by Patricia Meola
In celebration of the Summit Free Public Library’s 150th Anniversary, Patricia Meola, the President of the Summit Historical Society, presented the second of a free two-lecture series on the history of Summit: “The History of Summit A to Z.
The original Central Presbyterian Church building
On May 19, 2024, friends, family, and neighbors gathered at the Summit Free Public Library and listened to stories filled with facts and figures about the history of Summit from A to Z. President Meola’s 45-minute lecture featured selected pieces from the society’s collection, with each letter in the alphabet representing a person or place connected with the city’s history. Among the topics covered were:
How Frances Doane Twombly came to be called Summit’s “Mother of Recreation”
What city street was once called Keithock Place
When the railroad tracks downtown were lowered from street level
Why the steeples on the original Central Presbyterian Church building were constructed at two different heights
What connection a Civil War veteran and Manhattan wallpaper manufacturer have to New England Avenue
…and many more.