The John DuBois Maritime Museum at 949 Ye Greate Street in Greenwich, NJ.
I visited the John DuBois Maritime Museum when I was visiting the Gibbon House and the Carman Prehistoric Museum when I was visiting Greenwich, NJ. What a nice little museum explaining the maritime history of not just New Jersey but the local area as well.
The museum is one large gallery broken down into sections of the history of the area. The main gallery is well organized by section to explain the shipping history of the region.
The decoys and rafts that are part of the collection.
The nautical instruments to guide your way through the stars. These were part of the long voyage.
The Shipping display
The sign for the Oyster Dredge display
The Oyster Dredge display
The Oyster Dredge display explores the important of the oyster industry in the area’s waters and what an important source of food they were to the local population. It also showed their role in keeping the waterways clean and the water well circulated.
The Ship Building display
Ship building and the creation of the shipping industry’s planning on future boat was another important part of the economy before the Civil War.
The Ship’s Mascot greets all of her guests at the front of the museum.
The History of the Museum:
The John DuBois Maritime Museum houses a large collection of Southern New Jersey Maritime related items from the 19th and early 20th centuries. A large and unique collection of builders models of local craft, show the plans used to build a new ship from the model itself.
The anchor outside the museum
Exhibited are tools used to carve ribs, planking, masts and booms. Also displayed are many blocks, ‘deadlines’ and ‘rigging’. The museum is proud to have one of the largest collections on the East Coast of caulking tools. Videos are available to view by the New Jersey network on oyster schooners including an interview with John DuBois who donated most of the artifacts in the museum.
Also exhibited are early maritime engine parts, most from the Hettinger’s of Bridgeton, one of the first manufacturers in America of marine motors.
The Shipping displays in the heart of the collection.
Admission: Free but donations are accepted. Groups, Scouts and Organizations are $5.00 individuals per person and $7.00 for special events per person. Please call to make arrangements on this.
We visited the Stony Point Battlefield one afternoon and it is a very interesting and historical fort in the Hudson River Valley. We were able to tour the battle site and explore the grounds of this historical site. Then we toured the museum which gave us a view of the battle and what happened that night through a series of displays of the artifacts.
The Gallery
The Gallery
The gallery was filled with all sorts of weaponry and items needed by the troops for battle.
The battlefield site.
The museum has displays of the weapons used, the structure of the fort, utensils used the time that the troops were defending this area and what life was like on a day-to-day basis. The museum also offers a glimpse of artifacts of both the fort and of the battle with docents assisting you in telling the story of what happened at that time and after the battle and the war were over.
The Stoney Point Battlefield tent set up.
Outside the fort, there was a set-up of tents to show what the troops life was like in battle as well as General Wallace’s tent that he lived in and used during the battle. At the end of the day, the park does a demonstration of lighting the cannon that would have been used in battle. That was interesting. It was a lot more work than people think.
The cannon set up.
There is lot to do and see along the pathways of the fort and its grounds with amazing views of the Hudson River.
The story of the battle.
The History of the park and battlegrounds:
(from the NYS Parks Division website)
Visit the site of the Battle of Stony Point, one of the last Revolutionary War battles in the northeastern colonies. This is where Brigadier General Anthony Wayne led his corps of Continental Light Infantry in a daring midnight attack on the British, seizing the site’s fortifications and taking the soldiers and camp followers at the British garrison as prisoners on July 16, 1779.
The map of the fort at Stony Point, NY.
By May 1779 the war had been raging for four years and both sides were eager for a conclusion. Sir Henry Clinton, Commander-In-Chief of the British forces in America, attempted to coerce General George Washington into one decisive battle to control the Hudson River. As part of his strategy, Clinton fortified Stony Point. Washington devised a plan for Wayne to lead an attack on the garrison. Armed with bayonets only, the infantry captured the fort in short order, ending British control of the river.
The weapons of battle on display at the museum.
The Stony Point Lighthouse, built in 1826, is the oldest lighthouse on the Hudson River. De-commissioned in 1925, it now stands as a historical reminder of the importance of lighthouses to commerce on the Hudson River. The opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 unleashed a surge of commercial navigation along the Hudson River, by linking New York city to America’s heartland.
Within a year, the first of the Hudson’s fourteen lights shone at Stony Point and others soon followed, designed to safely guide maritime travel along the river. Many light keepers, including several remarkable women such as Nancy and Melinda Rose at Stony Point, made their homes in the lighthouse complexes, and ensured that these important navigational signals never failed to shine.
The lighthouse light on display at the museum.
The site features a museum, which offers exhibits on the battle and the Stony Point Lighthouse, as well as interpretive programs, such as reenactments highlighting 18th century military life, cannon and musket firings, cooking demonstrations, and children’s activities and blacksmith demonstrations.
The cannon demonstration that we saw at the end of our visit to the battlefields.
I visited the Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum on a whim the other week when I was visiting museums in the region. What I found was a very interesting local museum dedicated to history and marketing of the former Knife industry of the region. I had never realized that this was the major industry of the region.
The Mission Statement of the Museum:
Our mission is to develop a museum to serve as both a repository of artifacts and informational conservatory as well as a place where memorabilia and examples may be accessed so that this rich heritage and a viable segment of American History will not be lost.
Den of Marbletown-The Teddy Bear Museum at One Basten Lane
The sign that greets you in the front of the business.
When you enter the museum, you will walk through an extensive collection of Steiff animals for sale in the museum gift shop. The owner of the museum and gift shop is a licensed Steiff store. After you pass the gift shop you get to experience all the beautiful stuffed toys which I would consider art.
The Steiff Teddy Bear Shop that sells all these beautiful works of art.
All the beautiful Steiff animals for sale in the Steiff Store.
The tour of the museum starts at the register where the museum has a small drink menu. You can get soft drinks like soda, homemade Lemonade and Bubble Tea or hot drinks like Coffee or Tea before or after your tour. A more extensive menu is being worked on the owner of the museum promised.
The drink menu at the Teddy Bear Museum.
Then you move room to room admiring all the beautiful graceful animals. The rooms are filled with all sorts of bears of all shapes, sizes and colors. There is every animal that was on Noah’s Arc and probably more. You can admire the bears from a distance but get to see them up close in the gift shop that offers such an extensive collection to choose from.
The extensive collection of wooden toys on the way up the stairs.
You can see an original “Teddy Bear” like the one created for Theodore Roosevelt. You can see a collectible “Rod Bear” one of the original bears created by the company.
The “Teddy Bear” in the collection.
On the second floor, the collection continues with an extensive collection of wooden toys. They also come in every shape and color. There is also an extensive set of collectables as well.
The Wooden Animals in the collection.
The museum creator’s mother in law continues to collect bears and other animals today so the collection keeps growing. There is an extensive amount of ‘collectable’ items on display as well.
Some of the smaller ‘collectables’.
More ‘collectables’.
The owner of the museum also has a special section for his friend, Sandy Sherman with a portrait of her as a girl with her Steiff toy and then a picture of her as an adult with the same toy years later. It was a very touching piece in the collection.
The Sandy Sherman exhibition
The portrait of Sandy Sherman and the photo of her holding the same bear as in the painting.
When you have had enough of everything stuffed animals, there is a place for parents to relax while their kids play with some toys provided by the museum in the “Mama Bear” room. The lounge is for parents to relax and kids to continue to play.
The Mama Bear Lounge
The “Mama Bear” Lounge is a place of comfort and relaxation. It is set up perfectly for those who want o play and for those who want to relax.
The Children’s Room in the ‘Mama Bear’ Lounge
The entrance to the gardens and the pond.
The path with the gardens.
The pond at the end of the path.
When you finish exploring the inside of the museum, the grounds outside offer much more as well. There is lush green lawns to relax on and a path with a garden to a pond in the woods that is just as relaxing. it is a nice way to spend the day exploring the paths and relaxing under the trees.
The beautiful grounds outside the museum.
The museum is a perfect way to capture the inner child in each of us and a place to relax and just enjoy a nice day. The museum owner also added he is working on a new café menu so there will be a place to eat as well at the museum. Then you can really spend the day there.
It was a wonderful afternoon tour.
The History of the Museum:
(from the museum’s website)
The Den of Marbletown is a teddy bear museum in Kingston, New York. We have a large collection of original Steiff teddy bears on display, and we sell rare Steiff collectibles in our gift shop. We also feature an on-site café, where you can enjoy scratch-made food and homemade baked goods.
The sign that greets you in the front of the museum.
The Teddy Bear Museum features more than 5,000 Steiff teddy bears and animals, Madame Alexander dolls, Barbie dolls, and hand-carved wooden toys. Steiff is the German company that invented the Teddy Bear, as we know it, more than 100 years ago. Today Steiff is considered the world’s premier manufacturer of high-end toys and collectibles. Indeed, Steiff is the only “luxury” toy brand in the marketplace today.
The Grace Bear Collection Room
The Collection
The Teddy Bear Collection
The core of the collection comes from “Gracebear,” a Steiff enthusiast who continues collecting to this day. Gracebear has shared this collection with her daughter and son-in-law, Nan and Steve, who are the founders of The Den. Gracebear’s other collections rotate throughout the museum as temporary exhibits, including Madame Alexander dolls, Barbie dolls, Schuco toys and bears, and hand-carved wooden toys.
Dioramas
The Steiff Circus exhibit
Local artists share their talents through the creation of charming dioramas that rotate throughout the year.
The Steiff History Room
The “Teddy Bear” exhibit
The history of the Teddy Bear (and Teddy Roosevelt); the poignant story Margarete Steiff, the founder of the luxury toy company; and the design evolution of the Teddy Bear are some of the displays featured in this section of the museum.
The Rod Bear
The “Original Rod Bear”
On Loan from the collection of the late Mary Couke is the exquisite and rare 1904 Rod Bear, considered by many as “The Holy Grail” of Steiff Collectors. This bear features an early design attempt at movable joints through three metal rods in the body – horizontal ones for legs and arms, and a vertical one for the head.
The Teddy Bear Café:
The Teddy Bear Café
After you spend the day in our teddy bear museum, stop by our café for a quick pick-me-up. The Den of Marbletown serves a variety of menu items at our coffee shop in Kingston, Ulster County, Hudson Valley, NY.. You can create your dream drink, including flavored lemonade or 40 plus flavors of bubble tea at the den. Need to get some work done? Take advantage of our free Wi-Fi. Need a place for your kids to unwind? We have indoor and outdoor play spaces.
The drink menu is extensive and the beverages are homemade.
The Teddy Bear Gift Shop:
The gift shop offers everything Steiff
When you step into The Den of Marbletown’s souvenir shop in Kingston, Ulster County, Hudson Valley, NY, it’s like stepping back in time. Experience the joys of a classic toy shop when you browse our selection of Steiff teddy bears and stuffed animals. We’re one of the few shops in the area that sells Steiff toys, and we sell a wide variety of rare collectibles.
The gift shop has an extensive collection of bears and other animals for sale.
The Basten House
The Basten Homestead houses the collection.
The museum exists in a very special space – a marvelous 1860 farmhouse, in which houses seven generations of “The Basten” family. The museum experience is enhanced by this context – the old wall paper, the slopping floors, the secret passage ways, the antique door knobs, the original shutters, and the stone wall of “the keeping room.”
Visiting a Museum: The Unique, Unusual, Obscure and Historical 