Historic Happenings Blog

"The Story of Sandy Hook - "Restoring the Past (Part 15)" JERSEY BAYSHORE COUNTRY

Open Daily -  Daily from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Curl Up With a Good Book Historic Walnford 62 Walnford Road, Upper Freehold, NJ 08501 January 1-31, 2020, 9:00 AM-4:00 PM (ages 5 and up) We are offering an array of our favorite American historical fiction for adults and children to inspire you to curl up with a good book to peek into our (fictionalized) past. Book Club, read-a-loud family storytime or personal pleasure, we offer selections that may be familiar or may have been forgotten over time - come and see our recommendations on display.

Thursday, January 23 and 30 – Cape May County Fireside Chats at the Cold Spring Brewery  On January 23rd from 4 pm-5 pm at Cold Spring Brewery, gather round the fireplace at for this free lecture series! We’re going to kick the various topics off with  “ Revolutionary Women” by Darci Tucker. January 30th  –   “ Among the Lenape ”   by Bill Cloer HCSV Education & Curatorial Coordinator

John Baxter on Richard Stockton: Revolutionary Unsung Hero Wednesday, January 29 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets for afternoon talk only: $10; Free for Friends of Morven Tea/Tour/Talk: $32; $18 for Friends of Morven Museum Tour available at 11:00 a.m. or Noon, Tea at 1:00 p.m., Additional fee and pre-registration required for Tea Reservations required for tea and may be made by calling 609.924.8144 ext. 103. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER Local historian and author John Baxter joins us to examine the life of Richard Stockton in the months immediately following the signing of the Declaration of Independence, some of the darkest days of the American Revolution. Mr. Baxter will present his research on Stockton’s work as a member of the Continental Congress; his courageous journey to upstate New York, the northern theater of the war, during the fall of 1776; and the extent to which he laid the groundwork for the victory at Saratoga a year later. The question on whether Richard Stockton deserves to be rememb...

Nature Story Time Manasquan Reservoir Environmental Center, Howell 331 Georgia Tavern Road, Howell 07731 Wed, Jan 29, 2020, 11:00-11:30 AM  (ages 2-5, with adult) Something fun for your little ones! Enjoy some of our staff’s favorite stories. Nature-themed items related to each story will be presented at that just-right level for your child. Sessions are free, but pre-registration is required.

Tuesday, January 28 1:00-3:00 pm -- Homeschool Day Discover what 19 th -century U.S. presidents served at White House dinners by examining their presidential dinnerware . $10 per student, free for accompanying adult. Pre-registration required. $15 per scout; $5 per adult. Pre-register for programs with Cynthia Winslow, (973) 538-2404, ext. 16 or  cwinslow@maccullochhall.org . 45 Macculloch Avenue, Morristown; https://maccullochhall.org/

Monday, January 27 – Camden County  January meeting of the Haddon Heights Historical Society at 7:00 p.m. at the Haddon Heights Library, 608 Station Avenue. THE DON WALLACE HISTORICAL TOOL COLLECTION     Please join us on January 27th at 7:00 p.m. as we welcome our presenter Michael Underwood, curator of the Don Wallace Historical Tool collection at the Haddonfield Historical Society. This is one of the best hardware and implement resources in the state. Mr. Underwood will speak about the history of selected tools. He will invite our guests to take a guess about the use of some unique items on his “What Is It” table.               Haddon Heights Library, 856-547-7132

Sunday, January 26 – Mercer County Trenton Eclectic:  An Exhibition of Art, Objects & Artifacts from Three Hundred Fifty Years of Trenton History     Join us for a lecture by  Allen Linkchorst,  duck hunter, decoy carver, decoy collector and decoy historian.     Mr. Linkchorst is an editor and a contributing writer for  Decoy Magazine  and has written over 80 decoy-related stories for the magazine. March 2020 marks the 31 st    anniversary of his publications for  Decoy Magazine.   Free to members - $5.00 nonmembers. January 26, 2020 - 2 pm. Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie Mansion Cadwalader Park, Trenton, NJ as part of our Trenton Eclectic exhibit.

Sunday, January 26  - Maplewood, Essex County Annual Open Hearth Cooking Demonstration In an annual tradition spanning over 35 years, visitors have gathered around Durand-Hedden’s 18th-century hearth and experienced how Maplewood residents of long ago cooked, ate, and kept warm during the long winter months. This tradition takes place on Sunday from 1:00 to - 4:00 pm. Durand-Hedden is pleased once again to welcome cook Margaret Quinn to its kitchen. Margaret is the spirited shearer who trimmed the wool from visiting sheep at our From Fleece to Cloth event in April two years ago and will bring the same energy and skill to our fireplace. Margaret has worked in the living history field for over twenty years and has become proficient at the wood stove and open earth cooking. She continually expands her culinary knowledge as a participant in the Association for Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums and the Historic Foodways Society of the Delaware Valley. On the menu this y...

Are the days too frigid and the nights too long for you at this time of year? Is darkness depressing and the cold’s in your bones? One solution is a trip to the tropics, but if that doesn’t fit your schedule, come celebrate Brigid’s Day and Candlemas at Historic New Bridge Landing along the Hackensack River in River Edge on Sunday from 1:00 - 5:00 pm. Escape the winter blues as people did for over a thousand years in celebrations of warmth, light, and music. Sit in the main room of the 267-year-old Steuben House and tap your feet to Irish music played by The Racket River Girls. With fiddle, guitar, concertina, and harmonious vocals, they’ll transport you back to old Ireland; you’ll swear you smell the peat fire! Performances are at 1:30 and 3:30 pm. We are rolling out new exhibits in the Steuben House featuring BCHS’s collections of New Netherland and Jersey-Dutch artifacts including artifacts we received from the George Way estate. Several items, for example, a large trivet, are marri...

Community Treasures: Tatum Park and Deep Cut Gardens Tatum Pk Red Hill Act Ctr 151 Red Hill Road, Middletown, NJ 07748 Sat, Jan 25, 2020, 1:00-2:30 PM (adults) The history of Deep Cut Gardens and Tatum Park is just too interesting to ignore! Join this informal talk to learn about the interesting people who shaped these two local treasures. From gangsters to private business owners, these people created a legacy that we benefit from today. You will also learn about the construction of the two parks and the current projects that will take the facilities into the future. The presentation will be given by a panel of Park System senior staff, including Park System Secretary-Director James Truncer, who each have a passion for some aspect of the history of these parks. One Session $20.00 Per Person

Saturday, January 25 - Montague Township, Sussex County Winter Festival Bring the whole family for a day of winter fun at High Point State Park. Activities will include winter-themed crafts, a story corner, guided winter hike, sing-along, hot cocoa and cookies by the fire, winter weather program, sled dogs, curling, snowshoeing, and ice-fishing demonstrations (conditions permitting). Please park in the gravel lot and walk up to the Interpretive Center. The New Jersey Dog Sled Club will attend and present an education program and sled dog demonstration. The Plainfield Curling club will share their love of curling on Lake Marcia so be sure to stop by for a demonstration and to try out the sport for yourself.    Interpretive Center: Bird Feeder & Winter Themed Crafts for Children Cookies, Hot Cocoa, and Beignets by the Fireplace Storytime & Sing-Along Guided Winter Hike Winter Weather Talk with Nick Stefano Snowshoeing* New Jersey Sled Dog Club Education Program ...

Parlor Games for Wintry Weather Historic Longstreet Farm 44 Longstreet Road, Holmdel 07733 Saturday, January 25, 2020, 12:00-3:00 PM (ages 6 and up) Beat the winter blues - and beat your opponent too! Learn to play forgotten 1890s games like Halma and Basilinda, or old-time favorites like Backgammon, Checkers and Reversi.

Cross-Country Ski Experience Thompson Pk Ski Hut 805 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft, NJ 07738 Sat, Jan 25, 2020, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM (adults) Get outside this winter and experience the Olympic sport of cross-country skiing. Our Outdoor Adventures staff will guide you through everything you need to know to get you gliding on the snow like a pro. This program will run with or without snow. In the event of no snow, we will use our custom ski-mats to simulate snow. All ski equipment is provided. One Session $27.00 Per Person

Saturday, January 18 – Morris County Boy Scouts Program at Macculloch Hall Citizenship in the Nation Saturday, January 18 and Saturday, January 25 9:30-12:30 pm Scouts discuss what makes a good citizen, review the functions of the federal government, and examine early American documents in the home of former U.S. Senator Jacob Miller (1800-1862). Activities include a focus on the life and work of political cartoonist Thomas Nast (1840-1902), whose home is on the National Register of Historic Places . Pre-registration required. $15 per scout; $5 per adult. Pre-register for programs with Cynthia Winslow, (973) 538-2404, ext. 16 or  cwinslow@maccullochhall.org . 45 Macculloch Avenue, Morristown; https://maccullochhall.org/

Register today!  Sharing Untold Stories -- Crossroads Professional Development Conference January   24, 2020 Crossroads of the American Revolution is pleased to offer our Heritage Partners an advance opportunity to register for Sharing Untold Stories, our next Professional Development Conference, to be held on January 24, 2020, at Morven Museum & Garden's new state-of-the-art Stockton Education Center in Princeton, NJ. This session is co-sponsored by the NJ Historical Commission and Morven.  This workshop will give you the tools needed to address visitor questions and interests in complex parts of your site's background, including personal histories and a deeper understanding of the people who worked and lived there. Small group discussions will help you discover ways to help visitors, volunteers, and staff broaden their understanding of your site's historic tapestry.  You'll learn from experts in the field who've researched and developed inclusive...

"The Story of Sandy Hook -   "The Future of Sandy Hook" (Part 14) JERSEY BAYSHORE COUNTRY

Thursday, January 23 - Morris County 7:14 p.m.  North Jersey Civil War Round Table meeting at the Haggerty Education Center at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum, 353 E. Hanover Avenue, Morris Twp. (opp. the Morris County Library). Admission $5 Students – free NORTH JERSEY CIVIL WAR ROUND TABLE Presents DR. PATRICIA DREYFUSS THE MEDICAL ASPECTS OF THE CIVIL WAR Noted Mountain Lakes gynecologist-obstetrician Dr. Patricia Dreyfus will lecture on the  doctors who served and the medical aspects of the American Civil War, a war that caused 400,000 wounded and 6,000,000 cases of illness and untold misery. The first thoughts of the Civil War are those of the horror of the war and the ignorance and inefficiencies, the stacks of arms and legs of the amputated, but there was a dedicated corps of physician and nurses who strived under appalling circumstances to preserve life,

Thursday, January 23 and 30 – Cape May County Fireside Chats at the Cold Spring Brewery  On January 23rd from 4 pm-5 pm at Cold Spring Brewery, gather round the fireplace at for this free lecture series! We’re going to kick the various topics off with  “ Revolutionary Women” by Darci Tucker. January 30th  –   “ Among the Lenape ”   by Bill Cloer HCSV Education & Curatorial Coordinator

Casual Birder @ Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park Pavilion  Thursday, January 23, 2020, at 9:00 AM at Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park Pavilion 1 Joline Avenue, Long Branch, NJ 07740 (ages 8 and up, under 18 with adult) Join a Park System Naturalist for a leisurely walk on well maintained trails in our parks. We will explore a different park each session as we discuss seasonal points of interest, search for signs of wildlife and identify a bird or two. This is a free 1 1/2-2 hour program, but feel free to join in or drop out at any point during the walk. Dress for the weather as light rain and snow are not deterrents. Hit the trails with us at 9:00 AM