Oakland Historical Society, Inc.

08/05/2026

Come visit this weekend, August 8th & 9th, as the grounds of Ringwood Manor will once again be transformed into a history-lover’s dream as we once again host the 35th Regiment of Foot - Historical Reenactment's Living History Timeline event! The sixth annual event will have reenactors interpreting various periods of history spanning different centuries and continents. There will be special guest speakers at 12pm on Saturday & 1pm on Sunday, book sales, weapons demonstrations, the Georgian Kitchen will be selling baked goods, and there will even be historic military vehicles on display, too. There will be something for all history enthusiasts and the general public!

For a list of time periods represented and guest speaker information each day, visit our website: www.ringwoodmanor.org/events.html

While the event itself is free to attend, please remember that the NJ State Park parking fee will be in effect: $5 per car for in-state vehicles, $7 per car for out-of-state vehicles. NJ residents ages 62 years and up can get their FREE Senior Citizen pass at the park office, which waives this parking fee.

08/04/2026

08/03/2026

Our newest mini-exhibit in the Manuscript Reading Room is a copy of the Battles and Skirmishes of New Jersey in the Revolutionary War Map, created by staff at DEP in the 1970s prior to the bicentennial. This map (and the associated legend) can be viewed in larger detail here:https://dep.nj.gov/wp-content/uploads/njgws/technical-pubs-info/bulletins-and-reports/historical/other-historical-reports/battles.pdf
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07/21/2026

I need your help returning an artifact to the Zak/Krtausch family!

I am looking for descendants/relatives of Betty (Zak) Krtausch who married Frank Krtausch and lived in Oakland. The obituary for her father (below) lists Betty and other siblings. If you know of anyone in the family, I would like to send them a handmade red and white blanket with her tag on it. Let us know, thanks!

P.S. Family Historian Tip: If you have furniture that was inherited down the line, flip it over and mark the bottom in soft pencil who bought/made it, about when, and who and when it was handed down to. So much of our family history goes unrecorded and family heirlooms get accidentally tossed all the time. Marking your family artifacts, like Betty did, lets everyone know how important they are.

P.P.S., Just rot clarify, this blanket is in the personal collection of our Archivist and not an OHS item. She wished to explore returning it to the family.

07/15/2026

We had a FANTASTIC day on Sunday, welcoming approximately 80 visitors to the Van Allen House! Guests toured the Van Allen House and Oakland History Museum; watched demonstrations of blacksmithing, spinning, and weaving; viewed an incredible collection of Revolutionary War-era muskets, bayonets, colonial currency, and battlefield archaeology; affixed their name to a copy of the Declaration with quill and ink (thanks, Robert!); enjoyed cold drinks; and attended a live reading of the Declaration of Independence. It was a busy, busy day!

We'll be announcing our Fall 2026 events in a few weeks, including:
• Annual Meeting and potluck with OHS members in August
• Sunday afternoon America250 talks sponsored by the Oakland Public Library this fall
• The return of the OHS Quilting Circle
• Van Allen House History Days in September, October, and November, plus our annual Dutch Christmas celebration in December
• A new website and online payment portal
• K-12 educational programs at the Van Allen House for second graders and Colonial Day programs at schools for fifth graders
• A new research and survey project on historic properties
• A Ponds Cemetery Autumn walking tour weekend
• Reinstallation of the doll room exhibits
• Scout projects, including research on Colonial kitchen gardens
• Oral history program and interviews
• Holiday gifts and pop-up shops at various Oakland craft fairs
• Joint programs with the Franklin Lakes Historical Society, Wyckoff Historical Society, and Pompton Lakes Historical Society

And possibly, if there is enough interest:
• Revolutionary War gaming day
• A walking tour of the Long Pond Ironworks
• Spinning, quilting, and weaving classes
• Hands-on candle making
• Live concert of Colonial music
• And more!

While we work on our new website and online checkout, we invite you to JOIN US!

Our new membership year has just begun, and you won't want to miss the August Membership Meeting to see everything that is already in motion. (A copy of our mail-in membership form is included in the photo gallery.)

With America250 underway and the Borough of Oakland's 125th Anniversary of Incorporation coming in 2027, we're just getting started!

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Thank you to all our Volunteers who made for a fun, festive event, including:
– Arlene Bernhardt, Fredi Brown, and Regina O’Connell of The Palisades Guild of Spinners and Weavers
– Partick Curran, Blacksmith and OHS Docent
– Paul Doll, Reenactor and Collector
– Van Finn, Declaration of Independence reader
– Robert Skead, Author
– OHS Volunteers and Docents: Klaus and Jerri Jerri Angermueller, Linda Arns, Elizabeth Benducci, Judy H. Gray, Erik Schaubach, Mame Schwarzfischer, Chris Van der Wal, and Mayor Eirc Kulmala, Jimmy McWilliams and the Oakland DPW, and Borough of Oakland Police Department for helping out!

07/15/2026

Come See Our Wonderful Oakland Quilts!

We finished hanging three very special quilts today, all handmade by Oakland Historical Society volunteers!

We are delighted to share these remarkable quilts and celebrate the volunteers whose creativity, craftsmanship, and dedication brought them to life. Each quilt was conceived as a community project of the Oakland Historical Society and lovingly handcrafted by volunteers.

The quilts will be on display at both the Oakland Senior Center and the Oakland Public Library through mid-August. Then, the quilts will be displayed in rotation at the Oakland Public Library through December, giving everyone an opportunity to see each one.

The Oakland Public Library (Mid-August through December, in Rotation)
• Oakland Historical Society Craft Guild Bicentennial Quilt, 1976 and 1995

Oakland Senior Center (Through Mid-August)
• Oakland Tricentennial Quilt, 1695–1995
• The Van Allen Quilt, 1998, created by the Oakland Historical Society Junior Quilters

As you visit, we invite you to share your memories of the people who created these quilts, the stories behind them, or your reflections on the scenes and themes they depict. Your memories will help us preserve the history of these extraordinary community projects for future generations.

If these quilts inspire you and you enjoy quilting or other fiber arts, we hope you will join the Oakland Historical Society this fall as we revive our Quilting Circle and continue this wonderful tradition of community craftsmanship.

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Special thanks to Project leader Elizabeth Benducci; OHS Volunteers Mame Schwarzfischer, Judy Gray, and Michelle Novak; the Oakland DPW for hanging the quilts at the Senior Center; and Arielle Preciado of the Senior Center, Peter Havel of the Oakland Public Library, and the Mayor and Council for allowing us to display them to the public is such wonderful community spaces.

Borough of Oakland, NJ
The Oakland Public Library

07/11/2026

Join us TOMORROW, 1-4 pm, with a reading of the Declaration at 2pm, for a special July Open House marking the 249th anniversary of Washington’s visit to the Van Allen House.

We’ll have a demonstration by our blacksmith, an exhibit of revolutionary arms, spinners and weavers, Robert Skead, house tours, and a pop-up exhibit and crafts in the parlor. Refreshments provided.

Free and fun for the whole family!

(At the Hermitage today in Ho-Ho-Kus, 10-4 pm.)

07/05/2026

Thank you to our volunteers and the approximately 50 visitors who braved the stifling summer heat to join us for a public reading of the Declaration of Independence by longtime Oakland Historical Society docent Van Finn.

During the program, we unveiled our new reproduction of the Dunlap Broadside, the first printing of the Declaration of Independence. Printed overnight on July 4–5, 1776, these broadsides were rushed across the colonies and delivered to military leaders and government officials. General George Washington carried his copy throughout the Revolutionary War, using it to inspire the troops, and it remains among his papers today.

Our reproduction was printed by Edes & Gill of Boston, a historic printing office that uses period presses, type, paper, and ink to create reproductions that are as faithful to the original as possible.

The Declaration was never intended to remain quietly on a page. It was written to be read aloud, explaining the colonists' reasons for breaking with King George III and setting forth the ideals that would become the foundation of a more just government.

Here in New Jersey, we have another reason to celebrate.

On the same day that the Continental Congress voted in Philadelphia to sever ties with Great Britain, the New Jersey Provincial Congress declared New Jersey independent, becoming the first colony to do so.

The Provincial Congress ordered the arrest of Royal Governor William Franklin, the illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin whose loyalty to the Crown , and immediately began establishing a new state government.

New Jersey's first constitution, adopted just days later, reflected both the urgency and bold experimentation of the moment. It extended voting rights to "all inhabitants" who met the property's ownership requirements of the era—which in practice included unmarried women and free people of color. (And, they voted!) Although those rights would later be restricted, New Jersey's constitution remains one of the earliest and most remarkable experiments in representative government in the new nation.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in commemorating these extraordinary events and reflecting on the enduring legacy of American independence.

And if you missed the reading, we are doing it again…

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JOIN US on Sunday, July 12th, 1–4 pm, when we will have a BIG EVENT celebrating the "Declaration and New Jersey."

We will repeat the public reading at 2pm and have an expansive exhibit of Colonial Arms and Armaments and Colonial Currency, a historic blacksmith working in the yard, and demonstrations of spinning and weaving in the keeping room.

The Historic Van Allen House site will be alive with people, exhibits, and activities for everyone—as well as refreshments.

We hope to see you there!

P.S. The Oakland Police Department will direct traffic and make sure everyone crosses Franklin Avenue safely.

06/28/2026

Coming up Tuesday!