Kevin Wright, New Jersey native and Rutgers College graduate, was successively tour director at Waterloo Village, curator at the Steuben House in River Edge, and regional resource-interpretive specialist for thirty years where he provided direction and visioning at NJ historic sites. A popular and compelling lecturer, he also authored numerous books and publications. His service included preservation commissions and president of both the Sussex County Historical Society and the Bergen County Historical Society. Wright was writing this book when he died in 2016; his wife, Deborah Powell, BCHS past president and currently museum collections chair, went on to edit and illustrate the manuscript.