The Monmouth County Historical Association, Freehold Borough, has announced the opening of “Springsteen: His Hometown,” an historical exhibit that will provide a comprehensive look of how Monmouth County has been thematically woven into Bruce Springsteen’s music and art throughout his career.
The exhibition will open on Sept. 29 and run through the fall of 2020. Ticket information and sponsorship opportunities are available at www.SpringsteenHisHometown.com.
Proceeds from the exhibit will benefit the association, which is dedicated to preserving and sharing the story of Monmouth County, according to a press release.
“Springsteen: His Hometown” will display more than 150 unique items featuring selections from the Monmouth County Historical Association and the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music at Monmouth University.
The exhibit will be co-curated by Melissa Ziobro, Monmouth University’s specialist professor of public history, and Bernadette Rogoff, director of collections for the historical association. Eileen Chapman, director of the archives, and Robert Santelli, founding director of the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, will serve as advisers to the exhibit, according to the press release.
Items displayed will include:
• Original color poster from The Castiles, a band that originated in Freehold Borough of which Springsteen was a member;
• Personal scrapbook made by Bruce Springsteen’s mother, Adele;
• 1943 high school yearbook of Bruce Springsteen’s mother, Adele;
• 19th Century Civil War document that includes Alexander Springsteen, of lineal descent to Bruce Springsteen;
• 1801 document signed by John Springsteen, a patriot of the Revolution and a direct ancestor to Bruce Springsteen.
“The Monmouth County Historical Association is honored to have the opportunity to exhibit some of the most unique, and some never-before-seen, items that reflect the unparalleled career and life of Bruce Springsteen,” said Linda Bricker, president of the association’s Board of Trustees.
“Bruce Springsteen remains an essential part of the fabric that comprises the deep history of Monmouth County. We would especially like to thank Eileen Chapman, Melissa Ziobro and the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music for their continued generosity and collaboration,” Bricker said.
Springsteen is a native of Freehold Borough and the exhibit’s unveiling will coincide with the centennial of the municipality. Springsteen will turn 70 on Sept. 23, six days before the exhibit opens in his hometown.
“It’s wonderful that the Monmouth County Historical Association, with an exquisite gallery space in the heart of Bruce Springsteen’s hometown, will be hosting an exhibit that will showcase the archives and explore his life for a wider audience,” Ziobro said. “I am so grateful for the team that has come together to make this vision a reality.”
