The Shipman Mansion

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.