NJ Weekend Historical Happenings: 3/16/19 - 3/17/19

 New Jersey Weekend Historical Happenings

A Weekly Feature on www.thehistorygirl.com

Want to submit an event? Use our event submission form.

Saturday, March 16 - Madison, Morris County
St. Patrick's Day Storytime Craft

On Saturday from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm, join the Museum of Early Trades & Crafts (METC) in celebrating the popular St. Patrick's Day holiday with special stories of leprechauns, folklore, and tradition, along a variety of crafts and activities to make - from handprint-shamrocks to rainbow streamers. Visit us for fun-filled story times throughout the day at 11:30, 12:30, 1:30, and 2:30.

Cost: Included with museum admission, free for METC Members. Registration suggested as space is limited at www.metc.org/register-st-patricks-day-storytime-craft. The Museum of Early Trades & Crafts is located at 9 Main Street, Madison, NJ. For more information, call 973-377-2982 ext. 13 or visit www.metc.org.

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Saturday, March 16 - Hopewell Township, Mercer County

Visit from the Horse Doctor, Dentist & Shoer
Children Friendly Event

When is a 3/4 ton workhorse a chicken? When the doctor, farrier, and dentist come...maybe. Keeping the horses in tip top shape is very important to our farmers. This annual well visit allows a head to tail examination and is just one of the many ways we can be sure our horses are healthy and happy.

Besides seeing some of the tools, techniques and products that relate to horse care as it was practiced during the farm's circa 1900 time period, visitors will be able to meet a veterinarian, horse dentist, and farrier and even try their own hand at a bit of horse doctoring.

With the veterinarian's help, visitors will be able to listen to a horse's heart through an antique stethoscope and watch the doctor give spring vaccines and worming medicine. The dentist will need assistance counting teeth to determining the age of the horse and leveling any teeth with a dental rasp. The special hoof care that is needed, will be demonstrated by the farrier, this will include trimming and balancing of hooves and re-set shoes if needed.

Howell Living 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.org.

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Saturday, March 16 - Middletown, Monmouth County
"Murder on the Millstone - Somerset County, the Raritan Valley and Manville-Crossroads of the Revolution-1777"

On Saturday at 10:00 am at the Hillsborough Reformed Church, 1 Amwell Road, Hillsborough, NJ, the Raritan-Millstone Heritage Alliance will present “Murder on the Millstone- Somerset County, the Raritan Valley and Manville-Crossroads of the Revoution-1777.”

Historian Robert Mayers, author of Revolutionary New Jersey - Forgotten Towns and Crossroads of the American Revolution, will relate the critical events in the Somerset County area during the Revolutionary War. The fierce battles of Millstone, Bound Brook and the Short Hills (Plainfield, Scotch Plains), the bloody forage wars in the Raritan Valley when ravenous Redcoats ravaged the countryside and created a reign of terror, the Middlebrook encampments that saved America (Bridgewater and Martinsville), and the entire Continental Army swept through central Jersey on the way to Yorktown. This action all swirled around what is now the Borough of Manville.

Most of these places are unmarked, shrouded in mystery, distorted by mythology and unknown even to local people. Man-made changes to terrain have obscured many of them. Mayers will revive these forsaken locations with research from original military records and on-site exploration and analysis of obscure sources ignored by earlier writers. Little known British and Hessian accounts often reveal different details from those we have traditionally accepted as authentic.

Mayers published books include The War Man, the biography of a soldier, who fought all eight years of the Revolutionary War, The Forgotten Revolution, and Searching for Private Yankee Doodle – Washington’s Soldiers. For more information, visit www.revolutionarydetective.com.

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Saturday, March 16 - Holmdel, Monmouth County

Accordion Melodies of the 1890s and Cookstove Demonstration
Children Friendly Event

On Saturday, visit Historic Longstreet Farm in Holmdel from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm, to see what is cooking on the wood-fired stove. Discover how food, recipes, cooking techniques and the kitchen itself has changed since the 1890s.

From 1:00 - 3:00 pm, lovely melodies from the 1890s will be played on the accordion inside the farmhouse.

Historic Longstreet Farm is located at 44 Longstreet Road, Holmdel, NJ. For more information, call 732-946-3758 or visit www.monmouthcountyparks.com.

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Saturday, March 16 - Sandy Hook, Monmouth County

Battery Gunnison/New Peck Restoration
Children Friendly Event

The Army Ground Forces Association volunteer group will be dressed in WWII era uniform performing restorations projects and interpreting Battery Gunnison/New Peck and its 6-inch guns at Sandy Hook, a unit of Gateway National Recreation Area. Visitors are invited to stop by on this work and training day to chat and learn more about the historic time period of March 1943, the preparation for the May 1943 reactivation of Battery Gunnison/New Peck, and the restoration and preservation projects currently underway. This free event will be held from 12:00 noon - 5:00 pm at Battery Gunnison, Lot G Beach Plaza. For more information, call 718-354-4606 or visit www.nps.gov/gate.

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Saturday, March 16 - Lower Township, Cape May County
Cape May Lighthouse Open
Children Friendly

On Saturday, the Cape May Lighthouse, Oil House and Museum Shop reopens for the season. The lighthouse is an 1859 structure with 199 steps to the watch gallery for a panoramic view of the Jersey Cape and Atlantic Ocean. For those who choose not to climb, the Oil House contains a fully-accessible Visitors' Orientation Center and a Museum Shop stocked with maritime accessories and lighthouse memorabilia. Open 12:00 noon - 3:00 pm on Saturday. Cape May Point State Park is located in Lower Township, NJ. Admission to the Visitors' Orientation Center and the ground floor of the lighthouse is free. Tower admission is $8 for adults, $5 for children (ages 3-12). Sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC). For more information, call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278 or visit www.capemaymac.org.

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Saturday - Sunday, March 16 - 17 - Cape May, Cape May County
Emlen Physick Estate Tour
Family Friendly Tour

Take a guided tour of Cape May's Emlen Physick Estate, the magnificent Stick Style mansion attributed to renowned Victorian architect Frank Furness. A tour of the 15 beautifully restored rooms gives you a glimpse into the lifestyle of this Victorian-era Cape May family. Physick Estate Tours take approximately 45 minutes and end with a visit to the 1876 Carriage House where you can see the current exhibit in the Carroll Gallery. Tours will start at 12:30 pm on Saturday and 1:45 pm on Sunday. Admission is $12 for adults, $8 for children (ages 3-12). Tickets can be purchased at the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington Street, Cape May, NJ. Sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC). For more information and to reserve tickets, call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278 or visit www.capemaymac.org.

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Saturday - Sunday, March 16 - 17 - Cape May, Cape May County
Physick Estate Scavenger Hunt
Family Friendly

Have an adventure the whole family will enjoy at the 1879 Emlen Physick Estate! Use our map to explore the grounds and find the answers to questions about the Physick family and life in Victorian times on this educational scavenger hunt. Turn in your answer sheet at the Carriage House Museum Shop and receive a prize!

$5 includes map and clues. Maps and clues available at the Hill House office or the Carriage House Visitors Center at the Emlen Physick Estate. The Emlem Physick Estate is located at 1048 Washington Street, Cape May, NJ. Sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC). For more information and to reserve tickets, call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278 or visit www.capemaymac.org.

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Saturday - Sunday, March 16 - 17 - Cape May, Cape May County
Cape May Historic District Trolley Tour

Enjoy a 45 minute guided tour with entertaining and enlightening stories about the nation's oldest seaside resort and how it survived. Accessible trolley available with advance notification. Tour begins at the Washington Street Mall Information Booth. Tours begin and end at the Washington Street Mall Information Booth.

Adults $12 and children (ages 3-12) $8. Tours on Saturday at 11:45 am and Sunday at 1:00 pm. Sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC). For more information and to reserve tickets, call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278 or visit www.capemaymac.org.

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Sunday, March 17 - Maplewood, Essex County
In the Revolutionary Style

Join Durand-Hedden for this wonderful event for mothers, daughters, fashionistas, home sewers, history lovers, and all those who wonder how clothing provides a window into the past. At 2:00 pm, clothing historian Pat Sanftner will reveal the high style changes that took place in the 1700s in Europe and then the American Colonies, and the fashion mavens who made them, using 100 illustrations to demonstrate four significant style changes during the time period.

There will also be a charming display of hand-sewn outfits for American Girl® dolls and other 18-inch dolls by sisters Judy Cronin and Claire Sisson, who call themselves LindsayLu. LindsayLu doll outfits will be available for sale at the event.

The popular exhibit Exploring Golf Island will be on display for visitors.

Durand-Hedden’s charming Country Store will open. Check out historic-themed treasures such as early American children’s games, books and toys, facsimile documents, quill pens and ink, historic cook books, cookie molds, tin lanterns, and reproduction decorative items and ceramics. You’ll also discover the hard-to-find original Doors of Maplewood poster, Smile, the history of Olympic Park, and the new acid-free reproduction of the charming 1931 map of Maplewood.

Durand-Hedden House is dedicated to telling the history of the development of Maplewood, New Jersey and the surrounding area in new and engaging ways. It is located in Grasmere Park at 523 Ridgewood Road in Maplewood, New Jersey. For more information, call 973-763-7712 or visit www.durandhedden.org.

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Sunday, March 17 - Princeton, Mercer County
Historic Princeton Walking Tour
Children Friendly Tour

Enjoy a 1.9 mile, two-hour walk around downtown Princeton and the University campus as you learn about historic sites in the area, including Bainbridge House, Nassau Hall, the University Chapel, and Palmer Square. The early history of Princeton, the founding of the University, and the American Revolution are just some of the stories from Princeton’s history that you will learn on your tour.

Admission: $7 per adult; $4 children ages 6 to 12; free for children age 5 and under. Tours begin in front of the Bainbridge House, 158 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ. Tour begins at 2:00 pm and ends at 4:00 pm. Walk up ticket sales are cash only; guides cannot provide change. Space is limited. For more information and to reserve tickets, call 609-921-6748 or visit www.princetonhistory.org.

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Sunday, March 17 - Holmdel, Monmouth County
Blacksmith Demonstration
Children Friendly Event

On Sunday, visit Historic Longstreet Farm in Holmdel to take a step back in time to watch blacksmiths perform their craft. They will be shaping iron into everyday products. Blacksmiths were as common as an auto mechanic in towns and on farms of the 1890s. This free event runs from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm. Historic Longstreet Farm is located at 44 Longstreet Road, Holmdel, NJ. For more information, call 732-946-3758 or visit www.monmouthcountyparks.com.

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Sunday, March 17 - Montclair, Essex County

Historic House Tour: Crane House/Historic YWCA
Children Friendly Event & Site

The Crane House and Historic YWCA is a window on to the history of our nation from its early years as an independent country to a country embroiled in the civil rights struggle.

Tours of the Crane House & Historic YWCA are on the hour, last tour at 3:00 pm. Admission is $6/adult; $5/student/senior with ID; $4/child; under 2 free, good for both sites. Member get in free! The Crane House/Historic YWCA is located at 110 Orange Road, Montclair, NJ. For more information, call 973-744-1796, e-mail mail@montclairhistorical.org, or visit www.montclairhistory.org.

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Sunday, March 17 -  Mount Tabor, Morris County
Mt Tabor to Host 150 Anniversary Event

As luck would have it, Mount Tabor was founded on St Patrick’s Day, 1869. Now the town will be celebrating its 150th anniversary with a free event featuring food, arts, theater, and gingerbread houses on Sunday from 2:00 - 5:00 pm. Admission is FREE.

Mount Tabor, NJ, originally founded in 1869 as a Methodist camp retreat, quickly flourished into a year-round, all-inclusive community, with streets named after ministers, a celebrated "Children's Day," and Gingerbread Victorian houses that could almost be described as delicious.

Although Mount Tabor was incorporated into the township of Parsippany in 1980, this village off Route 53 retains its own post office, zip code, and independent spirit.

So 150 years after its founding, new residents, alongside descendants of the original ones, will be honoring their heritage with a free, open-house event with tables including:

*Mount Tabor Historical Society - Featuring "Meet Your Home!" where residents can uncover paperwork on who had bought the house they live in.
* At the Tabernacle, which has hosted performances by musicians such as Art Garfunkle, Richie Havens, Loudon Wainwright III, and Melanie.
* Children' Day 2019 - It's also the 150th anniversary of Children's Day, where a YA "king" and "queen" are elected by the youngest Tabor residents and ride through the town, tossing candy to their constituents while leading a parade with marching bands, community groups, costumes, and even DIY floats. The event is held in August, and you can find out how to get involved on Sunday.

Organizers will round out the day with t-shirts, prizes, and information on how to join the various communities. Events will be based around the Bethel, 26 Simpson Ave, Mount Tabor, NJ. For more information, contact Heather Quinlan, Canvasback Kid Productions, canvasback.kid1@gmail.com or call 646-660-3008.

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Sunday, March 17 - Westampton, Burlington County
Cheese Making

Cheese production predates recorded history. It began at least 7,200 years ago. Archaeological evidence exists of Egyptian cheese being made in ancient Egyptian civilizations.

Larry and Linda Faillace of Three Shepherds Farm will present "The History of Cheese Making." They will demonstrate the process of making cheese followed by a tasting.

Program begins at 2:00 pm. Admission is $15 per person. Seating is limited; prepaid reservations are required to guarantee seating. Peachfield is located at 180 Burrs Road, Westampton, NJ. For more information and to register, call 609-267-6996, e-mail colonialdamesnj@comcast.net, or visit www.colonialdamesnj.org.

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Sunday, March 17 - Waretown, Ocean County
The History of Garvey and Skiff Building in the Ocean County Area

On Sunday from 2:00 - 3:30 pm, attend a program on "The History of Garvey and Skiff Building in the Ocean County Area" presented by Bill Irving, NJ Speed Garvey Association Announcer and Spokesman. Mr. Irving has an easy storytelling style. He will bring models, photos, and clippings. The program is free, but seating is limited. To reserve a spot, please text 609-661-1733. This program will be held at the Little Red Schoolhouse Museum, 182 Wells Mills Road, Waretown, NJ. For more information, call 609-661-1733.

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Sunday, March 17 - Holmdel, Monmouth County
Blacksmith Demonstration
Children Friendly

On Sunday, visit Historic Longstreet Farm in Holmdel to take a step back in time to watch blacksmiths perform their craft. They will be shaping iron into everyday products. Blacksmiths were as common as an auto mechanic in towns and on farms of the 1890s. This free event runs from 1:00 - 3:00 pm. Historic Longstreet Farm is located at 44 Longstreet Road, Holmdel, NJ. For more information, call 732-946-3758 or visit www.monmouthcountyparks.com.

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Through Sunday, March 31 - East Amwell, Hunterdon County

Mary Ackerman Buckwalter Exhibit: 1918-2017
Family Friendly

Born in Paterson New Jersey, Mary spent the bulk of her adult life in Hunterdon County, raising a family while pursuing her artistic endeavors. She was educated at NYU (Washington Square Studios) and studied under area artists including, Sigmund Kozlo and Leo Russell. She spent nearly 50 years honing her craft here in Hunterdon mainly painting still life and landscapes. Taking a cue from both the New Hope School and PA Impressionists, her work reflects an influence from Pre-war European Impressionism but with an American aspect.

Mary exhibited throughout NJ and Eastern PA and was a member of the Hunterdon Art Center of Clinton. Her work has found permanent homes in the Hunterdon Medical Center, Hunterdon hospice, the County Seat in Flemington, and also The Three Bridges Public Library.

The East Amwell Historical Society and the Sourland Conservancy will present the Mary Ackerman Buckwalter Exhibit at the East Amwell Museum 1053 Old York Road, Ringoes, NJ. The opening reception will be held on March 15 at 7:00 pm. Admission to the East Amwell Museum and exhibit will be free and open to the public on weekends from 1:00 - 4:00 pm. The exhibit will be on display from March 9 through March 31, 2019. For more information, visit www.eastamwellhistory.org and www.sourland.org.

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Through Sunday, April 14 - Cape May, Cape May County
Collecting History: Personal Collections of Cape May's African American Community
Family Friendly

Collecting is a lifelong passion for many individuals who hunt, preserve, and curate items of importance and interest. It's not just the object that holds curiosity, but the story it has to tell. Never before seen personal collections of dolls, stamps, postcards, hats, books, art, and pocket watches will be exhibited along with John Nash's collection. Mr. Nash was a beloved community historian whose dedication to collecting Cape May's African American history formed the basis for Center for Community Arts' Nash African American History Archives.

This exhibit will be held at the Carroll Gallery on the grounds of the Emlen Physick Estate. Admission to the exhibit is free. Visit www.capemaymac.org/carriage-house-hours for exhibit hours. The Emlem Physick Estate is located at 1048 Washington Street, Cape May, NJ. Sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC). For more information, call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278 or visit www.capemaymac.org.

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Through June 2019 - Ocean Township, Monmouth County
"Wet as the Atlantic Ocean: Prohibition in New Jersey”

The 18th Amendment—the measure that made the manufacture, sale, or transport of alcoholic beverages a federal offense for the 13 years, 10 months, 19 days, and 17 hours of Prohibition—was repealed in 1933. It is the only Constitution Amendment ever to be undone. And its doing and undoing were the results of a tug-of-war between the “Wets” and the “Drys” that played out across the country.

A new exhibit opening to the public Sunday, in the Richmond Gallery of the Eden Woolley House reveals where New Jersey stood in that tug-of-war. “Wet as the Atlantic Ocean: Prohibition in NJ” brings the debates, glamour, and violence of the Roaring Twenties home.

How did it happen?
The prohibition debate had been argued across the country for nearly a century before the 18th Amendment outlawed alcohol nationwide. Maine passed the first state prohibition law in 1846 and by the Civil War, several other states had followed suit.

So what happened in the first decades of the next century to elevate debate into a campaign for a Constitutional Amendment—that took the fight national?

• Drunkenness was a real problem. The proliferation of saloons fueled a drinking culture, and between 1900 and 1913, beer and alcohol consumption soared. Women and families suffered.
• Women had been campaigning for abstinence since the early 1800s, By the turn of the century they were finding their voice, stridently advocating for the vote-— and increasingly for prohibition. Organizations like the Women’s Christian Temperance Union were gaining ground.
• Many Americans felt threatened by the influx of immigrants whose cultural norms around alcohol threatened prevailing white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant values.
• On the global scene, the unthinkable carnage of the First World War and the alarming success of the Russian Revolution fueled a nostalgic longing for control and order.

Under these conditions, pro-prohibition sentiment grew. By 1919 more than half the country lived in dry states, counties, or towns. If the 18th Amendment were to be passed, it needed to happen before the 1920 census, the results of which would give greater power to the anti-prohibition cities.

The last state to Ratify
Ours was the last state to ratify the 18th amendment and it did so in 1922, two years after the measure was in effect. (Rhode Island and Connecticut never ratified.) We fought Prohibition in court. New Jersey joined Rhode Island in a losing challenge before the Supreme Court (1920). And we were back in 1931, when the Supreme Court overruled a New Jersey federal judge’s decision invalidating the 18th Amendment.

New Jersey’s Resistance
It’s no surprise, then, that Prohibition enforcement in New Jersey was lax. Local fishermen and boaters shuttled bootlegged liquor to shore from rum-running ships lined up just outside the legal limit. Speakeasies thrived with little risk of raid. The state underfunded enforcement. Corruption was rampant. Local police turned a blind eye. Even the teetotaling and incorruptible Ira Reeves, the man put in charge of federal enforcement in New Jersey, resigned after eight months and took up the anti-Prohibition cause!

This exhibit runs through June 2019. The Township of Ocean Historical Museum offers exhibits on the history of coastal Monmouth County and a full calendar of events. The Museum also houses a library and archive of local history. It is open, free of charge, 1:00 - 4:00 pm, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursday, 7:00 - 9:00 pm Thursday evenings, and 1:00 - 4:00 pm the first and second Sundays of each month. The Township of Ocean Historical Museum is located at 703 Deal Road, Ocean, NJ. For more information, visit www.oceanmuseum.org.

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Through June 2019 - Morristown, Morris County
Iconic Culture: From Little Black Dress to Bell Bottoms

Morris County Historical Society’s upcoming exhibit, Iconic Culture: From Little Black Dress to Bell Bottoms, promises to be a one-stop spot for a stroll down memory lane.

From the timeless designs of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel to the trend-setting bell bottoms of Sonny and Cher, MCHS explores more than 50 years of cultural history through a retrospective featuring nearly 100 pieces from its historic textile collection. Iconic Culture will examine how changes in clothing styles mirrored the social climate of their time and the seminal moments and people who defined their decade – with a focus on New Jersey history.

In addition to the fashions, Iconic Culture will highlight cultural milestones in local, state, and national history that coincided with the Roaring 20s, Great Depression, World War II, Civil Rights Movement, and Vietnam Era.

This multimedia exhibit features music, television shows, and radio broadcasts. Visitors will also have an opportunity to share personal recollections about significant events, such as the assassination of President Kennedy.

The exhibit is available through Sunday, June 16, 2019. Morris County Historical Society is located at Acorn Hall, 68 Morris Avenue, Morristown, NJ and is open Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11:000 am - 4:00 pm and Sundays, 1:00 - 4:00 pm. Admission, which includes the exhibits and landscaped grounds, is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for students, and is free for children under 12 and MCHS members. For more information, call 973-267-3465 or visit www.MorrisCountyHistory.org.

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Through November 11, 2019 - Woodbury, Gloucester County
War to End Wars: Centennial of WWI & Veterans’ Day

War to End Wars: Centennial of WWI & Veterans’ Day, our new exhibit at the Gloucester County Historical Society Museum, honors the centennial of World War I and its veterans.  Come view uniforms worn by local, youthful doughboys as well as original liberty bond and enlistment posters carefully preserved by our librarians for over one hundred years! The exhibit also honors veterans of all wars since World War I as Americans now celebrate the day the war ended as Veterans’ Day. The exhibit is now open and will run through Veterans’ Day. The exhibit will be open on Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays from 1:00 - 4:00 pm. The museum is also open on the last Sunday of each month September through April from 2:00 - 5:00 pm as well as Saturdays April 6 and May 4 from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm. Please visit www.gchsnj.org for further details. The Gloucester County Historical Society Museum is located at 58 N. Broad Street, Woodbury, NJ. For more information, call 856-848-8531 or visit www.gchsnj.org.

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