MANALAPAN – Municipal officials will dedicate a pavilion in the Manalapan Recreation Center in memory of former township historian Lydia Wikoff on Sept. 13 at 5 p.m.
Wikoff, who died on June 3, was Manalapan’s historian for more than 25 years and shared historical information not only with residents of Manalapan, but with people throughout Monmouth County, according to municipal officials.
She had lived in Manalapan since the age of 2 and spent her youth on the Stillwell homestead farm at Gordons Corner until she was married.
Wikoff and her husband, Charles, purchased a farmstead in 1952 that was built in 1851 on Tennent Road near Gordons Corner Road. Charles Wikoff died in 2008.
The Wikoff farm is now a preserved open space parcel along Route 9 north, just north of the Gordons Corner Road overpass in Manalapan.
Municipal officials said Wikoff “worked tirelessly to keep alive and share the historical significance of Manalapan with current and future generations.”
Wikoff could be seen on several Manalapan Township Television Network program. She wrote, directed and performed in “A Brief History of Manalapan,” a documentary that takes viewers through the township and details points of historical interest and significance.
She also produced and directed a documentary about the Village Inn in Englishtown.
Wikoff received many awards during her lifetime, including the 2008 Jane Clayton Award at Archives and History Day held at the Monmouth County Library Headquarters in Manalapan.
Wikoff was a founding member of the Monmouth County Historical Commission and chaired the Essay Committee which encouraged thousands of children to learn about the history of Monmouth County. She was also a founding member of the Battleground Historical Society which preserves the Village Inn in Englishtown, according to municipal officials.
“Lydia was always a part of our community and will always be a part of Manalapan’s history,” Mayor Susan Cohen said. “We thought the naming of this pavilion in her memory was a fitting tribute, as this is one of the most historical areas in the recreation center.
“The Township Committee and I are inviting all residents of Manalapan and Monmouth County to join us and the Wikoff family at this dedication ceremony on Sept, 13,” Cohen said.
The pavilion that is being dedicated is in the Dreyer portion of the recreation center. Parking is available by entering the main entrance on Route 522 and making the first right into the Dreyer parking lot.
