Historic Happenings Blog

Ghost Walks: Thursdays in July, August, & September Saturdays in August & October

Lower Township, Cape May County World War II Tower Lookout Museum and Memorial Open Fire Control Tower No. 23, on Sunset Boulevard, is New Jersey's last freestanding World War II tower, part of the immense Harbor Defense of the Delaware system known as Fort Miles. After an award-winning restoration in 2009, visitors can climb to the 6th-floor spotting gallery while learning about the homeland defense efforts during World War II. The ground floor of the tower, the All Veterans Memorial, and boardwalk interpretive panels are fully accessible. Open 11:00 am - 3:00 pm. Admission is $6 for adults, $3 for children (ages 3-12) (one child free with paying adult).  The World War II Lookout Tower is located on Sunset Boulevard in Lower Township, near Cape May Point.  Sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC). For more information, call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278 or visit  www.capemaymac.org . Open Daily from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm until October 31, 2020

Atlantic City NOYES ARTS GARAGE 2200 Fairmount Avenue Atlantic City, NJ 08401 P: (609) 350-6662 C: (609) 892-0439 HOURS: Wednesday - Saturday 11:00AM - 6:00PM Sunday 11:00AM - 5:00PM Requested Donations: Adults $3 | Students $2 | Wednesdays FREE | Military FREE

  Saturday - Sunday, Through Halloween   - Wildwood, Cape May County George Boyer Museum Open The Wildwood Historical Society's George Boyer Museum will be open  through Halloween on  Fridays and Saturdays from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm and Sundays from 12:00 noon - 5:00 pm. It's FREE to visit the Wildwood Historical Society! Voted the 5th best attraction in Wildwood according to TripAdvisor, we make an excellent rainy day activity. Ask for our scavenger hunt -- children love it! Park in our parking lot to avoid parking meters. The  George Boyer Museum is located at  3907 Pacific Ave,  3907 Pacific Avenue, Wildwood, NJ. For more informatio, call  609-523-0277, email  wildwoodhistoricalsociety@hotmail.com , or visit  www.WildwoodHistoricalMuseum.com .

New Magic & Mystery House Tour at Physick Estate focuses on Victorian hocus pocus (Thursdays, Friday, and Saturday at 10:00 am, 11:00 am and 11:45 am until October 31, 2020)  Victorians were fascinated with all things magical and mysterious. Take this new tour at the 1879 Emlen Physick Estate and step back into a strange time. New!  Take the  Magic & Mystery House Tour  inside the 1879 Emlen Physick House Museum, and learn about the Victorian fascination with magic, illusion, the mysterious and the odd. Combine your half-hour house tour with the  Cape Mayhem & Victorian Oddities Trolley Tour   for a full hour, a double dose of Victorian weirdness. We all could benefit from some fresh air right now. How about an open-air trolley tour of beautiful, Victorian Cape May? Cape May  Trolley Tours  are offered daily and will continue this fall. Our tour guides, staff and guests wear shields or masks, we  disinfect our trolleys,  our drivers are b

  t he whole month of October Lighthouse Challenge (Virtual and in-person) We were faced with the difficult decision this year of whether or not to cancel the 2020 Lighthouse Challenge. Instead, we decided to get creative and now we’re asking you to do the same.  Through the month of October, you will be able to do the Lighthouse Challenge virtually . Just click on the  “Challenge Sites”  tab on our homepage. You will find all of the sites have a short history or description of that site and most have a video tour. After you learn a little about the site and take the tour, you will find a downloadable picture of that site to color – a great activity for kids. Here’s where it’s your turn to get creative. You can assemble your artwork into a book or make a collage or whatever project you can think of. When you are done, please post it to our Facebook page, Lighthouse Challenge of NJ, so everyone can admire your creativity. If you would like to visit the sites, even though most are not op

  Talk and Tour with Karl Flesch and David Bosted Building on West State St. designed by William A. Poland SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31 10 am David Bosted Presents: William Poland, The Greatest Trenton Architect You’ve Never Heard Of Urban Planner  David Bosted , joined by On the Forefront Curator Karl Flesch, will lead a walk along State St. to Montgomery St. to view five buildings and the sites of three others designed by Poland. Closing out the walking tour we’ll take a short drive to Junior No. 1 to view the school’s outdoor architecture. Limit 25 participants $10 donation per person requested Park on West State St. near the New Jersey State Library and Museum Please wear your mask Rain date November 1 at 10 am  

  Saturday, October 31 -- Union County Pumpkin Patch Day:  Saturday, October 31st Join us for our Annual Pumpkin Patch day – a fall tradition for so many families! Enjoy a day filled with pumpkin picking, hayrides, pumpkin carving and painting, crafts and much more!                                                ·        Program Time: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 2 – 5 p.m. ·        Program Fee: Children: $12.00, Adults: $8.00, Under 3: Free. ·        Additional charge for pumpkins (cash only – reserve online); lunch available for purchase  ·        Reservations required; to purchase tickets visit our  website  or call 908-527-0400. Liberty Hall Museum 1003 Morris Avenue Union, NJ 07083 libertyhall@kean.edu 908.527.0400

  ROAD TRIP Farmstead Arts proudly presents its sixth annual Members’ Art Show  virtually.   This year’s exhibit, entitled  ROAD TRIP , features the diverse works of seventeen  Farmstead Arts Member Artists  who  take us on a virtual Road Trip to places real or imagined so we can see things along the way as we continue to socially distance. The artists present works in a variety of mediums, including watercolor, acrylic, oil, pencil, charcoal, collage, ceramics and photography. The artists exhibiting are Linda Arnold of Liberty Corner; Nancy Boney of Bedminster; Natasha Malenkova of Bridgewater; Joan Foley, Irene Grabowski, Jody Tomaro Jacobus, Kathy Jost Keating Ravini Ralapanawe and Arundathie Ralapanawe of Basking Ridge; Barbara Hornstra of Branchville; Sara Parmigiani of Cranford; Jan ten Broeke (Ten) of Somerset; Debbie Limoli, Doug Schiller, Gretchen Thomas and Peggy Tombro of Warren, and  Julius Carallo of Yardley, Pennsylvania. Click on images below to scroll through the exhibi

    Fridays, October 23 and 30 -- Union County Ghost Tours:  Fridays, October 23rd and 30th Join us for a spine-tingling tour of Liberty Hall Museum, after hours! Museum staff will share their own paranormal experiences with you before embarking on a guided, candlelit tour of the museum. Perhaps you’ll even come away with your own ghost stories! Light refreshments will be served; space is limited and fills quickly, so make your reservation today!  ·        Program Time: 7 p.m. or 9 p.m. (the 7 p.m. tour is suggested for families with children).  ·        Program Fee: $20 for adults; $18 for LHM Members/Kean Alumni/Students; $13 for children (not suggested for children under 10 years old). ·        Reservations required by October 16; to purchase tickets visit our  website  or call 908-527-0400.  

Friday, October 30 -- Virtual   Westfield Historical Society’s November First Wednesday Luncheon - Virtually:  “The ABCs of Candy” with Meg Wastie - Please RSVP before Oct. 30     As part of The Westfield Historical Society’s First Wednesday Luncheon series for November,  Meg Wastie will give a historical perspective talk entitled "The ABCs of Candy” on November 4, 2020, at 12:00 noon. This will be a live virtual event.  Guests will enjoy their own lunch, in place, while watching Meg’s live interactive presentation. There will be Q&A and opportunities to share stories of your favorite candies. Instructions and the link to the event will be sent to all registered and paid guests.     Enjoy some of your leftover Halloween candy as you stroll down memory lane with “ABCs of CANDY,” a presentation by Meg Wastie on the history of some of our favorite sweet treats. Meg has managed to find delicious examples and history behind the sweets for every letter of the alphabet. See if you ca

Lantern Tour of the Historic Seabrook-Wilson House Bayshore Waterfront Park, Activity Center 719 Port Monmouth Road, Port Monmouth, NJ 07758  Thu, Oct 29, 2020, 8:00-9:00 PM (adults) Curious about what’s inside that old white wooden house sitting out-of-the-way along Sandy Hook Bay Tour the historic Seabrook-Wilson House, one of the oldest buildings along the Jersey Shore, dating back to 1720, and the oldest house along Sandy Hook Bay. We will walk by lantern light and peek into the lives of how people lived many years ago. We will discover the role the house played from before the American Revolution through the early twentieth century. We will also discover some of the legends and lore of the house as well as uncover some facts often overlooked about the early history of Monmouth County. Reserve your spot today on a lantern-lit journey though time. The house inside can get dark at night, feel free to bring your own flashlight or use a cell phone to light the way.  One Sessi

  Zoom into History : A Virtual Tour of Princeton Cemetery  October 29 at 7:00 PM   Get into the Halloween spirit with a virtual stroll through Princeton Cemetery, referred to as the “Westminster Abbey of the United States.” Based on our popular annual tour, learn about some of the historic people buried in the cemetery of Nassau Presbyterian Church, including a U.S. president, vice-president, and Civil War soldiers.  Tickets are priced as “Pay What You Can.” Registrants will have access to a recording of the program to watch at their convenience.   Click here to register

  Thursday, October 29 -- Virtual Q&A with PNJ: Preserving Historic Cemeteries 1:00 p.m. on Zoom Register  HERE Join PNJ on a fascinating discussion on  Preserving Historic Cemeteries with Richard Veit led by PNJ Education Committee Member Melissa Ziobro. Richard Veit is Professor of Anthropology and Interim Dean of the School Of Humanities And Social Sciences at Monmouth University. He received his B.A. from Drew University in 1990, his M.A. in Historical Archaeology from the College of William and Mary in 1991 and his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1997. In 2007 he was the recipient of Monmouth University’s distinguished teacher award and in 2012 he received Monmouth University’s Donald Warnecke Award for outstanding university service. At Monmouth he teaches courses on archaeology, historical archaeology, New Jersey history, Native Americans, and historic preservation. He has authored or co-authored numerous articles and reviews and five books inclu

  Meet the Author of “Jersey Stories” Fagettaboutit-this is gonna be a good one. Mr. Local History welcomes author Fred Rossi for a chat about his book JERSEY STORIES. Virtual Meet and Signing. ONE NIGHT ONLY: LIVE VIRTUAL EVENT: JERSEY STORIES – “Stories you may not have heard about people and events in New Jersey’s History” A Book Discussion. Why? How? And why these stories….. MLH BONUS: Get a copy of Fred’s Book “JERSEY STORIES” before or at the event AND get a 20% discount just by registering. It’s like you’re making money! And he’ll sign it too if you like. RESERVE YOUR VIRTUAL SEAT Fred Rossi is coming out of the COVID lockdown with a vengeance! Join the Mr. Local History Project as we talk with Fred about his book on lesser-known stories about interesting people and unusual events from the Garden State’s history. The book is “JERSEY STORIES – “Stories you may not have heard about people and events in New Jersey’s History”. Among the stories he tells are: Albert Einstein’s years

  Wednesday, October 28 -- Virtual Hightstown East Windsor Virtual “Building” House Tour Premiere October 28, 2020 5:30 pm – Old Heights Brewery   Every other October brings the beloved House Tour. For obvious reasons, there will be no traditional tour this year.  BUT  we have created a Virtual Tour similar to our walking tours and we are featuring two houses that everyone has been watching being renovated over the last year:   409 South Main Street (Pumyea/Wilson) and 421 North Main Street (Hunt/Wyckoff) .   The former by the Studholme family and the latter by the Javier Blanco family. The two houses are similar in both age and style. Their mansard roofs distinguish them from other houses in the borough of 1870-1880s construction.   In addition we are featuring the  old brick school on Mercer Street  which many remember too as the Masonic Temple and most recently the YMCA. The Borough will be moving their offices there sometime in the future. The tour will allow all to see it as it is

Awesome Autumn Amble   Wednesday, October 28, 2020, 10-11:30 AM Clayton Park Emley’s Hill Rd. Parking Area 161 Emley's Hill Road, (Imlaystown) Upper Freehold, NJ 08526 (all ages, under 18 with adult) Autumn is the time of year our parks become a kaleidoscope of color! Explore our trails with a Park System Naturalist as we discuss all manners of plant and animal phenomena. Please Note: Sturdy footwear is recommended, trails used may have inclines or tree roots to step over.