Historic Happenings Blog

Ask the Barracks! Old Barracks Museum launches new distance learning aide The Old Barracks Museum is bringing history online!  Due to the closures of schools and other precautionary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19,  thousands of students are going to miss their scheduled field trips to the Old Barracks Museum this spring . While visiting the historical landmark to learn about New Jersey’s pivotal role in the American Revolution is an immersive, hands-on experience that can’t be replicated online,  the Museum is eager to connect with students to allow them the opportunity to connect with history.   Ask the Barracks  allows students, parents, and teachers to email questions about the American Revolution, the Battle of Trenton, diseases in the 18 th  century such as smallpox, and New Jersey to   askthebarracks@barracks.org . Selected questions will be answered via videos that will be posted on  www.barracks.org/askthebarracks  and...

Now online--a new exhibit “When Women Vote” – Old Barracks Museum’s Online Exhibit Explores the  Anti-Suffragist  History of Founding Members Trenton, NJ—The Old Barracks Museum is pleased to announce the opening of  a new online exhibit titled “When Women Vote: The Old Barracks and the Anti-Suffrage Movement.” View it at  barracks.org/whenwomenvote .  This timely exhibit, which is being released during the centennial celebration of the 19 th  Amendment, explores a conflicted aspect of history. The Old Barracks’ origin is rooted in the military struggles of the 18th century, but the building also has a unique history tied to a group of affluent Trentonian women.  In 1902, The Old Barracks Association (OBA) was founded entirely by women living in the Trenton area with the goal of preserving the historic structure. These women were from well-connected families and as such, were expected to be involved in the local community and pursue philanthropic proje...

Saturday, February 29 and Sunday, March 1 – Mercer County Four Centuries of African American Soldiers  Celebrate Black History Month with us at The Old Barracks Museum! Come hear about the brave African American soldiers that helped shape our nation's history! Learn about the integral role they played in our military, from the early days of our nation's infancy all the way up to World War II! Meet the dedicated reenactors and living historians who will be exhibiting throughout the day, sharing their knowledge and passion about African American military history with our visitors. Represented regiments will include The Harlem Hellfighters of WWI, the 6th Regiment USCT of the Civil War, the 369th Regiment portrayed by Ebony Doughboys, and others. You will not want to miss this unique and educational experience, great for the entire family! Saturday, February 29 : 11:00 am  - "Stories of the 54th", Sergeant Major Louis Carter Jr. 54th Mass. Vol. Reg., Co. B. Reenactor MSG...

John Honeyman, Washington’s Spy: Unsung Hero or Urban Legend? December 31, 2019  @  1:00 pm  –  2:00 pm The story of John Honeyman, the Griggstown, New Jersey butcher and cattle dealer who, according to legend, became a spy for General George Washington in the months leading up to the game-changing victory in the First Battle of Trenton, has intrigued and befuddled historians for more than one hundred years. This presentation by Tim Strollery will layout the genesis of the story, explore the findings on each side of the Honeyman mystery, and ultimately invite attendees to join in the search for more primary evidence that can support or debunk the legend of Washington’s spy at Trenton.  Free.

Musket Demonstrations - 1:00 - 2:00 pm Old Barracks Museum, 101 Barrack Street Soldiers of the 17th Regiment of Infantry will drill and fire their muskets on the Parade ground of the Old Barracks Museum. Included in $5 admission with unlimited re-entry.

“My Brave Fellows” December 28, 2019  @  2:15 pm  –  3:15 pm With enlistments about to end, Washington’s officers compel the Soldiers of the Continental Army to stay on six more weeks beyond the end of their enlistments.  Included in $5 admission.

Tours of the Old Barracks December 26, 2019  @  10:00 am  –  5:00 pm Open for tours. The Old Barracks Museum offers tours that detail Trenton’s role in the 18th century, as well as the details of the Battle of Trenton. Tickets: $10 adults; $8 students and seniors.

Thursday, November 21 – Mercer County Fall Lectures at the Old Barracks Museum At 7:00 p.m. Joyce Malcolm will present a lecture on her book  The Tragedy of Benedict Arnold: An American Life .   Joyce Malcolm is a finalist for the 2019 George Washington Book Prize for this publication, a vivid and timely re-examination of one of young America’s most complicated figures: the war hero turned infamous traitor, Benedict Arnold. Proud and talented, history now remembers this conflicted man solely through the lens of his last desperate act of treason. Yet the fall of Benedict Arnold remains one of the Revolutionary period’s great puzzles. Why did a brilliant military commander, who repeatedly risked his life fighting the British, who was grievously injured in the line of duty, and fell into debt personally funding his own troops, ultimately became a traitor to the patriot cause? Historian Joyce Lee Malcolm skillfully unravels the man behind the myth and gives us a portrait of the tr...

Thursday, November 14 – Mercer County    Fall Lectures at the Old Barracks Museum The Old Barracks is pleased to host lectures and discussions by leading historians and authors on a variety of subjects sponsored by the Society of Sons of the Revolution in the State of New Jersey. Lectures are free to attend and start at 7 pm, doors open at 6:30 pm. Book pre-orders are recommended and can be placed online at  www.barracks.org .    At 7 PM Peter Stark will present a lecture on his book  Young Washington: How Wilderness and War Forged America's Founding Father . Peter Stark is a finalist for the 2019 George Washington Book Prize for this publication.  A new, brash, and unexpected view of the president we thought we knew, from the bestselling author of “Astoria”. Two decades before he led America to independence, George Washington was a flailing young soldier serving the British Empire in the vast wilderness of the Ohio Valley. Naïve and self-absorbed, the...

Monday, November 4 – Mercer County      Fall Lectures at the Old Barracks Museum The Old Barracks is pleased to host lectures and discussions by leading historians and authors on a variety of subjects sponsored by the Society of Sons of the Revolution in the State of New Jersey. Lectures are free to attend and start at 7 pm, doors open at 6:30 pm. Book pre-orders are recommended and can be placed online at  www.barracks.org .   At 7 PM Kenneth Gossard will present a lecture on his book  Thalers and Pence: Foreign Coins in the American Colonies 1607-1857 . Kenneth Gossard provides an engaging explanation and history of foreign coins circulating in the English colonies and the young nation of the United States. Thalers and Pence is a useful text for both collectors and historians.      All lectures are free of charge. Books can be pre-ordered online at:  www.barracks.org . Old Barracks, Barrack Street, Trenton

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

Thursday, October 24 – Mercer County Fall Lectures at the Old Barracks Museum The Old Barracks is pleased to host lectures and discussions by leading historians and authors on a variety of subjects sponsored by the Society of Sons of the Revolution in the State of New Jersey. Lectures are free to attend and start at 7 pm, doors open at 6:30 pm. Book pre-orders are recommended and can be placed online at www.barracks.org.  On Thursday, October 24  at 7:00 PM  John Gilbert McCurdy will present a lecture on his book  Quarters: The Accommodation of the British Army and the Coming of the American Revolution .  When Americans declared independence in 1776, they cited King George III "for quartering large bodies of armed troops among us." In Quarters, John Gilbert McCurdy explores the social and political history behind the charge, offering an authoritative account of the housing of British soldiers in America. Providing new interpretations and analysis of the Quarteri...

Tuesday, October 15 – Mercer County Fall Lectures at the Old Barracks Museum  The Old Barracks is pleased to host lectures and discussions by leading historians and authors on a variety of subjects sponsored by the Society of Sons of the Revolution in the State of New Jersey. Lectures are free to attend and start at 7 pm, doors open at 6:30 pm. Book pre-orders are recommended and can be placed online at www.barracks.org.  At 7 p.m.  David Price will present a   lecture on his book  The Road to Assunpink Creek: Liberty's Desperate Hour and the Ten Crucial Days of the American Revolution .  The book puts a spotlight on what may be the most unappreciated moment of a young nation’s revolutionary struggle when George Washington’s army narrowly escaped destruction to keep alive its fight for American independence.     All lectures are free of charge. Books can be pre-ordered online at:  www.barracks.org .

S aturday, October 12 -- Mercer County On September 13, 1759, during the Seven Years' War (1756-63), a worldwide conflict also known in America as the French and Indian War, the British under General James Wolfe achieved a dramatic victory when they scaled the cliffs over the city of Quebec, capital of New France, defeating the French forces under Louis-Joseph Marquis de Montcalm. By virtue of this victory and the subsequent defeat of the French in India, Britain became master of the world.  The Practitioners of Musick will perform “loyal songs” celebrating the British success in Canada and perform, as well, an extraordinary range of sacred and secular music that was heard in the palace of the Royal Governor of New France in the decades before the “Fall of Quebec.”   “Loyal Song” Music of the French and Indian War Saturday, October 12, 2019, at 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM Tickets are available online at  www.barracks.org . $25; $20 for Old Barracks Association Members. The Pra...

Friday, September 13 – Mercer County Old Barracks Transformed into Tavern for an Evening of Colonial Festivities and Fundraising      Leave your 21st-century  troubles behind and spend an evening in a colonial tavern at the Old Barracks Museum’s Tavern Night Fundraiser on the evening of September 13, 2019. Live music, food, and drink set the scene of an evening in 18 th  century Trenton, when King George II still ruled and the tavern was the center of town.     The Old Barracks Museum will transform into a colonial tavern filled with music, drinks, games, and candlelight. Dance Master Sue Dupre will provide dance instruction for those who wish to dance but do not yet know the steps. John Burkhalter, of The Practitioners of Musick, accompanied by Russell Hoffman, will perform the music of the 18 th  century on period instruments. Period dress is neither required nor discouraged and you will find many people from the past and present ...

Sunday, May 5 – Mercer County May Tea at the Old Barracks    Trenton, NJ— Join the Old Barracks at the May Tea on Sunday, May 5. Two seatings are available at 11 AM and 2 PM. This semi-formal tea service will include a variety of teas, finger sandwiches, and pastries. An entertaining discussion of the history of the Officers' House and the women who called it home ​will enliven the afternoon! There will be a silent auction to give you the opportunity to bring home a prize and further your support of the Old Barracks Museum. Tickets include all refreshments and a tea cup to take home with you. ​Brunch attire is suggested. All proceeds benefit the operating expenses of the Colonial Summer Camp which is offered via scholarship to Trenton students in conjunction with the Nicky Fifth Foundation.     This fundraiser recalls the Pink Tea, a fundraiser of the Old Barracks Association in 1901.     Tickets are required and will not be availab...

Saturday-Sunday, March 23-24 – Mercer County    Trenton, NJ—  On Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 24, from 10 am – 5 pm, the Old Barracks Museum will break your winter cabin fever by reliving the winter of 1777-1778 when Washington’s troops were experiencing the harsh Winter at Valley Forge. The Old Barracks will host 18th-century carpenters, tailors, cordwainers and shoemakers, hatters, gunsmiths, laundresses, clerks, and members of the local militia. Come see the scale at which production was happening in Trenton in 1778 in order to sustain the needs of the Continental Army. Artisans and tradesmen will be demonstrating all day, both days.      Musket demonstrations  will take place on both Saturday and Sunday at 12 PM and 3 PM. On Saturday at 11 AM, Shaun A. Pekar will discuss  shoe manufacturing  during the American Revolution and learn why the fledgling American Army faced constant footwear shortages and how they dealt with ...