The 220th anniversary of the Township of Springfield is April 14, 2014. On that date, the very first Township Committee meeting was held (Springfield had petitioned the State Legislature in 1793 to be recognized as independent of the Township of Elizabethtown). There will be a month long celebration of this anniversary, kicking off with a concert of colonial music by the musical duo, The Tuckers at 2:00 PM on Sunday, April 6. Their performance will feature such songs from the colonial hit parade as “Antediluvians Were All Very Sober,” “Battle of Trenton,” “Four Drunken Maidens” and “Soldier Will You Marry Me?” along with more familiar tunes such as “Yankee Doodle,” “Greensleeves,” and “Water is Wide.”
April 6 will also mark the opening of an exhibit at the library’s Donald B. Palmer Museum of various items from the history of Springfield, including news coverage of significant events that mark the evolution of the township. Included in the exhibit will be the original volume of handwritten minutes of every township committee meeting from April 14, 1794 through 1909. The doors to the museum will open at 1:00 PM. The Historical Society and the library will also have available for sale that afternoon a number of books and items pertaining to Springfield’s history, including Images of America: Springfield, Phoebe’s Notebook, and maps and informational booklets pertaining to the Battle of Springfield.
A facsimile copy of the entire volume of minutes was produced and will be made available to the public for perusal at the library. The public is also invited to attend when a second facsimile copy of the minutes will be presented to the Township Committee at its meeting scheduled for 7:30 PM on April 8.
The Springfield Free Public Library is located at 66 Mountain Avenue. More information about the library can be found at www.springfieldpubliclibrary.com, by visiting the library’s Facebook page or by calling 973 376-4930 during regular library hours.