Morristown National Historical Park Summer Programs Feature Dog Walks, Two Evening Campfire Programs and Music Concert by Historical Balladeer Linda Russell

General Public Contact: 973-539-2016 x 210 or 973-543-4030


ONE-DATE ONLY PROGRAMS

Evening Campfire Program: 18th-Century Storytelling
Thursday, July 22, 7 p.m.
Wick House in Jockey Hollow
Without TV, TiVo or Twitter, the soldiers and civilians of the 18th century told stories to pass the time. Gather around the campfire and hear jokes, riddles and humorous stories that were popular in 18th century. Please bring a folding chair or blanket and a flashlight.

New Jersey Brigade Hike
Sunday, August 1, 10 a.m.
Meet at the New Jersey Brigade Area/ Cross Estate Parking Lot
Tour one of the lesser known areas of the park and learn about the New Jersey troops who camped there. Hear about the sufferings of the soldiers’ during the “Hard Winter” as you hike to the site of the New Jersey Brigade encampment. This is a strenuous 5 mile hike that goes up and down hills. Please wear appropriate clothing and bring along your own water. The hike starts and ends at the New Jersey Brigade Parking Area at the Cross Estate.

Evening Campfire Program: A Veteran Remembers
Thursday, August 5, 7 p.m.
Wick House in Jockey Hollow
Gather round the campfire and listen as an old veteran of the American Revolution recalls some of his adventures and sufferings during the war. Park Ranger/Historian, Eric Olsen will present an evening campfire program based on the memoirs of Revolutionary War soldier Joseph P. Martin at the Wick House in Jockey Hollow. Visitors should bring a blanket or chair to sit on as well as a flashlight.

Neglected and Forgotten
Saturday, August 14, 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Jockey Hollow Visitor Center
Even the first American veterans were ill-treated and unappreciated. Meet a ranger at the Visitor Center and learn about the hardships and neglect endured by the Continental Army soldiers both during and after the American Revolution.

Outdoor Musick at the Wick House
Saturday, August 14, 7 p.m.
Wick House in Jockey Hollow
Join balladeer Linda Russell as she performs music from the time of the American Revolution. Accompanying herself on hammered and mountain dulcimers, guitar, pennywhistle and limberjack, she illuminates the story of our nation’s birth with ballads, broadsides and dance tunes. The concert is FREE of charge. Inclement weather will move the concert indoors to the Jockey Hollow Visitor Center. Bring a flashlight and something to sit on.

Going Loomy
Saturday, August 21, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Jockey Hollow Visitor Center
Visit the Jockey Hollow Visitor Center to learn the basics in weaving on table and tape looms. Learn how families worked together to prepare the fibers used to weave clothes for each other.


REPEATED PROGRAMS

Dog Walk
Wednesdays: July 21, August 4, August 18, 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.
You and your dog are invited to join the park historian for a 3 mile walk around Jockey Hollow on the tour road. As you walk you’ll learn about the dogs and other pets that were part of the armies of the American Revolution. All dogs must be on a leash and owners are requested to clean-up after their pets. People without dogs are welcome too!

Cross Estate Tour
Sundays: July 25 and August 15, 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Meet at the New Jersey Brigade Area/ Cross Estate Parking Lot
Walk the grounds and gardens of the Cross Estate and learn about the lavish lifestyle of the wealthy people of the Mountain Colony during early 20th century, when Bernardsville was one of the richest towns in America. Learn about the people who lived on the estate including an engineer, a banker, a hunter, a conservationist, gardeners and even park rangers.

Tour Road Ramble
Wednesdays: July 28 and August 11, 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Jockey Hollow; begin at the flagpole in the Visitor Center parking lot
People walk or drive on the tour road everyday and never realize how much history happened all around them. Join the park historian for a 3 mile walk around Jockey Hollow on the tour road and learn about the history of Jockey Hollow from 1750 to the present day. Topics covered on the walk include: mutiny, the C.C.C. camp, the super rich of the early 20th century and the man who was hanged twice.

Monthly Trail Work Days
Saturdays: August 14 and September 11, 9:00 a.m. to noon
Jockey Hollow Visitor Center
Become one of the park's volunteers and help maintain its over 20 miles of hiking trails. Wear work clothes including gloves and boots. Please bring your own drinking water. For more information, contact Tim Socha at 973-543-7958 or timothy_socha@nps.gov; or Pam Dobben at 973-539-2016 x 230 or pamela_dobben@nps.gov.


ONGOING PROGRAMS

Tours of Washington's Headquarters at the Ford Mansion
Tours are offered daily at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Additional tours and gallery talks are offered depending upon staff availability. Please call 973-539-2016 x 210 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. for the most up-to-date information regarding tour times.

Washington's Headquarters Museum
The 1930s Washington's Headquarters Museum is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to
5:00 p.m. The museum features three exhibit galleries, an introductory video, a PowerPoint presentation of the furnished Ford Mansion and a free color- illustrated souvenir booklet of the Ford Mansion's interior. The museum also offers a gift shop/ sales area and serves as the visitor contact point to begin the Ford Mansion tours.

The Wick House at Jockey Hollow
Daily, approximately 9:30 a.m. to noon and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Fees
The entrance fee to the Washington’s Headquarters Museum, which includes the Ford Mansion tours, is $4 per person, age 16 and older. Federal Recreation Passports honored. No admission fee at Jockey Hollow.

Washington's Headquarters Museum

Last Fling Pumpkin Sling Promises Great Fun This Fall

There is something new going on in Warren County this fall season. On October 30 and 31 in White Township pumpkins will be flying through the air at Hensler Farms, at the intersection of Rt. 519 and Rt. 623. Hensler Farms is hosting the 1st annual Last Fling Pumpkin Sling.

The sling is a family-oriented competition. Teams will build mechanical devices – catapults and trebuchets – designed to hurl a two-to-three pound pumpkin a maximum distance. Currently the organizers are looking for teams and vendors to participate. There are adult and junior divisions. All are welcomed to participate.

For the youth teams the competition is designed to develop teamwork and problem-solving skills in an adult-adolescent collaboration. Similar competitions throughout the country draw from school, scouting, church and 4-H clubs to compete in several categories.

For adults with a competitive streak, building a catapult or trebuchet as part of a team can be rewarding. Not to mention it will allow you to spend extra time in your garage.

Entrants are encouraged to sign up early as a page will be created on the website for each team, charting their progress. The fee will be waived for the first 5 registrants in each age group.

Cash prizes and trophies will be awarded in several age and device-type categories. A grand-prize will also be awarded to the overall winner. Competition rules and regulations can be found at www.pumpkinsling.com.

This event has been made possible, in part, by grants from the NJ Division of Travel and Tourism and the Highlands Coalition. Proceeds from the event will go towards promoting agri-tourism, eco-tourism and cultural heritage in the Highlands Region of NJ.

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.