November 8, 2018
The November meeting was held on the above date at the Community Center. The President called the meeting to order at 7:36 PM followed by the flag salute and moment of silence. There were 6 members present: Ann Franzen, Eileen Chesla, Sue Shannon, Mary Ann Silvers, Harry Silvers and Peggy Pitney.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved.
OLD BUSINESS
Harry Silvers reported that the Pepper House windows are scheduled to be painted in October or November. The old windows were sold to Sherrie Pepper for $250. The cellar steps are still pending completion and the cleaning of the new window trim needs to be done before the cold weather begins.
Aubrey Silvers cleaned the Friendship School on October 6 earning 2 community service hours.
We received $170 from our October 18 Dine and Donate Event at Upper Crust.
Keith Zane performed some maintenance on the Tabernacle Cemetery replacing rails and surveying what else needs to be done. We received a complaint about grave markers sinking from Gladys Myers. Keith will investigate.
The Society was represented at the Community Fall Festival by Rick and Ann Franzen, Carolyn Cuviello, Pat Lampi and Mary Ann and Harry Silvers. The Tree Lighting Event was also promoted at the same time.
The Christmas in the Pines House Tour will not be held this year due to a lack of participating houses.
NEW BUSINESS
The 2019 Budget (attached) was presented to the membership for its first reading.
The December Meeting/Social will be held at the Franzens’ house on December 13 at 7:30 PM. Members will be sent a written invitation and will be asked to bring either an appetizer or a dessert.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:50 PM. A presentation followed by Marisa Bozarth on the History of Smithville
The next regular meeting will be held on March 14 at 7:30 PM at the Community Center.
Respectfully submitted,
Ann Franzen
Secretary & Vice President
September 13, 2018
The September meeting was held on the above date at the Community Center. The President called the meeting to order at 7:40 PM followed by the flag salute and moment of silence. There were 8 members present: Glen Petrauski, Ann Franzen, Eileen Chesla, Sue Shannon, Rick Franzen, Mary Ann Silvers, Harry Silvers and Ralph Shrom. We also had a guest with us – Barbara Bickel.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved.
OLD BUSINESS
The window replacements at the Pepper House have been completed. The Township will be paying Newcomb Construction Company for 14 of the windows and the Society paid for the other two. Harry Silvers and Rick Franzen will inspect the building, doors and windows every five years to insure proper maintenance.
Sue Shannon was thanked for representing us and presenting flowers at the Carranza Memorial Ceremony on July 14.
The Chicken Barbecue was a big success again this year. It was held on July 21 from 1 to 6 PM in partnership with the Tabernacle Rescue Squad. We served 450 people and earned a profit of $1662.63. In contrast, in 2017 we served 398 people and showed a profit of $1455.37.
Mary Ann Silvers held the last Open House of the year at the Friendship School on September 1. This was in conjunction with the Burlington County Passport Program. Seven people attended on that day.
NEW BUSINESS
The New Jersey Corporate Filing was completed before the deadline of August 31. Eileen Chesla made a motion to reimburse Mary Ann for the $27.50 filing fee. Glen Petrauski seconded the motion and it was approved by voice vote.
The President reported that she has finished the Society scrapbook for January 2016 through September 2017 and is currently working on the segment covering October 2017 to the present.
The Tabernacle Fall Festival will be held at Seneca High School on October 28. We will distribute information and sell our merchandise. Volunteers are needed to man our table.
The bank has informed us that we need to make a small deposit every 6 months into the Cemetery Checking Account or to keep our balance at $1,000 to avoid a $5 charge every month for inactivity. It was decided that we will make a minimal deposit in 6 months which will be March 2019.
A Fall cleaning day was discussed for the Pepper House, but we will wait until after the windows are painted to do this work. Cleaning at the Friendship School will be done by Aubrey Silvers who has volunteered to fulfill a commitment to community service. Her grandmother, Mary Ann, will supervise her.
A Dine and Donate event will be held soon, the date is to be determined and announced at our next meeting.
Midge Hangley will be contacted to determine if we will be having the Christmas House Tour again this year. If we do it, we will need homes to be opened for the tour.
A discussion ensued about whether to continue reading the minutes of the previous meeting aloud or to print them out so that members can read them before the meeting and comment if they see an issue. Glen Petrauski suggested that we try printing them for the members until the end of the calendar year and then reconsider the issue. We will continue reading the Treasurer’s report as usual for the time being. The schedule of meetings was also reviewed. We will maintain the present schedule for now.
Ralph Shrom suggested that those who attend the Historians Roundtable share their successful fund raising ideas so that each organization can explore new ways to generate income.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:35. The next meeting will be on October 11 at 7:30 at the Community Center.
After the meeting Rick Franzen presented an update on his extensive research into the burials at the Tabernacle Cemetery.
Respectfully submitted,
Ann Franzen
Secretary & Vice President
July 12, 2018
The July meeting was held on the above date at the Community Center. The President called the meeting to order at 7:45 PM followed by the flag salute and moment of silence. There were 11 members present: Ann Franzen, Eileen Chesla, Barbara Toms, Sue Shannon, Rick Franzen, Mary Ann Silvers, Harry Silvers, Betty Orme, Eileen Haines, Rickey Haines and Meg Ellis.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved.
OLD BUSINESS
We have received no update from the Township on the status of the window replacement project.
At the cemetery buildings, the broken parts of the vinyl siding have been replaced at no cost to us and the missing window pane was re-attached.
There has been a change in the Passport Program Open House at the Friendship School. Glen Petrauski will man the building on July 7, and Ann Franzen will take August 4.
Sue Shannon will present the wreath on behalf of the Society at the Carranza Memorial Ceremony on July 14.
The Chicken Barbecue will be held on July 21 from 1 to 6 PM. Workers are needed throughout the day as well as volunteers to provide potato salad and desserts. Michael’s Event Catering will provide the coleslaw for us at no charge.
NEW BUSINESS
B.J. Harrison, a CPA, prepared the NJ CRI-200 filing for 2017 as requested by the Attorney General of the State of New Jersey, Consumer Affairs. This annual filing came with a $30 fee. A motion was made by Betty Orme and seconded by Sue Shannon to reimburse the President for this expense.
Another motion was made by Sue Shannon and seconded by Barbara Toms to pay the CPA’s bill of $250.
A discussion followed on several topics: reducing the number of meetings, dispensing with the reading of the minutes/Treasurer’s Report and the election of new officers next year. All topics were held over for future consideration.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:25. The next meeting will be on July 12 at 7:30 at the Community Center. Sue Shannon volunteered to provide refreshments.
Respectfully submitted,
Ann Franzen
Secretary & Vice President
June 14, 2018
The June meeting was held on the above date at the Community Center. The President called the meeting to order at 7:40 PM followed by the flag salute and moment of silence. There were 12 members present: Ann Franzen, Ralph Shrom, Bill Sprague, Eileen Chesla, Sue Shannon, Rick Franzen, Mary Ann Silvers, Harry Silvers, Rita Moonsammy, Midge Hangley, Betty Orme and Keith Zane. Also in attendance were 2 guests: Jess Hamilton and Marci Hamilton.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved. Correspondence was read from Jessica Hamilton thanking the Society for the Scholarship she received from us.
OLD BUSINESS
A scholarship sponsored by the Historical Society was recently awarded to Seneca senior Jessica Hamilton, who will begin her college career at the University of Delaware studying music education. Jessica was present at the meeting. She gave a brief speech thanking us and giving us her background. She then entertained the group by playing two classical pieces on her flute.
Peg Pitney, Barbara Toms, Mary Ann and Harry Silvers were at the Pepper House during the Memorial Day Parade. They gave tours and sold merchandise. One schoolhouse ornament was sold and $37 was collected in donations. Mary Ann Silvers presented the wreath at Town Hall on behalf of the Society.
The Strawberry Social was held on June 24, 2018 at the Community Center. THS made a profit of $712. We served 91 servings of cake, 40 hot dogs and 44 drinks.
Thanks to all who worked at the event or donated food. An accounting sheet for the Social was presented. We will need to restock our paper goods.
Keith Zane made a motion to transfer $102 in donations received at the Strawberry Social to the Cemetery Fund. The motion was seconded by Ralph Shrom and approved by the members.
The Friendship School will be open one Saturday a month from 10 AM to 1 PM. Glen Petrauski hosted the June 2 event and Ann Franzen will be there on July 7. Volunteers are still needed for August 4 and September 1.
The membership approved a motion made by Keith Zane and seconded by Ralph Shrom to donate $50 to the Salvation Army in member of Washington Orme who recently passed away.
NEW BUSINESS
The Chicken Barbecue, held in conjunction with the Tabernacle Rescue Squad, will be on July 21 from 1 to 6 PM. Each member was given a set of 10 tickets to sell. It is hoped that all tickets will be sold. Any unsold tickets must be returned to Mary Ann and a final count is needed by July 20. We need a total of 90 pounds of potato salad donated as well as many desserts. Workers will be needed the day of the event.
Burlington County will be publishing a Cultural and Heritage Magazine. Keith Zane made a motion to place a 3.5 x 2.25 ad from the Historical Society. Ralph Shrom seconded the motion and it was approved. We may also send historical photos to be included in the magazine.
There was a discussion about advertising our meetings through our Facebook page. Another discussion was about presenting a wreath from THS at the Carranza Day Memorial Service. Sue Shannon said that she would present the wreath on our behalf. Keith Zane displayed a commemorative coin that the Rescue Squad is selling to mark its 65th Anniversary. They are $5 each.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:15. Bill Sprague was the featured speaker, presenting a program on the history of his Tuckerton Road home, a former stage coach stop.
The next meeting will be on July 12 at 7:30 at the Community Center.
Respectfully submitted,
Ann Franzen
Secretary & Vice President
May 10, 2018
The May meeting has held on the above date at the Community Center. The President called the meeting to order at 7:43 PM followed by the flag salute and moment of silence. There were 7 members present: Judy Argentine, Sue Shannon, Mary Ann Silvers, Harry Silvers, Carolyn Cuviello, Peg Pitney, and Midge Hangley,
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved. Sue Shannon made the motion and it was seconded by Midge Hangley.
OLD BUSINESS
The Pepper House replacements and repairs are moving along. The estimates for new windows are in and we are now waiting for Doug’s approval and go ahead. The town will pay for 14 windows and the THS will pay for 2 windows. The township will also pay for the painting of the new windows. The two attic windows will remain the same. Also, Tom Boyd, Construction Official, and Doug Cramer, Township Administrator, made the stringers for the new cellar steps which will need to be installed.
The Third Grade tour was very successful. Special thanks goes to Ann Franzen, Sherri Reinhardt, Bev Gibson, Eileen Chesla, Jim and Carolyn Cuviello, Mary Ann Silvers, Barbara Toms, Rick Franzen and Natalie Lewis. Pencils and bookmarks were given out to the students.
The Seneca Scholarship of $500 was sent to Grace McCluskey, Scholarship Coordinator, on April 17, 2018 for the May 23 Awards Ceremony.
Dine and Donate Nite was also successful, netting a profit of $185. A big thank you goes out to all who came out for dinner.
The Friendship Schoolhouse was open on Saturday, May 5th from 10 am to 1 pm as part of the Burlington County Passport Program. We had a total of 8 visitors. We will be getting our own stamp and passports from Marisa Bozarth, “County Historian”. The program will also take place on June 2nd with Glen Petrauski hosting, July 7th with Ann Franzen, August 4th and September 1st. Hosts are needed for August and September.
The THS is seeking a cemetery supervisor who will oversee the grounds and building (clean-ups, hiring workers where necessary, care of fencing, creation of a job description, etc). There is some concern about the dogs in an adjacent property which give the appearance of a threat. It was suggested that we speak to maintenance about any concerns they may have about this and possibly ask the owners to keep the dogs inside when any work is being done by our members.
The Memorial Day Parade will take place on Saturday, May 26, 2018 at 10 am beginning at Seneca H.S. and ending at Town Hall. Peg Pitney volunteered to help sell at the Pepper House. Mary Ann Silvers will be at the Pepper House for tours.
NEW BUSINESS
With the passing of Washington Orme, the THS would like to send a $50 donation to either the Salvation Army or The United Methodist Church, Capital Fund, in his memory. This had to be tabled until the next meeting because we did not have a quorum.
The Strawberry Social will be held on Saturday, June 2nd from 2-5 pm at the Tabernacle Community Center. 6 flats of strawberries were ordered from Russo’s. An advertising sign application was sent to LaShawn Barber via email. The following members offered to prepare strawberries that will be delivered to them on the morning of June 1st: Midge Hangley, Mary Ann Silvers, Ann Franzen, and Carolyn Cuviello. A cake and whipped cream sign-up was available to include the following varieties of cake: shortcakes, angel food, yellow, white, chocolate, and brownies. Keith Zane will be donating hot dogs, rolls, and water for which the THS is very grateful. Members were encouraged to bring coolers and utensils (cake cutters, knives, pancake turners, etc). There was discussion about the possibility of moving the social back to Town Hall if participation by the community was down. Also because of the lack of visibility of the Community Center from the highway, it was suggested that there be some kind of advertising at the corner of Route 206 and Hawkin Road. If it works out, there might be a possibility of constructing a piece of Strawberry Shortcake using a box as the cake, a white garbage bag as the whipped cream and paper plates as the cut strawberries. This will all be contingent on getting the right materials.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:15
Midge Hangley was the featured speaker, presenting a program about her ancestry dating back to the Mayflower and the journey she took to find the information that led to her acceptance as a member of the society of Mayflower descendents.
Respectfully submitted,
Carolyn Cuviello
April 12, 2018
The April meeting was held on the above date at the Community Center. The President called the meeting to order at 7:40 PM followed by the flag salute and moment of silence. There were 15 members present: Ann Franzen, Ralph Shrom, Bill Sprague, Judy Witowski-Argentine, Eileen Chesla, Sue Shannon, Rick Franzen, Mary Ann Silvers, Harry Silvers, Harry Worrell, Carolyn Cuviello, Jim Cuviello, Glen D. Petrauski, Allen Rowles, Keith Zane and Terri Zane. Also in attendance were 4 guests: Kim Starr, Kevin Starr, Wendy Reilly and Patrick Reilly.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved. Ralph Shrom made the motion and it was seconded by Allen Rowles . Correspondence was read from Harry Worrell thanking the Society for the donation in memory of his deceased wife Flossie Worrell. from cub scouts thanking us for a tour, and from a group announcing a History Fair in May.
OLD BUSINESS
A report was given on the “Christmas In The Pines” House Tour held in December. Sales of 45 tickets and a donation resulted in an income of $1,030.00. Expenditures (two newspaper ads) cost $345.00. The profit for the event was $685.00. Each homeowner who participated in the tour was given a Historic Society afghan as a thank you. Chairperson Midge Hangley did not accept any re-imbursement for the printing of the tickets, nor did Mary Ann and Harry Silvers take any money for the printing of signs, posters and flyers. It was suggested that these expenses be budgeted for if the event continues in the future.
The December meeting/Social was held at the Silvers’ home on December 14. Twenty-two members attended. They enjoyed the food and conversation as they listened to the President’s Annual Report. The report was placed in a binder which is on display at this meeting.
The Township Committee of Tabernacle has approved up to $17,600 to replace windows at the Knight-Pepper House. The work will be done in stages, and may take 2 or 3 years to complete.
Mary Ann and Harry Silvers and Rick Franzen discussed the project with Doug Cramer, and are seeking estimates for the work.
Plastering work is also needed on the 3rd floor of the house. The job is estimated to cost $1,130.00. After some discussion, it was decided to postpone the plastering until after the window project is concluded. Another discussion centered on the cellar steps at the Pepper House. We believe that the maintenance workers of the Township will be building the new steps, but no timeline has been stated as yet.
NEW BUSINESS
The 990-N filing to IRS for the calendar year 2017 was done on Jan. 19, 2018.
Insurance for 2018 has been paid in full on March 26. The total was $1,364.00.
The Annual financial reports for both the Society and the Cemetery Fund were filed, read by the Treasurer and available for inspection in the binder.
The Annual Budget for next year was presented. It had been prepared by a committee consisting of Mary Ann Silvers, Harry Silvers and Ralph Shrom. There was some discussion about reimbursing the President for out of pocket expenses. It was also suggested that we budget in future for document conservation. The first step would be contacting experts to learn the process and costs involved. Approval for the budget was moved by Glen Petrauski, seconded by Keith Zane and granted by voice vote.
The Cemetery grounds and buildings were cleaned up and re-organized on March 27 by Barbara Toms, Ann & Rick Franzen, Carolyn & Jim Cuviello and Mary Ann & Harry Silvers. The President suggested that a Cemetery Supervisor be appointed to oversee the grounds and buildings. A volunteer would be needed.
Spring cleanup dates were announced for the Pepper House (April 23) and the Friendship School (April 25). Volunteers are requested.
The Third Grade Tour will take place on May 2 (rain date May 11). Volunteers are lined up for all four locations on both dates, but additional help is always welcome. Approval was sought and granted for the purchase of 144 THS pencils to be given to the students. Judy Argentine made the motion to allocate $53.49 for this purpose. Allen Rowles seconded and the membership affirmed by voice vote.
Jim Cuviello made a motion to provide a $500 scholarship for a Seneca senior from Tabernacle interested in studying history, education or government. Carolyn Cuviello seconded, and the motion was approved by the members.
A volunteer is needed to attend the Historians’ Roundtable on April 14 at Crosswicks. Glen Petrauski said he would be available.
There will be a Dine and Donate Fundraiser at Upper Crust on April 23 from 4 to 8 PM. The Society will receive 15% of the bill if our coupon is presented.
The Memorial Day Parade is coming up. Mary Ann will take care of the presentation wreath. She suggested that we create a float for the parade or have marchers and asked the members to give some thought to this project.
The Society will participate in the Burlington County Passport Program again this year. Volunteers are needed at the Friendship School on the first Saturdays from May through September. Mary Ann Silvers will take May 5, Glen Petrauski – June 5, and Ann Franzen – July 7. August 4 and September 7 are still available.
We were asked by the County to update the 1975 Inventory and Survey Of Historic Properties in our Township. This was completed by Rick Franzen, Rickey Haines, Harry Worrell, Harry Silvers and Mary Ann Silvers and forwarded to Marissa Bozarth at the end of March.
We were invited to participate in a South Jersey History Fair to be held in Glendora on May 19. We will send brochures to be exhibited with others from the County.
It was suggested that we become a beneficiary of Smile.Amazon.com. We would get .05 percentage of purchases made using our name. We will try this out and have proceeds go to our Cemetery Checking Account.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:35. Rick Franzen was the featured speaker, presenting a program “Dating Tabernacle Cemetery Burials”.
The next meeting will be on May 10 at 7:30 at the Community Center. Mary Ann Silvers volunteered to bring refreshments.
Respectfully submitted,
Ann Franzen
Secretary & Vice President
Tabernacle Historical Society 
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