The latest from the Sussex County Historical Society Facebook page…
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Sussex County Historical Society - NJ
Sussex County County Historical Society, Hill Museum
82 Main Street
Newton, NJ 07860
973-383-6010
http://www.sussexhistory.org/
Thank you to everyone who came out for yesterday's Civil War spy program at Hill Memorial! ![]()
On Saturday, May 11, 2024, the Private Joseph Bessette Chapter Daughters of the Union 1861-1865 sponsored a program at Hill Memorial Museum. This was a fund raiser with all proceeds going towards the Old Newton Academy restoration project. ![]()
Alisa Dupuy of “Ladies of History Historical Production” presented the story of Civil War Spy Elizabeth Van Lew. Elizabeth Van Lew was an American abolitionist who built and operated an extensive spy ring for the Union Army during the American Civil War. Born in Richmond, Virginia, she and her mother viewed slavery as abhorrent and destructive to the South. After her father’s death in 1843, while his will stipulated that none of the family’s slaves be sold, Van Lew and her mother helped their household slaves to earn wages and a measure of freedom. With the outbreak of the war, Van Lew and her mother began working on behalf of the Union caring for wounded soldiers. When Libby Prison was opened in Richmond, Van Lew was allowed to bring food, clothing, writing paper and other things to the Union soldiers. She aided the prisoners in escape attempts, passing information about safe houses and giving them money to bribe the Confederates. The escaped prisoners would share information on Confederate troop levels and movements. Van Lew would pass this information on to the Union commanders, who highly valued her work. She would later be appointed by General Grant as Postmaster of Richmond for eight years. When Richmond fell to U.S. Forces in April 1865, Van Lew was the first person to raise the United States flag in the city.![]()
While Alisa Dupuy’s program focused on Elizabeth Van Lew, she took time to tell us about many other female spies and women of the Civil War including Mary Richards Bowser, Belle Boyd, Emma Edmonds, and Clara Barton. The program was excellent. Dupuy, with a light Southern accent and period clothing, was a wonderful speaker. The program was entertaining and certainly educational!![]()
(A side note: in the Civil War display case in the Upstairs Gallery of Hill Memorial, visitors can see a bone napkin ring, made in Libby Prison by an inmate. Stop by and read the details of this piece.)
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St Paul's Abbey, NewtonPNJ announced its 2024 #10Most Endangered Historic Sites this weekend. St. Paul’s Abbey in #NewtonNJ #SussexCounty was among the sites listed. St. Paul's Abbey is a Roman Catholic Benedictine monastery that was founded in 1924 by Father Michael Heinlein. The property has been vacant since 2002, leaving the site open to vandalism and affected by a lack of maintenance and weatherization. Visit preservationnj.org for more information #PreservationMonth #Thisplacematters #savingplaces
Looking for something to do during Mother's Day weekend....share in some interesting history and help save a local historic building.
Walpack
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