Market will take place at Heritage Park this Saturday, December 9 from 11 am-5 pm!

This is sure to be an event not to miss…and there are many ways throughout the day to support our mission of preserving local history for generations to come.

The train station and Old Stone store are beautifully decorated for the season and open for business.

Santa and Mrs. Claus will be at our train car for photos with kids of all ages from 12-4 pm.

Be sure not to miss the 2023 STHS merch! We have a brand new Christmas ornament collection featuring Stafford Township landmarks, reusable shopping bags and even s'mores kits for toasting by the firepits and some old favorites like Doc Cramer bobbleheads and a collection of local history books!

Speaking of local history, don't forget to stop in the train station to meet local author Bill Lewis. He will have his book, New Jersey's Lost Piney Culture for sale. Bill will generously be donating $5 from every book sale back to the historical society.

So, dress warmly and bring your family and friends for a full day of fun! Events features include over 50 unique, handpicked vendors, food trucks, hot chocolate, fire pits, carolers and photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Be sure to grab a cup of cheer in our holiday beer garden in front of the Old Stone Store! Selections include traditional favorites and a choice of seasonal craft beers and cider.

We encourage everyone attending to please plan ahead. There will be single side of the street parking rules in effect for the downtown areas. Attendees are encouraged to use our free shuttle service that will depart from town hall, 260 E. Bay Avenue and run continuously throughout the day.

On this Giving Tuesday we would like to remind everyone that you can support us in fulfilling our mission through your tax-deductible donations!

The Society collects, preserves and interprets Stafford Township's history and culture for the widest possible audience. We promote the study and appreciation of local, state and national history through education programs, museums, special events and cultural activities. We preserve and pass on the knowledge of local heritage for future generations.

We have the ability to accept donations via PayPal through the link on our website...
http://staffordhistory.org/membership.html

We would like to thank all of our members, friends and supporters who continue to help us in our mission to preserve and tell the rich tapestry of Stafford Township history and our iconic landmark buildings.

If you are able to do so, please consider a tax-deductible donation today through our website or stopping by our museums on Saturday December 9 from 11 am to 5 pm at the Holiday Wonderland and Christmas Market. You can purchase some of our exciting new holiday collectible ornaments and Stafford Township Historical Society swag.

You can also support us simply by becoming a member, we always welcome new faces and fresh ideas!

Don't forget our monthly meeting is tonight, Wednesday November 15, can't wait to see you all there!

Mark your calendars now and join us for our next monthly meeting on Wednesday November 15 at 7 pm at the Old Baptist Church Cultural Center at 120 N. Main Street in Manahawkin.

We will have members of the Ocean County Cultural & Heritage Commission staff as our guests to present their newly acquired collection of nearly 100 photos from Artie Birdsall around old Manahawkin around 1920’s to 1930’s! These are never before seen treasures, nearly one hundred years old.

After the presentation we will be looking for volunteers to help. We would like to assemble our newly donated 9 foot tall Christmas Tree from the Leonard Family and do some other preparation and decoration for the Stafford PTO Chefs Tour and the Stafford Recreation Holiday Wonderland & Christmas Market. This event is a great fundraiser for us and hundreds of visitors will come through to step back in time and see our church transformed into a magical holiday destination on Saturday December 9.

All are welcome, whether you're a member or not, we'd love to have you and bring a friend!

Mark your calendars now and join us for our next monthly meeting on Wednesday November 15 at 7 pm at the Old Baptist Church Cultural Center at 120 N. Main Street in Manahawkin.

We will have members of the Ocean County Cultural & Heritage Commission staff as our guests to present their newly acquired collection of nearly 100 photos from Artie Birdsall around old Manahawkin around 1920’s to 1930’s! These are never before seen treasures, nearly one hundred years old.

After the presentation we will be looking for volunteers to help. We would like to assemble our newly donated 9 foot tall Christmas Tree from the Leonard Family and do some other preparation and decoration for the Stafford PTO Chefs Tour and the Stafford Recreation Holiday Wonderland & Christmas Market. This event is a great fundraiser for us and hundreds of visitors will come through to step back in time and see our church transformed into a magical holiday destination on Saturday December 9.

All are welcome, whether you're a member or not, we'd love to have you and bring a friend!

Join us on Wednesday October 18 at 6:30 pm for the next monthly meeting of the Stafford Historical Society.

This will be a fun working meeting!

We will be rolling up our sleeves and asking everyone for a little sweat equity and elbow grease to make our Old Baptist Church shine again.

This past August the interior was completely repainted, restoring the beauty and grandeur of the space, removing the yellow and green paint.

This was done entirely with donations made in memory of our dear friend and treasurer Steve Brescia. Now it’s time to put things back together and really show off the interior improvements.

We are excited to get the church all shined up and ready for another holiday season, The PTO Chefs Tour, weddings, artists and countless other events that help us fundraise throughout the year!

We will be meeting at 6:30 PM at the church, 120 N. Main Street and then breaking up into teams to make our building sparkle.

All we ask is that you bring a few supplies and be ready to clean. We’ll see you Wednesday!

From our friends and neighbors at the Lacey Historical Society…a fun way to support the preservation of local history!

Join us for our next monthly meeting of the Stafford Township Historical Society on Wednesday September 20 at 6 PM.

Please note the time change to take advantage of as much daylight as possible.

We will be continuing our semi-annual walking tour series followed by an old-fashioned ice cream social afterwards at the Ice Cream Shop of Manahawkin.

We will start the tour at Heritage Park, 49 W. Bay Avenue.

Ocean County and Stafford Township Historian Tim Hart will be our guide for the evening. We will get a personalized tour of the Old Stone Store, Manahawkin Train Station and 1922 train car. We will also learn about the grist mill that once occupied the property and what the area looked like prior to the completion of Route 72.

If you’ve always wondered but never had the opportunity to step inside these buildings, now is your chance!

There is plenty of parking and easy access to walk to all buildings.

You do not have to be a member to attend, but we would love to have you join...and bring a friend! It’s going to be a beautiful early Fall evening.

We want to thank our entire community for our most successful Summer Concert Series ever this summer!

Your generosity towards our fundraising efforts to preserve Stafford Township history are second to none, we are humbled and beyond grateful.

It was so great seeing everyone come together, young and old and everywhere in between, every week. Music. Picnic baskets. Family. Friends. Sunsets!

A special thank you to our Platinum Sponsor Van Dyk Group - LBI Rentals, Real Estate & Insurance. Your support of our efforts and this community always goes above and beyond.

We would also like to thank Stafford Recreation, The Learning Experience, Lucilles Luncheonette - Country Cooking, Manasquan Bank,
The Residence at Stafford - Manahawkin, NJ, Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard and Toms River Tree Service, LLC. Your sponsorship helped bring nothing but the best to Stafford.

We recognize and show our appreciation to the New Jersey Council on the Arts and the Ocean County Cultural and Heritage Commission grant programs.

Finally we couldn’t achieve any of this without our dedicated volunteers and members who help each week and the crews of the Stafford Township New Jersey Buildings and Grounds and Public Works who keep our park in pristine condition.

Thank you our 2023 lineup, you made Monday nights in Manahawkin the place to be!

Fleetwood Macked:The Ultimate Fleetwood Mac Tribute
Lovelight Band
Frankie Goes to Dollywood
Jimmy & Gene Duo
Naughty Pines
Asbury Fever
Carnaby St.
Joey D Rockin Oldies

We are looking forward to an even bigger and better summer of 2024!

Join us for our next monthly meeting on Wednesday September 20 at 6 pm. We will meet at the Old Baptist Church and join Township Historian Tim Hart for a walking tour of a historic section of town.