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.