Department of State to Launch
Forum on the History of New Jersey

Trenton – People with an interest in the history of the Garden State—teachers, academics and history buffs—will gather at the Marriott Hotel in Trenton on Saturday, November 18, 2006 to participate in an exciting new event on the state’s cultural scene: the New Jersey Forum.

The Forum will be an all-day event, featuring panels and presentations on New Jersey history. Session topics include the history of slavery, women, archaeology of Dutch settlements, the Twentieth Century, the built environment, the shaping of memory and the concluding campaign of the Revolutionary War.

“It is our intention that the Forum will become an annual event; one that will help to inform and educate our citizens about the history of this great state,” said Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells.

The 22 presenters at the event will include recognized experts, graduate students, and independent scholars. There will be an emphasis on new scholarship and first-time presenters. Among the institutions represented will be Rutgers, Seton Hall, the Archeological Society of New Jersey, Colonial Williamsburg, the Alice Paul Institute and Monmouth University. Exhibits from dozens of New Jersey history organizations will be included. There will also be an awards lunch, recognizing outstanding contributions to the field of New Jersey history.

The keynote address will be given by Professor Mark Lender of Kean University, who will speak on “The Future of the Past: The State of New Jersey History.”

The primary sponsors of the conference are three agencies within the New Jersey Department of State with a history focus: the Historical Commission, the State Archives and the State Museum. Cosponsors are the Advocates for NJ History, the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers, the NJ Association of County Cultural and Historic Agencies, the NJ Council for the Humanities and the NJ Studies Academic Alliance.