HARRINGTON PARK, N.J.—The Harrington Park Historical Society is pleased to welcome back good friend and historian Eric Nelsen as their guest lecturer on Monday, June 3, at 7:30 p.m. at the Harrington Park Library, 10 Herring St.
Nelsen’s lecture is titled “A Civil War Story of the Men and Their Families from Alpine who Served the Union.”
The American Civil War is the most studied and written about episode in United States history; there are books, articles, movies, courses, documentaries on the major and minor battles, the leaders of the time, the generals who conducted the war, the social upheavals in the north and the south, and so it goes. So what did the people of Alpine (as it was to become known) where the Palisades Interstate Park is located have to do with this well documented war?
Nelsen, director of the Kearney House, a 19th century tavern and homestead, located in the park, has been researching this question to enhance the knowledge base of this distinctive area to learn more about the men who volunteered to serve the Union in the Civil War.
“I can honestly say this talk is unlike any I’ve worked on before, and I’m having a hard time coming up with a simple description, but here goes: I’ve been looking at the group of men who volunteered from Alpine (as it was to become known) to serve the Union in the Civil War,” said Nelsen.
“As my starting point, I’ve used the plaque the town would later place for them, which lists nine men. I’ve been able to put together biographical details for each, who they were before and after the war, and what their service consisted of,” Nelsen continued.
“But I’ve also found at least half a dozen men who served from Alpine who are not on the plaque—including Charles Conklin, who grew up at the Kearney House, a grandson of Mrs. Kearney’s. In starting to piece together the stories of all these men, I’ve also begun to gain new insights into the unique community they hailed from—and the families they left behind.”
Nelsen’s talk is an ambitious project, which, in his always thorough and engaging style, is sure to delight, engage, and educate his audience, say organizers.
The Harrington Park Historical Society invites everyone to hear the maiden voyage of this presentation.
A lifelong resident of Bergen County and a graduate of Montclair State University, Nelsen has been an historical interpreter for the Palisades Interstate Park’s New Jersey Section since 1992 and director of the Park’s historic Kearney House, a 19th-century riverfront homestead and tavern now serving as a living history museum, since 1998.
Nelsen was project coordinator for the video documentary “A New Deal for the Palisades” (2001) and coauthor of “New Jersey’s Palisades Interstate Park” (2007, part of Arcadia Publishing’s “Images of America” series). He is best known for the “history hikes” he leads, during which hikers explore beautiful views of the Hudson—along with the ruins of grand cliff-top estates and fishermen’s villages, all part of a unique Interstate Park that is both a National Historic and National Natural Landmark.
He brings a rich understanding of the many facets of the Palisades to his presentations. Day to day in the park, Nelsen creates park publications including the njpalisades.org website, brochures, interpretive signs, and social media.
When he’s unplugged from his office, he can be found leading one of his popular history hikes—or dressed to party like it’s 1849 at a living history program at the Kearney House.
The Society welcomes everyone to come, enjoy, and learn from their lectures which are free of charge. A reception will follow the presentation.
For more information about the Society and its activities please call Gerri Gibney at (201) 768-2615 or follow the Society on its Facebook page, or at its web site, www.harringtonparkhistoricalsociety.com.