The Witness Stones Project, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to restore the history and honor the humanity of the enslaved individuals who helped build our communities, today announced a new affiliation with South Bound Brook, New Jersey, Public Schools and the Abraham Staats House. The school and museum will be using the Project’s curriculum and landscape markers to expand their teaching of the local history of slavery.
South Bound Brooks Public Schools’s students develop a spirit of belonging and a desire for excellence as a result of collaboration with teachers, staff, parents, and community members. This enables the students to become exemplary citizens as they develop the ability to excel in their chosen and future endeavors.
The Abraham Staats House was built c. 1740 near the banks of the Raritan River. The property is associated with significant people and events during the American Revolution. It is also associated with the growth of the community in the early 19th century, when the Delaware & Raritan Canal was constructed between the house and the river. The house remained a private home until it was acquired by the Borough in 1999. It was placed on the New Jersey and National Registers in 2002. The Friends of the Abraham Staats House support the ongoing care and restoration of the house and its grounds, and research and interpret the history of the property and its people. The goal is to foster an understanding of this history and its relationship to the history of South Bound Brook, surrounding communities, the State of New Jersey and our Country. To promote this understanding, the Friends develop and present public and educational programs, exhibits, publications and presentations in various media.