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Upcoming Events!
Click
here to register online
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.
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.
April 18, 2010
Delaware & Raritan
Canal Narrated Bus Tour
Join Linda Barth, author and D&R Canal expert, on a tour
of one of Somerset County's historic treasures. You will
visit locks, bridge sites, and other structures along the
canal and learn about how the canal was built by hand -
mostly by migratory Irish laborers. You will also visit
picturesque villages that grew up alongside the canal and
learn about the many industries that developed along its
route. The tour is a perfect complement to the D&R Canal
exhibit that will be opening at the Van Horne House on April
25th.
The bus tours will leave from the JP's Steakhouse/Rhythms
parking lot, 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. Please indicate
your choice of tours: 9:30 am or 1:00 pm.
This is a perfect opportunity for a family outing. The canal
tour offers a unique educational experience to learn about
our early industrial history and visit some of the most
scenic areas of Somerset County.
May 7 - June 19, 2010
Delaware & Raritan
Canal Exhibit - FREE
The exhibit, "The Canals of New Jersey," features the
Canal Society of New Jersey’s fourteen-panel display
depicting the life, history, and geography of New Jersey's
19th- and early 20th-century manmade waterways. Following
the opening of the Erie Canal, there was a frenzy of canal
building to cheaply transport the resources of the interior
of the United States, offering the most economical way to
move goods to growing markets. The exhibit explores the
building, technology, and operation of the canals.
New Jersey's canals were primarily built to bring
Pennsylvania anthracite coal to New York City and
manufacturing centers in eastern New Jersey. In addition,
they carried iron ore from northern New Jersey to the
markets of the Lehigh Valley, Trenton, and New York. The
Delaware & Raritan Canal provided a water route from
Bordentown on the Delaware to New Brunswick on the Raritan
River, connecting the New York and Philadelphia markets; it
was also an important link on the Atlantic Intracoastal
Waterway. The Morris Canal ran 102 miles from Phillipsburg
on the Delaware River to Jersey City on the Hudson. The
development of the railroads brought serious competition to
canals as early as 1850, but the New Jersey canals continued
to operate until around 1930.
There is no charge for the exhibit, and free
parking is available behind the Target store adjacent to the
Van Horne House entrance.
May 29, 2010
Victorian Somerville
Walking Tour - FREE
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.
Heritage Trail Association is sponsoring a guided walking
tour around one of Somerville's most interesting historic
neighborhoods. The tour takes apploximately an hour and a
half at a gentle pace, and is limited to public sidewalks.
Tours groups will begin
forming on the hour from 10:00 am until noon. The tour
starts at the corner of Mountain Avenue and West High
Street, in Somerville, in front of the Immaculate Conception
Church.
June 12, 2010
Somerset County History
Roundtable: "Preserving the Written Record"
Heritage Trail Association invites you to participate in
open forum to exchange ideas, make recommendations, and
reexamine how the written record Somerset County history is
being preserved. Among the questions to be addressed, are:
- What should we keep?
- Who should keep it?
- Where should it be kept?
Recent policy changes at the Bridgewater Library
regarding the New Jersey history collection has raised
concerns about Somerset County's commitment to the
preservation of our written records. Historians,
genealogists, librarians, and researchers will have an
opportunity to provide feedback on how their needs are
currently being met, as well as to suggest ways to improve
access to historic resources within the county.
Special guest members of the roundtable will include:
Jessica Myers, archivist of the Plainfield Public Library
and Candis Willis, from the Mary Jacobs Library. Each
participant will have the opportunity to share their
concerns and experiences with the forum.
The History Roundtable will be held Saturday morning,
June 12, 10:00 AM, at the Van Horne House, 941 East Main
Street, Bridgewater, NJ. Parking is available behind the
Target store at 200 Promenade Boulevard or on the opposite
side of Main Street in the Patriot Stadium parking lot.
Refreshments will be served.
Pre-registration is suggested but not required; however,
even if you are unable to attend, please
register online. The
information will assist us in planning the event and enable
us to notify you of future roundtable forums. To insure that
every active historical group in the County is represented,
please consult with other members of your organizations and
encourage at least one member to join us.
For additional information, please feel free to contact
us by email or phone:
(732) 356-8856
info@heritagetrail.org
Roundtable Summary and recommendations:
download pdf
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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