NJ Weekend Historical Happenings: 9/7/19 - 9/8/19

 New Jersey Weekend Historical Happenings

A Weekly Feature on www.thehistorygirl.com

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

Saturday, September 7 - Ewing, Mercer County
Ewing Historical Society Annual Flea Market

The Ewing Township Historic Preservation Society's Annual Flea Market will be held on Saturday from 8:00 am - 1:00 pm at the Benjamin Temple House, 27 Federal City Road, Ewing, NJ. Shop for bargains and support the society!

The Ewing Township Historic Preservation Society was founded in the early 1970s, and seeks to preserve, promote, and interpret the history of the township. For more information, call 609-883-2455 or visit www.ethps.org.

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Saturday, September 7 - Holmdel, Monmouth County
Yarn Bee
Ages 10+

On Saturday, visit Historic Longstreet Farm in Holmdel to participate in a yarn bee! Whether  starting  a  new  hobby  or  working  on  an  old  project,  all  are  welcome  to  this  gathering! The  relaxed  atmosphere of this group means no pressure - you can knit or crochet at your own pace, and farm staff will be on-hand to  assist  those  wanting  to  learn  a  new skill. Bring your own supplies, or borrow ours. Open to ages 10 and up. This free events run from 12:00 noon - 2:00 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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Saturday, September 7 - Tuckerton, Ocean County
Ye Old Clamtown Antique Flea Market

On Saturday from 8:00 am - 4:00 pm, the Tuckerton Historical Society hosts its annual Ye Old Clamtown Antique Flea Market at Tip Seaman Park in Tuckerton, NJ. The flea market will feature about 70 vendors. Support the Tuckerton Historical Society as they celebrate 43 years of hosting this event. Rain dates are Sunday, September 8 or Saturday, September 14. For more information, call 609-685-1528 or visit www.tuckertonhistoricalsociety.org.

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Saturday, September 7 -  Morris Township, Morris County
Hitch A Ride
Children Friendly Event and Site

Enjoy a leisurely open-air wagon ride at Fosterfields Living History Farm on Saturday around the historic farm and visit the animals, too! Wagon ride from 10:15 am - 12:00 noon and included in regular admission.

Admission: $6 for adults; $5 for seniors (65+); $4 for children ages 4 – 16; and $2 for children ages 2 and 3. FREE for children under age 2 and Friends members with a current membership card. Fosterfields Living Historical Farm is located at 73 Kahdena Road, Morristown, NJ. For more information, visit www.morrisparks.net.

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Saturday, September 7 through Sunday, October 13, 2019 - East Amwell, Hunterdon County
“The Art of Natural Expression” featuring the art of Angela Marie Franco & Donna Foran

Angela Marie Franco’s career spans 44 years as an accomplished graphic designer, copywriter, database developer and marketer, specializing in corporate communications and branding. Her work includes designing hundreds of logos. She has lead corporate marketing departments in national and international companies and had her own advertising/marketing agency since the 1980s. She produced marketing seminars for business owners in New York City and was head of the Marketing SIG at the American Marketing Association and the Marketing Club at the  Manhattan Chamber of Commerce.

Angela attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan and earned two degrees - magna cum laud - in Graphic Design and Marketing Communications.

Since moving to Flemington, NJ in 2016, she has put aside her computer and is now creating multi-media art that is black ink centric and influenced by 1920s German Expressionism, M.C. Escher, Frank Lloyd Wright and Charles Rennie MackIntosh. She enjoys re-interpreting how the colorful Hunterdon County sky reflects in abstract scenes that are both ominous yet whimsical.

Donna Foran has been painting since the tender age of eight years old. A life-long resident of Hunterdon County, she attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and earned a degree in the Commercial Arts. Seeing beauty all around her, she is inspired by her surroundings from area landscapes, flowering fields and country side views of Hunterdon County.

Since 2009 Donna exclusively paints in oil colors and has refined her skills by continually learning and challenging herself. She is a regular participant in area art shows and has won several 1st place awards for her serene and colorful works. Donna is a member of Friends of Historic Flemington and the Creative Path Artists.

A meet the artist reception will be held Friday, September 13 from 7:00 - 9:00 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 September 7 through October 13, 2019. For more information, call 908-237-3303 or visit www.eastamwellhistory.org.

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Saturday, September 7 - Sandy Hook, Monmouth County
Nike Missile Radar Site Tours

Guided tours of the Integrated Fire Control (IFC) site will allow you to see the inner workings of the facility where supersonic nuclear armed Nike Hercules missiles were controlled and guided using Cold War era computers and radars. You will have the opportunity to meet and talk with some of the veterans who actually worked on the Nike Air Defense System. Free tours from 12:00 noon - 4:00 pm. Meet at Horseshoe Cove, Parking Lot L on Sandy Hook, part of Gateway National Recreation Area. For more information, call 732-872-5970 or visit www.nps.gov/gate.

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Saturday, September 7 - Hopewell Township, Mercer County

Back to School
Children Friendly Event

School bells ring once again in Pleasant Valley when Howell Farm invites the public to participate in a unique "back to school" day. The program features the educational, social and cultural activities centered on the "one-room school" in rural life of 1900.

The Howell Farm school mistress has McGuffey readers, slates, and slate pencils ready for students of all ages to begin their lessons in the three R's. Visitors can take a seat in an antique school desk and try their hand at orthography using pen and ink, or attempt to solve farm related arithmetic problems on the chalkboard. As in yesteryear, children can help with farm chores before attending the "one-room school.

The school bell will ring to begin lessons, for recess, and a quick tour of the privy. During recess, children will be introduced to hoops and sticks, tug of war and other old-fashioned games and toys.

Participants in the school program may also attend the "box social". Well-wrapped boxes of homemade pies or goodies will be auctioned off to benefit the school. The lucky gentleman who wins the bid on the teacher's pie will also share her company.

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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Saturdays through September 28 - Byram Township, Sussex County
Summer at Waterloo
Family Friendly

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Saturday, September 7 - Princeton, Mercer County
The “Not So Secret Garden” with the Cotsen Children’s Library
Children Friendly Event

For over a century, Frances Hodgson Burnett’s novel, The Secret Garden, has introduced readers to the beautiful and transformative power of the garden. Morven Museum & Garden and the Cotsen Children’s Library are partnering to host activities, games, and take-home crafts galore, all related to the beauty of the botanical realm on Saturday from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm. Children and adults are invited to take part in this one-of-a-kind magical event. This event is free and open to the public. Morven Museum & 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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Saturday, September 7 - Princeton, Mercer County
Baseball’s Outsiders: Race and Gender in the Early Years

In the 1890’s daring “bloomer girls” played baseball while the National Association of Base Ball Players rejected African Americans from playing in their leagues despite more than 200 black teams formed around the country after the Civil War. On Saturday at 2:00 pm at Morven Museum, join Dr. Leslie Heaphy for an enlightening afternoon highlighting both women’s baseball before 1915 and 19th century black baseball in New Jersey. Dr. Heaphy, chair of the Women in Baseball Committee of the Society for American Baseball Research, is an Associate Professor of History at Kent State University at Stark and published author in the area of the Negro Leagues and women’s baseball. The doors for this program open at 1:30 pm.

Ticket includes same-day museum admission. Morven Museum's galleries are open before the program and until 4:00 pm following program. Admission: $15 per person and $10 per person for Friends of Morven. Morven Museum & 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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Saturday, September 7 - Cape May, Cape May County
Cape Mayhem & Victorian Oddities Trolley Tour

They Did What??!! Headless Photography? Electric Corsets? Coffin Torpedoes? Explore some of the strange beliefs, superstitions, oddities,  fads, curiosities, and mysteries from the end of the 19th century - the Victorian era - in this half hour trolley tour through the gaslit streets of Cape May. Hear stories from Cape May’s history that are bizarre, unexplained or just downright weird! This Saturday tour at 8:45 pm begins and ends at the Washington Street Mall Information Booth at Ocean Street. Adults $15 and children (ages 3-12) $8. 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, September 7 - Cape May, Cape May County
Underground Railroad Trolley Tour

On Saturday at 10:00 am, join the Center for Community Arts' (CCA) Community History Committee on a trolley tour of the places where escaped slaves sought refuge and help to continue their journeys to freedom. Hear the stories and visit some of the places connected with the Underground Railroad, including: a look at the Owen Coachman House; a walk in a historic cemetery where our earliest free Black settlers are buried; and a glimpse of the summer home of Stephen Smith, a leading businessman, abolitionist and unsung hero of the Underground Railroad. Learn how Harriet Tubman found Cape May as a resource for earning money to fund her work. Board the trolley at the Washington Street Mall information booth at Ocean Street for this 2-hour tour. Admission is $25 per adult. 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, September 7 - Cape May, Cape May County
Whalers Cottages at Batts Lane Self-guided Tour

On Saturday between 12:00 noon and 3:00 pm, take a self-guided tour of two beautifully restored, historic cottages that Chris & Dave Clemans have just donated to Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities! Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, The Owen Coachman House incorporates a c. 1700 “Whalers Cottage” - one of the oldest surviving structures in Cape May County. It was moved to this site in 1846 by Owen Coachman, a free black man who purchased land here for a farm. A tour of this site brings to life the important story of our county’s free African American community in the years before the Civil War. Admission is $10 per adult and children (ages 3-12) $5. 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, September 7 - 8 - 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. Tours begin and end at the Washington Street Mall Information Booth.

Adults $15 and children (ages 3-12) $8. Tours on Saturday at 10:30 am, 11:45 am, 1:00 pm, 2:15 pm, and 3:30 pm. Tours on Sunday at 11:45 am, 1:00 pm, 2:15 pm, and 2:45 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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Saturday - Sunday, September 7 - 8 - Cape May, Cape May County
Welcome to Cape May Trolley Tour

This tour is designed for the first-time visitor to Cape May who wants a quick introduction to the many cultural, historical, and natural attractions on the island. From Cape May Harbor to Sunset Beach, tourgoers will learn all they need to know to make the most of their Cape May visit. Tours begin and end at the Washington Street Mall Information Booth.

Adults $15 and children (ages 3-12) $8. Tours on Saturday at 11:00, 1:30, and 4:45 pm and Sunday at 11:00 am and 1:30 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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Saturday - Sunday, September 7 - 8 - Lower Township, Cape May County
Climb the Cape May Lighthouse
Family Friendly Site

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 10:00 am - 5:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday. 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 $10 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, September 7 - 8 - 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 be at 1:45 and 3:00 pm on Saturday and 12:30, 1:45, and 3:00 pm on Sunday. Admission is $15 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, September 7 - 8 - 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, September 7 - 8 - Lower Township, Cape May County
World War II Tower Lookout Museum and Memorial Open
Family Friendly Site

Fire Control Tower No. 23 on Sunset Boulevard is New Jersey's last freestanding World War II tower, part of the immense Harbor Defense of the Delaware system known as Fort Miles. After an award-winning restoration in 2009, visitors can climb to the 6th floor spotting gallery while learning about the homeland defense efforts during World War II. The ground floor of the tower, the All Veterans Memorial, and boardwalk interpretive panels are fully accessible. Open Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm. Admission is $6 for adults, $3 for children (ages 3-12) (one child free with paying adult). The World War II Lookout Tower is located on Sunset Boulevard in Lower Township, near Cape May Point. 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, September 7 - 8 - Cape May, Cape May County
Revolutionary War Encampment at Historic Cold Spring Village
Children Friendly Event & Site

Authentically clad and equipped Continental, Loyalist and Hessian reenactors bring the American Revolution to life on the grounds of Historic Cold Spring Village on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 am - 4:30 pm.

The event will feature encampments, weaponry and demonstrations from living history groups, including Continentals, Loyalists, and Hessians

Children can search the Village for clues in the Cold Spring Patriot Spy game on both Saturday and Sunday. Historian Mike Kochan will be in character as Benjamin Franklin demonstrating some of Franklin's famous inventions and experiments. Visitors can also experience an artillery demonstration both days at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 3:00 pm.

Historic Cold Spring Village is a non-profit, open-air living history museum that portrays the daily life of a rural South Jersey community of the Early American period. It features 26 restored historic structures on a 30-acre site. Tuesday through Sunday, from late June to early September, interpreters and artisans in period clothing preserve the trades, crafts and heritage of “the age of homespun.” Fun and educational activities for children are featured Tuesday through Sunday, with special events every weekend through September.

The Village is located on Route 9, three miles north of Victorian Cape May and a mile and a half west of the southern terminus of the Garden State Parkway. Admission during the season is $14 for adults and $12 for children ages 3 to 12. Children under 3 are admitted free. Unlimited free admission is available with Village membership. The Village Nature Trail at Bradner's Run is open to the public for free self-guided tours. For more information, call 609-898-2300, ext. 10, or visit www.hcsv.org.

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Saturday - Sunday, September 7 - 8 - Sandy Hook, Monmouth County

Mortar Battery Tours

Mortar Battery: Join a park ranger guided tour of the Mortar Battery and learn about the first Endicott era (1894 - 1910) concrete gun battery that defended New York and its harbor against attack by enemy warships.

This free tours begin at 1:30 pm and runs continuously until 4:30 pm. Mortar Battery is located with the Fort Hancock Historic Post at Sandy Hook. Sandy Hook is part of Gateway National Recreation Area. For more information, call 732-872-5970 or visit www.nps.gov/gate.

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Sunday, September 8 - Westampton, Burlington County

"New Jersey:  Where Ideas Grow"

From Thomas Edison's phonograph to Les Paul's electric guitar, plus submarines, Band-Aids, movies, color TV, ice cream cones, bar codes, Bubble Wrap, solar panels, flexible film and transistors - all of these things began in New Jersey. Join Author Linda Barth from 2:00 - 4:00 pm as she explains why and how New Jersey became the great state of inventions.

Admission is $10 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 reserve a seat, call 609-267-6996 or e-mail colonialdamesnj@comcast.net.

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Sunday, September 8 - Manalapan, Monmouth County
New Jersey Troops in the Battle of Monmouth

On Sunday at 2:00 pm, attend a program on the role of New Jersey Troops in the Battle of Monmouth. Meet in the Monmouth Battlefield visitor center auditorium. Monmouth Battlefield State Park is located at 16 New Jersey Business 33, Manalapan, NJ. For more information, visit www.friendsofmonmouth.org.

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Sunday, September 8 - Whippany, Morris County
Excursion Train Rides & Touch-A-Truck Day
Children Friendly Event & Site

Spend Sunday at the Whippany Railway Museum on a 10-mile, 45-minute round trip excursion from Whippany to Roseland on a mid-1900s Excursion Train. The combined age of the equipment used on the vintage train is an astounding 635 years! Be on the lookout for deer, turtles, wild turkeys, hawks, and rabbits, as the route takes you past a natural swamp with abundant wildlife. Trains depart at 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, and 4:00 pm from 1 Railroad Plaza at the Intersection of Route 10 West & Whippany Road in Whippany, NJ. Train fare is: Adult: $16; child (under 12): $11; infants (1 year and under): Free. Train Fare includes admission to Whippany Railway Museum Building.

It's also our second "Touch-A-Truck" day, a fun family outing offering children of all ages a hands-on opportunity to explore working trucks of all types, and meet the people who build, protect and serve the local community. Vehicles on display will include fire trucks, transport vehicles, construction vehicles, and public health and safety trucks all staged on the museum grounds and free of charge! Climb into the cabs, honk the horns, examine the equipment, flash the lights, and creatively explore the trucks with guidance from the respective professionals who will explain the equipment and discuss the work each vehicle performs. Each train ticket holder will receive a special commemorative keepsake of the day.

The "Excursion Train Ride" is a fundraising effort to benefit the Whippany Railway Museum, a 501 (c)3 non-profit Operating Heritage Railroad that is staffed by Volunteers. Donations from the public help to keep the Museum operational, but funds are still required to support this unique New Jersey treasure. Proceeds from the train rides will further enhance the Museum's mission and its Historic Preservation efforts. For more information, call 973-887-8177 or visit www.whippanyrailwaymuseum.net.

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Sunday, September 8 - Readington, Hunterdon County
Beer and Punch Making
Family Friendly Event

From teas to toddies and tankards to teacups, domestic historians, Bev Altrath and Arlene Soong, will discuss typical colonial drinks. In addition, historic brewer, Rich Wagner, will show the step-by-step process of turning water and grain into beer. For hundreds of years, folks in Europe knew better than to drink the water, as it could make you deathly ill. Instead, people, including children, brewed and drank beer. This was a natural jump for immigrants arriving in the New World to bring their tradition of brewing and drinking beer with them. Much of the beer was brewed at home, until breweries could be established in larger towns and cities. Today, there is a resurgence in interest in home brewing. Although, today you will find exotic flavors or seasonal brews, the basic method of beer production has not changed.

This program will be held at the Bouman-Stickney Farmstead in the Stanton section of Readington, GPS address: 114 Dreahook Road Lebanon NJ 08833. It is a free, family-friendly event, although donations will be gratefully accepted. For more information, call 908-236-2327 or visit https://www.readingtontwpnj.gov/visiting/museum.

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Sunday, September 8 -  Morris Township, Morris County
What's Cooking at the Van Kirk Farms: 1780 - 1920

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Sunday, September 8 -  Morris Township, Morris County
Who Cut the Wood?
Children Friendly Event and Site

On Sunday at Fosterfields Living Historical Farm, at 1:00 and 2:30 pm, watch or participate in the cutting of wood for use around the farm, and try drill bits to learn the process of working it.

Admission: $6 for adults; $5 for seniors (65+); $4 for children ages 4 – 16; and $2 for children ages 2 and 3. FREE for children under age 2 and Friends members with a current membership card. Fosterfields Living Historical Farm is located at 73 Kahdena Road, Morristown, NJ. For more information, visit www.morrisparks.net.

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Sunday, September 8 -  Brick Township, Ocean County
Ice Cream Social/Picnic and Fall Festival
Children Friendly Event

On Sunday, the Brick Township Historical Society will sponsor an Ice Cream Social/Picnic and Fall Festival at its Havens Homestead Museum property, 521 Herbertsville Road, Brick, NJ from 12:00 noon - 4:00 pm, rain or shine. There will be games for children.  Guests are welcome to bring their own picnic lunches (no grills please) and buy a variety of made-to-order ice cream treats. Sundaes in Point Pleasant, is donating the ice cream. Free admission. For more information, call 732-458-6266 or visit www.bricktownshiphistoricalsociety.com.

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Sunday, September 8 -  Morristown, Morris County
Chief Justice John Marshall and President Thomas Jefferson Debate

This Sunday, the Jacobus Vanderveer House and Morristown National Historical Park invite you join them for an exciting historical debate between Chief Justice John Marshall and President Thomas Jefferson. Admission is free, but pre-registration is required!

John Marshall was the fourth Chief Justice of the United States, but the first to establish the judiciary as an equal branch of the federal government. Thomas Jefferson was the third President of the United States, but the first to preside during and after a change of power from one political party to another political party on a national scale.

Their opposing views on the authority of the judiciary and its role in our government formed the groundwork of how the judicial, legislative, and executive work together—and sometimes at odds with each other—to this day. Marshall and Jefferson were distant cousins whose families had feuded with each other since before they were born.

Presented by the American Historical Theatre. John Marshall portrayed by Doug Thomas. Thomas Jefferson portrayed by Steve Edenbo.

This program will be held Sunday at 2:00 pm in the Museum Auditorium at the Morristown National Historical Park, ​30 Washington Place, Morristown, NJ. Register here.

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Sunday, September 8 - Morris Township, Morris County
Fake it ‘til You Make It: Celebrating the Highs and Lows of the SS Savannah

The first steam ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean was also a complete failure. Celebrate Grandparents’ Day on Sunday from 2:00 - 4:00 pm at Historic Speedwell with a series of challenges to choose your adventure. Can you get the ship safely to Europe and back? Admission: $5 per adult, $4 per senior, $3 per child age 4 - 16, FREE per child under age 4. Historic Speedwell is located at 333 Speedwell Avenue, Morristown. For more information, call 973-285-6537 or visit www.morrisparks.net.

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Sunday, September 8 - Jefferson Township, Morris County
Open House

The Jefferson Township Museum, also known as the George Chamberlin House, will have an open house on Sunday from 1:00 - 4:00 pm. Learn about the Jefferson Township Historical Society. Costumed docents will be available to talk about this Victorian home. Admission is free.

At 2:00 pm there will be a dedication ceremony in the Museum gardens of the new garden arbor. The arbor will be dedicated to the Museum Garden Club in appreciation for all they do to make the museum gardens the gem of the township.

Be sure to visit Miss Elizabeth’s Shoppe located in the original kitchen of the Museum. The Shoppe is packed with new and vintage items for sale. The Museum is air conditioned so touring and shopping can be done in comfort.

The Jefferson Township Museum is located at 315 Dover-Milton Road, Jefferson Township, NJ. For further information, call 973-697-0258 or visit www.jthistoricalsociety.org.

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Sunday, September 8 - Eatontown, Monmouth County
Stories from Ellis Island

Fred Voss, a professional genealogist, will speak about “Stories from Ellis Island” on Sunday at 2:00 pm at the Eatontown Community Center, 72 Broad St, Eatontown. From 1892 to 1954, more than 12.5 million immigrants were processed through Ellis Island. Coming from all corners of the world, these souls - whom nearly 40% of Americans can call "family" - left behind possessions and family to reinvent themselves in America. Most were processed through Ellis Island without incident. But some immigrants found themselves detained due to mental or physical illness, because their paperwork was not in order, or because those who were due to receive them did not show. What kind of stories could they tell?

Mr. Voss is a professional genealogist and a volunteer tour guide at Ellis Island. His talk will explore the personal, sometimes heartbreaking, stories of those who came through the facility, those whose visit to the US ended there, and those whose stay on the island was unexpectedly lengthy. At a time when immigration is a controversial topic, the lives of potential immigrants who found their way to Ellis Island touch both the heart and possibly a nerve.

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Sunday, September 8 - Somerville, Somerset County
Comparing Country Houses: George III's America & George V's England

Downton Abbey fans know King George V’s photograph watches over the Servants’ Hall. American Revolution buffs recognize King George III in painted pomp. Prepare for Downton Abbey’s cinematic debut on a historic houses tour exploring the bonds between the country houses of these different places and times at the Wallace House in Somerville, NJ.

Call 908-725-1015 or email wallacedutch@dep.nj.gov to reserve a place on tours that take place at 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 pm. Admission is FREE. The parking lot entrance and interpretive center for the site is located at 71 Somerset Street, Somerville, NJ. For directions and more information about the site, visit www.wallacehouseassociation.org or call 908-725-1015.

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Through Sunday, November 3 - Cape May, Cape May County
The Iconic Cape May Lighthouse Exhibit
Family Friendly

Illuminating the darkness over the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay for 160 years, Cape May’s lighthouse is the third beacon to guide mariners through the tumultuous waters at the confluence of the ocean and bay. Memories and historic images abound, from the keepers who dedicated their lives to maintaining the light, the MAC preservationists who restored it, and all those who’ve relied upon it for more than a century and a half.

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 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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Through December 2019 - Ridgewood, Bergen County
Here Comes The Bride - Chronicling Two Hundred Years of Wedding Customs & Traditions

Something old. Something new. Something borrowed. Something blue. Tossing the bouquet. Bride and Groom cake toppers. Putting a sixpence in your shoe. Where did these traditions originate? Why do we still honor them today? Please join us as we walk down the aisle and trace the history of Ridgewood’s wedding traditions.

The Schoolhouse Museum celebrates the opening of its current featured exhibit “Here Comes The Bride - Chronicling Two Hundred Years of Wedding Customs & Traditions.” This new exhibit features items dating from 1789-1989, showcasing many beautiful wedding gowns from the museum's collection - some of which have never been on exhibit before.

While at the museum, see the curio cabinet exhibit “50 Small Things with Big Histories.” The exhibits are open until December 2019 and are free to the public with donations suggested at the door. Museum hours are Thursdays and Saturdays from 1:00 - 3:00 pm and Sundays from 2:00 - 4:00 pm.

The Schoolhouse Museum is a historic one-room schoolhouse in Ridgewood, New Jersey, originally built in 1872, that has been turned into a gallery space which now houses the Ridgewood Historical Society. Entirely volunteer-run, the non-profit Historical Society presents annual exhibits, events and workshops in a community that values education, family and local and national history. The museum is located at 650 E Glen Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ.

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Through Sunday, January 5, 2020 - Parsippany, Morris County
The American Arts and Crafts Chair: “A Message of Honesty and Joy”

The exhibition will feature thirteen exemplary examples of side chairs by handicraft-oriented furniture manufacturers--among them Gustav Stickley’s Craftsman Workshops, the L&JG Stickley Company, the Charles P. Limbert Company--as well as smaller, craft-oriented workshops such as Charles Rohlfs, the Roycroft Shops, Byrdcliffe Arts Colony, and Rose Valley Association. The exhibition will explore the usefulness and appealing designs of these vital products of the American Arts and Crafts movement and show how these chairs brought a message of honesty and joy to their makers and their possessors. Guest curator is David Cathers. 

On view from: Saturday, June 1, 2019 to Sunday, January 5, 2020. Thursdays through Sundays 12:00 noon - 4:00 pm. Admission varies depending on the type of tour. Free to Members. Craftsman Farms is located at 2352 Route 10 West, Morris Plains, NJ. For more information, call 973-540-0311, email info@stickleymuseum.org, or visit www.stickleymuseum.org.

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Through June 28, 2020 -  Piscataway, Middlesex County
Mid-Century New Jersey Exhibit

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Through 2020 - Ocean Township, Monmouth County

"Votes for Women: The Story of Suffrage"

When the Founders crafted the U.S. Constitution, they gave the authority to decide who could vote to the states. All but one decided it would be men—white, property-owning men, 21 years old and older.

The one exception was New Jersey. For the first few decades of our new nation, property-owning women in New Jersey could vote. But in 1807, state legislators took a step backward and rescinded the right. New Jersey women joined their sisters across the country who were shut off from the ballot.

The new exhibit, “Votes for Women: The Story of Suffrage” opening in the Woolley House, Sunday, tells of the remarkable campaign waged by women across the country to gain (and for New Jersey women, to regain) the vote.

The Start of a Movement
Most historians mark the start of the American suffrage movement from the 1848 Women’s Convention in Seneca Falls, New York, organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. Both women had discovered their political voice fighting for the abolition of slavery. Both had felt the sting of being shut out by male-dominated leadership. They were outraged, frustrated, and ready to take on the status quo. 

The status quo at the time was a sorry mess for women. Not only were they barred from public speaking and leadership positions, but married women could not own property, keep their own wages, or enter into any legal contract. Women were shut out of most professions. Divorce was near impossible, even in cases of abuse. A woman’s place was in the home—often an inherited home whose title had been ceded to her husband.

In 1851, three years after the Seneca Falls conference, Elizabeth Cady Stanton met Susan B. Anthony. Though strikingly unlike in appearance and temperament, they became lifelong friends. Together, they made a formidable team that reigned for more than 50 years as the iconic leaders of the suffrage movement.

Anthony and Stanton travelled the country making speeches and gathering support. When Stanton, mother of seven, cut back on travel, she stayed hard a work—writing Anthony’s speeches, organizing supporters, even rewriting the Bible from a feminist perspective.

Both women were bitterly disappointed when Congress refused, following the Civil War, to expand the language of the 15th Amendment to bar discrimination in voting based on both race and sex. Their outrage generated harsh statements from these former abolitionists that created a lasting racial rift among suffragists.

Anthony and Stanton did not give up. In 1878, they pushed for a 16th Amendment to guarantee women the right to vote. The “Susan B. Anthony Amendment,” as it became known, failed in this first attempt and was introduced anew to each session of Congress for the next 42 years! The (by then) 19th Amendment, granting women’s suffrage, was finally ratified in 1920.

They Didn’t Live to see It
Neither Stanton nor Anthony lived to see passage. Their efforts fell short of their goals. But the inroads they gained, the organizations they created, and the national awareness they built set the stage for the next generation—the early 20th century activists who carried the campaign for women’s suffrage to victory.

The Second Wave
Among this second wave of suffragists were the daughters of Elizabeth Stanton and Lucretia Mott—and newcomers, including Carrie Chapman Catt and New Jersey native Alice Paul. Catt and Paul were rivals. Their strategies and styles were at odds. Catt favored local campaigns to change state voting laws. She thought militant demonstration unpatriotic after the U.S. entered World War I in 1917.

In contrast, Paul took the fight for a U.S. Constitutional amendment to President Wilson’s doorstep. She lead an 18-month long picketing campaign at the gates to the White House. She welcomed arrest and used the mistreatment of imprisioned suffragists to build public sympathy. Faced with a public relations nightmare, Wilson gave in and threw his support in favor of the federal amendment.

Passage of the Anthony Amendment was “the greatest expansion of democracy on a single day the world had ever seen” (Eleanor Clift, Founding Sisters).

The Township of Ocean Historical Museum, founded in 1984, is a member-supported, non-profit organization. Its headquarters, the Eden Woolley House, is one of the few 18th century structures still in existence in the Township and is open to the public on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays (1:00 - 4:00 pm), Thursday evenings (7:00 - 9:00 pm - March 15 through December 15 each year) and the first and second Sundays of each month (1:00 - 4:00 pm). The Museum also maintains a library and archive, which houses manuscripts, books, and photographs of historical and genealogical interest. For more information, call 732-531-2136 or visit www.OceanMuseum.org.

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