Barnegat Land Pirates:  True or False?   Ocean County Historical Society will host John R. Barrows, Editor of Monmouth Timeline Inc., for his presentation via Zoom of The Land Pirates of Barnegat on Sunday, February 13 at 2:00PM. Was the 1834 newspaper story alleging that two-thirds of residents around Barnegat were criminals causing shipwrecks, murdering crews, and plundering cargo true? Learn the facts about the so-called pirates and four shipwrecks along Ocean County’s shores in the 19th century!! To register, email us at oceancountyhistory.zoom@gmail.com stating. Name & date of the program(s) for which you are registering. Your zip code (this is important information for our grant support applications) The e-mail address that we should use to send you instructions for accessing the program. We will send you the link to Zoom a few days before the event.  

The African American Experience in Atlantic City Meet Ralph E. Hunter Sr., founder of the African American Museums in Atlantic City and Newtonville, NJ, on January 16th. Ralph has witnessed the changing Atlantic City cultural scene and added his personal collection of memorabilia to a museum there that highlights more than 11,000 graphics, drawings, paintings, and household items on a rotating basis. With his historical narrative, Mr. Hunter embraces diversity through cultural education. Collaborating with area businesses, educators, collectors, and community residents, he is committed to sharing with students, families, and other community residents the rich and honest depiction of the African American experience in Atlantic City. This presentation will take place at the Ocean County Historical Society, 26 Hadley Avenue, Toms River 08753 at 2:00 PM on Sunday, January 16th. Seating is limited to forty and registrants must be vaccinated and wear a mask. The program will also be offered via Zoom. When you register, please be sure to indicate if you are registering for “In-Person” or “Zoom.”  To register, send your name, zip code, email address and “Atlantic City” to oceancountyhistory.zoom@gmail.com. *If you register for multiple persons, please be sure to include the full name, zip code, and [...]

OCHS’s Victorian Era Holiday Celebration On Saturday, November 27th the Ocean County Historical Society, 26 Hadley Ave., Toms River will be hosting a Victorian Era holiday celebration from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Bring your camera to have pictures taken with a Victorian style Santa. Take a tour of our holiday decorated Elizabeth Sculthorp Force Victorian Era house and museum and enjoy a large model train show. Admission is free, but donations are welcomed. Refreshments will be available. Please call 732-341-1880 for reservations.  

Meet a World War I Doughboy On Sunday November 14, 2021, at 2:00 PM Ocean County Historical Society, will host a Zoom presentation by Ocean County resident, Jeffrey Brown.  Jeff is a graduate of Lacey Twp. Schools, Ursinus College (BA in history) and Kean College (Master’s in Education).  He currently teaches history at Southern Regional HS and resides in Seaside Park with his wife, two children, and dog. For our program, Jeff will discuss the American doughboy of WWI—his training, rations, uniforms, equipment, and combat.  Jeff will wear the WWI uniform and display original artifacts from the Great War that you won’t want to miss. To register for this program, send your name, zip code, and email address to oceancountyhistory.zoom@gmail.com.  We will send you an email with the link to Zoom before the event so that you can join us.

You may know him as a popular and knowledgeable guide to genealogists who are researching their ancestors, but Ocean County Historical Society knows Russell Dutcher as a well-educated speaker who recently earned his MA in history.  Russ’ specialization is the Colonial Era and the Revolutionary War, with emphases on cultural, religious, and racial aspects of the Dutch, French Huguenot, Native American, African American, and English participation in the French and Indian and Revolutionary Wars. Join friends and members of OCHS on October 10th at 2:00 PM for Russ’ Zoom presentation which focuses on Bergen, Essex, and Sussex counties in NJ, as well as Orange, Westchester, Ulster and Duchess counties in NY. To register, email us at oceancountyhistory.zoom@gmail.com stating:  name of program, your zip code, and your email address to send you instructions for accessing our program.

Join Ocean County Historical Society in welcoming Rick Geffken, a former Adjunct Professor at Ocean County College with a BS in Economics and an MA in Social Sciences, who is currently heading up a project called the New Jersey Slave Records Index under the auspices of Monmouth University. Mark September 19th at 2:00 PM on your calendar and make your Zoom reservation today because you’ll want to hear this popular speaker, writer, and historian reveal stories from New Jersey’s dark history of slavery. Dutch and English settlers brought the first enslaved people to New Jersey in the 17th century. By the time of the Revolutionary War, slavery was an established practice on labor-intensive farms throughout what became known as the Garden State.  On a positive note, Mr. Geffken also traces how emancipated slaves became prominent citizens in Lincroft, as did their next four generations. To register for this program, send your name, zip code, and email address to oceancountyhistory.zoom@gmail.com and you will be contacted with the link to the Zoom program.  

Celebrate summer at the Shore with Ocean County Historical Society!  Our goal is to tell the stories of Ocean County and we are visiting some of the plant and animal residents that you will encounter along the Jersey coastline. On August 22, 2021, at 2:00 PM, please join Chris Crosby, a PhD student in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources at Rutgers University. The focus will be on coyotes that arrived in NJ about 80 years ago and can now be found in almost every town across the state.  In the past 2 years, coyotes have immigrated to Barnegat Light, reproduced, and are dispersing across Long Beach Island.  Learn some history of eastern coyotes, their ecology and behavior, and important guidance for avoiding negative human-coyote interactions. To register for this program, email oceancountyhistory.zoom@gmail.com stating: Your name & date of program, your zip code, and your email address so we may send the link for Zoom to access the program a few days before the event.  

Celebrate summer at the Shore with Ocean County Historical Society!  Our goal is to tell the stories of Ocean County and we are visiting some of the plant and animal residents that you will encounter along the Jersey coastline. On July 11, 2021, at 2:00 PM, please join Denise Willis, a naturalist for 13 years at Cattus Island County Park in Toms River.  She will present Bees and Butterflies on Barnegat Bay.  A former nursey schoolteacher, Girl Scout leader, and camp counselor, Ms. Willis is charmed by all the flora and fauna that thrive in this environment.  Learn about butterfly gardens and beekeeping right here in Ocean County! To register for this program, email oceancountyhistory.zoom@gmail.com stating: Your name & date of program, your zip code, and your email address so we may send the link for Zoom to access the program a few days before the event.    

Celebrate summer at the Shore with Ocean County Historical Society!  Our goal is to tell the stories of Ocean County and we are visiting some of the plant and animal residents that you will encounter along the Jersey coastline. On June 27th, 2021 at 2:00 PM, please join Mindy Voss, a talented Education Specialist with the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium at Fort Hancock, NJ, who is both knowledgeable and enthusiastic!  She will present, Ocean Hazards & Beach Safety: Sharks vs. Rip Currents, preparing family beachgoers for fun in the ocean while increasing their awareness of possible dangers. To register for this program, email oceancountyhistory.zoom@gmail.com stating: Your name & date of program, your zip code, and your email address so we may send the link for Zoom to access the program a few days before the event.  

Join Monmouth University Specialist Professor of Public History & former US Army Fort Monmouth Command Historian, Melissa Ziobro, for a Zoom presentation on how the US Army Signal Corps employed women as telephone switchboard operators during WWI.  The "Hello Girls" worked long hours to ensure battlefield communications.  After the war, they fought for veteran status and are being considered for a Congressional Gold Medal today.  Register by emailing your name, zip code, and email address to oceancountyhistory.zoom@gmail.com.

Join Dr. Jeff Schenker & his historian friend & fellow traveler, George O'Donnell, as our guides via Zoom to many of the fascinating Presidential sites they've visited in the U.S. These super-knowledgeable history lovers will share the must-see itineraries of their many year quest to learn more about the backgrounds of every U.S. President. You will enjoy the East Wing of the White House as well as a private guided tour of the White House West Wing, & chuckle at the humorous anecdotes of some of the surprises they encountered in their travels elsewhere. Jeff & George's travel odyssey will encourage you to read your brochures & pack your bags. You'll want to be prepared to visit prime historical sites in the U.S. the minute that the dreaded coronavirus is finally defeated. Just email your name, the date of January 31, 2021, your zip code, and your email address to oceancounty.history@verizon.net. You will be contacted a few days before the Zoom presentation with the link to join us as we travel vicariously.

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.

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.

Enjoy via Zoom a free, illustrated talk by Specialist Professor of Public History at Monmouth University, Melissa Ziobro, without leaving the comfort of your home! Learn the fascinating history of Toms River's Camp Albocondo: Then and Now, a story of recreational patterns, community service, philanthropy, and environmentalism. Register for the program by emailing your name, zip code, and date of program (9/20) to oceancounty.history@verizon.net. You will be contacted with the link to Zoom a few days before the event.