UNION — Library patrons recently experienced a unique program exploring local state history. Hannah Gaston, director of education at Liberty Hall Historic House Museum and Arboretum, presented “Made in New Jersey: Artistry, Machinery and History in the Garden State” at Union Public Library.
Gaston used artifacts and resources from the museum’s collection to highlight New Jersey’s most famous inventions, innovators and ideas.
She began the presentation talking about Governor William Livingston, who was the first elected governor of New Jersey. Born in Albany, New York, he lived at Liberty Hall with his wife and eight children. He was the longest serving governor in the history of New Jersey. He served for 13 years. He served during the Revolutionary War.
Gaston spoke about “The Daily Journal,” a historic daily newspaper published in Elizabeth. Its lineage traced back to 1779. The final issue was Jan. 3, 1992.
Thomas Edison, born in Ohio, had a lab in Newark and later moved to Menlo Park. He had many inventions.
Alexander Livingston Kean built radios. “He never married. He spent most of his life tinkering at Liberty Hall,” said Gaston.
Gaston spoke about the radio hoax, “War of the Worlds,” which spoke about an unknown object falling on a farm in Grovers Mill, New Jersey – and aliens emerging from a spacecraft.
“My grandfather remembered this broadcast,” said Gaston. “His parents were at church. He didn’t fall for it. His parents would have come home from church if aliens were here.”
Pruden Pottery was founded on the banks of the Elizabeth River. “It was found in every pantry across New Jersey,” said Gaston.
She said the pottery made it to the World’s Fair in 1876.
Lenox China was based out of Trenton and now based out of North Carolina. Gaston showed a photograph of an architect’s Lenox tea set that was extremely rare – the only complete set in existence at Liberty Hall.
A Singer sewing machine is part of the Liberty collection. The largest Singer plant was in Elizabeth.
Storm Manufacturing Company in Newark created dumb waiters. They were all powered on weights and pulleys. “Very common in the early 1900s, before elevators,” said Gaston.
The Keans were very wealthy, and Lucy Kean’s registers are part of the collection at Liberty Hall. Inside the registers you would find names and addresses, dinner records with a seating chart. “Where you sat said a lot about your status,” said Gaston.
In the dinner record, Lucy Kean wrote the names of those invited to dinner parties, which happened weekly or multiple times per week. “She invited progressive leaders to her home,” said Gaston.
Also in the Liberty Hall collection is a draft wheel, which was purchased in 1865. People’s names were put in the wheel and pulled during the Civil War.
President Gerald Ford visited Liberty Hall in 1976. A presidential telephone from Bell Labs was installed at Liberty Hall. They still have the phone. Ford also left behind matches and cigarettes with presidential emblems on them.
To learn more about Liberty Hall, visit: https://libertyhall.kean.edu/.
Visit Union Public Library at: https://uplnj.org/.
Photos by Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta
