Monmouth County Gets $80K Grant From State Historical Commission

The Monmouth County Historical Association will receive a $84,350 grant from the state Historical Commission to help fund the programs offered by and the operating costs of the association.

The historical association has received a general grant to help cover costs from the state for several years, according to Interim Director Evelyn Murphy.

"The amount that is being awarded for this coming year is the same about as we received last year. We think that's a really nice indication of the committment of the New Jersey Historical Commission of supporting and enhancing New Jersey's heritage," Murphy said.

The Monmouth County Historical Association works to preserve the history of the county, and has a museum as well as five historical sites from the 1700s throughout the county that it is tasked with maintaining and sharing with residents, Murphy explained.

"Having general operation support from the state helps us pay the general bills, like the cost of essentially keeping [the sites and museum] open and going, and it allows us to build new programming so when people come tour our properties we are able to give them interesting information," she said.

Murphy noted that the money also helps them to continue to research the county's rich history while making sure that the museum continues to have new exhibits and that they continue to provide educational programs and experiences.

Monmouth County Historical Association was among 75 historical organizations around the state to receive grants totaling $2,332,659 — the most money ever awarded by the state Historical Commission. The commission announced the awards Tuesday.

Organizations that received general operating support funding in 2011 offered on- and off-site programs to more than 2.3 million people and supported nearly 600 full and part-time jobs statewide, according to a release from the historical commission.

The NJ Historical Commission’s grant programs are determined through an independent, third-party peer review process.  General operating support funding is made possible by a portion of the revenue produced by the state’s hotel/motel Tax legislation, the release says.

Two other organizations received funding in Monmouth County. The Historical Society of Ocean Grove was awarded $6,639 and the Monmouth County Historical Association received $84,350, according to the release.

“This financial support reaffirms our commitment to New Jersey’s historical organizations and their important programs,” Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno, who serves concurrently as Secretary of State, said in the release. “It also recognizes the impact these organizations have on economic growth and job creation.”

A trio of organizations in Ocean County also received grants:
Barnegat Bay Decoy and Baymen's Museum, Inc.  received $17,428, the Ocean County Historical Society was granted $15,000 and the Ocean County Cultural & Heritage Commission received $13,056, according to the release.

The full list of grant recipients is below.

Atlantic County

Absecon Lighthouse/IPPA

$25,892

Atlantic County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs

$8,249

South Jersey Cultural Alliance

$6,639

Bergen County

Bergen County Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs

$20,714

Friends of the Hermitage, Inc.

$35,187

Mahwah Museum Society, Inc.

$5,000

Pascack Historical Society

$5,000

Water Works Conservancy, Inc.

$11,154

Burlington County

Alice Paul Institute

$31,071

John Woolman Memorial Association

$6,500

National Society of the Colonial Dames in America, NJ

$9,934

Roebling Museum

$18,750

Whitesbog Preservation Trust

$14,639

Camden County

Camden County Historical Society

$15,934

Home Port Alliance for the USS New Jersey, Inc.

$32,500

Lawnside Historical Society, Inc.

$5,850

Cape May County

Cape May County Division of Culture & Heritage

$8,548

Cape May County Historical & Genealogical Society

$9,750

Historic Cold Spring Village

$74,590

Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities

$275,218

Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum

$19,867

Cumberland County

Bayshore Discovery Project

$62,740

Cumberland County Cultural and Heritage Commission

$12,000

Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center

$51,377

Essex County

Essex County Division of Cultural Affairs

$12,000

Historical Society of West Caldwell

$7,425

Montclair Historical Society

$19,500

Newark Public Library

$64,267

Gloucester County

Gloucester County Cultural & Heritage Commission

$8,326

Hunterdon County

Hunterdon County Cultural & Heritage Commission

$13,146

Red Mill Museum Village

$11,830

Hudson County

Hoboken Historical Museum

$44,649

Mercer County

1719 William Trent House Association

$23,702

Crossroads of the American Revolution Association

$9,295

Genealogical Society of New Jersey

$6,639

Historic Morven

$65,000

Historical Society of Princeton

$69,780

Howell Living History Farm

$23,841

Lawrence Historical Society

$5,000

Mercer County Cultural & Heritage Commission

$11,502

Old Barracks Association

$57,871

Preservation New Jersey, Inc.

$26,400

Trent House Association

$6,623

Trenton Historical Society

$5,039

Middlesex County

Edison Memorial Tower Corporation

$15,000

Middlesex County Cultural & Heritage Commission

$134,683

Rutgers University, Special Collections and University Archives

$87,138

Thomas A. Edison Papers

$92,018

Monmouth County

Allaire Village

$10,399

Historical Society of Ocean Grove

$6,639

Monmouth County Historical Association

$84,350

Morris County

Canal Society of New Jersey

$7,500

Historic Sites of the Morris County Park Commission

$64,266

Jewish Historical Society of Metrowest

$6,239

Morris County Heritage Commission

$20,844

Morris County Historical Society

$19,867

Morristown & Morris Township Public Library

$29,013

Museum of Early Trades & Crafts

$38,201

Roxbury Historic Trust

$5,000

Save Ellis Island, Inc.

$199,972

Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms

$25,000

Ocean County

Barnegat Bay Decoy and Baymen's Museum, Inc.

(Tuckerton Seaport)

$17,428

Ocean County Historical Society

$15,000

Ocean County Cultural & Heritage Commission

$13,056

Passaic County

American Labor Museum/Botto House National Landmark

$15,137

Passaic County Cultural & Heritage Council

$10,517

Salem County

Salem County Cultural & Heritage Commission

$8,000

Salem County Historical Society

$32,122

Somerset County

Friends of the Jacobus Vanderveer House

$11,352

Sussex County

Montague Association for the Restoration of Community History

Union County

$5,000

Cranford Historical Society

$5,000

Kenilworth Historical Society Incorporated

$6,159

Merchants & Drovers Tavern Museum Association

$18,750

Plainfield Public Library

$13,245

Union County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs

$61,826