TOMS RIVER – A group that celebrates history recently celebrated its own past as the Ocean County Historical Society marked 75 years.
The Society was founded in 1950, at the centennial of the county, said its president, Joseph Latshaw. For a long time, they didn’t really have a home of their own. There were exhibits in the courthouse and meetings were held in people’s homes.
That is, until they purchased the Elizabeth Sculthorp Force residence for $1. Latshaw said it had originally been on Hooper Avenue, at the northern corner of where the parking garage is now, but they moved to its current location, 26 Hadley Avenue.
Now, earlier in this article it was claimed that this was the 75th anniversary, and the Society was founded in 1950. Well, that’s because the celebration planned for last year was postponed due to winter weather.
That suited everyone at the society fine. After all, historical facts don’t change, even if our current view of them do.
And the current view of the Society is of an energetic group of volunteers hungry for knowledge and eager to share it.
To that end, they are refreshing displays. Some of it will dovetail into this year’s 250th anniversary of the United States.
Some of the items on display were donated from members. You’ll see implements of the earliest industries in the area, such as cranberries and farming.
For the 75th anniversary, some of the photos in glass cases were of historical society members and their various projects throughout the years. Indeed, the workers were the ones being celebrated. Some of them have committed decades of their lives to the study and teaching of local history.
“If you ask someone ‘what do you do?’ most people will tell you about their jobs,” Latshaw said. “Our volunteers tell you about what they do here.”
