Historic Happenings Blog

Tuesday, October 29 – Mercer County    At 7 PM  Hal Taylor will present a lecture on his book  Before Penn: An Illustrated History of The Delaware River Colonies 1609-1682 .  The book provides the little known but fascinating history of the European settlement of the Delaware River Valley prior to the founding of Philadelphia by William Penn. The background tells of a legendary visit to North America by Irish monk St. Brendan in the seventh century and continues with a litany of European explorers searching for a short cut through the North American continent that will lead to the treasures of the Far East. During the process, abundant natural resources are discovered, leading to competition among major powers.     All lectures are free of charge. Books can be pre-ordered online at:  www.barracks.org . Old Barracks, Barrack Street, Trenton

Sunday, September 15 -- Salem County Salem County Historical Society Annual Luncheon The Salem County Historical Society will host its  2019 Annual Luncheon on Sunday, September 15 th  at the Inn at the Salem Country Club (pictured) in Salem, NJ. This year’s luncheon will be of special interest as it will be in memory of former Board Trustee William J. Gallo, Jr.  Refreshments and hors d’oeuvres will be served at 1:00 p.m. and the luncheon will begin at 1:45 p.m. This year’s luncheon will also feature a  presentation by Hal Taylor, an illustrator and author, who will be giving a presentation entitled, “ Salem County and the Delaware River .”        In addition to the program, our annual raffle and silent auction will run throughout the luncheon and will feature many items and offerings of local interest. The raffle item this year is a weekend for two in the Historic District of Annapolis, Maryland. This package includes a two nights...

Sunday, July 28 -  Raritan Township, Hunterdon County Author Kicks Off Hunterdon Land Trust’s Historic River Series After spending the weekdays working at home, author Hal Taylor loves nothing more than jumping in the car on weekends to explore. He discovered, in time, that his meanderings often took him to the Delaware River. "There's something about a large body of water that stirs me, and probably most people, especially if there's some ship traffic," Taylor notes. "I wonder where the vessels are going and where they've been. The water stirs the same curiosity. There's a history in that river." Discovering that history led Taylor to pen his first book,  The Illustrated Delaware River: The History of a Great American River , an historical travelogue filled with 140 original drawings and paintings. And it will bring him to the Hunterdon Land Trust Farmers' Market on Sunday at 10:30 am. where he will share stories and his illustrations from his m...