Municipal
   
Happy 250th Birthday Wantage Township!
Wantage Township celebrated it's 250th birthday on May 22 at the Wantage School. Seven residents revived the time-honored tradition of carring forward our heritave through the art of storytelling.

Bill Smith
told
"The Story of Electricity in Wantage".

Until the Sussex Rural Electric Co-op was formed, one had to live in town to have electricity.

Fred Space
shared the story of
"The One Room Schoolhouse"

He also told listeners of an interesting use of
catalog pages at the old schoolhouses.

Paul Grau
told the story
"Money Talks: The History of Banking"

He let the audience in on how Bank Street received its name. Our first bank was located where Pinkle Funeral Home is now. The Farmers Bank of Wantage had its own currency!
Helen Van Den Heuvel
gave the audience
"A Woman's Perspective"

People romanticize the era in which she grew up. At five years old she had to walk one and a half miles each way to school each day. She thinks that the present day is a wonderful time. "If I was younger, I'd like to go to the moon!"

Ken Karnas
told us the story of
"The Ghost of Wantage School".

Where do you think all those sharpened, #2 yellow pencils have gone?

 

Irene Cosh
dressed the part of her story
"Living History: D.A.R."

The DAR museum is a Dutch colonial farmhouse that was built in 1787 for the Reverend Elias Van Bunschooten, for whom the DAR museum is named.

Rev. Van Bunschooten founded a clerical scholarship, the oldest one in the nation. Over 300 people have received this scholarship. The scholarship is still active today.

Ms. Cosh also shared stories about Rev. Elias Van Bunschooten. The audience's favorite was the one about the horse who knew the meaning of a special whistle.

 

Donald Davenport
told the audience
stories of

"Farming in the Early Years".

More 250 Anniversary Celebration: May 22 | Participating Organizations | Dignitaries | Contest Winners
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