Tag: family

Working the Halloween Parade-A Night of Ghosts and Ghouls and things that go Bump in the night October 31st, 2026

My nephew, Kyle, created this interesting pumpkin as a birthday present to me and represent Halloween 2026

I still can’t believe that Halloween is over. I swear I blinked my eyes on the Forth of July and I am now seeing Christmas decorations. One moment it is sunny and eighty degrees and the next the leaves changed colors early and there was October, which seemed to zoom by. What is funny is that Grace, who I report to in the parade, contacted me in July to see if I was volunteering and that made time go faster.

Arriving in Manhattan to a pop up Halloween store in the subway at 42nd Street

I knew it would be a busy time for me so I glad the goal at work that all my exams and papers would be done and graded for my students so could enjoy the Halloween weekend as well and just relax. It would be full steam ahead for them as well. All the days leading up to the holiday were busy so there were a lot of late nights. I could relax and just be part of the parade on Halloween night.

Don’t be fooled by the holiday. Halloween is the new start to the Christmas holidays and people spend big money on decorations, parties, costumes and entertainment and not just in the City. The suburbs where I live Halloween decorating of homes is huge and for four years I ran our Men’s Association Halloween House Decorating Contest to showcase our residents work.

My blogs on the Hasbrouck Heights Men’s Association Halloween House Decorating Contest:

https://mywalkinmanhattan.com/tag/hasbrouck-heights-mens-association-halloween-house-decorating-contest

This is the tip of the iceberg on my neighbors decorating across the street

My across the street neighbor puts up this evil scarecrow every year

My blog on ‘Giggles’

Day One Hundred and Eighty-One: The Legend of “Giggles the Scarecrow”-Halloween continued October 31st, 2020

My video on their scarecrow

My across the street neighbor just loves pointing him in my house’s direction all through Halloween. The funny part is that when you Google “Giggles” the scarecrow, he now has his own byline on the Internet. Funny how things work out!

You really have to tour our town on Halloween Night to really experience the lights and decorations. People really spend a lot on decorations and some homes really decorate to the hilt. This house is decorated right near my bus stop when I return home from the City. You should see it at Christmas time as well.

My neighbors house by the bus stop into the City decorated on Halloween night

The decorations at the bus stop from Manhattan when I returned home on Halloween night

I had to be in Manhattan by 3:00pm to report to my Marshaling duties at Dominick Street in lower Manhattan so I left early for the City and ate lunch in Chinatown before I arrived at the Village. We have lucked out with the weather every year as a warm spirt seems to arrive just before Halloween and it was a beautiful but cool day that got warmer as the sun rose.

https://jinmeidumpling.com/#google_vignette

My TripAdvisor review:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60763-d5451975-r1079427463-Jin_Mei_Dumpling-New_York_City_New_York.html

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

Dumplings (Jin Mei) 25B Henry Street New York, NY 10002 (Takeout and delivery-Limited seating outside)

My first stop was Dumplings (Jin Mei) on Henry Street in Chinatown for their fried dumplings. This place is really catching on as the line was ten deep when I got there and twenty deep when I got to the front of the line. Their dumplings are worth it. Fifteen for $5.00 in this economy make them very popular right now. That and they are really good!

My lunch before the parade. Fried dumplings and a Coke

The Pork and Chive Fried Dumplings are so good

This was the view from the park that I eat at when I am in Chinatown just off Catherine Street

I walked to the parade route from Chinatown and I could see the City was preparing for both the Halloween Parade and the Marathon on Sunday. It was going to be a very busy weekend in the City. There was sidewalk barriers all over Lower Manhattan and the police were being placed for the night’s activities. I also saw lots of people in costume arriving in Chinatown preparing to walk in the parade.

Arriving on Dominick Street where the heart of the parade and puppet rehearsals

Preparing the puppets to start the parade

Dominick Street is where the magic of the parade starts as the puppets that were created in the Hudson Valley studios are assembled and then the puppeteer’s who perform in the parade practice before they head uptown at the beginning of the parade. Most of these puppets you will see later on YouTube at the beginning of the parade.

Lining the puppets up before the volunteers arrive

I was not too sure what this was meant to be but it really was creative

The puppets lined up in a row

These maiden witches have participated in many parades

While I checked in and started my duties for the parade, volunteers and entertainers started to arrive and thus the people started to want to sneak into the parade. This went on all night long as it usually does. Everyone ‘lives in the building in the parade route’ or everyone is ‘going to dinner’ just ‘across the street’ knowing full well the streets are blocked off and it is chaos in the streets behind us.

The puppet volunteers arrived between 4;00pm and 5:00pm to practice

The day turned into night as time zipped by and the frantic behavior of getting inside that parade route went on from 5:00pm to 7:30pm. Trying to get performers and musicians and their friends who do not have passes inside takes a lot of coordinating. We had stragglers still trying to get in at 8:00pm when their floats were long gone.

The park on Sixth Avenue and Dominick Street

We were finally able to shut the street operations at Dominick Street by 8:45pm. The parade had started at 7:00pm and most of the floats had already headed uptown. One woman was crying at 8:00pm that her friends texted her to join their float and she did not have a pass to get in. We told her to go home. These are the things I listen to all night long.

The staging area on Spring Street for all the floats

The staging is where the magic comes to life and one of the most chaotic areas of the parade. I can’t understand why people want to sneak to see it here. It is so busy and the volunteers here have a lot on their hands. Everyone is trying to get all the entertainment organized in the parade and get them uptown all while letting all the costumed people into the parade to fill in around the floats.

Letting the bands into the parade takes a lot of work

The costumed characters entering the parade at Spring Street

This part of the parade route is trying to keep things organized and not a place where the public should be standing around gawking. The whining and complaining I hear every year from these people trying to sneak in thinking that they are going to sit down on some grand stand and watch the beginning of the parade is a pipe dream. There is so much going on to run this parade and there is no place to sit down.

Our favorite coordinator in his annual costume dressed as little pig

Getting the floats ready to travel uptown

The floats on Spring Street heading uptown

I had to do everything from being in everyone’s way to get some pictures in. For people reading this blog on the Halloween Parade, this is NOT the area to best see the parade so stop trying to sneak in. Go four blocks uptown and you will see much more.

The floats kept leaving the Shute to head up Sixth Avenue

The float heading uptown

The crowds heading uptown

The costumed crowds heading uptown

The crowds and floats heading uptown

The costumes were so creative.

The crowds continued their route uptown

The Balloon women

Skaters making their way uptown

Looking downtown at the last of the floats heading uptown

The costumed characters heading uptown

The costumes were really creative this year

The Central Park skaters heading uptown

The last of the costumed characters heading uptown before I left at the parade route to head uptown for the Volunteers Dinner.

The last float heading uptown at the end of the parade

I walked uptown through the parade up Sixth Avenue and could not believe the crowds that night. People were packed along the parade route. The crowds thinned a bit in the Village as people saw the end of the parade coming.

The crowds in the restaurants all over lower Manhattan were packed with people. There was not one restaurant, bar, fast food place or pizzeria anywhere around the parade that was not busy. Even the neighborhood Walgreens had lines ten deep with people buying snacks and drinks. I think with everything going on from the economy to the wars to politics and justly general life, people were here just wanted to blow off some steam.

As I passed Christopher Street and the Stonewall bar, the birthplace of the Gay Liberation Movement, the place was packed with people both inside and outside the bar restaurant

I saw this painted on the wall as I walked

The decorations on top of the buildings on Christopher Street

The scary skeleton on the side of that building

The witch in one of the display windows off Christopher Street

People all over the Village devoted their homes for the Halloween holiday

I walked the entire way up to da Umberto’s Italian restaurant for our Volunteer dinner and the restaurant was already packed with volunteers who were starved from a long day working the parade. I was glad I had the dumplings earlier that day because I was now ready for dinner. The food here is wonderful and we are always grateful to the sponsors who donate this dinner to us.

Arriving at da Umberto’s at 107 West 17th Street for dinner

https://daumbertonyc.com

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60763-d423279-r816965634-Da_Umberto-New_York_City_New_York.html

The entrance to the restaurant that night

Joining the rest of the volunteers at the parade for dinner

Enjoying the buffet dinner. Here we have the Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary and Olive oil

The staff at da Umberto’s does a nice job and the service here is always so friendly. The food is really good here and I really enjoyed the buffet dinner they provided especially the Chicken Parmesan and the Squash Ravioli.

Here we have the pastas on the buffet line Penne Vodka and Fall squash

My dinner that night

The biscotti for dessert

After dinner was over and a nice conversation over dinner with other volunteers at the table, it was time to head home. Some people were heading for Brooklyn for the big ‘After Party’ at Industrial City. I was exhausted between work, Midterms, yard and housework and laundry, I just wanted to head home.

I walked from 16th Street up Seventh Avenue to Port Authority and I can tell you the City was packed that evening. All the restaurants above 23rd Street were just as mobbed as the ones that surrounded the Village. This was the largest crowd I have seen for the parade since before COVID when it was 72 degrees in 2019. From West 16th Street to West 42nd Street, there was not one eating establishment that did not have a crowd. Even the $1.50 Pizza Slice places had long lines long after the parade was over. The pizzeria in Port Authority, which is never that busy, had a line with people eating before they went home (their food is really quite good).

The lights of Midtown

I walked by Bryant Park and just enjoyed the views. All the lights were on in the buildings surrounding the park. It was just the perfect night to walk around. This is when the City works its true magic.

Looking downtown on Fifth Avenue to the Empire State Building

Looking up at Fifth Avenue

I walked around Bryant Park on the way back to Port Authority. The night lights around the park are dazzling.

The lights in Bryant Park

The lights around the park

The New York Public Library at night

The fountain in the park

The face in the fountain gushing that evening

With mild 60 degree weather and clear starry skies, it was a spectacular night in Manhattan for both the parade and for Halloween. The streets were packed all along the way and even around Port Authority, all the restaurants and bars were packed with people wanting to have a good time. I have never seen the City so busy on Halloween night. People were desperate for a good time and I am sure they had one. It looked like people just wanted to blow off some steam. What a night for the parade!

Happy Halloween! Boo!

Jack o Lantern

Morgan Farm & Museum/Cedar Grove Historical Society 903 Pompton Avenue Cedar Grove, NJ 07009

Morgan Farm & Museum/Cedar Grove Historical Society

903 Pompton Avenue

Cedar Grove, NJ 07009

(973) 239-5414

https://www.cedargrovehistoricalsociety.com/history

https://www.facebook.com/MorgansFarmAndMuseum

Open: Sunday-Friday Closed/Saturday 1:00pm-4:00pm (Seasonal-please check the Society’s website)

Admission: Free but a donation is always appreciated. The Society also sells honey as a fundraising.

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46348-d27047094-r1080403752-Morgan_s_Farm-Cedar_Grove_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

The Morgan Farmhouse at the Morgan Farm Museum, the headquarters of the Cedar Grove Historical Society

The museum sign just off Route 23 South

The farm property the day of the Fall Pumpkin & Apple sale and Open House

I recently visited the Morgan Farm and Museum one Saturday afternoon in the Fall and was surprised to find that they were hosting their Annual Pumpkin & Apple Sale, which has been a tradition on the property since the last owners of the farm, the Morgan family did this every Fall.

It was a lot of fun. The Society members were selling pumpkins and apples, baked goods like Cider doughnuts and cookies (completely sold out by the time I got there), Apple Cider and clothing products. On the farm land there was a petting zoo, picture taking by the Pumpkin Patch and tours of the house. The tour of the house was very interesting in that their docents to assist you on each floor to explain the family dynamic. It was a wonderful afternoon and a enjoyable family event.

The sign of Route 23 South for the Pumpkin & Apple Sale

The History of the Pumpkin and Apple Sale at the Morgan Farm Museum:

(from the museum pamphlet)

Each year the Cedar Grove Historical Society holds a Pumpkin and Apple Sale in honor of Edith Morgan and her son Courtenay Morgan. In the Fall of each year, the Morgan’s sold pumpkins and apples in the front of the Morgan farmhouse. The pumpkins were grown on the farm but the apples came from northern New Jersey. Mrs. Morgan passed away in 1961 but Courtenay, the last farmer in Cedar Grove, continued the tradition until his death in 1985 at the age of 86. The Historical Society continues that tradition each October.

Courtenay left his property to the Township of Cedar Grove with the stipulations that the Township create a park for passive recreation and that the Historical Society create a museum to preserve the history of Cedar Grove. Our pumpkins and apples are from the Chester area. Today the Historical Society’s home is the Morgan Museum located in the Morgan farmhouse. The Township created the J. Courtenay Morgan Park on the property.

The farm’s old barn now used as a meeting place and gift shop

History of the Morgan’s Farm and Museum:

(from the Museum pamphlet)

The Cedar Grove Historical Society welcomes you to Morgan’s Farm & Museum and the Canfield-Morgan House. The guide explains why Morgan’s Farm is unique and leads you to points of interest that you may want to explore.

The Morgan’s Farm is a fourteen acre site that was farmed continuously from the mid-1800’s until 1985. In 1985, Courtenay Morgan donated the farm to the Township of Cedar Grove. This portion of the farm is a park managed by the Township while the farmhouse and other buildings are operated as a museum and education center by the Cedar Grove Historical Society.

The Cedar Grove Historical Society maintains a wonderful collection of agricultural tools and equipment that reflect farming methods over a period of one hundred years. Items on display in the Canfield-Morgan House includes letters, photographs, clothing, furniture and other objects that show us how people lived during the early 1900’s.

The Family History:

(from the Museum pamphlet)

Benjamin Canfield built the farmhouse sometime around 1845 for his family. The Canfields were typical, hardworking farmers who were respected for the quality of their produce. They grew corn, apples, melons and other crops which they sold in the Newark and Paterson markets. The Canfield family farmed the land until 1910 when James and Edith Morgan bought the property James Morgan was an advertising executive who commuted by rail to New York City.

Mr. Morgan was passionate about farming and he worked hard to learn the latest farming methods. he experimented with the different types of crops until tuberculosis took his life in 1920. After Mr. Morgan died, Edith and her son, Courtenay struggled to keep the farm operating. They were well known locally for the vegetable and fruit stand they operated off the front porch.

Long before the Canfield and Morgan families lived here, the Lenape Indians used the site as temporary camp. Courtenay Morgan found many Native American tools as he plowed the fields. These artifacts are now preserved by the Cedar Grove Historical Society. A portion of the Lenape Trail passes through Morgan’s Farm.

The front parking lot of the farm property and the Pumpkin Patch

The inside Barn gift shop was selling apples, pumpkins, gourds, apple cider and doughnuts. By the time I got there, there was not much left. The Society even sells their own honey.

The barn from across the gardens near the farmhouse

The History of the Barn:

(from the Museum pamphlet)

The barns that you see behind the Canfield-Morgan House today were reconstructed by the Cedar Grove Historical Society in 1994 because they were had badly deteriorated. While the center of the barn is not as high as it once was, it has its original foundation and looks much like it did in 1910. This barn was probably used to house livestock at one time. On the west side of the main barn is a structure that once was a carriage house with a small apartment on the second floor for hired help. At some point, possibly in 1911, the second floor was removed. The shed on the east side was used to shelter livestock and later to store farm machinery.

There was all sorts of fun activities for families and especially the kids with a Pumpkin Patch, games and a Petting Zoo plus tours of the house.

The Pumpkin Guessing game

https://www.facebook.com/MorgansFarmAndMuseum

The entrance to the Pumpkin Patch offered kids a chance to take pictures and pick the perfect pumpkin to make a Jack O Lantern

The Pumpkin Patch was perfect for picture taking

The pumpkin decorations in the Pumpkin Patch

The were plenty of places where the kids could take pictures with all sorts of characters of ghosts and ghouls and things that go bump in the night

Halloween is on its way

I loved the small Petting Zoo that they had set up. There was a baby cow, a baby pig, ducks and chickens.

The Petting Zoo

The baby cow was really friendly

The ducks were walking around their pen

The baby pig ran around his pen as well

The highlight of the afternoon was touring the old Morgan Farmhouse, which was furnished with family antiques and heirlooms, plus artifacts from the community of Cedar Grove, NJ.

The back of the house facing the barn

The History of the House and Barn:

The Canfield-Morgan House looks much like it did after Benjamin Canfield finished building it in the mid-1800’s. The modern kitchen and the accessible porch and bathroom are the most visible changes. The size and character of the house are typical of a traditional farmhouse. The features of the French windows in the front parlor and a wide entrance hall suggest that the Canfield’s were interested in current fashion and design of homes. A cistern under the kitchen floor stored water that was collected in gutters and piped into the cistern.

The gardens have many flowers such as daylilies, akebia, peonies, roses and quince that were planted by Edith Morgan and continued to bloom in the garden. The Morgan family added pergolas to the garden in 1911 and grew honeysuckle to cover them.

The fields of the farm is a variety of crops were planted in fields east of the park and south of the farmhouse. Crops included everything from tomatoes to pumpkins and apples. The Canfield family grew corn on what is now the front lawn. While these crops are no longer grown on Morgan’s Farm, the fields remain open space.

The Cedar Grove Historical Society sign on entering the house

The entrance to the house through the main hallway. The original part of the house was built in the 1700’s with an addition which added these rooms in the mid 1800’s. This is the newer side of the house.

The tour of the house was on my own but there were plenty of docents from the Society to explain each room. There were all sorts family furnishings and heirlooms of the Morgan family that were donated when this became a museum. The Society keeps the home in immaculate shape and its looks like the family still lives here and off for the day, letting us see a glimpse into their home.

The Living Room/Music Room

The corner of the Living Room and Music Room

Mr. Morgan’s desk in the home

The antique musical instruments in the collection

The Cedar Grove Music Association in 1900

The Morgan family photos from the family’s private collection, now part of the museum

The Morgan family portrait

Gail Morgan Chandler as a young girl

The Reception and Recreation Room next to the Living Room

Some of the family decorative pieces on display

Across the hall from the Living Room is the Dining Room that displays the home’s baking and serving pieces and some of the family China.

The Dining Room of the farmhouse

You can also see how the fireplace served as not just conversation but as the heat source as being part of the original section of the home.

The Morgan Dining Room

The formally set Dining Room table

The fireplace was the source of heat on the original 1700’s section of the home

Family baking and cooking equipment on display in the Dining Room

Family China and serving pieces on display in the Dining Room

Along the stairs on the way to the seconds floor is lined with all sorts of family and community artifacts.

The stairs to the second floor

The library in the house and a display of hats at the staircase landing

The second floor contained these rooms bedrooms and the museum offices , which were located in the old bedroom loft of the original 1700’s house.

Mr. and Mrs. Morgan’s bedroom at the end of the hall

Mrs. Morgan’s bedroom vanity with some personal items from the Morgan family

Mrs. Morgan’s desk

A small doll by the bed

Mr. James W. Morgan

Mrs. Edith Louise Potter-Morgan

The Morgan children when they were young

The second bedroom was being used as a gallery for local artifacts either found or donated from Cedar Grove. This included old pictures of buildings and homes in the community, Native American artifacts, clothing and uniforms and everyday items.

The second floor Artifact Gallery

The display of local artifacts

The Native American display

Display of local artifacts

Artwork by local artists

The pictures of local hospitals and medical centers

The pictures of local historical houses

When I was through touring the house, I went back outside to join the rest of the visitors, who were picking out pumpkins on the lawn.

The back part of the estate

What I like about the Morgan Farm Museum is that it is not just about walking around an old house, it is about experiencing someone’s life story.

I also got to see how the community of Cedar Grove grew from the farming community it once was to the bedroom community of New York City it is today.

The Morgan family dealt with quite a blow with the death of Mr. Morgan but is son took control and built the farm up to what the museum it is today. A living breathing example of turn of the last century ingenuity and determination and created a successful business that we can all share in today.

The Endicott-Reardon Family Museum 3036 South Shore Road (Route 9) Seaville, NJ 08230

The Endicott-Reardon Family Museum

3036 South Shore Road (Route 9)

Seaville, NJ 08230

(609) 624-0600

https://www.facebook.com/EndicottReardonMuseum/

https://visitnj.org/endicott-reardon-family-museum

Open: Sunday Closed/Monday 10:00am-2:00pm/Tuesday Closed/Wednesday 10:00am-2:00pm/Thursday Closed/Friday 10:00am-2:00pm/Saturday Closed. Seasonal-Seasonal Please see the website.

Admission: Free

My review on TripAdvisor”

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46811-d20911361-Reviews-Endicott_Reardon_Family_Museum-Seaville_Upper_Township_Cape_May_County_New_Jersey.html

The front the museum

The sign welcoming you the the Endicott-Reardon Family museum

The original Endicott-Reardon Homestead that sits in the front of the museum

The entrance to the museum dedicated to the lives of both the Endicott and Reardon families.

The family artifacts and heirlooms at the museum as you enter the museum

The Endicott family display at the entrance

The museum is a real surprise as entire set of displays is dedicated to the lives of the local Reardon and Endicott families and their family items. A fascinating look of the lives of these early New Jersey families for over a hundred years. This is the collection of Harriett Reardon Bailey and her family. All these wonderful items were saved over the last 100 years and now it was time to share them with the world.

The various family items are organized by sections categorized by lifestyle and collection.

I was given a personal tour that I had arranged with the current curator who had known and worked with the owner of this extensive collection. It had been her dream to open a museum to share her collection with the public.

This beautiful, well lit and displayed collection of family heirlooms and personal items gives a glimpse of the lives of an upper middle class family in Southern New Jersey. It is organized and displayed as a household would be at that time. The first section of the museum was dedicated to items from the kitchen and preparations.

The family Living room furnishings and decorations

The family piano that once graced their Living Room

A decorative toy car used in the Living Room

The kitchen area and artifacts of the cooking and washing done in the house

The table set for a formal dinner

The next part of the exhibit was the formal Dining Room and on display were many of the China patterns that the family owned.

All the china collections the family owned plus other decorative pieces

The family collection of China and glass pieces

The family had various collections of China

Mainly of the bedroom items have been preserved too from linens to comforters to every day clothing. There are also a selection of family member’s clothing, jewelry and personal items.

The Bedroom vignette with clothing and accessories

Another view of the bedroom

Harriett Reardon Bailey had been a school teacher like her mother and there were displays of items that reflected her time in the classroom including a classroom setting.

Time on the classroom and family employment

The classroom set up

Activities and programs at the school

More local school items

There were also displays on her father’s time in the army and her uncle’s time working on the railroad with carefully preserved outfits, programs and railroad artifacts from the job.

The Railroad display

School and family items

Work on the railroad

The display on the family contribution to the armed forces

What I thought was interesting was that the founder of the museum, Harriett Reardon Bailey, had been an only child with relatives that had never been married so that she was the only child and a bit spoiled.

The Toy Room

In a separate room off the side held her extensive collection of dolls and games. She had kept all her childhood items in such beautiful shape and with great care. What impressed me was there was a picture of her as a little girl with all her dolls and stuffed animals her room and since she kept everything, they were able to recreate the display.

The picture of the owner of the museum as a little girl in her bedroom

The exact replicated display of toys in the same spots in the display

The collection of tea sets

The collection of toys and playthings are extensive and they are all in wonderful working shape

There was a large collection of dolls plus all their clothes and accessories that were kept together in her collection. Even into adulthood, all of her childhood items were kept in pristine condition.

The collectible dolls and clothing

The extensive collection of childhood dolls

The collection of China and baby dolls

The collection of baby dolls

The collection of cloth and rag dolls

The handmade dollhouse and rag dolls

The fancier imported and collectible dolls

What I thought was interesting during the tour was that the curator had said that the founder of this museum was dedicated in keeping all these items for so long and packing the house with family memorabilia. I think she knew what she was doing.

She was not just preserving memories, she was preserving a past that was fading away and the memories of a different time. As her family died, she kept their memories alive by preserving their past as well. The curator had said that she had always wanted to create a museum with all her family’s items and share them with the public. Now we get to glimpse into her family’s history and everyday life.

The museum shares with the public the day to day happenings and life of the Endicott-Reardon branches of the family and life as a middle class Victorian family. I think she preserved the best items with such care as to share them with future generations of what life was like at that time. When people knew each other and times were slower and quality mattered. I think she loved her beautiful things and wanted to share them with all of us.

The inside of the Endicott-Readon Family Museum

Video on the Museum

The J.W. Gandy Farmstead 26 Tyler Road Greenfield, NJ 08250

The J.W. Gandy Farmstead

26 Tyler Road

Greenfield, NJ 08250

(609) 390-5656

https://theclio.com/entry/100872

Click to access Upper-Twp-History_2-page_Sep2013.pdf

Click to access gandy-house-history_copy_%2015June2008.pdf

https://capemaycountynj.gov/BusinessDirectoryii.aspx?ysnShowAll=0&lngNewPage=0&txtLetter=J&txtZipCode=&txtCity=&txtState=&txtBusinessName=&lngBusinessCategoryID=29&txtCustomField1=&txtCustomField2=&txtCustomField3=&txtCustomField4=&txtAreaCode=

Open: Sunday 1:00pm-3:00pm (Seasonal and Special Events

Admission: Free but donations accepted

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/R4960NKjustinw/mediabatch/13884120?m=19905

The J. W. Gandy House at 26 Tyler Road

The historic marker

The historic signs

The Gandy House sign

The farm grounds

The historic sign

The historic grounds of the property in the winter

I visited the John Westley Gandy Farmstead on private walking tours both in the Winter of 2024 and the Summer of 2025 and got a glimpse of farm life in early rural Southern New Jersey. Away from the markets of New York City, I got to see how tenant farming and life was for early farmers after the Revolutionary War.

The house is decorated with artifacts from the early 1800’s to the turn of the Twentieth century and how they affected the lives of early inhabitants of the house. There is antique furniture, home made quilts and a fully stocked kitchen with a wood burning fireplace to cook meals from scratch (which was not a trend in those days, that is how they lived).

The grounds when I visited in the summer months

The grounds of the farm in the winter

The grounds of this historic homestead in the winter

The same grounds in the summer

The history of the house

The front of the house during the summer

The Laundry Room

The Laundry Room

When you walk inside the Gandy Housr on the first floor, you are welcomed into the kitchen and pantry area plus some of public areas of the house. Here meals were prepared and guests were greeted.

The pantry area of the kitchen

Wood was stored for heat and cooking and herbs were drying for the winter months for cooking and daily use.

The fire wood and herb s drying

The pantry and larders for daily cooking and baking for the daily meals. All meals were cooked from scratch and large breakfasts and lunches were part of farm life. All meals were cooked in the open hearth so meals had to be properly timed and cooking and baking had to be coordinated for the family meals.

The larders were filled with the items that were in season

Cooking over a wood burning fire was part of everyday meals in the farm kitchen. Various pots and pans were in use to cook the family meals.

The inside of the kitchen area that heated the main room

Meals were coordinated for the day with cereals and soups cooking first, baked items going into the oven when it was warm enough followed by roasts and stews.

The days cooking over a hot stove

There were early morning breakfasts on the farm and then a late lunch/ early supper when the afternoon work was done.

The other half of the main room was used for dining and the families social space. Here meals were served and the family relaxed.

Everyday family objects of the household

The front part of the room faced the road and the comings and goings of the surrounding community.

The side bench and family objects

The most interesting part of the tour of the first floor is the view of the construction of the home. Behind the glass frame showed how the home was built and of what.

The construction of the home behind the glass frame

The family quarters on the second floor show the chores that followed during the day with spinning yarn, making and mending clothes and dying fabrics.

The spinning wheels and the making of quilts

The landing and the first floor rooms

The spinning wheels and patterns

The first bedroom was furnished with handmade quilts and sown linens. The wash basins were used before indoor plumbing.

The first bedroom upstairs

The wash basin and grooming products

Going out for a formal evening

The second bedroom on the second floor has is collection of quilts

The hand made quilts in the second bedroom

The children’s toys

The handmade quilt collection in the one bedroom

Handmade linens were part of the fabric of rural life as women were trained to sew and quilt their clothes and bed linens. Store bought linens were a rarity at this time and the quality of a woman’s homemaking skills defined her household. The handwork on these quilts were amazing.

The upstairs fireplace to keep the rooms warm

The upstairs alcove where the fireplace is located

The Morning clothing in the alcove

We then headed up the stairs to see the attic which were hard to walk up they were such small stairs.

The narrow stair’s to the attic

I got to see the attic area which visitors normally don’s see. This is where the boys of the family would sleep in the summarrr

The attic loft area

We finished the house tour back in the kitchen-living room

The full kitchen and living room room

The laundry area just off the main room

The we then toured the grounds of the estate walking through the grounds and exploring all the buildings on the property, some original to the estate and some brought here from other properties that awaited the wrecking ball. The grounds included the family well, barn, outhouse, root cellar, wood shed and a grape arbor.

The area right behind the main

The estate well which was going to be replaced

Fresh well water is still a part of the communities in Southern New Jersey. These farmsteads were pretty much self-sufficient and people grew what they needed and could barter for the rest or bring it to market.

The woodshed on the estate

The estate on a sunny day

The root cellar

The Root Cellar was used to keep Summer foods and preserves cool throughout the season. People tried to eat seasonally as much as possible and store for the Winter months.

The Ice House

The historic sign for the Ice House

The inside of the ice house and the hooks to hold meats

Ice was brought in from local lakes and ponds to keep foods well preserved during the warmer months of the Spring and Summer.

The barn that was moved here

The inside of the barn with all sorts of historic farm. These are pieces of equipment that were used over the last 100 years.

The farm equipment

The equipment that runs a farm

The storage area of the farm

The storage bins

The Outhouse

There was no indoor plumbing in those days and the use of the outhouse was placed far from the main house.

The grounds of the farm

The back of the farm

The front of the homestead in the summer of 2025

The house was warm and contained by fireplaces in the Winter months and open and airy in the Summer months with a flow of air through the open windows. The Upper Cape May Township Historical Society is open also for special events like their Strawberry and Apple festivals plus private tours.

The Gandy Farmstead Annual Apple Festival 2025:

Two weeks after my initial visit to the Gandy House during the Firemen’s Convention, I returned for the Historical Society’s Annual Apple Festival. The event reminded me of the Brinckerhoff House Strawberry Festival, a very nice family and community event that attracted everyone.

Since there were a lot of shore towns I wanted to revisit while the weather was nice, I arranged to stay at an Airbnb in Ocean City so I had plenty of time to do what I needed to do and relax afterwards.

I could not believe how crowded the roads were as so many places were having either Fall festivals or October Fest. Route 9 was like a parking lot near Smithville, NJ.

I got to the Apple Festival around noon and the parking lot was packed with people. One of the members said later that afternoon that he could not believe the consistent crowds as it was still busy at 2:15pm (the festival was over by 3:00pm). The crowds were filled with several generations of family members who I am sure were traveling from one event to another on this spectacular sunny morning.

The sign welcoming you to the event

When I arrived at the festival, the parking lot was still filling up so I had to park way in the back so I could get in and out easily.

On the Gandy family property on the other side of the home, they had an antique car show, a mini train ride around the tracks of this part of the property and a Caboose train car that you could explore.

The train tracks around the farm property

The train set up and tracks to tour around the farm

The train rides were really popular with both the small and ‘big’ kids

This small train trip had a nice sized line to it as families were really enjoying themselves

I then toured the Caboose which was set up for service and a day in the life of a conductor. Some of the volunteers were even dressed as conductors leading tour and talking to families.

The caboose on the farm property

The inside of the caboose

Getting ready for the holidays

Life of a train conductor shown in the caboose

After the tour of the car show and watching the families have fun on the trains, I headed across the street to the Gandy House for the tours and activities.

The back of the Gandy Farmstead with crafts and entertainment

Entering the Apple Festival with a Farmers Market and Apple sale

The Farmers Market of locally grown produce

They had a wonderful duo interesting the crowds that afternoon

There were all sorts of crafts stands around where the entertainment was performing

The local crafts people were really talented and included crocheted, painters, floral arrangers and jewelry markers.

One woman sold flowers from her gardens and arranged bouquets

This woman painted her own crafts and did beautiful work for both Halloween and Christmas

Here beautiful holiday crafts

I loved this Santa tree and was going to get it for my mom

This woman had the most beautiful handmade doll clothing and knit items for the holidays

What is an Apple Festival without food? I went to the concession stand for lunch and ordered a hot dog with a glass of locally made Apple cider and had an homemade Apple Shortcake, which I found out later the members had made the night before.

The concession stand where all the food was made

Enjoying my lunch. Both the hotdogs and apple cider were locally made. That’s why it tasted so good!

Hot dogs taste so good off the grill!

The delicious homemade Apple Shortcake with homemade apple topping were made by the members

I also stopped off at the apple stand where cases of apples were being sold. It looked like many people were going to make pies and sauce with these and the stand looked like they were selling out.

I managed to buy one of the Mango sweet apples they were selling individually

The apples were so hard, fresh and sweet that it made the perfect addition to dessert.

The Mango Sweet apples

Talk about delicious

After lunch I ran into the Board members who had helped me with the tour two weeks early and I took a quick tour of the first floor of the home. The laundry room was not open the day of my private tour.

Touring the outside grape arbor

The grape arbor on an early Fall day

Touring the first floor laundry room

An early washing machine

How to do laundry at the turn of the last century

After having lunch, touring the house and visiting all the vendors I relaxed for the rest of the afternoon and listened to the entertainment perform. They did a combination of 70’s hit songs, country music and some James Taylor.

The duo performing

The first part of the song “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” from the 1970’s before people walked in the way

The rest of the song performed. They did an excellent job with it

Before I left just after 2:00pm, I stayed to see who won the Apple pie contest. There were only three contributors but I wanted to get a slice before I left. They did not slice them up. Bummer!

The winners of the Apple pie contest

The Apple Festival sponsored by the Upper Township Historical Society happens every October. It is a wonderful family event and fundraiser for the Historical Society. I know I had a lot of fun and it reminded me of the events that I went to as a kid in the 1970’s.

It was funny that the only person who had a cell phone glued to his hand was me. It was just like the 1970’s all over again with families enjoying each other’s company. Try to visit in the future.

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