SEPTEMBER 25 Walk the Path to Rockingham!

Celebrate National Public Lands Day and the gorgeous season with a fresh morning walk from the Kingston Canal House to historic Rockingham!

DATE: Saturday, September 25, 2010
(Inclement Weather Cancels)
TIME: 9:30AM
MEET: The Kingston Canal House
Off Route 27, 4 miles north of Princeton
RSVP: Pre-registration Required
INFO: (609) 924-5705

ADMISSION IS FREE!!!

[From the Milepost Newsletter]
"In addition to receiving an introduction to the story of the D&R from the park historian, participants will visit two historic homes along the way--the Kingston Canal House and 18th century Rockingham. The group will then walk along the canal to Rockingham where they will be treated to a tour of the restored 1783 headquarters of George Washington. Wear comfortable hiking shoes and join us for this 2.5-mile round trip walk."

MARCH 27: Walk to Rockingham!

Enjoy a fresh, spring morning with a D & R Canal State Park historian and naturalist guided walk along the towpath from the Mapleton Preserve to the Rockingham Historic Site for a house tour, and then back again!

DATE: Saturday, March 27, 2010
Weather Permitting
TIME: 10:00AM
MEET: D&R State Park Office
145 Mapleton Road, Kingston
WEAR: Weather-appropriate clothing, comfortable hiking shoes
RSVP: Pre-registration Requested
REGISTER HERE

ADMISSION IS FREE!!!

From the park headquarters, this 3.5 walk will first pass through a portion of the former Princeton Nursery grounds and by the historic Kingston Canal House on the way to the D & R Canal towpath. The group will then proceed along historic towpath to the beautifully restored Rockingham house, George Washington's 1783 headquarter during the American War of Independence!

Why not join one of these organizations and get in on all the fun?
Friends of the Princeton Nursery Lands
Kingston Greenways Association
D & R Canal Watch

October 10-11: SOMERSET COUNTY'S WEEKEND JOURNEY THROUGH THE PAST!!!

Somerset County's 3rd Annual Weekend Journey Through The Past is simply one of the year's grandest and most exciting events with 27 of the most historically significant sites in Somerset County open, free to the public, and hosting very special exhibits, programs, and tours!

DATES & TIMES
Saturday, October 10, 10:00AM to 5:00PM
Sunday, October 11, 12:00PM to
CONTACT: Click HERE to receive info by email!
Click HERE to receive info by snail-mail!

ADMISSION IS FREE!!! So bring the entire family!

ACTIVITIES & DEMONSTRATIONS INCLUDE:

• Re-enactments!
• Early Furniture Making!
• Historic Forge Blacksmithing!
• Children's Games & Period Toys!
• Period Music & Dance!
• Family Scavenger Hunts!
• Candle Making Demonstrations!
• Open Fire Cooking!
• Videos, Talks, & Tours!
• Military Drills!
• Antique Exhibits!
• And Much, Much More!

With so much going on, it might be difficult to know where to begin! So to help you make the most of your Journey Through the Past, the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission in conjunction with the participating historical organizations have grouped the sites into three convenient tours based on location! Maps are included with the links below:

THE NORTHERN TOUR: The Watchung Mountains
THE CENTRAL TOUR: The Old York Road
THE SOUTHERN TOUR: The Delaware & Raritan Canal

UPDATED LIST OF ALL PARTICIPATING SITES: Adults who visit four or more of the participating sites will be designated "History Traveler" and will be eligible to participate in a free drawing for one of 10 $25. gas cards!
[N=Northern Tour, C=Central Tour, S = Southern Tour]

Brick Academy, Basking Ridge (Bernards) [N]

Codington Farmhouse, Warren [N]

Farm Museum, Skillman [S]

First Reformed Church of Rocky Hill [S]

Gen. John Frelinghuysen House/Raritan Public Library, Raritan [N]

Griggstown School House, Griggstown (Franklin) [S]

Kennedy-Martin Stelle Farmstead, Basking Ridge (Bernards) [N]

Kirch-Ford House, Warren [N]

Mount Bethel Meeting House, Warren [N]

New Cemetery, Somerville [C]

Old Millstone Forge Blacksmith Shop & Museum, Millstone [S]

Old Presbyterian Graveyard, Bound Brook [C]

Relief Hose Co. #2/Raritan Firehouse, Raritan [C]

Daniel Robert Mansion, Somerville [C]

Somerset County Historic Court House & Lord Memorial Fountain, Somerville [C]

First Dutch Reformed Church, Somerville [C]

South Branch School House, Branchburg [S]

Abraham Staats House, South Bound Brook [C]

Andrew Ten Eyck House, Branchburg [C]

U.S. Golf Association Museum, Far Hills [N]

Jacobus Vanderveer House, Bedminster [N]

Van Horne House, Bridgewater [C]

Van Veghten House, Bridgewater [C]

Vermeule Mansion, North Plainfield [N]

Wallace House, Somerville [C]

Wyckoff-Garretson House, Somerset [C]

[From the Website]
This annual event is the perfect opportunity for a fun and exciting outing! A visit to Somerset County's beautifully preserved historic sites offers a unique educational experience for all ages, as well as a chance to visit some of Central New Jersey's most picturesque and unspoiled areas.

Many of the sites have significant Revolutionary War histories and are the reason for the area's honorable designation as the "Crossroads of the American Revolution State Heritage Area." Many local historians will be on hand to share their knowledge and stories about Somerset County's rich historical and cultural heritage.

February 22: WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY AT HISTORIC ROCKINGHAM

The Rockingham Association is delighted to invite you to celebrate George Washington's 277th birthday at one of his residences as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution!

DATE: Sunday, February 22
TIME: Tour Times, 12PM, 1PM, 2PM, 3PM
Refreshments to follow each tour!
IMP'T: Tour size limited to 12
Registration for specific tour time recommended
PLACE: Rockingham Historic Site
Rte. 603 (Laurel Ave./Kingston-Rocky Hill Rd.)
1 Mile North of Rte. 27 in Kingston
1 Mile South of Rte. 518 in Rocky Hill
(map/directions)
RSVP: (609) 683-7132
INFO: www.rockingham.net

From August to November 1783, the Rockingham House, once the residence on the farm of the late Judge John Berrien, served a George Washington's final wartime headquarters. It was at Rockingham that Washington penned and formally signed the Treaty of Paris, thereby initiating the beginning of the end of the American Revolution and the birth of the United States of America!

November 8 & 9: 225th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF WASHINGTON'S STAY AT ROCKINGHAM INCLUDING REENACTMENT!

Please join the Rockingham Historic Site, the Rockingham Association, and the MHS Live Historians in their much-anticipated final event in their celebration of General George Washington’s 1783 stay at the perfectly-preserved 300-year-old house called Rockingham!

DATE: Saturday & Sunday, November 8 & 9
PLACE: Rockingham Historic Site, Route 603 (Laurel Avenue), Kingston (map/directions)
ENTRY: $5.00 suggested donation per group
INFO: http://www.rockingham.net/
PHONE: (609) 683-7132
EMAIL: Rockingham1783@yahoo.com

The site will be open to the public both Saturday and Sunday, November 8 and 9. Visitors can explore an encampment of General Washington's Dragoon Guard, von Heer's Marechausee, including tents and horses! The first floor of the mansion will be open for shortened tours, and "General Washington" will receive guests in his study and answer questions!

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9

• 11AM to 3PM: Various activities will take place throughout the day, including demonstrations by reenactors of life in the 18th Century.
• 2PM: Princeton University Professor of History, John Murrin, will discuss the significance of Washington's stay at Rockingham, before introducing "Gen. Washington" who will make closing remarks.
• Gen. Washington will review the major events that occurred during his stay in Rockingham, including his writing of the Farewell Orders to the Armies--and reading from that document--and receiving official confirmation that the Treaty of Paris had been signed and the American Revolution had ended.

The Museum Store with a new array of gifts and toys will be open both days.

October 11 and 12: Somerset County's "Weekend Journey Through The Past"

Please join us for Somerset County's 3rd Annual Weekend Journey Through The Past!

Saturday, October 11 from 10:00AM to 5:00PM

Sunday, October 12 from 12:00PM to 5:00PM

Somerset County's Third Annual Weekend Journey Through the Past is the perfect opportunity for your entire family to feed your curiosity and expand your knowledge by traveling through time and immersing yourselves in the past!

Twenty-five beautifully preserved, historically significant sites will be open and free of charge for you to tour and explore all weekend long! Through the rich tradition of oral history you will get to know many of the properties' former occupants, including very distinguished statesmen and national leaders, and experience what life was like in 18th and 19th century New Jersey, from daily work responsibilities and pleasurable pastimes to the difficult hardships endured during the American Revolution.

Other demonstrations offered at select sites include: period music, craft making, open hearth cooking, musket use, black smithing, military drills, and many more! Please click on the individual site below to see what events and demonstrations each site offers.

PARTICIPATING HISTORIC SITES

Bedensville One-Room Schoolhouse, Skillman (Montgomery)

Boudinot-Southard-Ross Property, Basking Ridge (Bernards)

Brick Academy, Basking Ridge (Bernards)

Codington Farmstead, Warren

First Reformed Church of Rocky Hill

Gen. John Frelinghuysen House/Raritan Public Library, Raritan

Griggstown School House, Griggstown (Franklin)

Kennedy-Martin Stelle Farmstead, Basking Ridge (Bernards)

Kirch-Ford House, Warren

Mount Bethel Meeting House, Warren

Old Dutch Parsonage, Somerville

Old Millstone Forge Blacksmith Shop & Museum, Millstone

Old Presbyterian Graveyard, Bound Brook

Daniel Robert House, Somerville

Rockingham, Kingston (Franklin)

Somerset County Courthouse Green (two sites), Somerville

Somerset County Historic Court House & Lord Memorial Fountain

First Dutch Reformed Church

South Branch School House, Branchburg

Abraham Staats House, South Bound Brook

Andrew Ten Eyck House, Branchburg

U.S. Golf Association Museum, Far Hills

Jacobus Vanderveer House, Bedminster

Van Horne House, Bridgewater

Van Veghten House, Bridgewater

Vermeule Mansion, North Plainfield

Wallace House, Somerville

Washington Rock/Washington Rock State Park, Green Brook

Wyckoff-Garretson House, RECOMMENDED! Join us for the 4th Annual Living History Weekend at Wyckoff-Garretson House, Somerset (Franklin) on South Middlebush Road in Somerset Township

SUGGESTED TOUR ROUTES

These suggested tours include sites grouped logically by area and linked by beautiful, winding, scenic by-ways in hopes of making your journey more pleasurable!

Northern Tour, The Watchung Mountains

Central Tour, The Old York Road

Southern Tour, The Delaware/Raritan Canal