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Deputy William G. King Law Enforcement Museum-Ulster County Fairgrounds 249 Liberty Road New Paltz, NY 12561

Deputy William G. King Law Enforcement Museum-Ulster County Fairgrounds

249 Liberty Road

New Paltz, NY 12561

(845) 255-1380

Ulster County Fairgrounds

Open: When the fairgrounds are open

Admission: Free but donations are accepted

My review on TripAdvisor:

The Deputy William G. King Law Enforcement Museum is a small museum on the fairgrounds of Ulster County and is only open when the fairgrounds are open. The museum is manned by officers of the Sheriff’s Department. The museum houses the collection of retired Deputy William G. King law enforcement memorabilia.

The entrance to the museum

The collection includes a wide variety of guns, ammunition, equipment used on the job and riot gear.

The main gallery of the one room museum

The display cases house police department patches, pins for uniform, pictures of policemen and incidents. There is a collection of badges from various departments around the country.

A collection of awards and night sticks

What I found impressive was the collection of riot gear and equipment used on emergency calls. People do not understand the life of a police officer when duty calls and their perspective might be during a riot to protect people.

Riot gear, the gun collection and police equipment collections

The officer who manned the museum from the sheriff’s office was explaining how the equipment was used and how it has progressed in time.

Items from the Ulster County Sheriff’s Department

The museum also has a simulation of the New York State Gas Chamber, Electric Chair and the jails. I thought this was pretty interesting in that Capital punishment is still legal in New York State.

The display on Capital Punishment in New York State

A better view of the display

The Sheriff’s Department of Ulster County does a nice job maintaining and explaining all the items in the museum. They also make it less intimidating for children to approach a police officer when they need help. The museum is packed with information and the officers manning it could not have been nicer. Its just too bad that it is only open during the times the fairgrounds are open.

The banner from the Ulster County Deputy Sheriff’s Wives Association

Ulster County Fire Museum Ulster County Fairgrounds 249 Liberty Road New Paltz, NY 12561

Ulster County Fire Museum-Ulster County Fairgrounds

249 Liberty Road

New Paltz, NY 12561

(845) 255-1380

Ulster County Fairgrounds

Open: When the fairgrounds are open for events

Admission: Free but donations are accepted

My review on TripAdvisor:

The Ulster County Fire Department Museum at the Ulster County Fairgrounds

The Ulster County Fire Department Museum is a unique little museum in that it is only open when the fairgrounds are open. It staffed by volunteers from Ulster County’s Volunteer Fire Departments. From the age of most of the volunteers, I could tell as a retired fireman, were all the guys whose firemen days at behind them. Still they are committed firefighters and have some good stories to tell.

The inside of the museum

The museum is more of an exhibition than a museum but for a small museum it packed with all sorts of artifacts, fire fighting equipment and memorabilia on the early days of fire fighting.

The old fire department medallions that showed what fire department would come to your home because of the company fire insurance you paid to them.

Some of the older artifacts they had were these fire department medallions from the various fire companies that existed that people paid into to protect their homes. Those were the days when the companies used to compete to be the best.

The collection of patches and awards

The museum contained a large collection of awards, ribbons and patches from fire departments from all over the local area and beyond. The collection included ribbons from various competitions and conventions, company emblems and events over the years.

Fire fighter mugs from various departments and events

The museum has an extensive collection of commemorative mugs. These are sold or given by fire department and companies to mark anniversaries and special events. These mugs mark the special occasions in a fire fighters career. As a fireman I have also found that these pile up quickly in your cupboards.

Department mugs from various department events and from companies

The museum had an extensive collection of toy fire trucks and games on display. There were samples of these out in front of the museum for the kids to play with that day.

The collection of fire trucks on display

The museum put the bunker gear we firefighters use on calls. This protects us in the weather conditions as well.

The fire fighter bunker gear used on calls

The emergency gear we use on calls on roadways and incidents

I got to talking with the volunteer firemen from Ulster County and like most departments around the country, they are having problems finding volunteers to man the departments. It is a tough field and people don’t want to do it for free anymore. I figure like a lot of towns around us, the departments will be paid soon. That is the wave of the future.

Firefighter Scooby Doo protecting the museum

Still the firefighters from Ulster County do a nice job maintaining this museum. For a one room museum, it is packed by information and manned by firefighters who care about the profession.

Vintage Automobile Museum of New Jersey 1800 Bay Avenue, Building 13 Point Pleasant, NJ 08742

Vintage Automobile Museum of New Jersey

1800 Bay Avenue, Building 13

Point Pleasant, NJ 08742

(732) 899-0012

http://www.vintageautomuseum.org

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46744-d4986076-r960220008-Vintage_Automobile_Museum_of_New_Jersey-Point_Pleasant_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

Open: Sunday 12:00pm-4:00pm/Monday-Wednesday Closed/Thursday Please check the website/Friday & Saturday 12:00pm-4:00pm

Admission: Free but donations accepted

I got to go to the Vintage Auto Museum of New Jersey on a return trip to Point Pleasant. Both the Vintage Car Museum and the New Jersey Museum of Boating share the same building and are both open on Friday afternoon. So viewing their collections is a little easier.

What I like about the Vintage Car Museum is the selection of cars that they have on display. These are the cars of the early silent films and the beginning of ‘sound pictures’. Most of the cars date from the late 1880’s to show the development of the automobile through its early years. From the early automation of steam engines to gas powered cars, I could see Victorian men and women driving these early cars to the flappers and underworld bosses driving the get away cars of the past. These are cars that you will see in the movies.

The cars on display are in pristine condition with accompanying signs so you will have a full description of the make and model of each automobile. There is a small selection of cars so the collection is easy to see in one afternoon.

On the side walls there are secondary collections of driving accessories, pictures of cars and a small collection of toy cars in one of the cases. It is the perfect museum for car buffs or for visitors interested in the history of automobiles. It is perfect for those who love the silent films and early American engineering. These pristine cars are lined like jewels on a carpet that are meant to impress.

The Mission Statement:

(From the museum pamphlet)

Our mission is to provide an educational and entertaining family attraction, preserving, sharing and taking pride in an automobile heritage that truly encouraged and shaped the growth of New Jersey and our country and its impact on our society.

The front of the Vintage Automobile Museum of New Jersey in Point Pleasant, NJ

The front of the gallery

The front gallery of the museum

The front gallery of the museum

The history of the Museum:

(From the museum pamphlet)

The automobile has been a part of our culture for well over 100 years. Above all other inventions, the automobile is responsible for our development as a society. The automobile allowed people to leave their farms for the first time to visit the big cities and it allowed city dwellers to visit farms to see their first cow. There is no doubt that the automobile represents freedom, affluence, power and art.

In 2000, members of the Vintage Automobile Club of Ocean County, NJ having hosted many car shows, wanted to bring antique cars to a central viewing place. The result was the founding of the Vintage Automobile Museum of New Jersey, a venue suitable for displaying the many cars built around the world for the past 125 years. In addition to having vehicles on display, we have other artifacts. Photos, tools, signs, gas pumps and even a barber’s chair are all there for everyone to enjoy.

The some of the cars on display that enjoyed are the:

The 1896 Ford Quadricycle

The 1896 Ford Quadricycle

The Quarter Midget Racing sign

The Quarter Midget Racer on display

The 1903 Oldsmobile Model R car on display

The 1915 Ford Model T sign

The 1915 Ford Model T car on display

The 1923 Packard Phaeton

The 1923 Packard Phaeton on display

The mini Doyle sign

The 1922 Ford Model T Huckster Wagon sign

The 1922 Ford Model T HucksterWagon on display

What I loved about these cars was the beauty of them and the rarity of their make and style. These cars look like they are ‘showroom ready’ to drive out of the building. I love the care that their owners give them and the look of their design. It is also the history and the age of these cars of the collection that make them impressive to look at and admire.

The collection of toy vintage cars that are in the collection.

The New Jersey Museum of Boating 1800 Bay Avenue Johnson Boat Works, Building 13 Point Pleasant, NJ 08742

The New Jersey Museum of Boating

1800 Bay Avenue

Johnson Boat Works, Building 13

Point Pleasant, NJ. 08742

(732) 701-2581

http://www.numb.org

Open: Sunday 9:00am-5:00pm/Monday-Tuesday Closed/Wednesday 12:00pm-4:00pm/Thursday Closed/Friday-Saturday 12:00pm-4:00pm

Admission: Free but donations accepted

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46745-d28035581-r960415038-The_New_Jersey_Museum_Of_Boating-Point_Pleasant_Beach_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

The entrance to the New Jersey Museum of Boating

The sign that welcomes you

The Johnson Boat Yards just outside the museum where you can see all the private pleasure boats

The Museum’s Mission:

(From the museum’s pamphlet)

The mission of the New Jersey Museum of Boating is to celebrate our state’s rich maritime history. We are committed to educating, preserving, interpreting and presenting the boats built in New Jersey and the related marine equipment and materials traditionally used in the process.

‘Boats N’ Kids’ is part of the charter we are endeavoring to educate today’s youth on the history of boating in New Jersey. We offer several programs for children which include basic boating safety and intern programs during the spring and summer. Visit the website or call our number for more details.

The boat display outside the museum

In 2002, the museum became the newest destination on the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail, achieving recognition by the National Park Service for the historic value of its collection and location.

The display of marine vessels outside of the museum

As part of our Charter, we are committed to the education of today’s youth on the history of boating in New Jersey. In that regard, the museum has developed a multi-faceted program to invite students from New Jersey’s elementary and high schools for information tours of the museum.

The display of boats just outside of the museum

My visit to the Museum:

While I admired all the boats outside the museum and the Johnson family Boat Works Marina and all the pleasure boats, all the nautical displays were in the inside of the museum.

The inside of the museum offers a gift shop and an introduction to the museum’s mission on the history of Boating

One of the first displays describes the famous shark attacks at the Jersey shore in 1916 as summer beach bathing was becoming popular. These were noted in the film ‘Jaws’.

The New Jersey Shark Attacks of 1916

The next display I visited was the World War II display to our veterans and their contributions from the State of New Jersey. There had been many sightings of enemy submarines on the Jersey shore.

The detailed display on our State’s contribution to the ‘Great War’

War propaganda poster that would be considered racist today but effective back then.

The next display was on the history of the fishing in the state. We have had and still have some of the best fishing on the East Coast both for pleasure and commercially.

Some of the contributions of our fishermen in New Jersey

There was also a big contribution to the steam engines from New Jersey as well.

The ‘Steamboats’ exhibition

The Sneakbox sign

On display as well was the ‘Frisky’. The ‘Frisky’ is the first ‘Beaton Built’ sneakbox. It was built in 1941 by David Beaton & Sons which won numerous championships in the 1940’s and 1950’s (museum pamphlet).

The ‘Frisky’ sneakbox

In the back of the museum, there was a display of vintage outdoor motors which powered boats over the years.

The exhibition sign for the Vintage Motor exhibition

The sign for the “Vintage Motor” exhibition

The Vintage Outdoor Motor display

The outdoor motors from times past

In the front of the museum you will see the ‘Frame’ exhibition and all the tools to build a boat.

The ‘Frames’ sign

The ‘Frames’ display

A closer look at all the tools for the construction of a boat

There were also smaller displays around the museum such as the NJ Coast Guard display and the NJ State Rowing Championship’s to show the nautical activities that are going on in the State of New Jersey.

The Coast Guard station display

The NJ State Rowing Championship display

The New Jersey Museum of Boating offers a wealth of information on New Jersey’s nautical past, present and future place in history.

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