Like the designers of the Egyptian Pyramids who added secret compartments within their walls that stored the wealth and possessions of their Pharaoh inhabitants as preparation for their journeys and lives in the next realm, more modern architects have hidden treasures within their structures.  Hundreds of thousands of riders travel over the Benjamin Franklin Bridge between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Camden, New Jersey daily.  Few have any inkling of the treasures stored within it.

The idea of building a bridge across the Delaware River was discussed in the early 1800’s.  Employing the best practices of 19^th Century engineering, they planned a low structure with a complex array of openings to accommodate both the sailing ships and the horse-drawn vehicles of the day.   Like many such large-scale public programs, it takes years to bring initial plans to fruition, and the bridge spanning the Delaware was no exception.  In fact, it took a century.

With the dawn of the motorized era of transportation, the need for a bridge became more pressing.  In 1913, the city of Philadelphia formed the Penn Memorial Bridge Committee to study a possible Delaware River crossing.  At about the same time, interest in such a bridge also peaked among New Jersey farmers who wished to transport their produce to Pennsylvania markets.

Between 1908 and 1911, the state of New Jersey passed laws stipulating that three or more counties could join to initiate a bridge study if all three counties were contiguous, and at least one bordered the river to be crossed.  Influenced by the agricultural interests, Gloucester, Camden and Burlington counties eventually came up with the funds to study the proposed Delaware River Bridge.

In 1916, New Jersey Governor James F. Fielder appointed the Delaware River and Tunnel Commission and Philadelphia agreed to jointly study the issues.  In 1919, the legislatures of the state of Pennsylvania and New Jersey approved creation of the Delaware River Bridge Joint Commission.  In 1920, the Commission chose Ralph Modjeski as bridge engineer and Leon S. Moisseiff as design engineer.  The original plan was to build a bridge for pedestrians, motorized vehicles, a trolley line, and heavy rail connecting Philadelphia to the City of Camden, the New Jersey Turnpike, and Southern New Jersey.  The trolley service was to have passenger terminals housed in dual concrete anchorages supporting the suspension bridge structure, but the service was never initiated.

It is in these unused concrete trolley stations, long hidden from the eyes of the public, that an artistic treasure lies.  Like the rooms in the pyramids containing a wealth of Egyptian culture, these alcoves contain beautiful mosaic artwork that has never been seen by the general public because of security reasons.

On its dedication day in 1926, 100,000 people walked from Philadelphia to Camden including a Confederate soldier in full uniform.  The next day, President Calvin Coolidge dedicated it as The Delaware River Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the world.  In years to come, the bridge would be renamed to honor Benjamin Franklin and the heavy rail lanes would become part of the Port Authority Transit Company (PATCO) high-speed rail system.  But, the tiled passenger terminals and mosaics celebrating milestones in the history of transportation would remain largely unseen.

Fortunately, the treasures of the Ben Franklin Bridge can be viewed on Write On New Jersey.  And another hidden piece of history has been revealed.

The New Jersey Self-Help Clearinghouse has been helping people find and form support groups for over 31 years. Plans for the Clearinghouse began in 1980. Armed with a wooden card file box and index cards, the Clearinghouse began to collect information on self-help support groups. This list continued to grow and was printed as a directory in January of 1980. The Self-Help Clearinghouse was funded through a grant from the State Division of Mental Health and operations began in January 1981. The Clearinghouse became a department of Saint Clare’s Health System in 1985.

The Clearinghouse lists over 6,750 support groups all over the state ofNew Jerseyfor just about any type of stressful situation that affects people’s well-being. The Clearinghouse has, over the years, built and continually updates a rather extensive database of support groups.  Groups cover a wide range of life-situations such as addictions, bereavement, disabilities, behavioral and physical health, parenting, care giving, and much more. 

The Clearinghouse provides free consultation and training services to persons developing no-fee support groups; free training workshops on the development and facilitation of self-help groups, how to deal with difficult people, developing listening skills, and more as well as providing free assistance with the “how to’s” of  starting a group.

People attending support groups find others who share similar experiences. They have the chance to collectively share practical information, exchange coping strategies, as well as being part of a community that understands them and their unique circumstances. If you would like information on attending or starting a support group, call the New Jersey Self-Help Group Clearinghouse, Monday – Friday, 8:30am-5pm, at 1-800-367-6274 or 973-326-6789.

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“My years as a medical practitioner, as well as my own first-hand experience, have taught me how important self-help groups are in assisting their members in dealing with problems, stress, hardship and pain…Today, the benefits of mutual aid are experienced by millions of people who turn to others with a similar problem to attempt to deal with their isolation, powerlessness, alienation, and the awful feeling that nobody understands.”

- Former U.S. Surgeon General, C. Everett Koop, MD

Clinton Township in scenic, rural Hunterdon County is home to New Jersey’s largest and deepest manmade lake, Round Valley Reservoir.  Spanning 2,000 acres and stocked with trout, the lake – as deep as 180 feet in parts – has become a popular spot for area fisherman since it was opened to the sport in 1972.

Yet, as beautiful as the reservoir and its surroundings are, there is a sinister side to the well-known recreational facility.  The lake has been home to a dozen or more deaths in the past 40 years.  Some were swimmers, at least one an apparent suicide, but most were fisherman.  And eerily, the bodies of six of the victims have never been recovered.

The lake, in the middle of a valley with a bowl shape, is buffeted by winds that get trapped and intensified within the valley, often creating waves of surprising size.  In addition, the depth of the lake keeps water temperature low – even in relatively hot weather.  So, logic dictates that the deaths, although of unknown origins, are likely due to small boats capsizing and victims receiving a hypothermia-like shock to their bodies or being unable to swim significant distances against strong winds.

Some locals, however, have different thoughts.  The land was originally inhabited by the Lenape Indians.  Do the reservoir’s waters cover sacred Lenape burial grounds? Tales also abound that, at the time of the reservoir’s creation, their were intact homes, trees, and roads on what is now the reservoir’s floor.  Are the spirits of those who inhabited those homes washed away by the lake’s waters exacting their revenge on those recreating at Round Valley?

Is the Round Valley Reservoir New Jersey’s own Bermuda Triangle?  Or, has some predatory creature made the lake its home?  Like the questions surrounding Loch Ness, we may never know.

May 6, 2012 marked the 75th anniversary of the Hindenburg Disaster, when the German passenger airship LZ (Luftschiff Zeppelin) #129 Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed during its attempt to dock with its mooring mast at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station.  Newsreel footage, photographs, and the recorded radio eyewitness report of Herbert Morrison have all left their indelible imprint on what is arguably the most famous catastrophe in the history of the Garden State.  And, Herbert Morrison’s eyewitness account is almost as memorable as Russ Hodges’ call of Bobby Thompson’s homerun winning the National League pennant for the New York Giants in 1951.

Steeped in mystery, the Hindenburg’s demise has yet to be conclusively explained.  Conspiracy theorists believe that sabotage caused the airship’s destruction.

If sabotage did indeed cause the disaster, two potential candidates present themselves.  One was a passenger and survivor of the disaster, Joseph Späh.  A German acrobat, Späh brought a German Shepherd on the trip as a surprise for his children.  During the trip, he made a number of unaccompanied trips to a freight room in the stern of the craft – purportedly to feed the dog.  This provided him the opportunity to sabotage the airship.

The other potential saboteur was a crew member, Eric Spehl – a rigger on the airship who died as a result of the disaster.  Suspicions regarding Spehl stem from his access to an area of the ship from which the fire emanated, the Communist, anti-Nazi leanings of his girlfriend, and reputed post-disaster investigation of his potential involvement with the Gestapo.  Spehl’s speculated conspiracy to destroy the craft became the subject of A.A. Hoehling’s 1962 book Who Destroyed the Hindenburg?.  Ten years later, Michael MacDonald Mooney’s book, The Hindenburg, based heavily on Hoehling’s sabotage hypothesis, also identified Spehl as the saboteur.  Mooney’s book was made into the major motion picture The Hindenburg.

Of course, more mundane, less salacious explanations have been posited – including static spark, lightning, engine failure, incendiary paint, and fuel leak hypotheses.  In recent years, the Discovery Channel program MythBusters evaluated the incendiary paint and hydrogen (fuel leak) hypotheses.

Yet, as is the case with many events in history, it is likely that the cause of the Hindenburg Disaster that claimed 35 lives will remain unsolved.

The history surrounding the acquisition of our 49^th State of the Union is quite different than those of the 48 States that preceded it.  Driven by would be come to be called Manifest Destiny, those who settled our 13 original colonies and those who followed them, striking westward, wrested land from the Native Americans.  They did so because they saw great, untapped value in those territories.  But Alaska was another story.  Its acquisition was not a theft but a product of legal negotiations between its original owner, Czarist Russia, and the United States as well as much internal angst in the ranks of American government.

In the 18^th century, Russia acquired the Alaskan peninsula and offered to sell it to the United States during the administration of President John Buchanan.  But the Civil War erupted, stalling negotiations for the purchase of this tremendous tract of pristine wilderness.

In 1865, U. S. Secretary of State William H. Seward, serving under the administration of Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson, saw unprecedented opportunities in the Alaskan wilderness.  A proponent of American expansion, Seward envisioned greatness for Americans hardy enough to hew riches – Alaska’s natural resources – from a territory so huge that it can swallow Texas, California and Montana in one big gulp.

Seward thus pushed for the acquisition of Alaska, but hit road blocks with the U.S. Senate and Congress.  Neither arm of our Federal legislature felt that the expense was worth it.  Unlike Seward who saw tremendous opportunity, our lawmakers saw only a frozen wasteland.  But Seward persisted.

With a bit of arm twisting and intelligent debate, the bill passed by a single vote!  On March 30, 1867, Seward tendered a check to the Russian Government for the sum of $7.2 million dollars.  This purchase of the Alaskan Territory, also known as The Yukon, equated to the steep bargain price of 2 cents an acre!  On October 18, 1867, the Imperial Russian Flag was lowered and replaced by the Stars and Stripes.  The U.S. kept its 49^th State’s name intact, for it was derived from “alaxsxaq.”  In the tongue of the Aleut, the territory’s original inhabitants, that word means “an object to which the sea is directed.”  Loosely translated, it also means “great land” that includes the both the peninsula and the mainland.

Indeed the “great land,” so big is Alaska that the International Date Line had to be bent to keep the entire territory in the same day.  Despite the bending, Alaska is still known as the Land of the Midnight Sun, because in some parts of the State, the sun never dips below the horizon.

But in the Senate and Congress in the late 1800s, our lawmakers were still waiting for the sun to rise over Alaska.  Many scoffed at its purchase, calling it “Seward’s Folly” or “Seward’s Icebox” and “President Andrew Johnson’s Polar Bear Garden.”  He who laughs last laughs, however, laughs longest, as the future of the territory would prove to be the buy of a lifetime.

In 1898, gold was discovered in Alaska.  The promise of easy wealth created a massive exodus from the Lower 48.  In flocked the white man with his booze, his cigarettes, and his machinery to spoil the land.  That era in history also produced tales and legends of the wild north, which were recorded in song and story.

Robert W. Service, a former bank teller, journeyed to the Yukon to become the State’s Poet Laureate.  His famous poems included The Shooting of Dan McGraw, The Cremation of Sam McGee, and The Ballad of Blasphemous Bill, to name a few.  Other colorful characters created by Service included Soapy Smith, a tin-horned gambler that fleeced greenhorn miners with phony maps in Saskatchewan. But sometimes, Smith’s dirty work actually paid off!  All of these poems had humble beginnings; they had entertained the gold miners in their beer halls. Later, they were recorded and published, causing Service to be named “The Bard of the Yukon.”

Some who trekked to Alaska with visions of gold dust in their eyes struck it rich.  Others were sorely disappointed; many had missed the point.   Alaska’s true riches were its wildlife and its pristine waters, the latter of which produced a bounty in the fishing industry.  To this day, wild Alaskan salmon is considered the tastiest in the world.  More than a century after the gold rush, black gold – oil! — was discovered in Alaska’s Anwar region and thus created the Alaskan pipeline system. Later still, commercial cruise lines capitalized on the stunning, untouched beauty of Alaska by mounting cruises down its clear blue waters, offering tourists means of seeing, for example, wild grizzly bears feasting on delicious wild salmon.

Home of the polar bears and the grizzly bear, Alaska hosts 90% of the grizzly population in the U.S.  The environment also supports great herds of caribou, musk ox, and moose as well as sea otters and waterfowl.  Unfortunately, another one of Alaska’s wildlife members lives under the threat of annihilation, even from those born and living within its borders.  Thanks to legislation introduced and supported by Governor Sarah Palin and former President George W. Bush, the gray wolf is openly and unfairly hunted, including nursing mothers and pups.  Palin herself enjoys aerial hunting of wolves.  What chance does a wolf have against a shooter in a helicopter or a small plane with the advantage of height, speed, and a deadly weapon?

But, heartless and ignorant legislators were not the only ones to despoil Alaska’s unique natural environment.  In 1989, an oil tanker named the Exxon Valdez spilled as many as 750,000 of crude oil into Alaska’s Prince William Sound, courtesy of a drunken skipper sleeping it off below-decks and an exhausted crew.  Although this was considered to be one of the worst environmental disasters in the world, human beings did not learn from the lesson endured by Alaska.  In 2010, British Petroleum unleashed millions of gallons of oil into our Gulf, tainting the waters, the wildlife, and the livelihoods of three States.

But humans seem to fair better.  As far as Alaska’s human inhabitants go, their State remains the home of the Aleuts as well as the Eskimo and the descendants of Caucasian settlers who carved homes and lives out of the beauty and starkness of the Alaskan wilderness.  Women outnumber men by approximately 4 to 1 in Alaska, so if you’re a single woman and you’ve yet to find Mr. Right, he may be waiting for you in the Land of the Midnight Sun.  One of Alaska’s most famous natives is the mega-star Jewel, the singer, guitarist, and songwriter who had her first commercial radio hit in 1995, at the age of 21 with, “Who Will Save Your Soul,” and who continues to this day to burn up country music and crossover charts.

Truly America’s last frontier, Alaska is still abundant in natural resources, wildlife, and resilient people willing to challenge the elements of a rugged land.  If William H. Seward were alive today, he would be hailed as a leader of men. With his foresight and determination, our 2 cents an acre deal, the greatest real estate agreement ever envisioned, may have gone by the wayside.

When God created Planet Earth, He placed upon it a rich bounty of food products designed to nourish mankind and enhance his health.  As man progressed, he began to understand the healthful properties of certain foods, many of which warded off disease.  In capitalizing upon this knowledge, medical science was born.

The more that man evolved, however, the farther away he moved from the simplicity and benefits of God’s natural gifts.  Huge pharmaceutical companies now produce mass quantities of medicine in manufacturing plants; they sell that medicine for very handsome profits to an economically burdened consumer base.  If you are one of those so burdened and/or if you prefer your drugs organic, read on.  You’re about to be educated with respect to one of God’s marvels: the onion.

A member of the lily family, the onion is a vegetable.  Unlike the tomato, the onion does not form from a flower; unlike many other vegetables, the main part of the onion — the bulb — grows beneath the ground.  This is why it is known as a “root vegetable.”  The things that make you cry when you slice into an onion, the things that render your breath pungent when you eat it are tip-offs to the onion’s powerhouse of remedies.

This vegetable contains a generous supply of a flavonoid known as quercetin.  When ingested, quercertin protects against cataracts, cancer, and cardiovascular disease.  The onion is packed with a variety of natural chemicals called organosulphur compounds, which studies have linked to lower levels of cholesterol and blood pressure.  As an added boon, the vegetable stimulates the human immune system. And, as they say in infomercials, “Wait, there’s more!”  In addition to its flesh, the oil of the onion is a virtual drugstore.  The oil is used as an expectorant, an antiseptic, an antifungal, and an anticoagulant with analgesic (pain-deadening) properties.

Herbalists employ the wondrous onion to relieve or cure infections that attack the bronchial and gastrointestinal parts of the body.  This Superman of veggies emerges the victor when battling colds, flu, congestion, and stomachaches.   Applied to the skin as a compress, the onion also helps to eradicate acne and ease arthritis.

A recent circulating email carried testimonials from people who had claimed to contain illness within their homes via the miraculous onion.  By staying behind closed doors with cut onions placed behind those doors, these folks were said to remain free of the infections suffered by other members of their families.  When I was a child, my mother would cut a raw onion and place it in the kitchen to absorb noxious odors.  Perhaps the onion works the same way in attracting and quarantining inimical germs.

Aside from its medicinal advantages, onions greatly enhance our food.  Burgers, steak, chicken, pork, lamb, soups, stews, sauces, quiche, frittatas, and all manner of salads, including tuna salad, benefit from the sweet-savory flavor of onions.  Diogenes, the ancient Greek philosopher, searched in vain for an honest man.  But having made onions the main component of his diet, he’d found no issue with the integrity of those edible bulbs.

When eaten, the sulfur in onions causes unpleasant breath … which may have contributed to Diogenes’ hopeless search!  If you’ve not taken advantage of the onion’s pluses for that reason, follow these simple guidelines.   Brush not only your teeth after eating the bulbs, but your tongue, gums, and the interior of your cheeks (gently, please!).  Afterward, gargle for two full minutes with a mouthwash.  Then place the bristle end of your toothbrush into a small amount of mouthwash, for a few minutes, to cleanse it.

If you don’t have your toothbrush and mouthwash handy, chew on raw parsley; it neutralizes the onion’s aroma.  Or, make sure that your loved one(s) eat onions the same time that you do.  When you all smell alike, you won’t offend anyone! 

How many times in your life have you heard and dismissed the proverb, “The Lord will provide.”  Well, have faith: provide, He did.  He gave us the plentiful, versatile, healthy, tasty onion!   Bon appetit!

The legend of the New Jersey Devil just won’t go away. Unlike other ancient legends the winged and devilish monster has persisted in the consciousness of the state from the 1700’s right up until the modern day, with clear sighting still being reported. As Halloween approaches we thought it would be good to provide a spooky Halloween story for the children of New Jersey, so that they can keep their eyes open when they visit the woods.

The Pine Barrens

The south of the State of New Jersey contains a large undeveloped area of pine woodland called the Pine Barrens, which covers in excess of 1.1 million acres, or 4,500 km². There is said to be an eerie, unsettling feel to the woods, with people reporting a strong sensation of ‘being watched’ when exploring there. This primitive biological mechanism should not be dismissed. The feeling of being watched is a surprisingly accurate survival tool, developed over millennia. So just who or what may be spying on visitors to the Pine Barrens?

The Legend

According to oral tradition the legend begins in 1735, with a woman named Mother Leeds, so named because the shack where she lived was situated in the Leeds Point area of the Pine Barrens. Photos of Shroud House, where she lived, show a ramshackle building, in which the old lady brought up twelve children. Struggling to cope with the labor pains of the thirteenth child the story goes that she cursed it, crying “Let it be the devil!” The thirteenth child was then born as a hideous devil-shaped creature, with horns and wings, which attacked the attending midwives and flew up the chimney and into the night. Other versions of the story contradict this, saying that Mother Leeds kept the deformed thirteenth child in the cellar of the house, throwing meat down to keep it alive. One day she stopped feeding it, whereupon it transformed into the monster, escaped and terrorized local farms in search of food. Thus the legend, and the Jersey Devil, was born.

Theories About The Devil

Jersey Devil historians at The Devil Hunters website offer a number of suggestions and explanations for the legend of the creature. Some theorize that the legend arose due to a deformed child, born to an older woman. In the 1700’s, this would potentially have been seen as evidence of witchcraft, and it is possible that the child was hidden away from prying eyes from fear. As for the sightings, opinion is split. Could it merely be a misidentification of the Sandhill Crane, which has a wing span similar to that of the winged fiend, at between five and six feet? Some adhere to this theory, although the Jersey Devil has been known to attack and steal animals, which an herbivorous crane would not do. The reported sightings of the Devil also describe an animal far taller than the crane, which stands at 40-48 inches. Or is the monster a supernatural creature, a true demon, or a real life throwback, which has survived un-captured for centuries? Who knows. It has characteristics that certainly defy rational explanation, such as the ability to survive gunshots, and an unnatural ability to escape from impossible confines. Other paranormal phenomena have been reported simultaneously with Jersey Devil sightings, such as ghost like apparitions, which lends weight to a supernatural origin, if you are minded to believe in such things.

Some Famous Sightings

Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Evans had one of the longest sightings of the Jersey Devil near Gloucester City NJ, in January 1909, in a week where sightings peaked, causing widespread terror. The encounter was at 2:30 am, on January 19^th, when Mr. Evans was woken by a strange, strangled sounding noise. He and his wife watched the Jersey Devil standing on the roof of their shed for ten minutes. Mr. Evans is quoted as follows “It was about three feet and a half high, with a head like a collie dog and a face like a horse. It had a long neck, wings about two feet long, and its back legs were like those of a crane, and it had horse’s hooves. It walked on its back legs and held up two short front legs with paws on them. It didn’t use the front legs at all while we were watching” Around the same time a Mrs. Mary Sorbinski was witness to an attack by the Jersey Devil on her dog. Hearing a commotion she discovered a ‘horrible monster’ which had a hold of her pet. She beat it with a broom until it dropped the dog and flew off, uttering a terrible high-pitched scream. Most sightings include mention of a terrible screech, a tail, wings, hooves and claws. There are literally hundreds of reported sightings of the Jersey Devil, many quite detailed and made by credible witnesses. It is one of the reasons why the legend still grips the popular imagination. The Devil Hunters website charts sightings up to as recently as 2009. Could yours be the next?

Devil Hunting For Halloween!

If you want to go in search of the Jersey Devil yourself this Halloween, scan online for Tripbase flights, but take care in the Pine Barrens. Make sure you find out about the area before you set off, as it is easy to get lost in the vast area. Remember The Blair Witch Project? It’s a little like that in the woods. Make sure you have a cell phone with you in case of emergencies, or just so there’s a friendly voice if the feeling of being watched gets a bit too scary. If you want to find Shroud’s House, where Mother Leeds is supposed to have given birth to the creature, you may be out of luck. Whilst many attempts are made to track down the source of the legend, the property is in private hands now. It may be better to just wander in the pine forests nearby and see who – or what – you can find. One rumor is that if you say the Jersey Devil’s name three times he will appear. Jersey Devil, Jersey Devil, Jersey Dev…

Pine Barrens area:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/16/Mullica_River_3.jpg/800px-Mullica_River_3.jpg

Eyewitness Drawing of Jersey Devil from Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, January 1909:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Jersey_Devil_Philadelphia_Post_1909.jpg

Shroud House Image:

http://www.whitesquirrel.com/house.jpg

Rat Island is a two-and-a-half acre rock formation situated in Hudson Bay, near Pelham, New York (The Bronx).  As per American history, its origin dates back to 1654, when Thomas Pell purchased the land from the Siwanoys, one of seven Native American tribes that inhabited the area.  Of course, as far as the Siwanoys were concerned, the island’s history preceded the white man’s purchase.  Little is known about this tribe, except they that were notorious for selling unlivable land to the stupid Pilgrims.  Hence, in English, Siwanoy translates to “robber land barons.”

How the isle became known as Rat Island is undocumented.  Some sources claim that it became associated with prisoners — a.k.a. “rats” — escaping from the jail on nearby Hart Island.

In the 1800′s, the island earned the nickname “Pelham Pesthouse” for the typhoid fever victims quarantined there: a moniker that did nothing to dispel the association with vermin.  The island did not become part of New York City until 1888, when the metropolis began acquiring land to create Pelham Bay Park.

Although Rat Island was not inhabited by anyone other than escaping prisoners, a lone cottage foundation sits at its highest point; storm tides sometimes submerged the entire island.  No doubt the building was abandoned during its nascent construction for that very reason.  Far from the maddening crowds of the mainland, the island’s only attractions seemed to be peace and tranquility.  For a time, during mild weather, it had become a haunt for artists and writers as well as some fisherman.

Including Thomas Pell, the island has had four private owners, none of whom has been happy with it.  The latest and current owner is a now-retired marine contractor named Edmund Brennen who saw the property as a diamond in the rough.  In 1972, he paid the tax lien of $5,000 on the property.   It took more time and money to foreclose on the property, but finally, Brennen became the owner.

Given his line of business, he used the island to store his equipment and retrieve barges that had capsized because of the cargo contained in their tanks.  He brought the capsized barges to the island and removed the tanks, allowing the barges to drift freely on the high tides.

When the Army Corps of Engineers caught wind of this, they decreed that the drifting barges created a hazard to shipping vessels.  They ordered Brennen to dispose of the tanks on an artificial reef in Smithtown Bay.

After many years, Mr. Brennen retired to Florida.  But the Siwanoy curse still lingers over Rat Island in the form of taxes due.  Since then, the property has been placed into the hands of Brennen’s agents, realtors attempting to help him retrieve something of worth in this gasping-for-breath market.

Although Brennen was asking $300,000 for the island in 2009, New York City had valued it at approximately $426,000.  In September of 2011, Brennen conceded to a public auction.  His realtors hope that this move will encourage entrepreneurs with both money and imagination to invest in the future.  Mr. Brennen describes the public auction as Russian roulette, in that it will be quick and decisive.

In addition to the tidal flooding, Rat Island has other faults.  Chief among them is the lack of infrastructure (no electricity, no plumbing, and no sewer system).  It doesn’t even have a dock.   But it does have a few good qualities.  It is within swimming distance of trendy City Island.  Those who eschew a dip in the Hudson can take a five-minute boat ride there, provided by Barron’s Marine Service.  In clement weather, Rat Island also offers excellent views of Orchard Beach, New Rochelle, Long Island as well as Executive Rocks Lighthouse.

I am no expert in real estate, but in my opinion, a change of name might be prudent.  Who wants to buy an island whose name brings to mind nasty vermin?  If the name change fails to result in a sale, Mr. Brennen would do well to locate a living ancestor of the Siwanoy tribe to manage his real estate endeavors.  After all, there are still plenty of stupid Pilgrims still out there!

Hail to the Chief is a march played during Presidential appearances at public events as well as Congressional visits.  It is the formal, musical announcement that precedes the President of the United States of America.  As directed by the Department of Defense since 1954, the U. S. Marine Band or some other military ensemble performs the air, which is preceded by four ruffles and flourishes.

The song’s history dates back to Sir Walter Scott’s poem, Lady of the Lake, which he’d penned in the early 1800s.  Composed of four verses, in the original text, the relevant words from that poem are:

Hail to the chief, who in triumph advances.

Honour’d and blest be the evergreen pine!

Long may the tree in his banner that glances,

Flourish the shelter and grace of our line.

Heaven, send it happy dew,

Earth, lend it sap anew.

Gaily to bourgeon and broadly to grow;

While every highland glen,

Sends our shout agen,

Roderigh Vich Alpine Dhu, ho!-i-e- roe!

Circa 1812, James Sanderson, a songwriter, violinist, and conductor at the Surrey Theatre in London, England was inspired to set Scott’s words to music.  Later, The Lady of the Lake was made into a romantic melodramatic play sponsored by Martins and Reynolds in London.

On May 8, 1812, a version of this play opened in New York City.  It featured Hail to the Chief as a march and a chorus.  About the same time, the song was published in Philadelphia, thus affording it more popularity.

The song’s association with the Presidency occurred in 1815, when it was played to honor George Washington and the War of 1812.  It was then known as Wreaths for the Chieftains.

Andrew Jackson was the first living President to be honored by the song, in 1829.  The next time it was played was in 1837, at the ceremonies marking the inauguration of Martin Van Buren.  On the Fourth of July 1828, the Marine Band played it during the opening of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, an opening attended by John Quincy Adams.

Growing in popularity, the tune was requested at other Presidential inaugurations, including those of John Tyler and James Polk.  Under the Truman Administration, the Department of Defense made it the official tribute to the President.

The original lyrics were changed by Albert Gamse and set to music written by James Sanderson.  Although the lyrics follow, the song is rarely sung; it is simply played.

Hail to the Chief we have chosen for the nation

Hail to the Chief!

We salute him one and all.

Hail to the Chief,

As we pledge cooperation

In proud fulfillment of a great, noble call.

Yours is the aim to make this grand country grander.

This you will do, that’s our strong, firm belief.

Hail to the one we selected as Commander

Hail to the President!  Hail to the Chief!

As I type these lyrics by Albert Gamse, I smile when reading words like “cooperation” and “the one.”  As Reverend Wright would say, “The chickens are coming home to roost.” I wonder if Albert Gamse had a premonition of things to come in our nation’s capital?

Our founding fathers had envisioned a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, a government that would not sanction royalty to serve as its leaders.  But, a rose by any other name is still a rose!  Maybe the Presidential tribute should end with a Bronx cheer to remind the incumbent that his term in office is limited.

Imagine the next State of the Union address or other Presidential event when the song is played and sung.  Our lawmakers will probably need the assistance of paramedics for help, after choking on their words!  Only in America!

Photos Courtesy of Martin Griff / The Times

Hollywood launched Roots, a blockbuster mini-series that captured our hearts in illustrating the struggles of Negroes in pre-Civil War America.  With Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X at the helm of later struggles, history relates the diverse approaches used to achieve racial equality as promised by the Constitution of the United States of America.  But perhaps nothing tells more about a people than their artifacts: the things they leave behind them as roadmaps to and touchstones of the past.  Some of these artifacts can be found in a seemingly unlikely locale: the Geraldine Carter-Bethel Library within the Shiloh Baptist Church in Trenton, New Jersey, at 340 S. Howard Woodson Jr. Way.

Upon reflection, this landmark church is the perfect place to serve as a library/museum for literature, photographs, and items used in donors’ daily lives.  Down through history, African-Americans have embraced the Lord as a respite from their travails and a source of strength leading to empowerment.  So it stands to reason that a church should become the repository of the things that marked life’s experiences for the faithful of the Shiloh Baptist Church.

Established in 1972 with donations of little more than $3,000, the library/museum, housed within the late nineteenth century church, rests in the capable hands of Elizabeth Carter Lacy.  At the age of 77, this retiree is well motivated to source, catalog, preserve, and showcase the myriad historical items.  Ms. Lacy, you see, has been a member of the Shiloh Baptist Church since infancy; her uncle, Deacon Robert Carter and his wife, Esther, were the library/museum’s founders.  The library/museum continues to evolve with the memorabilia of family, friends, and the congregation, items that track African-American moments in history.

Ms. Lacy herself represents one such moment.   She watched her father, who was forced to abandon his education after the 5th Grade, strive to create a better life for his family.  Progressing by degrees from chauffeur to PSE&G’s first Black boiler-operator, Elizabeth’s dad realized his dreams.  His hard work and focus sent Elizabeth to Cheney State Teachers University (formerly, College) and financed her sister’s education, which culminated in a Master’s degree and a career as a nurse.

As curator of the library/museum, Ms. Lacy proudly explains the rich heritage of the objects entrusted to her care.   Among the treasures are:

- A letter dated 1913 from former Pastor, John A. White, requesting that the congregation confer in order to establish the Trenton chapter of the NAACP

- A photograph of Barack Obama commemorating his visit to the church prior to his Presidential campaign

- A World War I helmet bestowed by a church member, and a World War II bugle donated by Elizabeth’s husband, musician Bill Lacy: testimonies to African-Americans having served in every war in which our nation was engaged

Less sensational but no less indicative of life in this community are antique cookie jars and a Black baby doll, obituaries, and photographs, some of which Elizabeth Lacy herself has collected.  She displays a special fondness for a photo of a Miss Mae Rose, who once presented the young Ms. Lacy with a heavy glass water bottle.  Although the bottle was completely empty, it symbolized the meaningful adage about seeing the glass half empty or half full.  Miss Mae Rose had advised young Elizabeth that she could fill the bottle up with pennies to help “an average girl” foot her college tuition.

Elizabeth is now paying it forward with another large glass water bottle on display at the library/museum.  She is filling it up with pennies in the hope of helping fund the education of “an average woman.”

Tradition is kept alive in other ways: with the aid of the church’s historical society, Elizabeth’s children, Wanda Lacy McNeill and Susan Lacy, help to maintain the library/museum at Shiloh Baptist Church.

If you are interested in experiencing this slice of American history, please call the church at (609) 695-2448 to arrange for an enjoyable and unforgettable tour.