Clinton Township Newsletter

2 6 n o v e m b e r 2 0 2 1 W W W . C L I N T O N T W P N E W S L E T T E R . C O M This month, Clinton Three Q took a field trip to neighboring Lebanon Township, to the Township of Lebanon Museum, located on Musconetcong River Road in New Hampton. C3Q: Hello Gina Sampaio, Curator of Lebanon Township Museum, what a delightful and interesting museum you have here! Can you tell us more about this former schoolhouse? Curator: The building was originally open as a schoolhouse from 1825 until the 1920's, and one of thirteen schoolhouses in the area that children used to walk to in their community. It was opened as a museum in 1982, and is free to the public. We've had school groups, scouting groups, homeschool groups as visitors, but with the pandemic, we also bring the museum to the school and do presentations. We host historical lectures and presentations, art shows, and other activities, and are open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. During the shutdown, we put a lot of work into modernizing the museum and making things interactive for children, and we have scavenger hunts, dress up spots, archaeological digs, and other activities. (If you are a teacher, homeschool group, or scout leader, reach out! We would love to work with you to share what we know, and can help with badge requirements and other things). C3Q: You've had an amazing lineup of events recently. In August, you held a wonderful Open House; in September, you held a "Path to Preservation" Activity, where participants could pick up a passport booklet guide to local historical destinations (Asbury Graphite Mill, Lebanon Township Museum, the Mt. Lebanon Church, and the Solitude House). What else have you done recently, and what sort of events are coming up? Curator: In September, we had a visit from Dr. Gary Grover about the history of early medicine in New Jersey, featuring our Carriage Shed Museum Annex with its exhibit of medical artifacts from the NJ State Sanatorium for Tuberculosis; people came and learned all about cayenne pepper enemas, ingesting ground glass, and other medical oddities of the time. I was surprised to learn that the expression 'blowing smoke up your [you know where]' has an actual basis in historical medicine! In October, we had a display of lovely historical quilts, which we hung outside to air for the season, and combined the event with an artist 'plain air' painting time, where artists were invited to sit in the yard and paint. November is Native American History month, and we're very excited to share some significant Native American items in our collection. During the pandemic shutdown, we were able to r e s e a r c h s o m e o f our collection items m o r e d e e p l y , a n d we found that the N a t i v e A m e r i c a n a r t i f a c t s h e r e a r e v e r y s i g n i f i c a n t ; they come from the N o r t h A m e r i c a n Plenge site, one of the most important early habitation sites in the Northeast, and we have artifacts here which are 10,000 years old (other comparable artifacts like this are housed at the Smithsonian). You can come here and see early tools and pottery sherds, and there is an interactive dig station for children. I particularly love the pottery sherds, because pottery tells such a humanizing story of its creator. Also, something that has come up in recent conversation in the US and Canada is the acknowledgement of residential schools for Native American c h i l d r e n i n t h e p a s t . We l e a r n e d last January that N a t i v e A m e r i c a n children who went t o t h e C a r l y l e Residential School i n P A ( r e l o c a t e d from tribes all over the US), would also come to Lebanon and local areas as part of a forced assimilation jobs program and work on local farms. It is a part of our local history, and we are researching and incorporating it into a presentation for the NJ Historical Commission in November. Lastly, in December, we have a Holiday Open House on December 4, and a watercolor exhibit by the Musconetcong Watercolor Group with Doris Ettlinger. C3Q: This is all so fantastic. What is the strangest or most surprising artifact in the collection; what artifact do visitors seem most surprised or excited about? Curator: There is something about medical artifacts which really fascinates people. We have an Annex with tuberculosis sanitorium artifacts, and people are often grossed out (but fascinated by) our medical past. In particular, there is a pneumothorax device which are large glass rounded glass jars with biological matter in them, and there is a l s o a n e m b a l m i n g machine which is super steampunk-looking, but it's also a beautiful and interesting looking piece which helps to tell the story of the sanitorium. C3Q: Thank you so much. You can find out more about events and activities at this local gem by visiting the Lebanon Township Museum Facebook page or webpage, and you can even watch Curator Gina Sampaio acting as an early 1900's schoolmarm and other educational videos at their sites, and treat yourself to a fascinating walk through local history. Rachel Sprague, a resident of Clinton Township, has a degree in journalism from Rutgers. With her husband Russell, Rachel is raising two young children in the Clinton Township School District. She thinks that Clinton Township is a delightful place to live. Welcome to with Rachel Sprague "We learned ... that Native American children who went to the Carlyle Residential School in PA (relocated from tribes all over the US), would also come to Lebanon and local areas as part of a forced assimilation jobs program and work on local farms." – Gina Sampaio, Curator of Lebanon Township Museum Liberty and Kirk Sprague exploring the Museum's Open House in August 2021

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