1898 --- Joseph Albert born.

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1899 --- George Albert born.

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1950's --- Joe & George Albert began to hold Saturday Night musical gatherings at the "Home Place". The "Home Place" was a deer lodge cabin on a 51-acre plot purchased by Joe & George Albert during the depression for hunting and fishing. It had no running water or electricity and was located on Bryant Road in the Brookville section of the pines, west of Waretown, New Jersey.  Joe Albert played the washtub bass and George Albert the fiddle.

 

February 1953 --- The Geographical Magazine - Royal Geographic Society (Feb. 1953) Merce Ridgway mentioned on page 536)

 

January 1974 --- National Geographic - Jan. 1974 (The People of New Jersey's Pine Barrens) (George Albert's photo on page 65)

 

October 31, 1973 --- George Albert died.

 

November 1974 --- Albert Hall located in the Waretown Auction Building (Regular weekly shows held.)

 

April 20, 1975 --- 1st Pinelands Cultural Society (PCS) Executive Board formed: President: Merce Ridgway; 1st Vice President: Gladys Eayre; 2nd Vice President: Joe Horner; Treasurer: Janice Sherwood; Recording Secretary: Barbara Herr; Corresponding Secretary: Arlene Ridgway

 

October 4, 1975 --- PCS Certificate of Incorporation signed. PCS is duly incorporated as a non-profit organization. Organizational Purpose (Verbatim from the C of I):

"To collect and preserve the cultural history of the people and inhabitants of the "pinelands" of southern New Jersey, particularly in the Counties of Ocean and Burlington, including, but not limited to, music, literature, history, legends, artifacts, or any other thing which deals with, has a bearing upon, or is related to the lore of the pinelands;

The construction of a building or buildings, and the operation and maintenance of same;

The acquisition of furniture and furnishings for such a building or buildings;

To provide a place where such artifacts; furniture, and other materials acquired by this corporation, may be displayed or presented to be known as "Albert Hall";

To encourage the arts and skills of artists, writers, musicians and craftsmen, in the perpetuation of pinelands lore and the presentation of such arts and skills, publicly or privately;

To promote all cultural activities relating to the perpetuation of pinelands lore."

 

May 21, 1976 --- Pete Seeger performed at Albert Music Hall to help raise money for a new building.

 

August 17, 1980 --- Pete Seeger made a second visit to help raise money and played a joint concert with the "Pineconers" (Janice Sherwood, Gladys Eayre and group.)

 

May 1986 --- NJ Monthly Magazine (Feature story on Albert Hall ..."Nashville North")

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April 14, 1987 --- Joe Albert died.

 

February 1988 --- The "Home Place" cabin was vandalized and burned.

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May 1988 --- Albert Music Hall is listed, described in text, and highlighted on the "Things to See and Do" map in National Geographic's 386-page book: "National Geographic Guide to America's Hidden Corners". (Pages 90 & 91)

 

June 7, 1988 --- "PICKIN IN THE PINES" shown on NJN-TV. (Taped live at Albert Music Hall)

 

July 1988 --- Senator, Bill Bradley (NJ) visited on two Saturday nights.

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May 1990 --- Mid-Atlantic Country Magazine (Feature story... "In The Pines, In The Pines")

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1992 --- Kellogg Center For Family Studies produces a 1 hour VCR tape of Merce Ridgway (1st PCS President) which reflects a multigenerational family in the pinelands of central NJ.

 

July 24, 1992 --- Waretown Auction Building burned down. Saturday night shows continued in the parking lot.

 

August 1992 --- Albert Music Hall relocated to the Frederic Priff School where Saturday night shows continued.

 

August 1992 --- Ocean Township Board of Education Scholarship Fund started. Four academic scholarships of $1,000 each are given each year to graduating seniors of Southern Regional High School, Ocean County, NJ.

 

December 1992 --- Mid-Atlantic Country Magazine (Up-date article about the fire)

 

April 1994 --- Janice Sherwood and Gladys Eayre receive the 1994 NJ Folk Festival Award for "Distinguished Contribution to the Folk Music of NJ" at the Douglas College Campus of Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ.

 

May 18, 1994 --- The Washington Post  (Article.. "Jersey Outback"...Albert Music Hall shows are mentioned)

 

September 1994 --- Albert Music Hall is included in an article entitled "New Jersey's Wild Pine Barrens") in the Sept./Oct. 1994 issue of National Geographic Traveler Magazine.

 

February 15, 1995 --- Bill # NJS 18A: 20-9 Introduced by NJ Senator Connors (9 th District) was approved by the Senate & General Assembly of the State of NJ and signed by Governor Whitman. (Bill allows conveyance of real estate to a non-profit historic preservation organization to provide a place for educational, cultural, and musical functions.)

 

April 1995 --- Merce Ridgway (1st PCS President) receives NJ Folk Festival Award for "Distinguished Contribution to the Folk Music of NJ" from Douglass College, New Brunswick, NJ

 

September 3, 1995 --- Albert Music Hall article in the New York Times (New Jersey Section)

 

January 5, 1996 --- Land Deed to PCS signed by the Ocean Township, Ocean County, NJ Board of Education.

 

April 25, 1996 --- Roy Everett, PCS President, signs construction contract with Steve Fasolino, President of Fasolino Contracting Corp. to build the new Albert Music Hall.

 

May 18, 1996 --- Groundbreaking Ceremony held for the new Albert Music Hall.

 

May 20, 1996 --- Construction of Albert Music Hall begins with the clearing of the ground.

 

Dec. 14, 1996 --- Last PCS show held in the Priff School.

 

January 5, 1997 --- Albert Music Hall building dedicated & first show in the new building with 45 bands & over 1,100 persons attending.

 

February 9, 1997 --- NY Sunday Times article on Albert Hall.

 

March 27, 1997 --- Albert Music Hall on NJN-TV

 

October 1997 --- Albert Music Hall "Cabin-in-the-Woods" stage set completed.

 

May 1998 --- Albert Music Hall is listed, described in the text, and highlighted on the "Things to See and Do" map in National Geographic's 386 page book: " National Geographic Guide to America's Hidden Corners" (Pages 90 and 91).

 

September 1999 --- PCS completes & commences sale of an all digital, live recording, compact disk of the 1999 PCS Songwriters Show.

 

September 2000 --- The Pinelands Cultural & Historical Preservation Society and Albert Music Hall formally established in the Library of Congress Folklife Archives, Washington, D.C. PCS documents, photographs, audio and video recordings were entered and accepted into the Library of Congress, Bicentennial Local Legacies Project, under the sponsorship of Congressman Jim Saxton, 3rd District of New Jersey.

 

November 4, 2000 --- Albert Music Hall show taped in High Definition TV Format by NJN-TV for national release on PBS.

 

2002 --- PCS/Albert Music Hall website launched. (www.alberthall.org)

 

October 11, 2003 --- 100,000th person attends a show in the "new" Albert Hall building.

 

2004 --- PCS/Albert Music Hall registered in the Library of Congress's Moving Image Collection (MIC) Database.

 

August 2004 --- Albert Music Hall, Phase II finished. (Construction of a 45-space rear parking area and a 4-bay garage is completed.)

 

September 4, 2004 --- The Honorable Jim Saxton read his "Tribute to PCS" into the Congressional Record, Washington, DC.

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October 2004 --- The Pickin' Shed, adjacent to Albert Hall, expanded to 600 square feet.

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November 3, 2004 --- Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders proclaimed November 20, 2004 and every 3rd Saturday in each November thereafter as "Pinelands Cultural & Historical Preservation Day"

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August 2005 --- PCS contracted The Production House, Toms River, NJ to begin transfer of the PCS Archival Videotape collection to digital DVD format to facilitate their preservation.

 

August 19, 2006 --- 150,000th person attends a show in the "new" Albert Hall building.

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July 2007 --- Off-site storage facility established for secure, temperature-controlled retention of archival documents, audiotapes, CDs, DVDs, of historical significance.

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August 4, 2007 ---  Bob Birdsall, author of the full-color book "People of the Pines", held a book signing at Albert Music Hall on this date.  A complete chapter of this book is devoted to the people of Albert Music Hall.  Albert Music Hall is often prominently referenced throughout other sections of the book.

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August 28, 2007 --- Regular Albert Music Hall performer, Jim Murphy was inducted this date into "America's Old Time Country Music Hall of Fame" in Anita, IA.   He joins other honored notables including Johnny and June Carter Cash, Hank Williams, Jimmy Rodgers, and many others.

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March 2008 --- Albert Music Hall listed in the American Automobile Association's NJ/PA Tour Book.

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June 13, 2009 --- 200,000th peson attends a show in the "new" Albert Music Hall building.

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October 23, 2010 --- Local author Karen Riely holds a signing for her new book "Images of America - The Pine Barrens of New Jersey".  The book contains photos and text concerning Joe & George Albert's "Home Place" and the "new" Albert Music Hall.

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September 22, 2012 --- 250,000th person attends a show in the "new" Albert Music Hall building.

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January 27, 2014 --- Pete Seeger died in New York City, NY.

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January 2017--- 20th Anniversary of the new Albert Hall building.