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Middlesex County History Day To Be Held June 5

The Middlesex County History Day will be returning to East Jersey Old Town Village from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 5. Old Town Village is located inside Johnson Park at 1050 River Road in Piscataway. The site-wide celebration will be filled with demonstrations, performances, and other family-friendly activities. Demonstrations will include blacksmithing, open-hearth cooking, yarn spinning, weaving, chair caning, antique clocks, lacemaking and 19th-century decorative painting techniques. Members of the Dunellen Historical Society, including author John Triolo will have a booth in the History Tent which will also feature exhibits and displays by other historical societies and groups. Continue Reading →

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Historian to Lecture on “Path to Freedom: Free African-Americans in New Jersey”

The Middlesex County Office of Culture and Heritage will host Historian Walter Greason for a lecture about the history of African-Americans in New Jersey during the 19th and 20th centuries. “Path to Freedom: Free African-Americans in New Jersey” is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, April 9 in Crabiel Hall at Middlesex County College located at 2600 Woodbridge Avenue in Edison. The lecture will discuss the development of African-American communities in rural New Jersey during the late 19th and 20th centuries and the role of those communities in New Jersey’s history as well as the effects of suburbanization. Dr. Walter Greason is an expert on post-American Revolution racism and economic history. He has published four academic works, and holds a joint position in the Departments of History and Anthropology and Management and Decision Sciences at Monmouth University in West Long Branch. Continue Reading →

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Drake House celebrates 270 years

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The Drake House, a public museum owned by Plainfield and administered by the Historical Society of Plainfield, will be celebrating its 270th anniversary by holding a birthday party for George Washington on Saturday, February 20 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM. The house was built in 1746 by Isaac Drake as a home for his son, Nathaniel. And it was at the Drake House that George Washington consulted with his officers during and after the Battle of Short Hills on June 25-27, 1777. A reenactor portraying George Washington will mingle with guests at the celebration, which will offer cake and refreshments. The event will also feature the unveiling of an oil portrait commissioned for the 270th anniversary of the Drake House as well as the 95th anniversary of the Historical Society of Plainfield. Continue Reading →

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Middlesex County to hold Presidents’ Day Celebration

The Middlesex County Office of Culture and Heritage will hold a free event honoring Presidents’ Day on Sunday, February 21 (1 p.m. and 3 p.m.) at the Indian Queen Tavern in East Jersey Old Town Village, located at 1050 River Road in Piscataway. The event features a portrayal of President Theodore Roosevelt by Peyton Dixon. Dixon is a professional actor who has been a member of American Historical Theatre since 2001. He has appeared as historic figures in such venues as Independence National Historical Park and the National Archives, as well as in television documentaries. Registration is required by 4 p.m. on Friday, February 19. Continue Reading →

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Middlesex County offers historical podcasts

Middlesex County’s new website now feature a series of free mini podcasts or audio files that focus on state history that is bizarre or not commonly known. Known as “UnCommon History,” these podcasts are made possible by the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the Office of Cultural and Heritage and the New Jersey Historical Commission, a Division of the Department of State. Most are approximately five minutes in length. There are currently over fifty podcasts in this growing series including one on a town that used to border Dunellen and appropriately for the season, one on the Pine Barrens’ Jersey Devil. They can be accessed by searching for “podcasts” on http://www.co.middlesex.nj.us. Continue Reading →

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Journey through Union County’s historical past this weekend

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Union County’s annual free public heritage event, “Four Centuries in a Weekend: A Journey through Union County’s History,” will take place Saturday, Oct. 17 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 18 from noon to 5 p.m. Sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, with the cooperation of staff and volunteers at 28 house museums and historic sites, the two-day free event opens doors to more than 370 years of history throughout Union County. “Four Centuries in a Weekend began in 1994 when 16 historic sites and the County of Union organized a weekend event to tell how Elizabethtown of 1664 evolved into the 21 municipalities of modern-day Union County,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh. “This year you can learn about local military heroes, archaeological sites, bridal gowns, the role of women in the Revolution, special exhibitions and tours that showcase the county’s treasure trove of history.”

Among the historic sites open for free tours, all listed on the National and New Jersey State Registers of Historic Places, are these special programs and events:

Reeve History & Cultural Resource Center in Westfield celebrates the restoration of the 1870s Victorian Italianate home

Deserted Village of Feltville-Glenside Park in Berkeley Heights will host the Archaeological Society of New Jersey on Saturday afternoon in the restored Masker’s Barn with presentations about archaeological sites at the village

Crane-Phillips House Museum in Cranford will present “Here Come the Brides,” a display of wedding gowns from 1880 to 198

Nathaniel Drake House in Plainfield, will host on Sunday from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., Stacy F. Roth presenting “Over Here, Molly Pitcher,” a dramatic performance highlighting the lives of women who “belonged to the army” during the American Revolution

For more info: http://ucnj.org/parks-recreation/cultural-heritage-affairs/historic-sites-map/
http://ucnj.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Union-County-Across-the-Centuries-website1.pdf
Continue Reading →

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Somerset County holds county-wide history event

Somerset County Weekend Journey through the Past logo

The Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission, in collaboration with thirty local historical organizations and tourism partners, has designated the weekend of October 10 & 11, 2015 “Weekend Journey through the Past.” During this two-day period, many of the County’s significant historic sites will be open from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Saturday, and 12:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Sunday. This year’s event will feature four (4) “first time” participating sites: The Hageman Farm in Somerset (Franklin Twp); the Texier House Museum in Watchung; Blawenburg Reformed Church in Blawenburg (Montgomery Twp.); and the Dr. J. Vermeule House in Green Brook. Many of the sites have significant Revolutionary War histories which have contributed to the area’s designation as the “Crossroads of the American Revolution State Heritage Area”. Local historians will be on hand to share their knowledge and stories about Somerset County’s history. Continue Reading →

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Archaeology Open House at Piscatawaytown Settlement

Old map showing Native American sites in Midelsex, Somerset and Union Counties.

The Middlesex County Office of Cultural and Heritage, in partnership with the Archaeological Society of New Jersey, will hold a unique public archaeology event at one of the earliest English settlement sites in Middlesex County. This excavation will be held at the areas surrounding the Piscatawaytown Burial Ground and St. James Episcopal Church located at 2316 Woodbridge Ave. in Edison. The two consecutive dates for the “rain or shine” event are Saturday, Sept. Continue Reading →

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Middlesex County to host “Clara Barton” on July 4

On Saturday, July 4, 2015, Pat Jordan of the American Historical Theatre will portray “Clara Barton” in a special presentation with performances at 1 and 3p.m. This free event, hosted by the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Office of Cultural and Heritage, will take place inside East Jersey Old Town’s Indian Queen Tavern, located at 1050 River Road in Piscataway. Clara Barton was a celebrated Civil War nurse. She began her career as a teacher and started a school in Hightstown, New Jersey. Barton answered Abraham Lincoln’s request for nurses to join the Union forces. She earned the name “Angel of the Battlefield” for her heroic efforts, including going to the front lines. Continue Reading →

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Middlesex County History Day, May 31

History lovers of all ages are invited to East Jersey Olde Towne Village for a site-wide celebration filled with demonstrations, performances, and other family-friendly activities. The first Middlesex County History Day will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 31. Olde Towne Village is located inside Johnson Park at 1050 River Road in Piscataway. Demonstrations will include blacksmithing, wool carding, yarn spinning, weaving, chair caning, antique clocks, furniture making and 19th century decorative painting techniques. The Local History Tent will feature exhibits and displays that will be brought to life by the members of 20 historical societies and groups including the Dunellen Historical Society. Continue Reading →

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