Sharon Elaine Buck, who prefers to be called Elaine, is a founder of the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum and a member of the Advisory Board. Elaine is also a 30-plus-year Trustee of the Stoutsburg Cemetery Association, which is a historic cemetery for people of African descent located in the Sourland Mountains in Hopewell, New Jersey. Along with her research partner, Beverly Mills, Elaine co-authored a book entitled, If These Stones Could Talk: African American Presence in the Hopewell Valley, Sourland Mountain, and Surrounding Regions of New Jersey, which is based on over a decade and a half of research on the contribution of African Americans who lived in the Sourland Mountain region and surrounding area.
In 2020 Elaine was invited to participate in a residency program with the Monument Lab Program, an independent public art and history studio commissioned by the Semiquincentennial to engage people of color as partners as it relates to the American Revolution and the roles they played. Also, in 2020 Elaine partnered with the Museum of the American Revolution on identifying potential 1801 Montgomery Township, New Jersey African American and female voters for their exhibition entitled, ”When Women Lost the Vote.” In the 2020 winter Elaine was featured in Delaware Rivertowns Magazine in an article entitled, “Giving Voice to the Voiceless.” On December 23, 2020 Elaine was also featured in The New York Times in an article by Jennifer Schuessler entitled “Helping the Stones Talk: Recovering Black History.” This story also appeared in the online Smithsonian Magazine on December 24, 2020 and in the Chicago Tribune on December 26, 2020 entitled “Uncovering Lost Black History Stone by Stone.” In February 2021 for Black History Month, Elaine was interviewed by Pat Battle for an NBC (Channel 4, NYC) segment entitled “Uncovering Mercer County’s Forgotten Past.” Elaine also appeared in a Black History Month interview with Crystal Cranmore titled, “Unearthing Black Contributions in New Jersey” for ABC (Channel 7, NYC).
As co-author of If These Stones Could Talk, Elaine proudly received the Kirkus Book Review in October, 2018 and in 2019 she received the New Jersey Author’s Award Non-fiction Popular Works Category presented by the New Jersey Studies Academic Alliance by the History and Preservation Section of the New Jersey Library Association and the Special Collections and University Archives – Rutgers University Libraries. Representing the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum, in 2019 Elaine received the Land Stewardship Award by the D&R Greenway Land Trust for raising awareness about diverse communities on the land. In the fall of 2020, the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum Board of Trustees received the History and Leadership Award from the Somerset County Cultural and Heritage Commission. Elaine was also a featured speaker on a TEDx event entitled, “Fearless Women,” presented by TEDx Hopewell Valley at the end of 2020.
For several years Elaine, along with the President of the Stoutsburg Cemetery Association, John Buck, has given numerous presentations on the topic of the African American presence and contributions throughout New Jersey for schools, historic sites and community organizations. In 2017 Elaine, as a representative of the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum, formed the Sankofa Collaborative in partnership with The 1719 William Trent House, 1804 Consultants, The Grounds For Sculpture and the New Jersey Historical Society to host a series of symposiums designed to explore African American history in New Jersey, how to interpret African American history at historic sites and museums as well as how to present and discuss difficult topics in African American history. The Sankofa Collaborative also ensures that material and resources relating to African American history is readily accessible to a broader and more diverse audience state and nationwide.
In 2018, to further create awareness of the African American narrative through presentations and webinars, Elaine co-founded Friday Truehart Consultants, which a consulting company that works closely with K-12 educators interested in infusing African American history in their curriculum in school districts throughout the state. Elaine has been married to John Buck for over forty years and is the mother of two adult sons, Aaron and Jason. She is the third generation to live in her home in Hopewell Borough, New Jersey. For numerous years Elaine has been a member of the Second Calvary Baptist Church of Hopewell, New Jersey and has also served as the Church Clerk.
Beverly Mills is a co-founder of the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum and a member of the Advisory Board. She is a fourth generation trustee of the Stoutsburg Cemetery Association. Along with her research partner, Elaine Buck, Beverly co-authored a book entitled, If These Stones Could Talk: African American Presence in the Hopewell Valley, Sourland Mountain, and Surrounding Regions of New Jersey, which is based on over a decade and a half of research on the contribution of African Americans who lived in the Sourland Mountain region and surrounding area.
In 2020 Beverly was invited to participate in a residency program with the Monument Lab Program, an independent public art and history studio commissioned by the Semiquincentennial, to engage people of color as partners as it relates to the American Revolution and the roles they played; also in 2020 Beverly partnered with the Museum of the American Revolution on identifying potential 1801 Montgomery Township, New Jersey African American and female voters for their exhibition entitled, ”When Women Lost the Vote.” In the 2020 winter Beverly was featured in Delaware Rivertowns Magazine in an article entitled, “Giving Voice to the Voiceless.” On December 23, 2020 Beverly was also featured in The New York Times in an article by Jennifer Schuessler entitled “Helping the Stones Talk: Recovering Black History.” This story also appeared in the online Smithsonian Magazine on December 24, 2020 and in the Chicago Tribune on December 26, 2020 entitled “Uncovering Lost Black History Stone by Stone.” In February 2021 for Black History Month, Beverly was interviewed by Pat Battle for an NBC (Channel 4, NYC) segment entitled “Uncovering Mercer County’s Forgotten Past.” Beverly also appeared in a Black History Month interview with Crystal Cranmore titled, “Unearthing Black Contributions in New Jersey” for ABC (Channel 7, NYC).
As co-author of If These Stones Could Talk, Beverly proudly received the Kirkus Book Review in October, 2018 and in 2019 she received the New Jersey Author’s Award Non-fiction Popular Works Category presented by the New Jersey Studies Academic Alliance by the History and Preservation Section of the New Jersey Library Association and the Special Collections and University Archives – Rutgers University Libraries. Representing the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum, in 2019 Beverly received the Land Stewardship Award by the D&R Greenway Land Trust for raising awareness about diverse communities on the land. In the fall of 2020, the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum Board of Trustees received the History and Leadership Award from the Somerset County Cultural and Heritage Commission. Beverly was also a featured speaker on a TEDx event entitled, “Fearless Women,” presented by TEDx Hopewell Valley at the end of 2020.
For several years Beverly, along with Elaine and John Buck, the President of the Stoutsburg Cemetery Association, has given numerous presentations on the topic of the African American presence and contributions throughout New Jersey for schools, historic sites and community organizations. In 2017 Beverly, as a representative of the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum, formed the Sankofa Collaborative in partnership with The 1719 William Trent House, 1804 Consultants, The Grounds For Sculpture and the New Jersey Historical Society to host a series of symposiums designed to explore African American history in New Jersey, how to interpret African American history at historic sites and museums as well as how to present and discuss difficult topics in African American history. The Sankofa Collaborative also ensures that material and resources relating to African American history is readily accessible to a broader and more diverse audience state and nationwide.
In 2018, to further create awareness of the African American narrative through presentations and webinars, Beverly co-founded Friday Truehart Consultants which a consulting company that works closely with K-12 educators interested in infusing African American history in their curriculum in school districts throughout the state.
In 2016 Beverly was elected as the first African American woman to hold the position as Councilwoman in Pennington, New Jersey. Beverly, along with her husband Robert, currently lives in her ancestral home in Pennington, New Jersey. Her historic home has been in Beverly’s family since 1911 and is located in the Historic District of Pennington. Beverly is the mother of two adult sons and the grandmother of six.
Connecting the past to the present, for a better future 