Historic Happenings Blog

Saturday, February 22 – Somerset County A TOAST TO GENERAL WASHINGTON’S 288 TH ! George Washington, retired Continental Army Commander in Chief and First President of the United States, will be celebrated at Rockingham on Saturday, February 22, with an open house event commemorating his 288 th  birthday. General Washington will only be present in spirit (and in the form of our wonderful life-sized mannequin in exactingly-recreated uniform on the second floor), but visitors can listen to fiddle music, courtesy of James Kurzenberger, and perhaps dance a step or two; participate in a mini scavenger hunt and count the Washington (George and Martha) tchotchkes; pick up a child’s activity pamphlet to go. Also, there will be light refreshments available in the kitchen to complete the celebration. Several rooms of the house will be open from 1 to 4 pm. Go to  www.rockingham.net , the Rockingham Facebook page or call 609-683-7132 for more information. A donation of $5 is...

Sunday, December 8 -- Somerset County CANDLELIGHT HOLIDAY TOURS Sunday, December 8th, 11 am - 4 pm RESERVATIONS REQUIRED Have you heard of Martha Washington or Abigail Adams, maybe Phyllis Wheatley or Patience Wright? What about Mumbet, Nanye'hi or Sarah Bradlee Fulton? Rockingham will be presenting its annual Candlelight Holiday Tours on Sunday, December 8th from 11 am to 4 pm. This year's theme-tour will celebrate women of the 18th century, from diverse walks of life, well-known and not so well-known. It may include the women mentioned above and many in-between. Poetess, sculptor, enslaved woman, morale-booster, soldier, spy, farm woman, Native American leader, camp follower, and many others. The Live Historians Club of Montgomery Township High School will present the distaff-side history lesson in period dress as visitors are touring from room to room of the historic house, which will be enhanced in the restrained 18th-century style of holiday decoration. The candlelight tou...

Saturday, November 2 – Somerset County SEASONAL FOODWAYS Saturday, November, 2nd 1:30 pm The Dutch Barn at Rockingham In the 18th century, not all foods were available all year long. There were no supermarkets as we know today to sell out-of-season fruits and vegetables. You could not buy a peach in February or tomato in May (or any other month, actually) . You planned your menus according to what was available in your garden or from local markets during growing seasons and what was preserved, dried, pickled, smoked or salted in storage the rest of the year.  Deborah Peterson, foodways historian, will bring to light just how dependent colonial Americans were on the seasons of the year for their food on  Saturday, November 2nd at 1:30 . The presentation will also touch on the goods imported into the colonies.  This program will be presented in the barn at Rockingham State Historic Site, with time for questions and light refreshments to follow.  Seating is limited...

Saturday,  October 19  -  Franklin Township, Somerset County The Right to Vote for NJ Women - In 1776? American women, after decades of struggle and demonstration, finally were given the right to vote in 1920 with the ratification of the 19th amendment. Did you know that some New Jersey women (white women who owned property) had the right to vote from 1776 to 1807? On Saturday at 1:30 pm, Carol Levin will present, "Reclaiming Our Voice," a talk focusing on this intriguing slice of our state's early history. The program chronicles New Jersey's largely overlooked role in the women's suffrage movement. As the only state to have women's suffrage (the NJ 1776 state constitution enabled some women to vote), then lose it (the all-male legislature took it away in 1807), NJ was a symbol to many suffragists. It was a long struggle for all. Only one person who attended the first national Women's Rights Convention in 1850 lived long enough to see women attain the righ...

Sunday, June 9 – Somerset County Save the Date for a visit with an  18th-Century Surgeon-Dentist      Let us be clear: George Washington did not have wooden teeth. However, he did have dental problems through most of his adult life, as did many 18th-century folk of both high and low social class. There were no regular visits to dentists, with tooth brushing and flossing in between at that time.  There weren't even dentists as we know them today. Dentistry was only just evolving as a separate profession through the eighteenth century. Barber-surgeons or surgeon-dentists provided many more services than our modern dentists. Toothbrushes were somewhat new, but rare for most people to use or even own. Germs were an unknown entity.      On Sunday, June 9 at Rockingham, Marjory Wienkop will be in residence in the Dutch barn with a display of colonial-era surgeon-dentist instruments, related objects and much information on the real story of who took...

Sunday, May 19 - Franklin Township, Somerset County Rockingham's Annual Children's Day The basics of being a child remain the same throughout history - a need for a time of play, to learn, explore, and experience. All children are welcome to come and enjoy  Rockingham's Annual Children's Day, being held this year on Sunday from 12:00 noon - 5:00 pm. The historic site, which served as General George Washington's final wartime headquarters in late 1783, will be offering activities and demonstrations of 18th-century life with support from the Montgomery High School Live Historians Club and the Rockingham Association. There will be basket-making and outdoor-cooking demonstrations with Deb Buonocore and Diane Lingsch, and information on soldiering and everyday colonial life with Past Muster and NJ History Alive. Activities include trying on replica 18th-century clothing, learning to write with quill and ink, playing games like Battledore & Shuttlecock and Trap Ball, ...

Saturday, May 11 – Middlesex County    Spring Celebration Walk in Mapleton Preserve with Rick Henkel and Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands   Saturday, May 11, 2019, at 2 PM, D&R Canal State Park Headquarters/Mapleton Preserve at 145 Mapleton Road, Kingston NJ     Join the Friends of Princeton Lands for a celebration of spring and a walk through the former Princeton Nurseries Kingston Site. The walk will be led by Rick Henkel, formerly Sales Manager for Princeton Nurseries, for which he worked for 32 years. Rick has an extraordinary knowledge of trees and knows the Kingston Site and its trees intimately. Meet at the Main Office for the D&R Canal State Park at 145 Mapleton Road in Kingston for this leisurely two-hour afternoon walk. The event is free and open to the public. https://fpnl.org/

Saturday, April 27 – Somerset County GEORGE WASHINGTON REMEMBERS . . .             David Emerson has been embodying George Washington in New Jersey and elsewhere for many years. The expertise and ease in his portrayal creates a strong illusion of stepping back into the 18 th  century and actually meeting the General. This has been the case at Rockingham, several times in the past, most recently in the fall of 2017.             On Saturday, April 27 at 1:30 pm in the Dutch barn at Rockingham, Mr. Emerson returns once again to present  “George Washington Remembers New Jersey.”  Washington was no stranger to New Jersey. From Trenton to Princeton to Morristown to Monmouth to Middlebrook, (and more—Rockingham!), the General spent more time here than in any other state.  Join General Washington as he reminisces about his brightest and darkest moments...

Saturday, February 23 - Franklin Township, Somerset County George Washington's Birthday Come celebrate George Washington's 286th birthday at Rockingham on Saturday. While Washington will be present only in spirit (and in the form of a wonderful life-sized mannequin in an exactingly recreated uniform), visitors who tour his last wartime headquarters will learn about his life and times, before, during and after his careers as commander of the Continental Army and first president of the United States. Find out more about this iconic symbol of our country; learn why he is more important than just a means to sell cars on Presidents' Day! After the tour, enjoy cake and punch in Rockingham's kitchen. Tours will be offered from 12:00 noon - 4:00 pm on the hour and, possibly, half-hour if needed. (The last tour will be at 3:00 or 3:30 pm, accordingly). Because the size of tours will be limited, reservations will be necessary to guarantee admittance. Please call 609-683-7132 for ...

Sunday, December 9 – Somerset County Washington's Fantastic Beasts: Animals in the Washington World     Have you heard of Madame Moose? Or Sweetlips? Or how about Nelson and Blueskin? What do Shire, Devon and Hog Island have to do with 18th-century farming? What animals did George Washington have a strong hand in introducing to America?  Rockingham will present its  annual Candlelight Holiday Tours on Sunday, December 9th from 11 am to 4 pm. This year's theme revolves around the "beasts"-pets, working animals, wild-that were part of Washington's and his family's life. Learn about the funny names some of his many dogs had, what wild animals were important to Mount Vernon's (Washington's main farm) economy and what various creatures served as pets in the Washington household. The Live Historians Club of Montgomery Township High School will be presenting the faunal information in period dress as visitors are touring from room to room of the historic house...