Historic Happenings Blog

Thursday, January 31 – Cape May County Fireside Chats Cold Spring Brewery, Thursdays From 4 pm-5 pm on Thursdays in the winter at Cold Spring Brewery, gather round the fireplace at Cold Spring Brewery for this free lecture series!     January 31 st  – “From Our Correspondent with the 29th Regiment: The Story of a NJ Civil War Regiment in Their Own Words” by Jim Stephens, HCSV Deputy Director      Historic Cold Spring Village is a nonprofit, open-air living history museum that portrays the daily life of a rural South Jersey community of the Early American period. It features 27 restored historic structures on a 30-acre site. Admission during the season is $14 for adults and $12 for children ages 3 to 12. Children under 3 are admitted free. Unlimited free admission is available with Village membership. For more information on events, membership, volunteering, or booking private affairs, please call (609) 898-2300, or visit the Village webs...

Storytime Ages 3 to 6 $10; Free with Family membership Thursdays at 11:00 a.m. January 31:  Still Life Stew  Storytime & Painting Session Vegetables can be a feast for the eyes and the tummy when they go from art to dinner! Helena Clare Pittman and Victoria Raymond’s picture book and Morven’s Masters of Illusion exhibition will inspire young artists as they hear the story, view some pieces in the exhibition, and then create their own still life watercolor paintings. Children will take home their paintings and stew recipe.:

Wondrous Winter Walks @ Manasquan Reservoir Environmental Center Thursday, January 31, 2019 from 10:00-11:30 AM  Manasquan Reservoir Environmental Center Parking Lot 331 Georgia Tavern Rd, Howell, NJ 07731 Nature walks are like snowflakes, each one is unique in its own way. Tag along with a Park Naturalist as you explore the serenity that is nature in the wintertime. Please wear appropriate Winter clothes and sturdy footwear.

Hours :  Wednesday 8AM–5:30PM Thursday 8AM–5:30PM Friday 8AM–5:30PM Saturday 8AM–5:30PM Sunday 8AM–5:30PM Monday 8AM–5:30PM Tuesday 8AM–5:30PM

CURRENTLY AT THE MONMOUTH COUNTY HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION MUSEUM A Family Reunited: The Conover Portraits «  Diane Turton Sandy Exhibtion Presentation Special Exhibit Reception  » Caption: Portrait of William I. Conover (1836 – 1902) by George Henry Durrie. Gift of Mrs. J. Amory Haskell, 1939. MCHA will open a special new exhibit on 2 November entitled “A Family Reunited: The Conover Portraits.” Seven portraits of Tunis V. Conover of Marlboro, his wife Rebecca Crawford Conover, and their three children Hendrick S., Anne B., and William I. Conover, were painted between 1819 and 1855 by three artists who worked in Monmouth County during those years. They were Micah Williams from New Brunswick, George Henry Durrie from Connecticut, and Harvey Jenkins, a local portrait painter. Five of the likenesses commissioned in 1842 from Durrie depict the entire family. Rebecca sat for her first portrait in pastel by Micah Williams in 1819 at age seven. Durrie captured her at age thirty. Then ...

Polite and Useful Education: Pictorial Needlework Embroidery POLITE AND USEFUL EDUCATION: PICTORIAL NEEDLEWORK EMBROIDERY Eight works ranging in date from 1706 to 1985 represent the highest achievement in female needlework art, being the culmination of a young girl’s training with the needle. They include such subjects as religious scenes, mourning memorials, depictions of buildings, and simply decorative designs. Six of the pictures were worked by young and adult women from Monmouth County. Monmouth County’s proximity to the city centers of Philadelphia and New York meant easy access to high-quality teachers, a number of whom opened schools in and near Monmouth. The necessary materials such as imported silk threads, needles, and popular design sources such as prints and engravings could also be readily obtained. Large and complex needlework pieces, such as Catherine Schanck’s  Balshazzar’s Feast , relied on the assistance of professional artists, who would sketch out the prel...

Volume 3, Issue 1 MCHA Announces New Executive Director The MCHA Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the appointment of Meg Sharp Walton as its new Executive Director. Sharp Walton will begin her tenure at the Association on February 1. Interim Director Chuck Jones will remain until that time to ensure a smooth transition.       Sharp Walton joins MCHA with 15 years of executive experience in cultural museums and historic sites within the greater Philadelphia region. Most recently Meg was the Executive Director of Glen Foerd on the Delaware where she developed and implemented new programs and initiatives that revitalized this significant landmark and park into a mission driven community asset. She expanded knowledge of the site's important heritage while connecting this legacy to relevant contemporary interests and effectively utilizing its riverside site to promote the arts and environmental stewardship. Sharp Walton previously served as Museum Consultant ...

Wednesday, January 30 – Cape May County Cape May MAC’s ‘Lunch & Learn’ series continues this winter CAPE MAY –  Meet other curious learners during this winter’s Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC) Lunch & Learn series — informative and illustrated talks on popular topics of history, culture and the arts through March 27. All talks are at noon. Wednesday, Jan. 30 – Lunch & Learn - Impact of Immigration on Victorian Life, with Ted Bryan America is a country of immigrants. This presentation by Ted Bryan explains the impact of immigration on those who lived during the Victorian era. Learn why immigrants chose to come to America and how they shaped the country. Cape May United Methodist Church, 635 Washington St., Cape May. The presentation begins at noon. Free admission for students, MAC members. $5 for nonmembers. Bring a bag lunch.

Winter Birding Expeditions Thompson Pk Estate Grounds Parking Lot Wed, Jan 30 8:00 AM-4:30 PM (ages 16 and up) Rare and unexpected birds visit New Jersey every winter. Join our day-long adventures to state- wide destinations determined by recent “hotline” reports. Participants should bring binoculars, lunch, and warm clothes. Transportation will be via mini-bus. One Session $40.00 Per Person

Bruce (front left) with the Castiles, 1967, Courtesy of the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music at Monmouth University. Before Bruce became synonymous with Asbury Park, he and the Castiles often practiced at the Center Street, Freehold Borough home of manager Tex Vinyard and his wife, Marion. Join Us for our 120th Annual Meeting 6:30 pm Doors open for the reception 7:00 pm  Annual Meeting 7:30 pm Program featuring Eileen Chapman Two River Theater 21 Bridge Avenue, Red Bank   Tuesday, January 29, 2019 Theater lot closed due to construction Please plan for street or Galleria parking Eileen Chapman, Director of  The Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music at Monmouth University ,  is the guest speaker for MCHA's 120th Annual Meeting and will talk about how the Archives started, how they came to Monmouth University and how this turned into a partnership with Bruce Springsteen. She might even share tales of her days managing...