The Plainsboro Historical Society has been disbanded, but the society’s mission will not be lost. Earlier this year the Plainsboro Historical Society and the township entered into a partnership to transfer the society’s functions to the township to administer. The historical artifacts, the running of the museum, and the upkeep of the Bethel cemetery will now all be handled by the township.
“We worked with the township, especially Mayor Peter Cantu, Deputy Mayor Neil Lewis, and administrator Robert Sheehan, to enter into an arrangement with the township so that Plainsboro’s history and the many artifacts would be preserved,” said society president William Hart. “History is very important to me, and I want to make sure it is preserved.”
Hart and his wife, Andrea, moved to Plainsboro in 1984. Hart had written two Arcadia books on his own hometown of East Orange, and was asked to do one on Plainsboro. Through this project, he became involved in the Historical Society and ended up becoming its president. “My parents were from a coal-mining town in Pennsylvania, and moved to East Orange in the 1940s. They used to tell us stories of the ‘old’ East Orange, which I really enjoyed. I owe my love of history to them,” he said.
That love of history was once shared with fellow members of the society. “Once upon a time, we were a vibrant and active organization, especially when Bob Yuell was the executive director,” he explained. “The society was founded in 1976 by Cliff Sohl, a life-long Plainsboro resident, because he was concerned about that as the town became more developed, its rich agrarian history would be lost. He was very successful in obtaining numerous artifacts to help preserve our history, and for a time, the society really made use of them. The museum was open for public tours several Sundays a year and we provided tours for Brownies and Cub Scouts, as well as second and third grade classes from the local schools. We also ran lectures two or three times a year that were very well attended. I understand that the township has formed a historical committee, and I am hopeful that they will be able to resurrect some of our programs, and actually expand upon them so that the Wicoff house can be used for a variety of functions.”
Hart, along with vice president Rudy Wellnitz and board member Frank Corabella, made the decision to dissolve the society. It “was the best decision we could make,” Hart said. “The society had been dormant for a number of years because we lost some of our most active members. Both Evelyn Wicoff and Bob Yuell, who were very active, passed away, and we couldn’t really get younger people involved. And the museum, located in the Wicoff house, has been closed for several years because of repairs the township wished to make.”
As part of the agreement, the Society used a large portion of its leftover funds to install a new fence around the Bethel Cemetery cemetery property and put up a plaque.
In addition, the township will be given the Society’s large collection of historical artifacts, including many relating to Elsie the cow, old baseball teams that played in Plainsboro, the Leni Lenape tribe, Plainsboro’s origins as a farming community, and inventions developed in Plainsboro, as well as the War of the Worlds memorabilia. “I am hopeful that the township can use most, if not all, of the artifacts we have given to them. If not, the Middlesex Cultural Heritage Society has agreed to take any the township can’t use,” said Hart.
Cantu agreed that the transfer of the historical society’s role and property was important for Plainsboro. “I am pleased we were able to reach this agreement with the Society. As a town, we are very interested in ensuring that the cemetery is being maintained. In addition, the historic Wicoff house is a municipal asset and we want to preserve it and put it to good use. And we want to ensure that Plainsboro’s history is effectively preserved. This agreement allows for all three of these goals.”
“We have put together a small committee to discuss the future of the Wicoff house, the cemetery, and the artifacts. Committee member Ed Yates and I have many tentative ideas, and we are finalizing both short and long-term ideas. The Wicoff house needs some maintenance, and I expect that will be one of the administration’s recommendations for the 2014 budget. And we need to finalize the structure of the historical committee. Our goal is to have the best possible structure in order to preserve Plainsboro’s history,” Cantu said.
