Part 1 Photo Documentary: The Making of An Historic Site

It was an eyesore. This has been said by even those who love the historic garden on the corner of Lafayette Place and Genesee Avenue has been transformed over the last 2 months. Some say that the garden had been allowed to go fallow for a long time. Thing is the garden has not been allowed to go fallow for any length of time. The site was not productive in 2013 because of flooding and other catastrophes beyond the control of gardeners. This photo documentary demonstrates that the site has not been neglected.

Even those who are categorically against the garden have proven that this land has only been used for the purpose of gardening for over 100 years. This is the stuff of which historic sites are made. It has special historical significance beyond the scope of one man or one woman. 

On September 23, 2014, the City Council is scheduled to have another discussion of the resolution that would designate the garden an historic site. Please attend this City Council meeting and support the designation of this treasured PLACE as an historic site. 

May 28, 2011
When I decided not to farm my backyard any further, my roto tiller was given to
the men who garden in this spot. I recently planted some greens that Mr. Gainey
gave me that he bought in South Carolina. Those seeds made some great salad 
eating. I must remember to allow a few plants to seed up. The seeds may be dried 
and saved for planting next season. 

May 28, 2011
Deacon Norman and George Owens brother Kenny. They started a garden in
the vacant lot across the street from the Lafayette garden, but only used the 
sitefor one season. I suspect that the area was shaded too much of the day.

June 23, 2011
Note the wild grow in the western part of the garden. This was a haven for 
groundhogsand other small animals.

April 19, 2012
Most gardeners in this region begin summer crops after May 15. This is 
traditionally thought of as the last day of expected frost. Ideally, this growth 
would have been turned into the soil with organic matter. Stalks should be 
removed during fall cleanup. Insects winter in the stalks and lay eggs. 
Leftover stalks provide insects a great place to hatch and grow.

May 6, 2012
We were told that the present condition of the garden is unsightly and does not fit 
in with the surrounding neighborhood. Here the traditional rows are beautiful.
Take a look at the gardens border. Does that represent the neighborhood?

May 6, 2012
These photos were taken on my birthday. I visited the garden often and was just 
beginning to document the goings on in the 4th Ward. Again, check out the 
borders of the garden. Look at the overgrown borders and the ribbon by the 
street. Mr. Gainey and George Owens are good farmers and used a technique 
that my father and large farmers used in the south in farm country. The site 
slopes downhill towards the east and Lafayette  Place. These seasoned farmers 
plowed their traditional rows across the space going north and south. 
This practice slowed the flow of water down to hold it in the garden.

October 17, 2012
Councilman Wayne Hamer's First 4th Ward Town Hall at Community Baptist 
Church.  A Genesee Avenue Resident complained about unsightly vegetation in

            the garden.  

October 27, 2012
10 days after the Resident's complaint about rotting vegetation and his collision with a 
deer. He blamed this on the garden.  There was merit in his complaint. He had a valid 
point. He just wanted the corner to look better all year round. The bulldozer removed 
the cold crop. All of the crops that withstand frost were scraped off the garden site. 
Collards, broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage, lettuce were removed and discarded.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013, a few of us went to the City Council and asked if the garden could still be used as a garden. We pleaded the case of the men working the garden at the time. Lynne Algrant was
substituting for Mayor Frank Huttle III and presided over the Council that night. The Council agreed informally, without taking a vote that the garden could remain a garden. Mayor Huttle returned from his Florida trip and was there at the end of the meeting. The City Manager and I had some words. He was not very nice, to say the least. That is history. It seems that somewhere between that Tuesday, April 23 and that Thursday, April 25 this decision was reversed. Orders were given to destroy the garden. A neighbor of the called me and I got there minutes after the bulldozer left the site.

April 25, 2013 - The date of the Englewood Public School District's re-organization
meeting. 3 new School Board Members were sworn in on this day. The New School
Board Members had a very joyous meeting that included a lot of applause. This took 
place only a few hours after the bulldozer retreated from the site leaving tracks in the 
street. One of the New School Board Members had to drive pass this site everyday.

April 25, 2013 - Nothing was ever supposed to be planted here again. Another larger
machine wassent in after the bulldozer did its work. This large piece of machinery had a
large metal heavy drum with3 inch spikes on it. I spoke to the driver and asked him what
he was doing. He told me that he was tillingthe soil. I told him that the machine he was driving is using to compact dirt roads in the south in preparation for black top. He told
me that the machine was used to prepare the parks for grass seed. I assured him that we
were not planting grass seed and asked him to please stop. 

An online Petition was developed in which we asked the Mayor and City Council to designate the over 100 year old garden site a historic site. We collected over 3,000 signatures, mostly from New Jersey residents. A Change.org petition asking the Mayor and the City Council to create and ordinance that would designate the garden a historic site has collected 3,510 signatures. This is the Garden State. We must keep the Garden State Green when and where we can.

May 3, 2013
Rick Whilby, John Khorhian, Norman Gainey, Curtis Caviness

May 10, 2013

May 10, 2013

The first load of topsoil intended to help repair the garden was donated by 

a local landscaping business. Ricardo Whilby of Red Hills Towing

and Better Image, a local Landscaping business.

May 10, 2013
Demonstrates the depth of soil removal

May 22, 2013

May 23, 2013

May 24, 2013

May 28, 2013
May 15 is traditionally the last day of frost in the spring. Tomatoes, peppers
and various other vegetables are planted at this time. Spinach, lettuce, broccoli,
carrots, beets, potatoes and other early vegetables would have been planted
already.

June 7, 2013

June 19, 2013

They tried. That little garden tiller is just
not built to do the job of a harrow disc tiller 
on the back of a real tractor.

Check out how this landscaper's roto tiller is not even going down 3 inches deep. The crust that

 needs breaking is down at least 6 to 8 inches. This simple garden tool is just scraping the top 

of the crust. We really needed a harrow disc to go down deep to turn the soil to aerate it.

MUNICIPAL LAND USE LAW
New Jersey Statutes Annotated Historic Preservation Related Sections
NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION • NATURAL & HISTORIC RESOURCES • HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE
http://www.nj.gov/dep/hpo/3preserve/mlul_7_07.pdf

C. 40:55D-65.1
HISTORIC DESIGNATIONS IN ZONING ORDINANCES

A zoning ordinance may designate and regulate historic sites or historic districts and provide design criteria and guidelines therefor. Designation and regulation pursuant to this section shall be in addition to such designation and regulation as the zoning ordinance may otherwise require.

Except as provided hereunder, after July 1, 1994, all historic sites and historic districts designated in the zoning ordinance shall be based on identifications in the historic preservation plan element of the master plan. Until July 1, 1994, any such designation may be based on identifications in the historic preservation plan element, the land use plan element or community facilities plan element of the master plan. The governing body may, at any time, adopt, by affirmative vote of a majority of its authorized membership, a zoning ordinance designating one or more historic sites or historic districts that are not based on identifications in the historic preservation plan element, the land use plan element or community facilities plan element, provided the reasons for the action of the governing body are set forth in a resolution and recorded in the minutes of the governing body. L. 1991, c. 199, § 5, eff. July 9, 1991. C.

To be continued......

                                    How are the children?

Promise!

Something Marvelous!

Attention Englewood Community: 

Merrick learned to use the shovel and the wheel barrow.
He is leveling the soil in the 4th and 5th Grade bed.
All of the beds in that section were donated and are
being used as a Teaching Garden.
It is our Community STEAM Education Project.
(Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math)

You may see empty boxes in the Lewis Becote Historic Community Garden, 
but they have been donated as our Teaching Garden to be used with our
Englewood 4 - H Club Chapter. There is much to be done there including the engineering and building of a little PVC greenhouse over at least 1 bed to lengthen the growing season and to start plants in the spring. We have a plan that has been in the works for nearly 2 years.

All of the beds that you see are taken.
6 more are to be constructed.
Only 5 of those 6 are available.

Remember that this is a true Community Garden.
You are agreeing to work as a Community and not as ONE
when you make your donation.

This does not mean that you may not work in the garden alone
or with just your family group. It means that work that affects the
entire garden is shared by all.

This donation covers the wood, landscape cloth, 
wood chips

screws and nails, if we are lucky.
We all work together to make
sure that each gardener has what he she needs.

We have been lucky so far. The nails are very expensive.
The labor was donated.
The County Parks Employees and Bergen County Executive Kathleen A. Donovan
have been invaluable in the building process.
As soon as the soil is moved into the existing boxes,
we will have space to put the final 6 boxes.

Many people have asked to save them boxes/beds.
It does not work that way.
You have a box when we have your donation in hand.
We/the Community are paying for everything.
We expect everyone to pitch in and work for the good of the whole garden
Community and not just for your bed.
It is indeed, a Community Garden.

We still need a fence.
We still need a sign.

We still need compost bins that add aesthetic beauty to the neighborhood.
We are adding to the existing beauty of the 4th Ward.

Contrary to public opinion
The gardening does not end
During the months that you see nothing growing,
work is still being done.

Gardening, like the Educating of your children
is a labor of love that never ends.

It is the dream of a few of us to build a Community Garden

in every Ward and every District.
We now have 2 in the 4th Ward.
1 is in District 2 and the other is in District 3.

Join us in the dream.
We shall always need food.
We shall always need the beauty that flowers, shrubbery, fruit trees,
and bushes that are nurtured by dedicated gardeners bring to our everyday lives.

It is a Community STEAM Education Project.
(Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math)

Talk the talk, and walk the walk, for real, no fronting.

When children work like
this and still smile
You know
that you are on
to something marvelous.

How are the children?

A Time For Healing Prayer On The Great Lawn of Dwight Morrow High School

Various persons have chosen to contribute time, money and/or labor to the goal of creating a lasting historical monument of place at 206 Lafayette Place, Englewood, NJ. That is the address listed for the site of the garden that may be more than a Century Old. Ebenezer Baptist Church Pastor Jovan Davis has been passing the garden on a daily basis since the first sign of twine was used to rope off the placement of the beds. The Historic Garden is right up the block from the House of Worship. It is less than a block away from the 3rd Street Community Garden. Today, Pastor Davis pitched in and spent some time in the garden talking to neighbors and helping to move some soil from one place to another place where it is needed. We were more than happy to welcome Pastor Davis to the Lewis Becote Historic Community Garden. We are hoping that more of Englewood's Ministers, School Board Members, Teachers and other elected officials will follow Pastor Davis' lead.  Come to the Garden.

There were questions about prayer vigils around town. Before Michael Brown and before Eric Garner, Pastor Davis and members of Ebenezer's Prayer Ministry were leading by example. Prayer's will more than likely now extend beyond Englewood to the families of both Michael Brown and Eric Garner. Such tragedies should never be. 

Pastor Davis:

"I am just really trying to bring Ebenezer out of 

the building and into our community. I want to become well entrenched in the matters of my community. I truly want to be a community pastor."

The next Prayer

"..the Intercessory Prayer will be on the great lawn at the high school Wednesday, August 27, 2014. We have been gathering throughout the community all summer on Wednesday praying. We also sent a press release about it a while back..."

Prayers begin promptly at 7 pm and end at 7:30 pm.

Place: Dwight Morrow High School

274 Knickerbocker Road

Englewood, New Jersey

On the Great Lawn

What is an Intercessor?

in·ter·ces·sor (ˈintərˌsesər/) noun = An intercessor is a person who intervenes on behalf of another, especially by prayer. "they rejected the notion that an intercessor was needed to appeal to God"

Intercession is the act of interceding (intervening or mediating) between two parties. In Christian religious usage, it is a prayer to God on behalf of others.[1] In western forms of Christian worship, intercession forms a distinct form of prayer, alongside Adoration, Confession and Thanksgiving. In public worship, intercession is offered as prayer for the world beyond the immediate vicinity and friendship networks of the church community. As such, intercession constitutes part of the worshiping community's engagement with otherness, as it expresses Christians' solidarity with those who are 'other' than themselves. 

In doing so, a church both appeals to, and seeks to embody, God's own love for the world. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intercession)

Intercessors have also been described as (those ‘Standing in the Gap, Watching and Guarding the Gate)

Pastor Davis explained.  "We gathered throughout the summer. 

Beginning in July. We started at Ebenezer. 

Then we went to:

• Palisade Ave between MCDONALD'S and the old Sprint Store
• City Hall
• Mackay Park    
• Wides Corner 
• The Monument  
• Rock Creek
• Dwight Morrow HS."

It was dark when Pastor Davis left the garden. During his time there, he communicated casually with Community members who live very near and across town. We will be on the Great Lawn at DMHS @ 7 pm tomorrow night, will you?

The young man in the photo above visits the garden
whenever the volunteers appear.

Esther Santiago Babb and her entire family work very hard in the
Historic Garden.

And then we lost the light....

Thank you for thinking of the rest of us. 

Pastor Davis, Ebenezer Baptist Church Prayer Ministry Thank you. 

The world is a better place, because people like you are standing in the GAP, watching and guarding the GATE.