Upcoming Programs
Historical Society of Florham Park
Mark your calendars for the Historical Society of Florham Park lineup of presentations starting this Fall. Each is free to the public and will be at the Florham Park Library starting at 7 p.m. October 9, 2023 – “Bullets that Changed America“. Recall that last October Mr. Zablocki, Historical Society of Denville president, presented the 1788 Morristown Ghost Hoax –the saga of theMorristown tale told around campfires and dinner tables in Morris County for generations. Local legend claimed British Loyalists secretly buried stolen Patriot treasure on Schooley Mountain as they fled the oncoming forces of George Washington. This time Mr. Zablocki will present “Bullets that Changed America“. Some were small mistakes or misjudgments, others intentional acts that sparked events documented in our history textbooks. A single bullet serves as the catalyst for each of the stories in this book. We may or may not know who fired it but we know each bullet’s end point and the effects it had on America’s trajectory: the wars, social movements, and political and economic paradigm shifts. The names of those involved may not to many be recognizable but the events their acts precipitated are etched in American history. Mr. Zablocki will also preview his new book coming out on October 16 – New Jersey and the Medal of Honor: A History. November 13 – Pat Wells, “Stories from the Mayflower: What Were They Thinking?”Pat Wells, VP Chatham Township Historical Society, shares a far more interesting and complex story of the Mayflower and its passengers than what we were taught in school. Enjoy some of the extraordinary stories that will change the way you think about the Pilgrims.March 12, 2024 – Maud Dahme, “Hidden Children of World War II” – Ms. Maud Dahme is a World War II Holocaust survivor from the Netherlands. Separated from her parents at age six, she went into hiding with her younger sister during the German occupation. The two were placed with a family they had never met and had to understand an alias-family background in case they were ever questioned by the authorities. Their parents went into hiding at a different location. When it was feared the Germans would find them, they moved to another family and continued hiding until the war ended. Maud relates her compelling story and her eventual emigration to the US. April 9, 2024 – “Tuskegee Airmen”Dr. Roland Brown will be the speaker for this presentation about the Tuskegee Airmen, one of whom was his father. This group of African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II. The Tuskegee airmen received praise for their excellent combat record earned while protecting white American bombers from enemy fighters. The group was awarded three Distinguished Unit Citations.
The Historical Society of Florham Park was founded in the 1930s to save and preserve the Little Red Schoolhouse. Located on the corner of Columbia Turnpike and Ridgedale Avenue the former schoolhouse was converted into a museum and is the symbol of Florham Park. To learn more about the Little Red Schoolhouse, checkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Red_Schoolhouse_(Florham_Park,_New_Jersey) . To learn more about and/or consider joining the Historical Society of Florham Park contact Membership Chair Rich Davidson at RDavidsonFP@gmail.com or call Lead Docent Peter Nicolas at 973-520-8654.
