Kearny Museum at the Kearny Library
318 Kearny Avenue
Kearny, NJ 07032
(201) 998-2666
Open: Sunday-Tuesday Closed/Wednesday 5:00pm-6:30pm/Thursday-Friday Closed/Saturday 10:00am-12:30pm
My review on TripAdvisor:
The front of the Kearny Library at 318 Kearny Avenue
The library during the early spring
The historic marker of the library
The outside sign of the museum
The History of the Museum and Mission:
(from the museum website)
The Kearny Museum, on the upper floor of the Kearny Public Library, is a history museum that houses local displays about the town. The collection includes photographs, articles of clothing, and war memorabilia from the town’s history.
Special attention is given to Civil War hero Major General Philip Kearny Jr. for whom the town is named. This includes a display of furniture from his Belle Grove home, donated by his granddaughter and second wife. The museum also includes a full collection of Kearny High School yearbooks.
The museum has a collection of antique clothes and accessories, representing town life between 1850 and 1960, which were donated or are on loan by townspeople.
The entrance of the Kearny Museum on the second floor of the Kearny Library
The main gallery of the museum with historical pictures of the town
The history of the community of businesses and organizations
The history of St. Cecilia School
The library docent explained that this statue of a soldier had been boxed up and hidden for years
Town artifacts from the schools and town organizations
Memorabilia from town organizations
Display of firematic items
The displays included a large exhibit of military items, uniforms, artifacts donated from local veterans and newspaper clippings
The display covered all branches of the military
This exhibit was interesting of the old New Jersey home for Disabled Soldiers that no longer exists. This home for VFW was once located in the town.
The Library Directors video on the Disabled Home for Soldiers:
(from the museum website)
The next display on Major General Philip Kearny whom the town is named after
The General’s information
Major General Philip Kearny
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Kearny
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/philip-kearny
The display on Major General Kearny was quite extensive and had many artifacts of his accomplishments including pictures and press clippings.
Library Director’s Video on the General:
(from the museum website)
The next exhibit describes Kearny’s past as a rural farming community. This included farm equipment and household items found in a home in the turn of the last century.
Kearny’s past
A closer look at our rural past and how things have changed in the past 100 years
The town has a rich history in the fire and police services and the exhibits show the progress that these departments have made over the last several decades.
The display on the Kearny Fire and Police Departments
The artifacts in the Kearny Police and Fire exhibitio
The display of old Class A uniform
The early founding of the town was displayed in the next exhibit with artifacts and items from the early history before Kearny’s founding.
The Early History of the region
Items from early Lenape tribes to the founding of the railroads in the region
The role of the development of the early government to modern times was nicely displayed along with the history of each Mayor in the town’s history.
The history of the local government in Kearny, NJ
This lead back to the General’s role as a local hero and the founding name of the current town of Kearny, NJ.
A closer look at the General’s history
More history on General Kearny
The museum has a collection of items from local residents and town ‘hero’s’ whose collections are now part of the museum.
Stanley ‘Buck’ Brookes sports collection
There is also a collection of ‘old’ families of the Kearny region before the town was founded. This display is for early resident, William Sanford.
The artifacts from the William Sanford estate
The museum has an extensive display on the town’s school system and the changes it gone through over the past hundred years.
The school system in the 1920’s and 1930’s
The history of the town’s schools with band uniforms and graduation dresses
The Library Director’s video on the Kearny School System:
(from the museum website)
Artifacts from ‘School Days’ at the Kearny Public Schools
With the formation of the town schools and department, the town’s role in the growth of this part of New Jersey led to new industries being developed.
The history and development of industry in town
The center of the museum was reserved for a display of ‘Fashion’ through the ages. The display contains all sorts of gowns and wedding dresses through the last hundred and fifty years.
The ‘History of Fashion’ display
The various gowns, coats and tea dresses on display
Gowns from the 1920’s and 1930’s
Gowns from the 1920’s
Gowns from the turn of the last century
Flapper gown and accessories from the 1920’s
The museum has an extensive display of items that not just cover the history of the town and of its founding and development but of every day life of its citizens. This is all tucked away on the second floor of their local branch of the Kearny Library.
The Kearny Library is the home of the Kearny Museum
What is nice about the Kearny Library is that it sits in the middle of a very vibrant downtown filled with an array of restaurants and bakeries. I walked the downtown after my visit to the museum.
I came across O Pao Quente D’Avenida at 244 Kearny Avenue. This wonderful bakery had an assortment of Spanish and Italian pastries at very reasonable prices.
The bakery ‘O Pao Quente D’Avenida’ (Avenue of Warm Bread) at 244 Kearny Avenue
https://www.facebook.com/pages/O-Pao-Quente-D-Avenida/118731094806654
My review on TripAdvisor:
The selection of pastries were extensive and looked so delicious that I could barely choose between them.
The selection of pastries at the bakery included cakes, cream pastries and cream filled flips.
It was a tough choice but I chose the flip filled with Dulce Leche filling. Talk about delicious. I munched on it while exploring several blocks of the downtown.
The pastry flip with Dulce Leche filling and a sugary topping
It was a nice way to spend the afternoon. You have to explore the rest of the library and its beautiful historical building.
- A Local Journey out of Manhattan
- Dedicated to Warren Watrel
- Educational Museums
- Experiences and Tours
- Exploring Historic Bergen County
- Exploring Kearny, NJ
- Exploring Manhattan Block by Block
- Exploring New York City by Foot
- Exploring the Island of Manhattan
- Historic Libraries
- Historic Sites in New Jersey
- Small Historical Societies in New Jersey
- Small Museums and Galleries in New Jersey
- Uncategorized
- VisitingaMuseum.com
- Walking Downtown Kearny, NJ
Visiting a Museum: The Unique, Unusual, Obscure and Historical 
Don’t miss this ‘hidden’ museum tucked on the second floor of the Kearny Library in Downtown Kearny. After the visit, walk the downtown and its amazing selection of restaurants.
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