Clinton Township Newsletter

1 7 J u l y 2 0 1 4 t h e C l i n t o n t o w n S h i p h i S t o r i C a l p r e S e r v a t i o n C o m m i S S i o n Getting to Know your Township – A Historical Perspective – b Y b i l l b u r i a k Spring is traditionally thought of as a time of rebirth, and for one of the oldest houses in Clinton Township, the Vought House, visible steps of rebirth are underway. Many of you may have noticed the large blue tarps on the Vought House on Greyrock road and wondered what was happening. Work has begun in earnest to return the home to the original status of the 1700's. This is only the first step of a multiyear project. It isn't a quick process because the restoration takes time to insure it is correctly done and it takes time to secure funding for the restoration. Clinton Township provides no financial support for the restoration. Here is a breakdown of what is happening and what to expect. The Front Porch: The porch facing Route 31 on the south side of the house was taken down and a large blue tarp installed to protect the exposed wall. The porch was an add-on of the 19th century. The goal is to present the house as it would have looked in the 1700's so it will be replaced by a set of steps cumulating in a small open porch. The abundance of blue tarps protect the house during construction and are important as the plaster waddle and daub ceiling is extremely rare and is of tremendous historical value. Any water entering the structure would have a major impact. The restorers first rule is to do the house no harm. Roof and Chimneys: As with any structure, a stable, watertight roof is a key factor in protecting the rest of the infrastructure. The worn out slate roof, which was from the 1800's, was removed and a more historically correct wooden shingle shake roof is being applied. Slate is a good roofing material as it can last hundreds of years; however in the early colonies, slate was unavailable. Colonists used cedar shakes as their roofing material. The slate roof was removed down to the rafters, a few rafters were repaired with hand-hewn wood of the same species and new tongue and groove sheathing, underlayment and cedar shingles were applied. At the same time the roof was being worked on, both chimneys were taken down below the roofline and rebuilt. Over the years some of the bricks and mortar had decayed, so with the reroofing it was a good time to address the chimneys to make sure a watertight bond was intact between the chimneys and roof. Much work is planned for the future including: North Side: On the left as viewed from Greyrock Road, is an addition made to the house when it was re-oriented to face the new Greyrock Road to its west, which had been a lane to the original farmstead. This addition was taken down to below the roof of the original colonial and will be completely removed at a future date. Stucco: Vought House is covered with white stucco, also added in the early 19th Century. Some of the stonework under the stucco has been revealed by the construction and the next phase of work will include removing significant amounts of stucco from the west and south to reveal the stone walls. Interior: Apart from stabilization of the ceilings, no work has begun on interior restoration. That will come later as more funding is secured. Grounds: The first two weeks in July, anyone can join in a public archaeology program, which will explore the foundation of a 14'x10' ancillary building about 30 feet in front of the Vought House that has remained relatively undisturbed for centuries. Please drive by and take a look at the great progress made so far. Feel free to take pictures, but do not go on the property as it is a construction zone. For more information on the Vought House, please contact the Township Historic Preservation Commission by email @ clintontwphistory@googlegroups.com or the Vought House non-profit charity at: www.1759VoughtHouse.org. n C b l i b r a r Y ' S J u l Y e v e n t S Please join us at the Library and enjoy our June programs! Tues., July 1 Garden Club Drop-In (see article on pg. 22) 7 pm Monday, July 7 Homeschoolers Board Game Day Drop-in 1-4 pm Tues., July 8 Book Group: "Help for the Haunted" 7 pm Thurs., July 17 Ron Renninger concert 7 pm Sat., July 19 "Garden Grilling" with Chef Stephen Wolff 11 am Monday, July 21 Homeschoolers Board Game Day Drop-in 1-4 pm Thurs., July 24 "Self-Esteem" w/Bob Burns 7 pm Thurs., July 31 "Put Excitement Back in Your Marriage!" Workshop with Denise Yosafat 7 pm Drop-in Scrabble: Every Friday 1 pm Please register as these programs will fill! Call 908.730.6135 or visit the Library's Events Calendar at www.hclibrary.us. Dates, times and details are subject to change. See you at the Library! S p r i n g r u n S C h o o l S t u d e n t S g e t d r e a m l i f t t o d i S n e Y Four Spring Run School students, accompanied by school staff, were recently treated to a day trip to the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL thanks to the generosity of the Mercer County Chapter of the Sunshine Foundation through their DreamLift program. The Sunshine Foundation chartered a plane and took a group of about 100 special needs children to spend the day in the Magic Kingdom. Two of the four Spring Run School students, Tony Cirillo and James Perez, had never been on a plane before. "James started in an aisle seat but after the plane was up in the air, he wanted to sit by the window. He couldn't understand why he was only seeing the sun. I had to explain that he was above the clouds," said his teacher, Wendy Callahan. "Tony had his face up to the window with a big grin on his face the whole time," she continued. Another student, Jaime Messina, made it his mission to make friends with everyone he met at Disney. After introducing himself to the firemen, they made him an honorary fireman, with a sticker to prove it. Sarah Poliacik, a student with some difficulties walking, rested when she needed to and got to go on all the rides she wanted. It was an amazing day for everyone involved. It started very early at the Trenton-Mercer airport where the children were greeted by Disney characters before their flight to Orlando. The group was in the park by 9:30am and left around 6:30pm. The Spring Run students enjoyed rides, shows and the whole Disney experience. "What a wonderful opportunity for our kids to experience something they would never have had the chance to do. The students and their chaperones all had a wonderful day and we are so grateful to the Sunshine Foundation for making it possible," commented Paul Semegran, Spring Run School principal. Sunshine Foundation's sole purpose is to answer the dreams of chronically ill, seriously ill, physically challenged and abused children ages three to eighteen, whose families cannot fulfill their requests due to financial strain that the child's illness may cause. Since Sunshine Foundation started its Dreamlift program, over 99 chartered planes have taken over 5,000 children to Florida from cities across the United States. For more information about the Sunshine Foundation and DreamLifts, please visit: www.sunshinefoundation.org. Spring Run School is CEA's NJ-certified private secondary school serving students with autism and multiple disabilities. Spring Run School will offer a longer Extended School Year program for the summer of 2014, becoming New Jersey's first year round program. The Extended School Year Program provides additional time, beyond the school year, to help students with disabilities develop their academic and social skills. For more informa- tion about Spring Run School and the Extended School Year, please contact Paul Semegran at 908.782.1480, ext. 226 or email: pseme- gran@springrunschool.org.

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