Moses D. Heath Farm

Her father, a former slave named Clinton P. Heath, left North Carolina around 1865, when the end of the Civil War freed him from his servitude. Arriving in Middletown sometime before 1870 with his brother Calvin, Clinton secured work as a crop farmer and upon establishing himself, sent for his wife, Mary. Eventually, the Heaths raised 13 children, with Bertha being the youngest of 6 girls and her brother Walter, with whom she shared the present Moses D. Heath Farm on Harmony Road. Walter was the youngest of 7 boys.

Calvin became the first preacher at the Clinton Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church on Red Hill Road, which was founded in 1870 and established in 1890 with a congregation of about nine people. It was Calvin, whose ability to read and write was a greatly coveted talent among a population of many former slaves.

During slavery, using ones ability to read and write was punishable by death. Calvin had been taught by the sister of a plantation owner, and he, in turn, taught Clinton and some of the other slaves. Because of the risk involved, Calvin had given lessons surreptitiously by writing in sand on the ground. If a plantation master approached on horseback, the slaves would erase the words with their feet, using a shuffling action which looked like a form of dancing to the overseer.

Bertha, many times, repeated the following account:

--My father was born the son of slaves in North Carolina. He settled us here in 1885 and became a tenant farmer. I remember him telling us how his father became a slave. My great grandfather was accompanying his two sons on thei way to London to study when they were hijacked at an African seaport. They all landed over here as slaves. The two brothers were separated. My grandfather landed in North Carolina. His brother landed in the oyster beds of Maryland.--

In addition, the Heath family included three foster children, because there were no orphanges or social welfare agencies at that time. If a child lost his or her parents, he or she would be welcomed into a neighboring family.

The Heath homstead was the seventh in a row of houses, in one of five Black neighborhoods in Middletown in the early 1900s. Most of the families consisted of farmers, but Bertha remembered her father as the finest among the harvesters. Clinton P. Heath was known as a man who could get two crops for every one another produced. In addition to farming, Clinton Heath worked on the railroad to supplement his seasonal income.

It is very important to note that Bertha C. Heath, after graduating from Middletown Township High School, spent 44 years in Upper Manhattan, New York City, working in the field of Nursing. After graduating from the Harlem Hospital School of Nursing in 1930, she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health from New York University and in 1958, received a Master of Science degree from Columbia University. She worked as a registered nurse until retiring in 1974, from the Columbia Medical Center School of Cancer Research.

Bertha had also earned credits toward her Doctorate.

One of her favotite New York City activities was enjoying the musical talents of Big Band era entertainers such as Count Basie, Cab Calloway and Billie Holliday.

In 1974, Bertha Clara Heath added her own permanent tribute to her Middletown family legacy when she dedicated the Heath Wing of the Tatum Park Activity Center to the memory of her parents, Clinton P. and Mary E. Heath.

Bertha had remarked:

--The Bible tells us to honor our parents. By creating the Heath Center, this is a way to honor them, as well as thank my community for a beautiful life.--

Activities at the center since its dedication have included a permanent exhibit of African American history and year round art exhibits, ceramics classes and theater productions for all ages.

Bertha Heath, aided by her devoted nephew Walter Spradley, his wife Susie Spradley, Jane Clark, (then) the Monmouth County Park System Project Director and a band of devoted volunteers which comprised the Heath Center Black History Committee, organized Black History Month celebrations which have been held each February at the Heath Center.

Members of the Heath Black History Committee included:

--Bertha C. Heath, R.N.

--Walter and Susie Spradley

--Jane Clark

--James and Norma Todd

--Pauline and Howard Drake

--Col. (Ret) Joseph and Alison Holt

--Amanda Edwards, R.N.

--Drs. Scuddie (Deceased) and Sarah McGee

--David and Sharon Henry

--Dr. Alan and Michelle Peterson

--Reverend Clayborn Butts

--The Very Reverend Ephraem

--Illya and Wally Akinpelu

--Robert Farley

--Cheryl Pearsall, Current Coordinator

Another important part of the life and times of Bertha C. Heath was participating in a host of meaningful cultural organizations, such as the American Association of University Women and the Middletown Township Historical Society.

She was also active with:

--The Harlem Hospital Alumni Association;

--The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People;

--The National Association of Graduate Negro Nurses;

--The USCCCNII National Clearinghouse and Crime Commission

--The American Red Cross;

--The New York Public Library;

--The NYPL Lecturer Focus on Black History;

--The American Association of Retired Persons;

--The Monmouth County Historical Association;

--The Monmouth County Genealogical Society;

--The New Jersey Prayer Group; and

--The Middletown Township Commission on Human Rights.

These cherished community services of Bertha Heath were not without recognition, as she was saluted and praised as a Black Historian and a Humanitarian by:

--The Asbury Park Press;

--The Red Bank Register;

--The Newark Star Ledger;

--The New Jersey Federation of Colored Womens Clubs;

--The National Police Officers Association of America;

--Who's Who Among Black Americans;

--The Monmouth County Advisory Commission on the Status of Women;

--and many, many more.

In the words of Jane Clark:

--I have never met a more inspirational person. Bertha was one of the few people in the world who transgressed race. She was a very spiritual person, accepting people as they are.--

The pre-funeral viewing was held in the rotunda of the Clinton P. and Mary E. Heath Wing of the Tatum Park Activity Center.

Jane Clark, a dear, devoted and true friend, added:

--The viewing at the park is precedent setting. It is our last thank you to Bertha Heath.--

Norma Todd, Heath Black History Committee member and CEO of Lunch Break in Red Bank, New Jersey, spoke of Bertha Heath in this way:

--Bertha had a wonderful way about her. She has certainly made an impact and she will be truly missed by the whole community.--

Bertha Clara Heath once remarked:

--You have a responsibility to your creator to make the most of your time. God endows you with talent and it is up to you to develop it!--

Both the Clinton P. and Mary E. Heath Wing of the Tatum Activity Center and the Moses D. Heath Farm are living legacies and tributes to the life and times of Bertha Clara Heath, who was taken, by God, from our midst and from this life into his care on March 24, 1998, because God had far greater tasks for Bertha Clara Heath, R.N. to complete in Heaven.

ARE YOU SEARCHING FOR PEACE AND HARMONY?

You will surely find that and more at the:

MOSES D. HEATH FARM
219 Harmony Road (Off Highway 35)
Middletown, New Jersey 07748

It is Open To The Public.

There is No Admission Charge.

And It May Be The Best Kept Secret in All of New Jersey!

THE HEATH FAMILY LEGACY CONTINUES ON AND ON:

In 1977, after the disappointing loss of a major portion of the Heath family farm, Bertha consulted with her nephew, Walter Spradley and his wife, Susie. It was important to Bertha that she find a means of establishing a permanent memorial to her parents.

Walter Spradley designed a library-type of building to be built on the family house site on Highway 35 and donated it to the Monmouth County Parks Department.

The Clinton P. and Mary E. Heath Wing of the Tatum Park Activity Center on Red Hill Road, is an outgrowth of that proposal.

The Spradleys continue to expand and preserve the Heath Family legacy. Together, they made significant contributions to the early development of the Heath Activity Center and created two autobiographical coloring books for children of Bertha and her father.

The Spradleys collected and assembled the original family photos and artifacts at the Heath Center.

The large inventory of antique farm equipment at the Moses D. Heath Farm were painstakingly collected by the Spradleys. The featured farm equipment pieces are duplicates of the original Heath Farm inventory.

Also featured at the Moses D. Heath Farm, the remainder of the Spy House artifacts which were collected by the late Gertrude Neidlinger (1911-1998).

The Heath Farm is prominently featured in the New Jersey African-American Tour Guide, published by the New Jersey Commerce and Economic Growth Commission as described as:

A unique reminder of the African-American legacy in New Jersey is the Heath Farm in Middletown (Monmouth County), a part of the original farm established by a former slave in the 1870s. Today it offers the visiting public a wealth of agricultural artifacts and activities.

The property has remained in the hands opf the Heath Family since its founding by patriarch Clinton Heath in the post-Civil War years, after he had made his way to the Garden State from North Carolina. It was passen on to his daughter, the late Bertha Heath, who, along with her nephew, Walter Spradley, converted the farmstead into the center of New Jersey's African-American agricultural history.

Visitors to the farm can enjoy a children's educational garden, a blacksmith shop, a sugar cane mill, an exhibit of antique agricultural equipment and a live honey bee colony. There are also lectures and demonstrations of how farming was conducted in the 19th century, with authentic period implements.

For a schedule, to arrange a group tour, to volunteer your time or services, or to make a donation to the Heath farm, contact: