Steinberg has record of dedication to town

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obody in recent years has done more physically to preserve the history of Freehold Borough, the county seat of Monmouth County, than history buff Carl N. Steinberg.

Steinberg, now a Freehold Township resident, is a former member of the Freehold Borough Council.

Over the past two decades he has been a one-man gang when it comes to collecting memorabilia and launching projects aimed at ensuring that the borough’s rich history will be recalled in the future.

Whether it’s the renovation of a historic structure, the creation of memorials to commemorate landmark events, the resurrection of historic statues or the installation of signs, you can bet that Steinberg will play a major role in the project.

It was indeed fitting that Steinberg, who operates Freehold Furniture, was recently named the winner of the borough’s 11th annual John G. McGackin Award.

The award honors McGackin, the borough’s mayor who died while in office in April 1985.

The award is given to that person who has done the most to promote the renaissance of the county seat. While Steinberg has been very much involved with the town’s renaissance in the last 15 years, he is the first winner of the McGackin award to be so dedicated to the preservation of the borough’s history.

Steinberg’s commitment to saving the town’s history actually began when he restored the community’s first firehouse on Throckmorton Street. The structure, which dates back to 1874, was restored in 1984.

He still owns that building, which is a standing memorial to the first volunteer fire fighters in Freehold.

We suspect that Steinberg will launch many more historic preservation projects in the future.

We wish him the best of luck in these endeavors.