Historically speaking
The Edison Schoolhouse-Hungarian Church Sussex County has seen the passing of many landmarks in the last few months: Franklin’s hospital, The Central in Sparta, and the movie theater in Sparta, to name just a few. Another landmark, the Edison Schoolhouse-Hungarian Church, is to be demolished in August, but this time there is a drive to save it. The Edison Schoolhouse. In the late 1880s Thomas Edison, the great and famous inventor, opened several iron mines, constructed a concentrating mill, and developed a town on Sparta Mountain above Ogdensburg to provide for the needs of his 1,000 employees and their families. Although Edison had almost no formal schooling he did appreciate the value of education and built a one-room schoolhouse for the town’s children to attend. The school operated from 1890 until 1900, when the mines closed and the town was abandoned. The school stood idle until 1909. The Hungarian Church . In 1908 the Hungarian immigrants in Franklin Furnace (Franklin after 1913) organized the Reformed Church so they could worship in their native language. They purchased the Edison Schoolhouse and moved it to Franklin, five miles away using mules and wagons. The reconstructed building was dedicated as a church in 1909. From 1909 until it closed in 1973 it served as the center of Hungarian life and culture for all Hungarians living in Franklin and the surrounding communities. The importance of the church was very eloquently articulated in Reverend Laszlo Szabo’s emotional poem, “This Church is Hungarian Soil.” The building has sat idle since 1973 and is now scheduled for demolition. The Edison Schoolhouse-Hungarian Church Affiliates (ESHCA) Project aims to relocate this historic structure to its former site on Main Street for reuse as a history education and community center. Plans also include interpretive kiosks, a gazebo, and other park amenities. Once completed, the site will serve as the focal point of a revitalized Main Street and town center in Franklin. The multiple-use facility and grounds will provide the citizens of the community with a much needed “place and sense of belonging.” The saving of this historic structure will go a long way toward ensuring the area’s rich cultural heritage is preserved. The Edison Schoolhouse-Hungarian Church Affiliates is comprised of 10 civic-minded organizations located in the upper- and mid-Wallkill Valley who have joined together to save this nationally and locally significant historic structure. An ad hoc team has been appointed by the Franklin Historical Society to facilitate the planning, organizing and execution of the project’s elements, while the society itself will serve as the parent organization providing administrative and financial oversight. The affiliation was formed to give broad-based support to the project, which will greatly increases it chance of success. The project will also serve as the template for other organizations to use in the future for similar preservation efforts. The current members of ESHCA are: Franklin Band, Franklin Historical Society, Franklin Mineral Museum, Franklin-Ogdensburg Mineralogical Society, Hamburg Historical Society, Hardyston Historical Society, Ogdensburg Historical Society, Sparta Historical Society, Sterling Hill Mining Museum, and Sussex County Historical Society. Interested parties may contact: ESHCA, c/o Franklin Historical Society P.O. Box 332 95 Main St. Franklin, NJ 07416 or call 973-827-7807 Column by Bill Truran, a member of the Sparta Historical Society and author of Sparta, NJ: Head of the Wallkill, and also Images of America: Franklin, Hamburg, Ogdensburg, Hardyston.