Meeting of May 19

The meeting of May 19 was held as scheduled in the Hanson House at 2:00 pm, with the Executive Board meeting at 1:30 pm. Routine matters were quickly disposed of and an offer to add new features to the Society’s website was discussed and decided to be unnecessary to the activities of the organization.

As this was the annual student award meeting, the Society was honored by the presence of friends and family members of the winners. The awards committee selected five students from among many applicants from Union County high schools. Four winners were present, while the fifth, Amy E. Diaz, unable to attend, was represented by her mother.

The winners were Michael Cao of the Academy of Allied Health Sciences, Amy E. Diaz of Union High School, Emma Herber of Westfield High School, Simeranjit Kaur of Mother Seton Regional High School, and Asiyah Muhammad of the Academy of Allied Health Sciences.

Photos from the ceremony, including the student award recipients and their families, can be viewed in the

UCHS Student Awards 2019 Photo Gallery
.

Each winner received a framed certificate, a large poster of the courthouse, two books of local history, and a financial gift. Upon being interviewed, each student expressed plans to attend college following graduation. Refreshments were served at the conclusion of the meeting.

Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Union County Historical Society will be held on September 8, 2019 at the Hanson House at 2:00 pm. This will be the annual picnic meeting, to be held outdoors weather permitting, but indoors if necessary.

Pictures From Our Files

Shown is a historic photograph of the stone dam that once created Ursino Lake from the Elizabeth River near North Avenue, close to the junction of Elizabeth, Union, and Hillside. Formerly known as the reservoir, it supplied drinking water to the city until 1929, when contamination made it unusable.

The stone dam remains, but the lake has been filled in and the open floodgate no longer holds back water from the river. Many years ago, a millrace diverted water to provide power for Trotter’s Mill. Although the mill is long gone, the miller’s house still stands on North Avenue and Trotter’s Lane preserves the name.

Before refrigeration, ice was cut from the lake and stored in an icehouse on its eastern shore for use in household iceboxes. Delivered by horse and wagon, a fifty-cent block of ice could last up to three days. On hot summer days, neighbors cooled off in the water below the dam, though swimming in the lake itself was prohibited.

In the background of the photograph, the tower of Liberty Hall, home of New Jersey’s first governor, can be seen beyond the trees.

Memories

Longtime readers may recall the recreation pier that once stood at the shore of the Staten Island Sound at the end of East Jersey Street in Elizabeth. The double-decked, roofed pier allowed visitors to sit comfortably while watching the constant marine traffic.

Excursion steamers docked there for trips to destinations such as West Point, Playland at Rye Beach, Rockaway, and Connecticut. For several summers, moonlight cruises departed every Wednesday evening, returning around 11 pm.

Some may also remember the small Staten Island ferry that sank after an eighteen-wheeled tank truck attempted to board, pushing part of the vessel and the tractor into the bottom of the ferry slip.

Over the Back Fence

Words of wisdom from Florida: Ethan says, “If you keep your mouth closed, you can’t put your foot in it.”