Historic Happenings Blog

Princeton, Mercer County Historic Princeton Walking Tour Enjoy a 1.9 mile, two-hour walk around downtown Princeton and the University campus as you learn about historic sites in the area, including Bainbridge House, Nassau Hall, the University Chapel, and Palmer Square. The early history of Princeton, the founding of the University, and the American Revolution are just some of the stories from Princeton’s history that you will learn on your tour. Admission: $7 per adult; $4 children ages 6 to 12; free for children age 5 and under. Tours begin in front of the Bainbridge House, 158 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ. Tour begins at 2:00 pm and ends at 4:00 pm. Walk up ticket sales are cash only; guides cannot provide change. Space is limited. For more information and to reserve tickets, call 609-921-6748 or visit  www.princetonhistory.org . When : Every Sunday throughout the year (except major holidays; weather permitting) Start time: 2 PM.  Themed History Walks are offered t...

Stony Brook Walking Tour Date/Time Second Saturdays of the month 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm ( March 21, April 11, and May 16, at 9:30 AM_ Location Princeton Friends School 470 Quaker Road Princeton Before there was a “Princeton,” six Quaker families established a community on the fertile ground along Stony Brook. This two+ hour hike explores the lives of the early settlers and the community they established, while following a portion of the trail George Washington took from Trenton to the Princeton Battlefield. Stops include the Stony Brook Meeting House and Burial Ground, walking a portion of the “hidden” back road into Princeton, and a view of the Battlefield. This tour starts at the Princeton Friends School/Meeting House parking lot, 470 Quaker Road. Tickets are $5, and include farmhouse museum admission. Questions?: Call 609.921.6748 x102 or email:  eve@princetonhistory.org

Summertime History Strolls & Garden Tours at Morven Starting June 24 Registration Now Open! (Weds, Thurs, Fri and Sat.) Imagine what it must have been like to attend a pool party  at Morven!  Enjoy a summertime stroll through the grounds surrounding the museum. Explore Morven's history during these 45-minute walking tours, viewing Morven in a whole new way.  Click to Register for Garden Tour  "What's in Bloom?" Weekly Tours  Wednesdays through Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. Click to Register for Summertime Stroll Docent-led Outdoor Tours Wednesdays and Fridays at 4:00 p.m. Thursdays and Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. Photography is welcome and we invite you to share your photos on Facebook and Instagram #morvenmuseum Please note: June 24 through July 3 are member events for  Friends of Morven - To become a Friend,  please click here .  Tour limited to 12 people All social distancing and state/local regulations wil...

  Visit Morven Museum from Home! We invite you to visit us via  Facebook ,  Instagram ,  Twitter  and  YouTube  where fun and interactive content lives to keep you entertained and inspired.  Partake in our #MorvenSpringOut and share how you're observing Spring at home! Send us a message on our social media platforms, tag us into photos and videos, or email  cpierre@morven.org  with your Spring findings.   Discover something new. Did you know that our current exhibition Dreaming of Utopia: Roosevelt New Jersey has an  Additional Resources Page ?   Housebound baker? We have many  delicious historical recipes  to share.  Armchair travel from the comfort of your own home with video lectures from our  Grand Homes and Gardens Distinguished Speakers Series , sponsored by Baxter Construction, and more! Stay up to date while engaging in our virtual...

The Historical Society of Princeton   is pleased to announce a series of digital initiatives and interactions to engage history lovers of all ages! Even though the Updike Farmstead museum is closed and our events are suspended in order to preserve public health during the COVID-19 pandemic, all of us at HSP remain committed to our mission to bring the past to life and explore its enduring relevance. We've compiled a number of history-related activities for you to do from the comfort and safety of your own home!  Click here for more information and links to activities! Spotlight Activity: Add YOUR Voice to the Historical Record Your experience matters. Help us archive this historic pandemic’s impact in Princeton by documenting and sharing your perspectives. Your contribution will help tell the story to those in the future and aid them in understanding this challenging time. Click here  for details on the three ways to participate: collect, document, or journal.

J. R. Eyerman, Audience Watches Movie  Wearing 3-D Spectacles, 1952. Gelatin  silver print, 29.2 × 21.6 cm.  Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, The Howard  Greenberg Collection ©1952  The Picture Collection Inc. All rights reserved. LIFE Magazine and the Power of Photography Saturday, February 22, 2020 - Sunday, June 21, 2020 From the Great Depression to the Vietnam War, the vast majority of the photographs printed and consumed in the United States appeared on the pages of illustrated magazines. Offering an in-depth look at the photography featured in Life magazine throughout its weekly run from 1936 to 1972, this exhibition examines how the magazine’s use of images fundamentally shaped the modern idea of photography in the United States. The work of photographers such as Margaret Bourke-White, Larry Burrows, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Frank Dandridge, Gordon Parks, and W. Eugene Smith is explored in the context of the creative and editorial structures at Life. Drawing on...

Paul Cézanne. Quarry at Bibémus (La Carrière de Bibémus), 1898–1900. Oil on canvas, 65.41 x 54.61 cm. The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. Gift of Henry W. and Marion H. Bloch Cézanne: The Rock and Quarry Paintings Saturday, March 7, 2020 - Sunday, June 14, 2020 Cézanne: The Rock and Quarry Paintings is the first major exhibition to examine an essential but understudied aspect of the revolutionary French painter’s work: his profound interest in rock and geological formations. Throughout his career, Cézanne made canvases that take rock formations as their principal subjects. Although they are among the artist’s most extraordinary landscapes, such paintings of geological forms have never before been the focus of significant scholarship. Cézanne: The Rock and Quarry Paintings will feature approximately 15 of the most important of these paintings, as well as selected watercolors and related documentary material. Together, they reveal the artist’s fascination with geology, which helped shape th...

In Nature's Realm: The New Jersey Art of Gerard Rutgers Hardenbergh    Open May 29, 2020 Opening Reception, Thursday, May 28 from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.  Reception is free and open to the public Image credit: Grouse, 1885. Gerard Rutgers Hardenbergh (1856–1915), oil on canvas. Private Collection.   In line with its mission of celebrating the art of New Jersey, Morven Museum & Garden is proud to present the first exhibition examining the work of Gerard Rutgers Hardenbergh (1856–1915). Born in New Brunswick, the great-great-grandson of Reverend Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh (1736–1790), the first president of Queens College (Rutgers University), Hardenbergh was a self-taught artist and ornithologist.  As a young man, he spent time at Chadwick House, the Jersey Shore’s most famous sporting club located just south of present-day Mantoloking. His early love of wildlife became a lifelong passion for the study of birds. Splitting his time between New Brunswick and the Je...

Jersey Homesteads Mural , Ben Shahn (1898–1969), with Bernarda Bryson Shahn (1993–2004),   1936–7; located in the Roosevelt Public School. Photo by © RicardoBarros.com 2019 Dreaming of Utopia: Roosevelt, New Jersey November 15, 2019–May 10, 2020 Opening Reception November 14 at 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. EXHIBIT SUPPORT PROVIDED BY: Liza & Schuyler Morehouse Lisa & Michael Ullmann Rago Arts & Auction Center Kalkin Family Foundation This exhibition was made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. Morven Museum & Garden received a project grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State. Morven Museum & Garden explores the history and cult...

Saturday, May 9 -- Mercer County New Brunswick Chamber Orchestra Salon: Mythos  at 3:00 p.m. $10; Free for Friends of Morven Series $25; Free for Friends of Morven  Additional Series Dates: Saturday, January 25, 2020, at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, May 9, 2020, at 3:00 p.m. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER More information   Members of the  New Brunswick Chamber Orchestra  musicians present NBCO@Morven, a three-part series of uncommon chamber music pieces connected by a common theme. All events will take place in Morven’s Stockton Education Center.  Short works are mixed with lively and informative discussions with the orchestra's conductor Mark Hyczko. The program on November 10, 2019, is “Mythos”, which will explore works inspired by ancient myths and legends. The salon on January 25 is called “Extended Techniques”, which features works that explore unusual approaches to writing for instruments. The concluding salon on May 9, 2020, is “Life/Death”, which explores music wri...

Earth Day 50th Anniversary Celebration: Roosevelt Poets Read Wednesday, April 22 at 6:30 p.m., doors open 6:00 p.m. $10; Free for Friends of Morven Ticket price includes same-day museum admission and light refreshments CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

 Morven in May 2020: Classics & Charming Plants Plus Safe Curbside Pick Up! Morven's Annual Plant Sale has been a tradition for 19 years. While operating very differently than in years past, this year's sale provides critical funds for our operations, now more important than ever.   Your safety, along with that of our staff, remains paramount.  After consulting with the Princeton Board of Health, we will be following the On-Farm Market Protocol for the set up of the sale and will arrange pick-up of orders in alignment with the Take-Out Protocol you are familiar with from your favorite local restaurants.   Watch your email for your order form!  There is a printable catalog & we will be available for phone orders.  Here are the details! Ordering is as easy as 1-2-3! 1 - Place your order through our secure website before April 20, 2020. Orders will be placed, by order of receipt, with our growers. Some plant...

Walking Roosevelt: Architecture, Murals, and More with Alan Mallach Sunday, April 5 at 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. $15; $10 for Friends of Morven walk only $50; $40 for Friends of Morven including tour, brunch, and gratuity included Roosevelt tour begins with a meeting at Morven 10:00 a.m. to carpool. Ticket price includes same-day admission to Roosevelt exhibition inside the museum following the tour. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER Model house nears completion in Hightstown, New Jersey, June 1936. Dorothea Lange (1895–1965), photographer. Retrieved from the Library of Congress

The Houses of Louis Kahn Wednesday, April 1 at 6:30 p.m., doors open 6:00 p.m. $18; $10 for Friends of Morven Q&A and book signing to follow. Ticket price includes light refreshments. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER Louis Kahn (1901–1974), considered one of the most important architects of the postwar period, is widely admired for his great monumental works, including the Kimbell Art Museum, the Salk Institute, and the National Assembly Complex in Bangladesh. The importance of his houses, most notably the houses he designed as a young architect in Roosevelt, NJ, then known as Jersey Homesteads, will be discussed in an illustrated lecture presented by  The Houses of Louis Kahn  co-authors George H. Marcus, adjunct assistant professor of the history of art at the University of Pennsylvania and William Whitaker, curator of the Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania, which houses the Louis I. Kahn Collection.