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Upcoming Events!
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April 18, 2010
Delaware & Raritan
Canal Bus Tour
Join Linda Barth, author and D&R Canal expert on a
narrated bus tour of one of Somerset County's historic
treasures. You will visit many of the locks and bridge sites
along the canal and learn about how it was built by hand
mostly by migratory Irish laborers. You will also visit some
the villages that grew up alongside the canal and learn
about the industries that were created. The bus tour is a
perfect complement to the D&R Canal exhibit opening at the
Van Horne House on April 25th.
Tours leaves from JP’s Steakhouse/Rhythms, 729 South Main
Street (Route 533), Manville (corner of the Weston Causeway,
Route 623). The cost is $20 per person and reservations are
required. Call (732) 356-8856 for reservations or sign up
online:
register. Please indicate your choice of tours: 9:30
am or 1:00 pm.
This is a perfect opportunity for a weekend family outing. A
visit to the historic and scenic canal offers a unique
educational experience to learn more about
the industrial history of Somerset County.
April 25 - June 1, 2010
Delaware & Raritan
Canal Exhibit
During the early 1800's, water was the primary means to
transport commodities to emerging manufacturing centers and
markets. , A number of canals were built to supplement
natural water routes. The D&R Canal, which opened in 1834,
was built across central New Jersey to provide an
efficient and safe route between Philadelphia and New York.
Since boats could navigate the Delaware River to Bordentown
and the Raritan River to New Brunswick, those two cities
were selected as the canal's two terminuses. For nearly a
century, the D&R Canal was one of America's busiest canals.
Its peak years were the 1860s and 1870s when Pennsylvania
coal was transported through the D&R Canal to feed New
York's industrial boom.
To learn more about the 19th century waterway, visit our
colorful, informative exhibit. Visitor dates and time will
be announced at a later date.
June 13, 2010
Famous Women of
Somerset County Bus Tour
What do the first ordained woman bishop of the Pillar of
Fire Church, the founder of Somerset Medical Center, and a
woman member of the US Congress all have in common?
They all hail from Somerset County, were groundbreaking
leaders of their day and women. Meet them "in person" on
this bus tour and learn more about their lives A unique,
wonderful way to celebrate the important women in your
lives.
Cost $20 per person. Reservations required.
May 29, 2010
Victorian Somerville
Walking Tour
Southern Jersey may have Cape May, but central Jersey too
is home to beautiful Victorian homes, particularly in
Somerville. Starting in the first half of the nineteenth
century, Somerville became a fashionable summer retreat for
families from New York. Many built elegant summer homes and
eventually became permanent resident. A number of these fine
old homes have been restored to their original architectural
style that include: Greek Revival, Queen Anne, Second
Empire, and Gothic Revival. The Victorian Somerville Walking
Tour offer you an opportunity to learn about the times and
styles of that period. The tour takes place on the weekend
of the Somerville bicycle races.
Please check back for additional details, or join our
mailing list.
September 10 - November 10,
2010
"Oh Freedom" Exhibit
While many American colonists fought for their political
freedom during the American War of Independence, blacks
fought on both sides. They fought along side the British and
American solders for what they believed was a path to their
personal freedom from slavery and oppression.
This traveling exhibit captures the stories of these
freedom fighters in New Jersey, nearly 5,000 of whom fought
as American soldiers. Almost twice that number fought for
the British. Open weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on selected
weekend days. Free admission; donations gratefully accepted.
September 12, 2010
Samuel Sutphen: Slave
and Soldier
Historian Bill Schleicher describes the life
of Samuel Sutphen, a Somerset County slave whose master
offered him his freedom in exchange for serving on his
behalf as a soldier behalf during the American Revolution. A
daring tale of bravery, treachery, persistence and
redemption.
Cost: $5. Reservations requested.
Previous Events!
September 26, 2009
Dutch Treat Bus Tour
". To celebrate the 400th
anniversary of Henry Hudson's discovery of the Hudson River
in 1609, the HTA has organized a bus tour and visits to some
of Somerset County's finest examples of historic Dutch
houses and barns. Beginning in the late 1600's, Dutch
farmers purchased large tracts of land in the southern half
of Somerset County. The bus tour provides a perfect
opportunity to take the family on a weekend outing and learn
about the Dutch settlers, their contribution to local
culture, and the architectural characteristics of Dutch
houses and barns.
The "Dutch Treat" bus tour departs from the center of
Millstone Borough at the corner of Amwell Road and Millstone
River Road. Free parking is available at the same location
Cost: $10 per person. Reservations highly recommended.
November 7, 2009
Tombstones and
Cemeteries: History and Design
New Jersey Cemeteries and Tombstones: History in the
Landscape is an informative lecture on the last four hundred
years of New Jersey Cemetery and Tombstone design.
Historians Richard Veit and Mark Nonestied discuss the
evolution of burial sites and gravemarkers from the
seventeenth century to the dawn of the twenty-first century.
Such topics as colonial gravestones, stone carvers,
Victorian cemeteries, monuments, mausoleums, and ethnic and
cultural burial grounds will be discussed. The speakers'
research has culminated in the publication of a book on the
subject that has been published by Rutgers University Press.
Signed copies of the book will be available for purchase.
The program will be held at the historic Van Horne House
Saturday afternoon, November 7, at 3:00 pm.
An optional pre-program, walking tour has been scheduled at
the 'Old Cemetery' in Somerville at 1:00 pm. The cemetery
contains many examples of tombstone carvings from the
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Anyone interested
in visiting the cemetery before the program can join us and
then proceed to the Van Horne House by 3:00 pm. The Old
Cemetery is located at 191 South Bridge Street, Somerville,
NJ 08876.
The Old Cemetery, also sometimes referred to as the Old
Raritan Cemetery, was established just after the
Revolutionary War. The cemetery was initially the burying
ground for the Dutch Reformed Church, but was later shared
by several other congregations. The Old Cemetery Association
of Somerville has meticulously maintained the grounds and
stones.
Cost: $5 per person. Reservations are not required but
appreciated.
February 14, 2010
Five Generals Bus Tour:
Free Family Fun
Discover the five original historic houses that served as
general staff headquarters during the Second Middlebrook
Encampment - 1778-1789: the Van Horne House in Bridgewater;
the Van Veghten House in Finderne, the Abraham Staats House
in South Bound Brook; the Jacobus Vanderveer House in
Bedminster and finally, the Wallace House in Somerville
where General Washington stayed.
The village of Middlebrook was located just east of the
Van Horne House in an area that is now the west end of Bound
Brook. During the encampment, General Washington dated all
of his dispatches from Middlebrook even though his
headquarters was in the Wallace House, five miles away.
A perfect opportunity for a weekend family outing, a
visit to these historic sites offers a unique educational
experience, for young and old alike to learn about these
unique places and the generals who made them their homes and
offices during the American Revolution.
The tours, which start from the Van Horne House, 941 East
Main Street, Bridgewater (across from Patriots Ballpark) are
FREE, but space is limited and reservations are required.
The five bus tours are scheduled to start on the hour: 10
am, 11 am, noon, 1 pm, and 2 pm. Call (732) 356-8856 for
reservations or sign up online:
register.
Click
here to register online.
Bus tours run approximately 2 hours in length. Unless
otherwise noted, all programs will begin and and end at the
Van Horne House, 941 East Main Street, Bridgewater. Also
please note that the schedule is subject to change.
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