|
Available Now
The Lost Histories of
Perth Amboy, a story about Supplying British Troops on the Eve of the American
Revolution and The Destruction and Reconstruction of Saint Peter’s
Episcopal Church, a remarkable book written by staff historians
of the Commission.
Funded by Middlesex County Cultural
and Heritage Commission through a grant from the New Jersey
Historical Commission/Dept of State, this beautiful book is
offered free of charge. A limited number have been
printed. Please - one to a family. The story of how this book came
about is as fascinating as its contents.
I n the autumn of 2005, a librarian on staff at
the Perth Amboy Public Library was looking through an old file
cabinet in the basement. As she leafed through the file folders, a
large, thick, bundle of papers caught her eye. Seeming out of place,
she removed the bundle from the drawer, placed the contents on a
nearby table and was surprised at what she saw. The first document
was an original letter, scribbled in brown ink, written on dark
yellow paper. Astonishingly, the date read “Perth Amboy, August 24,
1766.” The librarian had stumbled across a collection of
approximately 100 primary documents, lost until that day, all having
to do with Perth Amboy. Ranging in dates from 1766 to 1812, the wide
variety of papers included correspondence, drafts of Perth Amboy
legislation, records of local elections, accounts of life in Perth
Amboy, original tavern petitions and licenses, Common Council
minutes, medicinal formulas, accounts of medical treatment, and a
number of records relating to the rebuilding Saint Peter’s Church.
Years later, staff of Middlesex County Cultural
and Heritage Commission was conducting research at the Perth Amboy
Public Library and rediscovered the manuscripts. Confident that this
was an extremely significant find, we were permitted to photograph
and transcribe the documents. Upon closer examination, we discovered
a story that could be told, for the first time, from these old
documents and through additional  research
at the New Jersey State Archives and Special Collections at Rutgers
University.
Prepare to be transported
to Perth Amboy, during the tumultuous time period prior to the
Revolutionary War.
Royal Governor William Franklin
before his removal by the Patriot troops,
at Perth Amboy.
Palaspas - Traditional Filipino Weaving of
Palms
Workshop Saturday, March 23, 2013 2:00pm
East Jersey Olde Towne Village
1050 River Road Piscataway
Master
artist Mary Rose Amistad will instruct participants in the
traditional weaving of palm fronds, called Palaspas. Families
in the Philippines have created these intricate decorations at the
Lenten season which are used to decorate their homes and given as
gifts. Made from the coconut palm, pamahiin or blessed Palaspas are thought to prevent harm from befalling the family.
You too will learn the weaving techniques and bring home your
creations. The Village
is an ADA accessible location. Palaspas workshop is Free of Charge.
Registrations are required as space and supplies of palm are
limited.
732.745.4489
Check Out the Newest Podcasts
under iTunes or here on the website
UnCommon History
All Programs are offered free of charge
unless otherwise specified.
Please Note: Registration is required for all events,
as space is limited. Please call 732.745.4489 for registration information and directions to event locations.
Be sure to tell us the name of the program for which you are
registering. Persons with hearing disabilities may call, 732.745.3888 (TTY
users only), or 711, the New Jersey Relay System.
All program sites are ADA compliant.
Thank you for voting
the
Cornelius Low House
Museum
One of the Best
Museums in Central Jersey Home News Tribune
Readers’ Choice Best of Central Jersey
Come see this silent movie in the new
film exhibition. It is a landmark production in the history of film
making.
|
|
Sunday, January
13, 3:00 pm Wind of Anatolia
Crossroads Theatre 7 Livingston Ave New Brunswick
 Join
us for a program of Turkish Folk Songs performed by the Wind of
Anatolia, who present traditional music referred to as "the
peoples' music" or Halk Muzigi. This living tradition
stretches back hundreds of years and reflects the different ethnic
and religious backgrounds of the Turkish people.
Crossroads is an ADA
accessible location. Concert is Free of Charge. Registrations
are required 732.745.4489
Saturday, March 9,
2013 2:00pm 
Dream Catcher
Workshop
American Indian
Center at
The Lodge in Thompson
Park
1701 Perrineville Rd
Jamesburg/Monroe
American Indian artist and educator
Tchin will lead a workshop in which you will create a Dream catcher.
Based on Grandmother Spider's web, the Dream Catcher is a good luck
charm, said to catch and hold anything harmful. Tchin is a
nationally acclaimed, award-winning artist. This
Blackfeet/Narragansett artist is also an accomplished maker of
flutes, folklorist, musician, clothes maker and author of delightful
children's books.
The Lodge is an ADA
accessible location. Workshop is Free of Charge. Registrations
are required 732.745.4489
Mick Moloney in
Concert
Traditional Irish
Music and
Step Dancing
Wednesday March 13,
2013
7:00 pm at the South
Amboy High School Auditorium
Returning once again to a Middlesex
County stage is the famous Irish folk musician Mick Moloney, with
guest artists, step dancing and stories about his music. Many songs
are little known, as Mick has devoted a lifetime to researching and
collecting traditional songs which often tell a tale of life abroad
and after coming to America. Mick Moloney is familiar to PBS
audiences from his documentary Out of Ireland and more
recently, The Irish in America: Long Journey Home.
Location is an ADA
accessible location. Concert is Free of Charge. Registrations
are required 732.745.4489
Saturday, March
16, 2013 
Two (2) sessions
Master Artist Olga
Kobryn
Ukrainian Egg
Decorating
East Jersey
Olde Towne Village
1050 River Road
Piscataway
At 10:00am (ending at noon) and again at
1:30pm (ending at 3:30pm), participants will have the opportunity to
learn the remarkable art of Pysanky or
Ukrainian egg decorating. Pysanky literally means - writing on eggs,
and this is what you will do with a stylus, beeswax, special dyes
and patterns, plus your imagination. This is one of the rare
times that we cannot offer the program free of charge. Instead,
there is a fee of $15 per person. This
is for supplies, but you will take home your eggs and the "kit" you
use to create the eggs in the workshop session. Space is limited.
Suitable for persons 13 years of age and older. The Village is an ADA accessible location. Only those
who register and pay the supply fee in advance will be accepted into
the workshop.
732.745.4489
Programs representing the ethnic traditions and cultures are part of
the Cultural and Heritage Commission's Folklife Program
for New Jersey. It is funded by the NJ State Council on the
Arts/Dept of State, a partner program of National Endowment for the
Arts. We are very proud to receive this prestigious funding.
The Cornelius Low House/Middlesex County Museum and
the East Jersey Olde Towne Village are funded in part
by a GOS grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission/Department
of State.
And the Commission is a department of Middlesex County government,
funded by the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders.
You can still purchase your
copy of the anniversary book for Plays in the Park
Get your hard cover, full-color history of the Plays in the Park told through the glorious costumes, sets and
staging. On sale by the Friends of Plays in the Park, only $25 or
you can order by mail. Call for info.
Visit Our Publications Page
Free
History and Cultural Monographs and other Publications
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 If you would like to
be added to our
mailing list,
please call the
Commission, 732.745.4489
and
select one of the
following lists:
Newsletter
Cornelius Low House Museum
Folklife
or East Jersey Olde Towne
Village
|
