Chatham Township Historical Society/Red Brick Schoolhouse Museum

24 Southern Boulevard

Chatham, NJ 07928

(973) 635-4911

https://www.chathamtownshiphistoricalsociety.org/index.html

Open: The First Sunday of the Month from 2:00pm-4:00pm/By Appointment

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46352-d24935947-Reviews-Red_Brick_Schoolhouse_Museum-Chatham_Morris_County_New_Jersey.html

The front of the Red Brick Schoolhouse Museum/Chatham Township Historical Society at 24 Southern Boulevard

The historical sign of the Mount Vernon School

The museum sign that welcomes you to the museum

The Mission Statement of the Museum:

(from the museum website)

The Historical Society of the Township of Chatham was established to increase the knowledge, awareness and preservation of the Township of Chatham history.

I visiting the Red Schoolhouse Museum on the first Sunday of the month and found a delightful little museum filled with artifacts that represent life in Chatham during various times in the town’s history. The museum has two floors with displays telling the history of the Township of Chatham from the beginnings with the Lenape Tribe living in the area to modern times.

The Museum gallery

On the first floor there is the special exhibitions that rotate in the museum. Some of the themes of the exhibitions were Children’s Toys and Playthings through the ages, Wedding gowns and formal wear and Revolutionary War items. The museum also has an interesting exhibition on the Lenape Indians who lived in this region before the Dutch arrived.

Wedding Gowns and Formal Wear exhibition on the first floor

Dressmaking and Sewing in the home and in business

Children’s Toys and Playthings through the ages

Children’s dolls and stuffed animals

The Train display of electric antique items

Revolutionary War and Trade items on the top shelf and historical cameras

The second floor has displays that tell different stories. The display cases have Native American artifacts, farming equipment, household items, pictures of the town at different stages of development, the community changes from a farming to business with the advent of the railroad. Here you see the changes in household items as time goes on.

The Lenape Display

Native American stone objects

The Arrowhead collection

Each display tells an interesting story of the Township of Chatham. Looking over how the towns in the area developed I didn’t even know there was a Village of Chatham and a Township of Chatham. I was also impressed with their toy collection which should be a conversation piece to any group of elementary school students. I think this would be interesting to seniors as well on times have changed since they were children. The museum really has something for everyone. All different stories are being told at this museum and the collection continues to grow when residents pasts become part of the museum’s future.

The display on resident Reverend Samuel Tuttle

The Statement of Purpose:

(from the museum website)

The Historical Society of the Township of Chatham, a volunteer, not-for-profit organization founded in 1975, is dedicated to increasing knowledge, awareness and preservation of our town’s unique historical heritage.  We maintain the Red Brick Schoolhouse Museum where we coordinate our educational programs, research, and preservation advocacy as well as manage the discovery, collection, and conservation of materials that illustrate the history of the area prior to and after European settlement.

Artifacts from one of the museum’s historic digs

The audience served by the Society’s programs includes members of the Society, residents, students and visitors to the community, scholars, the public in general as well as businesses and governmental agencies in the area. 

The display of the history of the Red Brick Schoolhouse

The Schoolhouse and Native American collections

The Society carries out a broad range of activities.  It oversees the Red Brick Schoolhouse Museum and library; mounts permanent, temporary, and traveling exhibits; coordinates education programs with local schools; and sponsors a public lecture series.  In addition, the Society publishes pertinent materials related to local history; acquires, preserves and curates the Society’s collections and archival materials; and researches the history of the Township of Chatham and its environs.  Further, it allows access to the Society’s store of knowledge as far as may be feasible to all who wish to examine or study it; supports a historic marker program; cooperates with other local historical societies and organizations; and uses electronic media to awaken public interest. 

Historic artifacts at the museum

About the Museum:

(from the museum website)

The Red Brick Schoolhouse was built in 1860 and used until 1928 when the town’s  five rural schools were replaced by the Southern Boulevard School.  The schoolhouse was deeded to the town and, for many years, was used as the Town Hall.  When the town  offices were relocated in 1988, the building was put into the charge of the Historical Society for use as a museum.

The display semi professional baseball and town development

The museum has a permanent exhibit on the second floor which is arranged according to the town’s original school districts.  Each district highlights, not only that school, but also the industries, farming activities, and the people who lived in each district.

The objects reflecting different times in the town’s history

The first floor is a large meeting room where our lecture series is presented.  The room contains a number of displays as well, including antique toys, food preparation equipment, dresses, and various locally manufactured items.

The Museum Collections:

(from the museum website)

Oral Histories:  Beginning in the late 1970s, members of the Society began recording oral histories by the elder residents of the Township.  About 75 have been collected thus far in this ongoing project.

The Great Swamp display

Books:  The Society has numerous books, old and recent, concerning the history of New Jersey, Morris County, Chatham Township, and the surrounding area.  Books can be used only at the museum.

Documents:  Various town documents including poll books, road district records, tax records, among others, dating from as early as the 1840s are available upon request for study at the museum.

Artifacts from the dairy farms, the local community and pictures of the schools

Artifacts:  The museum is full of a wide spectrum of artifacts that reflect life in the Township throughout its history.

The schoolhouse and electronic display near the staircase

Photographs:  The Society has a large collection of original and scanned photographs of the activities, places, and people of the Township.  Early images provide a window into the Township’s past.  More recent images are forming the record for the next generation of history-lovers.

The Schwartz Dairy Farm pictures

Articles from the Schwartz Family Dairy Farm, one of the former businesses of town

Maps:  The Society has a number of old maps of Chatham and the immediate area, which can be viewed at the museum.

The changes in the town and its development over the years

Archeological  Artifacts:  In 1983-84, members of the Society undertook an archeological dig at the site of the Nathaniel Bonnel V House.  The house, on River Road, was built in 1756 and burned in 1940, then the land was abandoned.  When a condominium development was planned  for the area, the Society was granted permission for the dig.  Artifacts found during the archeologist-guided excavation are displayed in the museum.

The Bonnel House archeological dig

There is something for everyone to see at the museum.