Franklin Square Historical Society receives $127,000 to support community initiatives | Herald Community Newspapers

Rei Wolfsohn

The Franklin Square Historical Society, a cultural cornerstone of the community, recently received a $127,000 check from the Boost Nassau Small Business Loan Program to support its initiatives.

The historical society focuses on community education through its museum in Rath Park, which came to fruition in 2019.

“I am hopeful that it will have a long life and will be appreciated by the students who will come to visit and learn about the past generations that created the community,” said Pat Realmuto, chairman of the board from the Franklin Square Historical Society. “We want to continue to be part of the community’s educational future.”

Realmuto said first and fourth grade students from the Franklin Square school district come to visit the museum on a field trip. Then they come back with their families and teach their parents what they have learned. This year the Social Studies Honor Society from XXX also visited.

Nancy Youngfert, president of the Historical Society, is concerned about the future of the museum. She believes it is crucial to involve young students in the history of their hometown.

“Unless the children come, history dies,” she said.

But the children are coming back – in greater numbers than before. The museum is growing, thanks to the check from the province, the Historical Society can build a new classroom at the museum.

Currently, the museum is running out of storage space for all their artifacts. It is also difficult for the older members and curators to climb the stairs to the attic in a building with 3-meter high ceilings. With the money from the county, they can begin planning, designing and building a new space for more storage.

There is a lot of history in Franklin Square. The first bank credit card was invented here. Walt Whitman served as a teacher in District 17 in 1840.

“We are a community founded by immigrants,” says village historian Paul van Wie. “Most of the people who founded Franklin Square didn’t speak English when they got here. And that really is a beautiful American story, don’t you think?”

One of those immigrant families was the Kalbs. Barbara Kalb, a seventh-generation Franklin Square resident, is proud of all the museum volunteers.

“If the members we have now didn’t work as hard as they do, it wouldn’t be as advanced as it is today,” Kalb said.

The anniversary dinner featured a World War II uniform worn by Bill Wydner from 1940-45. After serving his country, he came back and lived the rest of his life again in Franklin Square. He subsequently served as president of the Historical Society for four years.

During the dinner, the Historical Society held raffles for 38 prizes, plus a few “super prizes.” The Plattdeutsche Restaurant served a three-course menu and accentuated the ceiling edges with blue lighting. Van Wie feels strongly encouraged by this achievement.

“We started as a very small organization,” says Van Wie. “There were only a dozen of us. Our first annual dinner had exactly 15 people. Now we are at 150. It was not in a restaurant, we each brought a dish.”

He explained that the historical society is very involved in community education. Not only do the students come for field trips, but most of the museum’s docents are retired teachers.

“Everything we do is volunteer work,” says Van Wie. “We are an organization of volunteers who serve our community.”

The museum is open every first Sunday of the month. The annual Fall Fest is held here in September and the annual Winter Fest in December.

During the anniversary dinner, the Historical Society presented the Trustee Award to Boy Scout Troop 93. This troop has survived for an entire century, a milestone that the Historical Society wanted to celebrate.

“Most troops probably last about 10 years,” said Mike Priolo, the troops’ public relations representative. “They can’t get the mature leaders after the first initial leaders and sponsors. When they leave, they try to get someone to take over the positions, but that’s usually where it fails.”

Priolo and his son were both Eagle Scouts in the troop. Priolo joined the Cub Scouts in 1959 and graduated to Troop 93 Eagle Scout in 1966. His son became an Eagle Scout with Troop 93 in 2002.

“There are quite a few father-son scouts on the Eagles, but there aren’t too many in the same group,” Priolo said. “A lot has to be done: the troops have to be nearby. You must have a son. Your son probably wants to join the Boy Scouts. And your son should then earn the rank of Eagle. So there are not too many father-son members from the same group.”

During the anniversary dinner, the historical society honored VFW Post 2718 of Franklin Square, which happens to be the sponsor of Troop 93.

“The veterans are the lifeblood of the community,” Youngfert said. “If they hadn’t served, we wouldn’t be here today. Those who are here are kicking and going strong.