Category: Exploring the Island of Manhattan

Elfreth’s Alley Museum 126 Elfreth’s Alley Philadelphia, PA 19106

Elfreth’s Alley Museum

126 Elfreth’s Alley

Philadelphia, PA 19106

(215) 574-0560

Open: Sunday-Wednesday Closed/Thursday-Saturday 12:00pm-4:00pm

Admission: Adults $3.00/Children 7-12 $2.00/Children under 7 Free

http://www.elfrethsalley.org/

https://www.facebook.com/elfrethsalleymuseum/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60795-d138249-r793534882-Elfreth_s_Alley-Philadelphia_Pennsylvania.html?m=19905

The Elfreth’s Alley Museum at 126 Elfreth’s Alley

I came across this interesting little historical museum when I was touring Elfreth’s Alley in Old Town, Philadelphia. What an interesting look back at the merchant trade class of the 18th century. It really showed how the average worker used both their home as a business and as a home.

The historic sign for Elfreth’s Alley

The home had been former business of a pair of dressmakers who used the front parlor as their store and showroom, the side room used as the kitchen, the upstairs room was the living quarters for a very large family (I believe that the family had eight children according to the tour guide) and a nice sized garden in the back of the home.

The front work and show room

The inside display of the museum shows the dress making profession of the first two owners of the house and their work with the Philadelphia clients they catered to in the Upper Middle and Upper Classes.

The story of the dress business

The type of commissions the ladies would get from the Upper Middle Class to Wealthy women from the City

The front rooms were used as the workplace showroom where the merchants would greet their customers, decide on the patterns and make and then conduct their business. When they were done for the day, they just closed up shop. What I thought was interesting about the two business owners is that they took most of their meals out at the local pub. Time as dressmakers left them little time to cook so meals had to be eaten out.

Later on in the home’s history, a kitchen would be added on later by a German businessman who owned the house

The upstairs bedrooms

When you climb the narrow stairs to the second floor, it leads to the loft living space. When I heard how many people lived at the house, I could not imagine that today. Children today pretty much have their own rooms but these people lived on top of one another.

It was such a small space for a family of ten. Then you had to walk down another narrow staircase to come back to the first floor.

The backyard garden was really nice with interesting plantings, a nice sized garden of flowers and benches to cool under on a hot day. Much of the backyard was still in bloom when I visited in November of 2025.

The backyard plantings

The seating area in the courtyard

The gardens behind the home

The plants in bloom in the fall

I am not sure if the gardens were historically accurate but it was a nice place to relax on a hot day. It is worth it to visit this small home to see how another generation worked and lived under very different conditions (Elfreth’s Alley Museum self-guided tour).

The back gardens

Don’t miss the Gift Shop on the way out

The History of Elfreth’s Alley Museum:

Elfreth’s Alley Museum is located at 124-126 Elfreth’s Alley, preserves the 18th Century home of a pair of dressmakers. Restored to its appearance in the Colonial era, exhibits the house and tour guides interpret the life of the house and alley’s residents in that era. There are 32 houses on the street that were built between 1703 to 1836 (Wiki/Museum site).

The History of Elfreth’s Alley:

Elfreth’s Alley is named after Jeremiah Elfreth, an 18th century blacksmith and property owner. Among the alley’s residents were tradesmen and their families. Their trades included shipwrights, silver and pewter smiths, glassblowers and furniture builders. In the 1770’s, one third of the households were headed by women (Wiki).

The Georgian and Federal style houses and cobblestone pavement of the alley were common in Philadelphia during this time. The houses are typically small and many are uniquely Philadelphian Trinity houses. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, industry began to change the street with a stove factory being built in 1868. Soon it was followed by more factories that surrounded the area (Wiki).

Elfreth’s Alley Museum site and homes

In 1934, the Elfreth’s Ally Association (EAA) was founded to preserve the alley’s historic structures while interpreting the streets history. The EAA helped save the street from demolition and also lobbied the City to restore the alley’s name to Elfreth’s Alley. The area is an example of urban 18th and 19th century architecture and is part of the “Old Town” neighborhood of Philadelphia (Wiki).

The neighborhood hosts many events so please check their website for the dates and events.

Homes in Elfreth’s Alley

Homes in Elfreth’s Alley

The sign for Bladen’s Court

The entrance to Bladens Court

Bladen’s Court

The historic sign for Bladen’s Court

The back part of Bladen’s Court

The back part of Bladen’s Court

Philipsburg Manor House 381 North Broadway Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591

Philipsburg Manor House

381 North Broadway

Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591

(914) 336-6900

Home – Default

Philipsburg Manor

Open: Please check the website for COVID updates

Fee: Please check the website for the COVID updates

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g48622-d299069-Reviews-Philipsburg_Manor-Sleepy_Hollow_New_York.html

The Philipsburg Manor House from the back

I have visited the Philipsburg Manor House and Estate many times over the years. During the “Headless Horseman” Halloween activities, the house is open for tours. You are able to tour the rooms and see the home in a spooky environment. The house was lit by candles and the tour guides lead you through the house.

The Manor House from the bridge over the creek

During a special event at the holidays, the house had seasonal decorations, lit by a combination candles and open hearth fires in the fireplace and tour guides explained a Colonial holiday season.

The estate during the day

The Manor House as it was explained to me was a place where the Philipse family stayed when they were away from the main family mansion and was doing business on the estate. So the home was comfortable and workable and functional but not luxurious as the main manor house where the family lived.

The back gardens are used during the Spring and Summer to grow fruits and vegetables

The kitchen, common room and bedrooms were nicely furnished at the time for the owners visits but was not elegant in the form of the main manor house.

The butter-churning work area

This was full working estate at all times. The Mill is located near the manor house and their are walking paths around the house.

The downstairs kitchen at the manor house was functional but not elaborate

The farm bounty was plentiful during the seasons

The upstairs kitchen is where all the owners meals were prepared along with all the dish ware and crockery.

The upstairs kitchen

The items of a wealthy Dutch kitchen

During the Halloween season, both Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow are busy with activities with readings, cemetery tours, ‘haunted events’ and other activities. Please check out the Historic Hudson Valley website for the roster of events. Things have changed since the era of COVID.

A recreation of the owners bedroom at the Philipsburg Manor

During the Christmas holidays, the house in the past was decorated for Christmas but in the post-COVID time, the house was just open for tours. In December 2022, I got to visit the house the week before Christmas before it closed for the season. Like most older historical homes and sites will be closed until the Spring so this was the last opportunity to see the house and grounds. Unlike the past, the house was kept in regular touring state.

The guest bed chamber

When I revisited the estate in 2025, it was the last weekend it was open for touring and the house had no decorations for the holidays as again this was not their primary residence.

We got to tour the kitchens and bedrooms of the home and heard a talk on how the how was run when Mr. Philispe was not in residence. There was also a market within the house where tenant farmers could buy their wares for their homes.

The tenant farmer shop

The tenant farmer shop

This was strictly a working farm and mill for the family with the main residence being closer to the City.

The difference in 2025, we were finally able to take pictures indoors and that helped give mug readers a clear view of what to expect they come to visit.

The estate at the close of winter

Most of the action was outdoors with tours of the mill, the outside ovens used for the family’s bakery business and outdoor gardens that were cleared out for the winter months.

The wheat processing area

The processing area

The Mill is where the process of converting wheat grown on the estate was made into flour for the New York market.

The Milling wheel to process wheat to flour

The system of wheat processing

The History of the Philipsburg Manor House:

(WIKI/Historic Hudson River Valley Society)

The manor house in the Fall of 2024

The grounds around the park

The sunset over the estate in the Fall of 2025

The Philipsburg Manor House is an historic house in the Upper Mills Section of the former sprawling Colonial-era estate known as Philipsburg Manor. Together with the water mill and the trading site the house is operated bas a non-profit museum by the Historical Hudson River Valley. It is located on US 9 in the Village of Sleepy Hollow, NY. (Wiki)

The Philipsburg Manor House and Mill area of the estate

The Manor House dates from 1693 when wealthy Province of New York merchant Frederick Philipse was granted a charter for 52,00 acres along the Hudson River by the British Crown. He built this facility at the meeting of the Pocantico and Hudson Rivers as a provisioning depot for the family Atlantic sea trade and as headquarters for a worldwide shipping operation.

For more than thirty years, Frederick and his wife, Margaret and later his son Adolph shipped hundreds of African men, women and children as slaves across the Atlantic. The manor was tenanted by farmers of various European backgrounds and operated by enslaved Africans (Wiki).

Recreation of the baking operations on the estate

The baking oven

Baking hardtack at the ovens. This would have been used for shipping voyages.

(From the museum website)

At the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, the Philipses supported the British Crown and their landholdings were seized and auctioned off. The manor house was used during the war, most notably by British General Sir Henry Clinton during the militaries in 1779.

It was there that he wrote what is known as the Philipsburg Proclamation, which declared all Patriot-owned slaves to be freed and that blacks taken prisoner while serving in Patriot forces would be sold in slavery (Wiki/Hudson River Valley History).

Touring the Dutch barns for wheat seed processing

The processing of wheat and straw

A National Historic Landmark in 1961, the farm features a stone manor house filled with a collection of 17th and 18th Century period furnishings, a working water-powered grist mill and millpond, an 18 century barn, a slave garden and reconstructed tenant farm house (Wiki/Hudson River Valley History).

Philipsburg Manor in the Fall of 2024

During the season when the estate is open for visitors, there are costumed interpreters who reenact life in pre-Revolutionary War times doing various chores around the estate. During the Halloween season, the home is open for haunted tours of the manor during the “Headless Horseman” event. During the Christmas holiday season, the home is open for seasonal activities. Please check the website during COVID for activities (Historic Hudson River Valley).

The Philipsburg Manor and grounds in the Fall of 2024

The manor house in the Fall of 2025

Saugerties Lighthouse 168 Lighthouse Drive Saugerties, NY 12477

Saugerties Lighthouse

168 Lighthouse Drive

Saugerties, NY 12477

(845) 247-0656

https://www.facebook.com/SaugertiesLighthouse/

Open: Please check the website for hours/Seasonal

Admission: Free for the Grounds/Check the website for the B & B availability

https://www.saugertieslighthouse.com/

https://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=678

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g48564-d4214114-Reviews-Lighthouse-Saugerties_Catskill_Region_New_York.html

I was recently travelling through Saugerties, New York recently and saw the small sign for the historical Saugerties Lighthouse and decided to take the road path down to the river. This interesting little site is hidden behind a wetlands area and neighborhood of homes and a Coast Guard station.

The Historical Saugerties Lighthouse in Saugerties, NY

I walked through the wetlands park through a pathway of bridges and paths and suggest by the walk do not go after it has just rained. Also do not go after dark as the path is not lite. Still it is fascinating walk through the wetlands passing streams and patches of beautiful flowers and trees.

In the summer the path is full of wildflowers, birds, dragonfly’s and the sounds of the Hudson River swaying across the shore. The views are just beautiful.

Take your time to admire the flowers and plants along the paths and look at the views of the river as you exit the paths.

The pathway to the lighthouse

The lighthouse itself needs some work but it is elegant old building that sits stately against the mountain views. In the middle of the summer, all the colors are bright and vibrant. You can walk around most of the building but the walkway in the front offers a nice view of the whole structure.

Pathway to the lighthouse

The pathway to the lighthouse

The only way to go inside is to book a room at the B & B so check the website out.

https://www.saugertieslighthouse.com/availability

The wildflowers on the pathway to the lighthouse

The views of the Hudson River from the pathway

The beautiful views of the Hudson River along the pathway and the tiny beaches

The History of the Saugerties Lighthouse:

(From the Friends of the Saugerties Lighthouse)

The Saugerties Lighthouse on a sunny afternoon in July

Looking down the Hudson River

The lighthouse was practically a pile of crumbling bricks poised to tumble into the Hudson River, the Saugerties Lighthouse barely escaped the demolition ball in the 1960’s. Today, completely renovated and delighting B & B guests, it stands as a testament to the perseverance and hard work of many dedicated individuals.

The historic sign for the 1896 Lighthouse

The name Saugerties is derived from the Dutch “Zager’s Killetje”, meaning a sawmill on a creek and in fact, there was a mill built on Esopus Creek to harness the creek’s waterpower. The mill formed the cornerstone of a thriving paper industry, which produced as much as eight tons of paper daily, making it one of the leading producers of paper in the 1800’s.

The walkway to the lighthouse from the road near the Hudson River

On June 30, 1834, Congress appropriated $5000 for the construction of a lighthouse at the mouth of the creek to guide mariners past the nearby shallows and into Esopus Creek and the busy port of Saugerties. Charles Hooster built the lighthouse on a forty by fifty foot timber-framed pier and its light, produced by five whale oil lamps set in parabolic reflectors, commenced operation in 1835 with Abraham Persons as its first keeper.

The historic sign at the lighthouse

A fire in 1848 destroyed the original lighthouse but it was rebuilt on the old site by 1850 at which time four lamps were being displayed from atop the two-story structure. Light lists described the second lighthouse as a “light on keeper’s house.” A sixth-order Fresnel lens replaced the array of lamps and reflectors in the lantern room in 1854.

Ice floes and tidal currents took their toll on the foundation pier and on March 2, 1867, Congress appropriated $25,000 to build a replacement lighthouse just a few yards closer to the shore. This structure, still standing today, was built on a circular granite crib, with a depth of twelve foot and a diameter of sixty feet that rests on fifty-six pilings sunk into the riverbed and topped with three layers of six-inch timbers. The two story lighthouse has twenty-inch thick natural colored brick cavity walls and a sixth-order Fresnel lens cast its beacon from the lantern room. No longer needed, the old wooden lighthouse was sold.

Saugerties Lighthouse was considered a plum assignment due to its proximity to town. In 1888, Saugtegies Harbor was enlarged through the construction of jetties and the keeper’s jaunt to town was made easier when a small road was built along the north jetty to the lighthouse.

The lightkeepers were friendly with their neighbors and even enlisted their help. A neighbor downriver would hand a bed sheet out their window whenever they saw the lighthouse tender coming upriver, giving the lightkeeper about a half-hour notice before the inspector arrived.

Daniel Crowley was serving as keeper of the light when the current brick lighthouse was built. He had been placed in charge of the light in 1865, replacing his father Dennis, who was removed from service after just three months. Daniel’s sister, Katie, grew up at the lighthouse and seemed to be amphibious. She would often venture out into the river along in a skiff and when her little craft was upset, there were no worries as she could swim like a duck. Katie was made the official keeper of the light in 1873 and her lack of fear of the water lead to some remarkable rescues.

Around the turn of the century, the boathouse, located atop the foundation of the first lighthouse, a small island east of the current lighthouse was moved to the circular lighthouse pier. In 1910, a wooden platform was extended from the top of the tower to support a fog bell and an enclosed shaft was mounted below the platform to protect the suspended weights that powered the bell striking mechanism.

Conrad Hawk’s twenty-six year stint as keeper, lasting from 1914 to 1940 was far longer than that of any other keeper of Saugerties Lighthouse. In 1916, his son Earl and daughter Ilal were playing with a small battery and brought it into contact with the large battery used for the station’s fog bell. The resulting short-circuit caused an explosion that blew the battery to pieces, cutting Ilal’s face and produced a current that burned Earl’s arms. Earl nearly lost a big toe in 1922 when his foot came into contact with a boat’s propeller as he tried to climb aboard while swimming near the lighthouse.

Through they both had a few scars, Earl and Ilah survived at Saugerties Lighthouse. Earl Hawk graduated from the Navy’s school at Annapolis and entered the submarine service, while Ilal attended Cortland State teacher’s College and became a physical education instructor. Just before Christmas in 1939, Keeper Hawk’s went to the hospital to receive treatment for stomach ulcers but the treatments failed and he passed away on January 8th, 1940.

When electricity was extended to the lighthouse in the 1940’s, the dwelling was “modernized” with steam heat, plumbing and a telephone. In February 1954, Keeper Ed Pastorini was informed his light would be automated come spring. Wanting to leave the station in tip-top shape, he lovingly painted the three large upstairs bedrooms. Tears flooded his eyes when he closed the door and left the lighthouse for the last time.

The Historic Saugerties Lighthouse in all its beauty

The lighthouse tender soon arrived and its crew tore out the plumbing, furnace and fixtures. In stark contrast to Keeper Pastorini’s care, gallons of water were drained out on the floors and left to soak through the floorboards. The building was sealed up and left to deteriorate which it did quickly.

A decade later, the Coast Guard planned to demolish the vandalized and dilapidated lighthouse, when it stepped Ruth Reynolds Glunt, wife of Chester B. Glunt, a former Coast Guard light attendant stationed at Turkey Point near Saugerties. Mrs. Glunt a longtime friend of many lighthouse keepers along the Hudson River, carried a passion for saving lighthouse and mounted a campaign to halt the demolition. Through her efforts and those of architect Elise Barry, the structure was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

The Saugerties Lighthouse Conservancy was established in 1985 with the mission to restore and maintain the lighthouse and the following year the conservancy was able to purchase the lighthouse and surrounding wetlands for $1.00. The conservancy received a building on the verge of tumbling down but managed in just a few years to turn it into a beautifully restored lighthouse.

Roughly 10,000 old bricks, which had crumbling after being penetrated by moisture, were replaced. The lantern room was removed and refurbished. Stairs, handrails, floors and walls were completely reconstructed. To top of the transformation, a solar powered light installed in the lantern room by the Coast Guard was activated on August 4th, 1990.

Saugerties Lighthouse furnished in 1920’s decor is now open to the public and welcomes overnight guests as a bed and breakfast. Visitors can walk to the lighthouse along a one half mile long through the Ruth Reynolds Glunt Nature Preserve, where they will be greeted by a modern day resident keeper who runs the bed and breakfast and maintains the lighthouse.

The pathway to the lighthouse

A big thank you to the Friends of the Saugerties Lighthouse for their dedication in this important site

*This is just a portion of the blog from the Friends of Saugerties Lighthouse. Please see the attached website for more information.

Barnegat Light Museum/The Edith Duff Gwinn Gardens 501 Central Avenue Barnegat Light, NJ 08006

Barnegat Light Museum/The Edith Duff Gwinn Gardens

501 Central Avenue

Barnegat Light, NJ 08006

(609) 494-8578

Open: July and August Sunday-Saturday 10:00am-4:00pm/June-October 10:00am-4:00pm/Seasonal

Fee: Donation to the museum

https://barnegatlightmuseum.org

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46285-d8548161-Reviews-Barnegat_Light_Museum-Barnegat_Light_Long_Beach_Island_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

The Barnegat Light Museum at 501 Central Avenue

I was on Long Beach Island for the afternoon and had wanted to visit the Barnegat Light Museum on my last trip to the island but it was closed for the afternoon. When I checked the site to see if it was open this weekend, I found that it was and since I had to be in Beach Haven that afternoon I made it my first trip.

The Barnegat Light Museum sign in the off season.

The museum is now open ‘by appointment only’ in the off season, so I called the number provided and the President of the Museum Board opened the museum up for me and gave me a personal tour. What an interesting little museum packed with information and artifacts.

The Barnegat Light Museum main gallery

The museum is a former one room school house that was built in 1903 and used by island school children until 1954. The building still houses the original heating unit, a coal burning furnace and books of the children’s notes from school that had been handwritten (now typed) of current events and school notes.

The main gallery of the Barnegat Light Museum

The main gallery of the museum

The main attraction is the original light, a 1052 prism lens, for the Barnegat Lighthouse on display since 1927. The glass panels and sheer size and beauty of light shows how it was once the beacon for ships along the New Jersey coast. It had been brought to museum after moving around to various places over the years.

The original Barnegat Light for the Lighthouse

The Lighthouse and light display in the museum

Along the walls are all sorts of local artifacts such as dinosaur bones that had been found in the bay and donated to the museum (the president of the museum said today there are certain laws on this), local housewares from families that lived on the island and various types of fishing equipment.

Display cases filled with local fishing artifacts and net configuration for ‘Pound Fishing’

Shark Teeth, Native American Artifacts and prehistoric fossils

There is even a mini display of ‘Pound Fishing”, which is a series of poles and nets are used to catch the fisherman’s prey. This small display shows how it is constructed and used to catch the fish. There is an extensive display of Duck decoys, showing the island’s past and present as a hunting ground for water fowl. The displays come in all colors and types of ducks. There is also an interesting display of whale vertebrae and other fishing displays.

The Whale Vertebrae exhibit

There is an extensive history of the resort hotels that used to be on this part of the island that had been effected by the changing tides of the island. Like the old lighthouse and lighthouse keepers home, one of the hotels just gave way to erosion. This part of the island just keeps shifting.

The Resort and Hotels display of menus

The Resort and Hotels display-The former hotels

The Resort and Hotels display-Dishware and resort artifacts

Hotels disappeared because of shifting tides

Water sports and fishing displays

Since the building was once home to Barnegat Light’s School house, the original furnace is still in the building along with a display of items from old schools in the area.

The School gallery

The Schoolhouse Gallery

The schoolhouse furnace

The retail trade in the early part of the century leading from the old railroad track to the island was the local General Store. The railroads were a big part of the growth of this area until automobiles to the shore became the preferred mode of transportation.

The railroad display

The General Store exhibit

The General Store exhibit

The Edith Duff Gwinn Gardens behind the museum in all seasons:

One beautiful benefit of the museum is the beautiful gardens that surround the museum, The Edith Duff Gwinn Gardens. The pathways are maintained by the Long Beach Island Garden Club. These wondering paths surround the property and especially elegant looking in the back of the building.

The Gardens from the back of the museum

The Garden plaque to Edith Duff Gwinn

The Edith Duff Gwinn Gardens are on the side and behind the museum

The Edith Duff Gwinn Gardens that surround the museum are maintained by the Long Beach Island Garden Club. The gardens are at their peak in the late Spring and early Summer months. The paths are filled with seasonal flowers and shrubs.

In the off season, you can visit the museum by calling ahead and you can schedule an appointment with the staff of volunteers that work at the museum.

The Gardens in the late Summer of 2024

The Beehive

The Gardens in the late Summer of 2024

The Gardens in the late Summer

The Gardens in the late summer

The Garden paths are filled with colorful flowers and plants

The back of the Gardens and the seating area

The back of the Gardens

The Gardens also looked beautiful in the late fall when I arrived for the early holiday activities in Viking Village. I was able to walk around when the museum was closed for the season.

The Gardens during the late fall:

The Gardens during the late fall:

The Gardens during the late fall:

The Gardens during the late fall:

The gardens around Halloween time

The gardens in the Spring and Summer are quite spectacular and the volunteers do a nice job with the landscaping around the museum.

The gardens in the early Summer of 2024

The Gardens in the Summer of 2024

The Gardens in the Summer of 2024

The Gardens in the Summer of 2024

The gardens are really nice in the summer months

Both on the personal tour and when the museum is open during the summer months, the museum is a real treat both inside and out. This small museum is chock full of information not just on Barnegat Light but on the areas development for tourism and business.

It is such an interesting piece of Jersey Shore history.

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