General Meeting -Nov. 19, 2018

MONDAY, November 19, 2018 A proud Heritage:
African-American Presence in Hopewell Valley and Surrounding Areas
Image result for Beverly Mills, Elaine Buck, and John Buck. The November program of the Princeton Women’s College Club featured an interesting and important presentation tracing the legacy of slavery in the Sourland Mountains dating back to the Revolutionary War. It was given by Beverly Mills, Elaine Buck, and John Buck. Elaine Buck and Beverly Mills have researched and written a book “If These Stones Could Talk” which vocalizes not just the hardships and stark realities so many blacks faced as slaves and then “apprentices”, but also to underline the thriving communities and economic contributions of their ancestors. Their research and the hours they spent with local elders led to the preservation of the Stoutsburg Cemetery and formation of the Stoutsburg African-American Museum. John Buck, is the current President of the Stoutsburg Cemetery Association and President of the Sourland African American Museum located in Skillman, NJ. Mr. Buck is a lifelong resident of Hopewell Borough. He is retired from Princeton University Civil Engineering Department; he is also a member of Heavy and General Labor’s Local 172. He is proud to serve as President to such a distinguished group of African Americans who rose from slavery to being men and women of valor and are now lying in their final resting place at Stoutsburg. This fascinating collection of stories, song, and visual features should captivate our interest and imagination. As always, guests are welcome. —Barbara Johnson. Photos from meeting; courtesy of Nora Ananos). News clipping: New Home-museum-Stoutsburg Sourland: Mount Zion AME Church, will be future home of the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum.