Kenilworth Historical Society Seeks Stories of Prohibition, Immigration
The Kenilworth Historical Society is seeking local stories, letters, diary entries, photos and other items that will help tell the story of Prohibition and immigration during two major planned programs and exhibitions at the historic Oswald J. Nitschke House “living history” museum and cultural arts center.
The Prohibition-themed program and exhibit, “Teetotalers and Bootleggers – Prohibition in America,” will be presented at the Nitschke House on October 19 and October 20, during Union County’s annual “Four Centuries in a Weekend” historical sites tour. The immigration exhibit, “New Orange – A Melting Pot of Many Cultures,” to be unveiled at a later date, will highlight the inspiring stories of late 19th-/early 20th-century immigrants who, as in the case of former Mayor Oswald J. Nitschke and his family, settled in the developing suburb of New Orange (later renamed Kenilworth) and other communities throughout New Jersey and the United States.
Anyone who would like to share information/items for the aforementioned programs and exhibits at the Nitschke House is asked to please contact the Kenilworth Historical Society by calling 908-709-0434.
The Nitschke House is Kenilworth’s foremost restored historic site and heritage tourism destination. Notably, it is the only museum of its kind in the area to portray and interpret everyday life in the early 1900s, particularly the inspiring story of late 19th-/early 20th-century immigrants in a developing suburb.
The Kenilworth Historical Society is an independent, volunteer-based, non-profit, tax-exempt, 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the research, preservation and interpretation of thehistoric Oswald J. Nitschke House (c. 1880), local history and culture.
