The Museum of Cape May County

504 US 9

Cape May Court House, NJ 08210

(609) 465-3535

https://www.cmcmuseum.org/

https://www.facebook.com/Museumofcmc/

Hours: Seasonal Hours Sunday-Monday-Tuesday/Wednesday 10:00am-2:30pm/Thursday Closed/Friday 10:00am-2:30pm/Saturday Closed. Tours are at 10:00am and 12:00pm.

Admission: Donations Accepted/ (I paid $5.00 for the hour tour)

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46342-d286393-Reviews-The_Museum_of_Cape_May_County-Cape_May_Court_House_Middle_Township_Cape_May_County_.html

The Museum of Cape May County at 504 US 9

The Museum of Cape May County sign welcoming you.

The Museum of Cape May Country museum complex

The Museum grounds in the back.

After three years of trying to visit the museum, I finally got on a last minute walking tour of the Museum of Cape May County and have to say that it was well worth the wait. What an interesting set of buildings that have a fascinating set of artifacts and so nicely displayed in a series of buildings.

The museum campus is broken up in a series of buildings on a two acre site. There is the main office which has an art exhibition, the family homestead of the family, who lived here for several generations, the carriage house which displays several carriages and stage coaches that were used in the area.

The back of the main house where you can see the three additions to the house

The barn where the Military, Native American and Farming displays are showcased

The Carriage House is to the left and the barn is to the right

The Carriage House on the property

The History of the House and of the Cape May County Museum site:

(from the museum website)

Housed in a building that dates back to 1704, the Cresse House, and its 1830 Holmes addition, as well as a historic 1780 barn and carriage house have rooms devoted to a subject or time that will hold you spellbound as you make your way through the past. The 11 room Cresse Holmes house treats you to a glimpse of life as it was in Cape May County from colonial to modern times. From the 1704 colonial kitchen and loft bedroom to the Victorian dining and sitting rooms all are decorated and furnished with period pieces. Special exhibit rooms include a children’s playroom teeming with toys, a doctor’s room with instruments, glassware and vials filled with a colorful array of pharmaceuticals and a Victorian music room with dozens of fascinating players and instruments (Cape May County Museum website).

Our first part of the tour was the family home which had been lived in for generations. The first part of the house was built in 1740 and you could tell by the open hearth and the flooring.

The hearth of the original section of the Cresse home

The kitchen was set up and furnished as the main part of the house. Because of the heat, this was the main part of the house that habituated. Here the family would gather, eat and socialize.

The back bedroom shows the families affluence in the late 1700’s

Having a separate room for sleeping was considered quite extravagant. The heat would circulated through the home and warmed this room next door. The main part of the house was built in 1840 in the Federalist design.

The main dining room showed the affluence of the Holmes family in the early pre-Civil war era

The main part of the house that faced the road was the 1840 Holmes family addition with the Federalist design. This part of the house was the main part house that was used for every day living and entertaining. The house was furnished in a combination of family heirlooms and donated period pieces..

The house well furnished with period pieces

The beautiful side table of the Dining Room

Both the Living Room, Dining Room and the Parlor were all tastefully furnished and what I thought were interesting parts of their collection. It was like someone had just left the room.

The Parlor of a Victorian house held its finest pieces

The furnishings in the Parlor

The painting of Henry Clay stood above the fireplace

Since I joined the tour late, I had seen just the first floor of the home before we continued on to see the rest of the building.

The front entrance room of the house

As we exited the house, we moved on to the most important room of the house, the outhouse which was located behind the main home.

The outhouse in the back of the home

We next moved on to one of the galleries of the Nautical collections.

The collection of nautical artifacts

Mantel’s for navigation

Items from the shipping industry

What beautiful items

Our next part of the tour was of the Carriage House and its collection of buggies and carriages owned by by local residents.

The Barn and Carriage exhibits:

(from the Cape May County Museum website)

Our barn is home to a maritime exhibit including Cape May County’s crown jewel, the original first-order Fresnel lens from Cape May Light House. In addition to our collection of farm implements the barn is also the site of our recently dedicated military room that pays homage to those who served our nation in time of war.

Period pieces range from the Revolutionary War to our country’s most recent involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Of special interest is the American flag that was carried by soldiers who hailed from Cape May County during the Civil War. The flag survived numerous battles, including Gettysburg, Spotsylvania, Bull Run and was at Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. The Carriage Shed houses items related to transportation – a vintage horse-drawn market wagon, a doctor’s sulky and an early stagecoach that ran between Bridgeton and Pennsville (from the museum website).

The collection of carriages and buggies

A local buggy from a member of the community

The history of the Cape May Stagecoach

The Cape May Stagecoach

This stagecoach was used on the route between Bridgeton and Pennsville

The funeral cart used to transport bodies once people die to their last destination

The last building on the museum’s property housed military artifacts, farm equipment and artifacts from what would shape the local community

The Maritime History of Cape May and of the Museum:

(from the museum website)

Since its earliest days the area we now call Cape May County has been linked to the water.  With the tumultuous Atlantic Ocean on one side, the Delaware Bay on the other and lush forest and field between it served its residents well.  Early Native Americans thrived, whalers found whales in the ocean and refuge in the bay. All worked the shores and tributaries for birds and shellfish.  As the population grew, shipbuilding and coastal trade took on greater importance.  Come visit us and explore this aspect of our museum (from the museum website).

Many of the artifacts, photographs and manuscripts associated with maritime activities have found their way our museum collection.  From the original first-order Fresnel lens that sat atop the Cape May light to whaling implements, marine skeletons, ship parts and Native American exhibits there is something for everyone.  Of special interest is our recently acquired Cresse Journal, an original manuscript by Lewis Cresse detailing the life of a whaler in the mid-eighteenth century (from the museum website)

Hunting and military items from around the turn of the last century

Household and farming items

Artifacts from the Shipping industry

Artifacts from the Counties Ship Building past

Items from the Whaling Industry in Cape May

The museum also houses the original Cape May Lighthouse light

The history of burial and old cemeteries in Cape May

Old tombstones from Cape May cemeteries

The family cemetery on what was once the family farm that now sits down the road and across the street

The family plot

The museum’s extensive collection of arrowheads and other Native American artifacts

The Cape May Civil War flag is most of the most interesting pieces in the museum’s military collection

The Cape May Civil War flag

Military artifacts from the war years

The extensive collection of military uniforms from the different wars in the museum collection with ceremonial drums on display on the top of the case

The gun and pistol collection at the museum

The Pistol collection at the museum

The collection of military items in the collection

The early military collection at the museum

The grounds of the museum before I left for the day

The family home that faces the Highway

The museum is not just an extensive collection of City of Cape May but the history of the County as a whole and its rich development from a farming, whaling and shipping town to a major tourist hub and recreation community.

It also shows it has never lost it nautical or farming past as well as this legacy still carries on in Cape May. The development of the community and the progress it has made over the years is showcased in the galleries and buildings on the museum property.

The Development of the Cape May County Museum:

(from the museum website)

The Cape May County Historical & Genealogical Society (CMCHGS), doing business as The Museum of Cape May County, was founded in 1927 as a private, non-profit organization by a number of local families who wanted to ensure the history of Cape May County was preserved and documented. In 1930 the CMCHGS established a museum and genealogical library which were housed in the basement of the County Court House building for 45 years.

In 1976, the current facility, the Cresse-Holmes House containing eleven rooms along with a five-room barn was purchased to accommodate the growing collection. By 1988 the construction and dedication of the genealogical library and administrative offices had taken place. In the last 90 years, thanks to the generosity of many individuals and families with a connection to Cape May County. the collections have grown to contain many thousands of Cape May County artifacts and documents.

Today the museum and library are run by full time, part time and seasonal staff members along with an enthusiastic group of active volunteers to assist with greeting visitors, guiding tours, researching, assisting with programs, and staffing events.