Van Harlingen Historical Society

The Forgotten Village

Presentation, Panel Discussion, Vintage Photos
Memorial Hall, 424 Route 518, Blawenburg Reformed Church
May 15, 2016 from 1:00-4:00 PM

Semi-guided Tours at Skillman Park
3:30-5:00 PM

Join us for a History Tour and Conversation about the former State Village.  At the Meeting Hall will be presentations and a panel discussion from locals who lived and worked at the site. Come learn about this once-bustling, self-sustaining farm and village with its own fire company, theater, hospital, powerhouse, and more on the grounds of Somerset County’s Skillman Park.  There will be a large exhibit of photographs and memorabilia from the Van Harlingen Historical Society archives. There will be semi-guided tours around the new park path system that will feature stops with photos and stories of the buildings, people and activities from when this site was vibrant. A keepsake booklet filled with interesting articles and maps will be included.

The event is free. A keepsake booklet filled with photos and maps will be available for a donation of $15. We hope you will plan to come, and ask that you invite your neighbors and friends. So many of our new residents have no idea of the history that played out here. We now have a beautiful natural park, with only the dramatic 1901 tree-lined road layout of noted landscape architect, Charles W. Leavitt, remaining to mark this important site, once the most densely populated section of our township.

May in Montgomery is the major fundraiser of the Society and is a staple of our community. This year’s event marks our 37^th as we celebrate this forgotten part of Montgomery and New Jersey. We’ve combed our archives to develop programs and exhibits to create a memorable experience for all. In addition to May 15th, there will be an exhibit at the Mary Jacobs Library throughout May.

Please consider a Friend of May in Montgomery contribution to support our educational and preservation programs, via the donate button to the right. Your name will be prominently listed in the program. You know you will be in good company there! (And in case you forgot to send us your 2016 membership, please add it to your donation. Your mailing label shows your membership status).

Thank you for your continued support! See you May 15th. Bring your family, Bring a friend!

Van Harlingen Historical Society’s annual May in Montgomery is famous for all sorts of “turns in the road.” No one event is the same, and this year’s May 30^th event, in celebration of the society’s 50^th anniversary, is no different. Indeed there are lots of turns in the road, literally.

On Saturday, May 30th, two separate bus tours for the east and west sides of the township will see the development and change in Montgomery through lively narration and visits to preserved villages, buildings and landscapes, including stops at historic sites. Each bus will take a maximum of 30 passengers with a narrator on board to provide all the tidbits of lore and legend.

The buses leave from Harlingen Reformed Church, Route 206, Belle Mead, NJ. The western section tour will depart at 10:00 a.m. and the eastern section will depart at 2:00 p.m. Each tour costs $20 for VHHS members and $25 for non-members. Tours are approximately two hours long. Lunch is not provided but may be purchased locally. Restrooms will be available at the church.

Along the east side tourists will be driven by the lovely Victorian homes of Rocky Hill, once part of the township and, walk through Opie’s Mill converted into a charming home and visit the antiques-filled miller’s cottage across the way. Learn when and why Rocky Hill seceded from Montgomery and what Rev. War patriot was abducted from his dinner table and marched up River Road by the British. Another stop will be the Montgomery Farm Museum to see the antique tool and implement collection of our by-gone agrarian era with demonstrators on hand.

Eastern Tour Non-Members:$25

On the west side, tourists will step inside the delightful living-history, one-room 1853 Bedensville schoolhouse, visit the historic 18th century Jochem Gulick farm house, and travel through pastoral country side and rolling hills of the Sourlands, into the charming village of Blawenburg, to the site of the original Skillman Village, to the forgotten Stoutsburg, to the Van Zandt Mansion, and of course Harlingen village.

Western Tour Non-Members:$25

Reservations must be received/paid in advance by May 22^nd, either online by Shopping Cart using PayPal or by mail sending a check together with a completed reservation form: VHHS reservation form

Fares are not refundable unless replacement tourists are drawn from a waiting list. 

Purchasers will be notified if seats are unavailable. No paper tickets will be issued. For further information call 908-359-2642.

Presented by VHHS Historians

Judy Peters and Jessie Havens