01/12/2026
Happy New Year from Stafford Historical Society! Come join us and be a part of something special in Stafford Township.
Whether you have been a member for decades or have always wondered what we do and how to become a part of it, we would be thrilled to have you!
Our annual membership drive and renewal has begun. We were able to accomplish many wonderful things in 2025 thanks to the generosity of our dedicated volunteers, members and those who attended our events and visited our museums.
This past year saw some of our largest attended events in recent history, projects come to completion and community support that will be an inspiration for the new year. We continued to make strides in our mission to preserve Stafford’s history and ensure that our society, museums and buildings stand strong for the next generation. We’ve had a busy and productive year:
• February brought us across the bridge to the Barnegat Light Museum housed in the old one room schoolhouse on Long Beach Island. Our friends at the Barnegat Light Historical Society, Karen Larsen and Reilly Sharp were gracious hosts!
• March brought Andrew Anderson from Double Trouble State Park to our Old Baptist Church. He gave a presentation on the village at Double Trouble and the industries of the Pine Barrens.
• In April, we participated in NJ Clean Communities program and received grant money for our Heritage Park cleanup.
• May put us on the road again! In another first-time event for the society, we took a field trip to the tiny hamlet of Warren Grove and toured the home and grounds of members Sue and Bill Sachs.
• Presented scholarships to graduating seniors at Southern Regional for the 33rd year!
• Our walking tour in June was a field trip to the Cox House in Barnegat that is currently under a complete renovation by Ocean County. We toured the grounds, barns and finished with ice cream at the historic former Hurricane House.
• Record attendance and donations at our summer concert series every Monday evening in July and August. Our summer concerts continue to bring the community together all summer long. Our concerts were also host to a classic car show, pop up farm markets, Green Fair, Home, Dock and Garden Show and Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs.
• Our September walking tour featured a slide presentation and grounds tour of the newly restored ca. 1877 Wurst family home in downtown Manahawkin.
• October saw the fifth year that Heritage Park hosted the Stafford Fall Harvest & Wine Festival.
• We partnered with the Recreation Department for the fifth Holiday Wonderland & Christmas Market at Heritage Park.
• Weekly lawn mowing & maintenance by a dedicated team of volunteers at the cemeteries under our care as well as the Old Baptist Church. A 30-year-old riding lawn mower was recently replaced with our fundraising efforts.
• Old Baptist Church, Old Stone Store, Train Station and Heritage Park improvements by Stafford Township & volunteers.
• Debuted our new official logo now featured in marketing, merchandise and Christmas ornaments!
The dedication, enthusiasm, and commitment of our all-volunteer officers, trustees and members made all of this possible. We have also forged a strong bond with the Township over the years, and plan to continue partnering with the mayor and council, Buildings & Grounds, Public Works, the Recreation Department and the Historical Preservation Commission. We are grateful for their support.
We have more exciting projects planned and even bigger goals for 2026 and you can be a part of it.
Help us preserve the bountiful history of Stafford Township and the treasured landmark buildings that make our town so special.
We are also thrilled to announce that membership renewals, donations and even scholarship contributions can now be made through our website via PayPal!
Simply click the link below…
http://staffordhistory.org/membership.html
If you prefer a more traditional method, just print the membership letter from this post and mail it with a check payable to:
Stafford Township Historical Society, Inc.
PO Box 1097
Manahawkin, NJ 08050
Traditional renewals will be mailed this week.
We welcome members of all ages throughout the year and are looking forward to seeing old friends as well as meeting new smiling faces in 2026 and beyond!
