Upcoming Event - Rose Hill Cemetery Tours

Rose Hill Cemetery

Ravine Drive

Matawan, NJ 07747

 

The 5th Annual Rose Hill Cemetery tours have been scheduled for 2015! They will be on Saturday, October 17th at 2-4 PM and Sunday, October 18th from 2-4 PM. Please note there are no morning tours this year. Your tour guide will again be Al Savolaine, the Rose Hill Cemetery Historian, and Matawan Town Historian. Al has included several new features to the 2015 tours. If you have been on the tour be...fore, join us again as there is always something new to learn about Matawan and its inhabitants. If this is your first tour-you are in for a treat!!

The tours are $10 for adults, children are free. Tickets can be purchased on the days of the tours at a table set up near the front of the cemetery. Parking is available in the cemetery, on Ravine Drive, and at the Ravine Drive school lot.

 

The Battle of Crooked Billet (May 1, 1778)

The Battle of Crooked Billet Marker and Monument
101 Meadowbrook Avenue
Hatboro, PA 19040

The Battle of Crooked Billet was fought between Pennsylvania militia troops under John Lacey and British forces under John Graves Simcoe and Robert Abercromby. The battle was fought on May 1, 1778, and was part of the Philadelphia Campaign of 1777-1778. Pennsylvania militia troops under Lacey were stationed near the Crooked Billet Tavern in order to cut off British supplies in the area. The battle began at daybreak on May 1st, when British troops surprised the encampment of Pennsylvania militia troops. The Pennsylvanians were routed and forced to retreat to Warminster. The battle resulted in the loss of ten wagons full of supplies. The Pennsylvania militia troops suffered 34 casualties, while the British suffered 7 casualties. 58 militia troops were also taken prisoner. Soon after the battle, reports arose that British troops had committed atrocities during and after the battle. These atrocities included the murder of prisoners, and setting fire to the wounded. Witness accounts collected by Continental General William Maxwell confirmed these reports.

The battlefield is located in modern-day Hatboro, PA. The battlefield is unique in that it is the only one in the nation upon which an active school stands. The monument and marker are located on the grounds of Crooked Billet Elementary School.

Below are links to the Battle of Crooked Billet documentary site and the official site of Hatboro, PA. I also posted the photos that I took during my recent visit to the site of the battle:

http://www.battleofcrookedbillet.com/index.html

http://www.hatboro-pa.com/hathist.htm

MW

Upcoming Event - The Homefront: Matawan During World War II

MATAWAN AMERICAN LEGION HISTORICAL PROGRAM

On Sunday, November 8th at 2:00 P.M. at the Woman’s Club of Matawan building, 199 Jackson Street, the American Legion, Matawan Post 176 will present its second annual historical program honoring veterans in the area. The topic will be

“The Homefront: Matawan During World War II”

The speaker will be Al Savolaine, the Commander of Post 176 and the Matawan Town Historian. 

The focus of the presentation will be what “Total War” was like for those who were left behind in town when others went off to fight in distant parts of the world to defend our way of life. Over 14 million Americans wore the uniforms of our various military services, but everyone in the United States was involved in different ways. Women played a major role in the war effort, and even children were actively involved. Rationing, victory gardens, raw material collections, bond drives, air raid wardens, submarine spotters, and Red Cross workers played a part on the home front in our area during these turbulent years. 

This program will help younger generations understand what their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents lived through during the 1941-1945 total war effort. Unfortunately, the schools do not deal with this aspect of history. The American Legion, as an organization founded in 1919 after WW I, promotes this type of understanding of the lessons of history, so that we can learn from the past and appreciate the service of our veterans to our country.

The Woman’s Club of Matawan will provide refreshments. Various items will be on display to illustrate points of interest concerning the topic. This event also commemorates the 70th anniversary of the end of WW II. Come and join us for this free event. All are welcome.

Upcoming Event - Henry Hascup (New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame) Interview

The Matt Ward History Experience will interview Henry Hascup of the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame on Saturday, August 29, 2015. This interview will be part of the second episode of the blog's monthly podcast. Henry is the president and historian of the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame. The interview will focus on boxing history and the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame. If you have any questions that you would like answered by Henry, please post them in the comments of this blog entry, send them to me via Twitter @RevWarBuff23 or via Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mwhistoryexperience

The New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame will hold its 46th Annual Dinner and Induction Ceremonies at the beautiful Venetian, located at 546 River Drive, Garfield, New Jersey starting at 7:00 PM on November 12, 2015. Tickets are priced at ONLY $85.00 per person.

New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame Official Website:
http://www.njboxinghof.org/

MW

The Matt Ward History Experience Facebook Page

Great news!

The Matt Ward History Experience is now on Facebook. Please check out and "like" the page!

https://www.facebook.com/mwhistoryexperience

Thank you!

MW

The Matt Ward History Experience Podcast - Episode #1

Check out the first edition of The Matt Ward History Experience Podcast!

SoundCloud:  https://soundcloud.com/matt-ward-427598454/the-matt-ward-history-experience-podcast-episode-1

iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/matt-ward-history-experience/id1178237076

The following segments and topics are covered in Episode #1:

1. Let's Talk History - Interview with the Matawan Borough Historian and docent of the Burrowes Mansion Museum, Al Savolaine
2. Genealogy
3. Book of the Month - Philadelphia Fighters:  The Golden Era of Greatness by Lew Freedman

The Burrowes Mansion Museum is located at 94 Main Street in historic Matawan, NJ. Below are links to the Burrowes Mansion Museum official website and Facebook page:

Burrowes Mansion Museum Official Website:

http://burrowesmansion.org/

Burrowes Mansion Museum Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/BurrowesMansion?fref=ts

Here are a few of my favorite photos from the interview and tour of the Burrowes Mansion Museum:

Matt Ward and Al Savolaine (Photo courtesy of the Burrowes Mansion Museum Facebook page)

Matt Ward and Al Savolaine (Photo courtesy of the Burrowes Mansion Museum Facebook page)

Matt Ward and Al Savolaine (Photo courtesy of the Burrowes Mansion Museum Facebook page)

Matt Ward and Al Savolaine (Photo courtesy of the Burrowes Mansion Museum Facebook page)

First and foremost I would like to thank Al Savolaine for sitting down at the Burrowes Mansion Museum to talk history with me. I would also like to thank the two other docents of the Burrowes Mansion Museum, Julius and Nancy, as well as Terri, who is a volunteer at the Burrowes Mansion Museum. If you ever find yourself in Matawan, please go check out the Burrowes Mansion Museum.

This month's Book of the Month is Philadelphia Fighters: The Golden Era of Greatness by Lew Freedman. Philadelphia Fighters: The Golden Era of Greatness can be purchased on Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Philadelphia-Fighters-The-Golden-Greatness/dp/1933822651

http://calltothepen.com/author/alison1/

This episode would not have been possible if it had not been for the technical support of my good friend Peter Lloyd of One Stone Recording. Pete mixed and cleaned up the original recordings into the great episode that you can stream above.

Last but certainly not least, I would like to thank all of my readers and listeners - Especially those who submitted questions for this month's segment of Let's Talk History.

This episode is brought to you by my friends in the band Dystrophy. Check out Dystrophy's new album "Wretched Host". "Wretched Host" is available for purchase at the following link:

http://dystrophyband.com/

MW

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

1100 West Ruins Drive (Off of Highway 87/287)

Coolidge, AZ 85228

 

During this past January, I had the opportunity to visit the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument in Coolidge, AZ. This is one of my favorite national parks in large part due to the outstanding preservation of the ancient ruins. The site is believed to have been built by ancient Sonoran Desert people around 1350 C.E. The site is believed to have been abandoned around 1450 C.E., with the first written records of the ruins coming from Spanish explorers of Arizona in the 17th century. The true purpose of Casa Grande is one of American history's great history mysteries.

 

I highly recommend spending an Arizona fall or winter day walking along the paths that take you throughout the ancient village. Furthermore, I guarantee that you will enjoy trying to determine the purpose of the actual "big house" much like I did. The visitor center has an extremely knowledgeable staff who can guide you through the exhibits and answer questions you may have about the site.

 

Below is a link to the National Park Service site along with some photos I took during my recent visit:

 

http://www.nps.gov/cagr/learn/historyculture/index.htm

 

MW