Historic Happenings Blog

Sunday, June 14 – Somerset County #lookfortheriver: How “Finding” Lost Waterways Can Help Us Adapt Sunday, June 14 at 3pm      Did you know a Raritan River tributary flows below the Wallace House & Old Dutch Parsonage? Centuries of piping, culverting, and development have hidden the vast majority of waterways in urban areas. This program will help community members explore their own local landscapes by learning to read topographic maps, identify watersheds and #lookfortheriver.  Dr. Heather Fenyk, founder and president of the Lower Raritan Watershed  Partnership, leads this presentation. This program is funded by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities with additional support from the Wallace House and Old Dutch Parsonage Association. Free admission. Register at 908-725-1015 or  wallacedutch@dep.nj.gov . Wallace House, 71 Somerset Street, Somerville

Saturday, June 13 – Somerset County Caesar, Cincinnatus, and Gloriana: Shakespeare's  Julius Caesar at 10:30 a.m.      Classical Greece and Rome were part of the popular culture of Revolutionary America just as they were in Elizabethan England when Shakespeare wrote  Julius Caesar . We’ll consider the resonance of this play in the Elizabethan era as Shakespeare’s contemporaries considered the loss of a long-reigning monarch and again in the Revolutionary War as General Washington eschewed a potential military dictatorship in favor of civilian rule by Congress.  This program begins a series of play discussions in conjunction with author Ian Doescher's Shakespeare 2020 Project. Free admission. Register at 908-725-1015 or  wallacedutch@dep.nj.gov . Wallace House State Historic Site, 71 Somerset Street, Somerville.

Publick Dance, Period music and Frivolity Saturday, April 18, 2020, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm This 18th-century publick dance will feature live music by Anne and Ridley Enslow and the dances will be called by the Van Horne's dance master, Lazarus Turner. Open to reenactors and local and not so local friends alike, Colonial attire is welcome but NOT mandatory. Dances will progress from simple to more complex as the evening progresses. 25.00 pp goes toward the musicians! Questions? Call Cindy directly at 310-691-9388 or email at info@htanj.org. Event Details

Saturday, March 28 – Somerset County Somerset County Historical Society in Partnership with the Manville Public Library Hosts Talk on Doris Duke     The Somerset County Historical Society is pleased to announce the second in this year’s series of History Talks.  Join us at the Manville Library, Saturday, March 28 at 2 PM for  an afternoon with local author Rikki Lyn Hauss-McCarthy as she discusses the lavish life of one of Somerset County's most famous residents, Doris Duke.    Ms. McCarthy will be chronicling Doris' life and the demolition of her New Jersey mansion. Her book  The Duchess of South Somerville , will be available for purchase. Local residents will have an opportunity to share their personal memories of the estate and the Lady.   Please RSVP by emailing the name and number of seats you will need to  info@somersethistorynj.org  or leaving a message at 908-218-1281.  

Sunday, February 9 – Somerset County Congratulations Oscar Peterson! One of our talented art teachers will be exhibiting works in upcoming shows! 1978 Gallery  (Jan 20 - Mar 8; Reception Feb 9). Oscar was chosen for a  solo show  in this gallery’s Black History Month Exhibition which focuses on exhibiting art by nationally and internationally acclaimed African-American artists.   SOPAC  (Jan 30 - Mar 22; Reception Jan 30). Two of Oscar's works were selected to be included in SOPAC's "Curator's Lens" group show.  Learn from Oscar in one of his upcoming classes at Farmstead Arts Intro to Portrait Drawing/Painting  (3:30 - 5:30; Tuesdays, Feb 4 to Mar 10) Drawing & Painting the Figure  (3:30 - 5:30; Thursdays Feb 6 - Mar 12) How's & Whys of Drawing  (3:30 - 5:30; Saturdays, Feb 8 - Mar 14) Farmstead Arts Center, 450 King George Road, Basking Ridge, New Jersey 07920 admin@farmsteadarts.org  | 908.636.7576 Office Hours: Monday - ...

Sunday, March 22 – Somerset County LEARN PYSANKY, THE UKRAINIAN ART OF EGG DECORATING, SUNDAY, MARCH 22       On Sunday, March 22 nd  at 11:00 a.m., the Friends of the Jacobus Vanderveer House & Museum will host  a workshop on Pysanky – the Ukrainian art of egg decorating.   Participants will get hands-on experience and decorate their own egg with materials provided by award-winning Pysanky artist Patty Wiszuk-DeAngelo. The workshop will cover division of the egg, drawing of designs, use of kistka, techniques of wax and resist method, the dyeing process, the technique of egg drilling, removing wax, and finishing methods.      Ms. Wiszuk-DeAngelo’s decorated eggs are part of the White House Museum’s collection. She was featured on the Food Network’s  Unwrapped , and she has taught workshops and authored many articles on the art of pysanky over the past 20 years. The three-hour class is $40 per p...

Sunday, March 15 – Somerset County Postponed to June 14 #lookfortheriver: How “Finding” Lost Waterways Can Help Us Adapt Sunday, March 15 at 3pm      Did you know a Raritan River tributary flows below the Wallace House & Old Dutch Parsonage? Centuries of piping, culverting, and development have hidden the vast majority of waterways in urban areas. This program will help community members explore their own local landscapes by learning to read topographic maps, identify watersheds and #lookfortheriver.  Dr. Heather Fenyk, founder and president of the Lower Raritan Watershed  Partnership, leads this presentation. This program is funded by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities with additional support from the Wallace House and Old Dutch Parsonage Association. Free admission. Register at 908-725-1015 or  wallacedutch@dep.nj.gov . Wallace House, 71 Somerset Street, Somerville

Saturday, March 14 – Somerset County Rescheduled to Saturday, June 13 Caesar, Cincinnatus, and Gloriana: Shakespeare's  Julius Caesar at 10:30 a.m.      Classical Greece and Rome were part of the popular culture of Revolutionary America just as they were in Elizabethan England when Shakespeare wrote  Julius Caesar . We’ll consider the resonance of this play in the Elizabethan era as Shakespeare’s contemporaries considered the loss of a long-reigning monarch and again in the Revolutionary War as General Washington eschewed a potential military dictatorship in favor of civilian rule by Congress.  This program begins a series of play discussions in conjunction with author Ian Doescher's Shakespeare 2020 Project. Free admission. Register at 908-725-1015 or  wallacedutch@dep.nj.gov . Wallace House State Historic Site, 71 Somerset Street, Somerville.

Thursday, February 27 -- Somerset County 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM, Mary Jacobs Memorial Library Foundation, 64 Washington St, Rocky Hill, New Jersey 08553. Join Jim Amon and the Van Harlingen Historical Society at the Mary Jacobs Memorial Library as he shares his favorite stories of Seeing the Sourlands.

Sunday, February 23 – Somerset County SEANCE WITH JANE DOHERTY - the last seance we had with Jane was spectacular!  Limited to 20 people.  Tickets available on EventBrite.com The Meadows Foundation is pleased to present an afternoon with noted psychic Jane Doherty. She will address the spirits connected with each attendee, including loved ones who have passed on. Jane acts as a contact point to aid in communication between the earthly and spirit worlds. Beginning at 2:30pm, this 3-hr event will take place at the Wyckoff-Garretson house, a historic home stewarded by The Meadows Foundation. Listed on the state and national registries of historic places, the museum house dates to 1709, and has an established history of spiritual activity. This event is LIMITED TO 20 PARTICIPANTS. The cost is $60 per person, and light refreshments will be served. For more information or a flyer for this event. go to www.TheMeadowsFoundation.org, and look on our Upcoming Events page. For more infor...

Sunday, February 23 – Somerset County     Annual Meeting of the Wallace House and Old Dutch Parsonage Association will be held on Sunday, February 23 at 1:30 pm. at the sites’ Visitor Center at 71 Somerset Street in Somerville.       The annual meeting will include a review of upcoming programs and events and an opportunity to meet Paul Soltis, the new curator. In honor of George Washington’s 288 th  birthday, noted historian and author William L. (Larry) Kidder will provide insights on George Washington from his recent book  Ten Crucial Days  at 2:30 p.m. At 3:30 p.m., Commander Andrea Cahill-Adair and members of Somerville's American Legion Post 12 will participate in the raising of the American flag as well as General George Washington's headquarters flag. 

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...