Cedar Grove Historical Society Canfield-Morgan House - Home of the Morgan Museum

903 Pompton Avenue P.O. Box 461 Cedar Grove, New Jersey973-239-5414 - www.cedargrovehistoricalsociety.org

Where the Past is Present

October 2018

It’s Our Fiftieth Anniversary!

Please join us on October 24, at 7:30 p.m. at the Cedar Grove Public Library when the Cedar Grove Historical Society will

celebrate its founding in 1968.

Learn about the history of the Society in a short PowerPoint presentation given by our secretary,

Jean Jaeger.

View a nineteen-minute film depicting Cedar Grove in 1958.

Look through photos and artifacts from the Morgan Museum.

Join us for refreshments.A short business meeting will be held before the program.

Society Activities

D

Julie Ostering: Our Sixth PresidentJulie Ostering is the current president of the Society. She has served as a trustee and as vice president. Julie works with accessioning artifacts that have been donated to the society. She works at our farm stand making sure that we have sufficient supplies and that the displays are attractive so that our customers have a satisfying experience. Julie also is in charge of our Pumpkin and Apple sale, ordering the pumpkins and apples and scheduling volunteers. She works tirelessly for the society and we would be lost without her!

Another Successful Pumpkin and Apple Sale

Our annual Pumpkin and Apple Sale was held on October 6, 7, 13 and 14. We were scheduled to also be open on Columbus Day, October 8, but had to cancel because of the weather. Our thanks go out to the Township for again helping us pick up the pumpkins from northern New Jersey.

Unloading the pumpkins at the farmBecause the Farm Day had to be cancelled due to the weather we were able to offer some special free attractions at the Pumpkin and Apple Sale. Free ice cream was given to each visitor who made a purchase on first three days of the sale. On the last day of the sale our customers received popcorn and lemonade.

On Saturday, October 13, farm animals came to Morgan’s Farm. To the delight of the children who visited us that day, Mountainside Stables brought their petting zoo to Morgan’s Farm.

There were llamas, goats, lambs, a calf, a donkey, chicks, rabbits, guinea pigs and pony rides.

And of course we had our Guess the Weight of the Pumpkin contest again this year. The weight of the pumpkin was 138.1 pounds and was won by four-year-old Curtis Tarabocchia who guessed 138 pounds.

Cedar Grove: Then and Now

Let’s Eat Out!

The first place to go to eat at 691 Pompton Avenue was a hot dog stand. The site was then the home of the first gas station in Cedar Grove. The property was later bought by Joseph Vanderkooey who built a two-story building and opened a restaurant called the Dutch House. On the second floor of the building there were bedrooms for boarders and an apartment for the Vanderkooeys. There was a replica of a windmill on top of the restaurant. In 1952 the restaurant was bought by Francis Jacobs who removed the windmill and renamed the restaurant the Friar Tuck.

In 1955 Mr. Jacobs expanded his restaurant by adding a lobby in 1958 a cocktail lounge.

The Friar Tuck was a family restaurant but also had rooms for large parties and weddings. The Personnette House, built in the 1700s, was adjacent the restaurant and was used by wedding parties before they went into the restaurant for the reception. Later the house was occupied by one of the waitresses who worked at the restaurant.

In the early 2000s the Friar Tuck closed its doors. The building was then empty for several years.

In 2011 the building was sold and then torn d o w n a n d T h e G r o v e , a c a t e r i n g establishment, was built on the property.

At a later date the exterior of the building was modernized.

Cedar Grove Historical Society

973-239-5414www.cedargrovehistoricalsociety.org

Canfield/Morgan House - Home of the Morgan MuseumOpen by appointment.

Call 973-239-5414 or email jeanjaeger@optonline.net to arrange an individual tour or group tour.

General Meetings are held on the fourth Wednesday of September, October, February, March, April and May. The meetings are held at the Cedar Grove Library on Pompton Avenue unless otherwise noted and begin at 7:30 p.m.

Officers Trustees President: Julie Ostering Eileen Bogdanowicz Vice President: Cindie Newkirk Merrily La Scala Secretary: Jean Jaeger Rose Marie PartingtonTreasurer: Tom Dispenzere Janet Spong

Newsletter editor, Jean Jaeger, can be reached at jeanjaeger@optonline.net

Comments and story suggestions gratefully accepted.

Farm Stand: Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through the end of October

Morgan Museum Tours: Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. through the

end of October October 24: General Meeting 7:30 p.m. “Celebrating the Cedar Grove Historical

Society’s Fiftieth Anniversary”

December 1-2: Essex County Holiday House Tour: The Morgan Museum will be open for holiday tours on both days from 2-4.

February 27: General Meeting 7:30 p.m. “Cedar Grove Notables” Presented by Jean Jaeger

Upcoming Events

If you would like to view this newsletter in color just go to our website at www.cedargrovehistoricalsociety.org.

Meet Our New Members John Donovan

Richard Springer

Election of Board MembersWe will elect Board members at our October meeting. The slate that will be presented at the meeting is as follows:

Officers: Two-year Terms Vice President: Cindie Newkirk Treasurer: Tom Dispenzere

Trustees: Three-year Terms

Jane Flynn Rose Marie Partington Janet Spong

Unfulfilled Term Ed Christianson: Two-year Term

Nominations will be open from the floor.

Meet Our Intern

Noelle Maladorna Noelle first came to Morgan’s Farm when she was a senior at Verona High School. She was part of their senior community outreach program at the time and spent the month of May working in the gardens. Noelle has been working as an intern during the last two summers when she was home from college where she is majoring in political science. She is Farmer John’s assistant. Noelle is a very loyal worker and has not missed a day of work no matter what the weather was. She is very knowledge about all the vegetables and flowers planted on the farm. Noelle is an integral part of the farm and without her the productivity of the farm would suffer. Noelle enjoys the outdoors and is interested in the environment. We thank Noelle for her time with us these past two summers.