Our Vanishing Past producer Lynn Kosek Walker in the HD edit room at NJN Public Television.
Nearly one year ago, Our Vanishing Past premiered on NJN Public Television in New Jersey. Now we are very happy that the show is reaching preservation minded people across the country thanks to the efforts of American Public Television. This major distributer of television shows brings quality programs to stations within the public broadcasting system. The majority of the stations will start airing the documentary in May for National Preservation Month. In total more than 60 stations will air Our Vanishing Past. This will include very broad coverage, ranging from New York and Philadelphia to PBS stations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver, El Paso, Salt Lake City and Tallahassee. The documentary will also be shown in Alaska, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and the Virgin Islands.
Since the day the show first aired, many more historic buildings and homes have been lost in the preservation battle. On my drive in to work I have watched this happen. I first noticed a farmhouse as it became vacant and boarded up after a family had lived in it for many years. A few weeks ago it was torn down along with the farm’s three grain silos. All that remains on the site are some daffodils and flowering trees surrounding where the home once stood. A little farther down the road a two story brick house was also torn down. Just a quarter mile from there, one of my favorite historic mansions has a bulldozer sitting out front. As I write these words I wonder if the centuries old home still stands.
Perhaps the only good side to the depressed economy that we now face is that many buildings are being saved by preservation through poverty. Teardowns aren’t as likely to happen when market forces aren’t in place to drive development. Of course, the downside is that more homes are becoming vacant and preservation groups are struggling even harder to find resources to preserve what remains.
Edison Schoolhouse/Hungarian Church being moved to new location in town.
I have also witnessed success stories that have emerged since the documentary was first broadcast. A couple months ago, as I drove through the city of Camden, I was pleased to see workmen restoring the exterior of the New Jersey Safe Deposit and Trust Company building featured in Our Vanishing Past. Across town, the historic Church of Our Savior is being converted into a maritime museum. I produced a story on the museum and the new sculpture that stands out front for State Of The Arts. The historic Edison Schoolhouse/Hungarian Church, featured in our photo gallery, has seen some major improvements. Elizabeth Allen, past president of the Franklin Historical Society in Sussex County, New Jersey, has played a leading role in preserving the building. She sends me updates on the group’s progress. A few days ago she wrote:
“We had ground breaking, excavated the foundation area, hooking up the utilities, (sewer and water), built the foundation, and last week finally got the building moved over on the foundation. There is one more beam which has to be removed from under the building, and then we can start the fun part, the actual restoration. We are getting estimates for the copper roof tiles, some of which were damaged by trees during the move. This will be a costly item. We will need every avenue to look for funding to finish the project and to pay the mortgage. But we will find a way.”
It is good to know that thousands of people like Elizabeth Allen are making the effort to “find a way” to save historic buildings that they care about. Most of these preservationists are volunteers. They work on the frontlines to ensure that buildings of great character and with interesting stories are preserved for future generations. Others join in the preservation battle as a way to bring greater meaning to their lives or to overcome a difficult personal loss. George Rowland, Ph.D. is the associate project director of the Camden Shipyard and Maritime Museum. He began volunteering at the museum as a way to help recover from the devastating loss of his wife after 60 years of marriage. George’s bereavement counselor, Carlyn Hard, suggested that he get back into life by using his skills to help turn the old church into a museum.
George said, “I felt so empty after my wife died. I wasn’t sure what to do. Transforming the church is one of the best things that ever happened to me and a great way to keep my juices flowing. It is educational and inspiring. This is a whole new learning experience. I enjoy working with people who share a common goal and are putting their energy into making things better in Camden. I’ll just keep on going until I can’t do it anymore.”
Do you have your own historic preservation story to tell? Send it to me at lwalker@njn.org or comment on this blog.
