2005.006

Staff / Produced by

Produced by Staff

Museum Collection.

Hoboken Historical Museum

2002

English

Copy No.: 0

Display Value: Fair Notes: Hoboken Historical Museum Newsletter Volume 8, Number 3 July / August 2002 Destination Hoboken From the mid-nineteenth century until the United States entered the First World War, two German steamship companies collected and dispatched a steady stream of passengers at their Hoboken piers-from entertainers traveling for artistic tours in Europe, to poor, America-bound emigres fleeing political upheavals in their native lands. Fast, heavily advertised in Europe and America, with sumptuous interiors for first-class travelers and rate wars for third class, the German Imperial Fleets encouraged millions to make the difficult trans-Atlantic crossing. Opening on July 2 to the general public and remaining on view through October 1, Destination Hoboken: The Great Ocean Liners of Hamburg-American and North German Lloyd, the Hoboken Historical Museum's new exhib- it, explores the history of the German steamship companies that once called Hoboken home, and shows how the maritime marvels they created both reflected the Old World and shaped the new. Guest curated by ocean liner expert Ken Schultz, Destination Hoboken features important objects from private collections around the country, (continued on page 2) including exquisitely designed travel posters from the 1890s; an 1879 oil painting of an early North German Lloyd vessel by West Hoboken maritime painter Antonio Jacobsen; elaborately printed and embossed ship menus that offered fresh strawberries ' and lettuces grown on. board; china and glass souvenir objects; printed invitations to inspect vessels docked in Hoboken; photographs depicting emigrants packed on America-bound ships; a tiara spelling out the initials. of one of the shipping companies; and a finely crafted wood and porcelain lavatory cabinet from the Kronprinzessin Cecile, known for its deluxe decor. Also on view are rare images of the 1900 fire at one of Hoboken's . North German Lloyd Piers; they show our city overtak- en by the smoke and flames that claimed over 300 on the pier and on doomed ships. A monitor at the Museum allows visitors to view Pier3.org, webmaster Chris o| Coulter's detailed site about the disaster, including an animated recreation of events using handcrafted models. German ocean liner artifacts from the Hoboken Histor- ical Museum collection and images from the Hoboken Public Library's historic photograph collection will also be on view, along with a specially commissioned short video produced by filmmaker and HHM trustee Lisa Sartori that includes, historic images and interviews with noted maritime and immigration scholars. The mezzanine of the Museum is devoted to an exploration of deck games and other diversions during the trans-Atlantic journey, including benefit perfor- mances for first-class travelers by Harry Houdini, famous magician and the "world's hand-cuff king & prison breaker." Destination Hoboken is accompanied by a full color, 20-page catalog, designed by McKevin Shaughnessy, with an introduction by HHM director Robert Foster and essays by local history writer Holly Metz, South Street Seaport Museum curator of ships Norman Brouwer, and Destination Hoboken's guest curator Ken Schultz. Catalogs are available ($10 for members; $12 non-members) at our gift shop, along with books by maritime historians-many of whom will be offering lectures at HHM in the coming weeks. The Museum is pleased to present illustrated lectures by three such notables in August, with more to come in September. On Friday August 2nd at 7 p.m., guest curator Ken Schultz will provide a free slide talk on the Imperial Fleets, noting the forces behind the technological innova- tions and lavish style of the German liners, including Emperor Wilhelm the Second's thirst for maritime supremacy, and the genius of Hamburg-American's director, Albert Ballin, whose total preoccupation with the smallest, details of trans- Atlantic travel and service was legendary. Hoboken was profoundly shaped by North German Lloyd and Hamburg-American's presence on River Street. By the 1880s, the influx of German immigrants to the city was so great, the Mile Square City became known as "Little Bremen." German-language theaters and newspapers, beer gardens, and German societies flourished here and in surrounding communities. On Sunday, August 4 at 4 p.m., we welcome Edward Fleckenstein, Esq., a local history scholar, who will provide a free talk on German-Americans in Hudson County. Representatives of the Plattsdeutscher Volksfest Verein, sponsors of the annual Volksfest at Scheutzen Park in North Bergen, New Jersey, will also be on hand to describe this longstanding late summer celebration of German food and culture. And on Thursday, August 29, at 7 p.m., noted maritime historian and author John Maxtone-Graham will present a free slide-illustrated talk, The Only Way to Cross, about life aboard a variety of ships that called at Hoboken, among them: North German Lloyd's superb Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse of 1897, the first four-stacker and largest steamer in the world; a 1912 cruise from Hoboken to the, Caribbean aboard anoth- er four-stacker, Victoria Luise -ex- Deustchland; the backgroynd and arrival of Imperator, Hamburg- American's imposing but flawed giant of 1913. Mr. Maxtone-Graham, president of the Ocean Liner Museum, will not only document Edwardian shipboard at its best, but also the unique allure of crossing the perilous western ocean. Copies of Mr. Maxtone's book - The Only Way to Cross-known as the "bible for ship buffs"- will be available for purchase and signing by the author. Destination Hoboken was assisted by a grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of Cultural Affairs in the Department of State, which also provided support for Mr. Maxtone-Graham's talk. All lectures are held at the Hoboken Historical Museum, 1301 Hudson Street, Hoboken. Seating is limited, so please call to reserve a seat (201) 656-2240. City Hall Talk How often have you heard the expression " If these walls could talk..."? And when it comes to City Hall, well, the stories that could be told! We can't animate the plaster and lath of that grand old building, but we are pleased to present a talk by an expert on its history, revealed during its renovation. On Sunday July 21 at 3 p.m., Jay Piatt of Building Conservation Associates in New York City, will provide a talk about the histo- ry and architecture of Hoboken's City Hall, in City Council Chambers, 94 Washington Street. Mr. Piatt is a historic preservationist and architectural conservator who has been directly involved in the restoration of City Hall. He will unravel the mysteries of the building's somewhat quirky (but lovable) appear- ance: the original 1883 design by architect Francis George Himpler and the 1911 expansion and renovation. Mr. Piatt will also lead a walk-through of the interior and exterior to give us insights into the process and challenges of restoring our architectural and cultural heritage. He holds a master's degree in historic preser- vation from the University of Pennsylvania and has worked for the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Our July 21 City Hall lecture is free and open to the public. It's sure to get participants, if not walls, talking On Sunday, July 28, the Hoboken Historical Museum joins with Long Shot, a Hoboken-based literary and art journal, to celebrate this indepen- dent publication's 20th anniversary and the release of its 25th volume. At 4 p.m., the Museum hosts an afternoon of readings by seven writers of poetry, fiction, plays, and biography. The brainchild of New Jersey born-and-bred poets Danny Shot and Eliot Katz, with assistance by legendary beat poet Allen Ginsberg, Long Shot has, since its inceptipn, provided a forum to prominent and emerging writers and visual artists in the tri-state area. In keeping with this tradition, our July event welcomes: poet Herschel Silverman, a long- time resident of Hudson County, reading from his newly released retrospective LIFT OFF: New and Selected Poems 1961-2001 (Long Shot & Water Row, 2002); Hoboken poet Joel Lewis, whose collections include Vertical's Currency, House Rent Boogie and Palookas of the Ozone, and who edited Bluestones and Salt Hay, an anthology of contemporary New Jersey poets; New York playwright and fiction writer Bara Swain, whose award-winning plays including Ideal Grace and You Betcha, and who has staged readings of plays and fiction at the American Museum of Natural History; Asbury Park poet and poetry series organizer Trina ScOrdo, whose first book. Growing Up Like Jersey, has just been published; Long Shot publisher and editor Danny Shot, a Hoboken poet, whose work has appeared in The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry and Aloud: Voices from the Nuyorican Poets Cafe; Queens poet (by way of the Carolinas) Meagan Brothers, whose poetry chapbook 1978 has been published by CafeMo Press; and Hobokenite Florence Wetzel, collaborator with renown jazz and world music clarinetist Perry Robinson on Perry Robinson: The Traveler, will read selections from this recently published autobiography. "Long Shot: A big bet on the future," noted Allen Ginsberg in 1982 when this literary journal was just beginning. Come celebrate Hoboken's artistic gain oh July 28. New issues of Long Shot will be available for pur- chase and signing, along with readers' books. Readings will be held at the Museum, 1301 Hudson Street in Hoboken. A donation of $4 per person is suggested to support the Museum and Long Shot writers. Seating is limited; call to reserve your place (201) 656-2240. A Sweet Fleet In keeping with the tradition of custom souvenirs" produced by the two German trans-Atlantic shipping companies featured in our exhibit Destination Hoboken, the Hoboken Historical Museum has commissioned our own ocean liner-themed specialty item. We've had a special mold made from a toy replica of the legendary Imperator, allowing our favorite Hoboken candy makers-Schnackenberg's Luncheonette (1110 Wash- ington Street) and Lepore's Chocolates (537 Garden Street)-to build us a fleet of chocolate ships. One pound of solid chocolate will take you. (or a very good friend) on quite a journey. We know it's fattening, but what a way to go! You'll find them moored at our gift shop; please understand we won't be able to mail these delicious treats because of concerns about mid-summer melting (of the chocolate, that is.) You Talkin'to Me? We asked for Hoboken nicknames and boy did we get 'em! Jack O'Brien sent us an extensive list compiled by fellow Hoboken native Tom Kennedy. We can't print all of them-not only are there more than 200, some are a little "off color"!-but thought we'd publish a few in the next few issues of the newsletter to see what memo- ries' they stir in our readers, including stories about thfe kids listed or other folks around town way back when. Mr. Kennedy remembers: 88 Keys, Fibby Ramora, Knobby Milne, Sammy Leg, Flaps DiDetta, Frank Fa Fa, La La Wallington, Frank the, Beard, Legs Legouri, Frankie Buns, Banty Legs Eddie, Magoo, Shotsie Dolan, Socks Mecca, Mary Fat, Blackie Rubinaccio, Hands Glockner, Step n' a half Billy, Mickey the Wise Guy, Jackie No Neck, Bow Wow Henan, Three Fingers Brown, Tommy Tears, Tony the Monkey, and Buddy the Bakery. Do any of those names ring a bell? Send us your recollections and nicknames and. we'll include them in the newsletter, along with more names from Mr. Kennedy's list". Taste of Summer For gardeners and cooks and folks who just like to eat, nothing evokes summer like a warm tomato just picked from the vine. On Sunday, August 25, at 1 p.m., the Hoboken Historical Museum presents its Third Annual Heirloom Tomato-Tasting Festival in the walkway alongside the Museum, 1301 Hudson Street. New Jersey farmers Rich and Sue Sisti of Catalpa Ridge Farm will supply free tastings of some of the dozens of old-fashioned, individually-named varieties of tomato they grow organically in Wantage Township, including "Aunt Ruby's German Green," "Brandywine Pink," "Cherokee Purple," and "Radiator Charlie's Mort- gage Lifter." The superior flavor of these jiot-so-pretty tomatoes encouraged gardeners and farmers to save and pass down seeds from those varieties from one genera- tion to the next. Rich and Sue will offer green, striped, pink, bi-color, and yes, even red tomatoes for tasting. And if you like what you taste, you. can take home some of that edible summer sunshine. Heirloom toma- toes, garlic, and. other fresh-from-the-farm produce will be available for-purchase. The Best! Hoboken Historical Museum volunteers are the best! We must thank the following list of enthusiastic and thoughtful people who made possible our flurry of Springtime events. For preparing for and presenting the Great Hoboken Auction, our thanks go to: Danielle Frankenthal, David Ruzich, John P. Carey, Claire Lukacs, Susan Bostwick, John-Paul Picard, Doug Donkin, Beth Mackin, Lisa Sartori, Claire Pertalion, Karl Trappe, Billy Geib, Mary Scura, Geri Fallo, Daniel Cellie, Lisa DeFalco, Michele Boyd and Scott Obersteadt. Danny Gans and George Vallone were kind enough to allow us to use a portion of the former Maxwell House plant for our eVent. Auctioneers Eugene Flinn of Amanda's, Joe Falzarano of Big Fun Toys-you oughta be in showbiz! Extra special thanks to Bob Foster and David Webster for gathering, organizing and displaying all the auction items. And to those of you who donated or bought good- ies, you helped make_ this year's auction our best Our gratitude, goes to the following kind folks who staffed or helped set- up our booth at the Hoboken Arts & Music Festival: Bob Foster, Jack O'Brien, Barbara Dabinett, Claire Lukacs, Lisa Quint, Alyssa Buchanan, Patty Bifulco, Michele Boyd, Melissa Abernathy, Mary Scura, Billy Gieb, Chris O'Connor, and Vicki Giancaspro. A whole new group of people got to know about the Museum, Hoboken history, and our great tee shirts! For returning the Baby Parade to Hoboken we thank organizers Carol Losos and Bob Foster, parade helpers Holly Metz, Doug Donkin and Sue Bostwick, and super pre-event volunteers Dawn Schwartz, Cathy Langford, Carla Greengrass, and Sandy Godrey, our many sponsors, Scott Gill of Prevent Child Abuse New Jersey, Marisa Musachio of HOPES, Inc., and judges Mayor David Roberts, Hoboken Pediatrics' team of doctors, Joe Falzarano of Big Fun, and Chris Selleck of F.I.T. Extra special thanks to Suzanne Reirnan, Karen Guancione, Holly Metz, Carol Losos, and Jennifer Place for decorat- ing two carriages and a wagon for display in Big Fun's window. Peter Ziebel was our event photographer. McKevin Shaughnessy designed the Baby Parade posters, certificates, and an ad in the Hoboken Reporter. The Parade was a wonderful addition to the Museum's many celebratory events. In our next issue we'll publish photographs and names of children and families that received trophies for "best dressed," "most creative carriage," and "best dressed family" categories. Our pal and super designer Michelle McMillian designed lemon yellow baby "onesies" (little tee- shirts with snaps on the bottom) for the Parade, printed with a red and blue drawing of a Hoboken Baby Parade carriage floating a heart-shaped balloon "Best Baby." All cotton and avail- able in 12-month, 18-month, and 24-month sizes, our one- sies cost $15, and make fantastic gifts for new Hoboken families. We're selling them at the Museum gift shop, so be sure to stop by dur- ing Museum hours to pick one up for a baby shower or birthday present! . The Museum hosted the Garden Tour in June, too, but the event was too close to our newsletter deadline. Praise for our generous gardeners, garden guides, and organizers will have to wait until our next newsletter. But before we conclude, we have to mention the essential, ongoing con- tributions of our Museum docents during our Signs & Traces exhibit: Paul Neshamkin, Beth Mackin, Will Wallace and Bonnie Berger-Wallace, Barbara and Skip Gross, Phyllis Plitch, Sheilah Scully, Dr. Jennifer Jolly, Doug "Saturday Man" Donkin, Jim Magenheimer, Claire Lukacs, Susan Bostwick, and Bob Foster. We had lots of other assistance for this exhibit, too: Bill Hartnett produced a CD medley of songs with "signs" and "traces" in their lyrics; Michelle McMillian created a fabulous tee-shirt parody of an old Maxwell House coffee can label. Marbella Mederos graciously volunteers her cleaning services, and, with Cesar Mederos, her transla- tion skills. She always makes us shine. Please consider joining the exalted ranks of these wonderful folks and volunteer some time and. energy to the Museum. Call Bob Foster at (201) 656-2240 to find out more. The Best! Save the Date Saturday October 26,2002 The Masked Ball at the Hoboken Terminal Proceeds benefit the Hoboken Historical Museum. Elegant attire with your mask. www.hobokenbail.com Purchases and Donations The Museum sometimes purchases and always grate- fully receives donations of items related to Hoboken's past. If you have Hoboken artifacts you'd like to donate, please contact us at (201) 656-2240. The following are items recently purchased by or donated to the Museum and listed here with their accession numbers: oBlack and white photograph of four veterans at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 158, ca. late 1940s. Donated by George Crimmins, Jr., whose father is depicted in the photograph. Accession 2002.173 Sepia-tone photograph of graduates of A.J. Demarest High School, February to June 1947 and a Joseph E. Brandt Junior High School class ring for 1944, both donated by Mary Catherine Mackin. Accession 2002.171 Equipment and materials relating to leather belt pro- duction, including metal scales, sewing machines, strip cutters, a hand-operating gromnieting press, cow hide, and several hundred metal die plates. Donated by the Dan Dee Belt Company, which closed their factory at 129 Grand Street this year. Accession 2002.172 Detail of photo of Union Club dinner dance, February 25, 1937. Donated by Dave Marsch, People's Photo. Black and white group photograph of a dinner dance at the Union Club by the Hoboken Liquor Dealers Association, February 25, 1937. Donated by Dave Marsch, People's Photo, a Washington Street institu- tion that has also recently closed. Accession 2002.167 Printed newsprint broadside program for After Dark at the Old Rialto Theatre, Hoboken, week of July 15, 1929. Produced by Christopher Morley and Cleon Throckmorton, this production included Mr. Morley in the cast; the program was printed by Poggi Press of Hoboken. Donated by Dr. Charles J. Meyers. Accession 2002.169 Capital Campaign News HHM board vice-president Michael Barry has been a tremendous help forging ties to local businesses that might be interested in supporting our community-based institution; listed below are the New Jersey companies that have provided their support, which assist with, the fabrication of two exhibits during 2002-2003. This past May, friends of the Museum enjoyed a Visions of Spring Benefit Dinner when HHM trustee Beth Mason and her husband Ricky opened their magnificent Hudson Street home to 60 guests. The dinner was a rousing success from both a culinary and fundrais- ing perspective, with guests enjoying two wines and a multi-course feast prepared by Amanda's restaurant, courtesy of HHM trustee and restaurateur Eugene Flinn (co-owner with the lovely Joyce Flinn), chef Rodney Petersen, and the exceptional wait-staff of Amanda's. In addition to raising funds toward general operating support for the Museum, generous guests boosted NJ Historical Commission General Operating Support seed money by pledging over $13,000. toward the purchase, installation,- and design of. illuminated marquees for the museum walkway, to allow for better public education regarding the Museum's many events, tri-annual exhibits, items from its permanent collection, and aspects of Hoboken history. We've listed these fine friends below under various capital campaign categories named after gifted, visionary, and philanthropic Hobokenites. Museum Builder ($6,000) Harold J. Raveche, president of Stevens Institute of Technology, knows a thing or two about institution building. At the Visions of Spring Dinner, he pledged in excess of the "Museum Builder" category-devoted to folks who think big and who provide support to match! We thank Mr. Raveche for his outstanding generosity. Chairman Plus! ($1,100 - $3000) Some would argue that there's no larger status than "Chairman of the Board," one of the monikers for Hoboken's most famous native-son, Frank Sinatra. But when supporters donate more than the amount named after "Old Blue Eyes," we just have to disagree. Corporate friends - Direct Cabinet Sales of Linden, Alpine Custom Floors, Inc. and Alpine Restoration, Inc. of Jersey City - surpassed Chairman status when they donated funds far in excess of the "Chairman" category. Individual supporters did likewise, including wonderful Visions of Spring Benefit Dinner hosts Beth and Ricky Mason, HHM board president Richard Widdicombe and his wife Martha, HHM trustee Jane Kizlauskas and husband James O'Connor, and William Tobias. Chairman of the Board ($1,000) Edward C. Hufnagel Landscape Contractors of Fairview, Capitol Perfect Cleaning Inc. of Weehawken, Sign Graphics of Leonia, South Shore Contracting Inc. of Woodbridge, John Vesey and Ada Whitney, and HHM board vice-president Michael Barry all stood toe- to-toe with-the Chairman. Please consider these fine local o businesses for future home needs-and thank them for supporting HHM. Philanthropist ($500) City council president Tony Soares, a longtime con- tributor to the Museum, offered a pledge in the category named after the founding Stevens family, whose history of philanthropy Tony echoes with his ongoing support. Founder Plus ($300-$499) Donna Garban, Ed and Diane Daley, Lisa and Tom Conde, Naty and Patrick Quinn pledged in excess of the amount designated for the category named after Alexander Cartwright, author of the rules for the first organized game of baseball. Visionary Plus ($150) Our thanks go to City council representative Carol Marsh and her husband Bill Jones for donating, and Jerry and Jill Hultin for pledging, in excess of the category named after far-sighted Hobokenites such as photographer Alfred Steiglitz. Visionary ($100) HHM trustee Michele Boyd and her husband Scott Oberstaedt each donated in this category, making them double visionaries (Hoboken-born photographer Dorothea Lange and Stevens alumnus sculptor Alexander Calder, perhaps?) Longtime supporter Jim Magenheimer and HHM trustee Joe Vorbach also helped shape our future with their pledges. The Museum welcomes the following new members: I-year- Chris D'Orsi, Mark S. Russo, Linda Scanlon; 1-year dual/family-Jean Catania and Family, Mr. and Mrs. James Kopp, Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Price; and thanks the following renewing members for their continued support: 7-year-Elizabeth Oravetz, Anthony L. Romano, Jr., Eileen Shine; 1-year dual/family-John and Anna Mae Cashin, Chris Falker and Nancy Lynch. MUSEUM DATES TO REMEMBER JULY & AUGUST Tuesday, July 2 through Tuesday, October 1: Destination Hoboken: The Great Ocean Liners of Hamburg-American & North German Lloyd. Exhibit on view Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings 5-9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday afternoons, 12-5 p.m. Suggested donation $2; members free. Sunday, July 21 at 3 p.m.: "The History and Architecture of Hoboken's City Hall," a talk by Jay Piatt, historic preservationist with Building Con- servation Associates. Hoboken City Hall, Council Chambers, 94 Washington St. Free. Sunday, July 28 at 4 p.m.: Long Shot 20th Anniversary Reading by area poets, playwrights and authors. Suggested donation $4; members free. Friday, August 2 at 7 p.m. "Imperial Fleets," an illustrated talk by Destination Hoboken guest curator Ken Schultz. Free. Sunday, August 4 at 4 p.m. "German-Americans in Hudson County." A talk by Edward Fleckenstein, Esq., local history scholar. Free. Sunday, August 25 at 1 p.m. Third Annual Heirloom Tomato- Tasting Festival. Free. In the Museum walkway. Thursday, August 29 at 7 p.m.: "The Only Way to Cross," an illustrated talk by John Maxtone-Graham, maritime historian. Free. All events will be held at the Hoboken Historical Museum, 1301 Hudson Street, unless'otherwise indicated. Seating at the Museum is limited, so please call to reserve {201} 656-2240. PARKING! We now have 2 hours of free parking available for museum guests. Retail customers at the Shipyard-including visitors to our Shipyard-based home-have a designated lot. When driving toward the river on 14th St the lot is on the left just After parking, walk across 14th St. down Shipyard Lane past the Rite Aid awning (on your right). The Museum entrance is in the walkway which cuts through the building. ©Printed on Recycled Paper Newsletter edited, designed, and written by Michele Boyd, Claire Lukacs, and Holly Metz. MUSEUM HOURS: TUESDAY-THURSDAY EVENINGS: 5-9 P.M. SATURDAY & SUNDAY: 12-5 P.M. 1301 HUDSON STREET P.O. Box 3296 HOBOKEN, NJ 07030 TELEPHONE: (201) 656-2240 www.hobokenmuseum.org Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 6 Hoboken, NJ Status: OK Status By: dw Status Date: 2005-03-02