Home Page
Glossary of Terms
What's New
Photo Album
Calendar of Events
Links of Interest
EHC 150th Anniversary
Sesqicentennial Collectibles
Sub Sites
About Us
Site Tools
Contact Us
FAQs
What's New?
This page contains information concerning our efforts to keep our website updated. When something new is added, or modified, it will be posted so you don't have to search the site for new things. The most recently posted item will always appear on top of the list.We look forward to hearing from you. Please use the "Feedback Form" to let us know what you want included/added to the site and your thoughts about the site. Just click on the link below. Our Feedback Page
Historical Display at Dr. Smith's Site
The museum has an outdoor photographic display now in its 4th year with period photographs taken at the Dr. Smith's Neutral Water Health Resort. The purpose of this display is to provide the casual passersby with some information about the site before them and also to invite them into the museum.The 26" x 26" color display is attached to the London Ave. footbridge across Landing Creek. The photos include views of the various buildings on the site, a view before the resort's construction and some of the visitors with Dr. Smith present. The display is a fiberglass-backed display on laminated plastic that is not prone to the water damage that destroyed the previous display.
The display design was prepared by James & Mark Maxwell and executed by The Gotham Group, a Winsome Digital Company of Egg Harbor Township.
Added on July 17, 2012
Major Acquisitions and the Stockinger Donation
In early March 2013, the museum received a donation of an Albrecht up-right piano that had been in the Egg Harbor City Public Schools since at least 1935, serving in School #1 (The Pike School) and the Buffalo Avenue/Charles L. Spragg School.In July 2012, a significant piece of Egg harbor City history became available to the museum. The original music cabinet of the Aurora Singing Society has been obtained from a local resident whose family has had it since the Aurora Hall was torn down. This will be both displayed and used to hold many of our music related items including a 50-year celebration book of the Aurora singing society (dated 1907) and a reproduction copy of an original work for pianoforte by P.M. Wolsieffer (the founder of the Aurora Singing Society) entitled "Bridgeport Rondo" and dated 1838, a recording of which was played during the grave-marker installation mentioned above.
At the annual dinner meeting of the Egg Harbor City Historical Society in July, 2009, it was announced that the Roundhouse Museum was a beneficiary of the Herbert Stockinger Trust and had received $18,500. At present, we are looking at ways, in addition to the following, to use these monies and at the same time honor Mr. Stockinger, a former society member.
In early December 2009, the society purchased an OPTOMA projector for use with our computer systems. This will make it easy to make Powerpoint presentations and other computer projects on a large screen in the museum or take our museum "on the road".
In May 2010, a 10 x 10 tent was purchased for use at outdoor events such as the annual Nights in the Park celebration. An effort is being made to create a darkened corner for use with the projector and our Powerpoint shows.
Added on July 17, 2012
Our computer system at work....
The museum computer is always adding a new dimension to its support of local history and aid its visitors' quest for information. Many times a visitor would ask if the musuem has a photograph of a relative or their house. Many times we have been able to answer their request rather quickly, but addition of more material makes that task more daunting every day.As a continuation of the newspaper project previously described, dates and page numbers of scanned newspapers have active hyper-links to each listed page that opens in Photoshop and allows magnification and movement throughout the entire page.
Our photographs are now having captions added to each before storage in a large file folder. Names of any person identified in these photographs are being added to a spreadsheet that contains active hyperlinks to the photographs that open in a Photoshop program. Presently there are over 1000 names in the list, many of which appear in multiple photographs dating back to the 1880s. A large number of names has been due to the donation of scanned images and lists of early photographs from the archives of Zion's Lutheran Church. The museum is making prints available as hard-copy prints on photo-grade papers or on CD-rom at a nominal cost. Visit the museum and look at the past. Maybe you can help identify even more people that remain unknown in our archives.
Another spreadsheet uses the Obituary Files taken from The NEWS. Many times visitors ask directions to a family cemetery site, but our newest printed source is from 1980. This summer, a computerized index is nearing completion as an Excel spreadsheet. A walk-thru of each section (1-8, A-G & Y and mausoleum) is entered and an update of interments file is also created. This file has been created through the joint efforts of members Dennis Kolb, Kathy Gad-Stadtmueller and Mark Maxwell. It is planned to reconcile this listing with the records of the City Cemetery Association The museum has also be given permission to digitally scan the existing maps of the various sections, a copy of which is being given to the City Clerk.
And finally, a huge undertaking has begun to create a set of spreadsheets of all listed properties in the early tax books. This set of will be by decade, showing the owner's name, individual block and lot numbers and the page of the particular annual tax-book viewed. Currently (July 2012) only the year 1870 is complete with scattered additions to other 1860s and 1870s spreadsheets. It is hope to be able to do our searches by computer thousands of times faster and reduce the wear and tear on these old books, many of which are falling apart and in need of extensive and expensive repair.
Added on July 17, 2012
Local Author's Book focuses on the Roundhouse & EHC
Local author and society member Roy Carl Weiler, Sr. published a couple romance novels. The first was "Secrets of the Museum" and prominently features a photograph of the Roundhouse Museum on its cover. The story focuses on a terminally ill Cynthia Dobbs who refuses to give up. Family lore relates to her grandmother's miraculous cure at Dr. Smith's health spa, so she returns to Egg Harbor City in search of "The Doctor Book" and its secrets. His second book, "White Ivory from the Museum" features the house of many names (Planer, Fehrer, Pfeiffer, Civil War Veterans Orphange, et al) on the cover.Autographed copies of the books are available at the museum. Believing in the mission of the EHCHS, he is donating a portion of his royalties from the sale of each book to the upkeep of the Roundhouse Museum.
Roy is also in mid-production of a second cookbook. Since Egg Harbor City has also been known as the Wine City, this book will feature recipes that call for wine in their preparation. Look for this book before Christmas 2012
Added on July 17, 2012
Mayor P.M. Wolsieffer Memorial
In early 2010 it was announced that the final resting place of Egg Harbor City's first mayor, Philip Mathias Wolsieffer has been located in an unmarked grave in Lawnview Cemetery, Rockledge, PA. The members of the society present at the meeting approved the production of a memorial stone for the Wolsieffer family interred there. They had originally rested in the Odd Fellows Cemetery at 24th and Diamond St. in Philadelphia until it was closed in 1950 to create the Raymond Rosen Housing Project. This was an especially emotional meeting for member Helen Young, who is the great-grand-daughter of P.M. Wolsieffer and sister of PEACE PILGRIM. The headstone has been created and donated by the Sarceno Funeral Home of Egg Harbor City and a formal placing of the stone took place with four generations of Wolsieffer descendants present. Visit www.findagrave.com for photos.Added on July 17, 2012
Book About Egg Harbor City is still Available!.
The 2008 "Egg Harbor City" Arcadia Publishing, Inc. book has done quite well for the historical society. With the exception of monies needed to meet income tax requirements, all royalties have been given to the treasury of the society. There are less than 10 signed copies remaining at the museum and very few remain in the hands of the publisher.We would like to thank our supporters that allowed us to copy their old photos (pre-1960) for inclusion in our archives and use in the book "Egg Harbor City" that focuses on the first 100 years. The first book signing took place at the Roundhouse Museum on 17FEB2010. Purchasing this book at the museum will support the historical society and maintain the Roundhouse Museum as the entire purchase price goes to the museum itself. Many good reviews have been received and we are looking forward to a sequel.
Added on July 17, 2012
E-MAIL CONTACTS
The museum has received several e-mails in the past requesting a reply. The replies return as undeliverable. We have been unable to trace the original sender. If you have not heard from us within a week, please call (609)-965-4677 AND LEAVE A MESSAGE WITH A VALID E-MAIL ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER.Added on November 13, 2010
Digitization Grant
The Egg Harbor City Historical Society and the Atlantic County Library was jointly awarded a grant in 2005 to digitize various documents that relate to the "German Experience" in America. These documents include immigration records, early EHC tax records and newspapers. The projected plans to digitize "The NEWS" (1928 through 1935) and some early tax books from 1862 to 1900 were scaled back due to the high cost of producing Metadata files. The newspaper files were to be converted to searchable PDF files and placed on the New Jersey Digital Highway (NJDH). An alphabetical index of the 1862 tax book has been prepared and the tax book is on the website. There are also old photographs and U.S. Declarations of Intent that have been placed on the NJDH. Many photographic holdings of the museum have also been placed on the NJDH.We have recently opened a package of rolled Egg Harbor Pilot-Tribune newspapers from 1921 and 1922 and have begun to digitally archive the images of their front pages and interesting items. A lot of forgotten material has been brought to light again with each new page we view. The opening of the "new" White Horse Pike with its Welcome Arch, Atlantic County OKs paving Philadelphia Avenue with Warrenite, Egg Harbor City Hospital opens its doors, preparation begins for the construction of a new school on Philadelphia Avenue. An interesting item found on the pages was titled: "What happened 50 years ago."
Added on January 7, 2009
