Historical society welcomes new president

By Laurie Gordon
STILLWATER —The Historical Society of Stillwater Township just welcomed a new president. With a vision to increase membership and perpetuate the beautiful history of Stillwater, long-time Society member and co-chair of its annual Fall Fest, Deborah Drumm is the new chief.
It is the mission of the Historical Society of Stillwater Township to “Foster and promote an interest in Stillwater area history through education and preservation of family information, cemetery records, artifacts, sites, and structures and maintain an historical and genealogical library and museum,” she said. “As president I am hoping to perpetuate this mission and increase active membership.”
In addition, Drumm said that plans for the museum, located in the center of Stillwater include, “Painting the exterior of the building. The latest storm ripped an electrical wire off the building, so we need to take care of that. The museum is pretty cool, our previous president (and his wife and daughter) worked extremely hard to refresh and organize our collection. It looks great and we encourage everyone to stop in.”
Drumm said the group also hopes to increase their speakers bureau "to have exciting interesting topics that our community can relate to.”
Drumm and her husband, Paul, moved to Stillwater in 2001, and their neighbor Suzanne Clothier (who just passed away at the age of 96) invited them to a Historical Society meeting.
“Another 'nonagenarian,' Lawrence Earl was donating his Army/Airforce uniform from WWII,” Drumm recalled. “These are priceless historical moments that so many people take for granted or don’t even care about. My sister and her previous husband were the curators at the Shaker Museum in Old Chatham, New York. My sister was a great influence in the importance of maintaining the influence our ancestors have on our current society.”
Drumm said, “I love historical,vintage, and old things. I am a geriatric nurse practitioner. I think our elders are often neglected and forgotten about. I always felt compelled to take care of seniors. My grandmother lived with us, I loved her very much.”
A testament to her love of history, Drumm's house is dated 1843 and she moved to Stillwater because, she said, “It is such a lovely historic area of Sussex County.”
Across the nation, the sustainability of historical societies lies in the balance. It's no easy task keeping history alive, especially in today's society.
Drumm said, “I believe our schools have been considering dropping history as a required class. This is frightening to me. It’s so important to know what contributions and sacrifices were made for us to live as a free society.”
The Historical Society of Stillwater Township currently hosts an annual Fall Fest and an annual Strawberry Festival.
“We previously had a Christmas Open House and a Peach Festival, but, we really need volunteers to step up so we can continue to offer these fun activities that bring the community together,” Drumm said.
Drumm has truly mastered the art of multi-tasking. She is a nurse practitioner both at Bridgeway Rehabilitation and in her own private practice and is a super grandma to two darling granddaughters who she visits as much as possible at their home in New England.
“I just informed my employer that it is time for me to cut back. I am a mental health professional and just love working for Bridgeway Rehabilitation Service. We help persons with mental illness get their lives together and create a community support system focusing on wellness and being part of society.”
As to becoming president, she said she's ready to embrace the role.
“The Historical Society of Stillwater Township promotes community and being part of something. We are a fun group and hope to invite anyone to join to help promote more exciting events to foster a seance of belonging.”
To help keep history alive, joining the Society is easy and does not require much of your time. For further information and to join, visit: www.historicstillwater.org or visit the Society's Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/HistoricStillwater/?ref=br_rs