Montague Post Office's 30th year!

Originally from 1815 through 1823, the Montague P.O. was known as "Brick House" - referencing the building, and also the village center in which it sat. Montague continued operating a class 4 post office until February 29, 1908. A class 4 designation reflected a rural locale, and designated how the postmaster was appointed and the amount of business being transacted. Change came in 1908-  when the Postmaster General felt that, as a result of rural free delivery and our small population, the town would be better serviced from Port Jervis, N.Y.

Thomas V. Cole had been the township's last and longest serving postmaster, holding the position for 34 years from 1874 until 1908. He was connected with the Martin Cole Store which opened in 1870, and ran it at that time. It is likely that was why the store is recalled as having been an adjunct location for postal matters after the official Montague P.O. was discontinued.


2011 marks 30 years since the existing location at the Clove Road Mini-Mall opened on Jan. 24, 1981 as Montague's contracted post office [CPO], with its local deliveries routed through Branchville, NJ. It was a change that took 20 years. The Port Jervis, NY address being used by township residents had caused greater issues with mail order sales and state income taxes, insurance policies, driver's license applications, etc. With the help of Rep. James Courter, the matter was resolved. Former R.D. addresses via Port Jervis, NY 12771 were then renamed as RFD routes of Montague, NJ 07827.

The CPO opened with 60 lock boxes  - all rented within a month. Helen (Zitone) Gassmann ran the office for three years as its first contracting officer. Postal lockboxes, once located by the old gatehouse for mail delivery to residents of the Current High Point Country Club, { then called Canyon Ridge} were moved into the CPO lobby in 1982. Renovations, to further expand the post office's space to its current size, occured in 1984.
The present Distribution Window Clerk, John Newcomer, has served full time since 1993.



Montague's population census totals:

1930 = 581;  1940 = 621;  1950 = 602;  1960 = 879;  1970 = 1,131; 
1980 = 2,066;    1990 = 2,832;    2000 = 3,412;    2010 = 3,837

Col. Anthony Kuser was interested in wild life and natural history. He thus acquired a large estate on Kittatiny Mountain, including High Point, 1805 feet high, highest point in New Jersey, and Lake Marcia, the state's highest lake, and maintained it as a wild life sanctuary. In 1922 he turned it all over to the state, which then placed it under  the care of the High Point State Park Commission, with Wayne Dumont as chairman. It was extensively developed with state appropriations.

 Col. Kuser gave funds for the erection of a perpetually lighted war memorial tower, to the soldiers and sailors of New Jersey who gave their lives in the various wars of the Nation, on the summit of High Point. 

 

Source of data: Scenic and historic America, Volumes 1-2 

                      by American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society

All Hallow's Eve - Harvest Fest

Halloween, known in the Netherlands as All Hallows Eve or "vooravond van Allerheiligen", was initially brought to North America with Irish and British colonists. It was not widely observed until the larger influx of European immigrants in the 19th century [late 1800's] and trick or treating was not recognized as commonplace until the early 1900's. In Ireland, however, Halloween remains much more a harvest festival.

Sussex County Heritage Tour this weekend

The Foster-Armstrong House will be one of a number of locations opening up for tours this Sat. and Sun., Oct. 15th and 16th, as part of a county-wide effort to celebrate the county's rich history - in conjunction with the truly unique traveling exhibition being hosted at the Sussex County Arts & Heritage Council in Newton, NJ. The ca. 1790 house will open between 1 and 4pm and on Sunday only, a banjo minstrel will offer up some musical tunes and tales.

At SCAHC, the exhibit entitled "New Harmonies" lets anyone stopping in try playing the spoons, a rub board, or a diddley bow. Discover what old tyme country, polka, blues, gospel, klezmer, folk, zydeco and hip-hop have in common ....  and hear samples of many of these. The exhibit has been touring the nation, and Sussex County is currently hosting it at SCAHC, 133 Spring Street until Oct. 30th.