October Meeting

The October meeting of the Society was held as planned on the 8th day of that month in the Hanson House. It was preceded as usual by the meeting of the Executive Board, where very little action was needed to be taken. At the regular meeting the annual Election of Officers was held, where the slate announced in September was accepted with no opposition.

The feature of the afternoon was the talk by member David Rogers about the former Singer Manufacturing Co. in Elizabeth, where he had been an employee. In conjunction with his talk, a limited number of booklets printed by the society about the Singer factory were given out to members of the audience. Written by a long-time Singer worker, these booklets contained detailed information of the many steps needed to produce the varied items made in the factory.

It was announced that on October 28, 2017, member Mike Yesenko, also a member of the Union Township Historical Society, will be inducted into that society’s Hall of Honor during the celebration of the 350th anniversary of the Community of Connecticut Farms, now the Township of Union. Other announcements said that our October meeting will feature David Rogers, who will speak about the amazing Singer factory in Elizabeth.

Picnic 2017

Our most-recent picnic was held as scheduled on the 10th of September in the back yard of the Hanson House. It was a beautiful autumn day with temperatures in the 70s. About thirty members and guests showed up, including Herb Singe with one of his shiny antique automobiles and Bob Abbott with a Model T Ford.

There was quite a variety of picnic-type food on hand, with the hamburgers and hot dogs provided by the society and the other food brought in by the members. The hot food was cooked on a grill set up near the house, with Chef Steve Yeats in charge, and our thanks to him for a great job.

For our meeting December 10th, we have been invited to visit Herb Singe’s wonderful museum of antiques. Don’t miss it!

Union County Picnics

Among other activities of the Society have been our annual picnics, usually held in the back yard of the Hanson House. Our first picnic was held on September 9 of 2002, fifteen years ago. By checking our files we have found a photograph of some of the members who attended that picnic. Although we have been able to identify Ruth Frolich and Alan Zimmerman, we have not been able to recognize any of the other people shown in it. Perhaps some of our readers may recognize some of them.

A nicely decorated sheet-cake was also provided at this picnic. Although a bit difficult to read, its lettering honored the Society’s one hundred thirty three years of existence at that time and for the coming year of 2003.

Pictures From Our Files

It was the Fourth of July back in 1960, and Roselle Park was having a big celebration on the football field. It was to be an all-day affair with all sorts of attractions, and one of them was the Whalemobile. Built on a flat-bed trailer at a cabinet shop in Roselle, and sponsored by the YMCA and City Federal Savings, it was driven onto the field just before opening time, and soon became a source of wonder and admiration.

A fire engine was brought up to it and soon pumped many gallons of water into the open back of the whale, for this was actually a portable swimming pool for children. Once the pool was filled and ready for action, a limited number of swimmers were admitted through the gaping mouth of the whale and enjoyed the cool water. After a reasonable amount of time these swimmers were spit out by the whale, who swallowed a new group of willing victims, and the cycle was repeated.

The fact that the freshly-poured water was rather cold did not seem to deter the enjoyment of the first swimmers, and as the day wore on, the heat of the July day warmed the water, much to the pleasure of the later swimmers. Under the watchful eyes of the lifeguards, this continued all day and into the early evening. After its initial use on the field on the Fourth of July, this whale swam over to the YMCA grounds on Tucker Avenue, where it was in use for many weeks.

Over the Back Pence

Bill Frolich says that he still prefers the old system of making phone calls before the invention of dials when you just picked up the receiver of the candlestick telephone and spoke into the mouth-piece and asked Susie the operator to get you Aunt Sophie, and the call went through right away, without any confusing and annoying menu. We wonder if anyone else feels the same way, and agrees with him.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was the guest speaker at the October 2017 UCHS meeting?

Member David Rogers spoke about the former Singer Manufacturing Company factory in Elizabeth, where he had worked.

What was the “Whalemobile” in Roselle Park?

The Whalemobile was a whale-shaped portable swimming pool on a trailer, filled with water for children during a July 4th celebration, later used at the YMCA on Tucker Avenue.