Springsteen Archives
he Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music at Monmouth University launched a new collaboration with the Borough of Freehold, New Jersey, to create a permanent exhibition space that will celebrate the early life and story of the borough’s most famous son, Bruce Springsteen. The partnership was announced in March at a press conference that the Boss himself attended.
The current Freehold Fire Department building located at 49 W. Main Street will be renovated to accommodate the new exhibition space, which will serve as the “centerpiece” of Freehold’s Center Core Redevelopment Plan, Borough Mayor Kevin Kane said.
“On behalf of the entire council, I can say we are so excited to see this collaboration with the Springsteen Archives move forward,” Kane said.
“The exhibition in Freehold will allow us to provide not only exciting exhibits that tell the story of Springsteen’s early years, but also dynamic educational and public programs with strong ties to the community and area schools,” Archives Director Eileen Chapman said. “This exhibition will be an educational resource for teachers, with pre-tour activities for school groups. In addition, visitors will come from all over the world to see the exhibit.”
“I believe private institutions like Monmouth have an obligation to serve the public by being a force for positive economic, cultural, and social development in our communities,” President Patrick F. Leahy, who serves as chairman of the Archives Board of Directors, said. “This new partnership with Freehold further exemplifies how the University continues to be a valuable resource for the region, which is one of the core objectives of our Strategic Plan.”
Springsteen Artifacts Hit the Road
Launched in partnership with the Grammy Museum, the exhibit features live performance footage, instruments, stage costumes, exclusive interviews, concert posters, and photos as well as unique, interactive displays that immerse fans in Springsteen and the E Street Band’s creative process, shedding light on how the singer became—and remains—one of the greatest live performers in rock ’n’ roll history.
The exhibit ran from October 2021 to March 2022 at the Grammy Museum Experience Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, before traveling to the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where it will remain until Sept. 25. After that, the exhibit will head to the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, California.
Sharing Springsteen’s History Online
The series kicked off last September with the sharing of Springsteen’s handwritten lyrics to “All Man the Guns (For America).” Written sometime in the late 1960s during the Vietnam War, the song is about the men who went off to war and promised to return to their girlfriends who vowed to wait for them. In a short video that accompanied the post, Springsteen explained how the featured artifact is likely the oldest copy of his handwritten lyrics available.
Other artifacts that have been showcased in the series include a rare, hand-drawn poster for the Castiles, one of Springsteen’s early bands, and his mother’s scrapbook chronicling his rise from college tours to sold-out stadium concerts. The featured artifacts can be viewed at springsteenarchives.org/artifacts.