BRICK – The Brick Township Historical Society turned back time as it hosted the 61st New York Volunteer Regiment for a Civil War Encampment at its Havens Homestead Museum property on Herbertsville Road.
History buffs and other members of the public came out for the two-day event. They were provided the chance to interact with Civil War era reenactors who marched, fired guns and explained what life was like during the war and living in an encampment. The re-enactors slept in tents and made their own food over a fire pit.
Society members spent their time grilling and selling hamburgers, hot dogs and soft drinks. They also held a homemade bake sale, and the Lizzie Herbert Gift Shop opened and featured specials. Tours of the museum also took place.
The 61st New York Volunteer Infantry is a reenactment group that has members in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware. They take part in historical events like this fairly often, their leader Jim Hine explained.
Hine said he’s been a part of the infantry for more than 30 years. “I think we may have been coming here since 1995. I was relatively new to the unit when we started coming here. I lived in Brick; my first home was in Brick. We moved away for 14 years to Wall Township and so it was time to downsize so we are right here in Herbertsville.”
“When I moved back. I joined the (Brick Historical) Society and now I am president of that. This is my second term as president. Next year will be our 50th anniversary. It began in 1976. The Havens family still lived here at that time and it was in the early 1990s when Mr. Havens past. His son lived in the house next store and he donated this property to the Brick Historical Society.”
“That is how we came to be connected to the Havens Homestead Museum and so this has been our headquarters ever since. The Lizzie (Herbert) house was up the street and was moved here in the early 2000s,” Hine added. “We have over 100 members. It is an active society and we meet every month but take a break in the summertime.”
Bill Johnson is another long-time member of the re-enactment group who was there on that sunny Saturday ready to share his knowledge about the Civil War and the artifacts of the encampment. He came all the way from Delaware for the activity. “We have this once a year and have been here many, many times.”
Johnson said he didn’t mind the wool Union uniform in the summer heat. “That is what they wore there but if you were a farmer in the field, you’d actually be wearing wool trousers, maybe a linen shirt and a wool hat. Wool was long lasting and pretty common really. There was no summer, winter, fall spring uniforms – there was wool.”
He said he was always a history buff. He is retired and previously worked as a salesman at different department stores and he did some student teaching.
Within the organization “we are all privates and so it is whatever rank they need you. I have my private outfit here today but in the administrative part of the group I am vice president and the sergeant over there is actually the president who usually organizes the things that we do,” Johnson added.
The group flew a reproduction of the actual 61st New York Infantry flag. “We purchased it ourself and we actually saved about seven of them and they are presently in Saratoga New York. There were nine. The other two we don’t know what they look like. They are still hidden in the case. They may have already disintegrated.”
