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Showing posts from August, 2014

Weekend Historical Happenings: 8/30/14 - 8/31/14

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WEEKEND HISTORICAL HAPPENINGS Know about a historical event happening in your area?  Send me an  e-mail  to let us know! Be the first to find out about these events on  Facebook ! Saturday, August 30  - Oldwick, Hunterdon County 20th Annual Tewksbury Flea Market

Weekend Estate Sales: 8/29/14 - 8/31/14

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WEEKEND ESTATE SALES Click on each link for more information on the estate sale! Find something neat at an estate sale? Let us know! Hosting an estate sale? Send me an  e-mail  to be featured in our weekly post! Be the first to know about these sales on  Facebook !

1920s Speakeasy Night at Acorn Hall

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The Morris County Historical Society Presents: 1920s Speakeasy Night - September 11, 2014 Join the Morris County Historical Society on Thursday, September 11 from 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm for a 1920s Speakeasy Night, an evening celebration of its current exhibit "Bottoms Up: Cocktails, Cider, and Civil Rights." The evening features light refreshments, historically-inspired spirituous beverages, 1920s-themed tours of Acorn Hall, and at 5:00 pm, Professor Peter Mabli of Fairleigh Dickinson University is on tap with a lecture on the history of whiskey. Diamond Spring Inn, Denville, NJ. Courtesy of the Denville Historical Society

Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian Masterpiece

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Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian Masterpiece Written by NJ Historian I often travel to historic sites that were built in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Once in a while, I will come across one from the early twentieth century that is intriguing. However, a structure dating from 1941? While I am not usually one for this time period's architecture, I absolutely fell in love with the Pope-Leighey House in Alexandria, Virginia! The Pope-Leighey House in Alexandria, Virginia.

Mysteries of History: William Ellsworth “Dummy” Hoy

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Mysteries of History: William Ellsworth “Dummy” Hoy Written by Scott M. Cooper William Ellsworth “Dummy” Hoy was born in 1862, in Houcktown, Ohio. He was born with the ability to hear, but lost his hearing after a bout with meningitis at age three. Hoy graduated from the Ohio State School for the Deaf in Columbus as class valedictorian and began his professional career in 1886. Hoy was a gentleman and very polite. He was a small man, 5’4”, and weighed around 145 pounds; he was probably the shortest major-league outfielder in history. But what he lacked in heft, he made up for in swiftness. Hoy played for several major-league teams from 1888 to 1902. William Ellsworth “Dummy” Hoy

"Rare Images of Antietam" August Book Giveaway

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Weekend Historical Happenings: 8/23/14 - 8/24/14

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WEEKEND HISTORICAL HAPPENINGS Know about a historical event happening in your area?  Send me an  e-mail  to let us know! Be the first to find out about these events on  Facebook ! Saturday, August 23 - Wharton, Morris County Wharton Canal Day Music & Craft Festival Children Friendly The Wharton Canal Day Music & Craft Festival is an old-time country fair that celebrates the Morris Canal and its contributions to the development of the communities along its banks. The festival is now in its 39th year. Come to a day of free family fun featuring unique craft and fine art items from 150 vendors. Learn about local history by taking a guided Morris Canal walking tour provided by the Canal Society of NJ. Visit a Civil War encampment or learn the art of blacksmithing. Experience life on the canal first-hand on a free boat or kayak ride. Take a hayride on the canal towpath or enjoy a free pony ride. The Wallaby Tales Traveling Zoo will delig...

Weekend Estate Sales: 8/22/14 - 8/24/14

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WEEKEND ESTATE SALES Click on each link for more information on the estate sale! Find something neat at an estate sale? Let us know! Hosting an estate sale? Send me an  e-mail  to be featured in our weekly post! Be the first to know about these sales on  Facebook ! Antique Furniture Plainfield, NJ Estate Sale Plainfield, NJ 07060 10:00 am - 3:00 pm Friday & Saturday (Same Time) Furniture, Trunks, Lamps, & Clocks

Help Support Heritage Tourism in New Jersey!

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Help Support Heritage Tourism in New Jersey! Whether it’s Washington Crossing State Park where General George Washington and his troops crossed an icy Delaware River to attack Hessian soldiers resting in Trenton, or Ellis Island where millions of immigrants first entered America, or Menlo Park where Thomas Edison’s research laboratories churned out world-changing inventions, or Whitesbog Farm where blueberries were first cultivated for consumption by people around the world, or the Cape May Lighthouse, which at 150 years of age is one of the nation’s oldest lighthouses in continuous operation, or, well, you get the point - New Jersey has always been a place where history is made!

Finding Rare Images of Antietam in New Jersey

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Finding Rare Images of Antietam in New Jersey Written by Stephen Recker An unfortunate fact about early photographs of Antietam Battlefield is that there are darn few of them. Unlike Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where photographers roamed the blood-soaked fields continually after the armies left, the town of Sharpsburg, Maryland was in the theater of war for years after that battle, the area was in a depression for over a decade, and the town had no professional photographers. Looking north up the Hagerstown Pike toward the New Jersey Monument at Antietam, circa 1920. Courtesy Stephen J. Recker Collection.

Weekend Historical Happenings: 8/16/14 - 8/17/14

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WEEKEND HISTORICAL HAPPENINGS Know about a historical event happening in your area?  Send me an  e-mail  to let us know! Be the first to find out about these events on  Facebook ! Saturday, August 16  - Montague, Sussex County "Harmony in Motion" Performance "Harmony in Motion" will be performing for the Montague Association for the Restoration of Community, on Saturday from 1:00 - 1:30 pm at the Foster-Armstrong House in Montague. "Harmony in Motion" is a group of singers dedicated to the preservation of barbershop style four part a cappella harmony. They enjoy developing the skills involved in both the musical and visual aspects of their performance. They treasure the lifelong friendships made in an atmosphere of fun and camaraderie. Two groups will be singing for our performance, so come early to reserve your seat. The Foster-Armstrong House is located at 320 River Road, Montague, NJ. For more information, vsit www...

Weekend Estate Sales: 8/15/14 - 8/17/14

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WEEKEND ESTATE SALES Click on each link for more information on the estate sale! Find something neat at an estate sale? Let us know! Hosting an estate sale? Send me an  e-mail  to be featured in our weekly post! Be the first to know about these sales on  Facebook ! Crocks, Dolls, Lamps, & More!

Uncovering Jamestown, Virginia

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Uncovering Jamestown, Virginia Written by NJ Historian Over 400 years ago, on May 14, 1607, settlers with the Virginia Company landed on James Island, present-day Historic Jamestowne, Virginia. These first 104 settlers were set with the task of settling Virginia, finding gold, and discovering a water route to the Orient. However, they were almost immediately met by opposition from the Algonquian Native American tribe and quickly needed build a system of defense, shelter, and agriculture in order to survive and establish a successful colony at Jamestown. Through their written accounts, the first settlers described harsh living conditions, internal strife, suffering, and death. It would be almost 400 years later that modern-day historians, researchers, and archaeologists would rediscover Jamestown, dispel myths, and learn more about the structures, lifeways, and people that resided there through their garbage and material remains, located less than two feet below the surface. The...

Organization of the Week: Preservation Virginia

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Every Monday, I highlight a non-profit related to history or the arts, a historical society, preservation group or friends group whose main objective is to promote the historical and artistic history of New Jersey and beyond. This week, I am featuring Preservation Virginia. Founded in 1889, Preservation Virginia holds the notable distinction of being the first statewide historic preservation organization in the nation. Preservation Virginia is dedicated to perpetuating and revitalizing Virginia's cultural, architectural, and historic heritage thereby ensuring that historic places are integral parts of the lives of present and future generations. Since its founding, the organization has a proud legacy of saving, preserving, promoting, and serving as an advocate for Virginia’s historic places which total more than 160. In 1893, Preservation Virginia acquired 22.5 acres of Jamestown Island, now part of Historic Jamestowne. In 1994, they began an archaeological project called Ja...

Antique Items of the Week: 8/10/14 - 8/17/14

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Antique Items of the Week! Click on each link for the eBay page! More items always going up. Stay updated about new items on  Facebook . Direct Sale Items If you have any questions, need additional photos, or are interested in any of the items below, please send an e-mail to  kelly@thehistorygirl.com . Payment via PayPal and all items will be shipped via regular U.S. mail. New:

Weekend Historical Happenings: 8/9/14 - 8/10/14

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WEEKEND HISTORICAL HAPPENINGS Know about a historical event happening in your area?  Send me an  e-mail  to let us know! Be the first to find out about these events on  Facebook ! Saturday, August 9  - Hewitt, Passaic County Long Pond Ironworks Historic District Walking Tours Children Friendly

Weekend Estate Sales: 8/8/14 - 8/10/14

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WEEKEND ESTATE SALES Click on each link for more information on the estate sale! Find something neat at an estate sale? Let us know! Hosting an estate sale? Send me an  e-mail  to be featured in our weekly post! Be the first to know about these sales on  Facebook !

A Trip to the Prallsville Mills Along the Mighty Delaware

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A Trip to the Prallsville Mills Along the Mighty Delaware Written by NJ Historian Adjacent to the Delaware River and Delaware and Raritan Canal is a complex of eighteenth and nineteenth century mill buildings and associated structures. They were once a hub of commercial activity along the now-sleepy bedroom community of Stockton, located less than four miles north of Lambertville and twelve miles south of Frenchtown. The Prallsville Mills, aptly named after the site's most successful and significant owner, John Prall, Jr. demonstrates an evolving industrial history along the banks of the Delaware and how it today has become a hub for environmental and artistic talents. The 1877 Prallsville Mill (right) and grain silo (left).

Organization of the Week: The Delaware River Mill Society

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Every Monday, I highlight a non-profit related to history or the arts, a historical society, preservation group or friends group whose main objective is to promote the historical and artistic history of New Jersey. This week, I am featuring the Delaware River Mill Society in Stockton, New Jersey. In 1969, Donald Jones bought the Prallsville Mills property for the purpose of transferring it to the State of New Jersey, which happened in 1973. In 1976, when the State of New Jersey was unable to fund the restoration of the complex, local citizens formed Delaware River Mill Society and obtained a long-term lease, which gives the Mill Society the responsibility to “restore, preserve, operate, maintain and interpret” the site. Today the complex includes a linseed oil and saw mills, grain silo, lumber shed, the miller’s residence, feed storage building, pork salt house, and other sheds and storage facilities. Since founding the organization, the mill complex has become a hub of cult...

Weekend Historical Happenings: 8/2/14 - 8/3/14

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WEEKEND HISTORICAL HAPPENINGS Know about a historical event happening in your area?  Send me an  e-mail  to let us know! Be the first to find out about these events on  Facebook ! Saturday, August 2 - Spring Lake, Monmouth County  Summer Walking Tour - Third Avenue Business District Travel back in time with the Spring Lake Historical Society on Saturday morning. Members of the Spring Lake Historical Society will guide tours of the Third Avenue Business District. Walk through the Third Avenue of horses and carriages, pharmacies, soda fountains, specialty groceries, movie theaters, tailor shops, coffee shops, and more. Those interested in the walking tour should meet at Divine Park flag pole at the intersection of Third and Passaic Avenues in Spring Lake, NJ. Tours will begin at 9:00 am and continue until 12:00 noon.  The tour is free and open to the public. ----------------------------------- Saturday, August 2  - ...