Van Harlingen Historical Society, co-sponsoring with One Montgomery and Montgomery Mosaic, is honored to offer a very special presentation entitled, “A Proud Heritage: The African American Contribution to the Sourland Mountain and Surrounding Region, ” by speakers Elaine Buck and Beverly Mills.  This will be held in the downstairs municipal courtroom of the Montgomery Township Municipal Building, 2261 Rt. 206, Belle Mead, NJ 08502.

Learn about the African American presence from this region dating back to colonial times that has been left out of local history. Buck and Mills will highlight the accomplishments of prominent African Americans who served in the military and the agricultural contributions of African Americans working as slaves on the plantations in Hopewell Valley. They will discuss the work of African Americans in peach orchards, basket making factories, saw and grist mills, rock quarries and more. The founding and building of schools and churches as well as entrepreneurial businesses owned by African Americans will also be detailed. Through photographs, information from municipal manumission papers, site location maps and oral histories, Buck and Mills will illustrate that there is more than one single narrative in history. Copies of their new book, If These Stones Could Talk, will be available for purchase.

This event is sponsored in coordination with the Van Harlingen Historical Society, which is Montgomery Township’s all-volunteer keeper of historical artifacts, papers and publications. They host and co-host historical presentations and events for the Community and maintain three historic building in town including the 1752 Gulick House as its headquarters.

If you have any questions or comments, please email Sadafjaffer@gmail.com or jeanneskaar@gmail.com

Source: Montgomery Mosaic