For anyone wondering about the blinking traffic signal hanging near the Sinatra Lounge in the Museum’s main gallery, all your questions will be answered on Sunday, Oct. 24, at 4 pm.  A group of traffic signal enthusiasts will host a fun and informal talk — in person and online — about the “Horni traffic signal,” one of the last of its kind still serving its mission for over 80 years at the intersection of First and Washington Streets until it was replaced in 2018.

In conjunction with the exhibit, “The Avenue: A History of Washington Street,” the Hoboken Historical Museum is pleased to present a talk by traffic signal enthusiasts, Christopher McNally, Francis Khoury, Mike Natale, and Randy Trezak. According to McNally, the discussion will include “the explosion of automobile infrastructure starting as early as the 1920s – 1930s, the unique place that this signal occupies in the hearts of traffic and transit enthusiasts, and what a terrific part of the history of the streetscape of Hoboken it occupied for so long.”

McNally added: “The talk will cover some of the colorful history of the Horni traffic signal and – as if plucked from an episode of the Sopranos – what a bunch of crooks the people that ran the company ended up actually being! Thankfully, they still made wonderful traffic signals that were extensively used throughout New Jersey and New York City. We have some cool historical photographs of this and others.”

Visit Francis Khoury’s blog, Garden State Signals, to learn the back story of how the signal came to be installed at the Hoboken Historical Museum.

The event is free, and donations are welcome. Limited in-person seating is available for the event on a first-come, first-served basis. Masks and safe social distancing required.

Anyone who prefers to watch from home, tune in on one of the Museum’s livestream channels, Facebook or YouTube.