Dunellen History Project

11/27/2020

I have been pretty busy the last few months and have missed posting a bunch of cool historical Dunellen stories. Here's one I missed last week. A special thank you to long time Dunellen Social Studies and History teacher Mr. Anthony Spadaro for the heads up about this very special man and the anniversary of his passing.

Anyone who attended Dunellen High School from 1968 - 1987 will remember Jan Stefanowicz who served as the head custodian at Dunellen High School during that period. Mr. Stefanowicz passed away five years ago this month.

Mr. Stefanowicz led quite an incredible life. His parents died of Typhus when he was just 9 years old and he and his three siblings were raised by their grandparents.

Mr. Stefanowicz joined the Polish Army in 1935 - 1936 in an elite unit. His unit was remobilized in 1939. Mr. Stefanowicz was captured by the Soviets in 1939 where he was a prisoner of war and then after the Soviets joined the allies to fight Germany he was released and fought for the Polish Army and the allies.

In early 1944 Mr. Stefanowicz fought at the Battle of Monte Cassino in Italy where the allied troops defeated the Germans opening a route to Rome but the victory came at a very high cost. 55,000 Allied troops were killed in the critical battle of Monte Cassino while the Germans lost 20,000. Mr. Stefanowicz was wounded in the Battle of Monte Cassino and was transferred to a military hospital in Scotland.

From there, Mr. Stefanowicz went to England, met his wife, moved to Dunellen, raised his family, worked at Art Color and then Dunellen High School. Heroes walk amongst us all the time. Here is a link to a Mr. Stefanowicz's obituary. It's an amazing read.

View JAN STEFANOWICZ's obituary, send flowers and sign the guestbook.

07/03/2020

95 years ago this week Joseph Pape, the murderer of Dunellen police officer Sam Strickland, penned a letter to the editor where he claimed he did not know Strickland was an officer when he shot him at Meyer's Jewelers on the afternoon of Monday February 2, 1925. Ppe's letter is a bunch of BS. To see the original posting about the shooting scroll down. Home News Tuesday June 30, 1925.

04/28/2020

103 years ago today an auction was held in Dunellen on the corner of Chestnut (now Pulaski) and South Ave of several lots near that corner. Boniakowski's was built in 1916 so that parcel was likely not included. Courier News Wednesday April 25th, 1917.

04/09/2020

Sgt. David R. Apgar of Dunellen is reported missing after a bombing raid over Germany this week in 1944. Courier News Friday April 7, 1944.

03/06/2020

Big week this week in 1951. 69 years ago today the Courier reported that the Dunellen Borough Council approved building the original field house in Columbia Park for about $7500. Apparently the building of the field house was widely debated. Second, the State approved the Council's request to install a traffic light at the corner of North Avenue and Madison Avenue. And finally the Council approved construction of Dunellen Avenue from Washington Avenue to Jefferson Avenue. Courier News Tuesday March 6, 1951.

03/02/2020

105 years ago the push to lay a sewer line on Chestnut Street (now Pulaski Street) from South Ave to Center Street began. The developer pushing the petition asserted they could start building homes that very year if the sewer line was approved. Courier News Tuesday March 2, 1915.

02/03/2020

95 years ago today Dunellen Officer Samuel Strickland was shot in by a an armed robber. The robber had knocked off a jewelry store in Bound Brook and caught a cab to Dunellen. After dropping off his fare the cabbie was suspicious that he may have robbed the Bound Brook jewelry story so the cabbie returned to the Dunellen police department and caught Officer Strickland leaving the police station. He shared his suspicious with Strickland who went and caught up with the suspect at Meyer Allen Jewelers in Dunellen. Strickland engaged him in conversation and the suspect said he was there to get a watch repaired. Unsatisfied with what he was hearing Strickland asked the man to accompany him to the Police station to discuss further. Once outside the man shot Strickland in the forehead and Strickland fell against the window of the Dunellen Shoe Shining Company. Chief Torpey was down the block at the corner of Lincoln and North Avenue and heard the commotion and began his pursuit. Couriers News Tuesday February 3, 1925.

01/11/2020

On January 9th, 1899 one of the worst train accidents in NJ history occurred in Dunellen when east bound and west bound trains collided killing 19 and injuring 50. The article describes the terrible accident and is highly descriptive of the state of the train and passengers after the accident. Apparently there had been a freight train wreck in Bound Brook that very morning forcing the railroad to close one track. Word never made it to the two trains passing through Dunellen that day. Here's the headline and the first couple paragraphs. Courier News Tuesday January 10, 1899.

01/11/2020

Here's an update on a story posted a few weeks ago. You might recall (and can scroll down to check it out) that Dunellenite Paul Semenkewitz was in the Middlesex County Jail to do a very short stint for a robbery and instead decided to break out with his new friend the cop killer. Semenkewitz was sentence to 15 years. Home News Friday January 10, 1936.

01/06/2020

Dunellen librarian submits annual report to the Dunellen Library Board today in 1950. Courier News Friday January 6, 1950.

12/29/2019

Still playing catch up a little bit. Check out these land prices in Dunellen in 1911. "First National Bank, Dunellen to Charles W. Harper, of Dunellen. Two lots on North Avenue near Lincoln Avenue...$1." Courier News Saturday December 23, 1911.

12/28/2019

So you might recall that before the jailbreak Semenkewitz had been in the Middlesex County jail for stealing $13 from Dunellenite Frank Haberman in September 1935. Had he not escaped with Metelski he would have served a very short sentence. Well, once the manhunt was on, the police cast a wide net going after anyone with ties to the fugitives. Swept up in the dragnet was Dunellenite Michael Mauro seen here in his Art Color baseball uniform. Mauro was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit robbery as he is the one who gave Semenkewitz the tip that Frank Haberman had some cash back in September. Semenkewitz allegedly gave Mauro $3 of the $13 he robbed from Haberman. Mauro was also charged as a material witness in the jailbreak but that charge isn't explained in this article. Mauro pled not guilty. Courier News Wednesday December 18, 1935.