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Clarence Dillon Public Library Celebrates 250 years of American Independence Back To School By Caitlyn Parker Bedminster, NJ  Far Hills Grammar School 1921 DescriptionFirst row, l. to r.: Andrew Obosky - 7th grade, Eunice Hockenbury - 6th.
Second row: Elizabeth Beers - 7th, Rosina Grossi - 7th, Martha Flomerfelt - 7th, Dorothy Dowling - 7th, Aileen L. Allen - 7th, Marjorie Little - 7th, Madeline Crane - 7th, Elberta Johnson - 6th, Nellie Pickell - 6th.
Third row: Evelyn R Welsh - 8th, Anna Schmidt - 7th, Anna Kelly - 8th, Verna Todd - 8th, Olive Hill - 6th, Gertrude Little - 8th.
Fourth row: Louis Wagner - 6th, Fred Grossi - 6th, George Unser - 7th, Frank Obosky - 8th, Earl Crater - 8th, James [Preniaco or Prenicico] - 8th, Floyd Smith - 6th, Harry Meslar - 7th, Howard Smith - 6th, Mr. Howard Dean Morrison, teacher. Missing: Elsie Kull. Photo taken March, 1921 This September, many local elementary school students will head back to school either at Bedminster School on Somerville Road or Bernardsville Elementary and Middle Schools. This wasn’t always the case. Prior to the 1900s, there were multiple one room school houses throughout the Bedminster area, some of which you can still see as you drive Pottersville or Lamington Roads. To accommodate growing populations in both Bedminster and Far Hills in the 1900s - 1910s, larger, multi room schools were built. Prior to 1983, children in the area attended three local schools. At the corner of Elm St and Main St in Bedminster, stands the Old School House (now converted to offices). This building was originally constructed in 1918 adjacent to an older one room schoolhouse on the same property. Grades K - 8 attended this school until 1946 when the school system was restructured. This building also housed the town library, which later moved to the church across the street. In Pottersville, next to the Pottersville Fire House on Hacklebarney Road stands a prairie style schoolhouse which currently houses a nursery school. Built in 1912 to serve children in grades K-8 from the surrounding area, this schoolhouse replaced a one room schoolhouse built in 1860 on Black River Road where the Community Center is currently located. The third building, the Pluckemin School House, currently housing the Contemporary Art Center, on Burnt Mills Road, was built in 1912. Both the Pottersville and Pluckemin schools remained in use until the 1958 expansion of the school on Main Street was completed. In 1946, the Bedminster school district began using school buses which led to the restructuring of the schools. Instead of three K - 8 schools, 1st and 2nd grades attended the Pluckemin School, 3rd and 4th attended Pottersville, and 5th - 8th attended the Old School House. In 1900 the newly designed village of Far Hills included a new wooden school house built on the Far Hills fairgrounds. This was replaced in 1919 by the Far Hills school house which now houses the municipal offices and police department. The original school house was torn down in 1968. In 1967, elementary school students from Far Hills began attending the Bedminster School. This send-receive agreement lasted until 1984 when Far Hills began sending students to the Somerset Hills School district. The current Bedminster School was completed in 1993, built to accommodate the significant population growth in the township during the early 1980s when The Hills were built, and replaced the old school house. To learn more about our local history, please stop by the Anne O’Brien Room at the Clarence Dillon Library. |
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Book Talk with Author Jessi Gold Thursday, Sep. 18, 12:00 pm A former child reader at our library who currently serves as Chief Wellness Officer at Tennesse University. She'll preview and sign copies of her book releasing late September "How Do you Feel"--a deeply personal memoir that explores the hidden costs of taking care of others, reminding us that in order to care for others we must first remember to take care for ourselves. In-Person in the Cafe |
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Sandy Putnam on Chopin: The Poet of the Piano Friday, Sep. 26, 12:00 pm His Music mysteriously enters our deepest sensibilities-- we don't quite know how, we simply treasure the sounds, and the feelings. Even the name is magnetic, "CHOPIN". Putnam, with Wade Bryant, chronicles his very colorful life, blending in his greatest music.
In-Person
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Knitting with Eleanor Every Wednesday @ 11am
In-Person (No Registration Required) |
Meditation & Mindfulness |
Chair Yoga Every Friday @ 10:30am In-Person (No Registration Required) |
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Coffee with a Cop Tuesday, Sep. 16, 11-1 Join Bedminster's Finest as they will be here in the library to answer all of your questions and concerns. |
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Art History - Prof Kloss on Monet Friday, Sep. 19, 12:00 pm Part of a video series. In-Person |
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Puzzle Palooza! Tuesday, Sep. 23, 5-7:00 pm
Families welcomed to stop by our library
Tuesday 9/23 from 5-7:00
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ESL - English as a Second Language
Beginner A and B - Mondays @ 7:15 pm
Intermediate - Tuesdays@10:30 am Advanced - Tuesdays@7:15 pm |
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MAHJONGG Tuesdays from 12:30-3:30 pm. Wednesdays from 12:30-3:30pm. There are opening for experienced players only. If interested please call the facilitator at 480-282-7977 |
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Bridge Mondays from 11:30-4pm. In person | Walk-in
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Bridge Lessons for Beginners with Chris Regan
Mondays @ 2:30pm There is a $10 fee which is paid to the instructor. The bridge tables are back up on Mondays at 11:30am for interested players. Informal format. The library has a limited supply of decks and experienced players are welcome to bring their own cards and supplies. If interested in attending the 2:30pm beginning learning session please call the instructor at 908-334-7885 |
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Drop in Computer Help Tuesdays 3-4pm |
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New Rules for Fall Garden Cleanup September 17 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm When we think of gardening, we often think of the all the preparatory work that comes in the Spring, but what we do in the Fall to “cleanup”, can have a dramatic impact. In fact, some of our traditional routines may no longer be the best practices for a healthy and biodiverse yard. In this talk, Miranda Scher, Rutgers Master Gardener, will take a look at new ways of performing fall tasks that can answer our human need for order, and also the needs of wildlife and the plants themselves. |
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Protecting Your Personal Information in Today’s Digital World September 24 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm So much of our personal information is available online and we often unknowingly put more and more of it out there. It is oftentimes sold to different companies for advertising or data mining, but it can also be used by scammers or identity thieves for more nefarious purposes. Please join Patricia Tamburelli from the NJ Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell to learn how to protect your personal information from online threats. She will cover tips and techniques to safeguard and limit the amount of and type of personal information that often make their way into the digital environment. |
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A Century of Cuban Music in New Jersey September 29 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Many forms of Latin music can trace their origins to Cuba and are a core part of Cubania (Cuban national identity). As Cubans emigrated to the United States, they brought their love of music with them, especially to Hudson County, New Jersey. While many histories of Cuban and Latin music are focused on New York City, New Jersey played a critical role in the development and expansion of Cuban and Latin music in the United States. Please join us in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month as Dr. Benjamin Lapidus uncovers the rich history of Cuban culture, through music, in New Jersey over the last 100 years. |
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Jane Austen Wrecked My Life (2024) (94 min.) Rated R Friday, Sep. 19, 1:30 pm Camille Rutherford stars as a lonely, single writer who is accepted into a Jane Austen Society writing workshop and immerses herself in her novels. This film is an engaging romantic comedy. In French with English subtites |
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Thunderbolts (2025) (127 min.) Rated PG-13 Friday, Sep. 26, 1:30 pm Florence Pugh stars as a member of a team of unconventional antiheroes who are caught in a deadly trap and forced to work together to survive. It is from the Marvel Comics Universe and received much critical praise. |
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Watercolors with Miss Pat!
Join Miss Pat on Thursday, September 25 at 4:30 for another round of watercolors for
those in grades 2-8.
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