SC History Weekend About

Weekend Journey Information

Welcome to Somerset County's third "Weekend Journey Through the Past", a perfect opportunity to take your family on a weekend outing to visit and immerse yourself in the past. We invite you to take this opportunity to feed your curiosity and expand your knowledge through the discovery of many fascinating aspects and oral histories surrounding the twenty-seven significant historic sites open for touring all weekend-long. You will learn much about their former occupants, some among which were quite distinguished statesmen and national leaders; how they occupied their day to day lives, from daily work responsibilities and pleasurable pastimes to the difficult hardships endured during the American Revolution.

As you journey from site to site you will discover that many have significant Revolutionary War histories, contributing to the area's designation as the "Crossroads of the American Revolution State Heritage Area." By the end of your journey, you will have a better appreciation of the history of Somerset County and the lives of early settlers - who they were, where they came from, how they lived, and how they made a difference in the lives of their neighbors, in the growth and development of our county, and how much they contributed to the rich heritage and development of our great nation.

All participating sites are open free of charge for visitors on Saturday, October 10 from 10 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. and on Sunday, October 11 from noon until 5:00 P.M. You will find, herein, suggested tours - North, Central and South, grouping sites logically by area and winding you through scenic by-ways in hopes of making your journey more pleasurable.

This annual event is an initiative of the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission in collaboration with many local historical, curtural, and hospitality organizations. We have planned many special activities, contests and interesting surprises to complement your journey, from re-enactments, military drills, early furniture making to blacksmiths working at an historic forge, participation in children's early games with period toys, local authors and artists, as well as participatory art activities, period music and dance, historic videos, lectures by expert guests, family scavenger hunts, antiques, candle making & bee-keeping demonstrations, open fire cooking, tours describing early fire-fighter apparatus, and much, much more…promising to engage everyone's insatiable curiosity and interests.

To request additional information by email, click here.

We would appreciate your help in spreading the word about this annual event by telling friends, family, and neighbors so they can join your journey back in time. Any comments or suggestions that would help us plan and promote the event in the coming years would be most welcomed. Please email your comments or suggestions to: info@schistoryweekend.com

2009 Somerset County

Board of Chosen Freeholders

Rick Fontana, Director

Jack M. Ciattarelli, Deputy Director

Peter S. Palmer

Robert Zaborowski

Patricia L. Walsh

SOMERSET COUNTY
CULTURAL & HERITAGE COMMISSION
Ann Osterdale Rosenblum, President
Donald Esposito, Vice-President
Phyllis Konen, Secretary
Phyllis Fittipaldi, Treasurer
Robert Bouwman
Mark A. Else
H. Kels Swan
Kathy Faulks
Thomas Buckingham
Patricia Walsh - Freeholder Liaison

Patricia McGarry, SCC&HC Manager
Thomas D’Amico, AICP/PP, Historic Sites Coordinator
Sallie T. de Barcza, Program Coordinator
Cynthia Mellusi, Administrative Assistant

TOURISM PARTNERS

Borough of Bound Brook
Bound Brook Memorial Library
Borough of Somerville
Branchburg Historical Society
Branchburg Woman’s Club

County of Somerset
Board of Chosen Freeholders
Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission
Public Information Office / Planning Division
Graphics / Print Shop
Friends of the Jacobus Vanderveer House
Friends of the Abraham Staats House
Friends of the Codington Farmstead
Friends of the Kennedy-Martin-Stelle Farmstead
Friends of Somerset County Culture & Heritage
Friends of Vermeule Mansion
Friends of the Wallace House and Old Dutch Parsonage
Green Brook CHHP Committee / Green Brook Historical Society
Griggstown Historical Society
Heritage Trail Association
Historical Society of the Somerset Hills
The Meadows Foundation
Old Millstone Forge Association
New Cemetery Association of Somerville
Raritan Borough / Raritan Public Library / Raritan Fire Dept.
Rocky Hill Community Group
Somerset County Business Partnership
Somerset County Historical Society
Somerville Historic Advisory Committee
South Bound Brook Historic Preservation Advisory Commission
State of New Jersey, Division of Parks and Forestry
US Golf Association
Van Harlingen Historical Society
Warren Township Historic Sites Committee

Norz Hill Farm at 148 South Branch Rd., Hillsborough, NJ 08844
(908) 371-COWS (2697) / www.norzhillfarm.com
Dutch Hollow Farm at 875 meadow Rd, Bridgewater, NJ 08807
(908) 725-349 / www.geocities.com/dutchhollowfarm

Funding has been made possible, in part, by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts / Dept. of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, through the State/County Partnership Local Arts Program /Arts in Non-Traditional Venues Grant administered by the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission, which has helped to defray costs of artists and arts activities contributing to and enhancing this annual collaborative heritage tourism event.