Fundraiser to Benefit Historic Church of the Presidents Restoration

-- Exhibit will commemorate 125^th anniversary of President Garfield’s death in Elberon--

LONG BRANCH, N.J. (August 7, 2006) – A cocktail reception will be held from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, August 17, at the Ocean Beach Club, 1035 Ocean Ave., to benefit the restoration of the Church of the Presidents – the last remaining building associated with the seven presidents who vacationed here during the country’s Gilded Age.

Sponsored by the Long Branch Historical Museum Association (LBHMA), the event will feature an exhibit of historic images representing President James A. Garfield’s last days in Elberon, where he died September 19, 1881, from an assassin’s gunshot wound. Four prints of presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, recovered from the historic Elberon Beach Club, also will be displayed. The beach club was located just south of the Francklyn cottage – the site of President Garfield’s death.

The fundraiser will help fund repairs and restore the exterior of the Church of the Presidents, including the brick foundation and masonry, shingles and trim, and the crenellated tower. The building’s wooden frame was structurally reinforced earlier this year, repairs continue on the tower, and installation of a new roof and rain gutters will begin next month.

The building’s restoration is expected to cost more than $2 million for remaining exterior repairs, extensive internal repairs, new utility systems, and visitor amenities. Repairs and upgrades must be completed before the Church of the Presidents can be re-opened to the public. Current funding sources include the New Jersey Historic Trust/Garden State Historic Preservation Trust Fund, the U.S. Department of the Interior/National Park Service, and the Monmouth County Historical Commission. Siperstein’s is donating the paint analysis and paint in the building’s original color scheme.

Admission to the reception is $85 per person. All contributions are tax-deductible. Reservations may be obtained by sending prepayment to LBHMA, P.O. Box 2204, Elberon, N.J., 07740. For more information, call 732-280-3522. LBHMA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

The Garfield exhibit will be presented by LBHMA board members Jim Foley, Lee Rossbach, and Rich Fernicola. Don Stine of Antic Hay Books in Asbury Park will display additional period prints. The Washington and Lincoln prints will be donated to the Long Branch Historical Museum in memory of the late Florence C. Dinkelspiel, co-founder of the LBHMA.

Owned by LBHMA, St. James Chapel was built in 1879 and gained fame as the Church of the Presidents because presidents Ulysses S. Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Chester A. Arthur, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, and Woodrow Wilson attended services there. The building was deconsecrated and saved from demolition in 1953, and functioned as a museum until instability forced its closure in 1999. It is listed on both the State of New Jersey and National Register of Historic Places.

For more information, see www.churchofthepresidents.org.

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