At the corner of Parker Avenue and Prospect Street, a familiar Maplewood house became the setting for a renewed promise to pursue peace.

The Ethical Culture Society rededicated its center as a Peace Site on Sunday, October 4, marking 45 years since its original dedication.

Members and neighbors gathered at the 1895 house, which has been the society’s home since 1945, for a program reflecting on that history.

They then unveiled a “Be About Peace” plaque on the porch and sang songs of peace together.

The society describes its 1981 designation as the world’s first Peace Site, established amid fears over the U.S.-Soviet nuclear arms race.

Paul Surovell, a Maplewood resident who attended the first dedication, recalled the grassroots campaign for a freeze on nuclear weapons.

That movement reached local meetings and New Jersey voters, turning a frightening global standoff into a question neighbors could confront together.

Surovell also traced the work of local peace organizers, including the group now known as South Mountain Peace Action.

Its “Be About Peace” campaign began in 2003 in response to the Iraq war, extending the site’s message beyond nuclear disarmament.

For Surovell, the danger of becoming accustomed to war makes that message worth repeating, not merely preserving on a plaque.

He pointed to the society’s ongoing discussions of relationships, social responsibility and conflict as ways its peace commitment remains active.

Deputy Mayor Malia Herman, who attended the ceremony, connected the rededication to the need for dignity across disagreements.

Her message carried particular weight in a divided moment: listening to understand is itself a practical act of peace.

The new plaque is less a finish line than a reminder of work still to do.

Board member Terri Suess said the society plans more community programs in the coming year about nuclear dangers and preventing war.

For Maplewood, this rededication

keeps a long-standing local pledge visible and invites neighbors to consider how they can live it.