Volume 37, Issue Two June 2012

Independence Day Celebration in

Village Park

Bring your blanket, chairs and a picnic supper and come to

Village Park at 6:30 p.m. on July 5 for a concert by the Mercer

County Symphonic Band, followed by fireworks at dusk. The

concert is always wonderful and the fireworks are spectacular!

This year, CHPS is sponsoring the band.

Float wins 1st Prize

Thank you to Rob Diamond who provided and drove the tractor

that pulled the CHPS float in the Memorial Day Parade. The

float was put together in Jennifer and Rob Diamond’s barn by

high school students who rode on it dressed as people from Cran-

bury’s history who were part of the book, Cranbury, A New

Jersey Town from the Colonial Era to the Present by John

Chambers. Congratulations and thanks also to Lisa Beach who

worked with the students to create this float that was awarded

first prize!

President’s Message

Thank you for supporting CHPS through your membership

and by attending the events that we hold throughout the year.

I am pleased to say that we have an active membership!

Members serve on the Executive Board, help as docents, are

on committees, help with special events and fundraisers, pre-

sent walking tours and programs, set up exhibits, work at the

History Center, help at Cranbury Day and attend our two pot

luck meetings each year.

In this newsletter, you will read about some events that have

already taken place and others that are planned for the next

few months. You will see a list of coming events so you can

mark your calendar now and plan to attend as many as you

can.

If you would like to become more involved in CHPS, please

let me know. I would love to hear from you!

My best wishes for a safe and happy summer!

Audrey Smith aud123abc@aol.com; 609-655-5361

John Chambers Honored by

Cranbury Township

Society member John Chambers was honored by

Cranbury Township with a resolution that recognized his

contribution to Cranbury Township by researching and

writing the book, Cranbury, A New Jersey Town from the

Colonial Era to the Present. The resolution was read and

adopted at the Township Committee meeting on June 11,

2012. See related article on page 2.

John Chambers signed copies of his book on

Memorial Day.

Rob Diamond drove the tractor that pulled

our award-wining float.

Cranbury Day

The Society will once again have a membership, plant sale

and sales table on Cranbury Day, Saturday, September 8.

Popular Cranbury gift items will be featured, along with a

few new items that we think you will love! The Museum

will also be open that day.

A New Book About Cranbury

Cranbury, A New Jersey Town from the Colonial Era

to the Present, a hardcover book with 272 pages and 50

illustrations, is available for $29.95 at the Cranbury His-

tory Center, Cranbury Museum and at the Society’s ta-

ble on Cranbury Day. A project of Cranbury Land-

marks, Inc., the book was written by Cranbury resident

John Whiteclay Chambers II who is a Rutgers Univer-

sity history professor. If you do not live in the Cranbury

area, you can have the book sent to you for the cost of

$35.00 per book, including shipping. To order a book,

please contact the Society at 609-655-5361. Checks

should be made payable to Cranbury Landmarks, Inc.

Historic Cranbury Walking Tours Summer Dates Announced

Thank you to Don Davidson and Richard Moody who have

been giving walking tours of historic Cranbury. Don, who

is also a Museum docent, gave tours of the Museum earlier

in the school year to the fourth and eighth grade classes

and, with Richard Moody’s help, gave walking tours to the

same classes in the spring.

They will give a tour to a group of adults from a neighbor-

ing community early this summer. Richard Moody is in his

second year of providing walking tours to those who sign

up at cranburywalkingtours@gmail.com or call 609-651-

0693. Tours begin at Cranbury Museum and are available

on Thursday, June 28; Tuesday, July 24; Thursday, August

2 and Tuesday, August 14 at 11 a.m. Please check the

CHPS website, cranburyhistory.org for additional dates as

they become available.

History Center News

A new computer, software and printer were

purchased with the grant that the Society received last

fall from Princeton Area Community Foundation. CHPS

member Raymond White handled purchase and set up.

Matt Hartman, a Rutgers University student, is

working as an intern at the History Center 25 hours a

week until early July. He is organizing and cataloguing

the map collection. We are pleased to have Matt work on

this important project for us.

A group of Society members have been taking

turns working at the History Center under the direction of

Ginny Swanagan. If you would like to join the group,

please contact Ginny at historycenter@comcast.net or

call her on Tuesday at 609-860-1889. Teams of two

work Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Cranbury History Program at the Parsonage Barn

If you have wanted to take a walking tour of Cranbury and

have not had a chance to do it or do not want to do as much

walking as it may require, the program at the Parsonage

Barn at the Cranbury Barn Park on Cranbury Neck Road on

Saturday, August 4 at 10 a.m. will be perfect for you. For

about an hour, guide, Richard Moody will give an armchair

version of his walking tour.

You’ll learn about important landmarks in Cranbury’s

history that are scattered throughout the Historic District.

Richard is an experienced, engaging guide who has been

well received by those who have been on his tours in the

past. Each participant will receive a Cranbury Walking

Tour booklet. For questions about the program, please call

Audrey Smith at 609-655-5361.

High school students represented

important individuals in Cranbury

history and rode the float at the

Town’s Memorial Day Parade.

Pictured, center, is Dr. John W.

Chambers II, whose history of

Cranbury provided inspiration for

the award-winning float.

Name:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Address:___________________________________________________________________________________________________

City,State,Zip:_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone:________________________________Email Address:________________________________________________________

Individual-$15.00 Family- $25.00 Sponsor - $35.00 Patron - $50.00

Corporate- $150.00 or more Other $______

CHPS is a non-profit, self-supporting organization. Your contribution is fully tax-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, one of the many companies that match

employee donations, please ask your personnel office for a matching gift form.

Volunteer Opportunities:

Museum Docent_______ House Tour_______ Educational Programs_______ Fundraising_______ Publicity_______

2012 Membership Form — Mail with payment to CHPS, 6 So. Main St, Cranbury, NJ 08512

Please support our Cranbury Business Partners:

A.S. Cole Son & Company

Allen & Stults Co., Inc.

Brainerd Communications

Chip Trucking Inc.

Cranbury Bagel Barn

Cranbury Comfort Systems

The Elms of Cranbury

Gil and Bert’s Ice Cream

Golisano General Contracting, LLC

Richard Grubb & Associates, Inc.

Head to Tails Grooming & Doggie Daycare

Herr’s Plumbing

McDonald Construction Corp.

Meyer & Meyer Painting

Montessori Preschool Academy

Optimal Exercise

Princeton Ballet School

Sweetwater Construction Corp.

West Pattern Works

Dr. Dennis J. White

Member News

Members are the backbone of any organization and CHPS has the best! We currently have 328 active member families

and businesses. We are grateful not only for your financial support but also for the countless volunteer hours that enable

us to provide the many programs described in this newsletter. More than 20% of our membership is reading this news-

letter online. This environmentally friendly option allows for the timely dissemination of information on the latest

CHPS projects. Ruth Jost (ruthjost@comcast.net); Karen Fiorentini, (kmfiorentini@gmail.com), Co-Chairs

Parsonage Barn News

Seven participants attended the Rain Barrel Workshop held by the Township at the Parsonage Barn in April.

An Open House was held at the Parsonage Barn on Saturday, May 5. More than 25 people visited to see the barn

and the attractively arranged farm tools and other items donated by Joan and Scott Parry of West Windsor, as well as

those from the Society’s collection. The 20 wooden folding chairs provided a comfortable place to rest for those

who chose to sit and enjoy our beautiful barn. Thank you to Tom and Chris Ingegneri who shared the history of the

barn with visitors. Those attending the Open House made suggestion for programs to be held at the barn. One of

them, the Cranbury History program, will take place on August 4 at 10 a.m.

Members of the Hightstown Grange visited the Parsonage Barn on Saturday, June 9 and were presented with a pro-

gram on the history of the barn by Bill Bunting.

If you would like to visit the Parsonage Barn with a group or hold an event there, please contact Audrey Smith at

aud123abc@aol.com or 609-655-5361.

Cranbury Historical and Preservation Society

6 South Main Street

Cranbury, NJ 08512

Dates to Remember

June 28, 11 a.m. - Historic Cranbury Walking Tour

leaves from the Museum

July 24, 11 a.m. - Historic Cranbury Walking Tour

leaves from the Museum

July 5, 6:30 p.m. - Concert and Fireworks at Vil-

lage Park

August 2, 11 a.m. - Historic Cranbury Walking

Tour leaves from the Museum

August 4, 10 a.m. – Historic Cranbury Program at

the Parsonage Barn

August 14, 11 a.m. Historic Cranbury Walking

Tour leaves from the Museum

September 8, Cranbury Day– Visit the Society’s

table on N. Main St.

November 2, 6:30 p.m.- Pot Luck Supper Annual

Meeting

December 8, 7 p.m. - Cranbury Wassail

Cranbury Lions Club Exhibit at the Museum

This year, Cranbury Lions Club is celebrating 80 years of ser-

vice to the Cranbury Community and beyond. In honor of the

anniversary, the club has an interesting, informative and color-

ful exhibit of memorabilia, awards, photos, scrapbooks and

booklets that illustrate the history of the club. A reception for

its members was held on Sunday, June 3.

The exhibit will run through Cranbury Day and all are encour-

aged to see it and learn about the history of the Cranbury Li-

ons Club, the Club’s annual events and its charitable projects.