NJ Weekend Historical Happenings: 3/7/20 - 3/8/20

 New Jersey Weekend Historical Happenings

A Weekly Feature on www.thehistorygirl.com

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Saturday, March 7 - Wall Township, Monmouth County
P.T. Barnum, the Master Showman

Neill Hartley portrays master showman P.T. Barnum in this exciting and entertaining look at one of the most colorful and well-known personalities of all time, who brought high and low culture to all of America.

A brilliant and shameless promoter, Barnum gave the wise public of the 19th-century shameless hucksterism, peerless spectacle, and everything in between -- enough entertainment to earn the title "master showman" a dozen times over. Barnum weathered accusations of fraud with the attitude that there was no such thing as bad press, and he became one of the richest men in America. Audiences will watch his fame grow with a parade of freaks and oddities from “The Fejee Mermaid,” the tiny General Tom Thumb to Jumbo the elephant and then share his crowning success: “The Greatest Show on Earth!

Following the performance, there is a short informational section about the history of the circus, and of P.T Barnum’s life outside of the entertainment world, including a short reading from his book “The Art of Money Getting.” A question and answer will conclude the presentation.

This event will be held from 7:30 - 9:00 pm. Tickets are $20 per person. Seating is limited! You must pre-register for this event. 

The Historic Village at Allaire is located at 4263 Atlantic Avenue, Farmingdale, NJ. For more information, contact the Allaire Village office during business hours, Monday through Friday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, at 732-919-3500 or visit www.allairevillage.org.

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Saturday, March 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.

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Saturday, March 7 - Piscataway, Middlesex County
Guided Tours of the Metlar-Bodine House Museum

Have you always wanted to visit the Metlar-Bodine House Museum? This is your chance! Take a guided tour through centuries of the town’s past, from pre-historic times to the present, AND discover New Jersey’s “best kept secret!” Listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places, it is an excellent example of a New Jersey vernacular style building (the original house dates to 1728 with two 19th century additions). 

Two thousand area relics comprise a very large collection, telling the story of Piscataway - one of America’s 50 earliest communities. In a special “back of the house” tour, visitors can visit the museum’s archives (not regularly open to the public) to view artifacts not on display – for example: the robe worn by Judge Parker, who presided over the infamous Hall-Mills murder trial (c. 1926), which was salvaged from the 2003 museum fire.

The house will be open from 11:00 am - 5:00 pm. Tours will start on the top of the hour and are are approximately one hour long, with the last one beginning at 4:00 pm.

Admission is free. The Dutch Door Gift Shop will be open. The museum is handicap accessible. Handicap parking is located in the lower parking lot. All parking is free. The Metlar-Bodine House Museum is located at 1281 River Road, Piscataway, NJ. For more information and to register for tours, call 732-463-8363. For more information, visit www.metlarbodinehousemuseum.org.

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Saturday, March 7 - Hopewell Township, Mercer County
Work Horse Rides
Children Friendly Event (Ages 5 - 12)

On Saturday, join us at Howell Living History Farm for their Workhorse Rides program. Riders will not sit on saddles, nor will they ride bareback, but will sit atop fully harnessed, three-quarter-ton workhorses. The program is intended to give children a taste of early 20th-century farm life. So, in order to get a ride, children must first do their farm chores. The rides will be offered from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm on a first-come, first-served basis. Riders must be between the ages of 5 and 12 years old, without exception.

A children's craft program will also be offered in the visitor center for a small materials fee.

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, March 7 - 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, March 7 - 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, March 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 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, March 7 - 8 - Cape May, Cape May County
Physick Estate Scavenger Hunt
Family Friendly


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

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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Sunday, March 8 - Eatontown, Monmouth County
“Doing Time - Prison Records as Genealogy Resources”

Judy Russell, the Legal Genealogist, will speak at the Monmouth County Genealogy Society meeting on Sunday at the Community Center, 72 Broad Street, Eatontown, NJ. She will be speaking on “Doing Time - Prison Records as Genealogy Resources.” Join us for refreshments and networking at 1:30 pm followed by the business meeting and speaker at 2 pm. Admission is free and the public is welcome.

“The brick walls of a family tree are no match for prison walls”, Ms. Russell writes about this topic. “From intake photo to receipts for cash and clothes when they see release, prisoners in jails and prisons were recorded and documented, often in stunning detail.” Her audience will learn what records may exist about their families’ wayward members, at least the ones who got caught, and where to find them.

As a genealogist with a law degree (from Rutgers’ School of Law-Newark), she sees part of her purpose is to help family historians understand the bewildering legal concepts and terminology they bump into in their research. Her academic credentials start with a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a political science minor from George Washington University, the foundation for her early career as a newspaper reporter and trade association writer, then legal investigator, defense attorney, federal prosecutor, law editor and for more than 20 years before her retirement in 2014, an adjunct member of the faculty of Rutgers Law School.

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Sunday, March 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.

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Sunday, March 8 - Holmdel, Monmouth County
Yarn Bee
Ages 10+

Whether starting a new hobby or working on an old project, all are welcome to this gathering on Saturday at Historic Longstreet Farm in Holmdel! The relaxed atmosphere means no pressure - you can knit or crochet at your own pace, and farm staff will be on hand to assist those wanting to learn a new skill. Bring your own supplies or borrow ours for the session. Open to ages 10 and up; under 18 with adult. The cost is $5 per person; cash or check only. This event run 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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Sunday, March 8 - Upper Freehold, Monmouth County

Functional and Fanciful, the History of Aprons 

Vintage aprons from the speaker’s collection will be on display in the Waln House this afternoon for all to enjoy, in conjunction with a brief talk at 1:30 pm exploring the historic and sociological implications of this item of everyday wear. The impact of this simple garment will be discussed from early biblical references to the feminist movement of the late 20th century. Attendees are encouraged to bring a favorite apron and share its story in this informal yet informative program.

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, March 8 - Ewing, Mercer County
Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum

The next event sponsored by the Ewing Township Historic Preservation Society, will be a fundraiser. The program will be a presentation by co-authors Beverly Mills and Elaine Buck, who will share their journey in establishing the first African American Museum in central New Jersey. The Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum is a reflection of the many untold stories of this area in the Hopewell, Mercer and Somerset communities.

The program will be held at The 1867 Sanctuary, 101 Scotch Road, Ewing, NJ at 3:00 pm. Cost will be $10.00 for members and $15.00 for the general public.

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Sunday, March 8 - West Orange, Essex County
Thomas Edison and Deafness

On Sunday at 2:00 pm, Mara Mills, Associate Professor of Media, Culture, and Communications at New York University will present a program on Thomas Edison, deafness, and the development of early 20th century hearing aid technology at Thomas Edison National Historical Park. Professor Mills, who has researched in the Thomas Edison NHP archives for a study of hearing aids, specializes in communication history and disability studies. 

Professor Mills received B.A. degrees in Biology and Literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz and an M.A. in Biology/Ph.D. in History of Science from Harvard University. Professor Mills is a co-founder and co-director of the New York University Center for Disability Studies. She is the author of On the Phone: Hearing Loss and Communications Engineering (forthcoming, Duke University Press) and co-editor of Testing Hearing and the Making of Modern Aurality (forthcoming October 2020, Oxford University Press).

This presentation will be the sixth meeting of the Edison Book Club, 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 Edison and deafness, 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 8 - Eatontown, Monmouth County
Elizabeth Jennings Graham: The Rosa Parks of the 19th Century

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Sunday, March 8 - Woodstown, Salem County
Women’s Suffrage and the 19th Amendment

On Sunday at at 1:30 pm, the Salem County Historical Society will host a presentation by Attorney Sharon M. Hallanan, who will speak about Women’s Suffrage and the 19th Amendment. The program will be held at the Friends Village, 1 Friends Drive, Woodstown, NJ 08098 in the Fenwick Auditorium. This program is free and open to the public. For more information, call 856-935-5004 or visit www.salemcountyhistoricalsociety.com.

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Sunday, March 8 - Westfield, Union County
"Liberal Libations of the 18th Century"

Colonists treasured their beer, rum, and hard cider. "Mourt's Relation," a journal kept by the Pilgrims, states that the Pilgrims decided to land in Massachusetts instead of sailing on to Virginia because they were running out of beer! Colonists, adult and children alike, drank alcoholic beverages. Popular, too, were punches or "flowing bowls" mixing strong drink with sugar and other ingredients.

Alcoholic beverages were believed to have curative powers, curing everything from lung diseases to wormwood. Thomas Jefferson stated that, "Beer, if drunk in moderation, softens the temper, cheers the spirit, promotes health."

Come and learn about the many alcoholic beverages the colonist consumed on a daily basis. Visitors will be able to sample a non-alcoholic punch.

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, March 8 - Union Township, Union County
"Alice Paul: Champion of Women's Suffrage"

Linda Barth, Executive Director of the League of Historical Societies of NJ, will present “Alice Paul: Champion of Women's Suffrage,” based on her new book of the same name, at Connecticut Farms Presbyterian Church, 888 Stuyvesant Avenue, Union, NJ on Sunday at 2:00 pm. The program will be hosted by the Union Township Historical Society to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. Coincidentally, March 8 is International Women's Day.

Ms. Barth will explain why it took so long for women's suffrage to be achieved in the U.S. and how that finally came about. She'll speak about the struggle and the role of New Jersey suffragist Alice Paul in getting the 19th Amendment ratified in 1920. Ms. Barth worked with a statewide committee planning events to observe and celebrate this centennial.
  
Reservations are not required for the event. Refreshments will be served during the book signing, following the presentation. Admission is free, but donations are gratefully accepted. For more information, call 908-591-4377 or visit www.unionnjhistory.com.

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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