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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Since childhood, I have lived along the Delaware & Raritan
Canal, having grown up in the canal town of South Bound Brook.
For over two decades I served on the board of the Canal Society
of New Jersey and, with my husband, Robert, I have led canal
tours throughout the Northeast.
On vacation, we enjoy cruising (at the leisurely pace of 5 miles
per hour) on the historic canals of England, Scotland, France,
Canada, and other countries.
In addition to writing many canal and travel articles, I have
served as the curator of the Mule Tenders Barracks Museum on
the banks of the D&R Canal in Griggstown, New Jersey. A retired
teacher, I have written two books on the D&R Canal for Arcadia
Publishing. My children’s picture book, Bridgetender’s Boy, was
published by the National Canal Museum in 2005.
Canal, having grown up in the canal town of South Bound Brook.
For over two decades I served on the board of the Canal Society
of New Jersey and, with my husband, Robert, I have led canal
tours throughout the Northeast.
On vacation, we enjoy cruising (at the leisurely pace of 5 miles
per hour) on the historic canals of England, Scotland, France,
Canada, and other countries.
In addition to writing many canal and travel articles, I have
served as the curator of the Mule Tenders Barracks Museum on
the banks of the D&R Canal in Griggstown, New Jersey. A retired
teacher, I have written two books on the D&R Canal for Arcadia
Publishing. My children’s picture book, Bridgetender’s Boy, was
published by the National Canal Museum in 2005.
GROWING UP ALONG THE CANAL
In the summer of 1946, my dad, Berton House, bought a
fuel tank from a World War II airplane. Splitting the tank in
half, he made two floats for a catamaran. (A catamaran is a
boat with two parallel hulls or floats; it is usually a light
sailboat with a mast mounted on a frame joining the hulls.)
After adding a mast and a sail, we cruised the Delaware &
Raritan Canal in South Bound Brook.
Some years later, on Halloween, pranksters punched
holes in the floats, and the boat sank in the canal.
In the picture at the right, my dad is paddling as his
mother, Clara Riggs, and my mom, Louise, enjoy the ride.
Since this trip occurred a mere five months before my birth,
I must have been along for the ride.
fuel tank from a World War II airplane. Splitting the tank in
half, he made two floats for a catamaran. (A catamaran is a
boat with two parallel hulls or floats; it is usually a light
sailboat with a mast mounted on a frame joining the hulls.)
After adding a mast and a sail, we cruised the Delaware &
Raritan Canal in South Bound Brook.
Some years later, on Halloween, pranksters punched
holes in the floats, and the boat sank in the canal.
In the picture at the right, my dad is paddling as his
mother, Clara Riggs, and my mom, Louise, enjoy the ride.
Since this trip occurred a mere five months before my birth,
I must have been along for the ride.
While growing up in South Bound Brook, New Jersey, I attended Robert Morris
Elementary School and graduated in 1965 from Bound Brook High School. My favorite
class was journalism, taught by Marilyn Ballas.
At Paterson State College in Wayne, New Jersey I majored in elementary education.
While living in Pioneer Hall, I edited and wrote the dorm newsletter, my first attempt at
writing for an audience.
After doing my student teaching at Crim School in the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional
School District, I began my career at the Finderne Elementary School, teaching fourth
grade. When that building closed in 1983, the faculty moved just down the road to
Adamsville School, where I stayed until my retirement in 1994.
While teaching, I also wrote and edited newsletters for my church and for the Friends
of the Wallace House and Old Dutch Parsonage, a state historic site in Somerville.
Elementary School and graduated in 1965 from Bound Brook High School. My favorite
class was journalism, taught by Marilyn Ballas.
At Paterson State College in Wayne, New Jersey I majored in elementary education.
While living in Pioneer Hall, I edited and wrote the dorm newsletter, my first attempt at
writing for an audience.
After doing my student teaching at Crim School in the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional
School District, I began my career at the Finderne Elementary School, teaching fourth
grade. When that building closed in 1983, the faculty moved just down the road to
Adamsville School, where I stayed until my retirement in 1994.
While teaching, I also wrote and edited newsletters for my church and for the Friends
of the Wallace House and Old Dutch Parsonage, a state historic site in Somerville.
LIFE AFTER TEACHING
When I retired after 25 years of teaching, I knew that I wanted to
write, but I also hoped to be active in the historical community.
While visiting John Auciello, the chief ranger of the Delaware &
Raritan Canal State Park, I happened to ask if he needed any help.
"How would you like to work at the Mule Tenders Barracks
Museum?" he asked.
And so, my team of volunteers and I created new exhibits,
freshened up those displays already in the museum, and held a
grand reopening in May of 1995. The building was kept open for
visitors on weekdays and a dedicated corps of guides greeted park
users on weekends.
All was going smoothly until September 1999, when the
remnants of Hurricane Floyd hit the Millstone and Raritan river
valleys, causing massive flooding. Muddy water filled the entire first
floor of the Barracks Museum, ruining some exhibits and leaving
the rest covered with chocolate-colored mud. Volunteers helped
with the cleaning of exhibits, but the building was not restored by
the State Park System until 2011.
write, but I also hoped to be active in the historical community.
While visiting John Auciello, the chief ranger of the Delaware &
Raritan Canal State Park, I happened to ask if he needed any help.
"How would you like to work at the Mule Tenders Barracks
Museum?" he asked.
And so, my team of volunteers and I created new exhibits,
freshened up those displays already in the museum, and held a
grand reopening in May of 1995. The building was kept open for
visitors on weekdays and a dedicated corps of guides greeted park
users on weekends.
All was going smoothly until September 1999, when the
remnants of Hurricane Floyd hit the Millstone and Raritan river
valleys, causing massive flooding. Muddy water filled the entire first
floor of the Barracks Museum, ruining some exhibits and leaving
the rest covered with chocolate-colored mud. Volunteers helped
with the cleaning of exhibits, but the building was not restored by
the State Park System until 2011.
FINALLY TIME TO WRITE!
While driving along Interstate 95 in the fall of 1996, a friend suggested that we
needed a driving guide that listed canal sites along the way from Maine to Florida.
Thus began my research into creating A Driving Guide to Canal Sites Along I-95.
Combining maps and detailed driving directions, this book lists and locates nearly
one hundred sites from Maine to Florida, all within 25 miles of the interstate.
As Bob and I travel, I often keep a journal of the places we visit and the folks
we meet. An article on our cruise aboard the Emita II, on the Erie Canal, was
published in the travel section of many of the Gannett newspapers.
In 2001 I began borrowing photo collections from the Canal Society of New
Jersey and the D&R Canal Commission. Putting the pictures in order to tell the
story of the canal, I added captions and produced, in 2002, The Delaware and
Raritan Canal for the Images of America series by Arcadia Publishing.
Two years later, having found a treasure trove of additional photographs, I wrote
the follow-up, The Delaware and Raritan Canal at Work, also for Arcadia.
During this time I had also been working on the manuscript for Bridgetender's
Boy, but had not found an illustrator. Two different artists had begun drawings for
the book, but each had to give up the job. What to do? Just when I had run out of
ideas, Doreen Lorenzetti a member of my writing group, asked if she could
illustrate the book. She was the ideal choice! Working all summer, Doreen created
the beautiful illustrations that bring the story to life. My characters and Doreen's
children were the same ages, so her family is forever immortalized in
Bridgetender's Boy.
needed a driving guide that listed canal sites along the way from Maine to Florida.
Thus began my research into creating A Driving Guide to Canal Sites Along I-95.
Combining maps and detailed driving directions, this book lists and locates nearly
one hundred sites from Maine to Florida, all within 25 miles of the interstate.
As Bob and I travel, I often keep a journal of the places we visit and the folks
we meet. An article on our cruise aboard the Emita II, on the Erie Canal, was
published in the travel section of many of the Gannett newspapers.
In 2001 I began borrowing photo collections from the Canal Society of New
Jersey and the D&R Canal Commission. Putting the pictures in order to tell the
story of the canal, I added captions and produced, in 2002, The Delaware and
Raritan Canal for the Images of America series by Arcadia Publishing.
Two years later, having found a treasure trove of additional photographs, I wrote
the follow-up, The Delaware and Raritan Canal at Work, also for Arcadia.
During this time I had also been working on the manuscript for Bridgetender's
Boy, but had not found an illustrator. Two different artists had begun drawings for
the book, but each had to give up the job. What to do? Just when I had run out of
ideas, Doreen Lorenzetti a member of my writing group, asked if she could
illustrate the book. She was the ideal choice! Working all summer, Doreen created
the beautiful illustrations that bring the story to life. My characters and Doreen's
children were the same ages, so her family is forever immortalized in
Bridgetender's Boy.