The author of 

will speak and do a book-signing 
at the 
Foster-Armstrong House 
at 320 River Rd.,  Montague, N.J.
 on Sat., March 25th at 2 p.m.

        Bibi Gaston uncovered 5,000 pages of Old Timers letters at the Library of Congress. She has written this book to tell of her great-granduncle, Gifford Pinchot, Chief Forester of the U.S. Forest Service from 1905–1909 and the experiences of his fellow forestry pioneers.
        Pinchot served as governor of Pennsylvania from 1923 to 1927 and again from 1931 to 1935. His father had built Grey Towers, which later served as a home to Gifford Pinchot and his family. It is now being administered by the US Forest Service, the federal agency founded by Pinchot which currently maintains the Grey Towers National Historic Landmark in Milford, Pa.
     HAPPY SPRING!

The sun rises due east and sets due west today no matter where you are. The equinoxes are the best times to find due east or west 
from your house or any other landmark.
Today is the anniversary of 

New York City saw up to five feet of snow, 
winds of 45 miles per hour and higher, and snowdrifts of 50 feet and higher.  


From the Archives of the NJ Herald:   March 13, 1941

Blizzard almost duplicates 1888

"The heavy snowfall that started Friday evening and extended from Virginia to New England was a very forceful reminder of the famous blizzard of 1888. While in Sussex County the depth of snow reached but fourteen inches. In some sections, the snow was fully as deep as in 1888.


"However, the fourteen inches of snow in the county made harder work for the men operating snow removal equipment than would ordinarily have been the case, because of the high wind that blew the snow back into the highways almost as fast as the plows pushed it out. "


Gov. Christie has declared a state of emergency 

as our 2017 blizzard approaches N.J.

The National Weather Service has recommended people living northwest of I-95 "should be thinking about sheltering in place from around 2 AM to 2 PM. In other words no unnecessary travel."
The National Park Service is seeking written comments to be submitted on the proposed strategy for prioritizing historic properties as well as potential treatment options by the end of March.

Their informational documents include a flowchart showcasing the strategy, as well as a newsletter that describes the strategy and treatment options in a different way.

All materials presented at the public meetings held on March 8th and 9th, 2017, are also available here


It is being administered through a partnership with MARCH - Montague's historical society - which also cares for the Nelden-Roberts Stonehouse.

The Minisink Reformed Church building and the Montague Grange are also properties owned by the National Park Service, and cared for by the Church congregation and the Grange membership. 

The remaining historic properties in town currently in need of partnerships or alternative proposals, and care through a Historic Property Stewards Volunteer-in-the Park program, are the DeRemer site [house dates to 1872], the Nelden-Hornbeck farm [aka "Roberts Farm", and the Mabel Roberts parcel [house originally known as Clark-Hornbeck].

Comments on the strategy can include input on issues, viability, and suggestions for alternative strategies. The strategy will be used to prioritize historic properties, and how each individual property would be prioritized will be released for public input in late Fall 2017.


A meeting is scheduled today from 6 to 8 p.m. at East Stroudsburg University's Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, Room 336, 562 Independence Road, near the intersection of Route 209 and 447 and just off Exit 309 of Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania.