Text

interviews

memoirs

Fritz Schade, a German immigrant and a member of the Free Acres community in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, is interviewed about his memories at Free Acres. He recalls that many of his fellow Germans used to attend a swimming pool and a park in New York City. Suddenly, the park was closed to the public one day. So Fritz and his friends began looking around for land that they could purchase to be used by members of the German community. A German pastor in Berkeley Heights, Edward Moldenky, gave the Germans a good deal on the land. Families starting settling on the land. If they could not afford to buy a plot for themselves, then they would rent a plot from a landowner. Community members were skilled in many trades, so houses were built for everyone. Despite the Depression, the community was able to do well by drawing on members' skills. At one point, Fritz moved to Metuchen for work, but a few years later, he returned to Free Acres. He liked the tolerance and diversity in the community (by that time, many Protestant and Jewish Americans had moved in), as well as the communal atmosphere.

http://hdl.rutgers.edu/1782.3/SPCOL.Article.333

doi:10.7282/T33B5XPH

This object may be copyright-protected. Contact the owner or rights holder for permission to reproduce.

uncompressed

36075520

2a122ebe74834530a7870502a764e5fe740a115b

Transcript