Morristown Historical Walking Tours– 2010

Summer Tour Series – featuring new tour: Green to The Green

The Morris County Tourism Bureau (MCTB) welcomes you to join us again in our perennial walking tour series.  Walk with us and experience the rich history Morris County has to offer. Through June, July and August tours will be offered Saturday morning at 10:00 am and will last approximately 1 1/2 hours.  Tickets are $10, children 6 and under are free.  All tours except the Mendham tour will depart from the MCTB, 6 Court Street, Morristown, NJ.

Reservations are required and may be made by calling (973) 631-5151.



Morristown in Three Centuries –

Led by Carol Barkin, Mark Texel, & Al MacLennan

June 5, July 10, August 14

This historic Morristown walking tour covers nearly a mile within Morristown’s historic district.  Over three hundred years of Morristown history is covered from its earliest beginnings at the Presbyterian Church of Morristown through the Industrial Revolution and to the flamboyant Gilded Age.  The Vail Mansion, Macculloch Hall, and the Thomas Nast House are among the sites that are discussed.  Carol Barkin is a docent for the Morris County Tourism Bureau and a member of the Morris Township Historic Preservation Commission.

Mark Texel is the Director of the Morris County Park Commission’s Historic Sites Division in Morristown, NJ.   He is a trustee of the Washington Valley Association and lives in a ca. 1920s farmhouse in Morris Township.

Al MacLennan is a hike leader for the Union County Hiking Club and the Interstate Hiking Club.  He is a docent for the Morris County Tourism Bureau and has lived in Morris County for 35 years.

Tour starts at 6 Court Street, Morristown & group size is limited to 25.


Trial of the (19th) Century:  Antoine LeBlanc –

Led by Judge Kenneth C. MacKenzie

June 12, July 24

Learn all about Morristown’s most famous murder trial as you sit in the actual courtroom where Antoine LeBlanc was tried in 1833 for the murder of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Sayre and their servant Phoebe.  The triple murder trial shocked the entire state and resulted in LeBlanc’s execution by hanging on the Morristown Green.  The tour is conducted by Honorable Kenneth C. MacKenzie, retired Judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey, historian, and member of the Board of Trustees of Historic Speedwell.

Tour starts at 6 Court St. Morristown



Green to The Green:  (NEW)

Led by Carol Barkin and Cynthia Evans of the Dodge Foundation

June 19, August 7

The past, present and future of “green space” will be discussed as we visit two sites important to Morristown.  The Green, the most distinguishing feature of Morristown, has been central to the town’s life since 1715.  This will be an in-depth look at how it developed, from its beginning as common pasture ground to its 2007 million-dollar renovation.   The tour will then move to 14 Maple Avenue, the greenest office building in Morristown according to LEED standards.  Learn about Morristown’s future and sustainable building practices, an area of intense interest by the Dodge Foundation.  This is a unique opportunity to tour the building which features solar panels, a rooftop vegetative garden, geothermal wells, recycled building materials and the largest “bio-wall” in North America.


Legends of Mendham’s Past –

Led by Charles Topping

July 17

We are pleased to offer an insightful tour of Mendham Borough, with Charles Topping, president of the Mendham Historical Society.  Topics to be covered include the commercial and residential buildings of the downtown area, some of which date back to the 18th century, famous settlers and residents of Mendham including Abner Doubleday, and a recounting of a notorious bank robbery.

Tour starts at the Phoenix House, 2 West Main Street, Mendham Borough & group size is limited to 25.



Secrets & Lore of Historic Morristown –

Led by David Breslauer

June 26, July 31

Grand homes, wealthy builders, and some annoying neighbors are part of the Historic District of Morristown.  As two farms became a prestigious residential area, mansions made Morristown’s landscape and social scene change   Walk in a neighborhood of fabulous Victorian homes with David Breslauer, former director of Macculloch Hall Historical Museum, and hear the stories of wayward chickens and pigs, brick walls against car traffic, week-long parties, tycoons and backyard views.  The tour will end in Morristown’s ‘secret garden.’

Tour begins at 6 Court Street, Morristown & group size is limited to 25.



For more information about the Morris County Tourism Bureau and more thing to see and do in Morris County visit www.morristourism.org.

"Secret Treasures: A Bus & Walking Tour Of Historic Stillwater and Millbrook Villages" will be held 10 am Saturday, May 22

This interesting event came across my virtual desk today...

"Secret Treasures: A Bus & Walking Tour Of Historic Stillwater and Millbrook Villages" will be held 10 am Saturday, May 22

(Hardwick/Warren Co. & Stillwater/Sussex Co.) You are invited to a free tour of the historic buildings, farmsteads, farm lanes, historic districts and archaeological sites within sight of the PSE&G transmission line and the existing 80' towers. Will the proposed new 195' towers have significant impacts upon the Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area, the Appalachian Trail, the Middle Delaware Scenic River, and these charming historic hamlets? You be the judge. The tour is sponsored by the New Jersey Highlands Coalition in association with the Historical Society of Stillwater and the Millbrook Historical Society.

See the existing and remnants of the 18th century Dutch, Welsh, Quaker, German and Scotch-Irish settlements, the farming and mining operations they engaged in, and the early roads they traveled on. Learn how these settlements were formed, and how their home countries influenced their development patterns and architecture, as we travel by bus from Stillwater, into the Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area, and into Millbrook Village.

This corner of the state, incorporating the Kittatinny Ridge and the Middle Delaware River, offers expansive vistas of forests, farms and hamlets. On the bus, interpreters will discuss the area's geological and human history. At selected sites along the route, such as the Water Gate Tannery and Millbrook Village, we will be met by an interpreter who will guide us on a walking tour.

The tour duration will be approximately 2.5 hours. Following the tour, all are invited for conversation and pay-your-way lunch at the Boat House Restaurant on nearby Swartzwood Lake. The tour is free of charge.

Meet at:

The Historical Society of Stillwater Township

900 Main Street

Stillwater, New Jersey 07875

10:00AM

For more information and to RSVP:

Elliott Ruga

New Jersey Highlands Coalition

(973) 588-7190, or elliott@njhighlandscoalition.org

Seating is limited, please reserve early
 

Gear Up For Summer with NJ Audubon

Gear Up For Summer with NJ Audubon

The New Jersey Audubon Society is a statewide, not-for-profit membership organization committed to fostering environmental awareness and promoting preservation of New Jersey's valuable natural habitats. You can support the organization and pick up some really cool gear at our “Gear Up For Summer” sale at the NJ Audubon Nature Stores from June 3^rd through June 6^th. 

On Saturday, June 5th, Pete Dunne, internationally acclaimed author on birds, birders and natural history, will be signing his new book “Bayshore Summer: Finding Eden in a Most Unlikely Place”. Pete  Dunne will be at the Lorrimer Sanctuary from 10 am – 12 noon and at the Plainsboro Preserve from 3 - 5 pm. June 5 is also National Trails Day®, celebrated across the United States the first Saturday of June. Come with your family and celebrate National Trails Day on June 5^th - a perfect day to walk the trails at our nature sanctuaries.

Shop our “Gear Up For Summer” sale and receive a discount of $ 5 off of $25, $10 off of $50 and $25 off of $100 (excludes optics, tripods, and plants.) at our nature stores. This is in addition to member discount. If you are considering becoming a NJ Audubon member, please visit us online at www.njaudubon for introductory membership offer. Memberships are reasonably priced at $30 per individual and $35 per family. Memberships can also be purchased at any NJ Audubon Nature Stores.

Proceeds from Nature Store sales help support the centers which offer year round conservation education, nature classes and general community enrichment. There are numerous centers located throughout New Jersey. These centers offer summer camps, educational classes and workshops for adults and children, bird watching and wildlife viewing field trips and more. Locate a Center near you:

Weis Ecology Center in Ringwood, Passaic County

Plainsboro Preserve in Cranbury, Middlesex County

Lorrimer Sanctuary in Franklin Lakes, Bergen County

Rancocas Nature Center in Mount Holly, Burlington County

Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary in Bernardsville, Somerset County

CMBO, Center for Research and Education, in Cape May Court House, Cape May County

CMBO, The Northwood Center in Cape May Point, Cape May County

Nature Center of Cape May, in Cape May, Cape May County

Sandy Hook Bird Observatory in Highlands, Monmouth County

For more information on each of the centers visit us online at www.njaudubon.org.