Four Centuries in a Weekend Celebrating New ’s 350th Birthday 1664 - 2014

Saturday, October 18th: 10am - 5pm Sunday, October 19th: 12pm - 5pm

UNION COUNTY A SERVICE OF THE BOARD OF We’re Connected to You! CHOSEN FREEHOLDERS Thru History County of Union

Looking for another way to experience history this year. The NJ Freewalkers have organized a hike that will follow the route of the CHRISTOPHER HUDAK, Chairman Battle of the Short Hills from NJ Transit’s Metuchen train station to the Deserted Village in the Watchung Reservation. MOHAMED S. JALLOH, Vice Chairman BRUCE H. BERGEN Along the way, hikers will be able to stop at a special historic Battle exhibit at the Ash Brook Reservation, then continue through Scotch LINDA CARTER Plains, where the Osborn Cannonball House is located, and then up ANGEL G. ESTRADA into the Reservation, where they can overlook the Battle of Bloody SERGIO GRANADOS Gap and then join in the festivities at the Deserted Village. BETTE JANE KOWALSKI For more information, go to: ucnj.org/hike4C or http://freewalkers.org/ ALEXANDER MIRABELLA events/battle-of-short-hills-march VERNELL WRIGHT

Train Thru Time ALFRED J. FAELLA, County Manager

Whether it’s utilizing mass transit to visit Union County’s historic sites WILLIAM REYES, JR., Deputy County Manager this weekend, or just a family adventure riding the trains and visiting JAMES E. PELLETTIERE, Clerk of the Board local sites, consider the Train Thru Time.

A number of communities along the Raritan Valley Line are offering RONALD ZUBER, Director shuttle bus service from their train stations to nearby historic sites. The service will be available in Plainfield, Fanwood-Scotch Plains, Westfield, Roselle and Union. The sites in Cranford and Roselle Park KATHY KAKALETRIS, Administrator are within walking distance of the train stations. ETHEL WASHINGTON, History Programs Coordinator Van service will also be provided by Berkeley Heights from the Gladstone Branch to the Deserted Village, where visitors may opt to 633 Pearl Street, Elizabeth, NJ 07202 take the Deserted Village shuttles down to the historic sites in 908-558-2550 NJ Relay 711 Mountainside and Westfield and connect with the Raritan line there. [email protected] www.ucnj.org/cultural Don’t forget, children ride free on weekends and monthly commuter passes are also valid. See njtransit.com for details.

For more on the Train thru Time, go to: ucnj.org/TTT Funded in part by the Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State. Contents Celebrating NJ 350 1 PLAINFIELD Battle of Farms 2 Drake House Museum 24 Battle of Springfield 3 RAHWAY Battle of Elizabeth 4 Merchants and Drovers Tavern 25 Union County Performing Arts Center 26 Let the Journey Begin 5 ROSELLE Thematic Clusters Abraham Clark Memorial House 27  Early Aristocracy 6 ROSELLE PARK  Farm Life 7 Roselle Park Museum 28  Front Lines 8 SCOTCH PLAINS  Commerce & Industry 9 Ash Brook Reservation 29  Victorian Resorts & Suburbs 10-11 Osborn Cannonball House 30 Four Centuries Map 43-44 SPRINGFIELD BERKELEY HEIGHTS Cannon Ball House 31 SUMMIT Deserted Village of Feltville-Glenside Park 12 Littell-Lord Farmstead 13 Carter House 32 CLARK Reeves-Reed Arboretum 33 34

Dr. William Robinson Plantation-Museum 14 35 CRANFORD UNION Crane-Phillips House Museum 15 36 ELIZABETH Liberty Hall Museum 37 State Historic Site 16 WESTFIELD First Presbyterian Church of Elizabeth 17 Miller-Cory House Museum 38 FANWOOD Reeve History & Cultural Resource Center 39 Historic Fanwood Train Station Museum 18 New Jersey 350 HILLSIDE  Innovation 40 Evergreen Cemetery 19  Liberty 41 Woodruff House/Eaton Store Museum 20  Diversity 42 KENILWORTH Oswald J. Nitschke House 21 MOUNTAINSIDE Deacon Andrew Hetfield House 22 NEW PROVIDENCE Salt Box Museum 23 Welcome to FOUR CENTURIES iN a WEEKEND The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders proudly designates its annual 2014 th Welcome to Four Centuries in a Weekend and 350 years of Four Centuries in a Weekend to the celebration of New Jersey’s 350 Birthday. With this in mind, the following Resolution was unanimously adopted: New Jersey History! This year, Union County is proud to commemorate Four Centuries in a Weekend in celebration of Resolution: th the 350 Anniversary of the settlement of Elizabethtown and WHEREAS, October 28, 2014 marks the 350th anniversary of the date in the establishment of New Jersey. In addition to a weekend of which Mattano, Seuakheons and Warinanco, three Lenape Native Indian commemorative programs and activities taking place at the 27 th Sachems (“Chiefs”) signed the deed, later known as the Elizabethtown historic sites on tour, the Elizabethtown 350 Committee will Tract, for 500,000 acres of land located between the Passaic and Raritan present re-enactments of a historic scene at the Liberty Hall Museum and three River and the Arthur Kill, to a small group of English settlers from Eastern significant American Revolutionary battles fought in Elizabethtown and its Long Island; and outlying settlements. th Elizabethtown became the first English-speaking settlement in New Jersey WHEREAS, the year 2014 marks the 350 anniversary of the charter when Captain Philip Carteret founded the settlement in 1664. It was one of the conveying all the lands between the Connecticut River and the east side of crucial events that marked the beginning of New Jersey’s history as a colony. the River from King Charles II to his brother James, Duke of York, and later King James II of England; and Union County was officially established in 1857 when it became the last coun- ty to form in New Jersey. It originally consisted of the municipalities of Eliza- WHEREAS, the land was given to Sir George Carteret and John Lord beth, Rahway, Westfield, Plainfield, New Providence, Springfield and Union. Berkeley by James, Duke of York, in payment of debts; and

However, the historical roots of our area can be traced generations earlier. WHEREAS, Captain Phillip Carteret arrived with 30 persons at the little Travel through time on these historical tours and explore the primary source of settlement on the Arthur Kill in August 1665, and named it Elizabethtown rich history that has been preserved throughout Union County. Put yourselves for his cousin, Lady Elizabeth Carteret, wife of Sir George Carteret ; and in the shoes of the colonial settlers during the Early Aristocracy by visiting WHEREAS, Elizabethtown was the first English-speaking settlement in Elizabeth’s Boxwood Hall and First Presbyterian Church, feel the spirit of the New Jersey; and during a trip to Rahway’s Merchants and Drovers Tav- ern, and experience the luxury and grandeur of the Victorian Age with a stop WHEREAS, the Elizabethtown settlers built a Meeting House (1664-65) in at Summit’s Twin Maples estate. which the first Colonial Assembly met on May 26, 1668; and

I would like to use this opportunity to thank the many volunteers from all over WHEREAS, the foregoing events mark the beginning of the separate Union County who have dedicated their time to preserving these irreplaceable as a colony; and sites. They work year in and year out to ensure that each new generation can WHEREAS, it is fitting and desirable that we commemorate the 1664 connect with our shared past. Because of their efforts, we also have another beginnings of Elizabethtown/Union County of the State of New Jersey milestone to recognize. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Four Centuries during the annual Four Centuries in a Weekend,. in a Weekend, which became the first event of its kind in New Jersey when it launched in 1994. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we designate the annual Four Centuries in a Weekend, October 18 – October 19, 2014, to the Thank you for exploring, sharing, and helping to preserve our history as we th celebrate the 350th Anniversary of the settlement of Elizabethtown and the celebration of the 350 Anniversary of the settlement of Elizabethtown and the establishment of New Jersey; and establishment of New Jersey.

Sincerely, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we welcome and urge all of its citizens to reflect upon the significance of this Four Centuries in a Weekend and the role that our County/State and its citizens have played in the history and development of our nation and to participate in this important Christopher Hudak, Chairman Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders celebration.

The Elizabethtown 350th Anniversary Committee Elizabethtown at the Crossroads

th The Elizabethtown 350 Anniversary Committee will put the past into An original painting by Township of Union artist Larry Felder the present as 200 Revolutionary War re-enactors from The Brigade of depicting the Battle of Connecticut Farms on June 7, 1780. the American Revolution, a non-profit living history association, restage events. Between 1776 and 1782 Elizabethtown experienced some seventy-five raids, skirmishes, or battles crucial to the struggle for Battle of Connecticut Farms democracy. June 7, 1780 SATURDAY, October 18th: At the Battle of Connecticut Farms, General Knyphausen with a 10:30 a.m. - Battle of Springfield – Meisel Avenue Park, Springfield, force of 5,000 landed at De Hart’s Point near Elizabethtown and NJ - See the crucial stand at Revolutionary/First Bridge where rebel marched toward Morristown on June 7, 1780, meeting resistance from forces of the Continental Army against British and Hessian forces regulars and militia under Colonel Elias Dayton and General Lafayette battled. A granite Monument marks the location where a major part of at Connecticut Farms, 2 ½ miles southeast of Springfield. the battle was fought.

2:30 p.m. - Battle of Connecticut Farms – Connecticut Farms Colonel Dayton’s Regiments were joined by the rest of the New Presbyterian Church, 888 Stuyvesant Avenue, Union– See a two city- Jersey Brigade and General Maxwell. Behind a deep ravine, just south- block street action at the actual site! During the desperate fighting in east of the Presbyterian meetinghouse, Maxwell deployed his troops. 1780, Hannah Caldwell was martyred. As militiamen continued to pour in, individually and in small groups, Maxwell assigned Brigade Major to organize them into SUNDAY, October 19th: an effective unit.

11:00 a.m. – Skirmish at Elizabethtown – See a running street Here Maxwell’s men, reinforced by the militia, made their skirmish following the actual invasion route on Elizabeth Avenue from stand, beating back repeated assaults on their positions. As the main Union Square (the Crossroads) to the First Presbyterian Church of body of Knyphausen’s army joined the advance column, more and more Elizabeth, 42 Broad Street. On January 25, 1780, a British force from men were thrown against the Americans. For nearly three hours the men Staten Island raided Elizabethtown and burned the Church to the of the New Jersey Brigade stood firm against the onslaught; but finally, ground. in danger of being outflanked, Maxwell was forced to withdraw. 2:00 p.m. - Liberty Hall Museum 1003 Morris Ave, Union, NJ – See the opening portion of the Battle of Connecticut Farm, staged on the During the fighting, Hannah Caldwell, the wife of the Reverend farm field, pasture and woods adjoining Liberty Hall. Upon arriving at James Caldwell, was slain. At about the same time, the settlement was Liberty Hall, Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Sterling found Governor pillaged and put to the torch. Some fourteen dwellings and barns, and Livingston’s wife and daughters, Catherine and Susan who steered him even the Presbyterian Church, were left in ashes. Knyphausen withdrew away from a box of state papers to a drawer full of worthless the night of June 8-9 to De Hart’s Point to entrench. correspondence. American losses were 15 killed and 40 wounded. 1 2 Original painting entitled “Give ‘em Watts Boys,” by John Ward Dunsmore. William Alexander, Lord Sterling, a brother-in-law of New Jersey’s first state governor, William Livingston, was placed in charge of the Elizabethtown troops. Photograph from Benson J. Lossing’s The Battle of Springfield Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution June 23, 1780

Fighting at the Battle of Connecticut Farms had reached the Skirmishes and Raids at Elizabeth edge of the border with Springfield. Two weeks later, on June 23, 1780, the 6000 British again crossed the water and Elizabeth- January 25, 1780 town, marched through the ruins of Connecticut Farms and faced the 1500 waiting Americans on the Springfield side of the river. Between 1776 and 1782, Elizabethtown experienced some sev- enty-five raids, skirmishes, or battles crucial to the struggle for democ- Confrontations occurred along the Rahway from the bridge at racy. Hessian Brigadier General Knyphausen had settled in a defensive Morris Avenue to Vauxhall. Over several hours of intense fighting, the position at Elizabethtown Point, while his advance forces carried the British and Hessians pushed into the village of Springfield and further fight. During a raid on January 25, 1780, The First Presbyterian Church north as far as the center of Millburn before being forced to retreat. was burned. The raid was led by Cornelius Hetfield, a Staten Island Tory originally from Elizabethtown, whose father was an Elder of the During the Battle, the Americans were running out of wadding church. to load their muskets. Rev. James Caldwell distributed Watts hymnals from the First Presbyterian Church to the troops, crying "Give 'em For two weeks Elizabeth was a virtual no-man’s-land, Watts, boys!" As the British retreated they again burned buildings in the the scene of almost daily skirmishes. Such a situation was an open village, including the church. The Cannon Ball House, hit by an invitation to plunder, and the British and Hessians indulged themselves American ball, was one of the few left standing. in an orgy of looting. Knyphausen burned the town, withdrew to the point, and crossed to Staten Island on a pontoon bridge. The little known Battle of Springfield has great significance as the final confrontation of American and Crown forces in northern colo- nies. Convinced the war was lost to them here, the British forces marched south to Yorktown.

3 4 Early Aristocracy 1663 - 1812

THE ENGLISH GOVERNMENT encouraged settlement of the new country. Many families, who had already emigrated to Long Let the Journey Begin! Island and Connecticut, moved to Elizabethtown. They were experienced in the hardships of clearing land for houses and HEAR the Union County stories of evolution and growth as told th th th th fields, and they sought self-government and freedom in religious through 27 historic structures built in the 17 , 18 , 19 and 20 th centuries as homes or businesses that depict the lives of their owners. matters. By the middle of the 18 century, Elizabethtown had Whether an early mansion, farmhouse, business establishment or grown into a prosperous community of 800 inhabitants. New historic cemetery, the walls and grounds hold open and closed secrets houses and additions to existing ones met the demands of the of colonial discontent and revolutionary fervor, placid farm life and growing population. Victorian elegance, early medical care and even an original one-stop shopping store. Statesmen and leaders of the emerging nation and their families enjoyed life on estates in large houses surrounded by gardens and Each site, which contain important collections of fine and decorative apple and peach orchards. Elizabethtown was connected to larger arts, furniture, farm implements, toys and documents, are primary cities through a ferry service. Stagecoaches made stops in sources of local history. Most sites are in their original locations and Elizabethtown during regular trips between and preserved; a few have been moved to avoid demolition, saving them for future generations. .

Thematic Clustering of the sites has created the context for the Get a glimpse of the birth of our nation and the aristocratic way of presentation of Four Centuries of Union County history. Each cluster life by visiting: reflect life and events during a particular era. As buildings were altered over the centuries to meet changing needs and styles, some sites appear 5 Boxwood Hall in more than one cluster. 6 First Presbyterian Church Select a Cluster of sites, or mix and match: 25 Liberty Hall Early Aristocracy (1665 - 1812) Farm Life (1686 - 1840) Revolutionary Front Lines (1763 - 1783) Commerce & Industry (1820 - 1928) Victorian Resorts & Suburbs (1837 - 1920)

5 6 Farm Life Revolutionary Front Line 1686 - 1840 1763 - 1783 EVERYDAY LIFE WAS INTERRUPTED by skirmishes and WHILE THE CITY LIFE of Elizabethtown flourished, outlying battles between British and Colonial troops fighting for areas were largely agricultural. One hundred fifty families tended independence from England. New Jersey was a battleground of over 40,000 acres of farmland. the American Revolution with more major battles fought here than in any other colony. The countryside was ravaged as both Life on the farm was demanding on all members of the family, British and Colonial troops sought food for their men and horses. with taxing chores for the head of the household, the youngest of The daily lives of Elizabethtown residents were filled with children and everyone in between. Together with African and anguish. Indian slaves, indentured servants and immigrants, they produced every necessity of life including shelter, food and clothing while People were badly divided on the issues of the conflict. Driven by caring for their land, crops and livestock. their desire for freedom, many men left their farms and families to join the militia. In some instances, men within a single family Step inside authentic farmhouses and experience the challenges fought against each other and neighbor fought against neighbor. and rewards of life on an 18th century farmstead: Loyalists or Tories sided with the King. Some enlisted to fight

against the rebellion. Some went to live on Staten Island, which 3 Dr. William Robinson Plantation-Museum was a refuge for Loyalists.

9 Woodruff House/Eaton Store Museum The battles of Connecticut Farms (Union) and Springfield, 12 Salt Box Museum occurring in June 1780, were a last attempt by the British to 20 Carter House re-establish authority in New Jersey. Due to their defense tactics, Colonial troops and the local militia halted the British, making the 26 Miller-Cory House Museum9 12 Battle of Springfield the last major engagement fought in the 20 26 northern colonies.

Learn more about this troubled time in our nation’s history by visiting: 13 Drake House Museum 16 Abraham Clark House

18 Osborn Cannonball House 19 Cannon Ball House 24 Caldwell Parsonage 12 20 26

7 8 Commerce & Industry Victorian Resorts & Suburbs 1820 - 1928 1837 - 1920

WHILE THE CITY LIFE of Elizabethtown flourished, outlying RAPID INDUSTRIAL GROWTH in the first half of the 19th areas where STAGECOACHES MADE REGULAR trips along century gave an emerging managerial class wealth and leisure the King’s Highway (St. Georges Avenue) and the time. Victorians idealized the rural life, and city dwellers looked (Route 28). The in Scotch Plains (which still to the hills and farms of New Jersey for vacation accommoda- operates as a tavern) and the Merchants and Drovers Tavern in tions. Rahway were centers of commerce in the early 1800s, witnessing In the 1880s, residents of boarded trains to business transactions, elections, public meetings and providing Plainfield, where they were guests at the city’s five resort hotels. entertainment. Executives of the Central Railroad Company of New Jersey saw The Elizabethtown area became a major manufacturing center and the opportunity for development and promoted housing subdivi- transportation corridor due to its proximity to New York and sions in Plainfield, Fanwood, Westfield, Cranford, Roselle and Philadelphia. Industries developed near water and rail to move Roselle Park. Summertime vacationers became year-round resi- their goods to major markets. dents with 22 daily trains carrying them to and from the city.

With the first railroad charter in 1830, the economic life of the Watchung Mountain communities, served by the Morris and Es- county was greatly affected. Three major railroads ran through the sex Railroads, were especially attractive vacation destinations. county, opening farmland to developers. Horse-driven wagons Summit’s lavish hotels catered to affluent visitors and, a short dis- and stagecoaches gave way to steam locomotives, accelerating the tance away, Glenside Park offered a rustic retreat. Eventually, growth of towns and cities. many of these vacationers built substantial houses in the “Hill In the late 1800s, development of Hillside, Roselle Park, City,” and a suburban community was born.

Kenilworth, Rahway and Linden flourished as industries attracted The long reign of Britain’s Queen Victoria influenced all facets of new workers. Housing was built nearby to accommodate the life and culture throughout the Western world. The classical ideal growing number of workers and their families. gave way to the romantic. The picturesque and the complex re- Understand the early impact of Union County’s industry, trade placed simplicity and balance. Passion, grandeur and lack of re- and residential housing by visiting: straint were expressed in art, architecture and landscapes. 1 Deserted Village of Feltville-Glenside Park Victorian architecture included a number of styles, each experi- 7 Historic Fanwood Train Station Museum encing a short period of popularity during the 44 years of Queen 9 Woodruff House/Eaton Store Victoria of England’s reign.

10 Oswald J. Nitschke House Garden and cemetery planning was also influenced by the 14 Merchants and Drovers Tavern Victorian aesthetic. Park-like cemeteries contained a variety of 15 stones and monuments often decorated with statues and other Union County Performing Arts Center sculptural embellishments. 17 Roselle Park Museum 20 26 9 10 BERKELEY HEIGHTS

Victorian Resorts & Suburbs Continued

1 DESERTED VILLAGE OF FELTVILLE-GLENSIDE PARK To learn more about the Victorian era, visit: Cataract Hollow Road

1 Deserted Village of Feltville-Glenside Park This 1845 town was the creation of New York businessman David Felt. 2 Littell-Lord Farmstead Today, it contains 10 buildings and the archaeological remains of a vibrant community populated, in part, by European immigrants. At its height, 4 Crane-Phillips House Museum Feltville included a school, church/general store and a factory on the Blue 8 Evergreen Cemetery Brook while rows of cottages housed workers and their families. “King David” sold Feltville in 1860. After several failed enterprises, it was reborn 11 Deacon Andrew Hetfield House in 1882 as Glenside Park, a summer resort. Adirondack porches 13 Drake House Museum transformed workers’ houses into vacation cottages enjoyed by city 21 dwellers. Reeves-Reed Arboretum Suburbanization led to the resort’s closure in 1916. Today, the Deserted 22 Summit Playhouse Village is nestled in the Watchung Reservation, Union County’s 2,142- 23 Twin Maples acre nature preserve.

27 Reeve History & Cultural Resource Center 350th NJ Birthday Weekend Highlights: • Free hayrides, apple cider pressing old fashioned children’s games and archaeological activities • 2.00 p.m. Sunday, New Jersey author & Star-Ledger Columnist Mark Di Ionno will speak. • 4:00 p.m. Sunday, Historian Robert Sullivan, author of My American Revolution, will speak. • Meet the ghost of David Felt

Year-Round Hours: Grounds open everyday during daylight hours Visitor Center open Noon to 5:00 pm on Saturdays, Sundays & Holidays

Operated by Union County Department of Parks and Recreation Listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places (908) 527-4900 [email protected] ucnj.org/dv

11 12 BERKELEY HEIGHTS CLARK

3 DR. WILLIAM ROBINSON PLANTATION MUSEUM 2 LITTELL-LORD FARMSTEAD 593 Madison Hill Road 31 Horseshoe Road A Rare Example of 17th-century architecture in New Jersey, this A Pastoral Site that includes a 19th-century Gothic cottage, stone post-medieval English-style house was built around 1690. A springhouse, summer kitchen, Osage orange trees and a pond, medicine room reflects the profession of Dr. William Robinson, one provides the setting for the Littell-Lord House. The charming of the few physicians in East New Jersey at the time. He practiced rural complex is a rare reminder of Union County’s agricultural “Physick,” a popular form of healing with plants and herbs, and also past. Built about 1760 by Andrew Littell, a farmer and weaver, performed “Chirurgery,” or surgery. Unusual architectural features the house was owned and lived in for more than 100 years by the abound, including wide floorboards and a 20-inch wide summer Lord family, who purchased the site in 1867. The first floor beam. There is a large working fireplace with a beehive oven. A box- features an Empire-Victorian parlor and a 19th century kitchen. like winder staircase leads to the second floor where Dr. Robinson’s A staircase leads to an enlarged second floor, once a small loft. last will and maps are displayed. On display in the cellar are many Upstairs is a child’s room containing antique toys and a Victorian items used in daily life. bedroom with cottage furniture. 350th NJ Birthday Weekend Highlights:

Featuring: • Red Storm Drum & Dance Troupe will be performing - they are • “Hands-on” replica 19th-century toys historians, drummers, dancers, flute players, storytellers and • Last stone springhouse in Union County educators of Native American Indian Culture. • Pump house • Sunday, October 19: Celebrating Clark Township’s 150th • Corncrib Birthday - Betsy Ross (portrayed by a historic interpreter) will share the history of the US Flag Year-Round Hours: Every Third Sunday 2:00 - 4:00 pm (April-December) Year-Round Hours: and by appointment Open house every third Sunday, March - December:12:00 - 4:00 pm and by appointment Operated by the Historical Society of Berkeley Heights Listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places Operated by the Clark Historical Society (908) 219-4715 Listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places (732) 340-1571 [email protected] www.DrRobinsonMuseum.org

13 14 CRANFORD ELIZABETH

4 C RANE -PHILLIPS HOUSE MUSEUM 5 BOXWOOD HALL STATE HISTORIC SITE 124 North Union Avenue Boudinot Mansion

This American Civil War veteran’s cottage stands next to the Rahway 1073 Street

River near the 18th century river crossing, “Crane’s Ford.” An outstanding Prominent American Statesmen of the late 18th and early 19th centuries example of Andrew Jackson Downing architecture, it is dressed in its orig- had ties to this handsome Georgian house. In 1772, it became the home of inal 1870s Victorian colors. The museum offers a rare glimpse of the life Elias Boudinot, who served as a President of the . of a modest veteran’s family in the Victorian Era of opulence. Permanent For a year during Boudinot’s residency, young lived and changing exhibits, featuring items from the Society’s costume, tool at Boxwood Hall while he attended school in Elizabethtown. George and local history collections, are displayed. Washington lunched with Boudinot and a committee of Congressmen in The House has been named to “Save America’s Treasures” by the White 1789 while en route to his inauguration. In 1795, the house was sold to House and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It is among only , signer of the Constitution, Speaker of the US House of 27 such sites in the state of New Jersey, and it is the only “American Representatives and member of the US Senate. In 1824, Dayton hosted Treasure” in Union County. Nearby, the Hanson House, Society headquar- the Marquis de Lafayette during his American tour. ters at 38 Springfield Avenue, contains a library and archives. 350th NJ Birthday Weekend Highlights: 350th NJ Birthday Weekend Highlights: • Sunday, 2:00 pm “Feeding the Family: A housewife discusses cooking • “Then and Now: 350 years of farming at Crane’s Ford” and food preservation in the 18th century”

Featuring: Featuring: • 350 years of farming from beans and corn of the Lenni-Lenape to the • Exhibit: “No Fresh Strawberries in January: Seasonal Eating in the Eighteenth Century” CSA farm boxes of Dreyer’s Farm • Museum Docents will be on hand to discuss farming in Cranford Year-Round Hours: through the years Usually Monday - Friday: 9:00 am - noon & 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Year-Round Hours: (call to confirm) Sunday, 2:00 - 4:00 pm (September - May) Weekends by appointment and by appointment Operated by Boxwood Hall State Historic Site, Operated by the Cranford Historical Society New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry Listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places Listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places (908) 276-0082 [email protected] National Historic Landmark www.cranfordhistoricalsociety.com (908) 282-7617 [email protected]

15 16 ELIZABETH FANWOOD

7 HISTORIC FANWOOD TRAIN STATION 6 F IRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF ELIZABETH 230 North Avenue 42 Broad Street

“Old First” remains at the center of Elizabeth Town, 350 years after a small In 1874 the right of way to the Central Railroad of New Jersey was group of Associates signed a treaty for the land on October 28, 1664, estab- moved from present day Midway Avenue to its current location. This lishing the first English-speaking congregation in New Jersey. The original Victorian Gothic structure was built and used as a railroad station until building was the weekday meeting house for public affairs, and a house of 1965. The Station is an excellent example of frame Victorian Gothic worship on Sundays. The first Governor, Phillip Carteret, maintained his architecture. It is the oldest remaining railroad station in Union County. office there and the first meeting of the New Jersey legislature was held in The museum houses artifacts documenting the Borough’s historic ties to 1668. The present sanctuary was opened in 1790 after the British burned the the Central Railroad of New Jersey, and its land development company earlier buildings in 1780. A new steeple was installed in August 2008, re- that constructed some of the Victorian and Queen Anne homes in the placing the spire lost to the fire in 1946. Fanwood Park Historic District.

350th NJ Birthday Weekend Highlights: Featuring: • Sunday, October 19: up to 200 British and American reenactors will • The borough’s first ballot box, area maps, and archival photographs march from Union Square in Elizabeth up Elizabeth Avenue to First • Memorabilia and records from the Fanwood Volunteer Fire Company Presbyterian Church to commemorate the Battle of Springfield • Historic pot-bellied stove Featuring: • Archival documents available for research including complete census • Building dating from the 1780s, interior restored to the style of the period data on Fanwood:1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930; Books and • American Revolutionary Burial Ground with over 2,100 grave sites magazines on historic preservation spanning four centuries; final resting place of Jonathan Dickinson, founder of Princeton University; Rev. James Caldwell pastor and Army Year-Round Hours: Chaplin during the Revolutionary War, and wife Hannah, both of whom October through June: first Sunday of each month, 2:00 - 4:00 pm; were killed. and by appointment

Year-Round Hours: Operated by the Fanwood Historic Preservation Commission Fanwood 9:00 am - 5:00 pm daily Park Historical District; listed on the National and State Registers of Operated by the First Presbyterian Church of Elizabeth, and the Old First Historic Places, 2005 Historic Trust (908) 322-8236 Listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places www.fanwoodnj.org (908) 353-1518 [email protected] www.fpcenj.org

17 18 HILLSIDE HILLSIDE

WOODRUFF HOUSE/EATON STORE MUSEUM 8 EVERGREEN CEMETERY 9 1137 North Broad Street 111 Conant Street

When Small Church Graveyards became too crowded, Evergreen The Woodruff House was built in 1735 on land granted to John Cemetery was created in 1853 as an interdenominational, rural burial Woodruff in 1666. The first floor is furnished with circa 1800 ground. Its picturesque landscape, designed to preserve the natural antiques, including Woodruff memorabilia from the Earl and Lyon families. The house consists of the original 1735 side, an addition from terrain and existing trees, reflects the romantic, Victorian view of 1790, an 1890 kitchen and the 1900 Eaton Store. The restored Eaton death. Today, the cemetery’s expansive park-like grounds double as a Store illustrates a vast difference between a neighborhood store of the nature preserve. Mausoleums and more than 10,000 monuments make early 1900s and a supermarket of today. The store has the original Evergreen a virtual museum of funerary art. Special sections, such as counter, coffee grinder and gas lamp; the shelves are stocked with the plot devoted to Civil War soldiers, illustrate historical and social hundreds of products from long ago. developments in American History. The property, originally an apple orchard, now has a reproduction post Drive by the English Tudor Chapel designed in 1932 by an Elizabeth and beam barn with various items on display, old farm equipment, a architect, C. Godfrey Poggi, located at the Dayton Avenue Entrance. two-seater privy, water pump, well and archival center. The Phil Featuring: Rizzuto All Sports Museum houses a collection of memorabilia from • 300-year-old white oak and copper beech trees Hillside resident and Baseball Hall of Famer, the late Phil Rizzuto, • Early Union County Pioneers along with some memorabilia from other Hillside sports figures.

• Historic Hebrew burial plot and areas devoted to ethnic groups, 350th NJ Birthday Weekend Highlights: including a Gypsy section • Mini Apple Festival • Graves of well-known writers, including Stephen Crane, Mary • Newjersey350 Art contest for 4th grade Hillside students, each of the Mapes Dodge and Edward Stratemeyer participants will be awarded a certificate of participation on Sunday, • Largest Civil War Veterans Section in Union County October 19. • 100 lb Parrott Guns Year-Round Hours: Year-Round Hours: Third Sunday of each month, 2:00 - 4:00 pm; by appointment Daily hours 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Operated by the Hillside Historical Society Operated by Evergreen Cemetery Trustees Listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places Listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places (908) 353-8828 (908) 352-7940 www.woodruffhouse.org 19 20 KENILWORTH MOUNTAINSIDE

11 D EACON ANDREW HETFIELD HOUSE Photo by Wing Wong (Memories, TTL) Constitution Plaza 10 O SWALD J. NITSCHKE HOUSE Originally constructed by Deacon Andrew Hetfield in about 1760, this house 49 South 21st Street expanded in stages to meet the needs of the Hetfield family during their 186-

The Nitschke House (c. 1880) is one of Kenilworth’s original year occupancy. By 1830, a simple colonial farmhouse had been trans- formed into a center-hall Georgian residence. Also known as the “Dutch clapboard, wood-frame farmhouses, and represents the architectural Oven House,” the building has been moved twice, first to protect it from a style typical of homes built in the area in the 1800s. The house is Route 22 widening. Used briefly as a tea room and antiques shop, the house named for one of Kenilworth’s pioneers, Oswald J. Nitschke, who was once rented to MacKinlay Kantor, author of the Civil War novel, An- owned the home and resided there in the early 1900s. He advocated dersonville. The structure was saved from demolition in 1985, when it was the 1907 incorporation of Kenilworth and was elected to the first moved a second time to another part of the original Hetfield property. Council, serving more than seven years. A three term mayor, Nitschke 350th NJ Birthday Weekend Highlights: was responsible for development of the unique 120’ wide Boulevard • In 1892, Mountainside’s Levi Cory House was the site of the and its extension through the Union County Park System. The founding of the Children’s Country Home which is now Children’s Kenilworth Historical Society has restored the house and transformed Specialized Hospital - largest Children’s Rehabilitation hospital in it into a “living history” museum and cultural center. the country. The Hetfield House will have a special display of

350th NJ Birthday Weekend Highlights: artifacts honoring this event. • Renowned collector of Thomas Edison artifacts, Charlie Hummel, • Meet James Wallace Higgins (portrayed by a historic interpreter), will be on-hand with many of his original Thomas Edison who designed the first Master Plan for “New Orange” (c.1894), inventions and personal items including phonographs, handwritten later renamed Kenilworth letters, light bulbs, personal walking cane and more. • View “The Early Development of New Orange: A Unique • Sunday, 12:00 noon: Mountainside Restoration Committee will Planned Community,” the first in a series of planned on-site exhibits unveil its newly acquired collection of artifacts from the Hetfield • Enjoy light refreshments family of Elizabeth, NJ, donated by the estate of Betty Peterson,

Year-Round Hours: wife of Harry, who was a direct descendent of Morris Hetfield, (cousin of Deacon Andrew Hetfield). Tours by appointment and by special announcement Year-Round Hours: Operated by the Kenilworth Historical Society Every Third Sunday 1:00 - 3:00 pm (March - May/September - October) Listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places (908) 276-9090 Operated by the Mountainside Restoration Committee Listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places www.kenilworthhistoricalsociety.org (908) 789-9420 [email protected] www.mountainsidehistory.org 21 22 NEW PROVIDENCE PLAINFIELD

13 DRAKE HOUSE MUSEUM 12 SALT BOX MUSEUM 602 West Front Street

1350 Springfield Avenue The Nathaniel Drake House, headquarters of the Historical Society of

When Two Houses constructed at different locations during the 1840s Plainfield, was built in 1746. Nestled within the towers and slate roof is the were joined in the mid-19th century, the house, now known as the original farmhouse once used as ’s headquarters during the Revolutionary War. Salt Box Museum, was created. The house’s shape, with its steep, sloping rear roof, resembles the box in which salt used to be kept. In In 1864, John S. Harberger, a New York City bank president, enlarged and 1967, the entire house was moved across Springfield Avenue to its embellished the house in the Victorian style, making it his summer home during Plainfield’s development as a commuter suburb. present site. Today, the first floor is furnished to represent a typical New Jersey farmhouse of the mid-19th century. The Mason Room at Today, period rooms portray both the farm life of the Drakes and the suburban the New Providence Library, 377 Elkwood Avenue, houses the life of the Harbergers. Significant American paintings, folk art, period Society’s collection of rare documents, maps, photographs and oral furniture and decorative pieces make this site a museum of both history and history tapes. art.

350th NJ Birthday Weekend Highlights: 350th NJ Birthday Weekend Highlights: • The preparation of raw fleece for the spinning process • On Exhibit: “Sousa’s Historic Concert in Plainfield - 1892” • Saturday: celebration of John Philip Sousa’s historic first public • Spinning demonstrations concert with his new Marine band held in Plainfield on September 26, Featuring: 1892; Plainfield Academy for the Arts and Advance Studies (PASS) • 1840s furnishings including Wind Ensemble, Gregory O. Williams, Conductor will play selections • Dresses of the 1800s - 1900s from the concert

• Hand-woven coverlet Featuring: • Brewster clock • 7’ x 9’ Civil War painting by Julian Scott • Copper lustre tea set • The opulent Harberger Library • Hay wagon on lawn with farm equipment • Exhibit Gallery

Year-Round Hours: Year-Round Hours: Sundays, 2:00 - 4:00 pm and during the week, by appointment Open 1st Sunday of each month 1:00 - 3:00pm (June thru October) Holiday open house, December Operated by the Historical Society of Plainfield Listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places Operated by the New Providence Historical Society (908) 755-5831 [email protected] (908) 463-4108 [email protected] www.drakehouseplainfieldnj.org

23 24 RAHWAY RAHWAY

14 M ERCHANTS AND DROVERS TAVERN 15 U NION COUNTY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 1632 St. Georges Avenue 1601 Irving Street

As a Tavern and Stagecoach Stop, this early 19th-century hotel was the This classic Vaudeville house opened as the Rahway Theater on scene of auctions, public meetings, elections, business transactions, October 16, 1928 and featured a magnificent Wurlitzer pipe organ. entertainment, horse breeding and a host of other activities. The This organ was the catalyst for the preservation effort from which the handsome Federal style inn contains a taproom, two parlors, 12 1,300 seat Arts Center emerged. Carefully restored to its golden age bedrooms and a kitchen wing with a working fireplace. Originally a of grandeur, the Arts Center is a monument of an age gone by. The house and store, the 1790s structure was adapted to tavern use in 1798. Union County Performing Arts Center is a non-profit 501(c)(3) A circa 1820 addition created the imposing building that stands today, corporation operating in the historic Rahway Theatre. Enjoying a its four stories making it a rare example of an early public house. The smaller, mid-18th century Terrill Tavern was moved to the property in prime location in Union County, UCPAC is dedicated to making this the 1970s where it now stands as the museum shop. landmark theatre your choice for the performing arts - for education, inspiration and entertainment. This historic landmark is the 350th NJ Birthday Weekend Highlights: cornerstone of the Rahway Arts District. • Visit the gravesite of Abraham Clark, signer of the Declaration of Independence Featuring: Featuring: • Historic marquee with 2,500 lights • Restored early 19th-century hotel • Restored Orchestra Pit • Period rooms furnished with antiques • 9-foot chandelier with over 500 lights • The "Biggest Little Wurlitzer" organ • First person accounts of the early 1800s • Exhibits on tavern life and stagecoach transportation Year-Round Hours: • Tavern yard restoration Tours are available by appointment.

Year-Round Hours: Operated by the Union County Performing Arts Center, Inc. Every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 10:00am - 4:00pm Listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places 1st & 3rd Saturday and 2nd & 4th Sunday of each month Administration Office: (732) 499-0441 Owned and operated by the Merchants and Drovers Tavern Museum Box Office: (732) 499-8226 Association www.ucpac.org (check for scheduled events) Listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places (732) 381-0441 [email protected] www.merchantsanddrovers.org 25 26 ROSELLE ROSELLE PARK

ABRAHAM CLARK MEMORIAL HOUSE 16 101 West Ninth Avenue 17 ROSELLE PARK MUSEUM

Abraham Clark boldly demonstrated his support of the Revolution as a 9 West Grant Avenue New Jersey signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was born in what is now Roselle on February 15, 1726, the only child of Thomas The Roselle Park Museum displays photographs, documents and Clark. He became a surveyor and studied common law. Clark and his memorabilia related to the history of Roselle Park and offers chang- wife Sarah raised ten children in their farmhouse, built in 1705. ing exhibits of topical interest. The town was shaped by the railroad and by the 1860s, the station along the Central Railroad of NJ had The house burned in 1900, but a replica was constructed in 1941. The become the nucleus of a small village. Farming remained prominent original house stood a short distance from the current site on what is in the 1880s. By 1883 the Charles E. Stone store on Westfield Ave- now Crane Street, near Wheatsheaf Road, which was known as Spring- nue became the first store in the world lighted by Edison’s incandes- field Road in Colonial times. The design of the house was based on old cent lamp. Industrial development along the railroad corridor includ- photographs and existing known facts from later owners and residents. ed the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Co. of America, established in The lot on which it stands was donated to the Abraham Clark Chapter of Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) by Mr. William M. Crane, 1912, which manufactured much of the wireless equipment used in once a part of the original Clark Farm in the eighteenth century. WWI. David Sarnoff worked at this facility as Commercial Manager and later became Chairman of RCA. RCA’s radio station WDY, The Office of New Jersey State Society of the Sons of the American housed in Roselle Park’s Marconi facility, became one of the earliest Revolution (SAR) and its Archives are located at the Memorial House. licensed broadcast stations in the United States.

350th NJ Birthday Weekend Highlights: 350th NJ Birthday Weekend Highlights: • Uniformed members of the SAR present as Docents • World War I Hundredth Anniversary Exhibit remembering those

Featuring: who served and gave their lives and how Roselle Park support the war effort • Life and Times of Abraham Clark and history of Roselle Featuring: Year-Round Hours: by appointment • Collections of vintage Roselle Park photographs • Roselle Park memorabilia/permanent and current exhibits Operated by the Sons of the American Revolution Year-Round Hours: Houses the Archives of the New Jersey State Society of the Wednesdays 10:00 am - 1:00 pm and by appointment Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) Operated by the Roselle Park Historical Society (732) 221-7211 (908) 245-1776 [email protected]

27 28 SCOTCH PLAINS SCOTCH PLAINS

Battle of the Short Hills Monument at the entrance of the Ash Brook Golf Course 18 O SBORN CANNONBALL HOUSE 18a ASH BROOK RESERVATION 1840 Front Street 1776 Raritan Road The White Clapboard Osborn Cannonball House is a small jewel in Battle of the Short Hills the center of Scotch Plains. Brick walks, an arbor and formal gardens surrounded by a white board fence give this property a June 26, 1777 “Williamsburg” feel. Its location, adjacent to the town green and

The British hoped that if they feigned a departure from New Jersey, they across from the Stage House Inn, adds to its interest. Inside, four fur- would lure the Continental Forces down from the , nished rooms appointed with colonial and early 19th century furnish- crush them, and finally end the Revolutionary War. The plan didn’t go so ings will delight the visitor. A parlor reflects Victorian tastes. Built in well! On the 26th of June, 1777, Washington’s forces of less than 6,000 the 1700s by Jonathan and Abigail Osborn, the house takes its name men fought a running battle on the plains below the Watchung Mountains, from the cannonball that struck it during a Revolutionary War skir- with the combined British and Hessian Troops numbering about 12,000. mish.

A special exhibit is set up at the edge of the Ash Brook Reservation, 350th NJ Birthday Weekend Highlights: perhaps the only location in the entire battle that has not been developed • Presenting “Scotch Plains, Settled in 1684, Remembers the Fight since that time. Local historians will be on hand to explain how the Battle For Liberty in WWI.” Do you know why the U.S. Government progressed up from Metuchen, and how the colonial forces sought to slow gave Scotch Plains a WWI cannon? Come visit our site to get the the British by having their cannons bogged down in the Ash Swamp. answer to this intriguing question. There is also a nature leading into the swamp for those who would like to see first-hand the conditions troops faced. Featuring: • Formal gardens Copies of historic maps from the Congressional archives and correspond- • Changing exhibits of period clothing ence from the era will be on view. Year-Round Hours: Ash Brook Reservation - 1776 Raritan Road First Sunday 2:00 – 4:00 pm Hours: Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm; Sunday Noon – 5:00 pm Operated by the Historical Society of Scotch Plains and Fanwood For more information about The Battle of the Short Hills, contact: (908) 322-6700, Ext. 230 (weekdays) The Historical Society of Scotch Plains and Fanwood (908) 889-6176 (weekends) (908) 322-6700, Ext. 230 (weekdays) www.historicalsocietyspfnj.org (908) 889-6176 (weekends) www.historicalsocietyspfnj.org

29 30 SPRINGFIELD SUMMIT

20 CARTER HOUSE

19 CANNON BALL HOUSE 90 Butler Parkway

126 Morris Avenue Summit’s Oldest House, built by Benjamin Carter in the 1740’s, was moved in 1986 from its original location near the Passaic River to its This mid-18th century house is one of four buildings in Springfield to present site, part of the original Carter farm. An East Jersey cottage, survive being burned by the retreating British Army after the Battle it shows a Dutch influence that is unusual in this part of the state. A of Springfield on June 23, 1780. This was the final major battle of the 1740-1820 kitchen, 1820-1860 dining room and late Victorian American Revolution in this area. Seven of the eight rooms of the library are interpreted with antique furnishings. The house is also house are open to the public. the archival center of the Summit Historical Society. Collections 350th NJ Birthday Weekend Highlights: document Summit’s early development as a resort and commuter • Saturday, 10:00 am: Re-enactment of the Battle of Springfield at suburb as well as the town’s more recent history. Meisel Avenue Park 350th NJ Birthday Weekend Highlights: Featuring: • New garage, constructed to become the permanent home of a • An exhibit of furniture and artifacts including 18th and 19th decommissioned 1927 chemical engine that has belonged to the century household items; items related to early Springfield Summit Fire Department since it rolled of the seagrave assembly schooling; Battle of Springfield relics that include the cannon ball line. lodged in the wall of the house on June 23, 1780 Featuring: Year-Round Hours: • Barn filled with period tools, farm implements, artifacts and By Appointment more, newly-organized and electrified for the first time

Operated by the Springfield Historical Society Year-Round Hours: Listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places Tuesday: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm, Wednesday: 1:00 - 4:00 pm (973) 376-4784 [email protected] Operated by the Summit Historical Society www.springfieldhistoricalsociety.webs.com (908) 277-1747 [email protected] www.summitnjhistory.org

31 32 SUMMIT SUMMIT

22 SUMMIT PLAYHOUSE 21 REEVES-REED ARBORETUM 10 New England Avenue 165 Hobart Avenue

Celebrating 40 years as a historic public garden and education resource, CLOSED Reeves-Reed Arboretum (RRA) is a living history museum which fea- Summit, A Desirable Commuter City, grew as new residents built tures the Wisner House and several outbuildings on 13.5 acres of pastoral lavish homes after the Civil War. The Summit Library Association, lawns, woodland , a glacial bowl and historic gardens. The buildings incorporated in 1874, kept its books in various locations, including a include galleries for cultural exhibits, classroom/workshop space for chil- doctor’s office and a store, until George Manley offered a site for the dren and adult education programs in a historic carriage house, and a li- library. Residents donated $3,720 to build the Richardsonian brary which houses an extensive collection of historic documents, photos Romanesque structure designed by Arthur Jennings. The library and books which are available for public access. opened on June 10, 1891 and moved to a more spacious building in

350th NJ Birthday Weekend Highlights: 1911. In 1918, the empty library building was leased for $1/year to • Video presentation of archival materials, plus a viewing of “The the Dramatic Club (later incorporated as The Playhouse Association), Clearing” which was formed as a relief organization during WWI. In 1960, • Historic photos and maps from the RRA archives including landscape Playhouse co-founder and benefactor, Marjorie Cranstoun Jefferson drawings from noted architects Calvert Vaux, Ellen Biddle Shipman (1887-1988), donated funds that added a 120-seat auditorium to the and Carl Pilat original building. What had been the library is now the stage. Mrs. • Self-guided tours of the current art installation; Earth - Wind - Fire, the Jefferson directed over 130 plays during her career at the Playhouse.

work of three artist representing nature’s symbols and grounds Featuring: • A copy of the book, The Clearing, for each participant • Jack Manley Rose mural • Hours will be from 12 noon to 5:00 pm both days • Metropolitan Opera House water fountain Year-Round Hours: • Mrs. Jefferson’s portrait Open 7 days a week, from dawn to dusk, free of charge • Cast photos from 1918 to present

Member: American Association of Museums Year-Round Hours: American Public Garden Association At performance times during fall, winter and spring productions, and by appointment Operated by the Reeves-Reed Arboretum Listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places Operated by The Playhouse Association (908) 273-8787 [email protected] 908-273-2192 www.reeves-reedarboretum.org www.summitplayhouse.org

33 34 SUMMIT UNION

23 TWIN MAPLES 24 CALDWELL PARSONAGE 214 Springfield Avenue 909 Caldwell Avenue

Twin Maples is an example of a suburban estate typical of those built On June 7, 1780, British Troops passed the Presbyterian parsonage at in the Summit area between 1880 and 1920. This colonial revival Connecticut Farms (now Union). A shot was fired through a window style structure was built in 1908. The house was designed by Alfred and Hannah Caldwell, wife of the “Fighting Parson” James Caldwell, F. Norris, a well-known New York and Montclair architect. It was fell dead. The event is depicted on the Union County seal. The erected with the finest materials and details of its time. It has an British burned the church and the parsonage which was rebuilt two appearance similar to the “White House” in Washington. D.C. The years later on the old foundation. Today, the parsonage is a house remained privately owned until 1949 when it was purchased by repository of furniture, clothing, personal effects, archival materials a women’s club founded in 1893, the Fortnightly Club of Summit. and other artifacts related to Union Township’s history from the 18th

During 2007-2008, the house underwent significant renovation to century through the early 20th century. restore, modernize and beautify the property. Eco-Friendly, energy efficient and sustainable materials and systems were utilized through- 350th NJ Birthday Weekend Highlights: out the process. • Saturday, 1:00pm: Coordinating the Battle of Connecticut Farms re-enactment with Elizabethtown 350th Anniversary Committee Featuring: and the Brigade of the American Revolution at the original site of • Open string staircase the battle on June 7, 1780 • Wood burning fireplace • Steinway piano dating back to 1907 Featuring: • Painting of the June 7, 1780 Battle of Connecticut Farms Year-Round Hours: • Personal effects of Union’s founding families Open for club events on 2nd Wednesdays of the months between October and May at 1:00 pm, as well as, Summit Junior Fortnightly Year-Round Hours: meetings at 7:00 p.m. Third Sunday of the month or by appointment (Closed December and January) Operated by The Fortnightly Club of Summit, Inc. Listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places Operated by the Union Township Historical Society (908) 273-0301 [email protected] Listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places www.Historictwinmaples.org (908) 687-7977 www.unionhistory.org www.uniontwphistoricalsociety.webs.com

35 36 UNION WESTFIELD

25 LIBERTY HALL MUSEUM 26 MILLER-CORY HOUSE MUSEUM 1003 Morris Avenue 614 Mountain Avenue

Built in 1772 on the eve of the American Revolution, Liberty Hall Museum Eighteenth-Century Outbuildings, herb and kitchen gardens help at chronicles more than 240 years of American history. The create a colonial atmosphere at the Miller-Cory House, where former residence of William Livingston, New Jersey’s first elected governor interactive tours engage the imagination of children and adults. Built and signer of the Constitution, Liberty Hall was originally constructed as a 14-room home in the Georgian style, eventually expanding into the exquisite about 1740, the small, neat and authentically furnished farmhouse 50-room Victorian mansion you see today. The museum houses extensive stands on its original site along the “road to the mountains.” Visitors collections of furniture, ceramics, textiles, toys and tools owned by seven are introduced to colonial skills and practices as costumed interpreters generations of the Livingston and Kean families. Descendants resided at recreate the daily chores and seasonal farm work of rural life in the Liberty Hall until 1995. Westfields circa 1740 - 1820. An education complex houses special exhibits. 350th NJ Birthday Weekend Highlights: • Brigade of the American Revolution Encampment: Liberty Hall Museum 350th NJ Birthday Weekend Highlights: will travel back in time as it hosts the Brigade of the American Revolution • Both days: open hearth cooking demonstration

• 3:00 pm Saturday & Sunday in the Carriage House at Liberty Hall: Featuring: James Christy’s new play, At Liberty Hall, follows two high school students, Christian Rosario from Queens by the way of Dominican • Corn crib, necessary and well house • Museum shop Republic and 16 yr. old Alexander Hamilton (the subject of Christian’s 10th grade history project) who’ve just moved to New Jersey; This time Year-Round Hours: bending story finds common threads of humor and awkwardness as told September through June - open every other Sunday 2:00 - 4:00pm through the experiences of a future Founding Father and kid looking for a or by appointment way out of the projects. $15 Admission. Premiere Stages, the professional theatre company in residence at Kean University. Operated by the Miller-Cory House Museum Volunteers Call (908) 737-7469 or visit www.kean.edu/premierestages. Listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places A site on the New Jersey Women’s Heritage Trail Year-round Hours: (908) 232-1776 Monday-Saturday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Tours every hour: Last leaves at 3:00 pm [email protected] www.millercoryhouse.org Operated by the Liberty Hall Museum, Inc. Listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places 908-527-0400 [email protected] www.kean.edu/libertyhall

37 38 WESTFIELD Union County Historical Notes – NJ350 *innovation*

27 R EEVE H ISTORY & CULTURAL RESOURCE CENTER Inventor James E. West, Ph.D., Plainfield

314 Mountain Avenue  Plainfield’s James E. West, Ph.D., a Black inventor, along with a colleague, pioneered the design of the microphone (officially known as the The Reeve History & Cultural Resource Center is housed at the Westfield Electroacoustic Transducer Electret Microphone) while with Bell Historical Society headquarters. The newly restored 1870’s Victorian Laboratories. They received a patent in 1962; in 1999 Dr. West was Italianate home is resplendent with many period appropriate Victorian inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. He has more than 40 antiques and artifacts. It was part of the Presbyterian Church property but U.S. patents and over 100 foreign patents. later sold to the Reeve family of Westfield. The Reeve family lived in the home for almost 100 years. William Reeve served the community through a  In April 1883, the First Presbyterian Church in Roselle became the first variety of local projects such as the establishment of the YMCA and the house of worship in the world to be illuminated by Thomas A. Edison’s incandescent bulb. creation of Mindowaskin Park in 1918. The home currently serves the community as a historical resource center for Westfield as well as an exhibit  Summit resident Glenn Walter Johnson, Jr. (1921-1997) invented a center for special events throughout the year. A future carriage house, which pneumatic ankle brace used to treat ankle sprains; he received a patent for the brace in May 1976. will house the Westfield Historical Society’s archives, is in the planning and funding stage.  The first commissioned submarine for the United States Navy was built

350th NJ Birthday Weekend Highlights: and launched in 1897 at the Lewis Nixon’s Crescent Shipyard in Elizabeth on the shore of the Arthur Kill. • Costumed Docents • Possible Railroad Exhibit  Station WDY, the first licensed radio station in NJ, had its initial broadcast from Roselle Park on December 15, 1921. Featuring: • Period Victorian antiques throughout the home including original  A 1921 racing car built by two Elizabeth residents, Frederick S. (1877- fixtures and furniture 1932) and Augustus S. (1879-1955) Dusenberg - won the Lemans Grand Prix race on July 25, 1921; the only American car to ever win this event. • Art from famous local Westfield artists John Brunner, Harry Devlin and Sigismund Ivanowski  Catherine Bauer Wurster, of Westfield, was an urban planner and designer • Revolving historical exhibits on life in Westfield and beyond of the 1939 World’s Fair.

• The Claire Brownell Memorial garden  Thomas Alva Edison, the inventor, and Charles Ingersoll, “the Watch Year-Round Hours: King,” purchased land off Morris Turnpike for an experimental Tours by Appointment July to September development of 40 houses, poured in cement, for people with small September to June: First 2 Sundays of the month incomes. Only 11 of the proposed concrete dwellings were built in 1917 and stand today on historic Ingersoll Terrace in the Township Union. Operated by the Westfield Historical Society  Westfield native Apgar (1908-1974) was an obstetrical Listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places anesthesiologist who developed the Apgar Score, a way to quickly assess (908) 654-1794 [email protected] the health of new born children immediately after birth. www.westfieldhistoricalsociety.org

39 40 Union County Historical Notes – NJ350 Union County Historical Notes – NJ350 *liberty* *diversity*

Officers of the 6th NY Independent Battery, Light Artillery Elizabeth Latin Carnival th th  The thirty-nine enlistees of Company K 9 Militia, later known the 6 NY  From the Swedish, Dutch, and English settlers to the Jews, Italians, Irish of the Independent Battery of Light Artillery, were citizens of Rahway recruited and turn of the 20th century, to the Latin American, Central American and Caribbean organized by Colonel John J. Cladek (also a resident). The Battery was recruited rd arrivals in contemporary times, a diverse group of immigrants have been a to serve under the state of New York and designated as the NY 83 Infantry on constant presence in Union County. June 15, 1861. The battery returned at the end of the Civil War under the command of Lt. Moses P. Clark of Rahway, shown in the photo above standing  Rahway is named for Chief Rahwack, a member of the Lenape Indian Tribe who were the original owners the site and surrounding territory. sixth from the left.

 Caught directly between the Continental Congress in Philadelphia and British -  The population of Elizabeth became more diversified after 1880, when people occupied New York, Elizabethtown and its outlying settlements were engaged in from Southern and Eastern Europe began to arrive. In addition to Polish and numerous battles and skirmishes, making the area a major trail on the New Russian Jews, there were Italian, Greek, Slavic, and Swedish people. After 1900, there were Turks and Armenians. Jersey Crossroads of the American Revolution.  Siloam Hope Presbyterian Church evolved as a Mission for Blacks out of  Three slaves from the Elizabethtown region, Andrew, Ceasar, and Pomp, served Elizabeth’s Second Presbyterian Church in 1842, and still occupies the building as teamsters---each drove a four horse team for the Continental Army. They were erected on Route I, around 1895. each paid at Monmouth on March 1, 1780 for Continental service in the Quarter- master Corps.  The first Jewish congregation formed in 1857 and later became Temple B’nai Israel.  Abraham Clark of Roselle was a New Jersey signer of the Declaration of th Independence.  Elizabeth resident John Gilmary Shea, a 19 century distinguished Catholic Historian, published his four volume masterwork, A History of the Catholic  Rahway born Rev. Amos Noe Freeman (1809-1893), a Presbyterian minister and Church in the United States (1886-92), which documented the Catholic known agent of the Underground Railroad, delivered a “spirited” speech at an contribution to the shaping of the nation. anti-colonization meeting of the free colored inhabitants of Rahway on Wednesday, March 26, 1834.  Following the rise of Fidel Castro, hundreds of Cubans migrated to Elizabeth, settling in the Port area. They started their own weekly newspaper La Voz,, a  Julian Scott, a 16 year old drummer boy in the Union Army, was the first Con- Spanish-language newspaper gressional Medal of Honor winner struck in the Civil War. He settled in Plain-  The Elizabeth Latin Carnival is held annually in early September and draws field after the war. diverse crowds in excess of 250,000 people. Various flags are raised including  Social reformer Antoinette Brown Blackwell (1825-1921) moved to Elizabeth in for Columbians, Peruvians, Italians, Polish, Irish and more. 1901 after she had established the NJ Suffrage Association (NJWSA). After 70  Angel G. Estrada, who emigrated from Cuba in 1961, became the first Latino years of leadership, she was able to cast her first vote on November 2, 1920, at elected to the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders in 1999. the age of 95, in Elizabeth.  Adrian Mapp, elected as Mayor of Plainfield in November 2014, is the first  In 1944, Elizabeth resident Master Sgt. Shade Meshack Lee (b. 1921), a Barbadian (Barbados) to hold this office in New Jersey. Tuskegee Airman, drafted the first integration directive for all federal facilities throughout the U.S. and all of its territories. His recommendations were cited in a  As of 2012, Union County had an estimated population of 544,102; of that 1944 report, Blacks in the Army Air Forces During World War II: The Problems number, 23.3 % were Black, while 28.7 % Hispanic or Latino. of Race Relations.”

41 42 REEVE-REED 21 OSWALD J. NITSCHKE HOUSE ARBORETUM 23 TWIN MAPLES 10

CARTER HOUSE 20 CANNON BALL 24 River Rd. CALDWELL PARSONAGE

Butler Pkwy HOUSE

19

22 SUMMIT PLAYHOUSE 25 Rte. 24 LIBERTY HALL MUSEUM

Ave Passaic Ave. Hobart 9 WOODRUFF HOUSE/ 12 EATON STORE MUSEUM SALTBOX MUSEUM New England Morris Ave. Ave.

Hillside Morris Ave. Ave Summit Union Rte. 24 HillsideAve 8 Liberty EVERGREEN CEMETERY Springfield Deserted Village of N. Broad St.

Salem Ave Feltville-Glenside Park Springfield Ave. 1 Conant Salem W.R. Tracy Mountainside Meisel Ave. Ave. Rd St Caldwell

New ProvidenceMountain Ave. Glenside Ave Dr. GardenParkway State

US Rte. 22 Kenilworth North Ave HollowCataract Rd. Kenilworth Elizabeth Blvd Morris Ave. Plainfield New Providence

Birch Hill Rd. N. Broad St. Springfield Ave St Galloping Hill Rd. Rte. 24 Ave. Valley Rd.

Rd Roselle South 21st

Berkeley Heights Rd. Orange Ave Park New Jersey Turnpike

Horseshoe Horseshoe Mountain Ave. Chestnut St. Chestnut Westfield Ave W. Grant Westfield Cranford Ave West Grand St E. Jersey St

US Rte. 22 N. Union Ave West 1st Ave Cherry St. Park East Broad St. Ave North Ave LITTELL-LORD 2 Roselle South Ave.

Broad St. FARMSTEAD North Ave St. Chestnut Rte. 27 ood Rahway Ave. South Ave. Garw W Ninth 11 Ave DEACON ANDREW Fanwood Rahway Ave HETFIELD HOUSE Martine Ave 5 Winfield BOXWOOD HALL STATE Terrill Rd HISTORIC SITE OSBORN CANNONBALL 18

HOUSE Rte. 27 St. George Ave. Lake Ave Linden 6 Rd Parkway FIRST PRESBYTERIAN Fanwood Historic 7 Scotch Raritan Garden State Front St Rahway Train Station West Grand St. CHURCH OF ELIZABETH Plains Raritan Rd MadisonRd Hill DRAKE HOUSE 13 St New Jersey Turnpike Oak Ridge Irving MUSEUM Rd Clark 17 Rtr18 - Plainfield ROSELLE PARK Front St MUSEUM

27 4 26 18a REEVE HISTORY & Crane-Phillips 16 Ash Brook MILLER-CORY CULTURAL RESOURCE House Museum 15 Golf Course UNION COUNTY ABRAHAM CLARK HOUSE MUSEUM CENTER MEMORIAL HOUSE 3 14 PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

DR. WILLIAM MERCHANTS & Raritan Valley Line Stops ROBINSON PLANTATION DROVERS TAVERN

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