The Greater Cape May Historical Society
6531/2 Washington Street
Cape May, NJ 08204
(609) 884-9100
http://www.capemayhistory.org/
http://www.capemayhistory.org/about-us.html
Open: Colonial House Museum hours:
Wednesday-Saturday, 1:00pm-4:00pm June 15th-September 15th
Open during Victorian Weekend in October. Special exhibits at Halloween and Christmas.
My review on TripAdvisor:
The Historical Society at Christmas time.
The Cape May Historical Society in the summer of 2023.
What an interesting visit I had to the Cape May Historical Society’s Memucan Hughes Colonial House. This tiny museum is only open between June 15th-September 15th and after that only for special events.
It is an fascinating little home that was built somewhere between 1730 to 1760. The original house no one is too sure if it had been built for the original owner or had been there and added on to as the records for the age of the house are unclear.
The welcoming sign at Christmas
The sign in the summer of 2023.
The home consists of two small downstairs room filled with period furniture and decorations and there is an upstairs with three small rooms that have just opened up to the public. The front room Mr. Hughes used as a tavern that he kept open until almost the 1800’s. He had catered to a growing whaling industry that needed some form of entertainment in this quiet town that was isolated from the rest of the state.
The Pub in the front room of the house for meals and conversation.
The Front Room of the house served as a pub for visiting travelers.
The room was set up for dining and amusements. The Lincoln Crib is in the background.
The Lincoln crib was built by Abraham Lincoln’s father.
The Arrowhead and Pipe collection in the Pub Room.
The front of the house is decorated as tavern to greet guests. There were tables filled with games and items that would have catered to the trade but still you knew you were in someone’s home. There are vintage card tables, board games and some household items.
The Living room at the Cape May Historical Society
The back room is a closed off kitchen with a fireplace and spinning wheels and wash tubs, all the things to run a household. There were also children’s toys, kitchen and garden gadgets and family items to personalize the house.
The narrow stairs lead to the upper bedrooms and the attic loft.
The upstairs bedrooms and the attic room were open in the summer of 2023, and I got to see the whole house. The upstairs is supposedly haunted, but I did not see anything. What I did see was how large the house really was and why the family of eight were able to live in this small house.
The upstairs bedroom
The upstairs bedroom
The attic loft room was supposed to be haunted but I saw nothing.
During the Victorian Age, the family came into a more prosperous life and built the big house in the front of the home.
The Hughes mansion in the Victorian times sits right in front of the old house and is now a B & B
The Hughes family lived in the house until the Victorian age and then they built the house on the front of the property and moved the smaller house to the back of the grounds. The house had been moved three times since its original location on the main road a few blocks away.
The tour itself is only about a half hour long and the guides do a nice job explaining the history of the house. On the gloomy day I visited, the museum was very busy with people visiting the house and with its connection to colonial history and the popularity of the musical, “Hamilton”, it is making it a popular destination when visiting Cape May.
History of the Museum:
The sign outside the house
The mission of the Greater Cape May Historical Society is to collect, preserve, document, interpret and share the history of Greater Cape May and to enhance the appreciation of that history through the Society’s historic site, The Colonial House Museum, collections, research, exhibitions, educational programs and publications.
The Hughes family home during the Christmas Holiday season 2022
All are invited to visit the Colonial House Museum, a 1700’s era house. The house was moved to its present site next to City Hall when the Hughes Family built the grand Victorian that is now a Bed & Breakfast.
The Hughes family home of the 1700’s at Christmas time.
The house decorated for the holidays in 2025
Th Ed front of the house decorated for the holidays
Come visit us and see the House as it was with a Tavern Room and a Common Room when it was owned by Memucan Hughes. On display are period furnishings and other period household items.
The Hughes family home of the late 1800’s
The Society presents an annual exhibit dedicated to an unique chapter of Greater Cape May History along with special events for Halloween and Christmas.
Disclaimer: This information was taken directly from the Greater Cape May Historical Society’s pamphlet, and I give them full credit for it. Please call the above number for more information and selected openings.
The Cape May Historical Society in the summer of 2023.
Visiting a Museum: The Unique, Unusual, Obscure and Historical 