On vacation - Steuben House Flooding

  Yesterday, after our visit to the Museum of Early Trades and Crafts, we wanted to go to the Steuben's house in River's Edge.  I wanted to get a sticker for my New Jersey parks passport (I got one from the Grover Cleveland Birthplace, and one from Batsto back home).

 From the NJ Parks website: Built in 1752 by merchant Jan Zabriskie, the Steuben House witnessed the crossing of George Washington and the garrison of Fort Lee across the Hackensack River during their infamous November 1776retreat. Because of this strategic position on the banks of the river at the New Bridge, the Steuben House survived throughout the American Revolution and was used by both Colonial and British soldiers. The confiscated mansion once served as a military headquarters for General Washington and was later presented to Major General Baron von Steuben as thanks for his efforts during the War for Independence.

  Unfortunately, when we got there, we saw that the flooding that had affected a large portion of the North Jersey area had hit the Steuben House. The Hackensack River had flowed right over the New Bridge, and flooded the three historical houses on the property. Many of the artifacts had been destroyed or damaged, and folks from the Bergen County Historical Society were in the process of trying to dry out and salvage what they could. They have a lot of restoration work ahead of them.

You can view pictures of the flood damage and contact them if you can make a donation here. So much beautiful history has been damaged here - it's very sad. When I get back home, I'm going to ask our local historical society if we can take up a collection to help them restore things.

The sign reads: New Bridge - The first New Bridge [was] errected in 1745. It was a strategic  crossing during the Revolution used by Washington's Army during the 1776 retreat. In 1888/89,  the wooden span was replaced by this iron swing bridge, now the oldest such bridge of its kind in New Jersey. There was a large colletion of debris stuck up against the sides of the bridge, and some reeds on the walkway, from where the flood waters had deposited them. We crossed over the bridge to see what was on the other side of River's Edge.

The smell was overwhelmingly bad, like stagnant water and rotting things. There was a large dumpster, and men cleaning out the house closest to the river. The ground was muddy and covered with silt. Only a couple of geese seemed to be pleased with the pools of stagnant water that remained. About five hundred feet from the river, a very dead and mudcaked fish rested on cobblestones up against a curb. I can only imagine from this brief glimpse how horrible the situation in New Orleans must have been after Katrina. We walked down to the building with the red awning you can see in the distance.

This was the New Bridge Inn, which was open and doing a brisk business. While directly down the road folks struggled to save their possessions and historians tried to salvage historical artifacts, this place was crowded from end to end with rich people paying 16 - 30ish dollars a plate for sandwiches and steaks. There were even a group of them sitting outside at a gazebo, chatting and laughing and drinking. We ducked in long enough to read the exorbitantly priced menu, and ducked back out. The sign outside told the rich folks that there was no valet parking today (perhaps due to the flood) and that they'd have to suffer through and park for themselves before going inside. There was still a young man dressed in black attending the parking lot, however, so they wouldn't have to go it entirely alone.

The geese continued to enjoy the muck and water as we made our way back towards the bridge. I had remarked on how cute they were, and an old man on a bicycle implored me to take them home with me. "They make a heck of a racket at three am," he explained. "And they poop all over." So much for the cuteness of geese! This marker talks about the Hackensack Indian Village and early colonial settlement.  It's located by the bridge, and we stopped to read it on the way back.

While the Steuben House was quite flooded (it being the house closest to the river), two other houses on the property seemed to have fared somewhat better. The Campbell-Christie House (left) and the Demarest House (below right) were both closed, of course. The Campbell-Christie House was set up to have some food for those working so hard to save the artifacts-  a meager repast compared to what the indifferent folks down the river were eating at the New Bridge Inn.  We were allowed in for a while to take a quick look around, and purchase a couple of postcards - not much of a donation, I know, but it's something at least.  The lady there told me that while the Steuben House was a state historic site, the other buildings were the charge of the Bergen County Historical Society. Furthermore, the items on display at the Steuben were all property of the historical society- so who knows if the state will even step in to help with their restoration?  A lot of people don't realise how much of our nation's history is being preserved and maintained by local organizations like this, through dedicated invididuals who in situations like this, are working hard to keep our past alive.

 From the Bergen County Historical Society website:

 BCHS Appeal Regarding the Nor'easter of 2007

 We are devastated by the loss of a significant part of Bergen County’s history during this recent flood. Many priceless artifacts, entrusted to the care of the state in the Steuben House at Historic New Bridge Landing, which we have furnished for the past seventy years, have been damaged. We appeal to everyone who values this great heritage for help. As a volunteer organization, we have limited resources, unequal to the task before us. While this tragedy is still fresh in the public mind, we ask our legislators and officials at every level of government to consider the way that the State of New Jersey presently administers its historic sites so as to ensure their best possible future care and protection.

Please visit their website, and if there is anything you can do - a legislator you can contact, a small donation you can make, a local historical society you can make aware of their need - I'm sure they'd appreciate it.