VHHS is not participating this year, but we encourage you to visit many great locations in Somerset County. More information at their website.
http://www.co.somerset.nj.us/government/public-works/cultural-heritage/weekend-journey
Thursday September 22, 7 pm “Harvest Time – History of Local Farming” In the words of Montgomery Farmers Past. Free public program at Mary Jacobs Library.
On Saturday, September 17th 11am-2pm the Sourland Conservancy and Stoutsburg Cemetery Association offer a historic reenactment of a camp meeting revival: food, fun and great gospel music.
Details on the Sourland Conservancy website. http://sourland.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Camp-Meeting-Revival-Flyer.pdf
See our interesting Oral History called Camp Meetings for more historic context (Available on our publications page http://vanharlingen.org/about-us/publications/)
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 37th 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!
Sunday, May 1, 2 pm
Rock Mill Preserve, 360 Grandview Road
Leader: Debbie Naha
Adventurous eaters, this walk is for you. Debbie Naha will be leading a walk featuring local wild edible plants and ecology. She will discuss plant I.D., safe and sustainable harvesting, and how to u
se wild plants in meals.
se wild plants in meals.
Debbie Naha is a biologist, master gardener, and dedicated forager. As a dietitian she understands the value of the natural feast in our own backyard.
Wear fitness shoes and attire. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Inclement weather cancels the event.
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Sunday, April 3rd @ 2 pm
Stonebridge Park, 1860 House, 124 Montgomery Road (Parking across from Stonebridge at Montgomery)
Leader: Jim Wade, Field Archaeologist
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New Jersey’s Native Americans held deeply personal relationships with the world around them, closely aligned with the local landscape and available materials. Montgomery continues to carry their legacy through roadways and Indian names of places, rivers, etc. On this walk, Jim Wade will describe the way of life of local Native American Indians, point out locations where they would have looked to settle, and materials they would have used for food, clothing, and shelter. This event lasts an hour and a half and consists of two parts: a lecture and walk. It is jointly sponsored by Montgomery Friends of Open Space and Van Harlingen Historical Society. We meet in front of the 1860 House. Parking is across the street from Hollinshead Spring Rd (Stonebridge at Montgomery’s entranceway).
Jim Wade has made the study of New Jersey Native Americans his life work. He has worked as an archaeology archivist at the N.J. State Museum researching 17th and 18th century New Jersey land deeds of the Delaware-Lenape Indians and as a field archaeologist on several Indian sites throughout Central New Jersey.
Dress warmly and wear sturdy footwear. In the event of significant inclement weather, checkwww.MontgomeryFriends.org for updates.
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An Exceptional Opportunity!
Our Annual
WINE & CHEESE PARTY
for Members and Their Friends
at the
1854 James Van Zandt Mansion –
newly restored home to
SAVE-A Friend To Homeless Animals
December 6th 3-5 pm
$25/person includes $5 donation to SAVE
1010 Route 601, Skillman, NJ just north of Route 518
This magnificent Italianate Villa style house, built in 1854 by lawyer and gentleman farmer, James Van Zandt, was a tribute to his stature in the community. The elegant three-story spiral staircase and domed ceiling are elaborate features.
Abandoned in recent times, the property was purchased by the founder of Friends of Homeless Animals. The group merged with SAVE and searched for a new center, to provide larger administrative space and a state-of-the-art adoption facility for 25 dogs and 75 cats.
Please RSVP by December 1st to
VHHS, Box 23, Belle Mead, NJ 08502
609.466.0141 or info@vanharlingen.org
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 30th event, in celebration of the society’s 50th 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
Eastern Tour Members:$20
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
Western Tour Members:$20
Reservations must be received/paid in advance by May 22nd, 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.
Mr. Jefferson believed that music was indispensable to the fabric of culture and civilization, in fact “a most delightful recreation.”
A brief illustrated lecture, complemented with a performance of music drawn from Mr. Jefferson’s 1783 inventory of musical holdings. 7:00 pm at Mary Jacobs Library.
Presented by VHHS Historians
Judy Peters and Jessie Havens
Many factors combined through time to make this area what it is today. Villages, churches, farming, mills, schools, railroads, local organizations, politics businesses, landscapes and architecture. A fascinating collage illustrated by the VHHS image collection.
Free and open to all. Registration is suggested. Call 609-924-7073 ext 4.