NJ Weekend Historical Happenings: 2/8/20 - 2/9/20

 New Jersey Weekend Historical Happenings

A Weekly Feature on www.thehistorygirl.com

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

Saturday, February 8 - South Bound Brook, Somerset County
Tory Jack Day

The Friends of Abraham Staats House, Inc., in conjunction with the South Bound Brook Historic Preservation Advisory Commission is proud to present its 18th edition of the award winning "Tory Jack Day" program.

The annual event in honor of Black History Month celebrates the contribution and sacrifices of Afro-Americans in the foundation of our nation. This year’s presenters are Joseph Becton and Antoine Watts. Their program, “Music of the Civil War,” illustrates through words and performance the development of this American art form.

Mr. Becton, a retired National Park Service Interpretive Park Ranger, has been recognized with the Community Service award for setting a standard of excellence in interpretation and for his role in connecting Americans to our national parks through wonderful stories and varied media. Mr. Becton now directs Joe Becton Tours and Historical Services and most recently has been proclaimed a Certified Master Guide by the Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides. During the one-hour presentation, Joe Becton plays and sings his favorite blues songs and composers. You have never heard him like this since the Cobalt Blues band.  He has played guitar and harmonica for 40 years.  Group participation is encouraged.

Mr. Becton will present at 11:00 am on Saturday at the historic Abraham Staats House located at 17 Von Steuben Lane, South Bound Brook, NJ. Seating begins at 10:30 am. Advance admission is $10 per adult or $15 per adult at the door. Children 12 and under are free. Following the program, tour the rooms of the historic Abraham Staats House until 1:30 pm.

For more information, call 732-469-3198, e-mail info@staatshouse.org, or visit www.staatshouse.org.

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Saturday, February 8 - Bridgewater, Somerset County
Unraveling History: Quilts in the 18th & 19th Centuries

The Somerset County Society is pleased to announce the first of this year’s History Talks on Saturday. Dana Bala, an expert in historic quilts, will present a program on Textiles and Quilts in the 18th and 19th Centuries from 1:30 - 3:30 pm at the Somerset County Historical Society headquarters in the Van Veghten House, 9 Van Veghten Drive, Bridgewater NJ.

Ms. Bala will discuss textiles—their cost and production—from the time of the American Revolution, up to the time of the American Civil War, when quilting became a truly American tradition and format for expression. Her program is hands-on: she will bring quilts, fabrics and clothing so that participants can touch the materials, including clothing of the period. Ms. Bala has been quilting for 15 years. She combines her love of history and fabric by researching historic quilts, patterns, techniques, and the textile industry.

The program is open to the public, but seating is limited. There is a suggested $5 donation. For reservations, please email number of seats needed and name to info@somersethistorynj.org.

Please note, this program is on Saturday, not the usual Sunday meeting time. The house will be open for tours and research from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm. Doors for the presentation will open at 1:30 pm. For more information, visit www.somersethistorynj.org.

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Saturday, February 8 - Hopewell Township, Mercer County
Maple Tree Tapping
Children Friendly Event

Sugaring season is upon us. Join Howell Living History Farm's crew working the 150-tree sugar bush operation. Enjoy the work, fun, and rewards of helping tap maple trees, hang sap buckets, and cut firewood for the use in syrup making.

The sugar maple is first choice for making maple syrup as there is more sugar in the sap compared to other species, meaning it will take less sap to produce a gallon of syrup. Those of you interested in making syrup at home can get pointers and hands-on experience during our tree tapping workshops. How to identify the sugar maple, and when to tap will be discussed. Taps and buckets needed for backyard sugaring operations will be available for sale in the farm's Visitors Center.

Tree tapping experts will demonstrate the tools and equipment used in both traditional and modern production systems in the sugarhouse where sap is made into syrup. Visitors to the sugarhouse can sample maple syrup and try their hand at making a homemade tap. A tree tapping workshop will be held at 12:00 noon, 1:30 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 8 - Mount Laurel, Burlington County
Tour Paulsdale

Paulsdale is open to the public for Second Saturday Tours at 12:00 noon and 1:00 pm. Paulsdale is the birthplace of Quaker suffragist Alice Paul. Tours include a 15-minute presentation about Alice Paul's life and work and a guided tour of the first floor of the property where visitors learn about the Paul family's daily life in the house and its present day use as a girl's leadership center. Tours are $10.00 per person.

Paulsdale is located at 128 Hooton Road, Mount Laurel, NJ. For information about group tours or future tour dates, contact the Alice Paul Institute at 856-231-1885, e-mail info@alicepaul.org, or visit www.alicepaul.org.

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Saturday, February 8 - Cape May, Cape May County
Emlen Physick Estate Tour
Family Friendly Tour

Take a guided tour of Cape May's Emlen Physick Estate, the magnificent Stick Style mansion attributed to renowned Victorian architect Frank Furness. A tour of the 15 beautifully restored rooms gives you a glimpse into the lifestyle of this Victorian-era Cape May family. Physick Estate Tours take approximately 45 minutes and end with a visit to the 1876 Carriage House where you can see the current exhibit in the Carroll Gallery. Tours will be at 1:45 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 8 - Piscataway, Middlesex County

FDR and the Women Who Loved Him

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Saturday, February 8 - Holmdel, Monmouth County
Cutting, Splitting and Hewing
Adults

Wood heated the farmer three times - once when they gathered the wood, once when they split the wood, and finally when they burned the wood. Come out to Historic Longstreet Farm in Holmdel on Saturday and get warmed up using a two-man saw and splitting wedge; learn how farmers used a froe to rive shingles or a broad ax to hew beams. 

This free event runs from 12:00 noon - 2:30 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 - Sunday, February 8 - 9 - 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 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 8 - 9 - 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 8 - 9 - Upper Freehold, Monmouth County
Historical Valentines
Ages 10+

Elegant, simple or elaborate, humorous, even insulting cards are part of Valentine’s Day history. View samples of historical 19th century Valentines at Walnford and make your own heartfelt, carefully crafted card to send to your true love using our wide array of historically inspired materials. Open to ages 10 and up.  

This event will take place at Historic Walnford from 1:00 - 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, 08501. For more information, call 609-259-6275 or visit www.monmouthcountyparks.com.

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Sunday, February 9 - Toms River, Ocean County
"The New Jersey Militia During the American Revolution"

Come to the Ocean County Historical Society, 26 Hadley Avenue, Toms River on Sunday (or February 16th if snow) at 2:00 pm to hear historian and genealogist Russell Dutcher present "The New Jersey Militia During the American Revolution." He will focus on the Dutch and French Huguenot guerrillas who forestalled British advances and earned compliments from General George Washington. Learn what was happening in Somerset, Essex, Sussex, and Middlesex counties and how the Revolutionary War in many ways was a civil war between Loyalists and Patriots. Free admission, donations are accepted. Refreshments will be available. Call 732-341-1880 to reserve your seat. For more information, visit www.oceancountyhistory.org.

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Sunday, February 9 - 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, February 9 - River Edge, Bergen County
African American History at Historic New Bridge Landing
Children Friendly Activity

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Sunday, February 9 - Westfield, Union County
Sweet and Spicy Pomanders
Suggested Ages: 4 - 8

Studding fruits with whole cloves to make a “pomander ball” to freshen the air or linens was a tradition in 18th century America. Children may make their own simple pomander ball and learn a few facts about their history. Suggested ages: 4-8.

Docents will be available to guide visitors through the restored, fully furnished circa 1740 farmhouse. Admission is $5 ages 13 and older; $3 ages 3-12 and free age 2 and younger. No reservations are necessary. 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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Sunday, February 9 - North Plainfield, Somerset County
Music at the Mansion

The next music program at the Vermeule Mansion will be on Sunday, at 3:00 pm. We will present North Plainfield resident violinist, Lucia Nowick. Lucia holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Music, having studied at Julliard and at Rice University. Her performance will include works from the Great American Song book, and she will be accompanied by a pianist. Admission is free, and refreshments will be served. The Vermeule Mansion is located at 614 Greenbrook Road, North Plainfield, NJ. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/VermeuleMansion.

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Sunday, February 9 - Ewing, Mercer County
Reclaiming Our Voice: New Jersey's Central Role in the Fight for Woman Suffrage

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Sunday, February 9 - Chesterfield Township, Burlington County

Chesterfield Township Historical Society Annual Meeting
"Alice Paul: New Jersey's Heroine for Equality"

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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