Weekend Historical Happenings: 10/20/12 - 10/21/12

WEEKEND HISTORICAL HAPPENINGS

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Friday - Saturday, October 19 - 20 - Farmingdale, Monmouth County

Haunted Hayride at Allaire Village

Historic Allaire Village, presents Halloween Hayrides on Friday, and Saturday from 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm. The Halloween Hayride starts in front of the General Store and enters the foreboding woods for a trip into Halloween horror. Hayrides are approximately twenty minutes in length and wagons leave every fifteen minutes from the General Store. If you make it through the Hayride alive, take a stroll through our Haunted Village. Scary story-telling will be held in the Carriage House and special Halloween performances will be held in the Allaire Mansion. All are welcome...if you dare! Stop by the Allaire Bakery for hot cider and spooky snacks or visit the General Store and Museum Gift Shop for limited edition Halloween souvenirs and merchandise.

The cost for the hayride is $10/child under 12, $15/Adults. Tickets are limited so advance purchase is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Tickets are for sale by phone 732-919-3500, please have your credit card ready. You can also purchase tickets via PayPal at www.allairevillage.org/tickets.

Historic Allaire Village is located in Allaire State Park at 4263 Atlantic Ave. in Farmingdale. For more information, contact Allaire Village during business hours, Monday through Friday, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm at 732-919-3500 or visit www.allairevillage.org.

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Saturday, October 20 - Upper Township, Cape May County
AppleFest at the Gandy Farmstead

This year the Historical Preservation Society of Upper Township is sponsoring their third MOCK Presidential election. They will be using the antique ballot boxes donated to the Society by the Upper Township Committee. The previous MOCK elections of 2004 and 2008 successfully predicted the winners of those close elections. If the results of this MOCK election accurately predict the results of the 2012 election Upper Township could become known as the national "bell-weather" of elections! Their annual Apple Pie Baking Contest will be judged by 'Johnny Appleseed' and Tyson Merryman, owner-operator of the Tuckahoe Inn. There are separate contests for children and adults. Ribbons and prizes will be awarded. Crafters will be demonstrating old-time traditions with a modern twist. The blacksmith will make decorative items; as will the decoy carvers. At the smoke house, enjoy meat prepared for today's tastes. An alpaca farmer will show how the fleece goes from animal to wool; and a spinner will demonstrate how the wool becomes yarn. Rag-rug making and bee keeping also will be shown. And don't forget live music, apple and autumn inspired food to eat or take home, and the old farm house to tour. The Gandy Farmstead is located at 26 Tyler Road in Greenfield. www.uppertwphistory.org

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Saturday, October 20 - Cape May, Cape May County

Pumpkin Festival at Historic Cold Spring Village

It's the spookiest time of the year at the village! Celebrate all things Halloween and autumn at the 21st Annual Pumpkin Festival. This fun, free event will take place on the grounds of Historic Cold Spring Village on Saturday from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm (Rain date: Sunday, October 21st) and is presented by the Lower Township Rotary Club. Admission is free; guests are encouraged to donate non-perishable goods to the 'Share the Harvest' Food Drive.

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

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

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Saturday, October 20 - Union County
Haunts at the Dr. Robinson Plantation

Is the Dr. Robinson Plantation haunted? Come see the evidence captured during New Jersey Paranormal's investigation on Saturday evening from 6:30 to 10:00 pm. Take a 30-minute tour of the museum where you will be able to take pictures and participate in an actual EVP session. Bring your cameras and a recording device because you never know what you might catch! Tickets are $10.00 per person. Tickets are available for purchase in advance or at the door. Tour start times are every 30 minutes starting at 6:30 pm and ending at 10:00 pm. Purchase tickets in advance and reserve your time now by e-mailing dr.robinsonmuseum@hotmail.com or calling 732 340-1571. Each tour is limited to 15 people and please, no children under 12. All proceeds will benefit the Dr. William Robinson Museum.

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Saturday, October 20 - Princeton, Mercer County
Tour the Updike Farmstead

Tour the Updike Farmstead at 354 Quaker Road, Princeton on Saturday from 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm. Browse the farmhouse galleries and grounds, including the new Sipprelle Unity Garden, where visitors are invited to plant flower bulbs; $4 admission. Due to bridge construction, local access to Quaker Road is permitted from Mercer Street/Princeton Pike only.

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Sunday, October 21 - Lambertville, Hunterdon County
2012 Autumn House Tour

Visit beautifully restored homes that serve as a model for preservation and soak in the ambiance of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. Now in its fourth decade, the Lambertville Historical Society's Autumn House Tour is a celebrated annual event for fans of history, architecture, interior design-and Lambertville itself! The tour includes the Holcombe-Jimison Farmsted, the oldest home in Hunterdon County. 

Mark your calendars: Sunday October, 21 2012, 11 am - 5 pm; rain or shine. Free parking with shuttle bus service. Tickets are $20.00 in advance and $25.00 on the day of the House Tour. Members receive the reduced rate at all times. Contact the Society at 609-397-0770 or e-mail lhs1816@verizon.net for more information.

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Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 20-21 - Denville, Morris County
Guided Tours of the Denville Museum 

The Denville Historical Society & Museum will participate in the County Museums Tour now being organized by the Boonton Historical Society. Vito Bianco will give tours of the museum each day: On Saturday the museum will be open from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm with tours at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm. On Sunday the museum will be open from 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm with a tour at 1:00 pm. For further information call the Denville Historical Society & Museum, 973-625-1165.

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Saturday - Sunday, October 20 - 21 - Morris County
Pathways of History Tour Event

Now in its third year, the Pathways of History Museum Tour has grown to include 13 historic locations. The two-day tour will take place on Saturday from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm and Sunday, from 12:00pm - 4:00 pm. The original five museums in Boonton, Boonton Township, Butler, Kinnelon and Montville Township, are honored to be joined by Denville, Dover, Jefferson Township, Lake Hopatcong, Pequannock Township and Riverdale's Glenburn. The museums and historic sites will simultaneously open their doors in welcome.

Each participating site on the tour has planned something special for this extraordinary event honoring history, community and friendship. In Boonton, visit the Boonton Museum at the Dr. John Taylor House; tour the historic residential area whose early settlers came from England seeking work in the Boonton Iron Works; and be sure to stop by the Miller-Kingsland House to experience the 33rd Regiment New Jersey Volunteers Civil War encampment. In Boonton Township, enjoy a pictorial exhibit chronicling the restoration of the historic Oscar A. Kincaid Home of History; participate in a grand celebration honoring the home'senigmatic folk art face as "he" marks his 175th year; visit the Kincaid Fine Crafts and Art Shoppe at the historic road stand and take time to observe the ART-IN Group painting on site. In Butler, witness the sights of Butler's glory days 100 years ago through news stories, photos and slides; experience the 1957 Pequanoc Rubber Company fire visit their Little Miss Liberty statue and learn about this town's connection to her famous relative in New York Harbor. Because the Butler Railroad Station Museum is closed for renovations, exhibits and artifacts will be on display at the Butler Police Community Center. At the Denville Historical Society's Museum, tour the "Garden of Thyme and Roses" and be sure to visit the featured exhibit detailing over three centuries of Denville's history. Take in a guided tour during your visit. The Dover Area Historical Society will offer an educational and entertaining presentation of the rich history of the Dover Area. The Borough of Riverdale's Glenburn, a grand heritage home given a "New Beginning" when residents and neighbors in surrounding communities saved it from the wrecker's ball, will be open for guided tours. Don't miss the historic barn, outbuildings and beautiful grounds. In Montville Township, two historic properties, both offering continuous tours, are a must see. A Revolutionary War encampment will be staged at the Henry Doremus Dutch Stone House. While there, also enjoy live period music and an antique quilt display. At the Nicholas Vreeland Out Kitchen, which dates to 1780, Dutch architecture, hearthside food practices, and some period take-home recipes will be featured. At the Jefferson Township Museum costumed docents will welcome visitors and guide them through the Chamberlain house and surrounding gardens.  Quilters will be on hand to demonstrate their craft; Miss Elizabeth's Shoppe, located in the kitchen of this Victorian gem, will offer unique gifts, local provisions, antiques and homemade goods for purchase. Kinnelon Borough's L'Ecole Museum will offer historical displays and vignettes. "The Life and Work of Dr. Helen L. Miller," the fascinating story of a charismatic 20th century physician who brought state-of-the-art medicine to Kinnelon and the surrounding area, and "A History of the 35,000-acre Newark Pequannock Watershed" are featured presentations both days of the tour. The Lake Hopatcong Historical Museum, located in a rustic 19th century building which served as a lock tender's house on the Morris Canal, will offer an entertaining and enlightening look at the history of New Jersey's largest lake. In observance of the Civil War Sesquicentennial, the Museum of Pequannock Township has prepared an extraordinary display to honor Old Pequannock Township's Civil War Veterans.

Admission to this two-day event is free.  Visitors may start the tour at any location.  Detailed maps and an event brochure will guide you to the next stop. Refreshments will be served at various locations along the route. For more information, visit www.jthistoricalsociety.org.

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Saturday-Sunday, October 20-21 - Across the NJ Shore and Delaware Bay/River
New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge

New Jersey Lighthouses, museums and life saving stations will host a "Lighthouse Challenge of New Jersey" weekend on Saturday and Sunday. The public is invited (and challenged) to visit all participating lighthouses over the weekend and help raise funds for continued lighthouse preservation. The lighthouses participating in the Challenge encourage the public to take advantage of this special weekend to financially support and preserve the maritime history of our state. Begin the Challenge at any of the participating lighthouses, including the Cape May Lighthouse, and purchase a tri-fold souvenir pamphlet ($1.00) to be stamped at each lighthouse as proof of visit. This will be your souvenir to commemorate your participation in the event. Hours of operation for every participating lighthouse can be found at www.lighthousechallengenj.org or www.njlhs.org.

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Saturday-Sunday, October 20-21 - Union County
Four Centuries in a Weekend

Union County's annual public heritage event, "Four Centuries in a Weekend: A Journey through Union County's History," will take place Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 pm and Sunday from 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm. Sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, with the cooperation of staff and volunteers at 24 house museums and historic sites, the two-day free event opens the doors to 400 years of history throughout the county.

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

Special family-friendly highlights of Four Centuries in a Weekend include:

• An exhibit at Liberty Hall in Union that focuses on the role of slaves and servants from the time of its original owner, Governor William Livingston, to that of the last occupant, Mary Alice Barney Kean;
• The Cannon Ball House in Springfield will commemorate Civil War veteran Captain Edward H. Wade who died of wounds received at Antietam, Maryland on Sept. 17, 1862;
• A living history program at Oswald J. Nitschke House in Kenilworth commemorates 100 years of girl scouting with an historic interpreter portraying Juliette Gordon Low, founder of Girl Scouts USA;
• The Crane-Phillips House in Cranford presents an encampment by Civil War re-enactors, Company D, 2nd Rhode Island volunteers, in honor of local Civil War veterans;
• The Osborn Cannonball House in Scotch Plains presents an exhibit featuring bridal fashions and accessories from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries

Journey on to Boxwood Hall in Elizabeth, the 1772 home of Elias Boudinot, President of the Continental Congress; tour the restored Revolutionary War burial grounds at the First Presbyterian Church of Elizabeth, the oldest English-speaking congregation in New Jersey; and visit the Caldwell Parsonage at Connecticut Farms in Union, an American Revolutionary site that was home to the "Fighting Parson," James Caldwell and his wife, Hannah.

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

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

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

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

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

Children can earn a Time Traveler's Certificate and a Four Centuries Patch by visiting and obtaining a Time Traveler Passport at any of the sites, having it stamped and returning the completed form to the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs.

For free copies of the Four Centuries in a Weekend tour booklet, map and further information visit http://ucnj.org/community/community-renewal/cultural-and-heritage-affairs/four-centuries.

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Sunday, October 21 - Ocean Township, Monmouth County
2012 Ghost Walk

It will be all treats and no tricks as the Ocean Township Library's Turner Gallery is transformed into a former Asbury Park USO building for a simulated "Camp Show" broadcast, circa 1944, on radio station WCAP-the Wonderful City of Asbury Park! This event will be held at 703 Deal Road, Ocean, NJ 07712 at 5:30 pm.

Mrs. Phoebe Woolley, 18th century matriarch of the Woolley family, has once again invited spectral guests from the Township's past to help celebrate her 280th birthday this Halloween! Mrs. Woolley is the wife of Mr. Thomas Woolley Jr., of whom began construction on the Eden Woolley House in 1747. Many otherworldly apparitions have accepted her invitation and are in the midst of planning a festive occasion! They will regale visitors with their tales of old, and celebrate with a "spirited" USO style show, complete with music, entertainment, and refreshments!

Join us as we listen and sing along to popular songs from the WWII era performed by Gilda Healy and Barry Rosensweig, volunteers from Brookdale Community College's Center for WWII Studies and Conflict Resolution. A dance team from the Fred Astaire Dance Studio of Manasquan will put us "In the Mood", swing-style. A popular comedy routine, advertisements and station identifications will evoke the spirit of old-time radio, all in an intimate performance space. Members of the New Jersey Antique Radio Club, Info Age (at the former Camp Evans site) are lending their classic radios as well as their expertise in order to make this a memorable evening that is sure to delight youngsters as well as the young at heart.

Call the Ocean Historical museum at 732-531-2136 to reserve a spot. Adults $7, children $3.  (Raindate - Sunday October 28, 2012 at 5:30 pm). For more information, visit http://www.oceanmuseum.org.

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Saturday - Sunday, October 20 - 21 - Kenilworth, Union County
First Glimpses of Restored House Interior

Kenilworth's historic Oswald J. Nitschke House (c. 1880) at 49 South 21 Street will be open to the general public on October 20 and October 21 during Union County's annual historic sites tour, "Four Centuries in a Weekend." Tours of the 19th-century home of Oswald J. Nitschke, who served five terms as Mayor of Kenilworth in the early 1900s, will be given between the hours of 10:00 am and 5:00 pm on Saturday and from 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm on Sunday.  Light refreshments will be served. Admission is free.

The Kenilworth Historical Society saved the Nitschke House in 2003 by moving it to its present location. Its project to restore the historic site for transformation into a "living history" museum and cultural arts center is nearing completion. The Nitschke House project was recognized by the State of New Jersey with a 2008 New Jersey Historic Preservation Award and most recently was cited as one of six "success stories" statewide in the 2011-2016 New Jersey Historic Preservation Plan, "Preserving New Jersey's Heritage: A Statewide Plan."

The weekend guided tour of the Nitschke House will give visitors an opportunity to see, for the first time, the building's completed cultural arts center and to view other areas of the house in various stages of restoration, an effort that has been funded, in large part, by historic preservation grants awarded by the New Jersey Historic Trust, E.J. Grassmann Trust, and Preserve Union County Grant Program.

Additionally, an enlightening and entertaining "living history" program, set in the early 1900s, will feature a visit with Juliette Gordon Low (portrayed by historical interpreter/re-enactor Melissa Yiaski Rabinsky of Easton, Pa.), who in March 1912 founded the youth movement now known as Girl Scouts of the USA.

Visitors will have an opportunity to view related artifacts, exhibits and projects and to learn about the Nitschke House heirloom gardens, which include plants that were prevalent in the late 19th/early 20th centuries.

For further information about the event and the Nitschke House, please call 908-709-0434 or visit www.kenilworthhistoricalsociety.org.

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Sunday, October 21 - Walpack, Sussex County
Van Campen Day

The Walpack Historical Society presents Van Campen Day at the Van Campen Inn, Old Mine Road in Walpack on Sunday from 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm. For more information call 973-948-4903.

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Sunday, October 21 - Andover Borough, Sussex County
Historical Society of Andover Borough

Andover Borough has a very fascinating and interesting historical past. The Andover Museum's historical displays will be changed regularly throughout the year in order to highlight and showcase some of the prominent residents, important events, and significant properties and buildings of the area. In addition to the historic displays, the society also has a nice collection of gift items for sale, including the Andover Borough Afghan, glass ornaments, and note cards, all depicting scenes and buildings of this historic town. This month's exhibit will feature school and harvesting.

The Andover Museum is open to visitors from 1:00 - 4:00 pm this Sunday. It is located upstairs in the Andover Borough Municipal Building at 137 Main Street/Route 206, Andover Borough, NJ. There is ample parking located behind the building and the museum entrance is on Smith Street.

The museum is open to the public. For additional information please call 973-786-7833 or e-mail historyandovernj@aol.com.

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Sunday, October 21 - Upper Saddle River, Bergen County
Harvest Festival & Petting Zoo

Take time to celebrate the "bounty of the harvest" on Sunday from 1:00 to 4:00 pm at the Hopper-Goetschius House Museum's Annual Harvest Festival. The event is free to members. There is a nominal charge for non-members. Young persons age 16 and under are free.  

Enjoy a variety of activities for children and adults. A petting zoo with goats and lambs, donkeys, ducks, chickens, and bunnies, as well as pony rides will be in perfect company with demonstrations of colonial crafts - spinning, chair caning, quilting, bobbin lacemaking, crocheting, and rug braiding. Watch the cider pressing in the old Dutch barn and enjoy a taste of fresh cider. Taste one of yesteryear's recipes cooked over the open-hearth fire in the out kitchen. Come for lunch. There will be delicious grilled hot dogs and soda to purchase.

Did you know that the gypsies used to camp in this area? This year be sure to visit our fortune teller and find out what your future holds. There will be old-fashioned games and activities for children and a special area featuring antiques and crafts, as well as a silent auction for a boat ride on Tuxedo Lake with wine and hors d'oeuvres.

The museum and barn will be open for special tours. The Hopper Goetschius House Museum is located at 363 East Saddle River Road, Upper Saddle River 07458. It is on the corner of East Saddle River Road and Lake Street. http://usrhistoricalsociety.org

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Saturday-Sunday, October 20-21 - Matawan, Monmouth County
Rose Hill Cemetery Tour

The Matawan Historical Society in conjunction with Rose Hill Cemetery is sponsoring its second annual guided walking tour of Rose Hill Cemetery in Matawan. Local Historian Al Savolaine will lead the tours, sharing fascinating stories about those buried in the cemetery, including the victims of the 1916 shark attack in Matawan, as well as some unusual ghost sightings at the cemetery, considered to be one of the most haunted sites in New Jersey. Tours will be held on Saturday at 10:00 am and Sunday at 2:00 pm (raindate Sun. Oct. 28). Tours are approximately two hours long. Tickets are $10 per adult, with proceeds going to the painting of the Burrowes Mansion in Matawan and the beautification of Rose Hill Cemetery. Tickets can be purchased the day of the tour or by contacting savolaine@hotmail.com.

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Sunday, October 21 - Essex County
Researching your African American Roots

Dionne Kurti, a writer and member of the Montclair African American Genealogical Society, will present a program entitled "Researching Your African American Roots" and help you discover your family's past on Sunday at 3:00 pm. Suggested donation: $5 per person. This program will be held at 108 Orange Road in Montclair. Proceeds benefit the Montclair Historical Society. Call 973-744-1796 for information or e-mail mail@montclairhistorical.org. www.montclairhistorical.org

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Sunday, October 21 - Hammonton, Burlington County
Country Living Fair

The Batsto Citizens Committee, Inc. will hold its Annual Country Living Fair at Historic Batsto Village in Wharton State Forest on Sunday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. There will be no admission and no parking fee.

The committee has invited over 100 exhibitors to participate in this quality day-long event. Visitors will have an opportunity to see and purchase a variety of country, Colonial and Victorian crafts. They will also be able to meet talented crafters demonstrating their artistry in a wide assortment of materials. Pre-World War II cars will be on display. Old-time steam engines, antiques, and pony rides will help make this an event of special interest to people of all ages. The Renegade Cloggers will again perform during the day. Several quilting groups will be raffling their handmade quilts. Local service organizations will sell a variety of foods and drinks. Various 4-H groups will be available. They will display their animals and discuss their experiences as a member of a 4-H club.

In addition, the 1808 Pinelands (Batsto-Pleasant Mills) United Methodist Church will be open to visitors from 11:00 am until 4:00 pm. Members of the congregation will be available to talk about the history of their church and the programs that they offer. Batsto is located in the Pinelands of Burlington County, South Jersey approximately 7 miles east of Hammonton on Route 542 and about 15 miles west of Exit 50 on the Garden State Parkway. Further information may be obtained by calling the Batsto Visitor Center at 609-561-0024.

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Sunday, October 21 - Trenton, Mercer County
Cemetery Talk

The Trenton Museum Society presents "Stranger Stop and Cast an Eye" at 2:00 pm on Sunday, presented by Rich Veit, professor, author and archaeologist, and Mark Nonestied, Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission, at the City Museum at Ellarslie Mansion in Cadwalader Park, Trenton, NJ. General Admission $10 at the door; free for members of the Trenton Museum Society.

The lecture is a presentation about the cultural history of New Jersey's historic cemeteries and burial grounds. It begins in the 17th century and concludes at the dawn of the 21st century. The presentation provides an understanding of the state's historic burial places and the gravemarkers they contain. A sampling of topics include the types of burial grounds and their designs, the sweeping changes of 19th century burial reform and its impact on the New Jersey cemetery landscape, Victorian Valhalla's and the markers and monuments they contain, cultural traditions, cremation history, the memorial park movement and modern marvels.

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Sunday, October 21 - Wantage, Sussex County
Halloween Celebration

Enjoy a great day for Halloween Celebrations at the Not So Scary Halloween Party at the DAR Elias Van Bunschooten Museum, 1097 Rt. 23 - Wantage, New Jersey on Sunday at 1:00 pm. Rain date is Sunday, October 28.

Admission is $5 per Child (no charge for adults). Pumpkins, hay maze, fun activities, games, prizes, a haunted barn for kids that like a little spook, a costume contest, a photo with "Merida" & "Angus" from Brave, Food for sale, and much more! This event is even suited for young children.

For recommended advanced registration (Family name, number of kids and ages) or more information, please call 973-948-5299. The Chinkchewunska Chapter of the DAR preserves and restores the house and outbuildings on our property as a living reminder of Sussex County history from the late 1700's to the present. We open our doors mid May through mid October for tours on Thursdays and Saturdays in addition to school and group tours by appointment, and host special events throughout the year. Feel free to contact us if you would like to find out more info!

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Sunday, October 21 - Hoboken, Hudson County

Book Talk & Signing

Attend a book talk and signing by Holly Metz on Sunday at the Hoboken Historical Museum at 4:00 pm. Reflecting on a sensational, Depression-era murder trial, Metz's book, "Killing the Poormaster" chronicles the events that led up to - and followed - the death of Harry Barck, a poormaster who determined who would and would not receive public aid in Hoboken, New Jersey. When unemployed mason Joe Scutellaro was arrested for stabbing Barck in the heart with a paper spike after the poormaster suggested that Scutellaro's wife prostitute herself rather than ask the city for aid, the case became a symbol of larger social ills and the debate over public relief. Grappling with issues that are still vital - massive unemployment, endemic poverty, and the inadequacy of public assistance - "Killing the Poormaster" offers insight into the ongoing debate over America's social contract, relaying a gripping narrative that reads like today's news. The Hoboken Museum is located at 1301 Hudson St., Hoboken, New Jersey 07030. 

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Sunday, October 21 - Canton, Salem County
Farm Day

Come out for a day on the farm with the Lower Alloways Creek Historical Museum! There will be antique tractors and farm equipment on display. Learn about sausage and butter making. The Lower Alloways Creek Historical Museum is located at 736 Smick Road, Canton, 08079.

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October 1 - November 4 - Morristown, Morris County

Halloween Spirit at Acorn Hall

By the Victorian era, the ancient rituals of All Hallows' Eve had evolved into a holiday celebrated by children and adults alike. A special exhibit at Acorn Hall will explain popular games played at Victorian Halloween parties. It will also highlight the 19th-century Spiritualist movement. Spiritualism asserted that spirits of the dead can and do communicate with the living. Spiritualism developed and reached its peak between the 1840s and the 1920s. It was most enthusiastically embraced and led by women, putting it at odds with established religions.

The exhibit, which will run from October 1 to November 4, is included in the price of a tour of Acorn Hall. Acorn Hall is at 68 Morris Avenue, Morristown. Acorn Hall, the headquarters of the Morris County Historical Society, is an 1853 house remodeled into the Italianate Villa style in 1860. It is open to the public on Mondays and Thursdays from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm and on Sundays from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Tours of the house and exhibits are $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, and $3 for students. Children under twelve are free. For directions or additional information call 973-267-3465 or visit www.acornhall.org.

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Sunday, September 23 - Piscataway, Middlesex County
History of Film: 1890-1960

View the exhibit "Lights! Camera! Action! History of Film: 1890-1960" at the 1741 Cornelius Low House Museum in Piscataway. The museum is open Sunday afternoons from 1:00 - 4:00 pm. The exhibit will run through December 31, 2012.

The Cornelius Low House, built in 1741, was the home to its namesake and is only one of two remaining buildings from historic Raritan Landing. This high-style Georgian mansion is listed on the National Register and operated by the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission. Admission to the museum is FREE. The museum is located at 1225 River Road, Piscataway, NJ . For more information, visit
http://www.co.middlesex.nj.us/culturalheritage/museum1.asp

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