Tuesday, October 23, 2012
From shark attack victims and Spanish influenza victims to hero firefighters and powerful political leaders, a stroll through Rose Hill Cemetery reveals the area's unique history.
The Matawan Historical Society hosted the second annual Rose Hill Cemetery Tour this weekend, guiding numerous attendees through the cemetery's winding hills and historical significance. The tour was led by Al Savolaine, a Matawan resident and member of the Historical Society. Savolaine, known as 'The Cemetery Man,' has now spent three years researching the lives of the people buried in the cemetery in order to create this tour. Rural burial grounds, like Rose Hill, gained popularity when church cemeteries became overcrowded. In fact, Savolaine pointed out, cemeteries were the first public parks and were often visited by locals looking to take a walk or share a picnic on a Sunday afternoon. Rose Hill Cemetery has gained notoriety as the …
Monday, October 15, 2012
Take a tour with a docent or search with paranormal specialists
All old houses go bump in the night. Stairs creak, floorboards moan and drafts blow through aging windows. But do 289-year-old houses whisper sayings like, "Be gone," "Are you the Corn King," or "Your son is dead,"? Typically no, but those are just some claims of paranormal activity experienced at the Burrowes Mansion on Main Street in Matawan, made by paranormal investigators with EVP voice recordings as evidence and by those who have visited the Mansion for other reasons, according to Matawan Historical Society member Al Savolaine. The only way to really determine whether or not these claims are true is to see for yourself. The first and third Sunday of every month, including this Sunday, Oct. 21, the borough offers tours from 2 p.m. to …
Monday, July 9, 2012
Now deceased, these three people made a big difference to local history
The Burrowes Mansion in Matawan is a landmark on Main Street, serving as a reminder to passersby of the long and rich history in an area once known as Middletown Point. However, the aging white home that backs up to Matawan Creek is not done telling the borough's story. The Matawan Historical Society recently dedicated a reading room inside the mansion to former Matawan resident Douglas Fountain Bushnell and dedicated a tall Scottish case clock to longtime Matawan residents Howard Henderson and Sarah Ellison. All three were deceased over the last couple years. Bushnell, born in 1920, spent his childhood in Matawan. He went on to graduate from Rutgers and served in a bomb disposal unit in the Navy during World War II, according to his …
Jo Pica
10:25 pm on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Allen Savolaine makes this tour so interesting - he makes you feel like you are traveling in Matawan History with him - and if you don't believe in ghosts in the begining of the Cemetary Tour or Borrows Mansion Tour - you will leave a Believer! We all forget to thank these volunteers like Al and Catherine and Bob and Julius and the rest of the gang who work endless hours dedicating their time and… more ›