Sept. 5, 2025

CCHS Lenni Lenape Museum Project

A 3,840-square-foot museum building is nearing completion, designed to house one of the most significant collections of pre-contact Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape artifacts in the state

While the bones of a new museum rise at 884 Ye Greate Street in Greenwich, the stories it will soon hold stretch back hundreds—if not thousands—of years.

In a milestone moment for the Cumberland County Historical Society, a 3,840-square-foot museum building is nearing completion, designed to house one of the most significant collections of pre-contact Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape artifacts in the state.

These items—painstakingly assembled by the late George J. Woodruff and the late Alan E. Carmen—represent generations of regional history that have too often gone overlooked.

But not anymore.

This new museum isn’t just a building. It’s a community effort, a cultural statement, and a powerful invitation for residents of Cumberland County to rediscover the original stewards of this land.

With Fabbri Builders overseeing construction, and financing from The First National Bank of Elmer, this project is as local as it gets—from foundation to mission.

In an upcoming episode of the Bridgeton Beacon, we’ll speak with Cumberland County Historical Society Trustee Ted Ritter to explore:

  • What this museum means for the descendants of the Lenni-Lenape Nation today

  • Why Greenwich, NJ—a town steeped in colonial and maritime history—is the perfect setting

  • How the community can support, visit, or volunteer during the final phases of the build

  • The personal stories of George Woodruff and Alan Carmen and their work preserving local heritage

  • What “Ye Greate Street” has seen over the centuries—and why it still matters today

📞 Want to learn more or get involved? You can contact CCHS trustee Ted Ritter directly at (856) 451-3030.