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Fifty Years Ago. 1964. Martin Luther King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The First Lady of the United States was born on January 17 th. The T.V. Game Show, Jeopardy, debuted with Art Fleming as the host, and later Alex Trebek. Arby’s opened the first “fast food ” restaurant.
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Fifty Years Ago 1964
The First Lady of the United States was born on January 17th.
The T.V. Game Show, Jeopardy, debuted with Art Fleming as the host, and later Alex Trebek.
Arby’s opened the first “fast food” restaurant. The famous roast beef sandwich sold for only 64 cents.
The Beatles first appeared on the billboard charts in America
in Mendham Township, The Ralston General Store Museum was opened to the public on July 4th as New Jersey celebrated it’s tercentenary anniversary
The highpoint of Mendham Township’s Fourth of July celebration in 1964 was the dedication and opening of the Ralston General Store Museum to the public. As a result of the intensive work of the members from the Ralston Historical Association, the basement was restored, the bees removed from the attic and many goods like Ralston sold were on display.
Miss Ella Mockridge , a town historian, was the guest of honor. She arrived in a 1922 Rolls Royce. Miss Mockridge donated much of the historical material on display. In a heartfelt statement, she said. “To me, you are the answer to prayer-a dream I had of putting relics of colonial Mendham in a museum in the neighborhood.”
At the ceremony a 13-star American flag was donated to the Ralston Historical Association by a color guard from Schiff Scout Reservation, the national Boy Scout Training Center. Representatives from the thirteen original colonies also presented six historic flags dating to the days of Queen Anne.
The prize exhibits on display in the museum were the ledgers of John Ralston. Other unique exhibits included: Flail-a tool used for beating flax for linen making Hatchel-block of wood with spikes protruding ,used for carding flax
The only complaint from the visitors at the Ralston General Store Museum, particularly from the children, was that no penny candy was for sale.
The Village of John Ralston Although John Ralston was not an original settler of this section of Mendham Township , we now refer to as Ralston, there was a man by the name of John Brain who in 1707 built a sod or log cabin about a mile south of the Ralston Center. Another man named John (Logan) later built at the crossing of the Old Minisink Indian Trail , (William Penn Highway) and now known as Route 24, a General Store, Manor House, and stone Grist Mill. John Logan supplied George Washington’s army at Jockey Hollow with flour and other foods , but he came close to bankruptcy when the Continental Army could not pay the bill.
In 1785, John Ralston arrived from Northern Ireland, spent a short period of time in Philadelphia and became a wealthy merchant. He then visited John Logan at his place of business to discuss the financial problems Logan was having. It was here he met Logan’s daughter, Margaret, and it was love at first sight. They were soon married .
John Ralston bought Logan’s property and thus acquired the General Store. He operated the store and lived with his wife, five sons, and two daughters in the Manor House from 1786-1819. Ralston purchased several thousand acres of farmland.
Cracker Barrel “Supermarket” What we know today as a supermarket, in “the good old days” may have been referred to as the General Store. Men of the 19th century would visit the General Store and sit around a log stove and cracker barrel to play checkers. Their wives would shop for goods to feed their families economically and might buy materials such as muslin or gingham for a new dress.
John Ralston owned and operated the Ralston General Store from 1786-1819. It continued to operate as a store under different owners through the 1920’s
Another outstanding accomplishment of John Ralston was the establishment of a factory in Ralston. It was called “The Mendham Cotton and Wool Manufacturing Company”. It was the first of its kind in New Jersey. This was a very daring business venture at this time since the textile industry was very new in this country and the British wanted to keep a monopoly on this industry. John operated the mill from 1814-1819.
1894-1941 The store contained the Ralston Post Office. It is the oldest existing structure in the United States ever used as a U.S. Post Office
The General Store was taken over by the U.S .Government for a post office in 1892.The first postmaster was Mr. Peter De Mott until his death in 1925. Mrs. De Mott took over as postmistress. Her only complaint was that the building was so hard to heat using only a small pot belly stove, that she nearly froze to death.
1941 was the year a group of citizens from the Ralston area of Mendham Township formed a non-profit corporation for the purpose of obtaining the title to the property, repairing it, and managing it. They hoped to return this 1776 building to its original condition. This group became known as “The Ralston Historical Association”. F. LeMoyne Page was elected president Owen Winston, vice-president, Mrs. John Potter , secretary. and George Jennings, a local nursery man, treasurer.
A Shingle Bee Residents of Ralston pitched in to recondition the dilapidated post office.
John H.N. Potter and Mary Langford pass shingles up to Mrs. Margaretta Potter (left) and Mrs. Florence C. Page, who fix new roof. Residents have organized Ralston Historical Association to restore the post office as a landmark.
1947 A gift was given to the Ralston Historical Association, a 300 year old Red Oak tree. It is 5 feet in diameter and 75 feet tall. It is located about one-half mile south of the store. Visitors may also visit this site to see the tree that stood in this area over 100 years before the settlement of Ralston.
Come join us at the Ralston General Store Museum and you might see such artifacts as…
John Ralston’s Trunk Dod Survey Instrument (Mendham) Spinning Wheel
Ceramic Foot Warmer Wax Jack Cheese Drainer
Coffee Grinder Broad Axe Rush Light
John Ralston’s Desk Old Pictures and Documents from the Ralston Area
Antique Toys in a Display Case Early Kitchen Antiques
And soon a quilted wall hanging of your special commemorative stamp designs
Visit our website at www.ralston museum.org Join us on June 15, 2014 for the reopening and dedication of the Ralston General Store Museum.
