Historic Happenings Blog

Monday, January 20 – Morris County New Exhibit: Surveying the New Jersey Landscape Opens January 20, 2020 January 20, 2020, to June 14, 2020 New Jersey’s beautiful and varied landscapes give its residents many reasons to celebrate. The Garden State’s backdrop is a colorful, diverse scenery – from the Great Swamp, to the coastal Jersey Shore, to the mountain ranges. Its natural features have drastically shaped the lives of the people who have inhabited the area for thousands of years. But how have people interacted with this land over time? Historic maps, surveying tools, and other accounts provide the keys to better understanding our relationship to our environment. Artistic renderings reveal the creativity that our natural surroundings often spark within us. As you explore  Surveying the New Jersey Landscape , consider your own connection to the landscape and the human impact that we have had on the local topography, wildlife, and vegetation over time. Thank You To Those Who Helpe...

Sunday, June 7 -- Morris County The Museum Garden Club of Jefferson will hold a perennial plant sale on June 7th, 2020 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Jefferson Township Museum, 315 Dover Milton Road, Jefferson Township , NJ. Locally grown perennials will be available for sale. Members of the Garden club including NJ Master Gardeners will be on-site to assist shoppers with your plant selections and your gardening questions. The proceeds from the sale support the garden club's efforts to maintain Miss Elizabeth's Garden on the grounds of the Jefferson Township Museum. The Jefferson Township Museum will be open for a soft opening on the same date and time. Miss Elizabeth's Gift Shoppe will also be open. All COVID-19 safety precautions will be followed.

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...

https://www.pequannockhistory.org/come-join-the-300th-celebration/

Thursday, March 26 – Morris County 7:14 p.m.   North Jersey Civil War Round Table meeting. NORTH JERSEY CIVIL WAR ROUND TABLE Presents A Program and A Quarter of a Program ABE LINCOLN and the FRELINGHUYSEN ARBORETUM                       The program: Historian and Author RICHARD SCHWARTZ presents LINCOLN LOSES!!  (or does he?)    One of the most dynamic speakers who has presented before the NJCWRT is Richard Schwartz. He now returns to in what promises (Ed. Note: No promises, will be!) to be another great lecture. Richard Schwartz has taught history and government at Whippany Park High School for 40 years, where he also serves as Social Studies department coordinator. He is Lincoln scholar, having received scholarships with the Gilder Lehrman Institute for American History, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and the Civil War Institute. H...

Sunday, March 22 -- Morris County Women of Chatham Township: New Gallery Exhibit Speaker: Patricia Wells Location: Chatham Township Municipal Building, 58 Meyersville Road, Chatham  In conjunction with the new Historical Society Gallery exhibit at the Municipal Building,  Pat Wells will talk about some of the notable women who have lived in the Township during its long history.

Sunday, March 22 – Morris County Lightning Strike Ends in Death and Destruction 1926 Picatinny Arsenal explosions continue for days MORRISTOWN, NJ – When lightning struck the Navy surplus cache at Lake Denmark Powder Depot on a hot July evening,1926, millions of pounds of explosives detonated turning the forested lands into a lunar landscape complete with craters. In addition to structural and landscape devastation, loss of life, and loss of military resources, the event is considered one of the worst manmade explosions in U.S. history. Join us on Sunday, March 22, at 1:30 p.m. as Picatinny Arsenal Cultural Resource Manager Jason Huggan describes how the local landscape and the additional storage of ammunition and explosives left over from World War I intensified the disaster lending the site a war-zone appearance.  He also discusses the sweeping legislation and munition's operational changes that resulted from the disaster. Additionally, Huggan will share recently discovered and d...

Thursday, March 12 – Morris County The next meeting of the NJ American Revolution Round Table takes place on Thursday, March 12 at 7:00 p.m. at the Museum at Washington's Headquarters, Morristown National Historical Park, 30 Washington Pl, Morristown NJ 07960. Attendance is free for students and first time Round Table attendees.     The speaker is Christian McBurney on  George Washington's Nemesis: The Outrageous Treason and Unfair Court-Martial of Major General Charles Lee.      Major General Charles Lee, a former British Army officer was George Washington’s second in command at the start of the Revolutionary War. He was kidnapped in Basking Ridge in December of 1776 and spent a year as a British prisoner. Following his release, he was given a major command at the Battle of Monmouth where he retreated in the face of the British army and was subsequently court-martialed and suspended from the Continental army. Christian McBurne...

Wednesday, March 11 – Morris County     The Museum Garden Club of Jefferson will meet on Wednesday, March 11 in the Riker Room of the Jefferson Township Library, Weldon Road, Jefferson, at 7:00 p.m.  Gardeners of all skill levels are welcome to attend this meeting and to join the Garden Club. New members are welcome, and no experience is necessary. Volunteering in the Museum Gardens is a rewarding experience, learning and working alongside several Master Gardeners and dedicated members.      The Museum Garden Club’s main focus is to develop and maintain the gardens surrounding the Jefferson Township Museum, also known as the George Chamberlain House. Other activities include an annual plant sale and decorating the Museum for Museum Christmas. Anyone interested in joining the organization is encouraged to attend this meeting.  For further information, contact  gardener.jhs@jeffersontownship.net  or follo...

January 12-March 3 – Morris County Keeping Warm in the 19 th  Century Winter Garments Enhance Victorian-era Clothing Exhibit at Acorn Hall During the last half of the 19 th  century, the northeastern U.S. was pounded by massive blizzards that dropped four to five feet of snow in many parts of the country and temperatures so frigid that the East River froze over more than a dozen times. To cope with these weather extremes, our Victorian ancestors had only a fireplace or their clothing to shield them from the cold.    Morris County Historical Society’s new exhibit, “ Warmest Winter Fashions, 1860-1900 ,” highlights nearly two dozen cold weather garments worn by adults and children, including coats, muffs, and capes.   Designed to complement the 30 garments already on display, “ Warmest Winter Fashions”  will be available from Sunday, Jan. 12, through Tuesday, March 3. Before visiting Acorn Hall, check Groupon for discounted tickets with an optional ...

Who Are The People In Your Neighborhood? Community Asset Mapping A half day workshop that will be presented by NJ Volunteer Organizations Active After a Disaster (NJVOAD) for NJCAR. Many community organizations focus on the needs or deficits of the community. Every community has needs and deficits that nonprofit organizations should attend to. Nevertheless, it is also possible to focus on assets and strengths -- emphasizing what the community does have, not what it does not. Those assets and strengths can be used to meet those same community needs; they can improve community life. To draw upon a community's assets, we first have to find out what they are. So in this workshop, we will focus on identifying community assets and resources. We will also show how they can be harnessed to meet community needs and to strengthen the community as a whole. We will be hosting this event in two locations: March 3, 2020- Morris Museum: 6 Normandy Heights Rd, Morristown, NJ 07960 March 4, 2020- M...

Thursday, February 27 - Morris County 7:14 p.m.    NORTH JERSEY CIVIL WAR ROUND TABLE  presents Historian and Author JOHN HAYWARD   The 5 th  New Jersey Regiment at The Battle of Gettysburg The 5th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry was one of four regiments formed by Governor  Charles Olden  upon the requisition of President  Abraham Lincoln  on July 24, 1861. Fighting in battle on the eastern front, from the siege of Yorktown, the Seven Days Battles, Chancellorsville, the Second Battle of Bull Run and the Battle of Gettysburg  the regiment was then commanded by Col. William J. Sewell, who was wounded on July 2nd. Sewell was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at Chancellorsville in May two months before Gettysburg and went on to become a State and U.S. Senator. Capt. Henry H. Woolsey took command for the rest of the battle, even though he was slightly wounded on July 2nd. The 5th brought 221 men to the field and lost 1...