In a recent poll of New Jersey residents about their favorite presidents, only 7 percent chose Abraham Lincoln and 3 percent picked George Washington.
Poor Abe and George may not get much love these days, but they are not forgotten. On Feb. 12, the Lincoln Association of Jersey City held its 145th Dinner celebration at Casino-in-the-Park in Lincoln Park (of course) to honor the 16th President of the United States. The association was founded in 1865 after Lincoln was assassinated on Good Friday in Washington D.C.’s Ford Theatre by John Wilkes Booth, and is considered the oldest Lincoln Association in the U.S.
Events took place to remember Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.
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Washington’s apple tree
According to unproven local legend, General George Washington met with the famed French general Marquis De Lafayette in 1779 under an apple tree on the grounds of the Apple Tree House.
The house, which dates back to the 1740s, is currently owned by the city of Jersey City, which is restoring the house. Because of the restoration, Monday’s Washington ceremony took place on the sidewalk in front of the house.
“Star Spangled Banner” was performed fife-and-drum style by the Hoboken-based group Spirit of Liberty.
After a prayer, Mayor Jerramiah Healy gave a proclamation to the George Washington Commemorative Society’s lead officer, Edward Meehan, while hailing the restoration of the Apple Tree House. City Councilman Nidia Lopez, a last-minute guest, said it was “pleasure” to attend.
Meehan also acknowledged many of the guests at the event who helped preserve the Apple Tree House such as former City Hall employee Guy Catrillo.
Meehan said despite “certain difficulties” – referring to Catrillo going to federal prison for accepting bribes from federal government informant Solomon Dwek – Catrillo deserved credit for making the restoration happen.
Downtown Jersey City resident Dr. Richard Winant, dressed in a replica Revolutionary War uniform, spoke about Washington’s importance in history.
“He led an eight-year campaign for our liberty and our freedom,” Winant said. Winant then led three cheers of “Huzzah!” like Washington’s troops would have done in salute to him.
Celebrating Lincoln everywhere
Abraham Lincoln seems to be everywhere in Jersey City.
There’s the park that bears his name and the bronze statue of him at the park’s entrance. There’s also the Lincoln Highway Bridge that runs between Jersey City and Kearny.
Lincoln was in Jersey City twice – in 1861 when he spoke near Exchange Place, and in April 1865, when the train carrying his coffin stopped in Jersey City before continuing onward to New York.
And he continues to visit Jersey City through the Lincoln Association’s dinner.
Guests viewed under glass “Lincoln’s Bloody Flag,” which was used to prop President Lincoln’s head and stem the bleeding the night he was shot. It was donated by the Pike County Historical Society from Milford, Pa.,
Various singers performed Lincoln-era period music, and Lincoln scholar Dr. Jules Ladenheim recited from memory a Lincoln letter to a Civil War general.
Jersey City native and noted historian Thomas Fleming discussed what a Lincoln presidency would have looked like if he had survived his assassination, with Lincoln embarking on a policy of reunification with the South and its reconstruction.
Confederate Flag: Historical, or racist?
A painful reminder of the Civil War was evident at several tables at the Jersey City Lincoln Association’s annual dinner: replicas of the Confederate Flag. It was the official flag of the Southern states that seceded from the United States in protest over the issue of slavery before the Civil War began in 1861.
The flag has been seen by many as a symbol of racism, and the subject of protests over the years.
The Reporter received an e-mail last week from a disgruntled reader who was unhappy with the presence of the flags.
The association’s president, Suzann McKiernan Anderson, said that the flag has been displayed at the dinner every year, although less prominently than in the early years of the dinner. She explained that Lincoln had flown the Confederate Flag in the White House after the Civil War ended as part of the reconciliation with the Southern states.
“I hope people will see that we are not redneck racists, but will look at the historical context,” Anderson said.
She admits that there have been a “few” Lincoln Association members who have taken issue with the flag being displayed.
Last week, several members of the Association, who wanted to be anonymous, said there were arguments leading up to the dinner about whether to display the flags or not, and that it has been a hot-button issue for many years. – RK
Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com.