The spring meeting of the Highlands Historical Society will be held Thursday, April 24 at the Highlands Community Center, when additional plans for the upcoming year will be discussed and planning begun.
The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. and all are invited to attend. It is not necessary to be a member of the Society to attend a meeting, learn what it is about and speak with other local historians about the history of the borough.
Society president Sheila Weinstock has announced that the May 22 regular meeting will feature professional geologist Bob Zilinski presenting a program on the geological aspects of peanut stone. The local peanut stone is a special natural rock found in a very limited geographic area, Monmouth County in particular. Since it has always been a natural resource and is uniquely native, peanut stone has been used in construction of many early Monmouth County buildings and walls. The stone is a sandstone conglomerate of quartz and other pebbles, and Zilinski will highlight some unique tales about its use and location.
Zilinski is also treasurer of the society.
The Tea Party co-sponsored by the Highlands and Atlantic Highlands Historical Societies has been postponed from its scheduled May 31 date at the Strauss House in Atlantic Highlands until the fall. The date change will enable restorative construction to be completed at the historic mansion.
Plans are also underway to have former Highlands resident John King make a presentation ate a future meeting. Concerning his newest book, The Jewish Families of Highlands. A member of the Society, King’s soon to be published book documents the stories and contributions of the many Jewish civic, political, and business leaders who have helped create Highlands.
Plans will also be formulated at Society meetings for celebrations of the centennial anniversary of Gertrude Ederle’s English Channel swim of 1926. Ederle was the first person to swim the Channel and always credits her abilities to learning to swim off Highlands in the Shrewsbury River when the family summered here for many years. Her record setting record on Aug 6, 1926 , 14 hours and 34 minutes, stood until 1950. Prior to her swim, Ederle had already set 29 national and world swimming records, the gold medal in the 1924 Olympics in Paris, and other feats Anyone wishing to serve on the planning committee for town wide celebrations of Ederle’s anniversary should contact Weinstock or any ember of the society for further information.