neighbors
5 Things You Didn’t Know About
Christopher Matthews
MSU professor is helping to preserve residents’ memories of Montclair
WRITTEN BY RICARDO KAULESSAR
M
ontclair resident Christopher Matthews is a
professor of anthropology at Montclair State
University. As part of the town-wide observation
of Montclair’s 150th anniversary this April, he
is training students in his historical archaeology
class to record the oral histories of community elders for a
project called “Many Voices of Montclair.”
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HE HAS PARTNERED WITH THE MONTCLAIR HISTORY CENTER
BEFORE. In 2013, Matthews helped students conduct a dig in the
back of MHC’s Orange Road property. They found a few notable
artifacts, including a snuff box and a bale seal (used when
shipping commodities).
HE’S NOT THE ONLY EDUCATOR IN HIS FAMILY. Matthews’ wife,
Zoe Burkholder, joined the MSU faculty first, eight years ago.
She is an associate professor in the Educational Foundations
department at Montclair State.
MATTHEWS HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED FOR RESEARCH INTO
TOPICS BOTH SMALL AND LARGE. He won an ArtPlace America
Grant for his work on a project called “Unearthing the Future:
the Art of Reverse Archaeology of I-280 in Orange, New Jersey.”
He also received an award for summer field research from the
Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiques. But he has
investigated much broader topics, too. The New York Council
for the Humanities gave him a mini grant for the study of The
Archaeology of Slavery and Freedom, and a major grant to
research The Archaeology of Captivity and Freedom.
HE SEES THE MONTCLAIR OF THE PAST ON HIS WAY TO WORK.
When Matthews drives north from his home on Grove Street, he
spots architecture dating back to the early years of the township.
“When you look out, you see that every fourth or fifth house is an
old farmhouse,” he says. He cites the Hinck house, owned by the
Hinck family, who were prominent in the mid-to-late 19th cen-
tury. He also points to the Van Reyper-Bond House, which dates
to the 1870s and is located on the campus of Montclair State. ■
SPRING 2018 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE
“AS AN UNDERGRADUATE, I TOOK A COURSE IN
PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, WHICH IS ABOUT
HUMAN ORIGINS, AND I THOUGHT,
‘WOW, THAT WAS INTERESTING.’”
CHRISTOPHER MATTHEWS
The Montclair History Center will be conducting oral histories
of people who grew up and/or lived in Montclair prior to
1960 at the following times and locations: Friday, March 23,
11 a.m.-2 p.m., at the Montclair Fire Department Community
Room (1 Pine Street); Friday, April 6, 1-4 p.m. at First House
(56 Walnut Street); and Saturday, April 21, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.,
at the Montclair Fire Department Community Room
(1 Pine Street).
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HIS INTEREST IN ANTHROPOLOGY DATES BACK TO HIS
UNDERGRAD DAYS. Though Matthews earned a Ph.D. in anthro-
pology from Columbia University, he discovered his passion for
the subject at George Washington University, where he earned
his bachelor’s degree in 1989. “As an undergraduate, I took a
course in physical anthropology, which is about human origins,
“And I thought, ‘Wow, that was interesting,’” he says.