February 2014

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 Sunday, February 23    1 - 4 p.m.

Jacobus Vanderveer House and Museum

River Road Park, Bedminster

jvanderveerhouse.org
Open House 

At 2 p.m.:

Free presentation about the Pluckemin Cantonment, site of the nation’s first military training academy.   The presentation is intended for audiences 14 and up.  There is no charge for admission, but registration is suggested by phoning (908) 396-6053.  

Dr. John Seidel, Director, Center for the Environment & Society at Washington College in Chestertown, MD and lead archaeologist on the Pluckemin Archaeological Project, will present a 3D visualization of the Pluckemin Artillery Cantonment, recently commissioned by the Friends of the Jacobus Vanderveer House.   The one-hour presentation will also highlight the significance of the cantonment to the Continental Army, its abandonment and eventual discovery in the 1970s, the archaeological dig that ensued, and the wealth of artifacts that were uncovered.

“Lacking the presence of a physical site to visit, the Friends of the Jacobus Vanderveer House felt it was important to use digital technology to tell the story of America’s first military academy, the remarkable leadership of General Henry Knox and Somerset County’s central role in the American Revolution,” remarked Sean Blinn, president of the Friends of the Jacobus Vanderveer House Board of Trustees.

Working with Dr. Seidel, historical geographer Stewart Bruce, other historians, and students at Washington College, the Friends authorized the use of sophisticated mapping software to create a 3D visualization of the lost Pluckemin cantonment (now located in the Hills Development) in a series of digital animations that is interpreted and narrated byscholars.  The animated visualization of the 1778-79 cantonment depicts buildings (officers’ quarters, armorers’ shop, artificers’ quarters, tin smith’s shop, etc.) as well as the physical materials, tools and daily activities of life on the site. 

The 21st century digital presentation complements the Friends’ more traditional interpretive programs – authentic artifacts, beautiful period rooms, history center, museum displays, art works, maps and printed materials.  The virtual cantonment is presented on-site at the Jacobus Vanderveer House Museum, and excerpts are posted on the museum’s website and Facebook page.  For more information and a sneek peek at how history meets high-tech in telling the story of Pluckemin’s long lost cantonment, visit:  http://www.jvanderveerhouse.org/.

Funding support for the 3D visualization was provided by two recent grant awards: a grant of $45,000 from the Somerset County Cultural and Heritage Commission and a grant of $10,000 from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.

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Saturday, February 22 - Light rail trip.  

Join Barbara Ross for a tour by light rail into the 19th century. Meet at the Bordentown RiverLINE light rail station at9:15 am (turn left into parking lot at 100 W. Park Street at Prince Street, above the boat landing), purchase tickets, and receive a brief introduction before boarding the train for Trenton. The train follows the path of the D&R Canal from Crosswicks Creek to Trenton. See the abandoned canal, Watson's Creek and the Abbott Marshlands. In the City of Trenton, where Rt. 129 is on the former route of the canal, remains of the industrial and commercial buildings can compared with earlier photos. Participants will get an overview of places that are difficult to see any other way, but anyone expecting a leisurely guided tour will be disappointed. In Trenton, participants may opt for a guided walk (3/4 mile round trip) to the State Street Bridge over the former canal (now the Trenton Freeway). Two-hour tickets are $1.50 ($.70 for seniors). Please bring exact change. Pre-registration is strongly advised; call 609-924-2683 after February 12^th. This D&R Canal Watch trip is co-sponsored by the Friends for the Abbott Marshlands and D&R Greenway Land Trust.    

Saturday, February 22 - 1:00 p.m. George Washington Birthday Hike -

  To honor our nation's first president,  join the historian of the Washington Crossing State Park and naturalist of the D&R Canal for a 5-mile hike starting at the site of the famous 1776 Christmas crossing. The group will meet at the Washington Crossing State Park parking lot along Route 29 and hike along the D&R Canal towpath, discussing the historical importance and nature of the area. Please be prepared for a moderate-paced hike with good footwear and water. Free; registration is required. Call Stephanie Fox at the D&R Canal State Park at 609-924-5705.

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February 15 — Great Backyard Bird Count
Saturday, February 15, 9:30-11:00 a.m., Hunterdon County Arboretum, ages 8 through adult, $3 per person

Jointly sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society, the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is an annual event that engages bird watchers to create a real-time snapshot of where birds are across the continent.  Join Park Naturalist Laura Kroon to view a short PowerPoint on the GBBC, and go over some bird identification tips.  Then we will take a bird walk around the property to see what species are out there and how many of each.  This data will be submitted to the GBBC to aid in citizen science research.  Pre-registration required; contact Hunterdon County Parks & Recreation at (908) 782-1158 or www.co.hunterdon.nj.us (click on “Parks & Recreation”) for more information.  (Evening Grosbeak by GBBC participant Carrie, Audubon Website).

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February 15 — EARTH Center Bird Count
Saturday, February 15, 12 noon-2:30 p.m., Davidson's Mill Pond Park, 42 Riva Avenue, South Brunswick, NJ
Rutgers Master Gardeners of Middlesex County invite you to take part in the “Great Backyard Bird Count” on Saturday, February 15, in Davidson’s Mill Pond Park 42 Riva Ave. South Brunswick, NJ (raindateSunday Feb. 16). Master Gardeners will offer hot coffee for bird counters from Noon to 2:30 PM, within the park at the EARTH Center, home to Middlesex County’s Extension office.

The event will be held simultaneously with the Audubon Society and Cornell University Labs "Great Backyard Birdcount." Please bring your own binoculars and field guides and dress for the appropriately for outdoor hiking. A tour guide may be provided or you can strike off on your own. Please let the organizer know you are interested in attending by e-mailing evans@aesop.rutgers.edu.

Beginning birders, and experts are encouraged to attend. The start time is not formal. Rather, the Master Gardeners encourage people to use the park of over 300 acres (including wooded trails and open fields), for their count and will host guests by providing coffee and light snacks during the listed time.

“I encourage residents to attend this wonderful and informative event in beautiful Davidson Mill Pond Park,” said Freeholder Director Ronald G. Rios. “Help make this the biggest GBBC ever! Davidson Mill Pond Park has recorded 100 bird species to date! Be a part of helping scientists record migration patterns.”

“The more people who participate, the more scientists will know about bird populations growth or decline over time due to habitat loss, disease, or other factors,” said Freeholder Kenneth Armwood, chair of the County’s Business Development and Education Committee.

Davidson’s Mill Pond Park, 42 Riva Ave., South Brunswick, NJ.  For more detailed information visitwww.birdsource.org/gbbc/. For more info on any program contact 732‑398‑5260.

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Five Generals Narrated Bus Tour

             Sunday, February 16, 2014, five tours:
                     10:00 am, 11:00 am, noon,
                  1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, and 3:00 pm

       Limited Seating - Reservations Required

Discover five of the original Somerset County houses that served as general staff headquarters during the Revolutionary War. The historic houses are 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 the Wallace House in Somerville.

During the Second Middlebrook Encampment  (1778-1789) the village of Middlebrook was an area just east of the Van Horne House, which is now the west end of Bound Brook. General Washington posted all of his dispatches from Middlebrook, even though his headquarters was at the Wallace House in Somerville, five miles away.

This bus tour provides a perfect opportunity for a weekend family outing. Visiting the five historic sites offers a unique educational experience, for young and old alike, to learn about the history of the American Revolution and the generals who occupied the houses. 

The tour start from the Van Horne House , 941 East Main Street, Bridgewater (across from Patriots Ballpark) and takes approximately two and a half hours. Free parking is available behind Target's and across the street at the ballpark.

The tours are $5 per person with advanced payment, and $10 with payment on the day of the tour. Payment can be made by mail, or by credit card payment with an online reservation. Space is limited and reservations are required. The five available 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.

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circa 1740

            South Bound Brook, New Jersey  

Tory Jack Day

Saturday. February 8, 2014, 10:30 am to 3. pm

“The Music of the Civil War”

Joe Becton

As part of its annual “Tory Jack Day” program celebrating Black History Month, the South Bound Brook Historic Preservation Advisory Commission, in conjunction with The Friends of Abraham Staats House, Inc., and in partnership with the Women’s Guild of South Bound Brook, will present eminent historian Joe Becton.  The event will run from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Mr. Becton will speak on the topic “Music of the Civil War” at 11:00 am on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2014 at the historic Abraham Staats House, located at 17 Von Steuben Drive, South Bound Brook, 08880.
The house will open and seating begins at 10:30 a.m. Admission is free; donations are appreciated. 

Mr. Becton, a retired National Park Service Interpretive Park Ranger, has been recognized with the Community Service award for setting a standard of excellence in interpretation and for his role in connecting Americans to our national parks through wonderful stories and varied media.

Following Mr. Becton’s presentation, the public is invited to tour the historic Abraham Staats House and view an exhibit on the contributions of blacks to our national heritage, presented by local historian and Women’s Guild member, Mrs. Joyce Smith.The exhibit and tours will close at 3 p.m.

For more information on Mr. Becton go to http://www.jobecton.com/jbhistory.htm

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Cancelled due to too much snow on the tow path

Walking tour along D and R Canal
 Feb. 8

The Delaware & Raritan Canal Watch will hold a 5.3-mile walking tour of a northern section of the D&R Canal on Saturday, Feb. 8.

The guided walk will explore the section of the canal between Landing Lane Bridge in New Brunswick and South Bound Brook.  The one-way walk is highlighted by scenic views of both the canal and the Raritan River.

Meet 10 a.m. at the canal park’s Lock 11 parking lot, Canal Road, South Bound Brook, approximately across from the South Bound Brook Post Office (11 Madison St.). Carpooling will allow a one-way walk beginning at Landing Lane.

Canal Watch board member Bob Barth will conduct the walk, which will be the first in a series that will end at Bulls Island on the Delaware River.

For further information and weather-related updates, call Mr. Barth at 201-401-3121 or email barths@att.net.

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 60 th Anniversary Somerset County Planning Board

You are invited to attend the Somerset County Planning Board’s February 18, 2014 Reorganization Meeting, from 6.30 till 8.00 pm in the Freeholder's meeting room at 20 Grove Street Somerville NJ.

The highlights include a talk by Tom Wright, Executive Director of the Regional Plan Association, a 60th Anniversary retrospective by Bob Bzik, Director of Planning and the Annual Land Development Awards Program

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Five Generals Open House Saturday, February 1, 2014 10:00 am - 4:00 pm*

During the Revolutionary War, General George Washington spent much of his time in central New Jersey, which was  strategically located near the British bases on Staten Island and New York City. In winter of 1778-79, he brought his army to Somerset County where they camped on the slopes of the first Watchung Mountain. That was the forth winter encampment of the eight-year war and followed the previous winter encampment at Valley Forge.

Remarkably, five of the original houses that served as general staff headquarters during that winter still exist and are open to the public. The beautifully restored houses are 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 the Wallace House in Somerville.

On Saturday, February 1, (Super Bowl Saturday) all five houses will be open and FREE to the public. All will have special tours, displays, and events. This is a perfect opportunity to share with your Super Bowl guests something about the interesting history of Somerset County. 

Driving directions and information about each house is provided below. 

1   Abraham Staats House: Inspector General Frederick von Steuben's Headquarters 

The Abraham Staats House is located at 17 Von Steuben Lane, South Bound Brook, which is just off Main Street. From Bound Brook, cross the Queen's Bridge to South Bound Brook and bear left onto Main Street. Turn left onto Von Steuben Lane. From Interstate Route 287, take exit 10 onto Route 527 (Easton Avenue) north. Easton Avenue becomes Main Street, South Bound Brook. Turn right onto Von Steuben Lane. Follow the lane to the end.

2    Philip Van Horne House:  General William Alexander's (Lord Stirling) Headquarters

The Philip Van Horne House is located at 941 E Main St., Bridgewater, just east of Bound Brook. From the center of Bound Brook, head west on Main Street, which becomes Talmage Avenue. As you pass under Route 287, the Van Horne House is the first driveway on your right. Parking is available behind the house.

3    Derrick Van Veghten House:  Quartermaster General Nathaniel Greene's Headquarters

The Van Veghten House is located at 9 Van Veghten Dr., Bridgewater. From Bound Brook (as above) continue driving west on East Main Street to Finderne Avenue (1 mile). Turn left on Finderne Avenue. Turn right on Van Veghten Drive at the first stop light. The Van Veghten House is located at the end of the road, on the left. 

4    John Wallace House:  General Washington's Headquarters.

The John Wallace House is located at 71 Somerset St., Somerville. From Bound Brook (as above), drive west on East Main Street to Somerville. Continue through Somerville and turn left at the "Y" onto Somerset Street. Pass under the railroad underpass and turn left into the parking lot for the Wallace House.

5    Jacobus Vanderver House: General Henry Knox's Headquarters
      * Note: the Jacobus Vanderver House will only be open from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm

The Jacobus Vanderveer House is located in River Road Park, Bedminster. Take I-287 North to Exit 22B - Bedminster/Netcong Route 202/206 North.  Stay in right lane on Route 202/206 North and take River Road jug  handle that crosses 202/206 and enters onto River Road (jug handle located at first light and before AT&T entrance).  River Road Park entrance is immediately on the right. Follow the gravel path around the ball fields to parking area for the Jacobus Vanderveer House.

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