May 2015 Issue - Cranbury Historical and Preservation Society

The Cranbury Historical &
Preservation Society
NEWSLETTER
M AY , 2015
V OLUME 34, I SSUE O NE
President’s Message ~ Jo D. Andrews
It’s a beautiful, balmy day in Cranbury. The sun is shining and
the lilacs are finally in bloom after a long hard winter. I can hear the
mowers going two doors down and the birds are singing outside my
window. There are more bees this year. I don’t know why, but
certainly it is good for the flowers, and I’m told their honey is
especially good for all the allergy sufferers in the region.
Walking Tour of our village, or enjoying our stores and
restaurants. We also welcome new members to the Cranbury
Historical and Preservation Society. So here’s hoping we meet
soon and celebrate our town by making new memories to add to
Cranbury’s history books.
Sometimes, as I sit here looking out my windows, I wonder how
my parents decided, in 1956, that Cranbury was to be our home.
They were both performers in the arts in New York City and it
would have been much easier on them to raise my brother and me
there, but Mom and Dad wanted something more for us. They
wanted a heartwarming, small town experience for their children
growing up, and that, as we all know, is what Cranbury does best.
Today, just as it was years ago, our children and grandchildren
are out playing baseball, soccer and lacrosse in the fields around
town. They are on swim teams and in school bands and songfests
just as we were, and there isn’t a child within a ten mile radius who
doesn’t count the days until Gil and Bert’s Ice Cream Stand opens
each spring. Didn’t we all live for an ice-cream cone from Harold
O’Neil’s store, “back in the day?”
Townspeople have been meeting up at Teddy’s at least once a
week for years now, and some also enjoy attending Senior
Fellowship Breakfasts and celebrating the holidays at the Cranbury
Inn just as they must have done a hundred years ago. There is still a
dress maker and tailor in town, along with dress shops, an antique
store, a library, banks, more little shops, and even a gas station.
You see, even though the world at large may change in vast ways,
our experience here in Cranbury is about embracing a simpler time
when the pleasures in life brought peace and serenity with them.
In the fall, the Cranbury Historical and Preservation Society will
be gearing up for another Historic Cranbury House Tour and if any
of you haven’t joined us before, I highly recommend you do so this
year. There is something about an historic home that speaks to its
visitors upon entering. Even if the home has been renovated inside
in some way, it is still like walking back in time when you see
beautifully refurbished pine floors, original crown moldings, shiny
old banisters, and those old cooking fireplaces or mantles.
I do hope you will join us this year in celebrating our town’s
history either by joining us on the House Tour, visiting our
wonderful Museum, stopping by our History Center, taking a
Scene from the Memorial Day Parade, 1982.
Memorial Day Ceremony
The New Jersey Civil War History Association’s Co H of the 14th
NJ will present an impressive memorial ceremony on Memorial
Day, Monday, May 25 at 10:30 a.m. in Brainerd Cemetery behind
the First Presbyterian Church of Cranbury. The ceremony will be
followed immediately by a brief ceremony at the Civil War
Monument in Memorial Park. Both ceremonies are in memory of
those from the area who served in the Civil War.
Parsonage Barn Concert
The popular First Presbyterian Church Brass will perform at the
Parsonage Barn on Monday, June 1 at 7 p.m. Please bring a chair or
blanket and enjoy our first summer concert at the barn. The
Parsonage Barn is on Cranbury Neck Rd. near S. Main Street.
CHPS at Gil and Bert’s
CHPS invites you to join us for an evening of fun at Gil and
Bert’s on Wednesday, June 3, from 6 to 8 p.m. Society members
will be at the window to serve you, and you will receive a gift from
CHPS when you stop by. Cranbury tee shirts, in various sizes and
two colors, will also be available. CHPS is grateful to Gil and
Bert’s for hosting this fundraiser for the Society.
Civil War Veterans Return to Cranbury
Documentary Filmed at the Cranbury Museum
to check its spread. To do this will evidently require turning many stones
and depending on no guess work.
By Jerry Pevahouse
Jacob Rogers, an aged resident of South Cranbury, and a veteran of
the Civil War, has been quite ill the past two weeks. He lost his wife
some time ago but his daughters of Jamesburg have given him every possible attention.
The NJ Civil War Heritage Association (NJCWHA) is currently
producing a short documentary film about Camp Vredenburgh
located on the site of Monmouth Battlefield State Park in Freehold,
during the Civil War. Camp Vredenburgh served as a boot camp
for volunteer NJ regiments as they prepared to deploy, beginning
late August, 1862. Camp Vredenburgh's connection to Cranbury
and the NJ Civil War Heritage Association is through the 14th
Regiment which included numerous Cranbury area residents.
The NJCWHA represents Company H of the 14th NJ Volunteers, whose captain was local resident, Symmes Henry Stults. His
cousin, Marcus A Stults, also served as lieutenant of the company.
On April 13th, the production crew used the museum as a
location to film two scenes involving Symmes, Marcus Stults,
Symme's father Isaac and mother Elizabeth and, Reverend Joseph
Gaston Symmes, minister of Cranbury's First Presbyterian Church.
Cousins Symmes and Marcus Stults were born one month apart in
1840 and died in battle one month apart during the summer of
1864 at 24 years old. Their story has captured the interest of local
residents for over 150 years.
‘Abraham Lincoln’ attended briefly to record a voice-over to be
used in the film. His arrival wearing a ball cap and NY Giants jacket
made for quiet an interesting scene itself. I didn't know the former
president was a Giants fan! I'm sure if devoted former Giants fan
and curator Don Swanagan could have been present, the two
would have had a lively conversation.
Isaac Stults was played by Rich Hill, Elizabeth Stults by Nikki
Bell, Marcus A Stults by Colin Zimmerman, Symmes Stults by Dan
Casella and Rev. J. G. Symmes by Mike Bell. Tom Burke is producer and Rich Mendoza director. Being familiar with the history
of the people portrayed in the documentary, I helped provide
historical context, personality descriptions and dialogue.
Another scene from the documentary is to be filmed at the
Parsonage Barn. The film will be shown at the new visitors
center at Monmouth Battlefield State Park, where the famous
Revolutionary War battle occurred in 1778.
CRANBURY – 100 YEARS AGO
Samuel E. Dey, the local garage man, has had a very busy month of
April caring for the cars of: Hendrick Conover, A. C. Beekman, John C.
Barlow, Dr. William S. Bull, Rev. J. E. Curry, Lemuel Stults, Emerson
Pullen, Arthur Burroughs, and H. N. Scott.
Advocates of the reading of the bible in public schools secured a signal
victory in the House of Assembly when by an overwhelming majority, the
Kates bill, providing that at least five verses of the scripture by read in the
school every day, was passed.
Charles Symmes and Jessie Gato were riding bicycles through town
on Saturday without lights and near the post office they collided. Gato
was thrown to the ground and was rendered unconscious for a time but
is around town attending to his duties this week.
A dressing of oil is being put on the Cranbury streets which will lay
the dust for a time, and win the gratitude of housekeepers.
Adv. Eggs for Hatching. Purchase White Wyandotts, Dark Brahams,
Cornish Indian Game, Buff Bantam, $1.00 Per 15 eggs. $3.00 for 50
eggs. H. Lewis Schenck, Cranbury, N.J.
Rev. Warren Elsing will be publicly installed as pastor of the Second
church on Wednesday, June 9th. The congregation will tender a reception to him and his wife next Wednesday, May 5th at the parsonage.
The Ladies Reading Circle held their Spring Reception at the home
of Mrs. and Mrs. Alvah Forman. Their beautiful home made an ideal
place for it. Entertainment consisted of “Scenes in a Ferry House,” and
closed with a violin, cello and piano trio.
Adv. J. Frank Dowgin, Registered Plumber, Cranbury, New Jersey. First Class Plumbing, Heating and Tinning. Full Line of Hardware.
Windmills Repaired. Jobbing promptly attended to.
Carrie Brown, colored, who has been employed by Mrs. W. J.
Campbell, is ill with pneumonia. She is now with friends on Cranbury
Neck.
In a game of ball with Dayton Presbyterian Club, Cranbury Grammar
School were winners by a score of 17 to 13.
William F. Perrine has contracted with Symmes H. Perrine for the
building of a frame and stucco dwelling in Cranbury (now 52 South
Main St.) to be completed before December 1, 1915. The same is to
cost $6,800. The architect is Warren H, Conover of Freehold and New
York City.
Compiled from the April & May 1915 issues of
The Cranbury Press by Peggy and Frank J. Brennan, Jr.
Reverend and Mrs. Curry have issued an invitation to the members
and adherents of the First Church for a reception and housewarming at
the new manse. The young people of the church and members of the
Triangle Club are invited for Tuesday and the older people will be
welcomed on Wednesday.
What seems to be a typhoid epidemic is prevailing through the
town. There are said to be eighteen cases and measures should be taken
The 1st Presbyterian
Church Brass will
perform at the Parsonage Barn in June.
Cranbury Housing Associates Marks its 50th Anniversary
Cranbury Housing Associates, Inc. – or CHA as we are commonly CHA utilizes these principles for development:
called – received its Incorporation Certificate in April of 1965, and
 Integrate affordable Housing within the community
therefore we are celebrating our 50th year serving the residents of
 Be compatible with the adjacent neighborhood
Cranbury. Many of the newer residents in Cranbury do not know
 Maintain the high quality of the projects over time
who we are and what we do and that we have assisted in allowing
Cranbury to remain the small, vibrant town that it is.
Many newer Cranbury residents don’t know where our affordable
We are a volunteer, not-for-profit corporation. None of our
housing units are, since they are integrated so well within the town.
members are paid for any work or services that we provide. CHA is
CHA acts as the Township’s Affordable Housing Developer to:
managed by a 12 person Board of Directors and hire a part-time
property management firm to handle the day to day operations of
 Develop and Maintain Affordable Housing
our affordable housing. Our work provides a benefit to all Cran Reduce costs by utilizing private, not-for-profit CHA
bury residents and especially those with low and moderate incomes.
 Provide better control by utilizing community based CHA
For the past 28 years, we have worked in partnership with the
The Agreement between the Township and CHA provides the
Township helping to meet our original and continuing affordable
following:
housing obligations. When it was first founded, the objectives of
CHA were to improve and provide for the housing needs of low The Township Committee establishes the project scope in
income, disadvantaged and permanent residents of the area. From
its affordable housing plan
its start to the mid-1980’s, it was a hands on organization, with
 The Township assist with initial funding
many of the projects undertaken with volunteer labor and minimum
 CHA designs and constructs the project
financial input.
 CHA owns & manages the project without any additional
After the “Mount Laurel” NJ State Supreme Court decision in
Township support
1984, it shifted its focus to be a management organization, seeking
public and private funding, designing, constructing and developing
The income limits are established by the state (COAH) of our renew projects. It also continues work with its projects, managing the gion, which consists of Hunterdon, Middlesex and Somerset Counrental and sale of past projects.
ties, and range for 30% for very low income, to 50% for low income to 80% for moderate income of the median gross.
CHA has developed 96 units of new affordable housing to meet
the requirements of the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH),
To provide some examples of what affordable means in Cranbury,
enabling the Town to avoid the “Builders Remedy” or high volume for 2015, based on household size, a single person with an income of
housing consisting of both affordable and market rate housing.
$36,750 would qualify as low income and a family of four with an
Without CHA’s help, Cranbury would now have over 1,000 addi- income of $84,000 would qualify as moderate income.
tional houses as part of our community.
Cranbury Housing Associates is happy to continue to provide afOf those 96 units, 20 are senior rentals, 46 are family rentals and fordable housing services to Cranbury, but we need your support. In
30 were family sales units. Thirty-two (32) new family rentals units order to demonstrate to the State and the Courts, that we remain a
are currently planned for a new site.
viable source for affordable housing, we want to show that we have
community support.
Since the Township Committee in the late 1980’s asked CHA to
be the Township’s Affordable Housing Developer, subsequent
Please send in your Membership application with your donation of
Township Committee’s have continued with the same relationship. $20 for an individual, $40 for a family or $100 for a patron. Our
The concepts used have continued over time:
application is available on our website, www.cranburyhousing.org
along with a more detailed description of our services.
 Develop the housing ourselves by using CHA




Scatter the sites throughout the town
Select sites in residential neighborhoods
Select sites within walking distance of the Village
Design buildings to be compatible in scale with neighbors
Cranbury artist Wilma Shimer’s
interpretation of the village streetscape.
If you support the way Cranbury and CHA has provided affordable
housing, please join us as a member and help us celebrate our 50th
anniversary.
The story of the Stults
family is similar to that of
many Cranbury farming
families who arrived here
in the 18th century. Their
ancestors emigrated from
Europe and eventually
settled among the rich
farmlands of Cranbury.
Stults Farm
The farmers raised large
Est. 1915
families and their children
remained in the area for
100 Years of
generations, continuing to
Family Farming
farm. These Cranbury
farmers were neighbors,
extended families, business
partners, and members of the community. They attended the
Cranbury Presbyterian and Methodist Churches. Families, such as
Stults, Perrine, Dey, Wyckoff, Snedeker, Rue, Conover, Reid, Van
Kirk and Vorhees, joined the earlier established Yankee families of
Applegate, Mount, Stites, Wetherill and Barclay.
The Stults family began their journey from Germany to America
on October 2, 1753. Johannes Heinrich Stoltz, his wife, Gertrude
and family left Rotterdam, Holland on the sailing ship, "Edinburgh."
The Stoltz family arrived in Philadelphia and eventually settled on
138 acres in Prospect Plains on the outskirts of Cranbury. Johannes
and Gertrude had five children.
One of Johannes' grandsons, Henry Stults was born on February
24, 1755 in Prospect Plains. Henry was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. In 1778, Henry married Ellen Cortleyou and they had ten
children. Many of Henry's children continued farming in the Prospect Plains area.
Stanley C. Stults, son of Clifford Addison, was born on August 20,
1921 in the Stults farmhouse on Cranbury Neck Road. By 1944,
Stanley C. began farming with his father and earned $15.00 a week.
In 1950, Stanley C. took over the farming business and in 1966,
bought the farm from his father's estate.
In 1968, Stanley C. “Kip” Stults, Jr. graduated from high school
and began to farm with his father. In 1971, they formed a partnership, and by the early 1980's, they leased and farmed over 600 acres
in Cranbury and Plainsboro, growing potatoes, field corn, soybeans
and wheat.
In 1984, Kip and his wife, Jill, purchased the farm from Kip's father, who retired. "Pick Your Own" sweet corn and vegetables
were added along with the 140 acres of potatoes, wheat and soybeans. Potatoes were phased out by 1990. In that same year, Stults
Farm was the first farm to be permanently preserved through the
Middlesex County Farmland Preservation Program!
In 1997, Brian C. Stults formed a farming partnership with his
father, Stanley C. Stults, Jr. Brian and his family continue the legacy
to this day.
In 2015, the Stults family celebrates their long farming heritage
and their current farm's centennial!! The family owns, manages and
provides the work force on the 200 acres of preserved farmland.
The family consists of owners, Stanley and Jill and their son Brian,
his wife Jennifer, and their two daughters and one son. The Stults
are assisted by Stanley and Jill's daughter, Amy, along with her husband, Michael and their two children. The Stults family is proud of
their farm family heritage and their preserved farm.
Congratulations to the Stults Family on their one-hundredth anniversary! The current Cranbury Museum exhibit, Stults Farm, Est.
1915: 100 Years of Family Farming, will continue through the end of
August.
The farming legacy continued as the Stults family members flourished. During the Civil War, two family members volunteered to
represent Cranbury in the 14th Regiment. First Lieutenant Marcus
Aurelius Stults and his cousin, Captain Symmes H. Stults served in
Company H. Unfortunately, Marcus died from wounds suffered in
the Battle of Cold Harbor, Va. on June 1, 1864.
Sources
Downs, Grace Stults. "Lightning Struck Horses at Stults Farm," The
Princeton Collector, Winter 1977.
Another descendant of Johannes Stoltz was Charles Addison Stults.
Charles, known as C. Addison, was born in Prospect Plains on April
7, 1857. C. Addison owned a 160 acre farm on Half Acre Road in
Prospect Plains. He raised corn, wheat, rye and potatoes. Cows
were kept for the family use, along with horses to shoulder the
equipment. C. Addison farmed this land until 1920. The farmland
was sold and eventually resold to the developers of the Rossmoor
community.
Stults Genealogy by Charles W. Stults, Kingston, N.J.
Clifford Addison Stults, one of Charles Addison's six children, was
also born at the Prospect Plains farm on August 20, 1888. Clifford,
known as Kip or C. Addison, helped his father with the Prospect
Plains farm until 1915. That year, Clifford purchased from Elmer
Bergen a 93 acre farm on Cranbury Neck Road in Cranbury. He
raised potatoes and wheat and later, soybeans and corn. In 1919,
when the township of Plainsboro was created, the farm was divided
into 60 acres in Plainsboro and 40 acres in Cranbury.
Weitz, Art. "Stan Stults: Farming was Always in My Blood," The
Cranbury Press, June 1989.
Stults Genealogy by MaryAnn Stults, [email protected], May
13, 2009.
Stults Genealogy by Emma Stults and Freda P. Rogers
Cornelius Stults of Monmouth County. N.J. Message Board Post by
[email protected], October 28, 2009.
Stanley Stults, Sr., Dotty Stults and Jill Stults. Oral Interview by
Ruth Walsh, February 2, 1989.
Stanley and Dorothy Stults. Oral Interview by Peter Wise, April 24,
1996.
Chambers II, John Whiteclay. Cranbury A New Jersey Town from
Colonial Era to the Present, New Brunswick, N.J.: Rivergate Press,
2012.
Stults Farm Website: www.stultsfarm.com.
In Memoriam
The Society notes with sadness the passing of these valued members:
Theresa Cyr ~ December 7, 2014
Carl Osgood ~ January 7, 2015
Helen Tripp Davies ~ January 12, 2015
Jacqueline Bencze Cain ~ February 10, 2015
Membership Report
The wonderful activities you read about in this newsletter would not be possible without the active support and commitment of our members. There are so many ways to get involved - whether you want to serve on a committee or work from home, prefer short or long-term
projects or simply want to contribute to a single event. Let us know how you would like to participate.
We also are grateful for the support of our business partners. Please stop in and show your appreciation by supporting their businesses:
A. S. Cole Son & Company
Cranbury Comfort Systems
Richard Grubb & Associates, Inc.
Molto Bene
Allen & Stults Co., Inc.
Cranbury Inn
Herr’s Plumbing
Montessori Preschool Academy
Brainerd Communications
Cranbury Pizza
Italian Touch
Sweetwater Construction Corp.
Chip Trucking Inc.
Gil and Bert’s Ice Cream
McDonald Construction Corp.
West Pattern Works
Cranbury Bagel Barn
Golisano General Contracting, LLC
Meyer & Meyer Painting
If you have any questions, please give us a call!
With deepest gratitude,
Ruth Jost (609)235-9078 / Karen Fiorentini (609)655-2180 / Jill Staples (609)655-7581/Arlene Duran
Membership Committee
2015 MEMBERSHIP
Mail checks to: Cranbury Historical & Preservation Society. 6 South Main Street, Cranbury, NJ 08512
Membership Status (check one): ___New ___Renewal
Membership Category (check one): __Individual, $15.00 __Family, $25.00 __Sponsor, $35.00
__Patron, $50.00 or more
__Corporate, $150.00 or more
Name:_______________________________________________________________________________________
Address:_____________________________________________________________________________________
Phone:_________________________________Email:________________________________________________
I would like to receive the Society via email. Please use the address above.
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I would like to receive news and updates via email.
CHPS is a non-profit, self-supporting organization. Contributions are deductible to the extent allowed by law. Matching gifts are a significant source of
support for the Society. If you work for, or have retired from, a company that matches employee donations, please ask your personnel office for a
matching gift form.
Volunteer Opportunities:
___Museum Docent
___Educational Programs
___Fall Plant Sale
___House Tour
___Wassail Tour
___ Museum Inspectors
___ Memorial Day Parade
___ History Center
___ Fundraising Projects
___ Other_________________
___Walking Tours
___Drug Free Fair
___Museum Garden
___Membership
Dates to Remember
May 24 - Walking tour of historic district, 2 p.m.
May 25 - Memorial Day Ceremonies at Brainerd Cemetery
and Memorial Park
June 1 - Parsonage Barn, Concert at 7 p.m.
June 3 - Gil & Bert’s, 6-8 p.m.
June 7 - Cranbury/Monmouth Battlefield tour, 8:45 a.m.
June 21 - Walking tour of historic district, 2 p.m.
July 12 and 26- Walking tour of historic district, 2 p.m.
August 9 and 23- Walking tour of historic district, 2 p.m.
September 12 - Cranbury Day CHPS table, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
September 26 - Cranbury House Tour, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
2015 Cranbury Tour of
Historic Homes
The much-awaited Cranbury House Tour will
be held on Saturday, September 26, 2015, from
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Six historic homes will be
featured on this year’s tour, and ticket order
information will be available in July at cranburyhistory.org. If you would like to help in
any way, please contact House Tour Chairman,
Audrey Smith, at [email protected].
Walking Tour Opportunities
Special Monmouth Battlefield tour added
Sunday afternoon walking tours of historic Cranbury will leave from the Cranbury Museum at 2 p.m. on May 24, June 21,
July 12, July 26, August 9 and August 23. A special tour, beginning in Cranbury and continuing with a visit to Monmouth
Battlefield State Park, will leave from the Cranbury History Center, located at 6 South Main Street, on Sunday, June 7 at
8:45 a.m. For reservations for all tours please call tour guide Richard Moody at 609-651-0693.
For a self-guided walking tour of Cranbury, please pick up a copy of the Historic Cranbury Walking Tour booklet, available in the pocket by the front door of the Cranbury History Center, located at 6 South Main Street. The Historic Cranbury
Walking Tour DVD is available for $5.00 at the History Center, which is open Thursdays from 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Cranbury Historical & Preservation Society
6 South Main St.
Cranbury, NJ 08512
Cranbury Museum
4 Park Place East
Open Sundays 1 to 4 and by appt.
Ph: 609/655-2611
Cranbury History Center
6 South Main Street
Open Thursdays 10:30 to 1:30 & by appt.
Ph: 609/860-1889
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.cranburyhistory.org