Sussex County History Today: Reflections on 2024

The study of history begins with looking to the past.

This is what we will do for the year that just closed: 2024.

This column focuses on the local history of Sussex County. What we cover here are events and spirits, large and small, and how they impact us in our rural home in northwestern New Jersey.

Looking back, a great amount of our local thought concerned the national election, and the anticipation resulted in a lot of tension and angst.

Answers came in early November during the voting process, of course, and now our world waits for the many changes that are expected to take place, such as the return to the office or different rules to be in place in institutions, such as schools.

Insofar as our local history, we recently lost one of the leading historians that our county ever had. Jennie Sweetman was a treasure for knowing about our past.

She was a person who loved the study of history and who had researched greatly. Her work during half a century contained a trove of insight and a tome of material.

Her legacy will last well into the future, and we are very grateful for her presence and her work. Effort is under way to preserve and document her work. More on this at a later date.

2024 showed a continuation of the good efforts of the Sussex County Arts & Heritage Council to authorize and organize the 14th annual Sussex County Heritage Weekend. A dozen or so historical societies opened their doors to show the many unique artifacts and history that our hamlets and townships have - in unity for the county but each with distinctive features that represent its particular area.

We have 20 historical societies, and I love them all. Some standouts this year have been work done by Sparta, Branchville, Franklin, Stillwater and Ogdensburg.

I intend to survey each of our 20 or so societies in the coming years in this column.

A core group now exists with 10 local historians to begin in earnest to organize celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence next year.

This will begin April 18, 2025 (250th anniversary of Paul Revere’s Ride) and conclude July 4, 2026. Many are looking forward to this.

I mentioned “spirit” above. With this is the feeling within our county’s citizens, the aspirations and the changes that take place as events and people take actions and reshape our ways of living.

From these indications come different ways of operating, the formation of customs and the development over the years of traditions.

Such alterations to the lives of our county residents occurred after the Revolutionary War and with the advent of turnpikes, canals, railroads and automobiles. Immigrants during the centuries brought their heritage and blended in with those here already. Change is constant, and reflection helps us understand where we’ve been.

I hope you have enjoyed the holidays.

As the sun sets on 2024, stay alert and positive, happy and healthy, and appreciate the future as we begin a new year.

Bill Truran, Sussex County’s historian, may be contacted at billt1425@gmail.com