Peace

-Dave

from kevinhooa (flickr.com)

First, thankyou to all of you who voted for where you wanted me to go next.  As you wanted today I went to the Pemberton Train Station in Pemberton, NJ.  The station is right down the road from Fort Dix.  My first piece of advice is to go if you have a chance.  The station hasn’t been an operating station in many years, but has been a museum since 1999.  The two gentlemen that were there, were extremely helpful and knew a lot about the history of not only the station, but New Jersey’s history in general.  Inside of the museum were many train artifacts, like the ticket punches, lights, whistles and bells.  Many of these items are over a hundred years old and were used on trains that went through the Pemberton Station.  Outside there are several train cars and some tracks in place.  Besides just the train artifacts, there are also many other pieces in the museum about other aspects of NJ.  There are many Native American Pieces, some fossils and tons of maps of the area.  The museum doesn’t charge admission and runs purely on donations and volunteers.  It is truly a gem and I hope that everyone has a chance to check it out.

Peace

-Dave

Photo from flickr user carlogambino

During the Month of December, South Jersey becomes inundated with winter festivals.  The problem is many people don’t know about any of them, or just know about the one in their community.  I am going to give you a rundown of some of the festivals in the area so that you can choose which ones you want to attend.

Cape May

This year Cape May offers their annual Christmas Candlelight Tours on Dec 6th, 13th and 27th from 5:30 -8:30.  Houses, inn, hotels and churches decorate especially beautifully for the tours.  There are also several hospitality centers with bakedgoods and refreshments along the route.  With the price of a ticket, you are granted admission to Emlen Physick Estate, the only Victorian House Museum.  This is a self-guided tour and a heated trolley will be available for transportation.  The pricing is $25 for adults and $20 for children.  To order tickets call 1-800-275-4278 or order online.

Palmyra

This year Palmyra Nature Park is holding their 5th annual Winterfest on Saturday December 6th from 10:30am-3:30pm.  This event will be held rain or shine.  Winterfest in Palmyra offers a variety of activities for the whole family.  Activities include: horse drawn carriages, live holiday music, a visit from Santa Clause, strolling magicians, a petting zoo, and various wildlife exhibits.  The wildlife exhibits are expected to be a huge hit again this year, they include dog sleds, reindeer and birds of prey.  This event takes place in Nature Park directly under the Tacony Palmyra Bridge.  Shuttle buses will run from Palmyra Station to the festival every fifteen minutes.  According to assistant director Pam Reid planning began 8 months ago and they are expecting about 2,000 people.

Medford

This year Medford will be holding their 19th annual Dickens Festival which transforms Main Street into a 19th century victorian English street.  The event will be held on Saturday December 6thfrom 6:00pm-10:00pm, starting off with the tree lighting ceremony at 6pm at the gazebo.  The rain date for this event is December 7th from 3:00pm-6:30pm.  Many activities will be available such as a petting zoo and a live nativity at Tomlinson Park.  Santa Clause will also make a guest appearance in a horse drawn carriage.  According to the President of the Historic Medford Village Association, they are expecting about 20,000 people to attend.

Mullica Hill

This year Mullica Hill will be hosting their 36th annual Christmas House Tour on Main Street on Saturday, December 6th.  The event is sponsored by the Mullica Hill Merchant’s Association.  Those who attend are invited to make 11 stops along the route to visit historic homes, churches and other buildings while listening to holiday carolers.  Of the 11 stops, 8 are privately owned homes.  According to Hazel Dilsaver, the director of the event, they expect over 500 people.  She also told me that the route is about a mile long and there will be buses running to transport people.  Wile the tour only runs from 2:00pm-7:00pm most shops are open and have good sales from 11:00am-8:00pm.  Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 the day of the tour.  Tickets can be purchased from most merchants on Main Street.

Evesham

On Friday, December 12th Evesham Township will host their annual Winterfest at the firehouse on Main Street from 5:00pm-9:00pm.  The event is much smaller than it used to be and now consists of a few vendors and pictures with Santa Clause.  Ann Macready, the events coordinator for the Center of the Arts in Evesham, told me that Santa arrives on a fire truck and climbs the ladder to the top of the fire house.  He then slides down the fire pole into the building to greet the youngsters.  They expect about 500 people to attend.

Glassboro

On Saturday, December 13th Glassboro will host their 4th annual Photo Day with Santa Clause at Glassboro High School from 9:00am-12:00pm.  The cost is $5 and 2 non-perishable food items for the Glassboro Samaritan House.

Mount Holly

Once again this year Mount Holly will hold their annual Historic Day from 10:00am-8:00pm on December 13th, which includes a reenactment of the Battle of Iron Works HIll and the Mount Holly Historical Society’s Holiday House Tour.  According to Alicia McShulkis the coordinator, the battle of Iron Works Hill was a diversion during the Revolutionary War.  This battle was one of many diversions that allowed Washington to cross the Delaware River.  At around 2:30pm the reenactment takes to the streets and musket fire and cannon fire will take place in the streets.  The holiday house tour is a self-guided tour that starts at the library.  The tour includes 12 public homes and 7 private homes.  The tour starts at 3:00pm.

Be sure to check out my map of the festivals.

-There is actually a mansion in Burlington County.  It is the mansion of HB Smith, you can actually go to visit the grounds and check out the mansion.[Cup O' Jersey]

-Mini horses are cool, and local on route 579 in our own backyards in New Jersey.[NJ 579]

-There are always cool things going on in the depths of the New Jersey Pine Barrens, be sure check them out every month, but here is December.[Piney Power]

-Christmas trees do grow in New Jersey and many places offer them to be cut down. [New Jersey Events]

-Even more local Christmas trees and how to find them near you.[Philly Burbs]

-Paulsboro’s men in blue are doing their part to help the community and so can you.  Stop by the station and drop off a toy for Christmas up until Christmas Eve for local children.[NJ Events]

The front of the prison from flickr user kevinhooa

I just got back from visiting the Burlington County Prison Museum in Mount Holly, NJ.  Nestled in the historic part of Mount Holly the old prison still stands and is now a museum that is open to the public.  The prison opened in 1811 and was in operation until 1965.  When you enter the building, you walk directly into the small gift shop and pay for your entrance fee ($4 for adults, $2 for children and students).  The worker at the counter will then give you two brochures.  One is the map of the prison, the tour is self guided.  The second, is a brief history of the prison.  Don’t make the mistake I did, read the history right then and there.  I waited until after I left the museum, but it would have been much better for me to read the history before exploring.  There are three floors in the prison and you can even walk through the tunnel to where the warden once lived.  During its existence 13 men escaped from the prison, 6 prisoners where executed and 2 guards were murdered.  Many think that the prison is haunted, I’ll let you be the judge of that.  To me the coolest part of the prison was the graffiti on the cell walls.  The prisoners played games, drew pictures and even kept calenders on the prison walls.  Overall, the museum is worth the $4 dollars to enter and is worth a trip to Mount Holly to see it first hand.

Q: How did you become a museum curator?

A: I have always been interested in history, so I majored in American History as an undergraduate. Then I received a fellowship from the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture and got a Master’s Degree from the University of Delaware. I focused on American history and museum studies. Most of all, I studied material culture — what objects can teach us about people in the past.

Q: What does the museum curator’s job entail?

A: As a curator, I am chiefly responsible for the care of the collection and preservation of the structure. I also coordinate our volunteer guides, look for grants and oversee our volunteer gardeners. I research and create our interpretive programs, including daily tours, schools programs, theme tours, and special groups.

Q: How long have you been at Red Bank Battlefield?

A: I interned at Red Bank as an undergraduate eight years ago, and then I served as a volunteer guide. I am completing my third year as the curator.

Q: What is the strangest thing you have seen while being a curator?

A: I have not had any bizarre supernatural experiences — but some strange things do happen here. Despite our best efforts, snakes and toads sometimes “live” in the basement and walls. I once walked into my office to find a bird flying around.

Q: What is your favorite part of your job? Of history? Why

A: The best part of my job is the diversity — sometimes I am giving tours to dozens of guests, sometimes I am buried by manuscripts in the archives. I have the opportunity to do a lot of writing and public speaking, and much of the job is hand’s on. I work with amazing people, too, and have a chance to share ideas with brilliant colleagues.
My favorite part of the history is simple: there really is something new to learn everyday. One question and answer leads to another — I love discovering how the stories link together. And best of all, I get to share my excitement and interest in the past with the public.

Q: What is your favorite part of Red Bank Battlefield? Why

A: Red Bank is a wonderful place to combine micro history and macro history — by looking at the Whitalls and their home, we can understand how one family experienced the American Revolution. It is one historic house, one family and one battle — but we are also part of a much larger sweeping story. We have butter churns and spinning wheels, but we also have a dramatic land and navy battle.

Q: Are there any unusual things at the Battlefield?

A: We are one of the few sites that have chevaux-de-frise. The pieces we have recovered do not look very interesting — they look a great deal like telephone poles. But the “logs” that remain were once giant, iron-tipped spears. The colonists put the spears into wooden frames that sat on the river bottom — the spears pointed downriver to impale the British navy as they tried to sail up to Philadelphia.

At the Pemberton Township High School from 9-3, the 10th annual collectible, toy and train show will be held.  Admission is three dollars.  The event is sponsored by the Pemberton Township Historic Trust.

Annual Craft/Vendor fair at Southern Regional High School from 9-2. Admission is $1.

The 34th Annual Pineland’s Cultural Society Day & Homeplace Festival will be held at Albert Music Hall on rt 532 at 7:30 pm.

November 19th-Ocean County College will host a celebration of Native American Heritage Month at 11am.  Native singers and dancers will perform.  Event is free.

November 20th-The South County Branch library in Atco will be holding an event for Native American Heritage Month.  Environmentalist Maggie Liebe will share Indian stories, and then create a craft for Thanksgiving. 4-8.

November 25th-The Voorhees Library will host an event for Native American History Month.  Enjoy stories and a Thanksgiving Craft. 6:30-7:30

Peace

-Dave

whitesbog from flickr user La Fattina

Big Sis commented a while ago about the massive cranberry harvesting in NJ, well here is some info about how to learn more about the cranberry industry. There are three local farms that are great to visit. The first is Double Trouble State Park, in Berkely Township. The park is open to the public and there is no entrance fee. Cloverdale Farm in Barneget, NJ is a little more closed off to the public, but does offer tours of the bogs. The tour at the end of this month is already booked, but keep checking as a worker there told me that there will most likely be more. The last farm is Whitesbog Village. Whitesbog actually has a driving tour that takes you on a 5 mile loop. Please sign in at the kiosk befor driving. On Sat November 15th Whitesbog has a moonlight walk at 7pm for $5. The tour is led by experienced guides and gives a great history of the bogs.  Enjoy all the cranberry history NJ has to offer.

Peace

-Dave