In 1994, in order to assist the Township of Wall in securing and preserving historic Camp Evans a group of citizens informally organized.  The members visited historic sites and science centers to learn operations and costs.  They provided research and information to the architects and engineers contracted by the Marconi Park Complex Advisory Committee. This information was used in the development of the Marconi Complex Reuse Plan, completed in 1995 and adopted in 1996.  In 1997 the group of citizens formally organized as the Information Age Learning Center (Infoage).   In 1998 Infoage incorporated as a volunteer-based not-for-profit corporation, registered in the State of New Jersey.   In 1999 Infoage was given 501 ( C ) 3 designation by the Internal Revenue Service and was accepted as an associate member of the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC).   In 2000 Wall Township authorized the Township Historian and Infoage to begin preparation of the Preservation and Architectural Plan contained in this application.

     Infoage is governed by a Board of Directors, consisting of a cross-section of the community and a representative from each member organization.   Infoage has a Director, two Associate Directors and a membership base of 125 families.  The member organizations are; The New Jersey Science Teacher Association (2500 members); Quarter Century Wireless Association (125 members); New Jersey Antique Radio Club (150 members); The Garden State Central Model Railroad Club (170 members); The Ocean-Monmouth Amateur Radio Association (70 members) and The New Jersey Historical Divers Association (57 members).  The Fort Monmouth Integrated Community Outreach Network (ICON) will offer its successful technology seminars and programs to more schools at Camp Evans than is currently possible.  Once access to Camp Evans is permitted or the conveyance is accomplished considerable growth in membership and member organizations are expected.

     Infoage, with the support of its membership, member organizations and with support provided by Wall Township and the County of Monmouth is capable of raising the funds and securing grants required to accomplish the work outlined in the Preservation and Architectural Plan.  The organization also has the capability to develop the science-history center to provide a historically compatible revenue source into the future.

To date, Infoage volunteers have given time, made contributions and raised funds to accomplish the following;

1) Visit historic sites and over 20 science centers worldwide to gather information on operations, programs, exhibits, publications, volunteer management etc.

2) Join the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) in 1999 to benefit from their resources and experience.  Reviewed the budgets and attendance figures of 100 ASTC science centers. The science center development resources currently on-hand in the Infoage Concept Center include 35 volumes, over 300 exhibit plans from other science centers and dozens of articles.

3) Membership fees and gifts supplied funds to research the history of Camp Evans for preparation of a National Register of Historic Places application.  The application was entered into the New Jersey Register of Historic Places on March 20, 2000 and is currently in process with the Army Federal Preservation Officer.  Sources were located and made use of at: the Fort Monmouth Command Historian Collection, Sarnoff Center, AT&T Archives, Monmouth County Hall of Records, New York City Library, Sanford University, Smithsonian Institution, Westinghouse Radar Museum, MIT, National Archives, IEEE History Center and the Old Wall Historical Society Collection.  Additional material has been located and has yet to be examined at the Library of American Broadcasting at College Park, Maryland and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.   The National Archives has 50+ boxes of documentation from Camp Evans and the Smithsonian’s Radioanna Collection has materials relating to Marconi Period of Camp Evans.  The creator of the Radioanna collection, George Clark, expanded the collection while he worked in 1918-19 for RCA at Camp Evans.

4) Achieved  “Save America’s  Treasures” designation for Camp Evans and participated in the 1999 White House decoration event.

5) Conducted 28 oral history interviews of former Camp Evans personnel.  Twenty-five on video tape and three on audio tape.  Also gathered additional information from authors and researchers who published works relating to Camp Evans.

6) Membership fees and gifts pay legal fees of $650.00 to incorporate.  We successfully applied for 501 ( C ) 3 designation and maintain two million dollars of liability insurance coverage.

7) Began the development of an archive of resources relating to Camp Evans history and science center planning, development and operations.  The history section includes over 100 volumes, 20 videos, 50 Marconi engineering drawings, 60 Signal Corps architectural drawings and over eight feet of files of articles and photographs.

8) Membership fees and gifts provided expenses for four members to attend three separate fund raising and grant writing seminars hosted by the New Jersey Historical Commission and ASTC.

9) Created and continue to expand a web site (http://www.infoage.org or http://www.campevans.com) on Camp Evans history and the preservation effort.  The site contains 22 MB of content and has become a resource to history of technology researchers in such topics as radar, satellite, WWII technology, the cold war, transistor development and the McCarthy era.   A research page lists all books, magazine articles, newspaper stories and videos that reference the site from 1912 to 2001.  The site has many of these references online, as well as the text of the Camp Evans NRHP application.  The site is funded and maintained by member donations of time and funds.  Nearly 100 pages were created by members for posting by webmaster.  Over 1200 visits are recorded each day world-wide.

10) Developed relationships with local press and local cable TV provider.  The local press has run editorials supporting the preservation of the site and its reuse as a science-history center.  The local press has published many articles on various Camp Evans historical topics based upon information provided by Infoage.

11) Visited other Marconi Wireless stations in New Jersey, Massachusetts and California to collect information to help in the preservation of the Marconi buildings at Camp Evans.  Architectural details lost during Camp Evans renovations are better understood.  Infoage volunteers also salvaged five truck loads of roof tiles, doors, windows, sinks and molding from the other New Jersey Marconi station, build the same time, by the same construction company, with the same materials prior to its demolition in July of 2000.

12) Began development of historically appropriate collections for preservation, interpretation and display at Camp Evans.  This includes a 1987 vintage mainframe computer donated by AT&T in 1998, the Grabbe Computer Packaging Collection ($372,000 appraised value) and the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame Museum and collection.

13) In June 2001 Infoage members transcribed 86 radio programs on amateur radio history broadcast in 1988 by Mr. Philip Petersen on radio station WADB.  Mr. Petersen was a noted radio amateur active since 1931.  Ninety web pages were created and are available on the Infoage web site as "The Philip B. Petersen Collection".

14) Infoage members have been speakers at many local organizations, service clubs, chambers of commerce, historical societies and PTAs to build membership, educate the public about the history of Camp Evans and its exciting future.

15) In March 2001 Infoage members helped to create a historic photograph exhibit in the Municipal building for the 150th anniversary of Wall Township.  Once completed and reviewed the Mayor requested the one-week exhibit to remain for the entire anniversary year.  The Exhibit has hundreds of photos covering over 800 square feet.  A large portion of exhibit is dedicated to Camp Evans history to educate the public of the valuable historic resource in their town.

16) In September 2001 and in cooperation with the Fort Monmouth BRAC office, Wall Township was given a license to use the Marconi Wireless station Manager's cottage (building 9002) and Project Diana site.  In October Infoage members and "Make a difference Day" volunteers cleaned flowerbeds, spread mulch, trimmed hedges, trees and bushes.  In December the interior of the cottage was completely cleaned and repainted.  Infoage now has archive, office, meeting, storage and workspace to work toward the preservation of the Camp Evans historic district.  The building is open to the public each Saturday 9 AM to 1 PM and Sunday 1 PM to 4 PM.   An exhibit entitled "A Photographic Retrospective - Wall's Marconi Wireless Station - 1912-1925" is complete and on display.  The exhibit features over 25 enlarged historic photos of the station, many unpublished and on public display for the first time.  In photo number 191 a few of the enlargements are seen during the preparation of the exhibit.

Updated January 27, 2004    Page created July 4, 2002