The Shipman Mansion

On Wednesday, October 18, 2023, Mark Cavanaugh, an engineer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, captivated the audience with his in-depth knowledge and passion about the Artemis space program. It was fascinating to hear all the different steps that are being taken to achieve the mission of having a sustainable human presence on the surface of the Moon. Artemis III, which will mark humanity’s first return to the lunar surface in more than 50 years, is scheduled for 2025. Judging from the lively question and answer period tonight, it looks like we should book Mark for 2025!

The Friends of Burlington Island joined us on September 20, 2023 to discuss the island's special history from the Lenni-Lenape to the Dutch, to the Swedes, to the English and then the Quaker settlers to the present day. The goal of the Friends of Burlington Island is to provide educational and recreational experiences on the island while protecting and preserving the island's natural resources.

November 13 It was Christmas time in 1868 when Paul R. Shipman, a retired newspaper editor, arrived in Edgewater Park, New Jersey, having played a crucial role eight years earlier to keep Kentucky neutral during the Civil War. You are invited to visit his home, the Shipman Mansion, on Wednesday, November 13, for a free program exploring Christmas customs in Shipman’s era. Jane Peters Estes, a student of the Civil War and a reenactor of that conflict and its times, will appear in period costume to discuss the origins of the Christmas tree, stockings hung by the fire and other traditions we still enjoy. Ms. Estes’ interest in the period began when she led a school field trip to Gettysburg. Now a tour director for Starr Tours of Hamilton, N.J., she has since expanded her knowledge of all aspects of the 1860s by touring historical sites and participating in Civil War reenactments. A native of Lumberton, Jane’s efforts in historical preservation were recognized by the Delaware Valley Civil War Round Table when Jane was presented with its "Award of Merit." In 2018, she was chosen to receive the Samuel Town Memorial Award for “outstanding contributions” to Civil War history. Her program begins at 7 p.m., with tours beginning at 6 p.m. of the Shipman Mansion, which is listed on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places. The presentation is offered by the non-profit Shipman Mansion Foundation, which is dedicated to the restoration of the 1869 mansion, with a mission to research, preserve and present to the public the cultural, architectural and maritime history of the area. The Shipman Mansion, at 221 Edgewater Avenue, Edgewater Park, is home to the Red Dragon Canoe Club, one of the oldest boating clubs on the Delaware River, whose members invite you to consider joining them for sailing, paddling and social events year round.

The history of a place can be traced through its artifacts. On Wednesday, October 23, the history of the Delaware River will be revealed through the story of one of its long-lost sailboats, the Corinthian One Design, in a program that begins at 7 p.m. in the Shipman Mansion, 221 Edgewater Avenue, Edgewater Park, N.J. John Brady, president and chief executive of Philadelphia’s Independence Seaport Museum, is overseeing the reclamation of two Corinthian sloops. His talk, free to the public and presented by the non-profit Shipman Mansion Foundation, is informed by his knowledge both of the sloop and of the history of the river on which she was designed to sail. Corinthian sloops were commissioned in 1949 by the Corinthian Yacht Club in celebration of the peace following World War II and environmental efforts at the time to clean the nearby Schuylkill River of a century of accumulated coal dust. Eight of the 23-foot wooden boats were built in Holland and brought to the Delaware River to race near Tinicum Island, just south of what is now Philadelphia International Airport. Brady’s talk will delve into the design of the boats and the environmental deficiencies in the Delaware that would shape the history of Corinthian sloop competition and river restoration. The program, the second in the autumn 2019 series, is offered by the tax-exempt Shipman Mansion Foundation in the furtherance of its mission: the restoration of the 1869 mansion – home to the Red Dragon Canoe Club – as well as the examination, preservation and presentation to the public of the architectural, cultural and maritime heritage of Edgewater Park and its environs. Tours of the historic mansion begin at 6 pm.

The Delaware River, as the song says, is deep and wide and Pennsylvania is on the other side, but it wasn’t always that way, as guests will learn Sept. 25 at the next Shipman Mansion Foundation lecture at the Red Dragon Canoe Club in Edgewater Park. Geologist Pierre Lacombe will unveil the history of our favorite river, going 20 million years back and, for more recent comparisons, 100 years. Then, in 1919, the river was 15 to 20 feet deep. Its flow “was at the whim of the seasons, and islands of feces floated down the river.” Today, with dredging, the river is, in its shipping channel, more than 40 feet deep. Lacombe, who is retired from the U.S. Geologic Survey, will explain how the Delaware’s flow is now regulated and will delve into the renewed cleanliness of the currents, which now permit the migration of diadromous fish to their spawning grounds. Lacombe’s talk will benefit from the assist of Red Dragon member Bill Matulewicz and will begin at 7 p.m. at the Red Dragon, 221 Edgewater Avenue. Lacombe has, for the past 35 years, investigated the geology and hydrology of New Jersey and has authored several technical reports on the topic. Lacombe’s program is the first in the fall series of lectures, presented free to the public, by the Shipman Mansion Foundation, a charitable non-profit created to fund the restoration of the 1869 mansion and to research, preserve and present to the public the cultural, architectural and maritime heritage of the Edgewater Park area.

In years past, Delanco native Mark Hall has, through the magic of slide presentations, taken guests at the Shipman Mansion in Edgewater Park along for delightful small boat cruises on the Danube, Rhine and Havel rivers in Germany. On May 8, Mark will change course, taking us on what he describes as a “special kind of boat (and) a special kind of boating” through central and northern England. Our travels during this free program at 7 p.m. will employ the very extensive network of canals, some of them built 200 and more years ago, through the idyllic English countryside (and a bit of urban jungle.) Prepare yourself to glide past wonderfully elegant cast iron bridges or under lovely old arched stone spans dating back to the era of the first canals. Imagine windswept upland moors and Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Hights, vibrant cities of the Midlands, evening visits to cozy pubs, as well as passages on aqueducts and through tunnels aboard fascinating vessels called “narrowboats,” special canal boats that ply these waters to these destinations and more. Mark, who grew up on the banks of the Rancocas Creek, has lived for years in Germany. His photos create a vivid record of his summer excursions, although he modestly claims that, in truth, the atmosphere is inadequately captured on film.

Most of them have disappeared, but at one time the shipyards along the Delaware River clanged, boomed, hissed and whistled with the labor of thousands of `workers whose efforts produced commercial and naval vessels that circled the world and were victorious in far-flung engagements. Dan Cashin, a shipyard rigger (explanation to follow) with a passion for those long-lost yards, resurrects them at 7 p.m. on April 24 at the Shipman Mansion, 221 Edgewater Park in his program Shipyards of the Delaware River. The program, which is free to the public, is presented by the charitable non-profit Shipman Mansion Foundation. Dan trained and worked for 53 years at the Philadelphia Navy Yard and its successor, Aker Philly Shipyard, as a rigger. His job involved moving heavy objects during ship construction, “sort of like the guys who built the pyramids or erected Stonehenge,” he explains. His talk will be illustrated by pictures of the famous ships built in yards along the Delaware River, including the U.S. Navy’s heavy cruiser Indianapolis, sunk by Japanese torpedoes in 1945 with the loss of 880 crewmembers in the shark-infested Pacific, and the battleship New Jersey, now moored on the Camden waterfront, as well as numerous historic freighters. Dan has stories as well of the workers who punched their time cards at those long lost yards, including Wendy the Welder, the Navy’s version of Rosie the Riveter, women who went to work during World War II. Most of the female shipyard workers were welders, Dan says.

Lisa Schiller brought the rich history of Burlington City to the Shipman Mansion last night. The number of famous people touching on Burlington was amazing including Benjamin Franklin, Oliver Cromwell, Captain James Lawrence and General Ulysses S. Grant, to name just a few. Perhaps one of the most significant events occurring in Burlington was the Concessions and Agreements of 1677 that established the West Jersey organization and set forth a number of civil liberties for both the settlers and the Native Americans. This document later became the basis for the US Constitution. That is all part of the fascinating history of Burlington.

Tom Gilmore built a 46-foot sailboat and raised his now PhD daughter on board. Before that, he sailed double-handed from the United States to England, France, the Mediterranean and back. Since then, he has rebuilt a $400,000 boat that he bought for $1,500. His recent voyages have taken him to Maine in the summer and the Florida Keys during winter months, with another winter in Florida aboard a small power boat that he towed behind his pickup. Tom inspired us all with his ideas on adjusting your lifestyle to include more sailing. Using photographs from his own adventures, Tom broke down the questions of “ When, Where and How.” Although Tom entertained us with stories about some of his own far-flung sailing adventures, he also included the concepts of weekend sailing and the treasures of the Delaware and Chesapeake Bays in his talk. In other words, “Just Do It NOW ” – regardless of where and what kind of boat.

Ed Leaf told fascinating tales about his exquisite ship models making the ships come alive to everyone at the Shipman Mansion’s first fall lecture. His ships included an 1890 American monitor, an 1805 Schooner gunboat with rotating cannons that fought in the Mediterranean, an 1880 whaling schooner, an Ohio river towboat, the USS New Jersey, a Russian light cruiser (made locally at Cramps Shipyard and informally known as the Wanderer because during the Russo-Japanese war, it was sunk and later salvaged by the Japanese who found it so well made, they kept it – only to have it reclaimed by the Russians late on) and the queen of the show, Le Couronne, a 17th century French ship that took Ed about a year to build.

Burlington County, New Jersey, is a sleepy collection of bedroom communities snuggled innocently by the big city. Just move along. Nothing to see here, right? Guess again, and then come to the next free Shipman Mansion Foundation program, BURLINGTON COUNTY MYSTERIES, on May 30 at 221 Edgewater Avenue, Edgewater Park. Myth, mysteries and lore – from the well known “Jersey Devil” to less familiar tales – are tucked under the deep cover of the county’s 40 municipalities. Spooky stuff, like witches and a portal to another dimension will be revealed by Marisa Bozarth, the county’s Museum Curator, History, who has collected her trove on the job over the past 15 years. Ms. Bozarth’s talk, beginning at the Shipman Mansion at 7 p.m., is her latest in a series that has included such topics as the Lindberg Kidnapping and the Boston Strangler.

A unique heritage along the Delaware River was brought to life last night at the Shipman Mansion when David Giannetto told the story of his father, Vincent Giannetto’s, early days. Long before the Delaware River was dredged and straightened, outdoorsmen called the river home and soon Vince taught himself how to make the Delaware River style hunting decoy so he too could hunt. These decoys hold the stories of a lost trade that was shaped by the river. A heart-warming story beautifully narrated. An added plus to the presentation was the display of beautiful carvings by Vincent, now an award-winning Master Carver. Thank you Vincent and David for an awesome night!

A huge thank you to Richard Barrios who entertained us all with his humor and "backstage" stories about the musicals we all know and love. From "The Jazz Singer" in 1927 all the way to "La La Land" in modern times, Richard knew them all and highlighted his talk with film clips to the delight of everyone. A wonderful show - thank you Richard!

Last night, the Shipman Mansion hosted an envy-inducing cruise (virtual unfortunately) along the Havel River in northeastern Germany. The journey took the audience from historic Brandenburg to Mirow meandering down the Havel, narrow streams and through lakes. Our narrator, Mark Hall, brought his photographs to life with his entertaining commentary about the canals, locks, old towns, modern cities such as Potsdam with its Bridge of Spies, ancient churches and quiet, peaceful countryside along the way. Thank you Mark for coming to visit – hope to see you again next year!

Can you tell the difference between canoes built by Thos. Eynon, Walter Dean or Peterborough? Al Bratton, Historian of the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association, brought his storehouse of knowledge to Shipman on October 18 as he explained the different characteristics of each builder. The canoes at Red Dragon Canoe Club are a true treasure – come to the next Shipman Open House on November 4 (10-2) and November 5 (1-4) and take the time to see if you can find the canoe with the brass battens, the dugout canoe and the birch bark canoe

It was a full house on September 27, 2017 as Paul Schopp entertained everyone with the intriguing history of the Camden & Amboy Railroad line from its beginnings in the early 1800’s until its purchase in 1871 by the Pennsylvania Railroad. Using historic images and post cards, Paul then took the visitors on a train ride from Trenton down to Camden and across the ferry to Pennsylvania providing snippets of historical information about the numerous station stops along the way.

Hal Taylor, author of The Illustrated Delaware River, told the story of his explorations of the Delaware River starting from a small waterfront shack on the Delaware Bay known as Gandy’s Beach to the Catskills – with lots of stories and anecdotes along the way.

Antique bottles tell stories and Tony Zoppina entertained the guests at the Shipman Mansion tonight with many of those stories. Whether they were pharmaceutical, milk or beer bottles, Tony explained what collectors look for – the rarer colors, pontil marks, and scripts. Many of the bottles were from local companies and the audience enjoyed learning about the businesses of long ago. Not only does Tony find bottles by digging, he also for a couple of years held the distinction of having sold the highest price bottle (over $7,000) on EBay – a bottle he bought it for only $2. Now we’ll all be looking for that special bottle. Thank you Tony for a great lecture.

It was a full house at the Shipman Mansion last night as Bob Thompson told not only the story of the rise of social organizations in Burlington but also answered everyone’s questions. Who knew the Pennsylvania Navy fired on Burlington or that the first assembly line was in Burlington. Bob’s entertaining style brought these stories to life.

On November 16, 2016 Richard Lewis presented his phenomenal photographs of local abandoned Nike Missile sites. You might not think that Nike Missile bases were artistically beautiful but Rich Lewis would prove you wrong. Rich is a fine arts photographer and tonight he entertained the audience at the Shipman Mansion with his unique pictures of the Nike bases in our area. He wove the Cold War story behind the pictures into his presentation. Hard to believe that there were nuclear missiles in Lumberton NJ. Guess those air raid drills we did as kids wouldn’t have helped us much.

A BIG thank you to Sam Still for his captivating presentation on the Still family. Through his extensive research, Sam was able to bring the Still family members to life as he went through their history and their contributions to the cultural and intellectual life in South Jersey over the years. Two such members were Dr. James Still who was known as the “Black Doctor of the Pines” and William Still, author of The Underground Railroad. Dr. Still’s office is still standing in Medford and Sam is spearheading efforts to preserve and restore the home and office. If you would like to know more about Dr. Still or would like to volunteer to support this effort to preserve this important part of our history, please see the Facebook page of Dr. James Still Historic Office Site & Education Center.

David Appleton, a USCG Master All Oceans, 100T and an ASA Instructor Evaluator, presented his experience taking a boat to Bermuda and told the audience about the most dangerous item a skipper can have on a boat (spoiler alert - its a schedule!). David has sailed to and from Bermuda on over 60 voyages since 1993 and delivery trips and ocean training cruises between Norfolk and Bermuda, Newport and Bermuda and on to ports in the Caribbean.

On May 25, 2016, Louise Calloway of the Underground Railroad Museum and Paul Schopp, noted historian, combined to tell the stories of the Underground Railroad in Burlington County, the fascinating tale of Thomas Haines Dudley.

On April 20, 2016, Marisa Bozarth of the Burlington County Parks System presented a program on “Burlington County Prison’s Most Notorious Inmate: Albert DeSalvo” – Albert DeSalvo, better known as the “Boston Strangler”, is perhaps the most infamous inmate of the Historic Burlington County Prison. Learn about his early life, his incarceration, and the aftermath of his later crimes and trial. The presentation will lead you to discuss the affairs of the crime and who really was the “Boston Strangler”. Linda Gaffney also presented her solar lighting kit that is going to an orphanage in Haiti.

Mark Hall, who grew up and learned to love boats on the banks of the Rancocas Creek in Delanco, wants you to ride along with him on the Danube and the Rhine Rivers of Southern Germany. The voyage, aboard a small cabin cruiser, will be the subject on Thursday, March 17, when the Shipman Mansion Foundation in Edgewater Park resumes for 2016 its monthly free programs for the public. The digital slide show records Hall’s excursion through waterways broad and narrow, hemmed in by steep hills or wending their way through wide plains, past gleaming passenger liners, big river freighters, and quaint little ferry boats.” There are “happy encounters with helpful, friendly people, on land and on the water – even with an occasional canoeist; picturesque old towns, some still entirely surrounded by their medieval walls, with their ancient half-timbered houses, and perhaps a baroque palace or two.” Along the way, the cabin cruiser passes “bustling modern cities, industry and busy wharves; castles and . . . vast vineyards growing up the slopes above the rivers, or stretching out as far as the eye can see.”

Philip E. Scott, RA of KSK Architects discussed the strategy and details involved in the restoration of the Shipman Mansion roof. How is a roof like an upside down boat? How is the Mansion a near perfect example of the Second Empire style? How DOES rainwater get down from the flat top of a mansard roof? Where is the yellow slate from? These and other mysteries were addressed.

Folklorist Tom Carroll of Perkins Center for the Arts, intrigued us with a discussion of fieldwork he’s conducted along the Delaware River and tributary creeks and offered perspectives on the many and diverse communities found along our waterways.

John Lawrence and Paul Schoop joined together to present the story of the Raritan-in-the Hills, a community of German Lutherans who settled in central New Jersey

Dan Lieb, President of the New Jersey Historical Divers Association, presented Shipwrecks off the New Jersey Coast. Formed in 1995 as a charitable non-profit, the NJHDA has joined with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to map the seabed artifacts of the Robert J. Walker, a hydro graphic survey vessel that sank off Atlantic City in 1860, just as the Civil War was beginning. Lieb discussed the Walker survey, conducted by teams of volunteer divers and overseen by NOAA marine archaeologists. He also presented the history of his organization, which was created to preserve New Jersey’s shipwreck and maritime history, research and record the many unknown, lost and misnamed shipwrecks along the state’s coast and to document their findings and present them to the public through exhibits and lectures such as the Shipman Mansion event.

Just in time for Memorial Day, Jane (“Betty”) Schopp and her son, Paul, provided highlights of her service to the nation during the Second World War.

Doug Campbell, a seasoned off-shore sailor, introduced sailors, armchair and actual, to the many steps that one should undertake to prepare for a singlehanded blue-water voyage as he prepares for the Bermuda One-Two Yacht Race.

You may wear many hats in your life, but have you ever worn a Mummer’s hat? Your chance comes on Tuesday, March 31, when the Shipman Mansion Foundation in Edgewater Park hosts The Secret Life of Mummers: Tradition; Family and Commitment. Alan Visitacion has been a Mummer for 35 years and is in the Mummer’s Hall of Fame with the Woodland String Band, with which he has played the alto saxophone for the last quarter century. Visitacion, from Edgewater Park, will bring Mummer costumes and head gear – which he has offered to make available for photos, should you choose to wear one. In a program that promises to visit all that New Year’s Day jargon, Visitacion will explain “2-Street,” demonstrate the Mummer’s Strut and identify the many Mummer “divisions” while focusing on the history of string bands. It turns out that there are some important rules for those parading through Philadelphia, which he will explore. And the parade has had many routes, which he’ll trace in a program that promises something new for everyone, including music. Oh, dem golden slippers! The Secret Life of Mummers begins at 7 p.m. at the Shipman Mansion, 221 Edgewater Avenue, Edgewater Park. With this event, The Shipman Mansion Foundation begins its third year of free programs for the public. The next program, Preparing for a Solo Offshore Passage, will be April 28 and will introduce sailors, armchair and actual, to the many steps that one should undertake to prepare sailboat and self for a singlehanded blue-water voyage. Speaker Doug Campbell has completed two singlehanded voyages to Bermuda as well as numerous coastal passages. The Shipman Mansion Foundation was formed to introduce the community to local history and the cultural roots of the area while raising funds to preserve the Shipman Mansion, which is on the state and federal Registers of Historic Places. Admission is always free and deserts are provided. Tax-deductible donations to the Shipman Mansion Foundation are encouraged and will be accepted during the program.

Ed Leaf, a model ship expert, presented a few of his many ship models at The Red Dragon on September 25, 2013. Ed entertained the audience with many anecdotes and stories about each ship.

Mike Dmochowski presented a handcrafted plaque showing the date the Shipman Mansion was built.

John Lawrence, research archeologist, led a fascinating discussion of many of his archeological finds in the area and the history of the Lenape Indians at his October 2013 presentation at the Shipman Mansion.

Paul Schopp, noted historian, discussed steamboats and forgotten canoe camps along the Rancocas to a packed audience at the February 2014 presentation at the Shipman Mansion.

The history of the Coopertown Meeting House and the Coopertown Cemetery Association in Edgewater Park will be the topic of the free March program at the Shipman Mansion, also in Edgewater park. Don Wood, whose ancestors were among the group of founders of the Coopertown Meeting House in 1806, will share the story of the meeting house, the area churches spawned by the meeting house, and his family's connection. The Shipman Mansion at 221 Edgewater Avenue, Edgewater Park, is the home of The Red Dragon Canoe Club. The program, free to the public, will be at 7 PM on Wednesday, March 26, 2014.

On October 29, 2012, the tall ship Bounty sank in the fringes of Hurricane Sandy 90 miles offshore from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The captain, Robin Walbridge was lost at sea. One crew member, Claudene Christian, 42, was found floating in a survival suit and was pronounced dead. Fourteen other crew members were rescued through the heroic efforts of Coast Guard aviators. The ship did not have to be lost. The captain had decided to sail toward the approaching hurricane rather than remain in port in Connecticut even though forecasters had warned that this was the most massive storm geographically ever to come up the east coast. There was only one real question to answer once the rescue and recovery efforts were completed: Why did a well-respected tall ship captain make that fated voyage? Authors Michael J. Tougias and Douglas A. Campbell set out in the weeks immediately after that disaster to answer that question. The result is their book, Rescue of the Bounty, published by Scribners and released April 1. On April 30, Campbell will present the findings of the book and sign copies during a program at the Shipman Mansion at the Red Dragon Canoe Club, one of a series of free monthly events hosted by the non-profit Shipman Mansion Foundation. Other recent Shipman events have featured Don Wood’s talk about the historic Coopertown Meeting and Cemetery and Paul Schopp’s “Rollin’ on the Rancocas” program about steamships on the Rancocas Creek. Campbell, a 20-year Red Dragon member and the club’s current commodore, will discuss Bounty’s fascinating captain, Robin Walbridge, and trace his eventful life and the unique personality that led him to steer the popular Bounty, manned by a largely inexperienced crew, toward Sandy. The program will include a reading from the book and a question and answer session. The Bounty talk begins at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30, and, like all other Shipman programs, is admission free. The Shipman Mansion and Red Dragon Canoe Club are at 221 Edgewater Avenue, Edgewater Park, 08010. There will be free desserts during intermission.

A year-round supply of fresh water from the Delaware River runs into the Delaware Bay below Salem, New Jersey, while at the same time fingers of salt water wash in from the ocean. This fine mixture gives birth in the upper reaches of the bay to that most wonderful of bivalves – the oyster. On Wednesday, May 28, Michael J. Chiarappa, associate professor of history at Quinnipiac University, will bring the history and biology of the Delaware Bay oyster to life in a talk in the Shipman Mansion at the Red Dragon Canoe Club, 221 Edgewater Avenue, Edgewater Park. In the 7 p.m. free program, Dr. Chiarappa will reveal, in part, why Port Norris, New Jersey’s oyster capital, once claimed to have more millionaires per capita than any other community in the United States. Dr. Chiarappa’s research and teaching is focused in the areas of American environmental history, the history of America’s built environments and landscapes, American maritime history, and local/regional history. Michael J. Chiarappa received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and is Associate Professor of History at Quinnipiac University. He is co-author of Fish for All: An Oral History of Multiple Claims and Divided Sentiment on Lake Michigan (2003), co-editor of Nature’s Entrepot: Philadelphia’s Urban Sphere and its Environmental Thresholds (2012), and the author of articles focusing on vernacular landscapes, regionalism, and the use of natural resources in maritime environments. Dr. Chiarappa’s research and teaching is focused in the areas of American environmental history, the history of America’s built environments and landscapes, American maritime history, and local/regional history. He is also specializes in public history and formerly co-directed the Public History Program at Western Michigan University where he taught courses in historic preservation, documentation methods, and cultural resource management. He has conducted numerous field schools focusing on historic preservation, maritime preservation, museology, oral history, and local history and has worked on historic preservation, maritime preservation, and public history projects in the Middle Atlantic, New England, and Great Lakes regions, and in the Pacific Islands. A graduate of the Munson Institute of American Maritime Studies and a member of the Board of Directors of the Vernacular Architecture Forum, he has worked extensively with a variety of museums and government agencies, including the Smithsonian Institution and the National Park Service The May program is one in a series of free monthly educational programs presented by the charitable non-profit Shipman Mansion Foundation. As with all of the programs, dessert will be served and tours of the mansion will be offered.

What really happened to Amelia Earhart? Mark Allen, retired Marine Corps Lt. Colonel who flew jet fighters for more than 27 years, will present his answer at 7 p.m., Wednesday, June 25 at the Shipman Mansion in Edgewater Park. Allen’s fascination with Amelia Earhart’s story began when he was a child, well before he began flying F-4 Phantoms, in which he was a command navigator. He concluded his military career as Commanding Officer of the 150th Air Refueling Squadron at McGuire Air Force Base. “There are countless theories, books and movies on the subject” of the loss of Amelia Earhart, Allen says. “Was she really captured by the Japanese and spent the war broadcasting as Tokyo Rose? How about the claim that she survived and ended up living in New Jersey? Who was Fred Noonan and what role did he play? Was she really in radio contact for hours before she was lost? Did Amelia simply get lost and disappear into the vast Pacific without a trace?” Allen’s presentation, which includes a discussion of the role of celestial navigation in Earhart’s loss, will use a well researched theory, supported by circumstantial evidence, to answer these questions. The Shipman Mansion, home to the Red Dragon Canoe Club, is at 221 Edgewater Avenue, Edgewater Park. Admission to Allen’s talk is free and is part of an on-going series of monthly educational events at the Mansion. As always, desert will be served.

“Delivering the White Pearl,” the story of a voyage down the East Coast, will be presented September 24, the latest in the series of ongoing free educational programs offered by the Shipman Mansion Foundation at the Red Dragon Canoe Club in Edgewater Park. David Appleton, a professional yacht delivery captain, will tell of the planning, preparation and actual delivery – one of scores he has accomplished – of the yacht Seapearl in a program starting at 7 p.m. at 221 Edgewater Avenue. Appleton acquired a US Coast Guard 100 ton Master license 23 years ago and has been a professional captain since, completing 30 southbound deliveries and another 25 northbound, assisting boat owners who want to avoid the seasonal “snowbird” migration of yacht owners moving their craft from the cold north to the warm south, and back. He has also served as a sailing instructor and skippered ocean training cruises between the East Coast and Bermuda through his delivery company, Appleton Marine Inc. He has accumulated 95,000 miles at sea during these ventures. The Shipman Mansion Foundation is a charitable non-profit corporation with a mission of restoring the historic Shipman Mansion, which is listed on the state and federal Registers of Historic Places. The Foundation’s programs are designed to educate the public about the history, culture and ecosystems of the Delaware River and its surroundings. Foundation programs are free to the public and include a dessert intermission. All are welcome.

The Shipman Mansion Foundation welcomes historian Paul W. Schopp back to Edgewater Park for his October 29 program on Timbuctoo, the slavery-era village near Mount Holly where fugitives made their homes. Beginning in the mid-1820s, four fugitive slaves from Maryland established the small enclave to offer a permanent residence for other runaways. No local people of color resided in Timbuctoo, as its founders reserved the land and dwellings for those who had slipped their shackles down south. The settlement grew and thrived, despite slave-catcher incursions, fugitive slave trials in Mount Holly, and the passage of the 1850 federal Fugitive Slave Law. In the Wednesday presentation at the Shipman Mansion – home of the Red Dragon Canoe Club – Schopp will use Powerpoint images to recreate the village and discuss the deprivations endured by its residents who, though they remained following the Civil War, had vanished from the landscape by 1920. Schopp, a professional historian who has documented local history for the past 40 years, became fascinated in 1990 with myriad black history topics in southern New Jersey and initiated documentary research into these topics. He has prepared or participated in preparing successful National Register of Historic Places nominations for Mount Peace Cemetery in Lawnside and Macedonia African Methodist Episcopal Church in Camden, both in Camden County; and Jacob’s Chapel and the Colemantown Meeting House in Mount Laurel, Burlington County. He also conducted exhaustive research and prepared a full history of Locust Hill Cemetery, a black burial ground located in Trenton, Mercer County. Schopp’s Timbuctoo program will begin at 7 p.m. at the Mansion, 221 Edgewater Avenue, Edgewater Park. One of a series of monthly educational and cultural programs presented by the Shipman Mansion Foundation, the event is free to the public and deserts will be served.

Charles Lindbergh Jr., 20 months old, was kidnapped in March, 1932, and, with 68 more years left in the 20th Century, his abduction and murder became the “crime of the century.” On Wednesday, November 19, the crime will be resurrected at the Shipman Mansion in Edgewater Park. The free program, “Detective Ellis H. Parker and the Lindbergh Kidnaping Case”, begins at 7 p.m. Marisa Bozarth, museum attendant for the Historic Burlington County Prison Museum, will tell the story of Parker, whose career became entangled with the Lindbergh case and who had his own answers to the most hotly debated facets of the crime. Was it really Bruno Hauptman who stole the toddler from his crib in Hopewell Township, near Princeton? And was the frail body with the fracture skull that was identified as the son of the legendary aviator really that child? Bozarth will tell how, and why, Parker was able to secure a stay of execution for Hauptman; who Parker thought was the real kidnapper, and how his encounter with the case changed his law enforcement career forever. Bozarth, a graduate of Lebanon Valley College with a degree in history, has worked for the Burlington County Division of Parks for 11 years, traveling across the county lecturing on historic topics. Her presentation at the Shipman Mansion, home to the Red Dragon Canoe Club, is the latest in a two-year-long series of educational programs produced by the non-profit Shipman Mansion Foundation as part of its mission to preserve the cultural heritage of the community and the Delaware River. Admission is free, and desserts will be served following the presentation at 221 Edgewater Avenue, Edgewater Park.