You are invited to visit the Society for the grand opening of our newly renovated Birdsall Room. For close to a year, a team of volunteers has worked with professional graphic artist & exhibit designer Stan Cain to completely overhaul the exhibit space on the lower level. The new exhibit starts with a focus on NJ's first inhabitants,the Lenape, & continues with exhibits of the Revolutionary War, Civil War, World Wars, the tragic Hindenburg disaster, the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station, and of course, the Jersey Shore.

Spend an afternoon with Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Victoria Woodhull, Alice Paul and Sarah Jane Corson Downs as re-enactors illustrate different pathways to women's suffrage. Dr. Lyndell O'Hara, Professor & Chair, Department of History at Nyack College in New York City & member of the Historical Society of Ocean Grove, NJ, will introduce & clarify the linkages among these women in their quest for the freedom to vote in their respective lives. To reserve your seat at this riveting performance, call 732-341-1880. There is no entry fee, but donations are accepted. Refreshments will be served.

Thanks to funding by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, we invite you to welcome author & Professor Emeritus of History at Union College, Dr. Laurence Hogan. Dr. Hogan will introduce us to a veteran Negro Leaguer, as well as to Kevin Kane, author of "KC at the Bat."  Selections from the documentary, "Before You Can Say Jackie Robinson," will be shown. You will learn about the rich relationships in "Blackball" during the segregation era in the US & NJ. Admission is free. Refreshments will be served.

The Ocean County Historical Society invites you to enjoy exciting tales of New Jersey shipwrecks that now rest in the "Graveyard of the Atlantic," presented by acclaimed author and Harvey Cedars resident, Margaret Buchholz. A writer of essays, stories, and books, owner of and writer for a Jersey Shore newspaper (The Beachcomber), and world traveler, Ms. Buchholz will also explore the history of the Lifesaving Service and the development of the U.S. Coast Guard through illustrations, photographs, and readings. Admission is free; donations are accepted. Refreshments will be served. Please call 732-341-1880 for reservations.

Take your mom or your best friend to tea! Ocean County Historical Society is hosting its Spring Victorian Tea at The Mathis House, 600 Main Street, Toms River. Enjoy a scone with clotted cream, dainty tea sandwiches, tempting desserts and fine teas as you celebrate the beauty of spring in this lovely historic home. Perhaps you'll win a door prize! Choose the 12:00 or 3:00 PM seating and call Pat Moore at 732-814-2979 for your reservation starting April 6th. Your check is $30.00 for members or $35.00 for non-members and is made out & mailed to OCHS at 26 Hadley Ave., Toms River, NJ 08753 with TEA/PAT marked in the lower left-hand corner of the envelope. Checks must be received within five (5) days of the phone reservation to confirm your seat. There are no refunds.

Attorney William Huneke will return to Ocean County Historical Society's program schedule for a fascinating Zoom presentation. Bill has enjoyed an almost lifelong hobby of collecting political campaign memorabilia, which now number over 5,000 pieces! You will enjoy learning about the history of campaign items - badges, banners, ribbons, metal tokens, and celluloid covered pinback buttons - and what they tell us about elections. Some focus on the issues, some purely on personalities. Selling a candidate is in many ways just like selling cereal or other consumer products. Bill's collection contains something from every major candidate from 1840 on & is non-partisan/bi-partisan, all in good fun. Bring your interest, your questions, and if you have any items at home you'd like to share or ask questions about, they are welcome, too! To register for this program, send your request to oceancounty.history@verizon.net. Include your e-mail address, the name & date of the program, and your zip code. We will send you instructions for accessing the program a few days before the event.

Celebrate yet one more important role women have played in our national & state history when you tune in to OCHS's Zoom presentation. Mary Rasa, historian, former National Park interpreter, & former museum curator at Sandy Hook, will present her discoveries as she researched records & artifacts & did oral history interviews. You will learn about the U.S. Lighthouse Service from colonial days until when the Coast Guard took over in 1939, lighthouse technology & administrative history, & the second national paid position given to women in the U.S. beside that of clerk: lighthouse keeper. You will enjoy meeting several of the 140 courageous & hard-working official women keepers who enabled seafarers to navigate the U.S. shorelines more safely. To register for this free program, email your name, date of December 6, 2020, your zip code, & your email address to oceancounty.history@verizon.net. We will send you the link to Zoom a few days before the event.