NJ Weekend Historical Happenings: 12/7/19

New Jersey Weekend Historical Happenings

A Weekly Feature on www.thehistorygirl.com

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

Friday - Saturday, December 6 - 7 - Brick Township, Ocean County
Annual Christmas Celebration

The Brick Township Historical Society will hold its Annual Christmas Celebration at the Havens Homestead Museum, 521 Herbertsville Road, Brick, NJ on Friday and Saturday from 3:00 - 7:00 pm.

This year's theme is "Santa's Workshop." The three main buildings will be decked out in holiday attire. There will be entertainment and refreshments. The Lizzie Herbert Gift Shop will feature specials with seasonal merchandise. The society has a new item - Havens Homestead tee shirts for $10 each. If Santa can get away from the North Pole, he will be making an appearance. Donation is $5.00 for adults, and children under 12 are free. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

Parking is in a lot 150 ft. east of the museum accessed by a driveway that says "Robert Anstett Cultural Center." For more information, call 732-785-2500 or visit www.bricktownshiphistoricalsociety.com.

-----------------------------------
Friday - Sunday, December 6 - 8 - Morris County
Holly Walk 2019

-----------------------------------
Saturday, December 7 - Walpack, Sussex County

Walpack Christmas

Join the Walpack Historical Society for a "Walpack Christmas" at the Rosenkrans Museum, Main Street, Walpack Center, NJ within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. The celebration and open house will take place on Saturday from 12:00 noon - 4:00 pm.

The Rosenkrans Museum will be decorated in the old-fashioned style and refreshments will be served. The museum, a circa 1850 one and a half story frame building with eyebrow windows, was once the typical style of home in the Delaware River Valley. The Walpack Methodist Episcopal Church will also be open.

The event is free and the public is invited. All ages are welcome. For more information, call 973-948-4903 or visit www.walpackhistory.org.

-----------------------------------
Saturday, December 7 - Princeton, Mercer County

Stony Brook Walking Tour

Before there was a "Princeton," six Quaker families established a community on the fertile ground along Stony Brook. This two-hour hike explores the lives of the early settlers and the community they established, while following a portion of the trail George Washington took from Trenton to the Princeton Battlefield. Stops include the Stony Brook Meeting House and Burial Ground, walking a portion of the "hidden" back road into Princeton, and a view of the Battlefield.

Admission: $5 per person and includes farmhouse museum admission. Tours begin at the Updike Farmstead farmhouse, 354 Quaker Road, Princeton, NJ at 1:00 pm and ends at 3:30 pm. Space is limited. For more information and to reserve tickets, call 609-921-6748 or visit www.princetonhistory.org.

-----------------------------------

Saturday, December 7 - Hardwick, Warren County
Victorian Christmas at Millbrook Village
Family Friendly Site

On Saturday from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm, join park rangers and volunteers for a Victorian Christmas celebration. Village buildings, decorated in mid to late 19th-century style, will be open for tours and demonstrations. Watch holiday meals being prepared over an open fire or woodstove. Enjoy the many children's activities hosted in the Van Campen farmhouse, including many hands-on period toys, games, and Victorian crafts.

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.

-----------------------------------
Saturday, December 7 - Cape May, Cape May County
Wassail Day at Historic Cold Spring Village
Children Friendly

Historic Cold Spring Village opens its Homespun Holidays season with Wassail Day on Saturday from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm. The Village paths come alive with the sounds and smells of wintertime at this free event. Select buildings will also be open where guests can enjoy hot beverages and treats served by historical interpreters in period clothing. Visitors can meet Father Christmas in the Country Store. The Country Store will be open and stocked with unique holiday gift ideas including traditionally-processed wool, artisan crafts for the home, books, jewelry, toys and old fashioned candy.

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.

-----------------------------------

Saturday, December 7 - Holmdel, Monmouth County
Cookstove Demonstration
Children Friendly Site & Event

On Saturday, visit Historic Longstreet Farm in Holmdel to see what is cooking on the woodstove in the out kitchen. Discover how food, receipts, cooking techniques, and the kitchen itself has changed since the 1890s. This free events run from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm.

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

-----------------------------------
Saturday, December 7 - Fair Lawn, Bergen County
Dutch Christmas
Children Friendly

Garretson Forge and Farm will its annual Dutch Christmas celebration on Saturday from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm, replete with Sinter Klaas, baked goods, craft tables, and craft demonstrations. Admission is free. The Garretson, one of the oldest historic sites in Bergen County, was home to six generations of the Garretson family and remains a rare surviving example of simple farming life that was prevalent in the 1700s and 1800s. The Forge and Farm are located at 4-02 River Road, Fair Lawn, NJ. For more information, call 551-206-4380 or 201-797-7545 or visit www.garretsonfarm.org.

-----------------------------------
Saturday, December 7 - Trenton, Mercer County
Holiday Open House and Greens Sale
Children Friendly Site

On Saturday from 12:00 noon - 2:00 pm, tour the magnificent 1719 Trent House Museum, decorated for the holidays by the talented members of the Garden Club of Trenton. The Trent House Museum Shop features special items and seasonal gifts. Seasonal refreshments will be provided for our guests all afternoon in the Carriage House/Visitor Center.

Beautifully designed table arrangements and decorated wreaths will be for sale, created by the Garden Club of Trenton. Cut Christmas trees, undecorated wreaths and loose fresh magnolia branches will also be available for sale and awaiting your own creative touch. Event proceeds will benefit the curatorial work and educational programming of the non-profit Trent House Association. The greens sale will be open from 12:00 noon - 5:0 pm.

The Trent House Museum Shop will feature special items and seasonal gifts at a discounted rate. Seasonal refreshments will be provided for our guests all afternoon in the Carriage House/Visitor Center.

The 1719 William Trent House is the oldest building in our state capital. A Georgian-style manor house restored to its former glory and carefully furnished as it would have been in the early 18th century, it is located at 15 Market Street, Trenton, NJ adjacent to the Hughes Justice Complex. Ample free parking. For more information, call 609-989-0087 or visit www.williamtrenthouse.org.

-----------------------------------
Saturday, December 7 - Trenton, Mercer County
Music of Scotland in the 1719 William Trent House

The Trent House Association presents The Practitioners of Musick in a performance honoring the Scottish heritage of William Trent and celebrating the 300th anniversary of the house he built at the Falls of the Delaware in 1719. The program, “Caledonia,” will include music for recorder and harpsichord composed by Bremner, Oswald, and Ramsey, among other Scottish masters, and will be performed in the historic house. The program will begin at 2:00 pm on Saturday at the William Trent House Museum.

Born in Inverness, Scotland, William Trent immigrated to Philadelphia and established himself as a very successful shipping merchant. In 1714, he acquired much of the land that now is the City of Trenton and in 1719 built his Georgian style mansion on his plantation there. Entertainments he hosted would likely have included music by 18th century Scottish composers, which will be performed in the same rooms where Trent and his guests would have heard them.

John Burkhalter and Donovan Klotzbeacher founded the Practitioners of Musick to research and perform the musical riches of 17th and 18th century Great Britain and Ireland and the Colonial and Federal periods in America and have performed and lectured at libraries, museums, and historic sites throughout the region and beyond.

Tickets are $10 at the door and include light refreshments of Scottish and English fare. Visitors can also purchase decorated wreaths and arrangements and seasonal greens in the Visitor Center before or after the concert. The 1719 William Trent House is the oldest building in our state capital. A Georgian-style manor house restored to its former glory and carefully furnished as it would have been in the early 18th century, it is located at 15 Market Street, Trenton, NJ adjacent to the Hughes Justice Complex. Ample free parking. For more information, call 609-989-0087 or visit www.williamtrenthouse.org.

-----------------------------------
Saturday, December 7 - Plainfield, Union County
Case Studies in NJ Genealogy

----------------------------------

Saturday, December 7 - Parsippany, Morris County
Stickley Holiday Open House
Family Friendly Event

Slow down and treat yourself to the sights, sounds and smells of the season at our Stickley Holiday Open House! Join us on Saturday from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm as we suspend tours and welcome visitors to stroll the Log House at their own pace. Spotlight talks given throughout the day by our volunteer docents will highlight aspects of the Stickley-era holiday traditions, celebrations and decor, while visitors are invited to make new holiday memories with friends and family. Joining us is jewelry artisan Sheila Fernekes. Fernekes creates contemporary art jewelry using ancient Native American and African bead weaving techniques. Plan to spend some time strolling through our grounds and visiting our warm and welcoming Holiday Shop at Craftsman Farms, where you can unwind, relax, and recapture the joy of the holiday season choosing a simple treasure for yourself or someone you love. Admission is FREE. 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.

-----------------------------------

Saturday, December 7 - Atlantic City, Atlantic County

Luminary Light Festival

"Luminary Light Festival" is being held at Atlantic City's beacon of light on Saturday from 5:00 - 7:00 pm. This popular southern holiday tradition illuminates neighborhoods by placing candles in white bags and placing them along streets and sidewalks for all to enjoy. We invite guests to decorate and personalize a luminary bag in honor of a family member, friend, beloved pet, or just for fun. Guests will fill their luminaries with beach sand and a candle and position their bag around Atlantic City's own beacon of light and cottage.

Tickets are $20 per person and luminaries and supplies will be provided. Enjoy live violin music and sing-along caroling with popular tunes by the Music Studio of Linwood. Sip a glass of wine or beer and savor a cheese nibble, the company of family and friends and toast the season as we gather together to climb New Jersey’s tallest lighthouse and see the spectacular night view of Atlantic City. Please call 609-449-1360 to make a reservation.

Absecon Lighthouse is located at 31 So. Rhode Island Avenue in Atlantic City. It is open to visitors Thursdays through Mondays, 11:00 am - 4:00 pm. For more information, call 609-449-1360 or visit www.abseconlighthouse.org.

-----------------------------------
Saturday, December 7 - Piscataway, Middlesex County
Seasonal Traditions Holiday Program

-----------------------------------
Saturday, December 7 - Salem, Salem County
32nd Annual Yuletide Tour of Historic Salem
Children Friendly Event

-----------------------------------
Saturday, December 7 - South Bound Brook, Somerset County
Candlelight Tours at the Abraham Staats House

---------------------------------

Saturday - Sunday, December 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 3:45 pm and 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.

-----------------------------------

Saturday - Sunday, December 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 12:00 noon - 3:00 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.

----------------------------------

Saturday - Sunday, December 7 - 8 - Cape May, Cape May County
Physick Family Christmas House Tour
Family Friendly Tour

On the Physick Family Christmas House Tour, you will visit the Physick Estate, decorated in true Victorian style, for a unique living history experience with members of the Physick Family household of the 1890s. Also see the Christmas Traditions exhibit at the Carriage House Gallery, a breathtaking Dickens Village beneath the boughs of a giant Christmas tree. Physick Estate Tours take approximately 45 minutes. On Saturday, tours will start at 11:15 am, 12:30, 1:45, and 3:00 pm. On Sunday, the tours start 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.

-----------------------------------

Sunday, December 8 - 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.

-----------------------------------

Sunday, December 8 - Franklin Township, Somerset County
Candlelight Christmas Tours

Have you heard of Martha Washington or Abigail Adams, maybe Phyllis Wheatley or Patience Wright? What about Mumbet, Nanye'hi or Sarah Bradlee Fulton? Rockingham will be presenting its annual Candlelight Holiday Tours on Sunday from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm. This year's theme-tour will celebrate women of the 18th century, from diverse walks of life, well-known and not so well-known. It may include the women mentioned above and many in-between. Poetess, sculptor, enslaved woman, morale-booster, soldier, spy, farm woman, Native American leader, camp follower, and many others.

The Live Historians Club of Montgomery Township High School will be presenting the information in period dress as visitors are touring from room to room of the historic house, which will be enhanced in the restrained 18th-century style of holiday decoration. The candlelight tours will also feature period music by John Burkhalter of Practitioners of Musick. Partake of holiday goodies and warm drinks in the Dutch barn and visit our Museum Store to shop for items such as period toys, our own honey, books, our Rockingham DVD, quills and tricorn hats.

Tour space is limited, so advance RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED to guarantee admission and must be made by calling 609-683-7136. There is a suggested donation of $5 per person or $10 per family. Tours will be offered at least every half-hour with the last tour beginning at 3:30 pm.

Rockingham is located at 84 Laurel Avenue, Franklin Township, NJ between Route 518 in Rocky Hill and Route 27 in Kingston. For more information, call 609-683-7132 or visit www.rockingham.net.

-----------------------------------
Sunday, December 8 - Little Silver, Monmouth County
Holiday Open House

The Parker Homestead will be open for a holiday open house from 1:00 - 4:00 pm. The Parker Homestead is working to preserve the unique 330-year history of the Parker Family through the restoration and maintenance of the Homestead lands and buildings and promote their use for educational, historical and cultural exhibits, and events dedicated to enriching and increasing our knowledge and appreciation of local heritage. The Parker Homestead is located at 235 Rumson Road, Little Silver, NJ. For more information, visit www.parkerhomestead-1665.org.

-----------------------------------

Sunday, December 8 - Ridgewood, Bergen County
Ridgewood Historic House Tour

-----------------------------------
Sunday, December 8 - Hightstown, Mercer County
Christmas Tea & Christmas Candlelight House Tour
Children Friendly

The Hightstown-East Windsor Historical Society will hold its Christmas Tea on Sunday from 1:30 - 3:00 pm at Ely House, 164 North Main Street, Hightstown, NJ. All members and friends of the society are invited to enjoy cookies, punch and shop at the Holiday Boutique. No ticket is required for this event.

Following the tea, The Hightstown Woman’s Club and Friday Club are sponsoring a Christmas Candlelight House Tour of several private homes in Hightstown and East Windsor. The Tour will be from 3:00 - 6:00 pm rain or shine following the tea.

Day of event tickets are $20 and can be purchased at The Ely House, 164 North Main Street, Hightstown, NJ. Children: $5. Much of the proceeds from this event will go to the Hightstown-East Windsor Historical Society. If you would like to participate in any way for these events, please give Shirley Olsen a call at 609-448-8388 or email olsenfarr@verizon.net.

-----------------------------------
Sunday, December 8 - Farmingdale, Monmouth County
Christmas at The Historic Village at Allaire

Create new family traditions by celebrating the traditions of an Old World Christmas. Join us for Christmas at Allaire - a day full of interactive programs and holiday activities as you experience the Magic and Joys of Christmas Past.

Warm up on the open hearth, make Christmas treats, create winter arts and crafts, dance and sing at the historic chapel, listen to the village carolers and musicians as they stroll the village, storytelling, preparing the Allaire Mansion for a French Christmas, and much more! Bring your holiday cards to be sent from our historic post office located in the General Store. Also keep your eyes out for Santa, a great photo opportunity!

Here are just a few of our activities taking place this day:
* Historic buildings open 11:00 am - 4:00 pm.

Each building decorated and interpreted according to a different Old World Christmas tradition.
* Join in the preparing for a French Christmas at the Allaire Mansion, a highlight of the day.
* Interactive music program in the Chapel: 12:30 pm, 2:00 pm, and 3:00 pm.
* Storytelling in the Enameling Building.
* Silhouette cutting in the Row House.
* Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus visiting the village from 11 am to 4 pm, great photo opportunities!
* Carolers strolling the village
* Help build gingerbread houses, learn the history of nutcrackers and sing a Christmas carol at the parlor organ at the Manager’s House.
* Enjoy Christmas music throughout the village by our flutist, harpist, fiddler, guitarist, organist and others!
* Holiday fairy magic and bubble performances by The Pointsettia Fairy! Fun for kids of all ages!
* The General Store and Bakery will be open for holiday shopping.
* Blacksmithing, Wood Carving, Leather-making, and other 19th century craft demonstrations throughout the day.
* String cranberries or popcorn at the Foreman’s Cottage (for take home too!).
* A special animal appearance (weather permitting) by the Barn.
* Visit the Carriage House, warm by the fire pit, and see the carriages and sleds decorated for the holidays.
* Special Christmas Exhibit in the Village Museum at the Visitor Center featuring reproductions of vintage nutcrackers
* Make your own Christmas arts and craft that you can take home - make your own holiday gift wrapping paper, a snowy owl, a cookie crest
* Trains! A replica of the Central Railroad of NJ’s (CNJ) “Blue Comet” train, plus a vintage Lionel train display and village
* Treat yourself to delicious food from our Pilsen Gourmet Food Truck that will be on site.

The event runs from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm. Admission: $8.00. The Historic Village at Allaire is located in Allaire State Park at 4263 Atlantic Avenue, Farmingdale, NJ. Tickets are available at the gate or can be purchased online. For more information, call 732-919-3500 or visit www.allairevillage.org.

-----------------------------------
Sunday, December 8 - Sparta, Sussex County
Van Kirk Homestead Holiday Open House

-----------------------------------

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.

----------------------------------

Through Wednesday, January 1, 2020 - Cape May, Cape May County
An Old-Fashioned Christmas
Family Friendly

The wonders of the season come to life in “An Old-Fashioned Christmas Exhibit: Holiday Traditions through the Years,” at the Carroll Gallery in the Physick Estate Carriage House. Experience a breathtaking exhibit of holiday traditions complete with a giant Christmas tree, a Dickens Village, model trains, nostalgic photos from Christmas past, and more! The exhibit will be available for viewing from Friday, November 22, 2019 through Sunday, January 1, 2020. Open daily (except Thanksgiving and Christmas); hours vary. Free admission. Sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC). For more information or gallery hours, call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278 or visit www.capemaymac.org.

-----------------------------------
Saturdays and Sundays through January 5, 2020 - Princeton, Mercer County
Festival of Trees

Morven Museum and Garden's annual Festival of Trees is an annual highlight of the holiday season showcasing a juried collection of trees and mantles displayed throughout the museum’s galleries, upstairs and down. This year’s theme invites visitors to enjoy the newly reimagined first and second floor galleries, featuring trees inspired by 18th through 20th century decor.

This year’s Festival of Trees museum decorators include: Contemporary Garden Club, The Garden Club of Princeton, Green Haven Garden Center, Keris Tree Farm & Christmas Shop, Morven Museum & Garden, Mount Laurel Garden Club, Stony Brook Garden Club, West Trenton Garden Club, Hiltonia Association, Historical Society of Princeton, and Princeton University Press.

Festival of Trees is open to the public during regular museum hours. No reservations are required. Museum ticket must be purchased to enter museum. Morven is open to the public on Wednesdays through Sundays from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. Morven Museum & Garden is closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.

Admission $10 for adults, $8 for seniors (60+)/students/active military personnel, and children 6 and under are free. Friends of Morven, free. Please note that during the Festival of Trees in December and early January, no formal tours are given, but docents are available to answer any questions. Morven Museum and Garden is located at 55 Stockton Street, Princeton, NJ. For more information, call 609-924-8144 or visit www.morven.org.

----------------------------------

Through Sunday, January 5, 2020 - Morristown, Morris County
A Very Merry 19th-Century Christmas

This holiday season, travel back in time to 19th-century Morris County to learn more about the introduction and evolution of our most beloved Christmas traditions. Not only our long-lived Yuletide customs, but more than 30 period-appropriate 19th-century costumes from Morris County Historical Society’s collections, will be on display at Acorn Hall through Sunday, January 5, 2020.

While many English customs such as the Christmas tree, mistletoe, and caroling took on a uniquely American flavor, their earliest beginnings remain as evident as ever in A Very Merry 19th-Century Christmas. Focusing on the Victorian woman’s role as “the ministering angel of domestic bliss,” the authentically decorated and interpreted exhibit comprises many costumes that have never been displayed.

Before visiting MCHS, check Groupon for your discounted tickets and family membership. The membership is perfect to regift or keep for yourself! Morris County Historical Society is located at Acorn Hall, 68 Morris Avenue, Morristown, NJ and is open Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11:000 am - 4:00 pm and Sundays, 1:00 - 4:00 pm. Admission, which includes the exhibits and landscaped grounds, is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for students, and is free for children under 12 and MCHS members. For more information, call 973-267-3465 or visit www.MorrisCountyHistory.org.

----------------------------------

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.

-----------------------------------

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.

-----------------------------------

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

-----------------------------------

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.

-----------------------------------

Through Late November/Early December 2020 - Salem, Salem County

“Hidden History: Unique and Rare Stories of Salem County”

The Salem County Historical Society is pleased to announce the opening of a new exhibit entitled, “Hidden History: Unique and Rare Stories of Salem County.” Throughout the history of our region, the diversity of our residents along with their creativity, knowledge, and skills has prompted the development, manufacture and composition of many unique and rare objects and records. Over all these years, whether on a trek to settle here or leaving here for an adventure in the world at large, Salem County residents have traveled thousands of miles. When they traveled, our predecessors would bring to Salem County an object or a story that has become a part of our collective history.

Since the founding of the Salem County Historical Society in 1884, residents, families and friends have donated hundreds of these uncommon and irreplaceable objects to the Society collections.

Our current exhibit offers a look at some of the most unique and rare items and the stories behind the objects. This eclectic exhibit includes artifacts that have not been displayed to the public for many years and are on display with newly researched backstories that provide further insight into the unique and rare history of Salem County. Concurrently, a new exhibit memorializing our Old Salem Oak Tree will open to the public. This exhibit is in a dedicated room displaying numerous Salem Oak objects, including; old and new artwork, objects made from wood of the oak tree, and past and recent photographs.

The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 12;00 noon - 4:00 pm. Admission is $5 per person for non-members. The Salem County Historical Society is located at 83 Market Street, Salem, NJ. For more information, call 856-935-5004 or visit www.salemcountyhistoricalsociety.com.

-----------------------------------

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

Search This Blog

The Time Voyagers

NJ Weekend Historical Happenings: 12/7/19 - 12/8/19

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Birth and Death of a Ski Area: Craigmeur

The Golden Age of Shopping: Downtown Newark

The Industrial Remains of Long Pond Ironworks