Transportation at Liberty Hall Museum

How people get from place to place has changed considerably since Liberty Hall was first built in 1772. Explore some means of transportation at Liberty Hall Museum!

Colonial Transportation

Back then, people only had a few options: walk, ride a horse, or take a carriage which was pulled by horses or boats powered by wind or oars. You can still find hitching posts at Liberty Hall where people tied up their horse while visiting the . Many people came to the house by barge on the Elizabeth River which borders the property. Horse-Drawn Carriages

Exterior view of the Carriage House at Liberty Hall Museum Carriage, 19th century

The Liberty Hall Carriage House was built by the Kean family in 1882 to hold the carriages and sleighs they used to travel around and beyond. As you look at the Carriage House, the right side housed the carriages and sleighs. The horse stalls and tack room were on the left. Upstairs was where the carriage drivers and the grooms (the men who cared for the horses) lived.

Steam Power

Steam Tractor at Liberty Hall Museum

The late 19th century saw the invention of the steam engine. Steam engines in trains led to the development of the railroad system. Colonel John Kean invested in the New Jersey Railroad, but the Kean’s benefited from steam engines in other ways, as well. The Kean family had a tractor powered by a steam engine. This tractor was built in 1920 and was used at Green Lane Farm, the farm that was originally part of Liberty Hall. This steam tractor would have made ploughing and harvesting much easier.

Automobiles

John Kean, early 1900s Katherine Winthrop Kean, early 1900s

The early 1900s saw the first arrival of automobiles at Liberty Hall. Automobiles made travel much faster and easier. The Kean family were excited to own one of the earliest automobiles produced! Even though both men and women drove cars, the Kean family often used chauffeurs to drive them around.

Ford Model T, Elizabethtown Gas Company Truck, 1923 The Kean’s also incorporated the use of Ford Model T trucks into the family business, The Elizabethtown Gas Company. The museum still owns one of these trucks, a 1923 Ford Model T delivery truck that still can be driven today!

Planes

Senator Kean (in black suit) at the opening of Newark Airport, October 1, 1928 The early 1900s also saw the invention of planes. These first heavier-than-air flying machines only carried one or two people. Passenger planes were not invented until 1914 and perfected during the First World War. Today, Liberty Hall Museum is less than 10 miles away from Newark International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the United States.

Transportation Tasks: Today, members of the Kean family travel by plane, train, boat, automobile, bicycles and even scooters! Transportation has come a long way since 1772! Complete one or as many of the below activities as you want. Have some fun exploring the history of transportation with transportation today!

1. Create an illustrated timeline of how transportation has changed from 1772 to the present day.

1700s

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1800s

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1900s

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2000s

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2. Compare our Model T delivery truck to the delivery trucks that bring packages to our homes today. Complete the venn diagram below. How are they different? How are they the same?

Modern Delivery Trucks Ford Model T at Liberty Hall

Things to think about:  How fast could they go?  Who would have driven the truck?  What color are the trucks?  How many wheels do they have?  What do the wheels look like?  What do the headlights look like?  What do the windshield wipers look like?  When were the trucks built?  What kind of fuel do they use?

3. How do YOU get from place to place? List all the different types of transportation you have used. Which is your favorite and why?

Types of Transportation:

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What is your favorite method of transportation and why?

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4. What methods of transportation will exist in 200 years? Become an inventor and design a vehicle for the year 2200.

Draw your future vehicle:

How will your future vehicle be powered?

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Want to do more? ● Read your favorite book about trains, planes and automobiles! Some of our favorites include: ○ Did President Grant Really Get a Ticket for Speeding in a Horse-Drawn Carriage?: And Other Questions about U.S. Presidents by Sandy Donovan ○ The Erie Canal illustrated by Peter Spier ■ Youtube Sing Along: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlJ3FtDsmQw ○ Locomotive by Brian Floca ■ Youtube Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z84e486uxeQ ○ The Night Henry Ford met Santa by Carol Hagen ■ Youtube Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYp8-a3VzgQ ○ Violet the Piolet by Steve Breen ■ Youtube Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXdvxs662Mk ● Looking for other books? ○ Check your local library’s digital collections ○ Free Audio Book Guide from Scholastic: ■ https://www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/raise-a-reader- blog/free-audio-books-and-why-you-should-try-them.html ○ Audible Free Audiobooks ■ https://stories.audible.com/discovery

Tag us on Social Media! If you had fun learning about transportation, we'd love to hear about it! Please share your stories, pictures, and future vehicle designs by emailing the museum or tagging us on our social media platforms!  Email: [email protected]  Facebook: libertyhallmuseum  Instagram: @libertyhallmuseum

[email protected] 908.527.0400 1003 Morris Avenue Union, NJ 07083

Liberty Hall Museum does not own any of the storybooks, links, or videos shared in this document.