Clinton Township Newsletter

Attention Deer Hunters: Help Curb Hunger If you're a deer hunter, you may be able to help curb the hunger problem in our area. Hunters Helping the Hungry, a non-profit organization, was founded by three hunters so that other hunters would be able to donate deer meat to regional food banks which, in turn, deliver the meat to local distribution centers. Venison, or deer meat, is high in protein and low in fat, making it a healthy addition to area food banks. Each year about 7,000 deer-related accidents are reported in NJ and, according to estimates by the NJ Deer Coalition, probably twice that many accidents go unreported. These accidents can result in damage and injuries both to people and the animals themselves. What's more, the abundance of deer in the area poses other problems for the animals. When a large number of deer vie for a limited food source, they can suffer from disease and starvation. Each fall hunting season allows hunters to help curb the deer overpopulation problem. Thanks to Hunters Helping the Hungry, they can also help to ease the hunger problem among people throughout the State. Hunters Helping the Hungry allows hunters to donate deer to a participating butcher, who then processes the meat for distribution to food centers. The following are some butchers in Hunterdon County who participate in this program as of this writing: • Game Butchers, John Person, Lebanon 908.735.4646 • Bishop's Market, Whitehouse Station 908.534.9666 • V. Roche & Son, Whitehouse Station 908.534.2006 (Please note that during the six-day firearm buck season, which is December 9-14 in 2013, butchers will not accept donated deer so that they may accommodate their regular customers.) So far, Hunters Helping the Hungry has been able to provide more than 423,100 pounds of venison to food banks in New Jersey. Last year alone, 703 deer were donated, providing 27,075 pounds of venison to more than 400 charitable food centers throughout the State. Originally the program was financed, in part through government grants and a contribution from each hunter. The hunters' contributions are $10 for deer 50 pounds or more and $25 for deer under 50 pounds. For the past two years, however, there have been no government grants and the program has been financed solely through private contributions and the hunters' donations. If you want to help, donations to Hunters Helping the Hungry can be mailed to HHH, PO Box 587, Lebanon, NJ 08833. Victor A. Rotolo, a resident of Clinton Township, was named to the list of 2013 NJ Super Lawyers for the eighth consecutive year. Call The Rotolo Law Firm today: 908.534.7900 to discuss any legal situation confronting you. Your half-hour consultation is free of charge! Their attorneys and staff are ready to serve your legal needs. The Rotolo Law Firm • 502 US 22, Lebanon, NJ 08833. www.rotololawfirm.com When you advertise in the C L I N TO N TOW N S H I P Newsletter you can: • • • • • Reach Over 14,000 Local Consumers Each Month Change Your Message Monthly at No Extra Charge Have Your Ad Designed Free of Charge Run a Small Article* (150 words) Free of Charge Link your ad to your website on our "virtual flip" version at: www.ClintonTwpNewsletter.com Email Us Now at: ctnl@comcast.net to Reserve Your Ad Space. 1 4 www.ClintonTwpNewsletter.com N o v e m b e r Bray's Hill Preserve T h e H i s t o r i c P r e s e r va t i o n C o m m i s s i o n "Getting to Know Your Township" by Bill Buriak Series There are many hidden gems of cultural and historic significance in Clinton Township. One of them is a beautiful open space and historical setting of vast fields and woods off Sand Hill road named Bray's Hill Preserve. Below is an extract from the sign located at Bray's Hill that provides a good background on the site. A fuller explanation and map are located at the site and pictures are available on the Clinton Township Website. Located in Clinton Township, Bray's Hill Preserve presents a natural and agrarian landscape fully evocative of prior eras in New Jersey. Evidence of a Native American presence has been found near the site and use of Bray's Hill Preserve by Native Americans over the many centuries preceding European colonization is probable. Here, upon a wilderness apparently slightly altered by the human activities of prehistory, eighteenth century settlement initiated a mosaic of cultivated and forested lands, interconnecting with hedgerows. This practice was carried forward by nineteenth and early twentieth century farmers extending the mosaic. Demarcating boundary lines, constructing houses and barns, clearing fields, farming crops, raising livestock, timber harvesting and mining limestone at Bray's Hill – all have left their aging but still legible signatures on the landscape. Property boundaries, marked by stone walls and hedgerows, typical of farms in northeastern United States evidenced a European concept of land tenure. The Bray's Hill Preserve commemorates early residents of the area – Andrew, John and Thomas Bray, decedents of Daniel Bray, the patriot who assisted General Washington's famous crossing of the Delaware in 1776 by gathering boats for the expedition. The Brays of Sand Hill Road operated a distillery and a tannery, in addition to the farm that was named Distillery Farm. The Brays homestead, built in 1810 north of the present Preserve, still stands and is on the National Register of Historic Places. John Watson Bray, the 13th child of Andrew, an operator of the tannery, was one of the founders of Clinton, formerly known as Hunt's Mills. The main portion of the 93 acre Bray's Hill Preserve at one time consisted of four tracts. Nineteenth century owners of the tracts included: Morris Sharp, R/ S. Kuhl, J.C. Apgar, Austin W. Shurts and Reverend Van Amburg. Farming was always the principle use of the land, but mining of limestone was a supplementary use until the late nineteenth century. In 1921, the Reverend Joseph Simko, a native of Hungary, purchased the farm from Joseph Couglar, achieving the boundaries of the present Preserve. A disastrous fire in the 1930's destroyed Reverend Simko's house and barns, but farming activities persisted and continue to this day, adjacent to the woodlands, which appear ever-ready to expand and reclaim the territory from the fields. A springhouse is all that remains of the original Simko homestead, located in a valley west of Bray's Hill Road. Shortly after Reverend Simko's death, the Exxon Capital Corporation purchased the land in 1984 as a buffer for its research facility to the north as an investment. Increasing development pressures in Clinton Township motivated the Township to further investigate the protection of its remaining large open spaces. The Bray's Hill Preserve was purchased by Clinton Township in 1977 from Exxon. Funding for the purchase was from Green Acres Planning Incentive Grant. In 2006, a team of seven volunteers from Clinton Township took on the task of restoring the 19th century springhouse. Today, visitors who peek into the springhouse as they pass by on the trail will see replicas of foodstuff cooling over water from a naturally chilled spring running inside the trough in the floor. This is how our ancestors preserved perishables before the advent of modern refrigeration. The purpose of Clinton Township Historic Preservation Commission is to promote the conservation of historic sites and districts, and to safeguard the heritage of Clinton Township through education and preservation of the elements of its cultural, social, scenic, economic and architectural history. From time to time, we will highlight areas of significant historical and cultural importance in a series of articles "Getting to Know your Township – A Historical Perspective". We encourage you to get out and enjoy these areas that reflect our culture and history. Should you have any suggestions for future areas to be highlighted, please contact CTHPC at: and visit us online at: www. township.clinton.nj.us/historic_commission.htm. 2 0 1 3

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