“New Jersey and World War I” with Dr. Jeffrey Schenker, OCHS President This program will explain the events that led to the great War and go into detail about New Jersey's contributions to the war effort, both militarily and economically. Jeff taught history for many years at Toms River High School South and is currently an adjunct professor of history at Ocean County College. These events take place at our museum at 26 Hadley Avenue in Toms River. Our speaker series is always free; but donations are appreciated. SEATING IS LIMITED so reserve your seat early by sending your name, zip code, email address,  telephone number, and the name and date of the program (November 10, 2024) to:  oceancountyhistory.programs@gmail.com  

Eleanor Roosevelt: The First Lady of Today’s First Ladies with Mark Mutter, Toms River Historian Learn about the remarkable life of Eleanor Roosevelt, who served as the “eyes and ears” for President Roosevelt. Eleanor was the first lady from 1933 until 1945. Through her travels throughout the country, as an early advocate for human rights, and her public engagement, she redefined the role of First Lady. This remarkable person even served as the United States Delegate to the United Nations. Presented by Mark Mutter, who spent summer months working as a docent at Campobello Island, where the Roosevelts had their summer cottage. During his time there Mark did extensive research on Eleanor Roosevelt. Mark has been historian and business administrator for Toms River Township, serves as the official Toms River historian, and is currently adjunct professor of law at Ocean County College. These events take place at our museum at 26 Hadley Avenue in Toms River. Our speaker series is always free; but donations are appreciated. SEATING IS LIMITED so reserve your seat early by sending your name, zip code, email address,  telephone number, and the name and date of the program (October 20, 2024) to:  oceancountyhistory.programs@gmail.com  

We welcome renowned author William Lewis as he discusses his newest book. This will be followed by a book signing. The book will be available for purchase that day. William is a lifelong resident of New Jersey Pine Barrens as were multiple generations of his family before him. He is the also the author of “New Jersey’s Lost Piney Culture” and “Adventures with Piney Joe: Exploring the New Jersey Pine Barrens.” These events take place at our museum at 26 Hadley Avenue in Toms River. Our speaker series is always free; but donations are appreciated. SEATING IS LIMITED so reserve your seat early by sending your name, zip code, email address,  telephone number, and the name and date of the program (September 8, 2024) to:  oceancountyhistory.programs@gmail.com

Sunday, March 3, 2024, at 2:00 PM War at the Shore — Timothy Hart “War at the Shore” tells the story of what is now Ocean County in the American Revolution, including a 5-minute documentary. Timothy Hart works as the Ocean County Historian (2012) and is the division director of the Ocean County Cultural & Heritage commission in the Ocean County Parks & Recreation. He is an active participant in state and national historical organizations including past president of the League of Historical Societies of NJ and the South Jersey Cultural Association. He has also served on the board of the Advocates for NJ. He has been active with the AASLH. He is also the Stafford Township Historian since 2006. He has more than 40 years of civic engagement including among others: his town historic preservation commission, school board, planning board, environmental commission, and chamber of commerce. He is a retired member of the NJ Bar, a graduate of Rutgers Law School and Georgetown University. This event takes place at our museum at 26 Hadley Avenue in Toms River. Our speaker series is always free; but donations are greatly appreciated. SEATING IS LIMITED! To reserve your seat, send your name, zip [...]

Melissa Ziobro February 25, 2024, at 2:00 PM What America Sounds Like: 250 Years of American Music   This interactive, multi-media talk by Melissa Ziobro provides a look at the iconic music that helps us understand our shared history as we approach the 250th anniversary of American independence. Special emphasis is given to Thomas Edison, Paul Robeson, James P. Johnson, Frank Sinatra, Whitney Houston, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Queen Latifah, Bon Jovi, and others from New Jersey who have contributed so much to the American music landscape. Melissa Ziobro is a longtime educator and the new Curator of the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music at Monmouth University. This event takes place at our museum at 26 Hadley Avenue in Toms River. Our speaker series is always free; but donations are greatly appreciated. SEATING IS LIMITED! To reserve your seat, send your name, zip code, email address, and the date of the program (February 25, 2024) to oceancountyhistory.programs@gmail.com.  

Ryan Radice Sunday, December 10, 2023, at 2:00 PM “A War Against Disease and Despair: Immigrants, Nurses, Soldiers, and the Transformation of Patient Care on Ellis Island During World War I” While known primarily for its use as an immigrant facility, Ellis Island went through several major changes from the time war was declared in Europe in 1914, to the time that the last military members left the island in 1919. During the First World War, Ellis Island and its associated hospital facilities would be the victims of German terrorism, a mobilization points for thousands of Red Cross nurses bound for the frontlines, and a debarkation hospital that was the first stop home for countless sick and wounded soldiers returning from the battlefield. Ryan Radice is a historian from Scotch Plains, New Jersey. A graduate of Monmouth University, his research interests include immigration history, the American Revolution and early republic, and the history and archaeology of New Jersey cemeteries and military sites. This event takes place at our museum at 26 Hadley Avenue in Toms River. Our speaker series is free; however, SEATING IS LIMITED! To reserve your seat, send your name, zip code, email address, and the date of [...]

SPECIAL EVENT: Screening of The Reluctant Piney (and bake sale!) Sunday, June 11 at 2PM at the Ocean County Historical Society 26 Hadley Ave, Toms River, NJ 08753 Admission: $5 (proceeds support ongoing building maintenance; pre-registration is required) Join the Ocean County Historical Society for a screening of the new, 90-minute documentary film, The Reluctant Piney. The film is produced and directed by William J. Lewis, author of New Jersey's Lost Piney Culture. Admission will be $5.00 cash and collected at the door, with all proceeds supporting ongoing much-needed maintenance to our historic house museum. There will also be a bake sale. We are grateful to Mr. Lewis for his support of our organization. About the film: The Pineys of yesterday and today are as diverse as the flora and fauna of the Pine Barrens. Walk with us down roads less traveled to places only a few know. See glimpses of ghost towns and hear firsthand stories that have been hidden away by a veil of secrecy only to be revealed by the remaining Piney Outlaws. New Jersey’s Lost Piney Culture is more than the pinecone pickers or pine ballers of the last two centuries. Pineys’ way of life is [...]

Location – Ocean County Historical Society, 26 Hadley Avenue, Toms River, NJ Sunday, May 7th at 2:00 PM “The Traditions of Healing Music,” by Bonnie Leigh Historically, many societies and cultures have deemed music to be very powerful. It can affect all aspects of our life -- to include being used to aid in relaxation, and even to help the sick and dying. In this program, you will learn about the different types of music that have historically been used, and can still be used, for different situations in our lives. Bonnie Leigh is a Certified Music Practitioner who uses music to help patients in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted livings, and private homes. She personally plays the small harp and the Appalachian Mountain Dulcimer. She has been performing and teaching traditional folk music across the northeast coast since the early 1990s, to include previous visits to the Ocean County Historical Society, and at Allaire Historic Village. To register for this free program, send your name, zip code, email address, and the date of the program (May 7) to oceancountyhistory.zoom@gmail.com. As this is our last lecture prior to our summer break, we will, as a special treat, feature a display of some musical artifacts [...]

Sunday, March 19th, 2PM, “Hello Girls Get the Message Through,” by Melissa Ziobro Join Monmouth University Professor and former US Army Fort Monmouth Command Historian Melissa Ziobro for a talk 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. Their Chief Operator, Grace Banker, hailed from NJ. After the war, the women fought for veteran status, and they are being considered for a Congressional Gold Medal today. Melissa Ziobro is the Specialist Professor of Public History in the Monmouth University Department of History and Anthropology and the primary point of contact for the University's public history minor. She is the current President of Oral History in the Mid-Atlantic Region, and has served for many years as the editor for New Jersey Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, a joint venture of the NJ Historical Commission, Rutgers University Libraries, and Monmouth University. She is a trustee of the NJ Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Foundation, the Ocean County Historical Society, the Monmouth County Historical Association, the Info Age Science and History Museums at the Camp Evans National Historic Landmark, and Preservation NJ, and works regularly with other public history [...]

Sunday, December 4th, 2022, at 2:00 pm - "The Lights Go Out in the Electric City: South Lakewood Park, An Exclusive Enclave for Socialites and Scientists, Reduced to Burning Embers and Forgotten by History," by Robert DeSando Please join the Ocean County Historical Society at 26 Hadley Avenue, Toms River, NJ for the following program: The subject of this talk is a forgotten "city" in New Jersey known alternately as South Lakewood Park and Electric City. During the late 19th Century, Lakewood NJ was a winter resort for the rich and famous, including John Rockefeller and Jay Gould. It had grand hotels that entertained the elite of New York and Philadelphia society. Led by a visionary scientist and inventor with a knack for getting entangled in scandals, investors from New York and Philadelphia proposed to build a lavish rival resort in the pines three miles away, on the border of Lakewood, Jackson, and Toms River. Their goal was two-fold: creation of a posh playground for the wealthy and a gathering place for inventors, scientists and engineers who were experts in power generation and electricity. Work was well underway. In the 1890s, a luxury hotel, The Casino was built, a 150-foot arc light [...]

OCHS’s Victorian Era Holiday Open House On Saturday, December 3, 2022, the Ocean County Historical Society, 26 Hadley Ave., Toms River will be hosting a Victorian Era Holiday Open House from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Bring your camera to have pictures taken with a Victorian style Santa from 11:00 am until 1:00 pm. Take a tour of our holiday decorated Victorian Era house and museum and enjoy a model train exhibit. Admission is free, but donations are welcomed. Refreshments will be available at no charge. For additional information please call Jeff at 609-339-9134.  

Ocean County History Day The Ocean County Historical Society and Ocean County Cultural and Heritage are pleased to announce that we will be jointly sponsoring the first annual “Ocean County History Day.”  This celebration of the rich history of our county will take place on Sunday, September 12th from 10:00 AM until 3:00 PM.  It will be held on the grounds of the Ocean County Historical Society, located at 26 Hadley Ave., Toms River.   There will be fun for the entire family.  The day will include displays by the various historical societies and museums of Ocean County, tours of our Victorian era home and museum, golden oldies performed by the band Jersey Gold, military reenactors, an opportunity to meet Joshua Huddy, a large model train exhibit, a snack stand and more.  Check the Ocean County Historical Society website for more details.  

Join OCHS as we follow our virtual lecturer & guide, Sean McHugh, into the Pine Barrens to visit Cedar Bridge Tavern in Barnegat, NJ. A Senior Archaeologist at a cultural resource consulting firm, adjunct professor at Monmouth University, and co-director of the Archaeological Field School of Monmouth University, Mr. McHugh has over 17 years of experience in archaeology & historic preservation. The c. 1816 Cedar Bridge Tavern was bought by the Ocean County Parks Department in 2007. The Ocean County Cultural & Heritage Commission describes it as, "a historic treasure that offers a unique window into the European experience in the N.J. Pinelands." Mr. McHugh conducted numerous archaeological investigations there in advance of the county's improvement project. Sign up for this Zoom presentation by emailing your name, zip code, email address, and Cedar Bridge Tavern program to oceancounty.history@verizon.net. We will send you the link to Zoom a few days before the event.