NJ Weekend Historical Happenings: 2/29/20 - 3/1/20

 New Jersey Weekend Historical Happenings

A Weekly Feature on www.thehistorygirl.com

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

Saturday, February 29 - Trenton, Mercer County
African American History in Quilts – The Sankofa Stitchers

The Trent House Association presents African American Artistry in Quilts, a talk by members of the Princeton Sankofa Stitchers Modern Quilt Guild whose work is currently on display at the Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie. The Trent House program, which will include displays of additional quilts accompanied by poetry, will begin at 1:00 pm on Saturday at the William Trent House Museum, 15 Market Street (across from the Hughes Justice Complex), Trenton, NJ.

Mada Coles Galloway, Juandamarie Gikandi, and Gail Mitchell, members of the Sankofa Stitchers, will speak about the art and craft of quilting, the history of the Guild and their personal background in quilting, and what inspires their work. The guild takes its name from a symbol of the Akan people of Ghana, which means, “return and get it.” This phrase aptly describes the use of an old craft to bring African American history and experience to light in an innovative way.

Mada Coles Galloway is a retired educator and is accomplished in various needle crafts, with quilting being her special passion. She favors modern traditional and improvisational quilting styles and uses her own patterns. Juandamarie Gikandi is also an educator and textile artist. She uses a wide range of fabrics into new and original patterns in her quilts to highlight the importance of material culture in the African American community. Gail Mitchell’s specialty is photo transfer and signature quilts, with an extensive collection signed by actors and actresses, politicians, poets and colleagues. A published poet, she is also a public school educator.

Tickets are $8 for Association members and $10 for non-members and include light refreshments. For more information, visit www.williamtrenthouse.org.

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Saturday, February 29 - Paterson, Passaic County
Free Historical Program in Honor of Black History Month

Join us on Saturday at 1:00 pm at the Paterson Museum as we welcome Public Historian Sue Kozel. A researcher whose area of study focuses on the areas of power and equality, Kozel will present "Why Wench Betty’s Story Matters: The Murder of a NJ Slave in 1784."

Learn about Betty, her murder, and the court proceedings that followed. How does her story fit into the larger picture of slavery in New Jersey in the 1780s? What can it tell us about the life of America’s enslaved populations? This program is free and open to the public. This program is funded by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, an independent non-profit and state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The program will take place at the Paterson Museum, located at 2 Market Street (on the corner of Market and Spruce Streets) in the heart of the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park. For more information and to learn more about the Paterson Museum, visit https://patersonmuseum.com.

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Saturday, February 29 - Westfield, Union County
Westfield's 300th Year - Time & Memorial

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Saturday, February 29 - Hopewell Township, Mercer County
Maple Sugaring
Children Friendly Event

Sugaring time arrives in late winter at Howell Farm and operations are in full swing. Visitors are invited to join the work and fun with sap collection, firewood cutting, syrup making, butter making, flour milling and pancake eating.

The trees are tapped beginning in early February. School groups, visitors and farm staff collect and boil down sap for several weeks. The sugar maple tree stores starch in their trunks and roots before the winter; the starch is then converted to sugar that rises in the sap in the spring. Freezing nights and thawing days make for heavy sap flow. The trees are tapped by boring holes into their trunks and collecting the exuded sap beginning in early February. The sap is then processed by heating to evaporate much of the water, leaving the concentrated syrup.

Sap gathering will take place at 12:00 noon and 2:00 pm. Tree tapping demonstrations will be held at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 3:00 pm.

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, February 29 - Cape May, Cape May County
Emlen Physick Estate Tour
Family Friendly Tour

Take a guided tour of Cape May's Emlen Physick Estate, the magnificent Stick Style mansion attributed to renowned Victorian architect Frank Furness. A tour of the 15 beautifully restored rooms gives you a glimpse into the lifestyle of this Victorian-era Cape May family. Physick Estate Tours take approximately 45 minutes and end with a visit to the 1876 Carriage House where you can see the current exhibit in the Carroll Gallery. Tours will be at 12:30 and 1:45 pm on Saturday. 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, February 29 - Lower Township, Cape May County
Climb the Cape May Lighthouse
Family Friendly Site

The Cape May Lighthouse is an 1859 structure with 199 steps to the watch gallery for a panoramic view of the Jersey Cape and Atlantic Ocean. For those who choose not to climb, the Oil House contains a fully-accessible Visitors' Orientation Center and a Museum Shop stocked with maritime accessories and lighthouse memorabilia. Open 12:00 noon - 3:00 pm on Saturday. Cape May Point State Park is located in Lower Township, NJ. Admission to the Visitors' Orientation Center and the ground floor of the lighthouse is free. Tower admission is $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, February 29 - March 1 - 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 and 1:00 pm and Sunday at 1:00 pm. Sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC). For more information and to reserve tickets, call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278 or visit www.capemaymac.org.

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Saturday - Sunday, February 29 - March 1 - Cape May, Cape May County
Physick Estate Scavenger Hunt
Family Friendly


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

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

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Saturday - Sunday, February 29 - March 1 - Trenton, Mercer County
America, We Served!: Four Centuries of African American Soldiers
Family Friendly

For over four hundred years, African Americans have made incredible contributions to the United States Military. Celebrate Black History Month at the Old Barracks Museum in Trenton on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm. Experience the living history of America's Black Warriors by the veterans themselves and dedicated reenactors! View displays of photos, literature, and artifacts from wars past while talking to the storytellers of America's black men and women at war!

Represented regiments will include The Harlem Hellfighters of WWI, the 6th Regiment USCT of the Civil War, the 369th Regiment portrayed by Ebony Doughboys, and others.

Don't miss this wonderful educational experience for the entire family! Tours of the Old Barracks Museum are included in the admission price, so you can also learn about the last remaining free-standing French and Indian War military barracks in North America.

Admission: $10 for adults, $8 for seniors/students, and free for Old Barracks Museum members, children 5 and under, and active duty military. The Old Barracks Museum is located at 101 Barrack Street, Trenton, NJ. Parking is available in the small lot next to the museum, in the Capitol Complex, and in Trenton City Parking lots - the closest is located at 120 East Front Street. For more information call 609-396-1776 or visit www.barracks.org.

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Sunday, March 1 - Princeton, Mercer County
Historic Princeton Walking Tour
Children Friendly Tour

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

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

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Sunday, March 1 - Holmdel, Monmouth County
Victorian Fashions
Family Friendly

Have you ever wondered what it *really* feels like to wear the historic clothing our staff wears at Historic Longstreet Farm? Now you can find out! Get all gussied up in the “latest” styles when you visit the Longstreet family farmhouse. From petticoats to parasols and trousers to top hats, we have what you need to transform yourself into a true Victorian. Open to all ages, under 18 with adult. This free events run from 12:00 noon - 2:00 pm.

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

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Sunday, March 1 - Westampton, Burlington County
Carrie Chapman Catt

The Women Suffrage effort was one of the most intense and difficult campaigns in US history. Women and men worked tirelessly to convince our legislators that every citizen deserved the right to vote. One of the most important individuals in making this a reality was Carrie Chapman Catt, who succeeded Susan B. Anthony as head of the National American Woman Suffrage Association.

Catt's crowning achievement remains with us today in the League of Women Voters, which she founded to help woman gain political knowledge to be informed voters, free of religious or racial bias, achieved through non-partisan political education and leadership. Pat Jordan of American Historical Theatre brings her story to life.

Program begins at 2:00 pm. Admission is $10 per person. Peachfield is located at 180 Burrs Road, Westampton, NJ. For more information and to register, call 609-267-6996, e-mail colonialdamesnj@comcast.net, or visit www.colonialdamesnj.org.

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Sunday, March 1 - West Orange, Essex County
Thomas Edison and the Literary Imagination

From The Future Eve, an 1885 French science fiction novel to the recent motion picture The Current War, the life and work of Thomas Edison has inspired the imagination and creativity of novelists, playwrights and filmmakers. In a program that evokes this tradition, award-winning playwright Ben Clawson will discuss his own creative work on Thomas Edison at the fifth meeting of the Edison Book Club on Sunday at 2:00 pm. 

Mr. Clawson, who received his B.F.A. from Montclair State University and co-founded the StrangeDog Theater Company, is the author of The Dangers of Electric Lighting, which deals with the rivalry between Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla during the infamous 1880s Battle of the Currents. His other plays include King of the Mountains, about Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir's 1903 camping trip in Yosemite National Park, and commissioned works for the Luna Stage Company, the Montclair State University School of the Arts, and the Contagious Drama Theatre Workshop.

The Edison Book Club is a series of programs designed to engage readers with Edison, the recently published biography of Thomas Edison by Edmund Morris (Random House, 2019). The discussion for this meeting will focus on portrayals of Thomas Edison in literary works, but questions and conversation about other aspects of the Morris book are also welcome.

The Edison Book Club is free and open to the public. Reading the Edmund Morris book is encouraged but not required. Seating is limited. Arrive early to get a seat and settled before the program begins at 2:00 pm. This program is free with entrance fee to the park. If you are coming just for the program, please tell the visitor center desk that you are there just for the program and you will not be charged the entrance fee and they will escort you to the program location.

Otherwise, entrance tickets must be purchased at the Thomas Edison National Historical Park Laboratory Complex Visitor Center at 211 Main Street, West Orange, NJ. Admission is $15.00 per person and includes the Glenmont Estate and the Laboratory Complex. Children under age 16 are free. For more information, call 973-736-0550 x11 or visit www.nps.gov/edis.

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Sunday, March 1 - Bridgewater, Somerset County
Reclaiming Our Voice: New Jersey's Central Role in the Fight for Women's Suffrage

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Sunday, March 1 - Readington Township, Hunterdon County
Dressed to Kill: From Arsenic in Clothing, Lead in Cosmetics to Blazing Crinolines

On Sunday from 1:00 - 4:00 pm, Dana Bala will present Dressed to Kill: From Arsenic in Clothing, Lead in Cosmetics to Blazing Crinolines. Throughout history, we have worn deadly clothing and makeup to be the height of fashion even if it kills us! Bala will discuss some of the most lethal fashion practices during history, focusing on the Victorian period, when people were Dressed To Kill.

Bala has presented at other historic sites such as the Abraham Staats House, the Miller-Corey Museum, and volunteers at Washington Crossing Park. Her other areas of interest/expertise include embroidery, cooking and genealogy.

This program is held at the Bouman-Stickney Farmstead in the Stanton section of Readington. GPS address: 114 Dreahook Road Lebanon, NJ 08833. Although there is no fee, donations are gladly welcome. In case of inclement weather please call the Museums to find out the status of the program. For more information, visit www.readingtonmuseums.org.

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Through Tuesday, March 3, 2020 -  Morristown, Morris County
Keeping Warm in the 19th Century

During the last half of the 19th century, the northeastern U.S. was pounded by massive blizzards that dropped four to five feet of snow in many parts of the country and temperatures so frigid that the East River froze over more than a dozen times. To cope with these weather extremes, our Victorian ancestors had only a fireplace or their clothing to shield them from the cold.

Morris County Historical Society’s new exhibit, “Warmest Winter Fashions, 1860-1900,” highlights nearly two dozen cold weather garments worn by adults and children, including coats, muffs, and capes.

Designed to complement the 30 garments already on display, “Warmest Winter Fashions” will be available from through Tuesday, March 3.

Before visiting Acorn Hall, check Groupon for discounted tickets with an optional MCHS Family Membership. The membership is a perfect gift or to keep for yourself. Acorn Hall is now open for tours, 11:00 am - 4:00 pm, on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday.

Acorn Hall is located at 68 Morris Avenue, Morristown, NJ. Admission, which includes the exhibits, is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for students, and is free for children under 12 and MCHS members. For more information, call 973-267-3465 or visit www.MorrisCountyHistory.org.

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Through Saturday, March 28, 2020 -  Lebanon Township, Hunterdon County
100 Years of Women's Suffrage

The Lebanon Township Museum is pleased to announce a two-month celebration of 100 Years of Women's Suffrage with a multi-faceted exhibit and a number of exciting and informative events. Below is a list of the line-up for both February and March. Please mark your calendars and join us in honoring this historic centennial!

100 YEARS OF SUFFRAGE: A Celebration in Quilts created by The Courthouse Quilters on display from February 1 through March 28. The Courthouse Quilters are a non-profit 501(c)(3) whose purpose includes preserving and promoting the history of quilting and supporting charitable activities.

Opening Reception with special guest Rielly Karsh of Moms Running on Saturday, February 1 from 1:00 - 3:00 pm. Light refreshments served.

Rightfully Hers: American Women and Vote Pop-Up Exhibit on loan from the National Archives & Record Administration from February 1 through February 27.

Sash Making Parties -- All skill levels are invited to sew their own Suffragist Sashes while enjoying a presentation entitled When Women Gather: "Women's Work" and Activism on Thursday, February 20 from 6:30 - 8:00 pm and Saturday February 22 from 1:00 - 3:00 pm. There will be a small fee to cover costs, email, or visit www.lebanontownship.net/services/museum.aspx for more information.

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Through Saturday, March 28, 2020 -  Paterson, Passaic County
"Thus Shall They Upward, Onward Press:" An Exploration of the History of African Americans in Paterson from 1600-Present

The Paterson Museum is excited to announce the opening of its newest changing exhibit, “Thus Shall They Upward, Onward Press:” An Exploration of the History of African Americans in Paterson from 1600-Present. Installed in honor of Black History Month, the exhibit is a survey of the accomplishments of many of Paterson’s African American citizens. The exhibit will feature some familiar citizens, such as Larry Doby, but visitors will also learn some individuals like Dr. Norman Cotton, Minerva Miller and Henry Otis Harris who also made an impact on our community. The exhibit will be in place from Wednesday February 5th through Saturday March 28th in the Hannah Memorial Gallery.

Please join us at the Museum on Saturday, February 8, 2020 from 1:00 - 3:00 pm for the opening reception. The program will be led by Paterson Free Public Library Director Corey Fleming and will feature a reading by Talena Lachelle Queen, Poet Laureate of Paterson of Paterson.

The exhibit will be on display at the Paterson Museum, located at 2 Market Street (on the corner of Market and Spruce Streets) in the heart of the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park. For more information about this event, or to learn more about the Paterson Museum, visit https://patersonmuseum.com.

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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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Through September 13, 2020 - Trenton, Mercer County
Fine Feathered Friends: Birds as Mainstay and Muse

Birds are everywhere. They occupy our forests, farms, parks, beaches, backyards, and even our homes. It’s no wonder that they have achieved substantial cultural and historical significance.

Through nearly 200 rarely seen objects from the State Museum’s Cultural History and Natural History collections, Fine Feathered Friends explores the wild, wonderful world of birds and their impact on the New Jersey decorative arts. Three bodies of material culture inspired by birds illustrate the premise—needlework samplers, hand-carved duck and shorebird decoys, and the porcelain birds of Trenton ceramist Edward Marshall Boehm.

Birds also inspired New Jersey’s notable decoy-carving tradition, which was also influenced by the state’s location on a key flyway for migrating ducks and shorebirds. A coastal carving tradition centered on Barnegat Bay. A Delaware River tradition developed in river towns near Trenton. What began as a hunting tool evolved into a folk art tradition. Carvers taught their children, who then taught their own children.

In addition to samplers and decoys, the exhibit also explores the magnificent work of Edward Marshall Boehm. Boehm loved birds so much that he built huge aviaries on the grounds of his Titusville, New Jersey home. This allowed him to study the anatomy and habits of his fine feathered friends. At his studio in Trenton, Boehm replicated the avian world in hard-paste porcelain. Boehm’s birds are exhibited side by side with scientific taxidermy mounts and study skins of the same species

The New Jersey State Museum is located at 205 West State Street, Trenton, NJ. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:00 am - 4:45 pm; closed Mondays and all state holidays. Admission is FREE, but donations are always encouraged. For more information, call 609-292-6300 or visit www.state.nj.us/state/museum.

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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.

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