Weekend Historical Happenings: 11/22/14 - 11/23/14

WEEKEND HISTORICAL HAPPENINGS

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Saturday, November 22 - Pennsauken, Camden County

Harvest Celebration at Historic Griffith Morgan House

Children Friendly

The end of harvest and the approach of winter gives us an opportunity to celebrate the seasonal lives lived by our colonial ancestors and the measures they used to prepare for and thrive through the winter's privations! This celebration ahead of Thanksgiving also gives us all the chance to embrace the coming holiday season! The hearth at Griffith Morgan House will be warm with a cooking fire and the aromas will fill the room and the heart! A demonstration of candlemaking will help prepare for the darker days ahead. The revelry will be aided by a visit from the pirate crew of The Sea Dogs who threaten to plunder the feast but will also share lore of the high seas rogues and songs of the bounding main! A sale of fresh baked goods, provided by volunteers and friends, will offer to fill those empty spaces at the Thanksgiving table with deliciousness! Finally, this is the final chance this year to get a tour of historic Griffith Morgan House and its museum and hearken to holidays past as they echo in our historic walls! The program runs from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm. The Griffith Morgan House is located at 243 Griffith Morgan Lane, Pennsauken, NJ. For more information, call 856-486-9561 or e-mail griffithmorganhouse@yahoo.com.

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Saturday, November 22 - Fort Lee, Bergen County

Annual Retreat to Victory

Children Friendly

The Borough of Fort Lee, the Palisade Interstate Park, the Fort Lee Historical Society, the Fort Lee Historic Preservation Commission, and the Fort Lee Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs sponsor the annual Retreat to Victory. On Saturday at 11:30 am, the Brigade of the American Revolution will assemble at the Fort Lee Historic Park (Hudson Terrace and Bruce Reynolds Boulevard) and exit the park to retrace General George Washington's footsteps up Main Street. On November 20, 1776, General Washington led 3,000 of his troops up Main Street to escape British capture. Included in that group of soldiers was patriot and writer Thomas Paine who in his American Crisis detailed this event as the times that tried men's souls.

The public is encouraged to park their cars at the Fort Lee Historic Park no later than 11:15 am on Saturday and join the  Revolutionary War reenactors on a short march to Fort Lee's Monument Park on Palisade and Parker Avenues. There will be a ceremony at Monument Park that will include a musket fire salute. Following the ceremony there will be free donuts and hot cider at the adjacent Fort Lee Museum courtesy of the Fort Lee Historical Society. For more information, call the Fort Lee Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs at 201-693-2763 or visit www.thefortleehistoricalsociety.org.

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Saturday, November 22 - Pennsauken, Camden County

Holiday Open House

Children Friendly

The annual historical opening of the holiday season returns this year on Saturday from 1:00 - 4:00 pm at the historic Burrough-Dover House. The house, on Burrough-Dover Lane, off Haddonfield Road, in Pennsauken will be dressed for the holidays with tree and greens and ornaments, with holiday music and the aroma of a wood fire in the air, and with the holiday spirit of our volunteer docents offering cookies and warm drinks and hospitality with history! Come visit Pennsauken Historical Society this Saturday and start the season right! For more information, call 856-662-3002 or e-mail pennsaukenhistoricalsociety@yahoo.com.

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Saturday, November 22 - Hopewell Township, Mercer County

Old Time Auction

On Saturday from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm, there will be two opportunities for visitors at Howell Living History Farm to participate in two types of auctions: a silent auction; and a live old fashioned barn auction. Goods to be auctioned include tools, household items, collectibles, books, farm products and items made by the farm's blacksmiths, restoration carpenters, bakers, and sewing group.

Proceeds from the auction will be used to purchase period furnishings for the newly restored farm house. A furnishing plan for the house was completed through a Federal "Save America's Treasures" grant.

Howell Living History Farm represents typical farm life between 1890 and 1910. The farm is operated by the Mercer County Parks Commission. It is located at 70 Wooden's Lane, Lambertville, NJ. For more information. call 609-737-3299 or visit www.howellfarm.com.

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Saturday, November 22 - Mount Holly, Burlington County

South Jersey Movie Houses

On Saturday at 1:00 pm, Author Allen F. Hauss will discuss his book, South Jersey Movie Houses, and the phenomenon of the bygone small town movie theater that touched so many lives in South Jersey. Bring your story!

This program is free and open to the public, but registration is requested. Please call 609-267-7111 to register. The program will be held at the Burlington County Lyceum of History and Natural Sciences, 307 High Street, Mount Holly, NJ. For more information, visit www.bcls.lib.nj.us/mountholly.

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Saturday, November 22 - Morristown, Morris County

Civilian Conservation Corps Hike

Children Friendly

During the Great Depression of the 1930's a group of young men changed Jockey Hollow forever. Join a Park Ranger on this 2.25 mile round-trip hike (about two hours) on the Yellow Trail to discover how these men transformed Jockey Hollow into what we love today while only earning $30 a month! Hike begins at 10:00 am at the Jockey Hollow Visitor Center in Jockey Hollow, within Morristown National Historical Park, Morristown, NJ. Cost: Free. For more information, call 973-543-4030 or visit www.nps.gov/morr.

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Saturday - Sunday, November 22 - 23 - River Edge, Bergen County

The 238th Anniversary of the American Retreat from Fort Lee

On November 20th, 1776, five thousand British, Hessian and Loyalist troops, under command of Lt. Gen. Lord Cornwallis, scaled the Palisades at Lower Closter Dock and marched against Fort Lee. Warned by an alert officer, the American garrison escaped entrapment by safely crossing the Hackensack River at New Bridge, now known as the Bridge That Saved a Nation, and lived to fight another day.

To mark the 238th Anniversary of the "times that try men's souls," the Bergen County Historical Society, along with the Third New Jersey Regiment and Fourth Battalion, New Jersey Volunteers, will co-sponsor a weekend of living history and scholarly presentations on Saturday and Sunday.

At 7:00 pm on Saturday, noted military historian Todd W. Braisted, a Bergen County Historical Society Past President, will give an illustrated talk "November 20, 1776: The Great Retreat Begins." Afterwards, visitors may enjoy light refreshments at the Campbell Christie House, along with living history members portraying the soldiers and followers who took part in the Revolutionary struggle from that time.

Between 11:00 am and 4:00 pm on Sunday, members of various living history groups, representing both sides of the conflict, will perform military demonstrations, showing the life and times of the common soldier of the American Revolution. Cooking and baking demonstrations will likewise take place in the out-kitchen behind the Campbell Christie House and visitors may tour the historic homes on the site. At 1:00 pm, Todd Braisted will speak in the Steuben House on "Aftermath: Bergen County, December 1776 to June 1777." Some of the Society’s treasure of Revolutionary War artifacts will be displayed.

Historic New Bridge Landing is located at 1201-1209 Main Street, River Edge, NJ. $7 adult, $5 children, BCHS members free. Active military and veterans & their families are welcomed free to this event - please bring appropriate ID. Tickets cover both Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. For more information, call 201-343-9492 or visit www.bergencountyhistory.org.

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Sunday, November 23 - Montclair, Essex County
House Tours
Family Friendly

Step back through over 200 years of American history at our historic properties at 108 Orange Road and 30 North Mountain Avenue. Visit the newly reinterpreted Crane House to reflect the YWCA period from 1920 - 1965, check out the farm, and meet the chickens. At 30 North Mountain visit the 1896 Charles Shultz House,  home to three successive generations of the Shultz family, the house is a near perfect time capsule, representing an accurate record of late nineteenth century Montclairion society.The site is open from 1:00 - 4:00 pm. Free-will donation. Free admission for members! For more information, call 973-744-1796, e-mail mail@montclairhistorical.org, or visit www.montclairhistorical.org.

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Sunday, November 23 - Maplewood, Essex County

In Living Color: The History of House Paints in America

Calling all house-proud Maplewood residents! Need some ideas for paint colors? This profusely illustrated talk at 2:00 pm on Sunday by preservation consultant and Columbia University Professor Janet W. Foster provides a fascinating look at the materials and colors of historic American architecture. Ms. Foster has wide experience in analysis and research on paints and other finishes used to protect and decorate the homes of Americans from the Colonial era to the early 20th century. This year she collaborated with the Board of the Durand-Hedden House to develop its current new color scheme. Learn how the paint history on this particular house provides a great starting point for examining the trends that made architecture in the past both beautiful and fashionable.

Visitors will also be able to peruse the exhibit, “The Maplewood Theater: Its Forgotten Saga,” which explores the ever-changing 87-year history of the Maplewood Theater, spanning silent films, vaudeville, talkies, a famed era of live theater, neighborhood cinema, and the current sixplex. 

The Country Store will be open and featuring historic-themed treasures, many at discounted prices: mini school slates, early American children’s games, books and toys, facsimile documents, quill pens and ink, historic cook books, cookie molds, tin lanterns, hand blown blue birds, reproductive decorative items and ceramics, and more. The hard-to-find original "Doors of Maplewood" poster and "Smile," the history of Olympic Park, will also be available. 

Doors open at 1:00 pm. The talk begins at 2:00 pm. The house and Country Store will remain open until 4:00 pm. The Durand-Hedden House is dedicated to telling the history of the development of Maplewood and the surrounding area in new and engaging ways. It is located in Grasmere Park at 523 Ridgewood Road in Maplewood, NJ. For more information or to arrange group tours call 973-763-7712.

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Sunday, November 23 - River Edge, Bergen County

General Washington Presents Flag to Bergen County Historical Society

The Washington Crossing Park Association of Titusville New Jersey and General George Washington will present a flag flown at the "Crossing" to the Bergen County Historical Society on Sunday at 11:00 am. General George Washington, portrayed by reenactor Sam Davis will honor the Revolutionary War dead at rest in Hackensack, including General Enoch Poor. Washington will also point out the Stueben House, one of his surviving headquarters from the War. General Washington and the Washington Crossing Park Association will present a US Flag flown at the "Crossing" to Bergen County Historical Society in recognition of all their hard work to preserve and present American History to the general public.

The presentation will be at Historic New Bridge Landing, 1201 Main Street, River Edge, NJ. In cooperation with the State of New Jersey, “The Friends of Washington Crossing State Park-New Jersey” strives to provide comprehensive historical, nature orientated, and recreation programs. Washington Crossing Park Association works to maintain facilities and services which respond to changing needs within our communities. The Association strives to preserve historical sites, enhance our recreation resources, protect our open spaces and educate our fellow citizens to enrich their quality of life for present and future generations. For more information, visit www.washingtoncrossingparkassociation.com.

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Sunday, November 23 - Bridgewater, Somerset County

Owning New Jersey

On Sunday at 2:00 pm, author Joseph Grabas will present "Owning New Jersey: Historic Tales of War, Property Disputes & the Pursuit of Happiness" at the Van Horne House in Bridgewater.

New Jersey's land records and deeds are unlikely sources for a thrilling tale but reveal some little-known and fascinating history. A detailed story of the founding of the Garden State 350 years ago is preserved in these papers, as is the area that included Morris County. The state's boundaries were drawn in such documents centuries ago, even if the authors never stepped foot in North America. The archives hide heroes, like the freed African Americans who fought for their right to own their piece of the state. Of course, there are the bizarre and mysterious tales, like the silk baron's castle and the assault against a sixteen-year-old maiden during the throes of the American Revolution. Join land title expert Joseph Grabas as he combs through these all-but-forgotten stories of the pursuit of happiness and property in early New Jersey.

Admission is free but space is limited and reservations are required. This program will be held at the historic Van Horne House, 941 East Main Street, Bridgewater, NJ, just across from the Patriots Ballpark. Free parking is available behind Target and at the ballpark. For more information or to register, call 732-356-8856 or click here.

Joseph Grabas is an expert in Land Title Research, having examined over 100,000 land titles in five States and all 21 Counties in New Jersey since 1978. He has been recognized by the NJLTA as a Certified Title Professional and by the ALTA as a National Title Professional. Joseph is a Commissioner on the Monmouth County Historical Commission, a visiting lecturer at Monmouth University, and serves on the N.J. Tidelands Resource Council. His historical research focuses on Historic Land Titles, the history of the NJ Land Recording System, Free African American communities in Monmouth County, NJ, Colonial & State Boundary development, and the Colonial and Antebellum history of New Jersey. Joe is the author of Owning New Jersey: Historic Tales of War, Property Disputes & the Pursuit of Happiness, published by History Press.

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Sunday, November 23 - Morristown, Morris County
“Extra Baggage”: The Women and Children of the Continental Army
Children Friendly

Washington lamented that the women and children of the Continental Army - the families of the soldiers - slowed down the army on the march but he knew that many had nowhere else to go. They often got jobs with the military performing essential tasks needed to keep the army going. Learn about the surprising roles that women and children played in the life of the Continental Army. Program runs continuously from 12:00 noon - 4:00 pm at the Soldier Huts in Jockey Hollow, within Morristown National Historical Park, Morristown, NJ. Cost: Free. For more information, call 973-543-4030 or visit www.nps.gov/morr.

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Sunday, November 23 - Westfield, Union County

Colonial Thanksgiving

Children Friendly

On Sunday, experience the atmosphere of a traditional colonial Thanksgiving at the Miller-Cory House Museum! Between 2:00 and 4:00 pm, members of the Cooking Committee will demonstrate how an early American Thanksgiving feast was prepared over the open hearth. Proper colonial dining also requires proper table customs. The program includes a presentation on early American manners, place settings, and other interesting “table top traditions.” 

Admission is $3.00 for adults and children 13 and older, $2.00 for children ages 3 to 12 and free under age 3. The program is from 2:00 - 4:00 pm. For more information, call 908-232-1776, e-mail millercorymuseum@gmail.com, or visit www.millercoryhouse.org.

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Sunday, November 23 - Westampton, Burlington County

Open Hearth Cooking Demonstration

On Sunday from 2:00 - 4:00 pm, historic interpreter Mercy Ingraham will illustrate how food was prepared during Colonial times. On the menu will be various kinds of sausage, including fish sausage. Ms. Ingraham will also explain the various methods, as well as the dangers encountered when cooking on an open hearth. Sampling and light refreshments are included.

Admission is $10 per person. Reservations are recommended as seating is limited. The program takes place at Peachfield, the Headquarters of The National Society of Colonial Dames of America in the State of New Jersey, 180 Burrs Road, Westampton, NJ. For more information, call 609-267-6996, e-mail colonialdamesnj@comcast.net, or visit www.colonialdamesnj.org.

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Sunday, November 23 - Paterson, Passaic County

Native American Indian Heritage Festival

Children Friendly

Historic Paterson opens it’s mysterious and fascinating doors to reveal the Lenape community whose ancient and rich history still thrives today. The Native American Indian Festival honors the Lenape whose territory spanned what is now eastern Pennsylvania, western NJ, and western Delaware including Acquackanonk (Paterson). The Sand Hill Band of Lenape & Cherokee Indians are honored to partner with the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park and The Paterson Museum to bring the City of Paterson a celebration of indigenous Lenape culture.

Come to this FREE event on Sunday from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm, at Overlook Park in the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, the Great Falls Visitor Center, and the Paterson Museum.

Enjoy traditional Native dancing and drumming, Native food, and stories about Native people who called Paterson their home long before the Europeans arrived. Buy Native American Indian crafts and clothing made by traditional artisans and craftsmen. The Festival will occur RAIN OR SHINE!

Schedule of Events
10:00 am - Opening Ceremony at Overlook Park - 72 McBride Avenue, Paterson, NJ
- National Anthem: Cyre' Rodriquez
- Honor Song
- Flag Song: Raising Lenape Seal Flag
- Opening Prayer: Ray Harrell
- Master of Ceremonies: Walter George Stonefish Willis
- Drumming Circle

11:00 am - Welcome to Acquackanonk at Great Falls Welcome Center, 65 McBride Avenue, Paterson, NJ
- Legends and Artifacts Discussion by Tony Langhom
- National Park Service Stroll Through History Tour

12:00 pm - Grand Opening of the Lenape Exhibit at the Paterson Museum - 2 Market Street, Paterson, NJ
- Traditional Food Tasting
- Permanent Lenape Exhibit Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
- Welcome to Acquackanonk: A Short Film

1:00 pm - Silver Cloud Dancers Presentation at the Paterson Museum

3:00 pm - Sand Hill Trading Post at the Paterson Museum
- Story Telling and Legends
- Regalia Viewing and Description
- Crafts Display and Demonstrations
- National Park Service Stroll Through History Tour

4:00 pm - Closing Ceremony at Overlook Park
- Drumming Circle
- Closing Prayer, Ray Harrell and Dr. Sam Beeler

For more information, visit call 973-321-1260 or e-mail aquackanonkcity@gmail.com.

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Through November 2014 - Ocean Township, Monmouth County

New Exhibit - The Story of the Morro Castle

Children Friendly

On Saturday, September 8, 1934, the burning hulk of the disabled luxury liner Morro Castle broke free of its towline and drifted dangerously near Convention Hall to run aground just yards off the Asbury Park beachfront.  The tragedy (at the time the worst in U.S. merchant marine history) made national headlines. It turned local lifesavers into heroes and Asbury into a sightseeing mecca for the next six months.

Eighty years later, the Township of Ocean Historical Museum, located in the Eden Woolley House at the Ocean Township Library complex on Deal Road, opens a mini-exhibit remembering  the Morro Castle.  The highlight of the September 7 opening is a dramatization of a radio interview with fictional Morro Castle survivor Ellen Van Brunt. Imagining a WCAP ("City of Asbury Park") broadcast from Convention Hall, the performance, scheduled for 1:30 pm and repeated at 3:00 pm, brings events to life.

Visit the Eden Woolley House through November to learn the full story of this tragedy. The exhibit will be up through the end of November.

The Township of Ocean Historical Museum is located in the Eden Woolley House, one of the few 18th century structures still in existence in Ocean Township and is open to the public on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays (1:00 - 4:00 pm), Thursday evenings (7:00 - 9:00 pm), and the first and second Sundays of each month (1:00 pm - 4:00 pm). The Museum is located at 703 Deal Road, Ocean, NJ. For more information, call 732-531-2136 or visit www.oceanmuseum.org.

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Through December 29, 2014 - Woodbury, Gloucester County

Be Prepared:  Scouts of Yesteryear

Children Friendly

Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have been a tradition in America for over a century. The Gloucester County Historical Society Museum is presenting a remarkable exhibit with scouting artifacts from over the decades. Numerous uniforms, merit badges, equipment, manuals, and accessories from the 1930s on are on display.

The Gloucester County Historical Society Museum hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays from 1:00 - 4:00 pm and the last Sunday of the month from 2:00 - 5:00 pm. Adult admission $5; children 6-18 years $1; children under 6 free. The Gloucester County Historical Society Museum is located at 58 North Broad Street, Woodbury, NJ. For more information, call 856-848-8531 or visit www.rootsweb.com/~njgchs.

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Sundays through January 25, 2015 - Trenton, Mercer County

Form, Function and Fine: Two Hundred Years of American Ceramics

From teacups to chamber sets, New Jersey to California, the Cranbury Historical and Preservation Society presents a new exhibit, providing a sample of American ceramics from the 19th and 20th century. Redware, yellowware, spongeware, and salt glazed crocks will be displayed along with early Lenox and Trenton pottery. Roseville, Stangl, Pfaltzgraff and Homer Laughlin pieces are some of the other American ceramics featured. The exhibit will continue through January 25, 2015. Come to the table and join us on a Sunday afternoon from 1:00 - 4:00 pm to view this exhibit! The Cranbury Museum is located at 4 Park Place East, Cranbury, NJ. For more information, call 609-409-1289 or visit www.cranburyhistory.org.

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Saturdays through December 31, 2014 - Freehold, Monmouth County
Farm: Agriculture in Monmouth County 1600 - 2013 

Monmouth County Historical Association's newest exhibition, "Farm: Agriculture in Monmouth County 1600-2013," is open to the public at the museum in Freehold and will be on display through December 31, 2014. The history of agriculture and farming in Monmouth County has long roots deep in the past, as does New Jersey itself, from earliest days of pre-European settlement, when Lenape Indians harvested corn, squash, and beans to the modern reintroduction  of organic agricultural practices.

Monmouth County Historical Association's exhibition, "Farm: Agriculture in Monmouth County 1660 - 2013," explores and celebrates Monmouth County's vibrant agricultural past, present, and future. The exhibit examines the means by which Monmouth men and women worked with their surroundings to feed themselves, their families, the community, and the rest of America as well. Through artifacts, diaries, letters, maps, paintings, prints, and photographs, Farm will bring Monmouth's rich agricultural history alive. Visitors will appreciate the innovation and diversity of Monmouth farmers, horticulturalists, gardeners, and livestock breeders who overcame challenges and secured the county's reputation as a source of high-quality produce and livestock for more than two hundred years.

The Monmouth County Historical Association's museum is located at 70 Court Street, Freehold NJ. Regular admission to the museum is $5 and $2.50 for students and seniors. Admission is free for members. Museum hours are Tuesday - Saturday, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. For more information, call 732-462-1466 or visit www.monmouthhistory.org.

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Through February 13, 2015 - Madison, Morris County

The American Revolution in New Jersey

Children Friendly

New Jersey spent much of the American Revolution as a theater of war. A new exhibit at the Museum of Early Trades and Crafts, "The American Revolution in New Jersey: Where the Battlefront Meets the Homefront," explores the rarely told story of New Jersey's farmers, women, and tradesmen and their actions during the war. Topics discussed include the local civil wars that erupted between revolutionaries and loyalists, the multiple roles that women took on as their men went off to war, and how civilian life was affected by the regular presence of troops. The exhibit will be open until February 13, 2015.

Regular Museum admission is $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for seniors, students & children (ages 6 and older), and free for members and children under 6. Family maximum admission $13.00. The Museum is open Tuesday - Saturday from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm and Sunday from 12:00 noon - 5:00 pm. The Museum of Early Trades & Crafts is located at 9 Main Street in Madison, NJ just two blocks from the Madison train station. For more information, please call 973-377-2982 x10 or visit www.metc.org.

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Through March 1, 2015 - Trenton, Mercer County

Ties That Bind: The Aprons of Trenton

The Trenton City Museum transports you to a time when apron strings tied the lives of the people of Trenton. "Ties that Bind: The Aprons of Trenton" runs from November 1, 2014 through March 1, 2014. The exhibit features aprons associated with church picnics, classroom art projects, the industrial workers who kept the city in business, and the homemakers who made holiday meals and memories for generations. The Trenton City Museum, Ellarslie, is located in Cadwalader Park, Trenton, NJ. For more information, call 609-989-3632 or visit www.ellarslie.org.

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Through March 1, 2015 - Trenton, Mercer County

Trenton Central High School: A Remembrance

On October 14, 2014, the Trenton Public Schools Board of Education voted to demolish Trenton Central High School. The New Jersey Schools Development Authority will fund the construction of a new $130 million high school for Trenton.

The Trenton Museum Society celebrates the soon-to-be-demolished building in an exhibit at the Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie through Sunday, March 1, 2015. The former high school building, opened in 1932, was an iconic structure that inspired and nurtured thousands of Trenton students over the past 82 years.

Designed by architect Ernest K. Sibley, construction of the school began in 1929 with the first classes occupying the building in January 1932.  It was built as a larger version of Trenton High School West, formerly Junior No. 3, out of red brick and composition stone trim in the colonial revival style, inspired by the historic background of the city. 

Many of the features that contributed to the unique beauty of the school were made in Trenton. The porcelain shades in the light fixtures in the auditorium were made by Lenox in Trenton. The brown faience tile lining the hallways was made by the Mueller Mosaic Tile Company of Trenton. Even the sanitary ware, such as sinks and toilets, were made by the Trenton-based Maddock pottery company.

The exhibit shows iconic artifacts from the school - a Maddock toilet, pedestal sink and water fountain, an original student desk that seats two students, one of the caged clocks from the gymnasium, wooden chairs used by students and teachers, and hallway light fixtures. The school board is loaning two large portraits of the first two principals of the school - William A. Wetzel and Paul R. Spencer, and a large aerial picture of the school.

Early yearbooks from the 1930s and 1940s show the school façade and interior. Artifacts used in the school are on display, such as scientific instruments, silverware, china, kitchen utensils, and a display cabinet with partial skeleton used in science classes.

The two cornerstones of the building from 1929 and 1956 were opened at Trenton High School's Homecoming football game on October 25. No one knew what was inside. The contents of the cornerstones will be lent to the museum and displayed in the exhibit.

In the lobby were four spectacular murals created and installed in the high school in 1941 by an artist who worked for the WPA Federal Arts Project, Monty Lewis, entitled Youth Carrying the Heritage of Arts from the Past into the Future. The Trenton School Board has pledged to save these priceless pieces of art. Photographs of them are included in the exhibit.

The Trenton Museum Society invites graduates, teachers and administrators from the school, historic preservationists, and those interested in Trenton's history to attend the exhibit. The Trenton City Museum, Ellarslie, is located in Cadwalader Park, Trenton, NJ. For more information, call 609-989-3632 or visit www.ellarslie.org.

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Through March 29, 2015 - Princeton, Mercer County

Hail Specimen of Female Art! New Jersey Schoolgirl Needlework, 1726-1860

This landmark exhibition will be the first to focus on the important contribution of New Jersey in the creation of schoolgirl needlework in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. With over 150 works on view, this exhibition will undertake the first survey of schoolgirl needlework completed in the state or by New Jersey girls prior to 1860. This exhibition and accompanying catalogue will create a lasting record of the best known examples. As part of the museum’s mission to showcase the cultural heritage of the Garden State, the curators will bring new light to the needlework done in New Jersey during this important period of American history.

Organized geographically, the exhibition will feature works from every region of the state. Although many elaborate and important examples of New Jersey needlework will be featured in the exhibition, the curators have also included more modest examples that highlight other aspects of the educational environment, social class and familial situation experienced by young girls in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In some cases, the exhibit will reunite, for the first time, needlework created by the same girl; sisters; cousins; schoolmates and other close relations.

The exhibition will feature loans from across the country including needlework completed in every New Jersey County (accounting for the numerous re-organizations of New Jersey counties in the nineteenth century). In presenting examples from every part of the state, the exhibition will distill the educational environment that existed in New Jersey from Cape May to Sussex. The exhibition will also compile an accurate picture of girls academies and the instructresses who taught at them.

The exhibition will occupy 1,709 square feet in five galleries within the second floor of the Morven mansion. This exhibition also coincides with the 350th anniversary of New Jersey and extensive state-wide celebration and programming.

The title of the exhibition is borrowed from a needlework stitched by Trenton-born Anne Rickey (1783-1846) “Hail Specimen of Female Art” was stitched onto her sampler in 1798. Anne Rickey was the daughter of Quaker merchant, John Rickey (1751-1829) and his wife Amey Olden (1757-1849).

Morven Museum and Garden is located at 55 Stockton Street, Princeton, NJ. For more information, call 609-924-8144 or visit www.morven.org.

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Through May 1, 2015 - Toms River, Ocean County

Fishing in the Good Old Days

The Ocean County Historical Society, invites you to view their new exhibit entitled, "Hook, Line and Sinker: History of Fishing in Ocean County up to 1950", which features the collections of members Richard Updike and Ferd Klebold. The exhibit takes visitors back to the days of pound fishing, frost fishing, clamming, eeling, and whaling with photos and artifacts used in the fishing industry along the Jersey Coast. A hand-forged clam rake, the white oak eel pot that used horseshoe crabs for bait, a whale vertebra found in the surf in Ocean County, early reels, and photos galore of fishermen and their catches are just some of the treasures you will find in this exhibit. Winter or summer, Ocean County fishermen braved the elements to harvest nature's bounty from the Atlantic Ocean, Barnegat Bay, and numerous rivers. Visit OCHS Tuesday through Friday, 10:00 am - 3:30 pm and the first Saturday of each month from 1:00 - 4:00 pm. The Ocean County Historical Society is located at 26 Hadley Avenue, Toms River, NJ. For more information, visit www.oceancountyhistory.org or call 732-341-1880.

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1st and 2nd Sundays through June 2015 - Ocean Township, Monmouth County

The History of Houses and the Things That Make Them Home

Since prehistoric times, where we live has been about much more than shelter (think of those cave paintings). A new exhibit explores just how our human instinct to nest has played out in the structures we inhabit and the stuff we put in them. "The History of Houses and the Things that Make Them Home" is on display in the Richmond Gallery of the Eden Woolley House / Township of Ocean Historical Museum.

The exhibit examines the influences on the design and content of the American home - from the traditions early settlers brought with them, to the availability of materials, to the transforming power of technology. It takes guests on a virtual house tour, revealing room by room how things have changed and how those changes have shaped our lives.

What is home? It's where the heart is and there's no place like it. Beyond shelter, our homes express our tastes, values, and social status. Our neighborhoods abound with homes that illustrate the point, and the new exhibit asks us to see our familiar surroundings in a new light. It reveals the lineage of familiar house styles--colonial, neoclassical, Victorian, and modern, for example. It explains that the colonists of the new world built houses in the style of the old. That the founding fathers, all men of the Enlightenment, adapted the designs of Greeks and Romans whose rationality they admired. That the clutter and ornamentation of the Victorians expressed their fascination with goods made possible by the Industrial Revolution and made available by the railroads. And that twentieth century architects rejected Victorian fussiness in favor of designs that challenged old assumptions and took advantage of new technologies and building techniques.

House design is just the beginning. The exhibit takes us inside, room by room. For all but the rich, our earliest homes were one-room dwellings. The very concept of a single-purpose room (living, dining, bathing, etc.) is relatively new. And even in early multiple-room houses, people moved from room to room more in pursuit of sunlight and warmth than specific activity. In effect, all rooms were "living rooms."

Revolutionary new technologies - indoor plumbing, central heating, and electric light, in particular - made room specialization practical. The bathroom, bedchamber, dining room, library, and parlor emerged as distinct spaces in ways that both reflect and influence life style.

Take the living room (aka parlor, drawing room, sitting room, and salon). It has come full circle. As parlor, it was a room often reserved to receive visitors. In time, it became the place where the family "withdrew" to gather around the piano - later the radio and then television. Today, the "great room" has assumed that role and in many homes, the living room is again a more formal space reserved for entertaining guests.

The exhibit makes that case that every house has a story, every room has a history. "The History of Houses and the Things that Make Them Home" will be up through June 2015. The Township of Ocean Historical Museum is open to the public on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays (1:00 - 4:00 pm), Thursday evenings (7:00 - 9:00 pm) and the first and second Sundays of each month (1:00 - 4:00 pm). The Township of Ocean Historical Museum is located at 703 Deal Road, Ocean, NJ. For more information, please call 732-531-2136 or visit www.oceanmuseum.org.

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Through July 2015 - Morristown, Morris County
The Civil War through the Eyes of Thomas Nast

Before radio, TV, or the Internet, there was political cartoonist Thomas Nast. Nast illustrated battles, Union and Confederate troop movements, and their activities throughout the Civil War. He also captured the poignancy of those back home, who worried about their family members in combat. Nast covered both the home and battle fronts; his work was the main source of information about the war for many people. His illustrations in publications like "Harper's Weekly" brought the information about what was happening into the homes of the American public, the way mass media does today. Like all media agents, he not only depicted what was happening by reporting on the events taking place, but also created propaganda by trying to stir emotions and support for the Union side. Mounted to commemorate the final year of the Civil War Sesquicentennial (2011-2015), this second floor exhibit will include a number of these stirring images. "The Civil War through the Eyes of Thomas Nast" opens September 7, 2014­ and will be on exhibit through 2015.

Thomas Nast (1840-1902) is one of the most recognized names in the world of political cartoons.  Often called the father of American political cartooning, Nast's images remain popular today.  His well-known depictions of the Democratic donkey and Republican elephant, conceived more than 100 years ago, continue to represent both parties.  Uncle Sam and Columbia, two of his favorite figures to draw, are still recognized as symbols for the United States of America.  His spirit lives on through his iconic representations of Santa Claus. The classic images which Nast popularized of the jolly old elf still appear on a variety of surfaces each year during the holiday season, and Nast's Civil War images of battlefront and home front were powerful tools for bringing the war into people's homes.

Macculloch Hall Historical Museum preserves the history of the Macculloch-Miller families, the Morris area community, and the legacy of its founder W. Parsons Todd through its historic site, collections, exhibits, and educational and cultural programs. The Museum is open for house and exhibit tours on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays from 1:00 - 4:00 pm. The last tour leaves at 3:00 pm. Adults $8; Seniors & Students $6; Children 6 - 12 $4. Members and children under 5 are free. Macculloch Hall Historical Museum, 45 Macculloch Avenue, Morristown, NJ. For more information, call 973-538-2404 ext. 10 or visit www.maccullochhall.org.

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Some event listings courtesy of the League of Historical Societies of New Jersey