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Hoboken Historical Museum reveals new exhibit dedicated to Stevens history

This past Sunday, the Hoboken Historical Museum opened its doors to the community to present its latest exhibit, “The Extraordinary Stevens Family, a New Jersey Legacy.” The museum offered free admission for curious residents of Hoboken, Stevens students and faculty and held a small reception in honor of the newest exhibition.

Small as it may be, the exhibit presents the lives of two generations of the family who was not only responsible for founding Stevens, but influencing the nation with respect to engineering, urban design, and transportation.

The museum worked closely with archivists and researchers from Stevens, who graciously donated prototypes, clothing from the family, photos, engineering drawings, and personal family items from the Stevens’ estate. Artifacts range from Colonel John Stevens’ Revolutionary War uniform to official patent documents. Many of the items on display come display come directly from the institution, while several others are either on lone or have been donated to the museum.

Although education was primarily deemed unfit for a woman during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the exhibit presents many of the contributions that the Stevens women made for society. Edwin Augustus Stevens’ wife Martha Bayard Dod held much influence over Hoboken; she pushed for progressive reforms in education, housing for laborers, and workplace conditions. In fact, Mrs. Stevens chose to build Stevens Institute of Technology in honor of her family’s love of innovation.

The “Extraordinary Stevens Family” exhibition also offers visitors an interactive experience. Set up among the early invention models and portraits are large touch-screen tablets that allow visitors to swipe through pictures. It is obvious that director of the museum, Bob Foster, was meticulous and strove to provide the museum with as much detail as possible. “We worked closely with Leah Loscutoff who is an archivist and Special Collections Librarian at Stevens. It was a lot of work.” Foster was also excited to announce that a lecture series is accompanying the exhibit for the next several months. Visitors can sign up to hear historians, authors, and professors discuss topics ranging from “How Should We Remember the Stevens Family” to Peter Lee, a former slave and long-term resident of the Stevens resident.

The exhibit intends to run from January 25 to July 5. Foster believes that this exhibit can serve a purpose for Stevens students. “Students go to Stevens for a different purpose, so they don’t really think about the historical context of the institution.” The “Extraordinary Stevens Family” provides the background stories to the decisions that provided a sturdy foundation for the institution.

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