The Monroe one-room schoolhouse in Hardyston. (Photo courtesy of Bill Truran)
An American tradition is to honor our country on Flag Day, June 14.
This year, the holiday falls on a Saturday.
Flag Day commemorates the adoption of the U.S. flag on June 14, 1777, by the Second Continental Congress.
The holiday was proposed in 1861 to rally support for the Union during the Civil War. It became an official national observance in 1949.
We will be honoring Flag Day by raising the American flag at 11 a.m. June 14 at the Monroe one-room schoolhouse. The structure is the pride and joy of Hardyston and is the cornerstone of the Hardyston Historical Society.
The stone structure dates from about 1819, so it is quite an old building for Sussex County. That was only 40 years after Gen. George Washington passed within five feet of the property on his way from an encampment at what today is Wallkill Valley Regional High School to Morristown with the Continental troops.
It reflects a time when there were farms throughout our county, and rural life was the way we lived. Transportation was mainly by foot on dirt roads and primitive paths. Those who were better off were able to use horses and perhaps a buckboard wagon.
The building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, has a new flagpole, courtesy of the township.
We will sing the national anthem a cappella accompanied by the Geuther Girls, middle school and high school historical scholars, town officials, and others.
Docents will be present to answer historical questions. The Ready Rangers, including several 20-something action-oriented people, will be there to help with the flagpole and other needs.
The newly constructed flagpole will be dedicated at 11 a.m. with a short ceremony. Hope to see you there.
On other matters, the deadline for Sussex County Historical Marker program applications is June 30. Winning recipients will be announced at the New Jersey State Fair-Sussex County Farm & Horse Show in August.
The Patriot marker program is moving forward with Sparta’s Presbyterian Church being the first focus.
The Revolutionary War 250 campaign is under way and a new book on the subject will be released in about a month.
Thanks for your support of historical preservation and your appreciation of the rich heritage of Sussex County.
Bill Truran, Sussex County’s historian, may be contacted at billt1425@gmail.com