Day Three Hundred and Eighty-Three: Bergecco-Parc Consulting presents “Bergen 250: Touring & Marketing the Pascack Historical Society Museum in Park Ridge, NJ for Tourism” April 29th, 2026

Day Three Hundred and Eighty-Three: Bergecco-Parc Consulting presents “Bergen 250: Touring & Marketing the Pascack Historical Society Museum in Park Ridge, NJ for Tourism” April 29th, 2026

Every semester for my Business Marketing, Management and Communications classes, I create one big Team assignment for my students. In a Commuter College, it is a lot tougher for students to get to know one another between their studies and their jobs, so I create these projects to foster learning, creativity and especially Teamwork.

This semester I taught two sections of Business 101-Introduction to Business, which is the entry level course to the Business/Hotel Management School. This is a tough course to teach as you always have students of various age groups and various levels of industry experience. The Spring semester was no different. This makes the class more interesting yet more challenging to teach. I still challenge them and test them to see what type of future executives they will become.

I also taught Principles of Management, which came with its own set of challenges. It was the amount of people in the class and what projects would they be working on.

In the past, I have created these Team projects under the Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. banner, the main consulting company, the Orion Malls banner, a Mall design company and the Buscomonzefi.com banner, my Tech Division. All of these business concepts are simulated.

Each business does its best to be creative, forward thinking and have a thought producing presentations. I also challenge the students to top on another in their presentations and build on what they have seen others do in the past.

The Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. concept is an acronym for Bergen Community College Paramus campus where I work.

Professor Justin Watrel, CEO Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc.

Our Corporate site (created my one of my former President’s:

Additional Resources

While my morning Business 101 classes worked on their ‘Breakfast at Primo Pizza’ project and my International Marketing students worked on their “The Historic Revolutionary War Graveyards and Cemeteries of Bergen County” projects, I had my Principle of Management students create a game plan to market the Pascack Historical Society Museum in Park Ridge, NJ to a younger, more modern audience.

When choosing a project for this class, I had had two other ideas that fell through, then I had remembered working with the Pascack Historical Society Museum the prior year for my “Bergen 250” Team Project. We had proposed a Farm to Table Dinner at the Wortendyke Barn down the road with the dinner starting with a Cocktail Party here with a tour of the museum. I asked the museum again to partner with me on this project.

The “Bergen 250” Project in Spring 2025:

Day Three-Hundred and Thirty-Seven Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. presents “The Bergen 250-the 250th Anniversary of the Revolutionary War in Bergen County, NJ” April 23rd, 2025

The Video Presentation of the “Bergen 250” in 2024:

The museum had created a wonderful exhibition for the “Bergen 250” but when I went to visit it, no one was at the museum but myself. When I asked the volunteers that day how many people had visited the museum, they told me I was the first one. That got me thinking why people were not visiting this wonderful museum with its interesting artifacts and intriguing displays.

The outside of the Pascack Historical Society Museum at 19 Ridge Avenue in Park Ridge, NJ

Then I looked at their website and their displays. I realized that the museum was not adapting to the cellphone age. There were no QR codes at any of the displays, not enough pictures of the display on their website and their scavenger hunt bingo game needed an update to engage a younger crowd.

https://pascackhistoricalsociety.org

https://www.facebook.com/pascackhistoricalsociety

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46713-d12610386-r1051662243-Pascack_Historical_Society_Museum-Park_Ridge_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

Pascack Historical Society Museum (John C. Storms Museum) 19 Ridge Avenue Park Ridge, NJ 07656

That’s when I came up with a Marketing plan for the museum and proposed it to their Executive Board. We worked together to come up with new ways to promote the museum and its collection. This was our combined idea and we looked at how to bring more traffic to the museum.

The Proposal for “Bergen 250: Touring the Pascack Historical Society Museum”:

BCC-Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. 2026 Touring the Pascack Valley Historical SocietyDownload

I presented the project to my students after the Spring Break and then the next week took my students on a mandatory field trip to the Pascack Historical Society Museum in early April. The Board members of the Museum led us on a tour of all the exhibitions, then discussed their plans for the “Bergen 250” and then discussed some of the challenges that the museum faced with attendance.

Touring the museum

The students on their part took pictures and notes about the museum and their displays. Many would make various trips back to the museum to crest the QR codes for the displays and map the museum’s backyard for the Farm to Table fundraiser and a proposed afternoon tea.

Touring the museum

Touring the museum

Touring the museum with the Board of the museum

The museum’s Board members could not have been nicer and more helpful to the students and myself. We got a lot of insights on what direction the Board wanted to go.

Our Team picture at the museum

The tour of the museum took about an hour. We then had a Division Team Dinner at Pompilio’s Pizzeria in Downtown Westwood, NJ:

https://www.pompiliospizzeria.com

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46923-d4643410-r1053567938-Pompilio_s_Pizzeria_Restaurant-Westwood_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

Dinner with my Divisional Team

I find that these Team dinners and lunches are very helpful in getting the students together to get to know each other and we share a nice meal as a Team should. We asked the Board to join us so we could continue the conversation.

Dinner with both the Board and my Team

For the next five weeks the three Teams broken into Marketing, Historical and Foodservice created their ideas and game-plans to help the museum increase traffic by trying to bring a younger and tech savvy visitor into the space.

The Pascack Historical Society PowerPoint:

https://onedrive.live.com/personal/de20296acb6718c2/_layouts/15/Doc.aspx?sourcedoc=%7Bbc38ac22-58a7-444e-8a3d-919c9e880890%7D&action=default&redeem=aHR0cHM6Ly8xZHJ2Lm1zL3AvYy9kZTIwMjk2YWNiNjcxOGMyL0lRQWlyRGk4cDFoT1JJbzlrWnllaUFpUUFXUktobTlXakl2R3NEUUZhQ0k5OFA4&slrid=f6a013a2-4017-1000-b492-bb60994c6fcb&originalPath=aHR0cHM6Ly9vbmVkcml2ZS5saXZlLmNvbS86cDovZy9wZXJzb25hbC9kZTIwMjk2YWNiNjcxOGMyL0lRQWlyRGk4cDFoT1JJbzlrWnllaUFpUUFXUktobTlXakl2R3NEUUZhQ0k5OFA4P3J0aW1lPW1yVHgtT3V4M2tnJnJlZGVlbT1hSFIwY0hNNkx5OHhaSEoyTG0xekwzQXZZeTlrWlRJd01qazJZV05pTmpjeE9HTXlMMGxSUVdseVJHazRjREZvVDFKSmJ6bHJXbmxsYVVGcFVVRlhVa3RvYlRsWGFrbDJSM05FVVVaaFEwazVPRkE0&CID=35417700-9c90-4764-923b-3c9c9a5a6ca3&_SRM=0%3AG%3A58&file=The%20Bergen%20250%20-%20Promoting%20the%20Pascack%20Valley%20Historical%20Society.pptx

The Pascack Historical Society Corporate Website:

https://ekucevic4.wixsite.com/bergecco-parc-consul

The Pascack Historical Society YouTube Presentation:

The video of our Presentation to the Board of the Pascack Historical Society Museum on the evening of April 29th, 2026

On the evening of April 29th, the Board members of the museum joined us for the Presentation of ideas the students came up with including setting new QR codes for all the displays, a revamped Marketing plan to showcase the museum, a new historical walking tour, one aimed at adults and one to children and the ideas for the fundraising dinner, a children’s birthday party concept and a Afternoon Tea fundraiser.

After the Presentation, we had a Q & A on the ideas and after the Presentation was over, we had a reception for our guests and for the student consultants. Then we took our Corporate Team picture.

My Divisional Team the night of the Presentation

Our reception after the Presentation

It was another successful project accomplished and it looked like the Board went home with new ideas and the students learned a few things about themselves. I could not have been more proud of the students.

Historical Society of Boonton Township/Oscar A. Kincaid Home of History 591 Powerville Road Boonton Township, NJ 07005

Historical Society of Boonton Township/Oscar A. Kincaid Home of History 591 Powerville Road Boonton Township, NJ 07005

Historical Society of Boonton Township/Oscar A. Kincaid Home of History

591 Powerville Road

Boonton Township, NJ 07005

https://historicalsocietyofboontontownship.org/

Open: For Special Events and Pathways Tours only

Admission: Free on the Pathways Tour

My Review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/R4960NKjustinw/mediabatch/14296162?m=19905

The Historical Society of Boonton Township

One of the last places I visited in the 2026 Pathways tour of Morris County was the Historical Society of Boonton Township which is located in the former Oscar Kincaid Farm Homestead. The house and what was left of the acreage of the farm was part of the current museum. The museum was an example of early New Jersey farming that dated from the 1800’s to the Twenty-First century. There was not much in the way of period furniture or farm equipment (items of the home were sold off since Mr. Kincaid’s passing), but the new historical society is buying artifacts and bringing them back to the farm. This includes one of Mr. Kincaid’s tractors. His roll up desk is also still in the display room which was once the Living Room of the home.

The Kincaid Homestead

History of Oscar Kincaid and Homestead:

(From the Morris County Historical Society website)

Originally a part of the extensive tract belonging to William Penn, the earliest portion of the home was constructed in 1785 by Adam Miller and Anna DeMouth Miller. Just over a decade later, they sold the property to Adam’s cousin, Sarah Miller Parlimen (of the Miller/Dixon homestead) and her husband, John, who built a sawmill there. After a brief ownership by William Scott of Powerville, a Miller relative, the land was sold to John Decker in 1828. An industrious man, Decker operated both a farm and successful forge, shipping his goods to New York via the Morris Canal. By 1837, he expanded the home, adding a distinctive folk-art painting of a face and unique plasterwork that can still be seen today (MCHS website).

The homestead passed through generations of Decker’s family, ultimately being inherited by Oscar Kincaid Sr. in the early 20th century. Kincaid ran a popular ice cream stand and dairy business throughout the 1920s and 30s. Following World War II, the family opened Valley Farm on the site, which continued until the death of Oscar Kincaid Jr. in 2000. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, the Decker-Kincaid Homestead today operates as a museum and headquarters of the Historical Society of Boonton Township (MCHS website).

The Kincaid House

The historical marker for the house

The front yard

The entrance to the house

The main foyer of the house

The house is a small farmhouse built in two sections. The original part of the house dates back to the late 1700’s and the newer part in the early 1800’s. The once furnished rooms now hold displays of Morris County and the farming industry of the time plus community artifacts.

The former Living Room

Oscar Kincaid’s desk

There were not much left in the way of family furnishings and heirlooms but this desk was Oscar Kinkaid’s.

The back bedroom

The Flag display for the ‘250th Anniversary’

Story of Oscar Kincaid’s life: Oscar Kincaid was a farmer/businessman, a politician and a conservationist.

On Community:

(From the museum website)

Oscar’s commitment to his community transcended farming. He served as a member of  the Boonton Township Committee for 30 years and was mayor for two terms. He was also a founding member of the Morris County Agricultural Development Board, on which he served for 17 years, six as board chairman. Oscar led the charge for farmland preservation in Morris County. His efforts resulted in the preservation of 41 farms covering 3,100 acres spanning several municipalities throughout the county. As one person put it: “Oscar had more impact on preserving the character of Boonton than any single individual.”

But to Oscar: “Farming and being active in local politics was simply a way of life.” Oscar passed away November 11, 2000

The contractor’s face on the wall

The face came about when Oscar Kincaid did not want to pay a contractor for his work. He created this face so that he would have to live with it for the rest of his life. It can not be planted over.

The ‘Mr. Face’ in Weird NJ

On Farming:

(From the Museum website)

Oscar Kincaid, Jr., was born into farm life. It was 1824 when the Kincaid family purchased 30 acres in Boonton Township, Morris  County and began farming. More than a century later, a young Oscar took over the operation, working alongside his father as they raised dairy cows, grew vegetables and developed a poultry business.  For years, they delivered eggs to retail establishments and sold vegetables from their roadside stand. Over time, Oscar moved away from the dairy and poultry business and focused his efforts on vegetable and hay production. 

The Kincaid house from the side

After the short tour around the house, I walked around the farm grounds. The house was set on a beautiful piece of land that sloped down to the old farmstand. There was also a swimming pond which was once part of the farm which is now private property.

The farm property from the side with the barn

The barn across the street

The property was about ten acres at the time of his death and parts have been developed. It still has some of the most wonderful views of the area.

The view of the old farm from the front porch

The farm land stretches over different sections of the road and the property is very picturesque. It is a very beautiful homestead.

The view of the farm from the lawn

The swimming pond on the edge of the property

The old farm stand that had been used for eighty years

The old Farm stand was used into the mid 2000’s

The full view of the farm

Since the house was just recently bought, there is still some design and artifacts that need to be collected to complete the look of a Jersey farm.

The Historical Society of Boonton Township is still expanding the collection of farm equipment for property and finding furniture for the home. The property is a beautiful and picturesque and shows how the traditional farm has adapted to modern times. Mr. Kincaid only passed a few years ago but kept the farm traditional and that worked for him. He left a legacy for us to appreciate the independent Jersey farmer.

Lewes Life Saving Station & Museum 2 Shipcarpenter Street Lewes, DE 19958

Lewes Life Saving Station & Museum 2 Shipcarpenter Street Lewes, DE 19958

Lewes Life Saving Station & Museum

2 Shipcarpenter Street

Lewes, DE. 19958

(302) 645-7670

U.S. Life-Saving Service Boat House
Exploring the History of Life Saving Stations in Lewes

Open: Sunday-Tuesday Closed/Wednesday-Saturday 10:00am-4:00pm (In Season April 1st-October 11th-closed the rest of the year)

Admission: Free but a $5.00 donation is appreciated

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g34028-d17640480-r1060547919-Lewes_Life_Saving_Station_Museum-Lewes_Delaware.html?m=19905

The back of the Lewes Lifeguard Station Museum

The description sign up front

I recently visited Lewes, DE for ‘Maritime Day’ by the harbor and there were a lot of interesting booths on the watersheds, environmental agencies that discussed their purpose with harbor issues and what the town of Lewes does for the environment.

The historic Blizzard from 1888

History of the Lewes Life Saving Station & Museum:

(From Historic Lewes.com)

It was also a busy station, guarding both the mouth of Delaware Bay and the protected waters created by the massive breakwaters of the National Harbor of Refuge. Its string of Keepers and their six- or seven-man crews of Surfmen enacted scores of rescues through the years and in particular won great praise for their tireless heroics during the Great White Hurricane of 1888, when they pulled scores of sailors from the frigid waters and iced-over hulks of wrecked vessels to safety.

The front of the museum

The History of the Lewes Lifeguard Museum:

(From the Historic Lewes.com)

The United States Life-Saving Service (USLSS) protected the American coast and saved lives in peril at sea from 1871 until 1915, when it became a part of the new United States Coast Guard (USCG). This incredible humanitarian mission came to Lewes in 1884, making it the fourth of six stations to be established in Delaware. Lewes was among the most desirable stations for the Keepers and Surfmen who manned it, with its original location on the site of the present-day Cape May-Lewes Ferry Terminal placing it not far from town and therefore civilization.

The view of the harbor which has changed over the years

I spent my time touring the Lewes Lifeguard Museum, which is an interesting little museum on the history of life saving along the Delaware coast. The museum’s artifacts show some of the earliest and innovative forms of rescue equipment from before the Civil War. This was the precursor to the United States Coast Guard.

The inside of the museum

The lower part of the museum contained most of the equipment, items like rescue ropes, wenches, rescue apparatus, lanterns and uniforms like jackets and boots.

Pulled and equipment used to rescue stranded people

History of the Lewes Historical Museum:

(Historic Lewes.com)

The United States Coast Guard maintained the Station Lewes from 1915 until 1969, when it was closed, declared surplus, and sold. The original main station building was relocated numerous times and still stands today, heavily modified, as the Rehoboth Beach VFW. The Boat House preserved by Historic Lewes, a unique 1884 addition to the USLSS station intended to launch lifeboats on a marine railway directly into the harbor, was acquired from the Pilots’ Association of the Bay & River Delaware in 1979 and moved to its present home at Canalfront Park. It stands proudly beside the Lightship OVERFALLS (LV-118), together commemorating the nation’s and community’s efforts to preserve life on hazardous waters.

The bullies and wenches used by the men

Information in the Lewes Life Saving Station

Biography of the men who worked there

Information on the Boat House

Some of the ropes and wenches used in the rescue procedures

On the other side of the building was the rescue boat the ‘Life Car’, a rudimentary form of rescue boat that the docents said was effective but clunky and hard to use. It shows how we have progressed in life saving.

The Life Car rescue unit

Information on the ‘Life Car’

The ‘Life Car’

The ores and other rescue equipment used

The small rope cannon

The ores

The rope equipment

The story of the ‘Great White Hurricane of March 1888’

The Men’s Dining area in the front of the building

There was no living area in the facility but a place to gather the team, eat and socialize when manning the station.

History of Lewes Lifeguard Museum:

(From the Lewes Lifeguard.com)

Guests visiting the USLSS Boat House today will find it furnished just as Keeper John Clampitt and his courageous Surfmen left it on March 12, 1888, as they pushed out into the roaring gale and whipping snow for their finest hours. It also features a display of early life-saving equipment, including the rope-and-pulley Breeches Buoy rescue system, a steel life-car, and a rare 1887 Long Branch, New Jersey-style surfboat under restoration.

The dining area and the schedule

The dining room table

The Lewes Life Saving Station & Museum is an example of early beach and shipping rescue at the East Coast Shore. It also shows the daily life of these brave men and how lonely and dangerous this job could be. It shows how times have progressed and how they have stayed the same. To save people and property.

Henry Doremus House 490 Main Road Towaco, NJ 07082

Henry Doremus House 490 Main Road Towaco, NJ 07082

Henry Doremus House

490 Main Road

Towaco, NJ 07082

https://www.montvilletwphistoricalsociety.com/museums

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Doremus_House

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1141264633508766/posts/1764205224548034

Open: Special Events and Pathways Tours in Spring and Fall-Please contact through their website

Admission: Free but donations are accepted

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46639-d4814175-r1059078529-Henry_Doremus_House-Montville_Morris_County_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

The Henry Doremus House during the Pathway’s tour

I visited the Henry Doremus House during the Morris County Pathways Tour in May of 2026 and it is good look at the early farming communities of New Jersey under the Dutch and then the English. The house was used by General George Washington while he was passing through this section of New Jersey during the Revolutionary War.

The sign for the Henry Doremus House

The historic sign for the house

Montville Township Historical Society:

(from the Museum website)

Established in 1963, the Montville Township Historical Society is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the cultural heritage of Montville Township. Our unwavering commitment to meticulous archival work, interactive educational programs, and community outreach initiatives is aimed safeguarding the rich history of our town. Our ultimate objective is to ensure that the stories and traditions of Montville Township are cherished and celebrated for years to come.

The farm and harvest equipment

General Washington’s payment to the Doremus family for use of their home during the Revolutionary War

The farming equipment

The farm and household equipment room

The farm equipment from the time of the Revolutionary War

Henry Doremus House History:

(from the Museum’s website)

The Henry Doremus House is a Dutch American stone farmhouse that has been remarkably preserved since the time the first portion was built, circa 1760. The house has never been modernized with heating, plumbing, electricity, or wiring, and is one of only seven left in New Jersey without modern electricity. What is now Route 202 was one of the main military routes during the Revolutionary War through Montville and Towaco, (then part of Pequannock Township). The Henry Doremus house was located in a small community often referred to as Doremus Town.​

The main room of the original house during the tour

The kitchen and cooking equipment by the open hearth fireplace

The open hearth fireplace for cooking and heat for the home

Cooking items

(from the Henry Doremus website)

General George Washington and his troops often traveled this route between Morristown and West Point. In June of 1780, Washington’s troops (2000 soldiers and 40 aides) were in Whippany and traveled to Doremus Town after the retreat of the Battle of Springfield. General Washington and his aides (which General George Washington at age 45 about the time he stayed at the Henry Doremus House (Mount Vernon)  included Alexander Hamilton) stayed two and a half days in the Doremus House as General Andre Rochambeau (NIAHD Journals)   documented by Washington’s expense account and letters. A payment of $40 was  made to Mrs. Doremus at Pequannock on June 25th, to house General George Washington and his soldiers after the Battle of Springfield. French General Rochambeau stayed in the orchards around the house with over 5000 of his men, women, and camp followers on his way to the Battle of Yorktown in 1781.​

The items for processing wool and flack for clothing

A closer look at the equipment

Household equipment

The house addition towards the back had a spinning wheel and demonstration on how to make cloth.

​The Henry Doremus House was placed, in 1972, on both the National Register of Historic Places and the New Jersey Register of Historic Places. It was also listed on the Montville Township Local Register in 1987, as well as the Crossroads of American Revolution Greenway. In addition, the preservation and protection of the Henry Doremus House won the New Jersey Historic House Preservation Award in 2009.

The demonstrations on spinning yarn and making clothing in the back of the house

When I toured the house, the docents described how the household functioned and how the farm worked during the season. Men and women had different roles to make the household function. There was not much buying things for the house so clothes were made, foods were preserved and pickled for the Winter and then meals had to be prepared while the men worked out in the field. Men had to grow, tend to and then pick all the fruits and vegetables. Then there was tending to the animals, sheering animals and just working on tending the farm with repairs and working through the seasons. It was a lot of physical work through all the seasons.

Household equipment and furnishings plus another open hearth for heating the house

The front of the house facing the street with twin Dutch doors and entrance to the root cellar

The Doremus House is open mostly during the Pathways tour in May and October. The Montville Historical Society also runs the Montville Historical Society Schoolhouse Museum in Montville.