Historic Happenings Blog

Thursday, October 10 -- Morris County          To coincide with Fire Prevention Week, the Morris County Historical Society will officially open its new exhibit,  Up in Smoke: Northern New Jersey’s Worst Man-Made Disasters: 1910-1989 ,  at Acorn Hall, Thursday, October 10, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. This photo-driven exhibit brings heroes to light, recognizes the sacrifices of those lost, and illustrates the varied events that brought communities together, tightened safety regulations, and changed legislation nationally.              Up in Smoke  covers twelve 20 th -century disasters , five from Morris and seven from its contiguous counties that, due to their scale, severity, loss of life, or ability to cause major changes in workplace safety or fire science, stand as benchmarks with ominous connotations. Still, in understanding the severity of the situations, heroes, some as martyrs...

Civil War Flag Unveiling December 28, 2019  @  10:00 am  –  11:00 am Enjoy a gallery talk and ceremony unveiling the latest rotation of historic flags from the NJ Civil War Flag Collection, one of the largest collections of its kind in the nation. With flag historian David Martin and State Museum Curator Nicholas Ciotola.

35th Annual Holiday Weekend Saturday, December 7, 2019 - 11:00 am to 4:00 pm Sunday, December 8, 2019 - 11:00 am to 4:00 pm Eden Woolley House, 703 Deal Road, Ocean, NJ 07712 Saturday and Sunday, December 7 and 8 Holiday open house and mini-exhibit premiere It’s become a time-honored custom. On the first weekend of each December, we open the doors of the Museum and invite the public in to launch the holiday season. This year, our annual Holiday Open House falls on Saturday (11 to 4) and Sunday (11 to 5:30), December 7 and 8. The halls are decked The galleries are filled with model trains, seasonal collections, handmade crafts, and home-baked delicacies. Living history interpreters entertain visitors with holiday songs and traditions. Children hunt for hidden snowmen. The Garden Club sells wreaths on the porch. And we draw the winning quilt raffle ticket at 3 o’clock on Sunday afternoon. Sunday afternoon blends into the evening as guests arrive at the Museum grounds starting at 4:30 for...

Thursday, November 14 -- Mercer County Dreaming of Utopia: Roosevelt, New Jersey  Opening Reception November 14 at 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Exhibition open from November 15, 2019, to May 10, 2020   Click here for more information  Morven Museum & Garden explores the history and culture of Roosevelt, NJ from an experimental immigrant community in the 1930s to present-day artist colony. More than 100 objects from 25 collections are shown together for the first time in Dreaming of Utopia: Roosevelt, New Jersey, on view November 15, 2019, through May 10, 2020. Working with the New Deal Resettlement Administration, Russian immigrant Benjamin Brown established the town, originally named Jersey Homesteads, in 1937. It was a community of Jewish garment workers who escaped city tenements to breath fresh air, farm the land, and operate a cooperatively owned garment factory and shop. Jersey Homesteads’ flat-roofed buildings, designed by architect Alfred Kastner with his assist...