Philip Freneau Grave Restoration

Hello my name is Stephen G. Ciupinski. I am a 16 year old Matawan resident and I am currently a Life Scout in Troop 66. I am working on my Eagle Scout project which is to restore the gravesite of Philip Freneau, a famous American revolution poet who lived in Matawan NJ. Freneau’s gravesite is near the site where he lived on Poet drive in Matawan NJ.

For my Eagle project, I plan on doing the following work to improve and restoring the gravesite of Philip Freneau.

· Remove the existing overgrown shrubbery.

· The existing obelisk monument will be cleaned, and the base repaired by a professional.

· The landscape will be updated with new shrubs, and a fresh mulch bed.

· A new bench engraved with Freneau’s name will be installed in the park near the grave.

· A sign will be purchased and placed near the grave to explain a little bit about Freneau’s history.

Here ia a little history of Philip Freneau. Freneau was born on January 2, 1752 in New York. He attended Princeton where he became friends with James Madison, the 4th president of the United States. After graduating Princeton, Philip Freneau wrote a series of anti-British satires. In 1776 he traveled to the West Indies, where he studied navigation. In 1778 he returned to New Jersey, joined the militia, and served as a ship’s captain. He was captured by the British and held on a prison ship for 6 weeks. He served under his friend Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. He was encouraged by his friends James Madison and Thomas Jefferson to establish a newspaper named the National Gazette, in Philadelphia. Philip Freneau’s Revolutionary war satires served as effective propaganda during the Revolutionary War and it helped with the spirit of the people.

Philip Freneau spent various times in his life living in what is known today as Matawan NJ. His father had bought property here in 1752 and the last Matawan home that Philip lived in still exists on Poet Drive in Matawan. He is buried in a small park across the street from the home on Poet Drive and shares the grave with his mother.  Today there are streets and sections in this area of Matawan named after Freneau. His gravesite is looked after by the Matawan Historical Society and maintained by the Matawan Historic Sites Commission.

Please help me in my project to assist the Matawan Historical Society in the restoration of the gravesite of a local historic figure known as the "Poet of the American Revolution".

-If donations exceed my goal, then all extra funds will go to the Matawan Historical Society.

Thank you,
Stephen