People Power Helps To Transform Old Barn In Roseland

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of a Patch community member. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site.

The old Becker Barn in Roseland is getting a makeover.

Volunteers recently spent two days cleaning out the 7,500-square-foot building on Eagle Rock Avenue as part of a first step towards renovating the barn into a community media learning center and museum.

The former barn, which was part of the Becker Farm property, had become a repository of historic artifacts and thrift store items, many of which were long past use. Local businessman Thomas J. O’Beirne donated a front loader and three waste bins, then personally manned the loader to clean out the trash from the property. He said he volunteered his time and equipment to help the effort and also to make sure the cleanup was done safely.

“At the end of the weekend, I’ll have a sense of accomplishment and will have done something for the community,” he said. O’Beirne said he’s looking forward to the day when the property is converted into a learning center and museum, “The young people will be able to come here and see how Roseland started.”

The weekend cleanup project was organized by Jack A. Gordon, President of the Roseland Historical Society, who said many of the salvageable items from the barn would be sold and the proceeds used to help pay for the new museum. He said the museum would include historic pictures and films about Roseland, including its historic properties such as the Harrison House and Becker Farm property.

“We have all this land,” he said as he gestured to the property around the barn. “We could set up picnic tables and kids could come here from schools.”

Councilwoman Jean Perrotti and her husband Frank were among Saturday’s volunteers. She said, “Roseland is a gem of Essex County and there’s so many things in Roseland that have such meaning. . . We want people to come and see the history, especially the young people in the town, to see how (Roseland) started.”

The Becker family donated their home and barn to the historical society in 1982 with the request it be used to “foster and encourage an appreciation for and an understanding of the development of the Borough of Roseland.” According to the deed, the barn can be used as “a museum, library, craft workshop and meeting place.”

The organizers admitted that creating the museum and learning center is a long-term project. The barn clean up is just the first step and O’Beirne estimated it will take more than three dumpsters to clean it all. The building was crammed with items from one end to the other. Shelves were filled with old books, baskets, tools, lamps, paper ephemera, and an occasional small appliance. Volunteers tried to sort the items into what was recyclable, and what was of historical significance. Most of the items were in disrepair along with the furniture and went straight into the dumpster.

Gordon said besides the barn cleanup, the historical society plans to have a membership drive and future fundraising events to support the effort.

Dennis Lynch, a Roseland resident and volunteer, said the barn used to house the milk trucks that were used on the Becker Farm. He said he came to help out so residents could “have a true sense of the history of the town.”

O’Beirne recalled when he was young, his family would travel to Becker Farm after church on Sundays to see the goats and the cows and ride on the property’s train. He said, “It was wonderful.”

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