The Berrien City Neighborhood Association donated a teak bench in honor of a long-time resident and community volunteer Sarah Santowasso, who died in December at the age of 99. She had lived on Scott Avenue for more than 70 years and served on the Ladies Auxiliary at the Princeton Junction Firehouse.
Recently installed in front of the old Princeton Junction Firehouse on Alexander Road, it was dedicated at a ceremony on June 13. The association purchased the bench with funds raised by a neighborhood plant sale coordinated by Jennifer Crawford of Alexander Road. Crawford suggested the teak bench in the Arts and Crafts style to reflect the style of many of the houses in the neighborhood built in the 1920s and 1930s.
The donation is part of the neighborhood’s participation in the township’s streetscape improvement project of the old firehouse built by residents in 1929-1931. The streetscape project, which included paving and landscaping in front of the building, was funded by a grant from Mercer County.
“I can remember my mother rolling bandages for the soldiers at the firehouse during the war,” said Joan Santowasso McNinch. She recalled that the firehouse served for many years as a social center for the Princeton Junction community, with pot-luck dinners and other activities held on a regular basis.
McNinch attended the dedication with her husband Don, daughter-in-law Fran McNinch, granddaughter Hannah McNinch, and brother and sister-in-law Bob and Donna Santowasso. They were joined by Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh, Susan Conlon, president of the association, and other representatives of the township.
“We wanted to contribute something we thought would complement the recent improvements and provide something that people could use and enjoy” said Conlon. “We also thought it was appropriate to dedicate this bench in honor of someone who spent a lot of time at the firehouse volunteering for the fire company and who was active in the community for so many years.”
