1 minute read
Notable Anniversaries
Anniversaries are meaningful milestones that shape our sense of who we are. This year, the Township and Museum have three worth celebrating.
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One hundred and seventy years ago, on February 21, 1849, the Township of Ocean was created by the New Jersey legislature. It encompassed a huge, sparsely settled, heavily wooded, flat plain along the coast from Sandy Hook south to Shark River. In the years that followed, sixteen communities broke off from Ocean Township to form their own governments—the most recent, Loch Arbour in 1957. What remained was
the Ocean Township we known today, with its parks, recreational and cultural facilities, residential neighborhoods and commercial corridors.
The Township of Ocean and the communities it encompassed at its incorporation, 1849.
Thirty five years ago, in 1984, a group of volunteers organized the Township of Ocean Historical Museum in the former Oakhurst School (today’s School Board Offices) to preserve documents, artifacts and photographs that help to tell the story of the town. The Museum volunteers identified and marked century-old structures, collected oral histories from longtime residents, had programs on local history, held class visits for third-grade students, and published several books on local history.
Ten years ago, in 2009, the Museum moved into a new home, the eighteenth century (in its oldest part) farmhouse that we named the Eden Woolley House. Our volunteers had worked for four years to restore the structure and fill its three galleries. In the ten years since, we have organized 22+ exhibits on our regional history, hosted more than 150 school visits, and opened the door to history to thousands through tours, speakers, newsletters, and videos.
These anniversaries invite us to take advantage of the wisdom of hindsight. Behind each milestone were visionaries who could see beyond the challenges and inspire others to create something we cherish today. This year, with its meaningful anniversaries for the Township and the Museum, let’s take the opportunity to remember and appreciate what they accomplished.
