The one thing I refuse to do on Father’s Day is to spend the day at the cemetery. I know that is some people’s idea of honoring one’s family members but it is not mine. I went on Friday and paid my respects to my father (whom this blog is dedicated to) and spent time remembering some of the good times we had in past. I dropped some cut flowers from our gardens (some of which he planted) and said a small prayer. Then I left.
My idea of honoring my father and spending Father’s Day with him is to do something that we would have shared together. We were always running around somewhere and exploring something new and doing something fun. That is how I wanted to honor him. By being active and giving him a toast at Sunday dinner.
Open: Sunday 1:00pm-4:00pm/ Monday-Saturday Closed/Museum is open from April-December/The Auxiliary buildings are closed when the museum is closed. The community is welcome on Sundays when the museum is open and for community events. Please check the museum website on this.
I got to the Church Landing Farm in plenty of to tour the house and the grounds. What an interesting museum that is full of surprises. When they unlock the auxiliary buildings to show you the displays, they are a real wonder of fascinating artifacts each with its own theme.
The sign welcoming you to the Church Landing Farm-Pennsville Historical Society
The house was built by Daniel Garrison between 1840-1845 and was the home for five generations of the Garrison family up to 1973 when the last living relative, Anna Locuson died and did not leave an heir. In 1991, Atlantic City Electric worked with the Pennsville Township Historical Society to open this as a museum.
As I toured the floors with the docent, I noticed all the beautiful antiques. These items are all donations to the home. The only items of the Garrison family are portraits and pictures that were donated by the family over the years. On the lower floors are the kitchen, the Living Room and the Dining Room all decorated in a Victorian style. The kitchen looked like it was from the 1920’s with all sorts of kitchen items from a period of the 1880’s to the 1920’s.
When we toured the upstairs bedrooms, one was decorated with children’s furnishings and toys. The other bedroom was decorated for adults and had once served as the Master Bedroom for the home. The house also has a complete Research Library for people to find genealogy about their families who lived in town and of Pennsville, NJ.
When you tour the outside auxiliary buildings, this is when the museum really shines. When each building on the property is opened for the tour, you get to see the whole collection of artifacts. There is a small one room schoolhouse on the property that served the community from 1837-1919, a period outhouse and a piece of art from the old electrical building that was located on the bay.
The outdoor buildings that show the displays
Each of the buildings has its own theme. One of them is dedicated to the high schools with all their uniforms and trophies, yearbooks and pictures of various sports teams. There is all sorts of spirit equipment and high school artifacts.
Another is a floating Fishing Cabin that was moved to the ponds and lakes when people wanted to ice fish and all the equipment you needed to perform the task. There was another shed that had all sorts of Military artifacts from various wars along with items from the local fire and police departments as well as the VFW. There was a display on the “Sunbeam”, the local paper of Pennsville and its former editor.
The outdoor sheds
The most impressive building display was of the Riverview Beach Park, a former amusement park that was located in the current park until 1969. The display has all sorts of artifacts that include signs, old ride cars, signs, pictures, maps and items from the games. The are all sorts of items such as prizes that were won, pamphlets and signs from the park. It really brings the old park back to life.
One of the sheds is used as Santa’s House during the holidays as well as the house will be fully decorated for the Christmas holidays. Santa and his wife make an appearance at the busy open house. I was able to visit the decorated home and buildings in 2023 and there is a magical wonder to the museum at the Christmas holidays.
Santa and Mrs. Claus at the Pennsville Historical Society
I was able to tour the grounds though and walk through the small gardens. The grounds had the most spectacular views of the Delaware Bay and the Delaware Memorial Bridge. I am sure much of this did not exist in that time frame but still it is the most amazing view especially on a sunny day like I had. The sun has the most amazing shine on the water from this direction.
The Church Landing Farms grounds and view of the Delaware River and the Delaware Memorial Bridge
Even when the house is not open, still take time to tour the grounds and visit the outer buildings. It is a nice walk around the property.
The Church Landing Farmhouse during the summer months.
I took an extensive tour of the house in December when it was decorated for the Christmas holiday season. The house, grounds and outer buildings were all decorated for the Christmas holiday season with a hugely successful Open House on the first weekend of December. This is when this museum is highly under-rated with the amount of time and effort put into decorating every inch of this property. The display of Christmas decorations is dazzling! What a tour!
The Church Landing Farmhouse during the Christmas holidays.
The front of the Church Landing Farmhouse.
The theme this year is “Toy Soldiers”.
We entered through the kitchen and Gift Shop area of the house towards the back and I have to say that every room was decorated to the hilt with beautiful trees and decorations. There was not one corner of the house that was not decorated beautifully and tastefully.
The museum gift shop just off the kitchen.
The kitchen in the Church Landing Farmhouse.
The kitchen at the Church Landing Farmhouse.
The Christmas tree in the kitchen of the Church Landing Farmhouse.
I was lucky in that I had a personal tour with the President of the Historical Society and she took me room by room explaining who designed and decorated the rooms and the detail work that went into them. We went room by room to see all the decorations.
The Living Room was decorated with all sorts of interesting decorations.
The Living Room tree with Santa standing guard.
The Christmas tree in the Living Room.
The next room we visited was the Music Room with its piano as the center of the room and a beautiful Christmas tree off to the side of the room.
The Music Room at the Church Landing Farmhouse.
The Music Room Christmas tree.
The next room was the Dining Room set for Christmas dinner.
The Dining Room set for Christmas dinner.
We then entered the room that Santa met all the visitors when they were at the Open House. The area was just off the foyer and was the first room that greeted visitors once they walked through the front door.
The Santa Room with a train set.
Santa and Mrs. Claus seats in the front parlor of the house.
The decorated staircase and hallway of the First Floor.
The Upstairs hallway with dolls.
Bedroom One
Bedroom One
Bedroom Two
The Upstairs bathroom
The Elf in the bathtub
I thought this was quite unique was to see an elf in the bathtub of the upstairs bathroom. This little guy amused many visitors when he was just laying there in the tub with a smile on his face.
The nutcracker was standing guard when I returned to the first floor.
After I had toured the entire house, the three of us visited the smaller outer buildings that had also been decorated for the holidays. These included the Schoolhouse display, the Amusement Park display, the Military display and the High School displays. Each was decorated with their own them and was unique in its own way.
The Amusement Park display in the Riverview Beach Park building:
The Amusement Park display.
The Amusement Park display
The Amusement Park display with one of the original carousel mirrors.
The Riverview Beach Park Display in the Amusement Building.
The Amusement Park display.
The Amusement Park display.
The display of the original park.
The next building we visited was the Military display in the Veteran’s Building. Every corner of the room was decorated to the hilt and honored local members of the local military.
The Military Building
The Military Building
The Military Building
The next building was dedicated to the local schools and bands. When it is not decorated, you can see all the Alumni objects from the local high schools including uniforms, composite pictures and trophies.
Pennsville School display
The High School displays.
The School displays.
The Christmas tree inside the High School building.
After we left this small set of buildings, we went to the old Schoolhouse display on the other side of the farmhouse. That was set up as a school room circa 1900.
The Schoolhouse by the side of the main farmhouse.
The inside of the School House.
The Stuffed Animal display.
After I had finished walking around the buildings with the President and one of the Board Members, we toured the property really quickly. On such a beautiful sunny afternoon, I really had a great view of the Delaware River and the Bridge.
The Gazebo with a view of the Delaware Memorial Bridge in the background.
A close up view of the house as I was leaving.
The last thing the ladies showed me was the Totem Pole that they had created for the site. I thought the carvings were really original.
The Totem Pole of the Pennsville Historical Society property.
Carvings on the Totem Pole.
Carvings on the Totem Pole.
Carvings on the Totem Pole.
It was an amazing tour in a very underrated museum that has so much to see and experience during the holiday season. This display closed as of the last week of December before Christmas and if you have not experienced this year, I suggest making a trip starting next December to see this magnificent display of Christmas trees and decorations that dazzle the eyes with their colors, designs and sheer glitter. It was one of the best Christmas displays I have seen in a long time.
The History of the Church Landing Farmhouse/Penn Township Historical Society:
(From the Pennsville Township Historical Society website):
The Church Landing Farmhouse was built in 1840 by Daniel Garrison. In 1991, the Atlantic City Electric Company provided structural renovations to the house and a group of dedicated volunteers from the community restored the farmhouse and grounds to their current glory.
The Church Landing Farmhouse grounds currently house a 130 year old Floating Fishing Cabin, a 100 year old Wash House owned by Pennsville Physician Dr. James, the 100 year old Perry Farm Privy (the farm is located on the Pennsville-Salem Road), the Riverview Beach Park Museum, a 1929 Art Deco Tile from the original Deepwater Generating Station building, a one room Schoolhouse, and the historic records that features PMHA, Salem and SCCS Yearbooks, local genealogy, Township Obituaries (2010-2020), Federal NJ Township Census Records and local history.
The Art Deco Tile from the Deepwater Generating Station Building
The displays at the museum feature newspaper clipping and a section on local newsman Bill Gallo Jr., police, fire and military from the area, high school yearbooks and displays, ferry and excursion ships, antique looms, sewing machines and spinning wheels, antique tools and church records.
The Church Landing Farm estate from the parking lot
Visiting a Museum: The Unique, Unusual, Obscure and Historical 