Historical society grateful for donated and dry office

On behalf of the Vernon Township Historical Society, as its president, I would like to thank Sally Rinker for so generously giving us an office in her beautiful building on Route 94, where we now safely keep our historic archives in a climate controlled environment. The society has had an office on the main floor of the Vernon Township Municipal Center for nearly 20 years, where thousands of residents have visited us over those years to search our archives or obtain historic information about the township. However, in recent years we had been moved to the lower level of the building into an undesirable environment. On Aug. 20, standing water in the ceiling caused the ceiling to cave in and flood the office, forcing us to immediately move our collections to prevent them from water damage and making the office no longer habitable. The township manager moved us into a coat closet downstairs until she can find room for us on the main floor of the municipal center, but the closet is not conducive for welcoming members of the public to view our archives. Ms. Rinker, a lifetime member of the Vernon Township Historical Society, upon hearing our unfortunate plight through a newspaper article last week, generously offered us — free of charge — the office in her new building. The building and the office are air-conditioned and offer many wonderful amenities. Most importantly, our historic archives are dry and protected, and the office is suitable for visitors. Our new office is located at 244 Route 94 and the public is welcome to visit. Please call us at 973-764-8554 to schedule a visit. Once again, thank you Ms. Rinker for your dedication and generosity towards Vernon’s history. Jessi Paladini Vernon Township Historical Society President