NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—The New Brunswick Free Public Library will be hosting two free events and a “historic photo contest” as part of its observation of NJ350, the 350th birthday celebration of the state of New Jersey. 

For the entire year, municipalities across the state will be holding an array of celebrations, ranging from contests to public performances to lectures to exhibits. NJ350 has marked three themes that it will observe over the year: innovation, diversity and liberty. 

The state was chartered by King Charles II of England in 1664. King Charles included the land that made up present-day New Jersey in a land grant to his brother James, the Duke of York. 

James in turned donated the land to two noblemen below him, Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret. He designated his nephew, Philip Carteret, as the first governor, establishing a capital at Elizabethtown. 

The NJ350 photo contest will be seeking photos depicting New Brunswick between the 1920’s and the 1980’s.

“To preserve the history and memories for future generations, the New Brunswick Free Public Library is making a Community Photobook to celebrate New Jersey’s 350th birthday,” reads the library website. 

Organizers of the contests will select photo submissions to be put on display at the Carl T. Valenti Community Room as part of an exhibition.

Submissions would be accepted until September 30.  Photos must be submitted along with a completed form, and may be hand-delivered to the reference desk or emailed to [email protected].

There will also be two programs hosted this month at the public library, which is located at 60 Livingston Avenue.

The first one, titled “The Rocks and Dirt We Stand On: A Gentle Introduction to General and Local Geology,” will take place on July 15 at 6:30pm.

Dr. Lauren Neitzke-Adamo, a Professor of Geology at Rutgers, will lead the discussion and lecture on how the geological landscape at New Brunswick evolved, over millions of years, to what it is today.

Then, on July 30 at 6:30pm, the library will host “Over Time on the Raritan River.”  Bill Schultz of the Raritan Riverkeeper, an environmental group overseeing the Hudson-Raritan Estuary, will lead a lecture and discussion on the evolution of the usage of the Raritan River.

Schultz will guide attendees through New Brunswick colonial era, through the Industrial Age, the clean-up, and modern times.

The July 15 and July 30 events will be part of the 16th annual adult summer reading program, also hosted by the New Brunswick Free Public Library.

Reporter at New Brunswick Today

Award-winning, multimedia journalist with experience in digital first and print-media. Daniel has covered local, state and regional issues, and utilized photography, social media and has written in-depth articles to produce high-quality work.

Award-winning, multimedia journalist with experience in digital first and print-media. Daniel has covered local, state and regional issues, and utilized photography, social media and has written in-depth articles to produce high-quality work.