Morristown Historical Walking Tours Summer Tour Series Feature new tour: Green to The Green

The Morris County Tourism Bureau (MCTB) welcomes you to join them again in the perennial walking tour series.  Walk with the guide 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.  One new tour is featured this year

“Green to The Green” on August 7

The past, present and future of “green space” is the primary topic of conversation as we visit two sites important to downtown Morristown.  At the Morristown Green, the most distinguishing feature of Morristown, you will hear highlights from its 300-year history, from its origin as common pasture land and site of the executioner’s gallows, to the temporary military quarters of General George Washington, to the recently re-landscaped urban oasis it is today. 

Just a short block away, we will visit the “greenest” building in modern Morristown.  Opened in 2008, 14 Maple Avenue is home to a number of non-profit organizations including the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and features a solar array, rooftop garden, the largest interior bio-wall in North America and furnishings made from an astonishing array of natural and recycled materials. The tour concludes in the lobby where visitors will see how materials salvaged from the Epstein’s Department Store were incorporated into the new building’s design.

Green to the Green will be of interest to architects, builders, interior designers and those interested in leading-edge sustainable building practices and materials.  

For a full schedule visit www.morristourism.org and click on the Historical Walking Tour banner.

Reservations are required: 973 631-5151. Tour starts at 6 Court Street; Morristown, NJ, group size is limited to 30.  Admission is $10.  Tour starts at 10 am and lasts about 1 1/2 hours.

Special Shape "Monster" balloon invades Balloon Festival at Warren County Fair

Balloonatics & Aeronuts, the coordinators of the Hot Air Balloon Festival at the Warren County Farmers’ Fair recently acquired a large, green special shape balloon referred to as a “monster balloon.” Look for the “monster balloon” over the skies of Warren County in the next coming weeks. Also look for it each evening at the Warren County Farmers’ Fair and Hot Air Balloon Festival, August 1 – 7, 2010 at the Fairgrounds located in Harmony Township. The fairground is conveniently located off Routes 78 & 80, 3 miles north of Phillipsburg, New Jersey. The “monster balloon” will be the “hare balloon” in one of the evening competitions and will also be giving tethered rides for children for a fee other evenings of the fair. The balloon festival organizers invite children to give them suggestions for a name. Look for the entry form on the fair website, www.warrencountyfarmersfair.org or the balloon festival website, www.balloonfestnj.com. While there are two websites, the events are one and the same with one low admission price – what organizers refer to as “The Ultimate Twofer.” Photos and video may be viewed on our Facebook page.

This is the first look at the “monster balloon” in several years. The “monster balloon” which has been in storage, was recently acquired by Balloonatics & Aeronuts, the coordinators of the Balloon Festival at the Warren County Farmers’ Fair.

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.

What’s So Special About Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary?

By Rick Radis, New Jersey Audubon Magazine

From high ground nearby, George Washington’s troops watched the not-too-distant British in Manhattan. Nowadays, the skylines of Jersey City and Manhattan can be seen to the east, while Interstate 287 and the suburban towns of Bernardsville and Basking Ridge hum in the background.

Today, just as many natural wonders can be found at Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary as were found in Washington’s time -- at any time of year. Wild Turkeys.Red-tailed and Cooper’s Hawks. Great Horned and Screech Owls. The breathtaking (there’s no other word for it) Pileated Woodpecker. Eastern Bluebirds start nesting in late March. Baltimore Orioles and Scarlet Tanagers and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds return in early May. Hard-to-find breeding birds like Louisiana Waterthrush and Worm-eating Warbler can be found here, too. Waves of migrant birds pass through in April and May, and again in September and October, and a variety of sparrows, finches, wrens, kinglets, and Hermit Thrushes spend the colder months here, and can often be seen at the wellstocked feeders. Less common winter finches such as Pine Siskins and Common Redpolls return some years. Sixty species of birds breed at the sanctuary, and over 175 species have been seen here over the years.

In early spring Scherman Hoffman’s critical vernal pools are home to breeding Wood Frogs, Spring Peepers (tiny treefrogs) and big, logy Spotted Salamanders. The headwaters of the Passaic River here provide important habitat for the rare Wood Turtle, which is on New Jersey’s Threatened Species List. Box Turtles, whose population is also in decline, roam the grounds, along with several types of snakes, frogs, toads and salamanders. Almost thirty species of mammals have been seen at Scherman Hoffman, including Red Fox, Flying Squirrel, Coyote, shrews and moles and voles, Long-tailed Weasel and Mink.

Come watch the continuing experiment in the Deer Exclosure, where wildflowers, tree seedlings and shrubs are returning — on their own — after decades of overbrowsing

by deer. In summer and fall, the fields of little bluestem, switchgrass, thistles and snakeroots, milkweed, goldenrods and asters are some of the best places in north

Jersey to see poetically named butterflies like Great Spangled Fritillary, Northern Pearly Eye, and Wood Nymph. In good weather in late summer, Monarchs are seen here daily. The rare Harvester butterfly is often found in beech woods in midsummer. Birds; including the biggest woodpecker you’ll ever see. Mammals. Frogs and snakes and toads, turtles and salamanders. Red Foxes. And a river runs through it. Begin your child’s natural history education here, or begin or expand your own, year-round, at this natural jewel.

May Days on May 1 & 2, 2010 celebrates the Grand Opening of the Hoffman Center for Conservation and Environmental Education. But there is always something happening at the Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary.  Check the website throughout the seasons for an updated schedule of events. http://bit.ly/cSchMM

Nature Store Hours are 9 am – 5 pm Tuesday through Saturday and 12 to 5 pm on Sunday.  Trails ranging in length from 0.3 miles to 1.3 miles are open from dawn ‘till dusk.  Admission is free for all.

PUBLIC INVITED TO “BE OUR GUEST” AT MORRIS AREA MUSEUMS MAY 16

MORRISTOWN, NJ, APRIL 21, 2010 – Eight historic sites and museums throughout Morris County are inviting the public to “Be Our Guest” on Sunday, May 16, from noon to 4 p.m. in celebration of National Tourism Week.  Participating institutions will open their doors and waive their usual admission fees during those hours, although guests are encouraged to contribute a non-perishable food item for the Interfaith Food Pantry in lieu of the normal admission fee.  The event is sponsored by the Morris County Alliance for Tourism.  For more information, see www.morristourism.org/be_our_guest.php or call 973-631-5151.

Sites participating in the event:

Acorn Hall, 68 Morris Avenue, Morristown, www.acornhall.org.  Headquarters of the Morris County Historical Society and a Victorian Italianate mansion decorated largely with furnishings from the two families who lived there between 1853 and 1971; it also has changing exhibits and a garden with period features.

Community Children's Museum, 77 East Blackwell Street, Dover, www.communitychildrensmuseum.org.  A hands-on children's museum for children 10 and younger focusing on art, science, and world cultures.

Fosterfields Living Historical Farm, 73 Kahdena Road, Morristown, www.morrisparks.net.  A restored working dairy cattle farm portraying life in the early 20^th century through costumed living history, farming, and domestic skills demonstrations, and tours of the Foster family’s circa 1852 Gothic Revival house.

Historic Speedwell, 333 Speedwell Avenue, Morristown, www.morrisparks.net.  The “Birthplace of the Telegraph,” telling the story of the Vail family and their role in the early days of the Industrial Revolution and in the development of the telegraph, through hands-on exhibits, guided tours and special event weekends.

Macculloch Hall Historical Museum and Gardens, 45 Macculloch Avenue, Morristown, www.maccullochhall.org.  An elegant historic house and decorative arts museum comprising ten period rooms and four exhibit galleries, two of which are devoted to the largest collection of cartoonist Thomas Nast’s works in the country.

Morristown National Historical Park/Washington’s Headquarters, 30 Washington Place, Morristown, www.nps.gov/morr.  A national park preserving sites of the Continental Army's encampment and the headquarters of General George Washington during the winters of 1777 and 1779–80.

Museum of Early Trades & Crafts, 9 Main Street, Madison, www.metc.org.  A museum exploring 18^th- and 19^th-century American history, with a focus on New Jersey, drawing on its collection of over 8,000 hand tools and their products to interpret the lives and technologies of men and women who lived and worked before the rise of large-scale industrialization in this country.

The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms, 2352 Route 10-West, Morris Plains, www.stickleymuseum.org.  A National Historic Landmark, this 1911 log house is the former home of noted turn-of-the-century designer Gustav Stickley, a major proponent of the American Arts and Crafts movement in home building and furnishing.

Three free shuttle buses will be provided by the Morris County Park Commission throughout the afternoon.  Two of the shuttles will run from Fosterfields to the Museum of Early Trades & Crafts and to Craftsman Farms.  The third will run a “Morristown” loop between participating in-town attractions.

The Morris County Alliance for Tourism supports the Morris County Tourism Bureau in positioning the region as a premier tourism destination through a collaboration of interested stakeholders.

The Interfaith Food Pantry, located in Morristown, serves Morris County by distributing supplemental and/or emergency food to eligible Morris County residents in need, providing hands-on opportunities for neighbors to help neighbors, and educating the public about the issues of hunger in our area.  More information is available at www.mcifp.org.

Members of the Morris County Alliance for Tourism recently got a head start 

on the food collection for the Interfaith Food Pantry in conjunction with the 

Be Our Guest open house day set for May 16.