NJ Weekend Historical Happenings: 10/19/19 - 10/20/19

 New Jersey Weekend Historical Happenings

A Weekly Feature on www.thehistorygirl.com

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

Friday - Saturday, October 18 - 19 - Perth Amboy, Middlsex County
A Haunted Lantern Walk

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Friday - Saturday, October 18 - 19 - Farmingdale, Monmouth County
Haunted Hayride at Allaire Village
Children Friendly

Historic Allaire Village, presents Halloween Hayrides on Friday, and Saturday from 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm. With a NEW and spook-tacular route along the winding paths of time, nearly 20 different "scenes" greet visitors of all ages. Your ticket includes not only the haunted hayride, but admission to the village grounds and historic buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries. Visit with our ghosts, ghouls, and monsters. Storytelling at the Chapel; a special night out at the Blacksmith Shop; the Manager's House with fortune-telling for your entertainment; Mr. Allaire's House with a haunted house theme; the Carriage House with legendary spirits; the towering four story shadows of the General Store stocked with seasonal goods; and don't forget treats at the Bakery plus our very own Haunted Food Truck! In the dark of the night, from woods to historic homes, the Historic Village at Allaire takes on a twist for the Halloween season. With varied activities we welcome children, families, and adults of all ages!

The cost for the hayride is $10 for child under 12 and $15 for adults. ADVANCED TICKET PURCHASE IS REQUIRED. CAPACITY is LIMITED by "hourly time blocks.” Tickets are for sale by calling 732-919-3500 - please have your credit card ready. You can also purchase tickets at www.allairevillage.org.

If you have young children or your children are afraid of the dark, we recommend coming earlier in the evening for a hayride at twilight.

The Historic Village at Allaire is located in Allaire State Park, 4265 Atlantic Avenue, Farmingdale, NJ. For more information, contact the Allaire Village office during business hours, Monday through Friday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, at 732-919-3500 or visit www.allairevillage.org.

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Saturday, October 19 - Hardwick, Warren County

Octivities at Millbrook Village
Children Friendly Event

On Saturday, Millbrook Village will be open from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm for a day of activities for kids of all ages! The fall foliage will be in its glory and the hills will be a blaze of vibrant colors. Volunteers and Park Rangers in period clothing will demonstrate some old fashion handcrafts and the children can make corn husk dolls, apple heads, leaf rubbings, potato stampings, a miniature cheesecloth ghost, a mask, or maybe even more. There will be lots of interesting things to see and do throughout the day. There will be a costume contest at approximately 1:00 pm at the VanCampen Farmhouse.

Octivities is presented by Millbrook Village Society and the National Park Service. All activities are family oriented and free of charge. Octivities will be held in the VanCampen Farmhouse at Millbrook Village. Other buildings will be open for visitation and demonstrations depending on weather and the availability of volunteers. Octivities will be held rain or shine. Light seasonal refreshments will be served.

Millbrook Village is part of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Millbrook Village is located in Hardwick Township, NJ at the intersection of Old Mine Road and Millbrook Road, County Route 602N.  For more information and directions, call 908-841-9531, 908-537-2544, or 973-875-3461 or visit their Facebook page.

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Saturday, October 19 - Pohatcong, Warren County
Pohatcong's 25th Annual Historic House Tour



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Saturday, October 19 - Somers Point, Atlantic County
Horsepower by the Bay
Family Friendly Event

Horsepower by the Bay, a car and boat show sponsored by the Somers Point Historical Societywill take place on Saturday. Hours are 10:00 am - 2:00 pm. The event features vintage, classic, and antique cars, along with vintage boats, and military and fire equipment. Plus food, flea market, swap meet and more! We have had between 150 to 250 cars each year so register now. Horsepower by the Bay will take place at the Shore Medical Center surface lot located at Harbor Lane and Bay Avenue, Somers Point, NJ. To register your car or vintage boat, visit www.somerspointhistory.org. Admission to the event is free and will be held rain or shine. For questions, contact Kirk at coupe1956@aol.com. For more information, visit www.somerspointhistory.org.

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Saturday, October 19- Paterson, Passaic County
Harvest Festival at Lambert Castle
Children Friendly Event - Recommended Ages 3 - 12

Join Lambert Castle on Saturday between 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm on the North Lawn, as the Passaic County Historical Society ushers in the Autumn season with history, food, and fun fall children's activities. Children can participate in fall crafts and games, learn about local historic sites, drill with some Revolutionary War soldiers and much more. The day concludes at 5:30 pm as we read a version of Washington Irving’s classic story and sing some Halloween songs. You might even have a chance to meet the Headless Horseman in person! Bring your own blankets or lawn chairs. Recommended for children age 3-12 years. Free admission, donations requested. No rain date.

Passaic County Historical Society, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, was founded to cultivate interest among individuals and the community-at-large in the rich history of Passaic County. To this end our museum in Lambert Castle showcases examples of the County’s cultural and artistic diversity, as well as examples of the County’s natural, civil, military, and ecclesiastical history. The Society also maintains a library and archive, which houses manuscripts, books and photographs of historical and genealogical interest.

Lambert Castle, home of the Passaic County Historical Society, is located at 3 Valley Road, Paterson NJ. For more information regarding museum hours and admission, visit the Passaic County Historical Society’s website at www.lambertcastle.org or call 973-247-0085.

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Saturday, October 19 - Haledon, Passaic County

Programs at the American Labor Museum/Botto House

On Saturday at 1:00 pm, the American Labor Museum/Botto House proudly welcomes the general public to an exhibit reception with artist Zach Horn. Mr. Horn will offer a tour of his exhibit United We Bargain, Divided We Beg and will answer questions. The exhibit features contemporary, heroic-scale portraiture of labor union workers that were specifically created by Mr. Horn for the exhibit space at the museum.

Light refreshments will be served, and the museum store will be open for browsing and shopping. Zach Horn is a lecturer at the University of Massachusetts Boston and at Boston University. In many ways, Zach Horn observes, union members are our unsung heroes. United We Bargain, Divided We Beg will be on view at the Museum through Dec. 31st, 2019.

At 2:00 and in honor of National Arts and Humanities Month, the museum proudly welcomes the general public to "Tensions of the Pro-Labor & Anti-Union Sentiment in the Progressive Era," a presentation with discussion by Jonathan Lurie Ph.D., Rutgers University. 

Light refreshments will be served. Dr. Lurie's book William Howard Taft: The Travails of a Progressive Conservative was published in 2012. His latest book on the Chief Justiceship of Taft (1921-1930) was published in 2019. Dr. Lurie's presentation will follow artist Zach Horn's talk and tour of his exhibit at 1:00 pm. For further information,call 973-595-7953 or visit www.labormuseum.net.

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Saturday, October 19 - Lower Township, Cape May County
Pumpkin Festival at Historic Cold Spring Village
Children Friendly

It's the spookiest time of the year at the village! Celebrate all things Halloween and autumn at the 28th Annual Pumpkin Festival. This fun, free event will take place on the grounds of Historic Cold Spring Village on Saturday from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm and is presented by the Lower Township Rotary Club. Admission is free; guests are encouraged to donate non-perishable goods to the 'Share the Harvest' Food Drive.

Families can enjoy pumpkin painting and games throughout the day. A variety of crafters will sell their wares along the Village’s shell-paved lanes. Vendors will be selling hot dogs, funnel cake, and other snacks. Visit a haunted house at the Corson Gandy Barn and hop on a fall hayride through the farm. Don't miss the Children's Halloween Parade at 11:00 am. Please call the Lower Township Recreation Department at 609-886-7880 for parade registration information.

Historic Cold Spring Village is located on Route 9, three miles north of Victorian Cape May and a mile and a half west of the southern end of the Garden State Parkway. For more information, call 609-898-2300, ext. 10 or visit the Village www.hcsv.org.

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Saturday, October 19 - Princeton, Mercer County
In Her Footsteps: How Women Shaped Princeton Tour

Wiebke Martens and Jennifer Jang, authors of Discovering Princeton, have developed a brand new tour dedicated to the contributions of women in the community. The walk includes an overview of Princeton’s history and focuses on some of the women who have helped make Princeton – both town and its namesake University – what it is today. Stops include the new Betsey Stockton Garden, Alexander Hall, and Dorothea’s House.

Admission: $15 per person. Tour begins in front of the Bainbridge House, 158 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ. Tour begins at 10:00 am and ends at 12:00 noon. Space is limited - register online or call 609-921-6748 x102. For more information, call 609-921-6748 or visit www.princetonhistory.org.

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Saturday, October 19 - River Edge, Bergen County
Calico Frolic

The Bergen County Historical Society will host a Calico Frolic from 6:30 - 9:30 pm on Saturday in the Steuben House at Historic New Bridge Landing.

The Tricorne Dance Ensemble of Glen Rock under the direction of dance mistress Denise Piccino of Hawthorne invite the public to join them in an evening of dancing and music from the colonial period. Musical accompaniment for the night will be provided by Ridley and Anne Enslow on the fiddle and hammered dulcimer. Enjoy seasonal refreshments and cider in the Dwelling Room between sets.

Period dress (late 18th or early 19th century) is welcome, but not required. $15 per person and $12 for BCHS members and students. Tickets can be purchased at the door. Historic New Bridge Landing is located at 1201-1209 Main Street, River Edge, NJ. Free parking available or take a train on the Pascack Valley Line from Secaucus via NJ Transit to the New Bridge Landing Train stop. For more information, visit www.bergencountyhistory.org.

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Saturday, October 19 - Trenton, Mercer County
Princeton Preservation Group Presents History and Preservation of the William Trent House

The 1719 home of Trenton’s namesake, William Trent, is the topic of this program. The William Trent House, now a museum, is significant historically and architecturally. In the course of its 300-year existence, it has seen many structural changes, in spite of which it remains remarkably intact. In this lecture at 2:00 pm, Kevin Joy will present a brief history of the house, an overview of its architecture, and examine in detail structural changes over the years. He will also discuss recent rehabilitation and the conservation and preservation challenges faced in maintaining an antique house museum. An optional tour of the house will be conducted after the program.

Kevin Joy is a retired NYC Music Business Executive and longtime resident of Bucks County. He is past President of the Trent House Association in Trenton, New Jersey, and is an Historic Preservation consultant and Architectural Historian with projects in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.

Free to attend. RSVP requested to shelagh.reilly@co.monmouth.nj.us. The William Trent House is located at 15 Market Street, Trenton, NJ, across from the Hughes Justice Complex. There is plenty of free off-street parking. For more information, visit www.williamtrenthouse.org.

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Saturday, October 19 - Franklin Township, Somerset County
The Right to Vote for NJ Women - In 1776?

American women, after decades of struggle and demonstration, finally were given the right to vote in 1920 with the ratification of the 19th amendment. Did you know that some New Jersey women (white women who owned property) had the right to vote from 1776 to 1807?

On Saturday at 1:30 pm, Carol Levin will present, "Reclaiming Our Voice," a talk focusing on this intriguing slice of our state's early history. The program chronicles New Jersey's largely overlooked role in the women's suffrage movement. As the only state to have women's suffrage (the NJ 1776 state constitution enabled some women to vote), then lose it (the all-male legislature took it away in 1807), NJ was a symbol to many suffragists.

It was a long struggle for all. Only one person who attended the first national Women's Rights Convention in 1850 lived long enough to see women attain the right to vote. Antoinette Brown Blackwell -- life-long activist, minister, scientist and long-time New Jersey resident -- proudly cast her ballot in Elizabeth, NJ in November 1920!

The talk will be presented in the Dutch barn at Rockingham State Historic Site, with time for questions and light refreshments to follow. Seating is limited and it is suggested to call and register to guarantee a spot at 609-683-7132. A donation of $5 per person is suggested at the time of the program.

Rockingham is located at 84 Laurel Avenue, Kingston-Rocky Hill Rd. (Rte. 603) in Franklin Township, 1 mile north of Rte. 27 in Kingston, and 1 mile south of Rte. 518 in Rocky Hill. For more information, call 609-683-7132 or visit www.rockingham.net.

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Saturday, October 19 - Holmdel, Monmouth County
Accordion Melodies of the 1890s
Children Friendly Site & Event

On Saturday, visit Historic Longstreet Farm in Holmdel and stop in the farmhouse to hear melodies from the 1890s played on the accordion. This free events run 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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Saturday, October 19 - Hopewell Township, Mercer County

Basket & Broom Making; Wheat Weaving
Children Friendly Event

On Saturday, the sights and sounds of trades that were once essential in rural communities like Pleasant Valley, New Jersey will come to life when a broom maker and basket weaver put their tools and skills to work at Howell Living Farm.

The demonstrations can be seen in the farm’s wagon house and visitors are encouraged to meet and talk with the tradesmen and tradeswomen, and use their finished products to help farmers sweep the barn, carry water for horses, and gather corn in baskets.

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, October 19 - South Bound Brook, Somerset County
NJ Paranormal Investigators at the Abraham Staats House

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Saturdays through October 25 - East Brunswick, Middlesex County
East Brunswick Ghost Walk Series
Ages 8+

October 2019 marks the Fifth Annual East Brunswick Ghost Walk series, located in the historic Old Bridge village section of town. This neighborhood was settled in the 1600s, but was originally inhabited by the Lenape. Their trails became roads and their village became the site of the South River Bridge Tavern. In 1727, a local Indian Sachem shot and killed the owner of the tavern, marking the first, but not the last, murder to occur here.

This year features stories of the deaths and apparitions associated with these ancient village grounds. The Herbert Appleby House on Main Street is a hot-bed of paranormal activity including orbs, spectral visions and voices. In fact, most of the pre-Civil War homes in the village report paranormal activity, including the site of the Rachel Wright murder of 1906. Newly disclosed stories will be shared, including the 1934 gangland shooting linked to the infamous Hall-Mills murders.

The tour lasts about ninety minutes, rain or shine (bring umbrellas). They begin at 7:30 pm each Saturday evening and start at 5 Pine Street at the Old Bridge Volunteer Fire Company. For GPS directions, use 21 Kossman Street as the central point of the historic village. The cost is $8 per person, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Old Bridge Volunteer Fire Department, a longstanding neighborhood institution. The tour is appropriate for ages eight and above and are both wheelchair and stroller friendly. Flashlights and cameras are recommended. Parking is available in the neighborhood.

The Ghost Walk Series is sponsored by the New Jersey Ghost Organization. The tour is also benefiting the Animal Rescue Force; please bring pet food and supply donations. For more information, please check out the East Brunswick Ghost Walk page on Facebook.

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Saturday, October 19 - 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, October 19 - 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 from 10:00 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, October 19 - 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 tours at 6:45, 7:45, and 8:45 pm begins and ends at the Physick Estate, 1048 Washington Street, Cape May, NJ. 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, October 19 - Cape May, Cape May County
Phantoms of the Physick Estate: Victorian Spiritualism House Tour
Family Friendly Tour

Victorians were fascinated by Spiritualism and the occult. Visit the “haunted” Physick Estate and learn from your guide about this Victorian obsession. You will even hear an electronic voice phenomenon (EVP) that 21st century technology has captured within these walls, and understand why they are reputed to host more than the living. Appropriate for all ages. The tour will be on Saturday at 12:30, 1:45, and 3:00 pm. 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, October 19 - 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. Tour on Saturday at 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, October 19 - 20 - 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 11:45 am, 1:00 pm, and 2:15 pm. Tours on Sunday at 11:45 am, 1:00 pm, and 2:15 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, October 19 - 20 - 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 8:00 am - 8:00 pm on Saturday and 8:00 am - 6:00 pm on 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, October 19 - 20 - Cape May, Cape May County
Scarecrow Alley at the Physick Estate
Family Friendly

Once again, the grounds of the Physick Estate will be transformed for a spooky Halloween, and Scarecrow Alley showcases homemade scarecrows -- from the ghoulishly gruesome to the foolishly funny! VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE! Visit the Carriage House Gallery at the Physick Estate during hours of operation and cast your vote for your favorite scarecrow.

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, October 19 - 20 - Across the NJ Shore and Delaware Bay/River
New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge
Children Friendly

New Jersey Lighthouses, museums and life saving stations will host a "Lighthouse Challenge of New Jersey" weekend on Saturday and Sunday. The public is invited (and challenged) to visit all participating lighthouses over the weekend and help raise funds for continued lighthouse preservation. 

These majestic beacons have played an important role in New Jersey's history, guarding mariners and protecting our coasts for three centuries. Lighthouses serve as a reminder of American ingenuity while honoring the values of safety and heroism. Visit the lighthouses and museums on the Challenge for an opportunity to step back in time and learn more about our state and nation's maritime history.

The Delaware Bay Lighthouse Keepers and the virtual tour of the Bay lights will be located at the Cape May Lighthouse.

Begin the Challenge at any of the ten participating lighthouses, one museum, and three life-saving stations and purchase a souvenir booklet ($5). Every lighthouse, museum and life saving station will have a penny for you with a picture of their site. The pennies from each site are free. Just remember to bring your book to each check in to get your penny. Night climbs will be offered at Absecon, Cape May, and Tinicum on Saturday. During the weekend, children 11 and under climb free with an adult. General hours both days are 8:00 am - 6:00 pm, excluding the night climbs, which will be open until 8:00 pm. Information for every participating lighthouse and museum, addresses, and more can be found at www.lighthousechallengenj.org.

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Saturday - Sunday, October 19 - 20 - Union County
Four Centuries in a Weekend
Children Friendly Sites

Experience Union County's rich heritage! The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, staff, and volunteers at 37 house museums, historic sites, and history organizations join together to invite the public to come  and discover more than 370 years of history during the annual "Four Centuries in a Weekend, A Journey Through Union County's History." The two-day, free event is scheduled for 12:00 noon - 5:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday.

"Four Centuries in a Weekend" began in 1994 when 16 historic sites and the County of Union organized a weekend event to tell the story of how Elizabethtown of 1664 evolved into the 21 municipalities of today's Union County.

A visit to Hillside will bring you to the Woodruff House/Eaton Store, built in 1735; and the historic Evergreen Cemetery, a virtual museum of funerary art. In Rahway you'll be welcome at the Merchants and Drovers Tavern, a restored early 19th century hotel, and you can tour the Union County Performing Arts Center, a beautifully restored classic Vaudeville venue.

When you stop at the Dr. William Robinson Plantation in Clark, you'll discover a post-medieval English-style house where Dr. Robinson practiced healing with plants and herbs.

At the Abraham Clark House, home to a signer of the Declaration of Independence, you'll learn about Early American life and the history of Roselle. In the Roselle Park Museum, housed in the Charles E. Stone Store, you'll be standing in the first electrically-lighted store in the world.

Three authentic 18th century farmhouses are open for touring: the Miller-Cory House in Westfield; the Salt Box Museum in New Providence; and the Nathaniel Drake House in Plainfield, which was used as George Washington's headquarters during the Revolutionary War.

Venturing into the Watchung Mountains, you'll find the Deacon Andrew Hetfield House in Mountainside, home to the Hetfield family for 186 years; stroll through the Deserted Village of Feltville-Glenside Park in the Watchung Reservation, an 1845 town created by businessman David Felt; visit the Littell-Lord Farmstead in Berkeley Heights, a reminder of the County's agricultural past; and explore Summit, with its Twin Maples, a stately neoclassical mansion; the Carter House, the city's oldest house, built in the 1740s; and the Summit Playhouse, a Richardsonian Romanesque structure with a 120-seat auditorium.

Union County is also part of the Passport To Your National Parks program where Parks enthusiasts have their passports stamped when they visit historic sites around the county. Union County is one of 14 New Jersey counties that comprise the NPS’ Crossroads of the Revolution National Heritage area, which recognizes the role New Jersey played in the American Revolution. Twenty-three of the sites have stamps available.

Children can earn a Time Traveler's Certificate and a Four Centuries Patch by visiting and obtaining a Time Traveler Passport at any of the sites, having it stamped and returning the completed form to the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs. For free copies of the Four Centuries in a Weekend tour booklet, map, and further information visit http://ucnj.org/parks-recreation/cultural-heritage-affairs/historic-sites-map.

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Saturday - Sunday, October 19 - 20 - Union Township, Union County
Union Township Historical Society and Four Centuries in a Weekend
Children Friendly Site

The Union Township Historical Society will host Four Centuries in a Weekend at the Caldwell Parsonage on Saturday and Sunday (12:00 noon - 5:00 pm both days). Refreshments will be served. Admission is free. 

Rev. James Caldwell, portrayed by Meridoc Burkhardt, will greet visitors to the museum. His appearance is made possible in part through a HEART (History, Education, Arts Reaching Thousands) Grant from the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Students from the Kawameeh Middle School National Junior Honor Society and the Union High School History Club will serve as historical interpreters (aka docents).

Members of Girl Scout Troop 40024 will assist with colonial doll-making and colonial games.

Visitors can enjoy: 
* wearing colonial bonnets and tricorn hats and faux colonial children's outfits for photos for social media;
* collecting Union County's Hannah Caldwell, James Caldwell, and Battle of Connecticut Farms trading cards;
* having their National Park Service Passports and/or Union County Passport booklets stamped--the Parsonage, part of the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area, is an official National Park Service cancellation site;
* history of Union, an original video produced by the UHS History Club and partly taken from a drone, showing notable sites in Union;
* a new historic Union map exhibit created for the weekend--36" x 48" reproductions of the 1860 Union farm map will be available for purchase;
* a new exhibit on long-time Township Clerk, Mary Miller, a descendant of the Miller family, who lived in Connecticut Farms (aka Union) at least since 1730; and
* an exhibit of historic household conveniences; farm implements; old TV’s, radios, and office equipment in the Tool Museum in the carriage house (aka barn).

The Caldwell Parsonage is located at 909 Caldwell Avenue, Union, NJ.

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Saturday - Sunday, October 19 - 20 - Westfield, Union County
Four Centuries in a Weekend at The Reeve History & Cultural Resource Center
Family Friendly Event

The Westfield Historical Society invites visitors to the Union County’s Four Centuries in a Weekend Open House at the Reeve House on Saturday and Sunday from 12:00 noon - 5:00 pm.

The Reeve House will feature a brand-new exhibit of items from the Westfield Historical Society’s Archive collection of Charles Addams artifacts. Items include some of his sketches and memorabilia of his time as a child growing up in Westfield. The famous cartoonist grew up in Westfield and many of his cartoons, which became the basis for the Addams Family television series, were related to his Westfield experiences.

Union County trading cards will be available at the Reeve house including the cards for Charles Addams, Dr. Virginia Apgar, Langston Hughes, and Zora Neale Hurston. Passports will also be stamped for those visitors traveling from site to site.

On Sunday there will be a reenactment of a Civil War encampment on the Reeve House lawn. Stop by and talk to the “soldier/s” to learn what their life was like during the Civil War. As an added treat, this year, the Westfield Historical Society’s Annual AppleFest event will also take place on Saturday from 12:00 - 4:00 pm at The Reeve House.

The Reeve History and Cultural Resource Center is located at 314 Mountain Avenue in Westfield, NJ. For more information, visit www.westfieldhistoricalsociety.org.

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Saturday - Sunday, October 19 - 20 - Westfield, Union County
Miller-Cory House Museum Open
Family Friendly

The Miller-Cory House Museum in Westfield will participate in Union County's annual history open house program. Open hearth cooking demonstrations will take place on Saturday and Sunday in the Frazee Building. On Saturday, the museum cooks will also be “firing up” the beehive oven – a laborious task! The cooks must rely on their skill and experience in order to successfully regulate temperature and bake their items. Sunday will feature an interesting program on the lore of the Lenape Native Americans. The presenters will explain customs, beliefs and ceremonies, and display artifacts. Included is a medicine pouch craft for children. Admission for both days is free. The site is open 12:00 noon - 5:00 pm both days.

The Miller-Cory House Museum is located at 614 Mountain Avenue, Westfield, NJ. For more information, call 908-232-1776, e-mail millercorymuseum@gmail.com, or visit www.millercoryhouse.com.

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Saturday - Sunday, October 19 - 20 - Morris Township, Morris County
The Time to Mourn
Mature Children and Adults

On Saturday and Sunday at Fosterfields Living Historical Farm at 1:00 and 2:00 pm, tour the Foster family home, The Willows, to explore the unique death and mourning traditions of the Victorian period. Customs, now considered strange, influenced loved ones for months and years after the deceased had passed.

Admission: $6 per adult, $5 per senior (65+), $4 per child age 4 - 16, $2 per child age 2 & 3. FREE per child under age 2. Friends members are half price 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, October 20 - 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, October 20 -  Morris Township, Morris County
Junior Engineer Day
Children Friendly Event and Site

Junior Engineers are invited to build an invention at Historic Speedwell from 2:00 - 4:00 pm to take home and create a poster to advertise it. Preregistration is required. To register, 973-285-6537. 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, NJ. For more information, call 973-285-6550 or visit www.morrisparks.net.

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Sunday, October 20 - East Brunswick, Middlesex County
The Dreyfus Affair: Spies, Lies, and Justice Denied

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Sunday, October 20 - Woodstown, Salem County

“The Logistics of the Underground Railroad”

The Salem County Historical Society has announced that Alvin Q. Corbett will present a talk on “The Logistics of the Underground Railroad” for the 16th John S. Rock Memorial Lecture to be held on Sunday at the Friends Village, Fenwick Auditorium, One Friends Drive, Woodstown, NJ at 3:00 pm. The public is invited to enjoy this free educational program.

Alvin Q. Corbett is a Burlington County New Jersey resident who hails originally from Wilson, North Carolina. Corbett is a descendant of a United States Colored Troops Civil War soldier, as well as a historical preservationist, historian and avid researcher of African and American history. He served as Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Underground Railroad Museum of Burlington County, New Jersey from 2014-2017. Corbett is also a visiting scholar with the History Department of Rutgers University, a member of the Salem and Camden County New Jersey Historical Societies and a friend of the Peter Mott Underground Railroad Museum of Lawnside, New Jersey.

As part of the society’s educational programming, this lecture commemorates the life of abolitionist John Stewart Rock (1826–1866), teacher, healer, and counselor. Rock, born in Salem County, was a black abolitionist of national prominence, who was well known in his time but less recognized in ours. He was the first African American to be admitted to the Bar of the United States Supreme Court on February 1, 1865. The Society continues to honor the life of this native son through this lecture series and through an annual John Stewart Rock Memorial Scholarship of $500 at the Salem Community College. Contributions from the community at large fund both commemorations through a restricted fund at the Salem County Historical Society. 

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Sunday, October 20 and 27 - Westfield, Union County

The Charles Addams Walking Tour

Join local architect Greg Blasi on a walking tour past Charles Addams’ home, his favorite haunts, and the house said to have inspired his Addams Family creations. Hosted by the Westfield Historical Society. Two tours times are available (rain or shine): Sunday, October 20 from 3:00 - 5:00 pm and Sunday, October 27 from 3:00 - 5:00 pm. The tour begins at the corner of Lawrence Avenue and Dudley Avenue.

Please meet architect and Westfield Historical Society Trustee Greg Blasi at 3:00 pm at the corner of Dudley & Lawrence. Tour cost is $5 for Westfield Historical Society members and $10 for non-members. Advance reservations and payment are required. Space is limited, so register soon. Names will be checked at start of tour. Register/Pay online at this link. For more information, visit www.westfieldhistoricalsociety.org.

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Sunday, October 20 - Raritan Township, Hunterdon County
"The Civil War's Long Shadow in Southern Hunterdon County"

The Hunterdon Land Trust Farmers' Market will host a talk on "The Civil War's Long Shadow in Southern Hunterdon County" with Hunterdon County Historical Society Trustee John Allen on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. in the Dvoor Farm wagon house.

Allen explores how the Civil War affected several Hunterdon County communities including East Amwell, West Amwell, and Raritan and Delaware townships. Allen's research uncovers some fascinating and tragic snapshots of how the Civil War affected the veterans and their families.

Also, join Beatriz Velasquez in the wagon house at 8:00 am for Farmers’ Market yoga. Cost is $15; please bring a mat. Dark Whiskey will perform from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm.

The Farmers’ Market, open from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, features more than 20 local farmers and vendors offering organic produce, all-natural meat, honey, artisan breads, fresh-cut flowers, cheese, eggs, locally roasted coffee, native plants and more. Visitors can enjoy a flatbread pizza made with ingredients provided by local farmers while listening to live music.

This program and market will be held at the Dvoor Farm, 111 Mine Street, in Flemington, NJ. For more information, visit www.hunterdonlandtrust.org.

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Sunday, October 20 - Toms River, Ocean County
The Rise and Fall of the Ku Klux Klan in New Jersey

Join Ocean County Historical Society, 26 Hadley Avenue, Toms River, NJ on Sunday at 2:00 pm in welcoming co-author, Joseph G. Bilby, as he presents his book, The Rise and Fall of the Ku Klux Klan in New Jersey, which will be available for sale at $20.00.

Joe Bilby received his BA and MA degrees in history from Seton Hall, served as an officer in the First Infantry Division of Vietnam, and is now part-time Assistant Curator of the National Guard Militia Museum of NJ in Sea Girt. He is the author, co-author, or editor of twenty-one books, a freelance writer, historical consultant, and a winner of numerous awards for his work. Free admission, but donations are accepted. Refreshments served. For reservations, call 732-341-1880. For more information, visit www.oceancountyhistory.org.
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Sunday, October 20 - Maplewood, Essex County
Theodore Roosevelt to Return to Childhood Stomping Grounds in Maplewood

Don’t miss Theodore Roosevelt’s resplendent return to Maplewood on Sunday at 2:00 pm at Jefferson School sponsored by the Durand-Hedden House. Teddy once roamed the hills and meadows of our town as a boy exploring nature while visiting his Uncle Cornelius’s estate, now the Roosevelt Park section. Expertly played by historic interpreter Joe Wiegand, Theodore Roosevelt will come back to reconnect with Maplewood and vividly share stories of his life, family, and presidency.

Born in NYC in 1858, Roosevelt graduated from Harvard University and was elected the youngest member of the New York State General Assembly. In the years that followed, he became a cattle rancher in the Dakota Territory, served as the president of the Police Commission of New York City, the Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Navy, the Governor of New York, and in 1901, the Vice-President and the President of the U.S., all by the age of 42.  A driving force of the Progressive movement, Roosevelt is admired today for championing his “Square Deal” domestic policies, promising the average citizen fairness, breaking of trusts, regulation of railroads, and pure food and drugs. He also made conservation a top priority and established many new national parks, forests, and monuments. Many historians and political scientists consider him one of the five best U.S. presidents.

Joe Wiegand is the nation’s premiere reprisor of Theodore Roosevelt. His performances have been featured at hundreds of historic places associated with TR’s life and legacy, including TR’s birthplace in NYC and his beloved home, Sagamore Hill on L.I., and in film and on television. Joe’s Theodore Roosevelt is based on solid scholarship and delivered with Rooseveltian showmanship.

This entertaining and educational event will take place in the Jefferson School auditorium (518 Ridgewood Road, Maplewood, NJ) directly across the street from the Durand-Hedden House (523 Ridgewood Road). The door on the Virginia Road side of the school will be open at 1:30 pm. Afterwards, light refreshments will be served at Durand-Hedden and there will be an opportunity to mingle with the exuberant 26th President of the U.S.  The exhibit on the history of slavery in New Jersey will also be on view.  The Country Store will be open until 5:00 p.m., offering hard-to-find books, posters, toys, local honey, Original 1910 Chocolate Fudge Sauce decorative items and maps that people have come to love.

The event is free; donations are welcome.

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, October 20 - Morristown, Morris County
America's Most Influential Journalist: The Life, Times and Legacy of Thomas Nast

On Sunday at 2:00 pm join Nast Scholar and Lincoln Prize winner John Adler as he previews his forthcoming biography of Thomas Nast. Reception to follow. FREE with museum admission and for members. Macculloch Hall Historical Museum is located at 45 Macculloch Avenue, Morristown, NJ. For more information, call 973-538-2404 or visit www.maccullochhall.org.

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Sunday, October 20 - Whippany, Morris County
Halloween Express
Children Friendly Event

Halloween, with its goblins, ghouls, and witches lies just around the corner. Bring the kids and enjoy Halloween and the Season of the Witch at the Whippany Railway Museum!

Children and adults of all ages are encouraged to come dressed in their Halloween costumes, helping to make the train a kid-friendly, festive sight. In the interest of safety, please do not wear masks! Each child will receive a souvenir of their ride.

Walk through a railroad yard, lost in time, where you'll see the finest collection of restored, historic railroad locomotives and cars in the state of New Jersey - some dating back well over 100 years!  

Climb aboard for a relaxing excursion train ride that follows the route of the Historic Whippanong Trail. The train will feature restored, antique cabooses that passengers can ride in. Make your day extra special by riding aboard the museum's elegantly restored 1927-era Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) Club Car, Jersey Coast.  The car has the look and feel of a private club with individual leather chairs, mahogany interior accented with stained glass, built-in tables, and period ceiling fans. The Jersey Coast recalls the 1930s when the CNJ operated its deluxe coach train, the Blue Comet, between Jersey City and Atlantic City, NJ. The striking paint scheme of cream and blue reminds one of a comet streaking through space.  It is the only car of its type operating in New Jersey.

Trains depart at 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, and 4:00 pm. Don't forget to visit the museum and see the seasonal indoor railroad display. Admission is included in the price of your excursion tickets!

Train Fare: Caboose seating: Adult: $16.00, Child (under 12): $11.00, Infants (1 year and under): Pre-order ticket online using a credit card at www.whippanyrailwaymuseum.net. The Whippany Railway Museum is located at 1 Railroad Plaza at the intersection of Route 10 West & Whippany Road in Whippany, NJ. For more information, call 973-887-8177 or visit www.whippanyrailwaymuseum.net.

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Sunday, October 20 - Princeton, Mercer County
The Magic and History of Marquand Park

In 1953, the Marquand family donated 17 acres of their estate, Guernsey Hall, to the municipality of Princeton to serve as an arboretum and passive recreation park. Once part of a 30-acre farm owned by Judge Richard Stockton Field, Marquand Park is home to more than 150 different tree specimens, some dating back over 170 years!

Join Roland and Pam Machold, of the Marquand Park Foundation, as they share the history of the property and highlight the native and exotic trees in the collection. The tour will last approximately one hour. Tickets are FREE, but registration is required, as space is limited.

Starting location: Marquand Park parking lot on 46 Lover's Lane between Stockton and Mercer Streets. For more information and to reserve tickets, call 609-921-6748 or visit www.princetonhistory.org.

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Through Friday, November 1 - Upper Freehold, Monmouth County
Lasting Impressions: Art from the Park
Children Friendly Site

Many artists have been inspired by the beauty of Historic Walnford’s landscape and structures throughout the seasons and across many years. View a selection of paintings, drawings and photographs on display in the Cow Barn. Feel inspired to create your own lasting impression? Plein air artists are always welcome in the park. View the exhibit daily from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.

While there, visit the large, elegant Walnford home built in 1774, the 19th century gristmill and the farm buildings set in a beautiful landscape. Walnford is located at 62 Walnford Road, Upper Freehold, NJ. For more information, call 609-259-6275 or visit www.monmouthcountyparks.com.

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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 - Trenton, Mercer County
Preserving the Pinelands: Albert Horner’s Portraits of a National Treasure

The New Jersey State Museum is hosting  Preserving the Pinelands: Albert Horner’s Portraits of a National Treasure from through June 28, 2020 in the 1st floor East Gallery. The exhibit features images which capture the quiet beauty and intimate landscapes of New Jersey’s Pinelands National Reserve by photographer Albert Horner, and artifacts from the NJ State Museum’s collections which tell just some of the stories of the land, animals, people, and industries that make the Reserve a state and national treasure. Horner, a self-taught photographer from Medford Lakes, brings curiosity, reverence and a practiced eye to his craft, recording the forests, cedar swamps, meandering waterways and native wildflowers that make the Pinelands unique. In addition to being home to rare plant and animal species, the Reserve also contains archaeological sites and a vibrant cultural history of craftspeople, industry and agriculture.

The museum is open Tuesday - Sunday from 9:00 am to 4:45 pm. It is closed Mondays and on state holidays. The New Jersey State Museum is located at 205 West State Street, Trenton, NJ. For more information, 609-292-6300 or visit www.state.nj.us/state/museum/index.html.

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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