Gold And Granite: Belleville Historical Society Makes Special Gift

BELLEVILLE, NJ — The Belleville Historical Society had been looking for a special gift for the United Chinese American Association of New Jersey, an organization that its members have been working with for more than seven years. And at the association’s recent Lunar New Year gala, Belleville Historical Society Trustee Val Hadshinow and President Michael Perrone presented the fruits of that effort: a historic illustration made of gold and granite.

According to a news release from the society:

“During their years of research, the only illustration of the earliest Lunar New Year celebration in America that the society could find was the 1876 fireworks in Belleville. The illustration was sketched by an artist for Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper of New York, who accompanied their reporter attending the event. This was the largest Lunar New Year celebration in America. Even though there were more than 100,000 Chinese immigrants living in California and only 200 to 300 in Belleville, during the 1870's and 1880's the most spectacular celebrations took place in Belleville according to the society, as discriminatory local and states laws in California (and New York) prohibited these events.”

The Belleville Historical Society decided to take the illustration and turn it into a special gift and permanent memento of that historic occasion. Hadshinow, a professional engraver and designer, spent a week recreating the illustration using 20 sheets of 24-karat gold leaf, and carefully recreating the scene on a piece of black granite.

Hadshinow and Perrone presented the gift to founders Margaret Lam and David Chen at the gala, which was held at the DoubleTree Hotel in Somerset earlier this month.

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