Tag: Exploring New Jersey

Franklin Heritage Museum 95 Main Street Franklin, NJ 07416

Franklin Heritage Museum 95 Main Street Franklin, NJ 07416

Franklin Heritage Museum

95 Main Street

Franklin, NJ 07416

(973) 827-3481

https://www.westmilfordmessenger.com/entertainment/new-exhibits-on-display-at-franklin-heritage-museum-YTWM20060518305189997

Open: Seasonal please check the website

Admission: Free but donations are appreciated

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46449-d34737427-r1081595818-Franklin_Heritage_Museum_Franklin_Historical_Society-Franklin_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

The Franklin Heritage Museum at 95 Main Street

During the Annual Sussex County Heritage Weekend, one of the first stops I made was to the Franklin Heritage Museum in Downtown Franklin, NJ. The museum was the house in one of the offices of the mining company. The museum was a glimpse into community’s mining past and how it shaped this area of the State of New Jersey.

The museum sign out front

The museum building was the old New Jersey Zinc Company ‘Time Office’. This meant that the miners had to punch into their shift at the mine through this building. The old turnstile is to the right of the building.

History of the Franklin Historical Society:

(From the museum pamphlet)

The Franklin Historical Society was organized and incorporated in September 1996 as a non-profit all volunteer education association. It was founded to preserve the heritage of the Franklin Borough to create awareness of both the County and Borough of Franklin and its rich history of culture and ethnic heritage.

The Historical Society’s Museum is located at 95 Main Street in the historic Franklin Mill complex of the former New Jersey Zinc Company.

The Heritage Museum was opened to the public in April 1997 and its displays include:

Iron and Zinc Mining

Railroads

Franklin’s Churches and Schools

Franklin’s Local History

The sign for the old New Jersey Zinc Company ‘Time Office’ historical sign

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horsehead_Corporation

https://digital.sciencehistory.org/works/joj5gje

The history of the Franklin Mine and its place in New Jersey history

The smaller gallery off to the side of the building concentrates on the history of the NJ Mining industry and the many mining areas in Sussex County.

The room contains all sorts of artifacts related to the industry including both pictures and everyday equipment.

The pictures of all the miners at the company

The Mining Gallery

The Mining Gallery with equipment and artifacts for a day of working in the mines

Artifacts from home and work

This gallery was in transition with the volunteers working on the displays. This side of the museum with be on the local NJ Zinc Mine Company and its history.

The main gallery in the old Main Office space

The main gallery of the museum has a mixture of more mining artifacts and town objects that cover the history of the town.

The ‘250th Anniversary exhibition of the town and its mining past

For the ‘250th Celebration’ of our country, the museum created an interesting display of the formation of the community around the mining industry to its growth today.

The Mining and Equipment display

Community artifacts

Pictures of the police and fire department’s in this small mining community

https://www.franklintwpnj.org/departments/police-department

https://www.facebook.com/FranklinBoroughPolice

https://www.franklinfd.org

https://www.franklinborough.org/index.php/public-safety/fire-department

The main gallery display

Mining equipment in the display

The museum’s main emphasis is on the development of the mining industry both its early development up until when the mines closed in the 1980’s. The display above is on the early mining tools used by the workers.

The Mineral display

What I found interesting was all the minerals that are on display and the glow in the dark components that make these rocks special. When the lights go out, the true magic begins.

The old turnstile to enter the mining compound before the start of the shift

The back of the museum behind the fencing and the weeds, is the entrance to the old mines. Both the entrance building and entrance to the mine has been closed off for years but you can still see behind the fencing. This is the old turnstile off to the side of the building where the miners entered the complex.

Across the street from the museum is the old Hungarian Reformed Church, which is planned to be renovated.

The sign for the church

The old Hungarian church

Down the road from the downtown area where the museum is located is the Franklin Furnace Park, which is a beautiful picturesque park situated around a lake.

The historic sign for the Franklin Furnace Park

https://www.franklintwpnj.org/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/60/2554

All along the highway facing the park and in the park itself was the most beautiful and colorful foliage. Plan to visit the park after the museum for a colorful and relaxing break.

The foliage around the park in early October

The lake view of the park from the highway

The views from every angle of the park are breathtaking.

The view from inside the park and the footbridge to the island

The view of the park from south of the park

A view of the islands in the park

A view of the islands and the foliage

The islands and the foliage in the beginning part of October

The small center pine island

Traveling back down the road back to Route 23 South to continue my tour of museums

The view of the islands to the north in the lake

The view of the lakes from the south

The view of the foliage from the south

For a small town, Franklin offered such an interesting look at this part of New Jersey’s mining past and its transition from a mining industry to tourism based around the mines. The series of museums and cultural sites offers so much for visitors to see and experience.

A start at the Franklin Heritage Museum offers a glimpse into that past and as the museum keeps developing their exhibits will tell that story to visitors.

Vineland Historical Society 108 South Seventh Street Vineland, NJ 08360

Vineland Historical Society 108 South Seventh Street Vineland, NJ 08360

Vineland Historical Society

108 South Seventh Street

Vineland, NJ 08360

(856) 691-1111

https://discovervinelandhistory.org

https://www.facebook.com/discovervinelandhistory.org

Open: The third Saturday of each month from 1:00pm-4:00pm

Admission: Free but donations are appreciated

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46890-d28176052-r1078896843-Vineland_Historical_Society-Vineland_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

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The front of the Vineland Historical Society Museum at 108 South Seventh Street in Downtown Vineland, NJ

On my off time from the Firemen’s Convention after voting, I decided to visit a group of small museums in Cumberland and Glouster Counties in New Jersey. Most of the small ones were closed or had changed their hours online but the Vineland Historical Society was open for touring and was having a speaker that day. I had been invited to come by the President of their Board of Directors about a year earlier so I was glad that I was able to visit this weekend where the schedules matched up.

What an interesting museum with its focus not just on the history of the Town of Vineland but of the surrounding communities and the impact that Vineland had and has on Urban Design, Farming, Manufacturing and Inventions that contribute to the whole country.

The museum had been designed as a Historical Museum for community leaders who wanted to share their love of historical objects and the past history of the community. This is what built the collection over the years. Each section of the museum tells a different part of Vineland’s history from the community events like its “100th Anniversary” of the town, the history of the Police, Fire and Veterans of Foreign Wars, members of the community who contributed to Women’s Suffrage and to the number of everyday products we use like Grape Juice and Marshmallow Fluff that were invented here. Each section of the museum tells an interesting story.

About the Museum:

The museum is a stop on the Woman’s Suffrage Tour

The Mission of the Museum:

The Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Society is the oldest local historical society in New Jersey and its museum is the oldest purpose-built museum in the State of New Jersey. The Society is dedicated to collecting and preserving artifacts and records related to Vineland and the South Jersey region, and to sharing that material with visitors through exhibits, programs and other appropriate venues. Vineland has a rich, culturally-diverse past that is reflected through our collections. To learn more, please contact us or make an appointment to visit. 

The Rain Garden outside the museum

The Rain Water Garden sign

The Rain Water Garden outside the museum was in full bloom at the Summer and you could see that the garden was trying to attract butterflies and other insects that would help pollinize the garden. It must be very colorful during the Spring.

The first floor of the museum is the lecture room, the library and the gift shop along with local artifacts and the Glass Manufactured Gallery

The main gallery was set for a lecture later that afternoon. On all sides of the museum tell the story and the timeline of Vineland and the surrounding communities. There is the City of Vineland and Vineland Borough and Landis Township in 1952. So you see the artifacts of the farming communities and those of the developing City (Wiki).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vineland,_New_Jersey

The early views of the museum with the original heating unit and turn of the century shell art

Historical community information

The First floor collection of artifacts

The bust of Charles K. Landis, who founded the town

The display of the early Women’s Suffrage Movement in town, which helped women earn the right to vote. New Jersey was an early pioneer in the Movement.

The photo of Portia Kellogg Chase, an early leader in the Women’s Suffrage Movement in Vineland, NJ

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portia_Gage

The artifacts on the start of the early creation of a local family business. Putting shovel to the ground.

Early musical instruments that were part of both home and social life

The portraits of early leaders of the community and artifacts related to their families

The portrait of Charles K. Landis

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_K._Landis

https://www.cumberlandcountynj.gov/Charles-K-Landis

https://atlanticcityweekly.com/the-complex-life-of-charles-k-landis/article_ab932703-da12-5ee7-aa26-a1c425eb347d.html

The portrait of Portia Kellogg Chase as a young bride

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portia_Gage

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/206936062/portia-gage

The portrait of John Gage

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gage_(19th-century_landowner)

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/236816796/john-gage

The Gage Family

Made in Vineland: A Celebration of Local Inventors and Their Creations:

The exhibition highlights the remarkable people and ideas born right here in Vineland. From everyday household items to groundbreaking innovations in transportation, food, tools, and telecommunications, this special 2026 exhibit tells the stories of local inventors whose creations shaped daily life far beyond our city. Visitors are invited to explore these inventions and the fascinating individuals behind them during our Open House held every third Saturday of the month.

The ‘Made in Vineland’ exhibition:

The inventions of the Flower vase, the Woodruff Train Car and the Self Adjusted Plane

The inventions of Angel Food Cake Marshmallow fluff

The inventions of the Grape Juice industry and Skee-ball game

The post office desk from the turn of the last century

Just off the side of the main room is the Blown Glass Room. The area is known for special sand that is used for glass making. This made the State of New Jersey one of the leading manufacturers of glass in the country at the time.

https://www.beachcombingmagazine.com/blogs/news/new-jersey-the-birthplace-of-the-american-glass-industry?srsltid=AU7gw4VmSsTWgq56VQaUU1IgBpYBhNDyFzMGxARg4JFXY0pb6nKkrDiF

The Blown Glass Room

Each of the cases displays glass for different purposes and for different industries made by different companies. The museum has a very extensive collection of glass.

The Blown Glass Room

The Blown Glass Room

The Blown Glass Room

The Grape Juice industry glass and advertising display

The founding of the Welsh Grape company

https://www.welchs.com/en-us

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welch%27s

The photo of Thomas Bramwell Welsh, the founder of the company

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Bramwell_Welch

https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/raise-a-juice-box

The medical glass display

The Kimble Glass Company display

The display of the artwork of glass ends and tests. These items are made what is left over after production.

The displays on the way to the second floor galleries were the early photography display and the Vineland High School display.

The early photography display

The Vineland High School display of photographs and memorabilia

https://www.vineland.org/o/vshs

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vineland_High_School

As you walk up the stairs to the second floor, you pass the Portrait Gallery of prominent family members of the community.

The family Portrait display leading to the second floor galleries

The Second floor gallery and glass display

The display on the immigrant contributions to the Vineland Community.

The Italian immigrant contributions to Vineland

The Italian immigrant artifacts

Individual display cases

Farmhouse cooking equipment

Formal wear and accessories

The Vineland Egg industry

The Vineland ‘100th Anniversary’ exhibition

The Vineland’s Veterans display

The Vineland Fire Department display

https://www.facebook.com/vinelandfire

The Military, Vineland Police and Fire Department displays

https://police.vinelandcity.org

https://www.instagram.com/vineland_police/?hl=en

The Charles K. Landis Room:

The Landis family continues to add to the Charles K. Landis Room with family furnishings and heirlooms so there are items from many different eras.

The entrance to Charles Landis Family Room

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_K._Landis

https://www.cumberlandcountynj.gov/Charles-K-Landis

The Landis Room display of Indian Artifacts

The inside of the room of the Landis family mementos and heirlooms donated over the years by family members

At the end of the tour by the first floor entrance were the museum library where researchers and residents can find family records.

The museum Research Room and Library

The Museum Gift shop on the first floor of the museum

Looking at the historic map of Vineland by the door as I was leaving

It was a really interesting visit to the museum and I learned not just about the history of the community but its place in New Jersey as well.

Touring historic Downtown Vineland after the tour

https://www.facebook.com/mainstreetvineland

https://www.instagram.com/mainstreetvineland

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Old Schoolhouse and Firehouse Museum 6 Passaic Avenue Ogdensburg, NJ 07439

Old Schoolhouse and Firehouse Museum 6 Passaic Avenue Ogdensburg, NJ 07439

Old Schoolhouse and Firehouse Museum

6 Passaic Avenue

Ogdensburg, NJ 07439

https://www.sussex.nj.us/561/Old-Schoolhouse-Fire-Museum

https://www.facebook.com/oburghistoricalsocietypage

Ogdensburg Historical Society

Open: Sunday 1:00pm-4:00pm (Only on the forth Sunday of the Month) Monday-Saturday Closed-Check the website for seasonality.

Admission: Free but a donation is appreciated

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/R4960NKjustinw/mediabatch/14495681?m=19905

The front of the museum

I recently visited the Ogdensburg Old Schoolhouse and Firehouse Museum at 6 Passaic Avenue in Downtown Ogdensburg and discovered the community’s rich history of farming and mining in its past and its current destination as a weekend vacation spot and a up and coming bedroom community of New York City.

The County still has some farming and agriculture going on as the County continues to be built up with expats from the City, and Bergen and Morris Counties. The first floor is dedicated to the history of the Ogdensburg Fire Department with an old Engine and Ladders trucks, artifacts from the Sterling Mine just up the road and township property such as an old voting booth. You can read about the history of the Ogdensburg family as you head to the outside gallery.

The second floor has displays of various town departments including the Rescue, the Police Department and Fire Department. There are various displays of the town’s school system and various clubs in town. There are displays on the town’s mining and agricultural past with items such as farm advertising and mining equipment and minerals. Each display plays a role in the development of the community and how it progressed from farming to mining to manufacturing to the bedroom community it is today.

History of the Building:

“Built in 1910 as Ogdensburg’s fifth public school, it was adapted for re-use in 1930 as the Borough’s first firehouse replacing the one built in 1872. In 1984, with the aid of two state grants, the Ogdensburg Historical Society adapted it for re-use and dedicated it as the Old Schoolhouse and Firehouse Museum in 1987.

After 97 years, the Museum continues to serve the Borough of Ogdensburg as an historical learning and preservation center, and as a meeting hall.  On June 10, 2006 it was dedicated as an Ogdensburg Historic Site.”

The historic sign of the museum

The Borough of Ogdensburg is the host of this marker commemorating the rich history provided by this building.  This building has been maintained with much thought and care and remains as a museum and meeting place for the residents of the town. The marker is located in front of the building on Passaic Avenue just off Main Street by the Ogdensburg Elementary School.  This marker was part of the 2008 placement (Museum website).

The outside of the museum which served as a school and a firehouse

The first floor of the building has the fire trucks, the history of the fire department and Ogdensburg’s 250th Anniversary of the United States on display.

The museum artifacts from the 250th celebration of the Country

The museum is on the heart of mining country of Sussex County, NJ and the museum has an interesting mineral collection along with their collection of mining artifacts.

The Mineral and Mining Collection

The museum being home to the Ogdensburg Fire Department contains the history of the local fire department along with vehicles and artifacts from the department.

https://www.facebook.com/oburgfd

Fire Department

The history of the Ogdensburg Fire Department

One of the early Ladder Trucks

The history of the department

One of the early Engine Trucks

The history of the department

One of the early pull hose beds pulled by men and then by horses

The first floor also contains the history of the Ogden family in the region.

The history of the Ogden family in the community

The town voting booth and a turn of the last century phone

The second floor gallery used to serve as offices and living space of the fire department.

The main gallery on the second floor

The gallery case lines are filled with memorabilia from different aspects of the community telling the story of the growth of the community that included Mining and Farming. It explains the growth into the modern suburbs of today. This includes the Fire and Police and Rescue Departments, the School System and cultural events in the community.

The main gallery on the second floor of the museum

The main gallery on the second floor

The display case of Ogdensburg departments including school, fire and police departments

The display of the Ogdensburg Police Department

https://www.facebook.com/people/Ogdensburg-NJ-Police-Department/61590226020577

Police Department

The display of the Ogdensburg First Aid Squad

Blanket with historical sites and artifacts of the town of Ogdensburg, NJ

The businesses including schools and the domestic and farming industries

Each of the display cases represented different aspects of the town and has a variety of pictures and memorabilia from a variety of eras. The case lines show how the community changed over time from a mining community to the changes of a bedroom community of Newark and New York City.

The school system with classes and sports teams

https://www.obboe.org/apps/events

Household, town and business artifacts

Military and early Native American artifacts

The Glenbrook Farm Milk Bucket

The Domestic home display

The Entertainment display of recorders, phonographs, radios and early record players

The influence that Thomas Edison had on the community with new technology. Several pieces of Thomas A. Edison memorabilia are on exhibit to honor the ten years Edison spent mining iron ore at the old Edison Ore Milling Company on Sparta Mountain. Several of his phonographic inventions were created here (Ogdensburg Historical Society website).

Close up view of record players and Victrola’s

The Ogdensburg School system display

The Ogdensburg Presbyterian Church display of artifacts from inside the church

The NJ Zinc Mine display with minerals and equipment

The NJ Zinc Mine and Mineral display is a small s as molding of the museum down the street and the importance of the mining industry at the turn of the last century.

A closer look at the minerals display

A replica of a working mine operation. The machine shows how workers descending and brought up rock from the mines.

The Dedication to Mr. Waco Hadowantez, the town historian

The last display as you leave the museum is dedicated to the man who founded the historical society, Waco Hadowantez.

The museum tells an interesting story of the history of Ogdensburg and the surrounding area. It shows the importance of the Mining Community at the turn of the last century and how the community is pivoting towards tourism to tell its story.

Please contact the museum directly for seasonal hours and tours.

Woodside Cemetery West Madison and Prospect Avenue Dumont, NJ 07628

Woodside Cemetery West Madison and Prospect Avenue Dumont, NJ 07628

Woodside Cemetery

West Madison and Prospect Avenue

Dumont, NJ 07628

(201) 551-9760

https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/100305/woodside-cemetery

https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/221402383

https://newjerseycivilwargravestones.org/cemetery.php?cemID=590

Open: Sunday-Saturday Dawn to Dusk

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/R4960NKjustinw/mediabatch/14461975?m=19905

The Woodside Cemetery in Dumont, NJ

The historic Woodside Cemetery in Dumont, NJ. It is the home of many ‘founding families’ of Bergen County, NJ., such as the Demarest’s, Hopper’s, Van Buskirk’s, Haring’s (Hering’s), Van Saun’s, DeBaun’s, Westervelt’s and Zabriskie’s. These are the families that dominated the farming industry in Bergen County before and after the Revolutionary War. It is one of the many historical cemeteries and graveyards in Bergen County, NJ.

My mapping of historical cemeteries and graveyards in Bergen County, NJ:

https://visitingamuseum.com/tag/historic-cemeteries-of-bergen-county

https://mywalkinmanhattan.com/tag/historic-cemeteries-of-bergen-county-nj

My class’s Team Project on the Historical Revolutionary War Cemeteries and Graveyards of Bergen County, NJ:
https://visitingamuseum.com/2026/05/23/day-three-hundred-and-eighty-three-bergecco-parc-consulting-presents-bergen-250-exploring-bergen-countys-revolutionary-war-era-cemeteries-a/

The sign that welcomes you

The inside of the cemetery in the historical section of the cemetery

The historical Woodside cemetery is the resting place of many of the founding families of Bergen County and the surrounding communities of New York State.

Lining the historical Main Street of Downtown Dumont, the older part of the cemetery holds the family plots of some of the original settlers who shaped this country from its beginning.

The Voorhis family plot

The Zabriskie family plot

The Brinkerhoff family plot

The Waite Van Bushkirk family plot

The Van Bushkirk family family plot

The large Demarest family plot

The Hasbrouck family plot (the family who Hasbrouck Heights is named for)

The Blauvelt family plot

The DeBaum-Westervelt family plot

The Van Saun-Demarest family plot

The Demarest-Haring-Van Vliet-Vorhees family plot

The Demarest-Van Bushkirk family plot

The Brinkerhoff-Doremus-Demarest family plot

The Van Bushkirk-Hopper family plot

The grave of James Blauvelt DeMott

The cemetery is the resting place of many War of 1812, Civil War, the World Wars, Korean and Vietnam and the modern wars.

The cemetery is a place of respect and quiet contemplation. To see the contributions of these members of the community is to reflect on the history of Bergen County. These families and many people buried here have helped shape Bergen County and the State of New Jersey to what it is today.