COURT HOUSE – Middle Township was established in 1723, nearly 300 years ago, but local artist Stan Sperlak worries that most of the people who live there are unaware of its rich history.
Sperlak hopes to change this through his documentary, “300 in the Middle,” which will take viewers from preindustrial Middle Township, through the riches that came with largescale whale hunting, to today.
Middle’s history is storied and vibrant, but Sperlak, who is deeply involved with the Cape May County Museum, fears that Middle residents believe that their home municipality is not as interesting a place as neighboring communities.
The 35-minute documentary is a collaboration between the county museum and two production companies, but much of the work was spearheaded by Sperlak. The idea to chronicle Middle’s history through video has festered in Sperlak’s mind for years. He was principally inspired by Facebook pages that he discovered a decade ago, pages where locals share old photos and memories online for the first time.
“I was amazed at all of the really old photographs that came out of people’s drawers and came onto these pages,” he said. “Photos of things you’ve never seen before, photos that weren’t in any books.”
Stan soon began a page like this for Middle Township. Within a few years of operation, the page amassed thousands of photos submitted by locals. Many of these photos, posted candidly to Facebook, told stories that had never seen a wider audience.
That page, primarily moderated by Sperlak, has given new life to local history for a decade now but the photos on the page are so numerous that newcomers might find the selection intimidating. Through “300 in the Middle,” Sperlak has done the hard work of sorting through these narratives to paint a broader picture of Middle Township.
Sperlak described the documentary as reminiscent of Ken Burns in that narration and sleek production bring still images to life. Workers at the county library interviewed many older Middle Township residents, who will provide narration for the length of the documentary. Through this, each photo is given a voice.
The documentary creation process has been grueling, Sperlak said. He undertook much of this work, including a 12-page script and a storyboard, before consulting a production company on the project. The fact that the basics were already in place gave him a leg up when pitching the project to the two production companies who ultimately took on the project, ArtC and Glasstown Productions.
People of all stripes and colors have called Middle Township home across its 300-year history. Sperlak said that he and his team worked alongside the Oklahoma Delaware Lenape to ensure that all Native American depictions are respectful and truthful.
Sperlak said that many photos that might superficially appear sentimental or touching are harmful to Native tribes. These photos often paint a falsely romanticized view of history, one where settlers were much kinder to the Native people than is accurate.
The documentary crew also worked closely alongside Black communities in Middle to tell truthful stories of the town’s past. Sperlak said that there is extra pressure for his film crew to tell stories accurately.
“There’s a sensitivity in the Black community for us White people to tell their stories,” he said.
Sperlak stressed that “elders in Whitesboro were consulted heavily for the sections on the historic Black communities here in Middle.”
Bernie Blanks, president, Concerned Citizens of Whitesboro, and Stedman Graham were consulted on the film. Blanks’ grandfather was one of the first to purchase a lot in Whitesboro, and later, Graham’s father lived almost next door to him.
Sperlak hopes that his documentary can be a driving force for local unity and that it can remind locals of the rich history of their hometown. Sperlak and the county museum are working alongside Middle Township High School, so the documentary, stories unearthed while it was being made, and supplementary material can be taught in classrooms.
Sperlak said that the school is working to “develop a US History-1 curriculum, so that students in high school aren’t leaping right into state and national and international study… they’re going to start at their hometown level.”
Sperlak ultimately hopes to inspire and excite audiences with history at its most local.
He said, “I want kids to be proud of the town they live in… We’re all here in this giant township, and we are all contributing together. I want audiences to leave the theater and ask: What will my mark on Middle Township be?”
The documentary will debut at Middle’s Performing Arts Center April 30, with a 1 p.m. matinee and a 6 p.m. evening show. Tickets are $10 per adult; youth 18 or under are free but must still get a physical free ticket.
Tickets are available at the Performing Arts Center or by visiting eventbrite.com and searching for the film’s title. All proceeds will go towards the county museum, a group that works to preserve and archive the county’s diverse history.
To contact Collin Hall, email chall@cmcherald.com.
