SOMERVILLE, NJ - Paul Soltis, the sites’ Resource Interpretive Specialist at the Wallace House & Old Dutch Parsonage historic sites in Somerville, has moved on to another state historic site at Rockingham in Rocky Hill, the 1783 headquarters of Gen. George Washington.He will be replaced byJoseph Salt, who was previously the Interpretative Specialist at the Twin Lights Historic Site in Atlantic Highlands.“Paul was a tremendous champion for the sites and their history. His work securing grants from the National Pa...
SOMERVILLE, NJ - Paul Soltis, the sites’ Resource Interpretive Specialist at the Wallace House & Old Dutch Parsonage historic sites in Somerville, has moved on to another state historic site at Rockingham in Rocky Hill, the 1783 headquarters of Gen. George Washington.
He will be replaced byJoseph Salt, who was previously the Interpretative Specialist at the Twin Lights Historic Site in Atlantic Highlands.
“Paul was a tremendous champion for the sites and their history. His work securing grants from the National Park Service and funding from the State of New Jersey for the current Wallace House rehabilitation and the future Old Dutch Parsonage rehabilitation was monumental and will help ensure that these historic sites can be enjoyed by future generations,” according to the Friends of the Walllace House & Old Dutch Parsonage.
Sign Up for FREE Somerville Newsletter
Get local news you can trust in your inbox.
By building on prior research into the history of the sites and the surrounding area, he provided new information to visitors and wider audiences. Through his creativity and his ability to connect the history of the sites to a wide range of topics, he conceived programs that drew new people to discover our history; he created strong connections with area historic sites, schools, civic organizations, and other groups, resulting in new partnerships and programs.
He can be reached at or .
Salt holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Seton Hall University and brings valuable experience from his previous work at Twin Lights State Historic Site.
He will be jumping right into a wide range of projects, from supporting the rehabilitation of both historic houses and archiving newly unearthed artifacts to preparing educational materials and programs for the site and the community.
All of this work is leading toward the celebration of the 250th anniversary of General Washington’s headquarters at the Wallace House, beginning in December 2028 and continuing through June 2029.
Salt will be onsite Tuesdays through Saturdays as rehabilitation work continues. Both the Wallace House and Old Dutch Parsonage remain closed during this time, but the grounds are open. He can be reached at or by calling the site’s office at .
Twin Lights, also known as the Navesink Light Station, is perched approximately 200–246 feet above sea level on the Navesink Highlands in Highlands, New Jersey, overlooking Sandy Hook Bay, the Atlantic Ocean, Raritan Bay, and the New York City skyline. The site features two non-identical brownstone towers built in 1862, which replaced the original 1828 lighthouses. It is a National Historic Landmark and listed on both the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places.