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The Newark Preservation & Landmarks Committee's
award-winning logo shows the 18th century Plume House
"preserved" in a Mason jar
Since its early days the Committee has been identified by a unique
logotype -- an historic building "preserved" inside a canning
jar. The symbol was designed by Johnson & Simpson, a graphic design
firm that was at one time on Bleeker Street opposite the
Rutgers-Newark campus. Milton Simpson, a strong supporter of preservation,
arranged to put a photograph of the Plume House, one of the oldest in
Newark, into a Mason jar, and then took a picture of it.
The
logotype has been used on all of the Committee's publications and
stationery, and has been copied by some other preservation groups. The
symbol also won awards for the creative firm.
John T. Cunningham (right), noted historian, chats
with two Landmarks Committee trustees, Richard Grossklaus (left) and
John Dwiborocyzn, after he received the group's first annual Charles
Cummings Award in a ceremony at the Sydenham House.
Historical marker to be mounted on the 1712
Sydenham House, the oldest building in Newark, is displayed by William
Mikesell, president of the Landmarks Committee, with the new owners of
the house, Francis Crespo (left) and Lance Dronkers. The pair received
NPLC's Recognition Award for their restoration and beautification
efforts.
THE NEWARK PRESERVATION & LANDMARKS COMMITTEE
P.O. Box 1066, Newark, NJ 07106 – (973) 622-4910
Newark Plans Major Celebration
Of Negro League Baseball History
The glory days of Negro League baseball a half-century ago in Newark will be celebrated in a series of events Thursday and Friday, Sept. 13 and 14.
The Newark Preservation & Landmarks Committee is joining public officials and civic leaders to pay tribute to the Newark Eagles, who played in the city from 1936 to 1948. The Eagles produced many star players and won the Negro League World Series in 1946 – a year in which they drew 120,000 fans to the old Ruppert Stadium in the Ironbound.
Four of the six surviving players from the Eagles are coming back to Newark to attend some of the events, and relatives of those who have died are also expected. They will be saluted in a ceremony on the evening of Sept. 14 at the Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium on Broad Street at Interstate 280.
Public officials will take part in the celebration, which is being supported by Mayor Cory Booker and the City Council, the Newark Bears organization, and local business and professional people. The Bears are giving tickets to youth organizations and senior citizens for the stadium program and a home game.
In the days before African-Americans were accepted into the major leagues, teams in the Negro Leagues drew ardent followings in many cities. “The Eagles were an important source of entertainment and civic pride for Newark’s African-American community, and for the city as a whole,” said Anthony Schuman, an architecture professor at N.J. Institute of Technology who chairs the celebration.
The Negro Leagues flourished through the 1930s and ’40s, but declined and disbanded after Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby crossed the color line into the majors in 1947. Some Negro League players who integrated the big leagues – and some who never had the chance, in spite of their talents – subsequently won recognition at the National Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.
The upcoming events will include dedication of historical plaques at the Wilson Avenue site of Ruppert Stadium, which was razed 40 years ago, and the house on Crawford Street where Effa Manley, co-owner and business manager of the Eagles, once lived and worked. She died in 1981, and last year became the first woman ever named to the Hall of Fame.
A third plaque will be put up at the Newark Housing Authority’s Cottage Place development, now under construction. Streets there have been named for the Eagles and several individual players. The marker, with a team photo and player descriptions, is to go on a center island on Eagles Parkway at Lincoln Street.
On Friday at noon, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo will dedicate a new “Ring of Honor” atop the walls of Riverfront Stadium. It will list the names of all honorees in the Hall of Fame with Newark connections, including eight from the Eagles and four from the old Bears. This event is open only to invited guests, not the general public.
Later Friday, Hall of Famer Monte Irvin, a onetime Orange resident who went from the Eagles outfield to the New York Giants, will talk with sportswriter Phil Pepe at the New Jersey Historical Society about their new book. Star-Ledger columnist Jerry Izenberg will emcee. Reservations are required for limited seating.
The visiting Eagles veterans – Irvin, Benjamin “Billy” Felder, James “Red” Moore, and Willie “Curley” Williams – will attend a private, invitation-only dinner at the Newark Museum, and stay at the Robert Treat Hotel as guests of owner Miles Berger.
Schuman hopes donated funds can cover expenses, and help start a permanent organization to promote the history of the Eagles and “highlight the extraordinary importance of Newark in 20th century African-American culture.”
A complete list of the events appears below.
Celebrating the Newark Eagles: Full Schedule
These are the events at which the Newark Preservation & Landmarks Committee and others will honor Negro League baseball history in the city.
Thursday, September 13
10 a.m. – Wilson Avenue and Avenue K: Dedication of plaque and street sign at the site of Ruppert Stadium, home of the Newark Eagles and the old Newark Bears baseball teams. The 40-year-old stadium was razed in 1967.
11 a.m. – 71 Crawford St., near Martin Luther King Blvd.: Dedication of plaque at the onetime home and office of Effa Manley, co-owner and business manager of the Eagles, and first woman in National Baseball Hall of Fame.
6-9 p.m. – Ballantine House, The Newark Museum: Welcoming dinner for Eagles players and families.
NOTE: Strictly private event; admission by invitation only.
Friday, September 14
10:30 a.m. – Eagles Parkway and Lincoln Street, near West Kinney Street. Unveiling of plaque in the Newark Housing Authority’s Cottage Place development, where new streets are named for the team and several players.
12 noon – Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium: Dedication of “Ring of Honor” by Essex Executive Joseph DiVincenzo. Names of 16 National Baseball Hall of Fame honorees from Newark Eagles, old Newark Bears, and other teams will be inscribed atop the inner walls of the county-owned facility.
NOTE: Private event; admission by invitation only.
3:45 p.m. – New Jersey Historical Society, 52 Park Place. Reception and discussion. Monte Irvin, star of Eagles and New York Giants, and sportswriter Phil Pepe discuss their book, “Few and Chosen: Defining Negro League Greatness.” Remarks by other players. Sports columnist Jerry Izenberg moderates. Showing of clips from the documentary film, “Before You Can Say Jackie Robinson,” about Negro League baseball.
NOTE: Seating very limited; advance registration required. Call 973-596-6370.
6:30 p.m. -- Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium: Public welcome and tribute to the Eagles. Proclamations from County Executive Di Vincenzo and Mayor Cory Booker, and resolution from Newark City Council. Remarks by players and public officials. Brief music. Bears home game follows at 7:05 p.m.
THE NEWARK PRESERVATION & LANDMARKS COMMITTEE
P.O. Box 1066, Newark, NJ 07101 – (973) 622-4910
This
site maintained by James Lewis, Librarian, Newark Public Library.
jlewis@npl.org
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