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Ducks’ Flat, part two

February 7, 2015 By Marfy Goodspeed in Delaware Township, Hunterdon, Rosemont

Last week I posted a continuation of Egbert T. Bush’s article “The ‘Oregon’ and Other Schools,” focusing on the neighborhood once known as Ducks’ Flat. Mr. Bush wrote about Duck’s Flat in 1930. This was two years before a surprising event took place there. Given that the participants stayed at the Stockton Inn, near where Mr. Bush lived, I can’t help but think he knew about the goings-on. But he did not write about it. It wasn’t until 1996 that another talented writer described what happened at Ducks’ Flat—an early experiment in rocket science, which took place on November 12, 1932.

The writer was Bruce Palmer, and his tale was published in the Lambertville Beacon on November 13, 1996. (Note that Mr. Palmer’s article is in italics, and my comments are not.)

Hunting for a Cemetery

January 10, 2015 By Marfy Goodspeed in Delaware Township, Gordon, Headquarters, Historians Revisited Tags: cemeteries

Three Great Hunterdon Co. Historians Try to Find the Opdycke Cemetery

Over five years ago, I published an article about the Opdycke Cemetery in the Delaware Township Post. It has now been revised as “Opdycke Cemetery Revisited.” More recently, I came across some letters exchanged by Egbert T. Bush and Hiram E. Deats regarding their attempts to find this burying ground and to identify who was buried there. These letters can be found in the Egbert T. Bush Papers at the Hunterdon County Historical Society.

Opdycke Cemetery Revisited

January 10, 2015 By Marfy Goodspeed in Delaware Township, E. T. Bush, Headquarters, Opdycke, Warford Tags: cemeteries

I first published an article on this interesting cemetery in April 2009 on the website Delaware Township Post. After five years, I have a learned enough to justify revising and republishing this article.

The cemetery is located on the Lambertville-Headquarters Road, on a farm near the intersection with Sandy Ridge Road. It is a private family cemetery without public access. The origin of the cemetery is nicely described by Egbert T. Bush.

The “Oregon” School and Other Schools

January 2, 2015 By Marfy Goodspeed in Bray, Delaware Township, E. T. Bush, Families, Kingwood Township, Opdycke, Rittenhouse, Williamson Tags: schools

Ducks’ Flat School, Crossroads School and Their Teachers
Testing a Greeny’s Nerve

by Egbert T. Bush, Stockton. N. J.
published in the Hunterdon Co. Democrat, December 18, 1930

This article by Mr. Bush is a perfect complement to a recent blog post, “Amos Romine’s Beloved Farm.” It is one of my favorite Bush articles. Because there is so much to say about the people he mentions, I will refrain from interrupting him and leave my comments for the end.

Favorite Posts of 2014

December 31, 2014 By Marfy Goodspeed in Uncategorized Tags: thoughts

The Writing Master by Thomas Eakins, 1882

What is it about lists? Especially lists that get made at the end of the year? It’s that thing we like to do—look back before we look forward. So, in the spirit of the season, I am copying my son the science writer, Carl Zimmer, who has collected his favorite articles here: 2014: A Storyful Year – Phenomena: The Loom

Choosing favorites should not imply that I am not happy with all my articles. It’s just that some of them did grab me more than others. So, here’s my list, for those of you who feel like some reading during this long weekend.

Indians Thought Lightning Would Not Strike A Beech

December 27, 2014 By Marfy Goodspeed in E. T. Bush, Historians Revisited, Stockton Tags: flora and fauna, weather

Writer Has Never Found a Beech Tree That Had Been Struck
Other Facts and Queries

by Egbert T. Bush, Stockton, NJ
published in the Hunterdon Co. Democrat, December 11, 1930

This article, with which I end the year 2014, can be seen as a follow up to Bush’s article previously published here called “Gathering Nuts Was Once an Industry.” There is nothing in the way of genealogy in this article, but it is full of the usual Bush charm.

Asa Romine’s Beloved Farm

December 19, 2014 By Marfy Goodspeed in Delaware Township, Fulper, Servis Tags: Going, houses

Last June, I was reading the minutes of the Delaware Township Planning Board when I noticed an interesting item. Harry Brelsford, owner of a house at 80 Locktown-Sergeantsville Road (Block 20 lot 6) had presented his plan to tear down and rebuild the older section of the existing house. Apparently, that older section was in such bad repair it wasn’t worth saving. Normally, I notice when there is talk of demolition of old houses, but I forgot about this until a friend called it to my attention.

The Creation of Hunterdon County, part three

December 12, 2014 By Marfy Goodspeed in Burlington County, Hunterdon, Reading Tags: early legislation, early settlers, politics

This is the third and final part of a speech delivered on Nov. 16, 2014 for the Hunterdon County Tercentennial. You can find the first two installments here and here.

Petitioning for a New County

With so many surveys being made in the new Indian purchases, it was clear that people would be settling in this area very rapidly. And it was also clear that this new area was going to be hard to manage from far-away Burlington City. The residents of the northern townships in Burlington County were becoming frustrated by the need to travel 20 to 35 miles by horseback to the county seat to record their deeds, probate wills and attend court.¹

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Three Great Hunterdon Co. Historians Try to Find the Opdycke Cemetery

Ducks’ Flat School, Crossroads School and Their Teachers Testing a Greeny’s Nerve

Writer Has Never Found a Beech Tree That Had Been Struck Other Facts and Queries

Petitioning for a New County

Ducks’ Flat School, Crossroads School and Their Teachers
Testing a Greeny’s Nerve

Writer Has Never Found a Beech Tree That Had Been Struck
Other Facts and Queries