Bill Text: NJ SCR176 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Urges DEP Commissioner and Historic Preservation Office to place certain locations in Middle Township on NJ Register of Historic Places.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-08-23 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee [SCR176 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2018-SCR176-Introduced.html

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 176

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

218th LEGISLATURE

 

INTRODUCED AUGUST 23, 2019

 


 

Sponsored by:

Senator  BOB ANDRZEJCZAK

District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Urges DEP Commissioner and Historic Preservation Office to place certain locations in Middle Township on NJ Register of Historic Places.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As introduced.

  


A Concurrent Resolution urging the Commissioner of Environmental Protection and the Historic Preservation Office to place certain locations in Middle Township on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places.

 

Whereas,   The New Jersey Register of Historic Places is the official list of New Jersey's historic resources of local, State, and national interest; and

Whereas,   The mission statement of Historic Preservation Office in the Department of Environmental Protection is to enhance "the quality of life for the residents of New Jersey through the preservation and appreciation of our collective past;" and

Whereas,   Historic sites serve as a physical link between the generations of the past, present, and future, and ensure that all generations of New Jersey residents are aware of New Jersey's storied history; and

Whereas,   An important piece of New Jersey's past can be found in Whitesboro, located in Middle Township, Cape May County, where prominent African-Americans sought to build a safe haven from racism at the turn of the 20th century; and

Whereas,   Prompted by the oppression of the time, a group of prominent African-Americans organized a "Colored American Equitable Industrial Association" to build an African-American town to demonstrate that "self-sufficient blacks could not only survive but flourish, if left . . . alone in a neutral, healthy environment;" and

Whereas,   The organization included prominent poets, investors, and politicians from all walks of life, including Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Harriet Aletha Gibbs, Wiley H. Bates, and Samuel Vick; and

Whereas,   Also among the town's initial organizers was George Henry White, a prominent lawyer and politician from North Carolina who was the only African-American serving in the United States House of Representatives at the beginning of the 20th century, and for whom Whitesboro is named; and

Whereas,   In 1901, Reverend Fishburn purchased 1,700 acres of property that once belonged to the largest slave owner in the history of Cape May County in order to build an agricultural and industrial town; and

Whereas,   The investors established two separate towns: Whitesboro for African-Americans and Woodbine for Jewish refugees; and

Whereas,   By 1909, the area known as Whitesboro had a population of more than 800 people, two churches, a separate post office and zip code, a hotel called the "Odessa Inn" for George Henry White's daughter, a rail station, and a grammar school to educate the children of Whitesboro; and

Whereas,   Several historic sites in in the area known as Whitesboro are still standing, and are presently under threat from development; and

Whereas,   "The Hill Property" located at 2215 Route 9 South in Whitesboro, was the home of Leon Matthews Sr., one of the original settlers of Whitesboro who served as constable, is believed to be an underground railroad site, and is presently the home of the Whitesboro Museum; and

Whereas,   Saint Stevens African Methodist Episcopal Church, located at 2202 Route 9 South in Whitesboro, was used to help settlers transition into the community until they could build their own homes, and was a safe haven and place of worship; and

Whereas,    The railroad station formerly known as "Wildwood Junction Heights" was built by the original settlers of Whitesboro to help investors travel to the community and served as a primary source of transportation, resources, and mail service; and

Whereas,   The Whitesboro Public Cemetery is home to many war veterans and other beloved members of the Whitesboro community, and serves as a reverent reminder of the history of this incredible community, and the individuals that sacrificed to achieve the dream of equality; and

Whereas,   It is fitting and proper for the Legislature to urge the Commissioner of Environmental Protection and the Historic Preservation Office to place these historic sites in the area known as Whitesboro in Middle Township, Cape May County, on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places; now, therefore, 

 

     Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey (the General Assembly concurring):

 

     1       The New Jersey Legislature urges the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, as the State Historic Preservation Officer, and the Historic Preservation Office in the Department of Environmental Protection to place "The Hill Property," Saint Stevens African Methodist Episcopal Church, the former Wildwood Junction Heights railroad station, and the Whitesboro Public Cemetery, located within the community of Whitesboro in Middle Township, Cape May County, on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places.

 

     2.    Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly or the Secretary of the Senate to the Commissioner of Environmental Protection and the Historic Preservation Office in the Department of Environmental Protection. 

STATEMENT

 

     This resolution urges the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, as the State Historic Preservation Officer, and the Historic Preservation Office in the Department of Environmental Protection to place "The Hill Property," Saint Stevens African Methodist Episcopal Church, the former Wildwood Junction Heights railroad station, and the Whitesboro Public Cemetery, in the historic community of Whitesboro, on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places.  Whitesboro is located in Middle Township, Cape May County.

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