Tag: Historical Sites

The Cloisters Museum & Gardens: The Branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted to Medieval Art 99 Margaret Corbin Drive Fort Tryon New York, NY 10040

The Cloisters Museum & Gardens: A Branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

99 Margaret Corbin Drive

Fort Tryon Park

New York, NY 10040

(212) 923-3700

Open: March-October 10:00am-5:15pm/November-February-10:00am-4:45pm

http://www.metmuseum.org

https://www.metmuseum.org/visit/plan-your-visit/met-cloisters

Fee: Adults $30.00/Seniors $17.00/Children $12.00/Members & Patrons and Children under 12 are free (prices do fluctuate).

Museum Hours:

Hours: Open 7 days a week

March-October 10:00am-5:15pm

November-February 10:00am- 4:45pm

Closed Thanksgiving Day, December 25th and January 1st.

*Some galleries may be closed for construction or maintenance.

TripAdvisor Review:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d106609-Reviews-The_Met_Cloisters-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

The Cloisters in December 2022

The entrance of the Cloisters for the “Holiday Decorating at The Cloisters” exhibition and talk

My blog on touring the Cloisters at the holidays:

Day Three Hundred and Seventy-Six Touring the Met-Cloisters at Christmas time ‘The Yule Tide Tour’-The Walking Tour of the Museum January 4th, 2026

I go to The Cloisters on a pretty regular basis, and they have interesting walking tours and lectures especially in the warm months. If you like Medieval or religious art, this is a museum that is worth visiting. It is out of the way and be prepared to walk up a hill but in the summer months, the view of the Hudson River is spectacular, and the gardens are beautiful.

The Cloisters in Fort Tyron Park

Don’t miss the walking tours and gallery talks at the museum. I have recently been to a series of walking gallery talks dealing with the history of Medieval arts. There were discussions on Medieval art between Christian and Muslim religions, Traveling the Silk Road and its influences on art in the regions and the collection and how it has improved and grown over the years. It seems there has been a uptick in this type of art.

This section of the shine is on a permanent loan from Spain

The building is just beautiful as it was created from pieces of religious sites all over Europe. Many of the doorways, cloisters (archways), stone work and fountains and windows come from churches that had been destroyed by wars over the past 600 years. Bits and pieces of all of the these buildings are displayed in the architecture of the museum itself. Some are on permanent loan to the museum from foreign countries.

Don’t miss the famous “Hunt of the Unicorn” tapestries that are on display here. They are quite a spectacular exhibit.

The ‘Hunt of the Unicorn’ tapestries

Be sure to visit the outside terraces of the Cloisters to see the views of the Hudson River below and the beautiful gardens of Fort Tyron Park where the building is located. It is a sea of green lawns and woods and beautifully landscaped flowering paths.

The Cloisters Gardens in the winter of 2022

The Cloisters Gardens in the Spring of 2024

The view from the gardens of the Hudson River

The view of the Hudson River in Spring 2024:

There is a nice café on property but there is also a small restaurant row on Dyckman Avenue at the foot of the park right near the subway stop. There are also many terrific Spanish restaurants on Dyckman Street as you walk down the block towards Fort George Hill.

‘Christmastide’ at The Cloisters:

I recently went to the Cloisters for a very interesting walking tour called “Holly & Hawthorne: Decorating for a Medieval Christmas” in 2019 and a similar tour in 2022 entitled “Holiday Decorations at The Cloisters” the use of plants like holly, mistletoe, pine and ivy were used in the winter months to decorate the churches and homes of the people until the Puritan influences took over.

Sampling of the plants used at the holidays in Medieval times.

(Part of the description of the tour in the guidebook-credit to the Met Cloisters):

“The wreaths and garlands that deck The Cloisters from early December until early January are made from plant stuffs associated with the Medieval celebration of Christmastide. This great feast embraced the twelve days between the Nativity and the Epiphany, which commemorated the visit of the Three Kings to the infant Jesus.

The Candelabras of the Cloisters.

Because pictorial representation of medieval Christmas decorations are rare, the Museum’s designs are based on evidence gleaned from carols, wassails, romances and artworks. Medieval churches and halls were decked for the season, a practice with roots in ancient custom. The early Church had banned the use of evergreens because of their ties with pagan winter festivals, such as the Roman Saturnalia. By the Middle Ages, these plants had been given Christian interpretations and were used to celebrate the feast days of the Church calendar. Bay Laurel, associated in ancient times with victory, became a symbol of the triumph of Christ and of eternal life.

By the Middle Ages, holly and ivy had been thoroughly Christianized, although mistletoe remained suspect. Ivy was identified with the Virgin and the red berries of the holly with the blood of Christ. The holly and ivy carols still sung today spell out these meanings older associations derived from pre-Christian winter festivals.

Apples and nuts, stored for winter consumption, were a conspicuous part of the Christmas feast, as they are today. It was also the custom in winter to wassail fruit and nut trees, to encourage them to bear plentiful crops in the coming year. Fruits and nuts were ancient symbols of fertility Christian meanings; in a medieval poem on the Nativity.

The Cloisters decorated for Medieval Christmas

The tour guide discussed by touring the paintings and tapestries where these symbolic plants took shape during this time. She even explained how ivy when it reaches sunlight that its shape goes from a three leaf shape to a heart shape which was symbolic during the Middle Ages. The gardens were a good source of inspiration for the holidays.

The stonework was decorated with garland and holly and flowering plants

The Cloisters decorated for Christmas

Don’t miss walking the halls and cloisters to look at all the decorations for the holidays. The museum keeps them simple and elegant but it really does put you in the holiday spirit. The use of flowering plants during the holiday season was not just related to the holiday season but they gave a nice smell to this musty churches and added a bit of cheer to the environment as well.

The flowers and pine when you enter The Cloisters

The “Holiday Decorations at The Cloisters” walking tour: December 2022:

The altar at The Cloisters

The Medieval plants for decorating the church including Bay Laurel, Myrtle, Rosemary and Cyclamen.

The flowers decorating the windows. Roses and pine.

Decorated altar candles

Decorated Altar Candles

Decorated Altar Candles

The Fruits and Ivy that decorate the archways at The Cloisters is changed regularly. Each of the ivy vines was encased in small water tubes that had to be changed each week.

The Christmas wreaths were decorated with fruits, ivy and pinecones

Along the walls and floors of The Cloisters were potted plants that would have been used to decorate churches during this time period. The flowering plants gave The Cloister such a nice smell and would have lighted up the inside rooms from the gloom of winter.

The hallways were lined with winter greens

The winter greens that lined the hallways of The Cloisters

The decorative winter greens lining the walls of The Cloisters

The orange tree was a symbol of gold and prosperity.

The Medieval door decorated for the holidays.

The tour guide also pointed out for the story of Christmas depictions of the three wise men in art all over the building and its importance in the holiday season. The story continued to develop on the three ‘kings’ who visited the holy child.

She explained that over the years it went from three ‘visitors’ wisemen’ that was loosely translated in older text to the modern development of ‘three kings’ from the continents of Asia, Africa and Europe. In 2024, I took a holiday tour on “Three Kings Day”, the celebrated the three kings and their visitation of the holy child.

The three Wise Men and the Virgin Mary

The three Wise Men and the Virgin Mary and Child as depicted in the painting

The three Wise Men in a more modern depiction. It seemed that the story morphed over time from three Kings, one being older, one younger and one with a darker complexion became a King from each continent to represent the diversity in the church and the spread of Catholicism.

The “Adoration of the Shepherds”

The Virgin Mary with the Christ child and the three wise men in the “Adoration of the Shepard’s”.

The “Adoration of the Magi”

The stained glass window of the “Adoration of the Magi”.

The “Thirty-Five Panels” of the Three Wiseman”

The Three Wisemen from the “Thirty-Two Panels”

The stained glass window of the “Three Scenes of the Infancy of Christ”

The “Three Scenes of the Infancy of Christ”

The “Christ is born as Man’s Redeemer” Tapestry.

The small section of the tapestry with the Three Wisemen.

Walking through the Cloisters during the holiday season.

The tour guide went onto explain that in more elaborate feasts, the utensils and items used during ceremonies would have been of the most elaborate that the church could show.

Elaborate vessels. plates, challices and specters used in ceremonies

Elaborate drinking glasses

I toured the Cloisters again in 2023 and saw the same symbols of Christmastime in the halls with elaborate floral displays and beautiful potted floral arrangements all over the building.

The hallways of the Cloisters decked with flowering plants.

The “Winter Roses” with other flowering plants.

More flowering plants lining the walkways.

Flowering displays

The winter plants of the Cloisters.

The Candelabra’s were quite elaborate.

I thought this Dragon painting was very interesting.

The Dragon Sign.

The Dragon Painting.

Spain 1000-1200: Art at the Frontiers of Faith” tour in 2021:

I visited again this Christmas holiday season in 2021 to see “Spain 1000-1200: Art at the Frontiers of Faith”, where the Catholic and Muslim Kingdoms of Spain influenced each other in the manner of decoration and art borrowing from each other. It was interesting to see how the two communities used each other’s art over time to develop an interesting hybrid of design that was both colorful and intricate.

“Spain 1000-1200: Art at the Frontiers of Faith” artworks

Another tour of the Cloisters that I attended was on the ‘Four Medieval Flowers: The Lily, Iris, Violet and Rose’. It was interesting how society of this era used the former Pagan and Roman/Greek symbols in their Christian religious art.

You see the Rose in the stained glass to represent strength and honor

You will see the meanings in the tapestries, stained glass art and in the sculpture to represent purity, rebirth and sexual symbols of the time. It seemed that the artisans of the time used ancient meanings to convey something that they could not out and out talk about.

In the “Hunt of the Unicorn” Tapestries you can see flowers such as Lilly, Violet and Iris woven into the work which may have meant it was a wedding present to the new owner. The tour guide said there was meaning in lots of the works which may have had a different purpose originally. It was a tour steeped in symbolism.

The Spring and Summer Time visits to The Cloisters and the Gardens:

The Cloisters in the Spring and Summer months is very different. The Gardens are in full bloom, the views of the Hudson River are still amazing and the flowers look and smell so beautiful. There are three sets of gardens in the Cloisters, the potted plants on the deck facing the Hudson River and the two Cloisters on the first level and the one in the Trie Cloister where the cafe is located. Each has their unique plantings.

The potted plants on the deck of The Cloisters in the Spring of 2024

As pretty as some of these plants are some are poisonous so you have to watch out.

The view from the back decks of the museum of the Hudson River

The view of the Hudson River

The gardens in The Cloisters

On Sunday, August 10th, I took an extensive garden tour of the separate Cloisters in each parts of the museum. The tour talked about the use of the Cloisters gardens of the past and they were used for herbs, remedies and for the simple pleasure of beauty, color and relaxation.

The religious symbols in the gardens

The gardens have been planted with historical accuracy but as the tour guide explained, to keep the gardens in bloom from the early Spring to the late Fall, you have to add different plants for color.

The beauty of the gardens in bloom

The beauty of the gardens in the Spring of 2024

The gardens were very popular over the weekend

Some of the Cloisters gardens produce fruits, vegetables and herbs that the staff can take home. These gardens show not just how beautiful they look but how people used them for every day purposes.

The gardens were popular that day

The beauty of the gardens

The gardens in the Spring of 2024

These walking tours at the Cloisters happen at 12:00pm and 2:00pm on the weekends when in season.

The beauty of the Cloisters

The herb gardens in the summer in 2025

The Cloisters Mission:

Welcome to The Cloisters, the branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted to the art and architecture of medieval Europe. Set on a hilltop with commanding views of the Hudson River. The Cloisters is designed in a style evocative of medieval architecture specifically for the display of masterpiece created during that era. Arranged roughly chronologically and featuring works primarily from Western Europe, the collection includes sculpture, stained glass, tapestries, painting, manuscript illumination and metalwork. The extensive gardens feature medieval plantings, enhancing the evocative environment.

The Gardens at the Cloisters in bloom

History of the Museum

John D. Rockefeller Jr. generously provided for the building, the setting in Fort Tryon Park and the acquisition of the notable George Grey Barnard Collection, the nucleus of The Cloisters collection. Barnard Collection, the nucleus of The Cloisters collection. Barnard, an American sculptor whose work can be seen in the American Wing of the Metropolitan, traveled extensively in France, where he purchased medieval sculpture and architectural elements often from descendants of citizens who had appropriated objects abandoned during the French Revolution. The architect Charles Collens incorporated these medieval elements into the fabric of The Cloisters, which opened to the public in 1938.

Romanesque Hall

Imposing stone portals from French churches of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries open onto a gallery that features rare Spanish frescoes and French sculpture.

Fuentiduena Chapel

The twelfth-century apse from the church of San Martin at Fuentiduena, Spain and the great contemporary fresco of Christ in Majesty from a church in the Pyrenees Mountains dominate the space. Sculpture from Italy and Spain enriches the chapel, which is the setting for a celebrated concert series.

Saint-Guilhem Cloister

The fine carving of this cloister from the monastery of Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert, near Montpellier, harmoniously and playfully adapts the forms of Roman sculpture in a medieval context. The plants depicted in the sculpture, acanthus and palm, are growing in pots near the small fountain. The gallery also features early sculpture from Italy, Islamic Spain and elsewhere in France.

Langon Chapel

Architectural elements from the twelfth-century church of Notre-Dame-du-Bourg at Langon near Bordeaux form the setting for the display of thirteenth-century French stained glass and important Burgundian sculpture in wood and stone.

Pontaut Chapter House

Monks from the Cistercian abbey at Pontaut in Aquitaine once gathered for daily meetings in this twelfth-century enclosure known as a chapter house. At the time of its purchase in the 1930’s by a Parisian dealer, the column supports were being used to tether farm animals.

The distinctive pink stone of this cloister, featuring capitals carved with wild and fanciful creatures, was quarried in the twelfth century near Canigou in the Pyrenees Mountains for the nearby Benedictine monastery of Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa. The typical cloister garden features crossed paths and a central fountain from the neighboring monastery of Saint-Genis-des-Fountaines. Both medieval and modern species of plants are grown in the garden. In winter, the arcades are enclosed and fragrant potted plants fill the walkways.

Early Gothic Hall

With thirteenth-century windows overlooking the Hudson River, the gallery features stained glass from France’s great churches, including Saint-Germain-des-Pres in Paris. Sculptures and paintings from France, Italy and Spain evoke the great age of cathedrals.

Nine Heroes Tapestries Room

From an original series of nine hangings created about 1400 for a member of the Valois court, the tapestries portray fabled heroes of ancient, Hebrew and Christian history, including the legendary King Arthur. It is among the earliest sets of surviving medieval tapestries.

Unicorn Tapestries Room

With brilliant colors, beautiful landscapes and precise depictions of flora and fauna, these renowned tapestries depicting the hunt and capture of the mythical unicorn are among the most studied and beloved objects at The Cloisters. Probably designed in Paris and woven in Brussels about 1500 for an unknown patron, these hangings blend the secular and sacred worlds of the Middle Ages.

Boppard Room

Stained glass from the fifteenth-century Camelite convent at Boppard-am-Rhein dominates one end of the room. Fifteenth-century panel paintings and sculpture from the Rhineland and northern Spain, a brass lectern, domestic furniture, Spanish lusterware, tapestries, metalwork and sculpture further evoke a sacred space.

Merode Room

One of the most celebrated early Netherlandish paintings in the world, the Merode Altarpiece, painted in Tournai about 1425-30, forms the centerpiece of this gallery. The altarpiece, intended for the private prayers of its owners, represents the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary taking place in a fifteenth-century household. Details of the scene are echoed in the late medieval furnishings of the room in which other works made for private devotion are also exhibited.

Late Gothic Hall

Large fifteenth-century limestone windows from the refectory of the former Dominican monastery in Sens, France, illuminate the hall, which showcases sculpture and altarpieces from Germany, Italy and Spain as well as a great tapestry from Burgos Cathedral.

Gothic Chapel

Beneath richly colored stained-glass windows from fourteenth-century Austria carved images from royal and noble tombs of France and Spain fill the chapel-like setting.

Glass Gallery

Silver-stained glass roundels decorate the windows of the Glass Gallery, complementing small works of art, many made for secular use, with their lively, sometimes worldly subjects. Carved woodwork from a house in Abbeville, in northern France, forms a backdrop for paintings and sculpture.

“Bonnefont” Cloister and Garden

Long thought to be part of the abbey at Bonnefont-en-Comminges, the elements of this cloister come instead from other monasteries in the region including a destroyed monastery in Tarbes. The herb garden contains more than 250 species cultivated in the Middle Ages. Its raised beds, wattle fences and central wellhead are characteristic of a medieval monastic garden.

Trie Cloister and Garden

The gardens at the Trie Cloister

The stone cloister elements were created primarily for the Carmelite convert at Trie-sur-Baise in the Pyrenees. The garden is planted with medieval species to evoke the millefleurs background of medieval tapestries, such as the Unicorn series.

The Cloisters Trie Cafe is a seasonable restaurant that overlooks the Cloisters Gardens. This offers sandwiches , pastries and beverages and is a bit over-priced.

The Trie Cafe in the Cloister

The Trie Cafe is inside the Cloister

https://www.metmuseum.org/plan-your-visit/dining

Review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d106609-Reviews-The_Met_Cloisters-New_York_City_New_York.html

*Please note that the prices in the restaurant do go up every year so please look to the website for updated prices.

The Treasury

An array of precious objects in gold, silver, ivory and silk reflects the wealth of medieval churches. Illuminated manuscripts testify to the piety and taste of royal patrons such as Jeanne d’Evreux, Queen of France; jewelry and a complete set of fifteenth-century playing cards suggest more worldly pastimes.

The Gift Shop:

Even the gift shop was decked in the holiday spirit

The gift shop has all sorts of themed items from the Medieval era.

The gift shop at The Cloisters

*Disclaimer: This information is taken right from the Cloisters pamphlet from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Please call the museum before visiting to see if anything has changed with the hours or days open. It is well worth the trip uptown to visit The Cloisters. Take the A subway up to 190th Street and take the elevator up to Fort Tryon Park and walk across the park.

The Bergen County Historical Society: Historic New Bridge Landing 1201 Main Street River Edge, NJ 07661

The Bergen County Historical Society

1201 Main Street

River Edge, NJ 07661

(201) 343-9492

http://bergencountyhistory.org/

Open: Special Events and weekend hours check the website site

Fee: Depends on events/donations

TripAdvisor Review:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46776-d7603554-Reviews-Historic_New_Bridge_Landing-River_Edge_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

Visit the Sister Entry on this blog of the Campbell-Christi House VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/872

Recently my class at Bergen Community College for ‘Tourism at Bergen County Historical Society’ project for my simulated project through my company Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc.:

Day Two Hundred and Ninety: Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. presents: “Bergen 250-Tourism at the Bergen County Historical Society” December 7th, 2023

I visited the Historic New Bridge Landing in River Edge, New Jersey this afternoon for the “Under the Sad Moon Chwame Gischuch Lenape New Year”. I had wanted to see what a member of one of the New Jersey tribes had to say and thought it would be interesting to see. Unfortunately the Chief cancelled at the last minute so there was no lecture or song.

The rest of the afternoon I heard a lecture on the African Burial Grounds that are located in lower Manhattan and toured the historical homes on the property. It was a very interesting and informative afternoon. Some of the volunteers were in costume selling fresh doughnuts and hot cider, making Indian fry bread and making cornhusk dolls.

In 2022, I visited the Historical Society again for the “Chwame Gischuch: Under the Shad Moon” event and it was relatively quiet (things have recently reopened without masks). Still, you could tour all the homes and listen to a lecture the early use of plant fibers and demo flint-knapping. There were talks in all the buildings and refreshments in the Campbell-Christie House.

“Chwame Gischuch: Under the Shad Moon”

I then toured the historical homes on the property. The Steuben House is the main historical home on the site’s property which was built in 1752 which is by the Hackensack River and was used as a home and business in milling and shipping. Most of the Society’s artifacts are housed here. There are some interesting displays of Indian artifacts and a home doll display along with historical furniture.

The Van Steuben House at Christmas

The collection of historical items includes Native American household and hunting items, colonial items for the home and cooking. There are items used in battle like swords, muskets and cannon balls.

Colonial artifacts at the Steuben House

Colonial Cooking and Wardrobe items

Colonial Household items in the collection

Native American items in the collection

The Demarest House is a two-room home with period furniture and was considered in its day a large home.

The Demarest House on the Bergen County Historical Site

The Demarest House marker

The Campbell-Christie House where most of the action was going on as costume volunteers were cooking and serving food, making dolls and explaining the home’s use as both a private home and a tavern. In the out kitchen behind the home, a roaring fire was going while the costume volunteer was explaining how to make fry bread and a type of homemade pancake. It was an interesting afternoon.

The Campbell-Christi House

The Campbell-Christie House marker

I have also visited the Historical Society for the Dutch Christmas Holidays:

The Society held Christmas concerts as entertainment during the Revolutionary War era. They also had tours of the houses that evening, the engaging concerts and history of the holidays at that time and a pub opened for dinner during the event at the Campell-Christi House.

The Christmas music of Linda Russell

Christmas events at the Historical Society are a lot of fun.

A recent fundraiser in December 2020 for Christmas, the Historical Society could not hold their usual fundraiser for the holidays so what they did and I thought this was original, they held an outdoor Christmas tour and sing along with singer/performer Linda Russell.

In December of 2022, the Historical Society brought back their indoor concerts for Christmas including opening the Blackhorse Pub (The Campbell-Christie House) for dinner before and after the concerts. It was so nice to come to this again. The crowds were a little light at the second concert at 7:45pm on a Sunday night but it made it more fun that we could still socially distance from each other and there was plenty of space to spread out.

I started the evening early at the pub eating my dinner before the concert. The pub had a limited but very nice menu based on what foods that may have been served at the time period (with a modern twist of course). There was Shepard’s Pie, a Ploughman’s Plate, Onion Pie, Trifle and Dutch Cookies and desserts on the menu.

The Campbell-Christie House was used as the “Blackhorse Tavern” for the evening where pub food could be ordered for dinner. It was really beautiful that night with all the tables a glow from the candles and the room decorated with holly, garland and wreaths for the holidays.

The “Blackhorse Tavern” for Christmas dinner

The menu at the pub that evening

I thought the menu was very reasonable for the amount of food that you got that evening. The portion sizes were very fair and the food, which had been catered in, was delicious. I chose the Shepard’s Pie with a salad on the recommendation of my waitress. When I came here back in 2019, you could not move in the pub and everything was sold out immediately. This time, I had the whole pub to myself while most other people were at the 6:00pm concert. A couple people came in for light refreshments and drinks. It was nice to just relax and enjoy my dinner before the concert.

My dinner: The Shepards Pie with a salad, roll and a glass of Apple Cider

Dining in the pub for dinner before the concert

Dessert was a Dutch “Sweet Plate” with all sorts of traditional cookies of the season

The “Dutch Cookie Plate” was the perfect way to end the meal

After dinner was over, I had plenty of time to explore the gift shop and wonder around the property to see the other decorations. The other buildings on the property were closed that evening but still decorated so I followed the lantern filled pathway and looked at the decorations.

The Gift Shop at the back of the Campbell-Christie House

I wondered through the dark path on my way to the Steuben House where that evening’s concert would be held. Since I got there a little early before my concert time, I was able to visit the museum. There are all sorts of things to see and buy to support the Historical Society so when you finish your meal you can wonder over.

The Demarest House was decorated for Christmas but closed that evening

Before the second concert that evening that I would be attending at 7:45pm I wondered around the museum part of the Steuben House where the concerts were taking place. The exhibits were set up with a holiday/Christmas theme in mind. One display was on a candy maker who once had a store in Downtown Hackensack.

Bogert’s Candy Shop in Downtown Hackensack closed in 1934

Bogart’s specialized in Rock candy

Another was a display on the “Twas the Night before Christmas”.

Christmas started to change in the Victorian era

The ‘History of Christmas’ at the Bergen County Historical Society

There was a display on Dutch baking during the Christmas holidays. There were all sorts of traditional treats for the holidays including breads and chocolate numbers and letters.

Dutch Baking during the holidays was very extensive and time consuming

There was a display of toys that lucky children would have received during the holidays.

Decorating the house both during the Revolutionary War and during the Victorian Age was a very extensive affair of preparing the house for entertainment. Garland, holly and pine would have been important to decorate with but it was the Christmas ornaments of the Victorian age and trimming trees with ornaments that would have made the tree very festive.

There were also displays on entertaining during that time period and soldiers lives while the war was going on and what would be needed. It could be lonely at the holidays.

Entertaining and Tea Time

Items during the Revolution

Decorating took a turn after the war with more entertaining and merriment so people would decorate with garlands, fruits and things from nature like pinecones. Mistletoe had become part of the tradition and was the decorations. Both rooms were decorated for the holidays.

Decorating the Entertainment Room of what was once the house’s ballroom

The doorways were adorned with fruit

Mistletoe, fruit and pine give the rooms a wonderful smell as they still do today

We started to settle in as the second concert was about to start. The room was decorated for the holidays with a combination of Victorian and Revolutionary decorations.

The ballroom at the Steuben House

We were then treated to a concert by the great Linda Russell whose interpretations of Revolutionary Christmas songs is well known. We had a hour long concert of favorite songs, talks about the times and a history of the music itself. She shared with us her insights towards the holidays of New Jersey versus New England and their Puritan ways. Thank God we knew how to party then too.

Linda Russell (to the far left) and her group entertained us for the evening with songs, talks, a few jokes and a wonderful night of excellent music.

“I saw Three Ships Sail In” my favorite song from Linda Russell

We were entertained for about an hour and got time during the intermission to talk with the musicians who shared their experiences with us and about the musical equipment that they were using that evening. It was an interesting talk and a wonderful concert. I highly recommend visiting the Bergen County Historical Society during this time of the year. They do a nice job with this concert and the site is so beautifully decorated for the Christmas holiday season.

Linda Russell and Company during the Christmas holidays at the Bergen County Historical Society

The Revolutionary War Reenactments:

I recently went to the “Retreat to Victory” event at the Bergen County Historical Society on November 19th, 2023. The site was reenacting the “Battle of New Bridge Landing” when we turned the British back. There were soldiers shooting guns to show how the battle was fought and how patroons were formed by the troops. There was large crowd watching the demonstration that day.

The battle outside the Christie House.

The Red Coats firing at the Patriots near the Steuben House.

The second wave of troops crossing the bridge.

General Washington and his officers on the property near the Christie house.

I recently went on an architectural tour of the homes on the property, and it was interesting to see how the homes were built, how they were designed with a certain Bergen County Dutch design to them with the tilted roofs and unique stonework. Some of these homes (and the barn) were moved from their original locations and placed here at the site. It was a testament to their construction.

There is a distinct design to “New Jersey Dutch” architecture: The Demarest House.

The tour also talked about the strategic location of the property during the war and how the bridge was one of the only ways to cross the river at that point of the war. Its destruction was one of the turning points of the war.

Singer Linda Russell lead the Historical Walking Tour in 2020

We started at the Steuben House with a discussion on the progression of Christmas in American first under the Dutch, then under the suppression of the Puritans denouncing the holiday and then the build up of the current way we celebrate the holiday under the Victorians.

The Steuben House decorated for the Christmas Celebration

They had actors singing and dancing during the early Dutch times and the house decorated for the holidays in that period. It was fun to see the actors in period dress and dancing to the music of that time period.

The Steuben House decorated for the Christmas Holidays circa 1780 in 2020

We next moved to the Demerest House and discussed the Dutch tradition of Sinterklaas. Another actor discussed the night before the holiday as she put her children to bed and finished her cooking for the next day’s dinner. She discussed the wooden shoes outside the home as the children readied for St Nichols’s visit and wanted to feed the horses.

The Demerest House decorated for the Dutch Christmas Festival 2020

When we got to the Campbell-Christie House, we discussed the modern Christmas with Caroling through the ages and songs from different time periods and who wrote them. We then discussed the progression of the Christmas tree. I never realized that Christmas lights were created in New Jersey. Thomas Edison’s factory created and produced the first ones after the creation of the light bulb.

Singer Linda Russell leading the Historic Christmas Tour and singing and flute playing in 2020

Also through modern story telling and poems, the first stories of St. Nichols to the modern day Santa Claus was founded by writers and poets in New York and New Jersey. I never knew how much of the modern day Christmas was created in our two states.

The Campbell-Christie House decorated for the Dutch Christmas Festival & Tree Lighting 2020

We then sang many of the carols with Linda leading the way by flute and guitar and then we had the lighting of the tree outside the home and hot chocolate on the lawn (which by that point was almost cold). Still it was an interesting night of lecture, song and history as we walked the grounds of the Historical Society at New Bridge Landing.

The Bergen County Historical Society at New Bridge Landing

The Hackensack River Bend where the houses are located and was a major travel route during Colonial times.

The directory and timeline of the site

The only thing I would have changed that night was adding a fire pit. It went down to 39 degrees that night. Still, it was a nice way to celebrate Sinterklaas and Christmas in the COVID era.

In May 2021, I attended the “Pinkster Celebration” event for the Dutch holidays. It was a nice little event with an explanation and demonstration of the May Pole Dance. The ladies danced in a group to show how the May Pole was used. It was interesting how the event developed from dancing around a tree to the use of the pole.

The May Pole Dance at “Pinkster”

The rest of the afternoon they had tours of the house, cooking and workmanship demonstrations and Colonial games.

In 2022, we celebrated Washington’s Birthday with a traditional colonial ball with period music and dress and the dancers performed various dance routines of the time. There was music and merriment that the people enjoyed and a sense of comradery after a long war.

The colonial dance numbers

The Westervelt-Thomas Barn

In 2022, I went to visit the Westervelt-Thomas Barn again for the “Chwame Gischuch: under the Shad Moon” and listened to a talk on the barn. It is interesting how the barn was built with two entrances so that when the hay was unloaded, it was placed in the ceiling above and then the cart could go out the other entrance without having to back up. Not only that but since the animal pens were on both sides of the barn, you did not disturb the animals as well.

The barn also has a couple of different carriages (that need some repair) and all sorts of farm equipment on display. They were demonstrating how to make straw brooms and wedel wood for farm use.

The Demarest House and Westervelt-Thomas Barn on the site

In 2023, I visited the Bergen County Historical Society for Harvest Festival and what a beautiful day it was that afternoon.

It was beautiful that afternoon.

The Scarecrow display that the kids created.

It was rather quiet that afternoon but the kids looked like they were having fun creating scarecrows in the field while parents looked on.

Washington’s Birthday Party in 2025:

In 2025, I returned post-COVID for the Washington’s Birthday celebration where the music and dancing was not done behind masks. The music was once again provided by Mr. & Mrs. Enslow, who did a wonderful job not just explaining the music but the dances and the rituals of the dances as well.

Video on the Drinking Song:

The Enslows performing that afternoon s famous drinking song

The Enslows introducing the dancers

Each dance had its own protocol and traditions. Partners needed to introduce each other creating the expression of ‘My dance card is full’. With each dance number, the dance instructor explained what was being performed.

Traditional dance moves

The dancers performing

The dancers performing

The dancers performing

The video on traditional dance numbers of the time:

Seeing the dance routines performed. The act of protocol and traditions were steeped into these dances

As the Dance Master explained to us there were specific rules of etiquette for both men and women that needed to be followed. The member of dances that were determined by the events. You started the dances with the more formal quadrilles and then you would move to the less formal country dances.

The Enslows performed both times I was at the Historical Society

The ladies leading one of the formal dance routines

Then the formal dance was explained

Then the gentlemen entered the dance

Then General George Washington got up to talk

The General gave a very touching speech about his time in service and his life afterwards

Then he and Mrs. Washington talked about their courting days and their married life at Mount Vernon

The afternoon was very interesting listening to period music and explanations of the dance routines.

Afterwards, I looked over the exhibitions at the Von Steuben House. There were some interesting artifacts on display.

The Soldier display at the Von Steuben House

The displays at the Von Steuben House

The artifacts in the Von Steuben House

After touring the Von Steuben House, I walked over to the Campbell-Christie House to see what type of food was on sale. Not much was left. So I looked around the house and admired the old tavern that I had seen at Christmas several years ago.

The Tavern at the Campbell-Christie House

The Washington Birthday Celebration was a very interesting afternoon learning about the entertainment rituals and traditions of that time.

History of Bergen County:

This is the information from the Bergen County Historical Society:

Historic New Bridge Landing: Bergen County, where America begins…

Experience history in on the storied places where it was made…

*Battleground in the American Revolution

*The Steuben House survived more of the American Revolution than any other home in America

*Washington’s headquarters for 16 days in 1780

*Distinctive Bergen County artifacts & architecture including 3 sandstone houses

*One of the last unspoiled vistas in the central valley of the Hackensack River

*Seven miles from the George Washington Bridge

*Two blocks from the New Bridge Landing Train Station on the Pascack Valley Line to Secaucus

Walking Tour:

Historic Buildings are open for special events: Check the website for the schedule.

The Historic New Bridge Landing is the Headquarters of the Bergen County Historical Society Walking Tour that contains:

The Steuben House: Jan and Annetjie (Ackerman) Zabriskie prospered as a miller and merchant at this site. They built a five-room stone cottage in 1752 and enlarged the house to the present size in 1767 by adding a second story along the rear and the entire north block with its paneled parlor and bed chamber. During the Revolutionary War, the Zabriskie’s sided with the Crown and fled to British held Manhattan. Washington made the house his headquarters for 16 days in 1780. The State of New Jersey presented the confiscated house to Major-General Baron von Steuben in 1783. It is the only extant as a “Large Mansion House containing twelve rooms built with stone with out-houses consisting of a Bake House, Smoke House, Coach House and two large barns, and a garden, forty acres of land consisting of Meadow land and two orchards.” Steuben’s aid-de-camp, Captain Benjamin Walker resided here, while Steuben made regular visits and summer retreats from his Manhattan lodgings. Steuben restored the war damaged home and this is largely the house that you see today. He sold it back to the Zabriskies in 1788. The house and one acre were purchased by the State of New Jersey in 1928. In 1939, BCHS was invited to display its collections at the museum. BCHS purchased the adjacent eight acres in 1944 thus preserving a fragment of Bergen Dutch countryside.

2. New Bridge:

A “New Bridge” with sliding draw was built here in 1745. Describing the American retreat from Fort Lee on November 20, 1776, eyewitness Thomas Paine wrote, “Our first object was to secure the bridge over the Hackensack…” memorializing the darkest hour in the hopes for American independence as the “times that try men’s souls.” This strategic crossing was in constant conflict during the war because it was the first bridge above Newark Bay. The present Pratt-type low-truss swing bridge opened February 2, 1889. One person alone could rotate the bridge to let the ships pass. Closed to auto traffic in 1956. Listed on NJ and National Registers by BCHS as the oldest highway swing-bridge in NJ.

The Bridge in New Bridge Landing

3. New Bridge Landing: A narrow mill landing built of log cribbing in 1744 could accommodate sloops of 40-ton burden. Local products were shipped south including iron which was brought overland from Ringwood and Long Pond Ironworks. Merchandise brought back from the city markets was in the Zabriskie store.

The New Bridge Landing site

4. Zabriskie’s Mills:

Johannes Ackerman resided near the present intersection of Main Street and Elizabeth Court. He built a gristmill, 40×20 feet containing two pairs of grinding stones in 1714 at the outlet of Cole’s Brook. High tide was trapped behind the dam creating an artificial pond twice daily to run the waterwheel during ebb tide. Area farmers brought grain to be ground into flour for a more valuable commodity. Jan Zabriskie purchased the tide mill in 1745. The date stone lozenge set in the south end of the Zabriskie-Steuben House depicts the tide driven waterwheel. Jan’s grandson, John J. Zabriskie aged 25 died trying to free the waterwheel in 1793. The mill burned in 1852.

5. Demarest House Museum:

The two-room sandstone cottage was built in 1794 for miller John Paulson at the time of his marriage to Altie Ely. The stove chimney in the east room is a technological advance over fireplaces. The house moved from its original site beside the French Burial Ground in New Milford in 1955-56. Demarest family and Bergen Dutch artifacts on display. Owned by the Blauvelt-Demarest Foundation it was restored in 2009.

The Demarest House

6. The Campbell-Christie House:

Jacob Campbell, a mason, erected this gambrel-roofed, center hall, sandstone dwelling at River Road & Henley Avenue in New Milford in 1744 at the time of his marriage to Altche Westervelt. Jacob was a private in the Bergen Militia and the house was damaged in the Revolutionary War. John Christie a blacksmith purchased the house in 1795 and continued its operation as a tavern. J. Walter Christie, born in the house in 1865, is considered the ‘father of the modern tank’ and best known for developing the Christie Suspension System used in World War II. Threatened with demolition, the house was moved here onto BCHS land in 1977 by the County of Bergen. Operated & funded by BCHS and interpreted as a 18th century tavern. Refreshments, gift shop & rest room (when open).

The Campbell-Christie House

7. Westervelt-Thomas Barn:

Built in 1889 by Peter J. Westervelt on his farm on Ridgewood Avenue in the Township of Washington. Henry Thomas purchased farm in 1906. Donated to BCHS and relocated in 1955.

The Westervelt-Thomas Barn

8. Out Kitchen: Authentic out-kitchen replicating the John R. Demarest out kitchen in Demarest. Built by BCHS in 1990 using antique materials, it includes a working beehive oven and smoke room. These separate kitchen structures kept the heat of cooking out of the main dwelling during summer and prevented oven fires consuming the home. Located nearby is an outhouse circa 1930 from Closter.

9. Brett Park: Part of the New Bridge Battleground during the American Revolution. Later site of Rekow’s Farm and Bensen’s Campgrounds. Named after the former Teaneck Mayor Clarence Brett in 1971. The Friends of the Hackensack Greenway through Teaneck maintain a southbound 3.5 mile pathway with access in Brett Park.

10. The Meadow: The auto-parts yard, completely remediated by 2010 is now an open meadow in HNBL.

11. The Site of the future BCHS Museum & Library Building: Elevated building planned to allow for exhibits and safe storage of the BCHS collections.

Prehistory: The clay flat on the west bank of the river was known as Tantaqua’s Plain, inhabited by Tantaqua, a Hackensack sachem and his kin (Steuben House location). Artifacts as old as 5,000 years been found here and may be on exhibit.

New Bridge served as a battleground, fort, encampment ground, military headquarters and intelligence-gathering post in every year of the American Revolutionary War.

The American Battleground: While a constant arena for conflict, the following significant Revolutionary War events are associated with New Bridge:

*British troops under Major General Vaughan attacked the American rear guard on November 21, 1776 and seized the New Bridge which American engineers were dismantling.

*British and Loyalist troops under command of Captain Patrick Fergusen attacked about 40 Bergen militiamen at New Bridge on May 18, 1779.

*Major Henry Lee led American troops from New Bridge on August 18, 1779.

*A force of Bergen Militia and Continental troops attacked 600 British troops and German auxiliaries at New Bridge on their retreat from Hackensack and Paramus on March 23, 1780, during the two hours it took for the British to repair and cross the New Bridge.

*A body of 312 British, Loyalist and German infantry attacked and overwhelmed an American outpost at new Bridge commanded by Lieutenant Bryson on April 15, 1780.

*Eight British soldiers were killed and several wounded by friendly fire when British troops attempted to attack a body of Bergen Militia in the Zabriskie-Steuben House at New Bridge on May 30, 1780.

*Brigadier General Anthony Wayne led American troops from New Bridge on a raid against the Bull’s Ferry Blackhouse on July 20, 1780.

*General Washington made his headquarters in the Zabriskie-Steuben House during the Steenrapie Encampment (along Kinderkamack Road) of the Continental Army encompassing 14,000 men on September 4-20, 1780.

There are also artifacts that were all made in Bergen County on display as well.

*Van Saun and Wolfkiel slip-decorated red ware and salt glazed pottery

*Quilts, 3 dozen, including the exceptional Betsey Haring applique quilt.

*Bergen Dutch ladder-back chairs

*English bacon settle dating to 1767

These are just some of the items featured in the collection.

The Bergen County Historical Society is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) all-volunteer organization founded in 1902. We are not a government agency. We do not seek public operating grants instead we rely on private donations and membership. We are raising funds to build a museum for extensive collections of artifacts and archives. BCHS is proud to be the lead member of the Historic new Bridge Landing Park Commission. 100% if your donation goes to our mission BergenCountyHistory.org.

Bergen County Historical Society

Historic New Bridge Landing

1201 Main Street

River Edge, New Jersey

http://www.BergenCountyHistory.org

*All of this information is taken from the Bergen County Historical Society’s pamphlet. Please check out their website for more information on events on the property. This is a must see for those of you interested in Revolutionary War history.

Historic Marker for mileage to Hoboken

The gallery of historic items at the Von Steuben House

The Museum at FIT on the Fashion Institute of Technology Campus Seventh Avenue 227 West 27th Street New York, NY 10001-5992

The Museum at FIT on the Fashion Institute of Technology Campus

Seventh Avenue at 27th Street

New York, NY 10001-5992

(212) 217-4558

https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum/

Hours: Tuesday-Friday-12:00pm-8:00pm/Saturday-10:00am-5:00pm/Closed Sunday-Monday and all legal holidays

Fee: Free

TripAdvisor Review:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d548861-Reviews-The_Museum_at_FIT-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

This quirky little museum is located in the ‘A’ Building on the Fashion Institute of Technology campus and is a little ‘gem’ if there was ever one and I am not just saying that because I am a proud Alumnus of the college (Class of ’93). This museum is dedicated to the world of fashion and has had several revolving shows themed of fashion from the colleges extensive collection. The school really does know how to mount a show.

Please watch this video on the Museum at FIT.

About the Museum at FIT:

The Museum at FIT (MFIT) is the only museum in New York City dedicated solely to the art of fashion. Best known for its innovative and award-winning exhibitions, the museum has a permanent collection of more than 50,000 garments and accessories dating from the eighteenth century to the present, MFIT is a member of the American Alliance of Museums. Its mission is to educate and inspire diverse audiences with innovative exhibitions and programs that advance knowledge of fashion.

For more information about The Museum at FIT, please visit fitnyc.edu/museum.

The museum is part of the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), a college of art and design, business and technology. FIT is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) and offers nearly 50 programs leading to AAS, BFA, BS, MA, MFA, and MPS degrees.

I have been to many shows at the museum over the years and the curators do a nice job mounting show from the College’s collection and from items that they borrow from other museums.

“Paris Refashioned, 1957-1968” examined the combined influence haute couture, ready-to-wear and popular culture, highlighting how changes that took place during this time period helped to shape the fashion industry as we know it today. Exhibitions and books about this era tend to focus on London as the center of innovative, youth-oriented design but this perspective overlooks the significant role that Paris continued to play in the fashion industry.

Like England, France had a large population of young people-more than eleven million of its citizens in 1958 were under 15 years old. This generation came of age during the 1960’s, listening to their own music, watching films featuring their own movie stars and frequenting their own boutiques. Paris’s creative output was singularly dynamic, far-reaching and innovative.

“Paris Refashioned” exhibition

Although the French ready-to-wear revolution did not truly begin until the 1960’s, the concept of lively, youth-oriented design had been set in motion during the previous decade. By the late 1950’s, a few young, talented couturiers-including Pierre Cardin, Hubert de Givenchy and Yves Saint Laurent-had made names for themselves. In 1957, the House of Christian Dior promoted 21 year old Saint Laurent to creative director.

While fashion insiders questioned the decision to place an unknown, seemingly naïve designer at the helm of such a prestigious institution, Saint Laurent’s first solo collection for Dior quickly silenced his detractors. His line of short, swinging A-line dresses-known as “Trapeze” dresses-was a critical and commercial success, ushering in an unmistakable shift toward more relaxed and ultimately, more youthful designers.

Another exhibition that I had seen in the past was “Pink: The History of Punk, Pretty and Powerful Color” running until January 5, 2019 and “Fashion Unraveled”, a guideline to ‘Behind the Seams’, ‘Repurposed Clothes’ and ‘Distressed and Deconstructed’ that ran through November 17, 2018.

The History of Pink video

I recently visited the museum for the “Dior + Balenciaga: The Kings of Couture and their Legacies” exhibition and it was an interesting approach to fashion after WWII. Both designers brought back a very feminine and wearable look to women that accented their bodies. What I thought was interesting is that the undergarment was stitched right into the garment and was a way to fit the garment to the woman.

“Dior + Balenciaga: The kings of Couture and their Legacies”

The exhibit showed a comparison of both designers and how they approached items such as dresses, coats and evening wear. Each had a way to form fit a woman. What I thought was interesting is that Dior just designed his garments and never worked on the construction whereas Balenciaga do all the draping of garments himself.

The exhibition continued with the new designers that took up the mantles of the houses when the founders died. It was a different take on the founders ideas but with a more modern twist. I think the classics still were the best and looked more professional on a woman.

Video on “Dior + Balenciaga” exhibition

The recent exhibition “Statement Sleeves” is a retrospect on the evolution on the pattern of sleeves in a woman’s dress. These statements of fashion on the sleeve is “a sleeve, style that is exaggerated, embellished, elaborately constructed or otherwise eye-catching to the extent that it defines a garment.” (show description).

“Statement Sleeves” sign

The start of the exhibition.

The front of the gallery.

The diagram on the evolution of sleeves.

The changes in Sleeves design.

The changes in Sleeves design.

The different ways at looking at formal design.

The unique designs from the 1980’s and 1960’s.

The changes of Sleeve designs over the years.

The “Power Suit” of the 1980’s.

The colorful trends in women’s wear over the years with the changes in design of the sleeves.

The exhibition of “Statement Sleeves” runs through August of 2024.

Information and History of the Museum at FIT:

(From the Museum’s website):

For further information about the Fashion Institute of Technology, please visit fitnyc.edu.

Couture Council:

An elite membership group, the Couture Council helps to support the exhibitions and programs of The Museum at FIT. Members receive invitation to exclusive events and private viewings. Annual membership is $1,000 for an individual or couple and $350 for a young associate( under the age of 35).

For more information, write to couturecouncil@fitnyc.edu or call (212) 217-4532.

Tours and donations

Every six months, a changing selection of garments, accessories and textiles from the museum’s permanent collection is put on display in the Fashion and Textile History Gallery, on the museum’s ground floor. Tours of the Fashion and Textile History Gallery and of the Special Exhibition Gallery may be arranged for a sliding fee of approximately $350. Donations of museum quality fashions, accessories and textiles are welcome.

For more information about tours, call (212) 217-4550. For information about donations, call (212) 217-4570.

All MFIT exhibitions and public programs are supported bin part by the couture council of The Museum at FIT.

The shows are continuously changing so please check the website for more detail on the current show. Below is a sampling of one of the shows earlier last year when I visited the museum.

The FIT Museum has interesting exhibitions

The Fritz Behnke Historical Museum of Paramus 330 Paramus Road Paramus, NJ 07652

The Fritz Behnke Historical Museum of Paramus

330 Paramus Road

Paramus, NJ 07652

(201) 445-1804

Home

Open: Sunday-1:00pm-5:00pm

Fee-Free with donations

TripAdvisor Review:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46712-d4973052-Reviews-Fritz_Behnke_Historical_Museum-Paramus_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

Contact & Directions

http://www.ParamusHistoricalMuseum.com

Driving Directions:

From Highway 17 & 4 proceed west on Route 4 approximately 1 mile to Paramus Road. Exit toward Ridgewood. Continue north through the traffic light. Pass a cemetery and a golf course. The museum is next on the right.

The front of the Fritz Behnke Historical Museum on 330 Paramus Road

I visited The Fritz Behnke Historical Museum of Paramus, NJ the other day after passing it for many years and found a smaller museum that told the history of Paramus, NJ. It has interesting displays on the agricultural past of the County of Bergen. Fred Behnke, the founder’s son, took me on the tour of his father’s masterpiece and I found the displays to be interesting and engaging.

The Grist Mill sign from the old mill

The Grist Mill pieces in the new display outside the museum

The sign that welcomes you to the museum

The Glacier Rock in the front of the museum

The farming hoe display in the front of the museum

He showed me equipment that had been in his family for generations and some of the Indian artifacts that his family had found on the property which gave more depth to the history of the property as it had been farmed by local Native American tribes.

The Fritz Behnke Historical Museum contains 2 floors of artifacts dating back to the early 1900’s when there were many farms in the Bergen County area.

Take the time to visit the basement and watch their history video. It is very interesting short on the history of the museum and the borough of Paramus. If you are from Bergen County and grew up here in the 70’s and 80’s, you will recognize a lot of the changes that have happened over the last forty years. It is a real reflection on the changes of Bergen County, NJ over the last 100 years. The museum is only open on Sunday’s so plan accordingly.

The Farming gallery in the basement in of the museum

The Behnke family farming equipment

The farming equipment on display for use on the farm

The farm crops and the recreation around the farm

The Egg Sorter and the Dairy industry for milking and bottles

The main floor had an exhibit of Police and Fire Department memorabilia, an being the exhibit displaying the history of Bergen Pines County Hospital and a display of an old school room. This was Paramus during different eras.

The Paramus Fire Department

The Paramus Fire Department

The Police and Fire Department displays

The hospital display

The School room display from the turn of the century until today

There is an area showing household cleaning and laundry items, including one of the first electric washing machines, a duplicate of which is at the Smithsonian Museum. The kitchen area displays many old devices, used in cooking and includes an old ice box and a wood-burning stove as well as a early gas stove.

The Farmhouse kitchen

The Children’s Toy exhibition

The toys that have not changed over the years for children to enjoy

The Kids Room contains many old toys such as strap-on ice and roller skates, dolls, doll houses and cast metal farm tractors. In the parlor area there are old wind up phonographs and a church organ. In the corridors there are many photographs showing the Paramus of yesteryear.

The 1930’s items in the room

The room in the 1930’s and 40’s

The history of Paramus, NJ is explained at the museum

On the lower lever is an interesting 12-minute video presentations on the history of Paramus. There are also displays of woodworking, blacksmithing and farming. The farm display depicts the two distinct differences in Paramus farming that of the celery farms in the muck soil on the west side of town and vegetable farms in the brown soil on the east side of town. There are many different farming items displayed including an egg sorting machine and a shovel hand carved from one piece of wood.

The history of the radios and record player

More household items over time

The bottles and glass insulators from the top of telephone poles

Special Notes in History provided by the museum:

The History of Sprout Brook: Long before Route 17 was built through the center of Paramus, Sprout Brook also ran north to south through meadows and woodland, which abounded with wildlife. Beginning in the northwest, it rambled through the rich black soil or ‘muck’ that had once been a lake bottom.

The dark soil farm on one side of the brook

The Light Farm soil on the other side of the stream

As farmers discovered the rich soil, they dug ditches off the brook to irrigate their celery farms. At that time, Paramus was nationally known for its celery farm production. As the water flowed southeast, it bordered on higher ground called ‘upland’, which was also fertile soil conducive to growing a variety of vegetables like corn, tomatoes and cabbage.

The Sprout Brook history and farming

In the early Spring, the farmers planted their seed in greenhouses and waited until the last frost passed. The plants were then transported outside to the filed where they were cultivated and watered until they became mature enough to harvest. Produce was taken by horse and wagon and later by truck crossing the Hudson river via ferry board to the markets in New York City.

The colored eggs from different species of chickens

After all the produce was sold, they returned home late in the evening only to rise early the next morning to begin preparing the vegetables to take to market that night. It was a ‘family affair’ and farmers often helped each other with their harvests when extra hands were needed.

An early plow of an early design

During the 1940’s and 1950’s, roadside stand selling produce for extra income was common. Families driving through Paramus from New York City often frequented these produce stands along Route 4, Ridgewood Avenue, Paramus Road and Farview Avenue.

Items for life on the farm

The Farms of Bergen County, NJ

Sprout Brook is an integral part of the history of Paramus. It divided the Borough’s two school districts; the children living east of the Sprout Brook attended Farview School and Hackensack High School and those west of Sprout Brook attended Midland School and Ridgewood High School. In later years, two middle schools were built and appropriately named “Eastbrook” and “Westbrook”. In 1957, Paramus High School was built bringing the town together in one school. Voting districts were also determined by residents living east and west of Sprout Brook.

The Paramus High School Display

History of the Lenape Indians: The Indians of Bergen County, the Lenni Lenape Indians settled in the area for many reasons. The climate was ideal all year so they could survive during the winter months. Also the Ramapo Mountains made an ideal place to live. The shale rock overhangs were like caves that provided protection from the weather. There was abundant water in the area from the Hackensack and Saddle Rivers, Sprout Brook and many ponds that provided good fishing and navigation.

The Lenape Native American display

The wild animals in the area came to drink at these waterways thus providing great opportunities for hunting. The land was also fertile, which made for good farming such as corn (or Maize) and other root crops. These crops attracted many birds such as quail, pheasant and of course, the wild turkey which hare still in the area today.

Our early settlers traded with the Indians. Mrs. Lawrence, the one room school teacher was of Indian descent. As the early farmers in the area plowed their fields, they found arrowheads, tomahawks and grinding stones. The Lenni Lenape called this area “Perapepus”, which meant rich or fertile land. Through the years, the name changed several times until it became Paramus.

The museum also has the history of the Paramus Fire and Police Departments as well as the early Bergen Pines Hospital.

The history of the Police and Fire Departments

The Military display

There was also a wonderful display of old businesses in Bergen County. For many residents who grew up in the area will recognize from the 1960’s and 1970’s. There were menus, dishes and meal set ups on display reminding us of dining from that era.

Businesses from Paramus and from Bergen County

Businesses in Paramus and Bergen County, NJ

The new “Fireplace Hamburger” display for the well-known restaurant that closed during COVID

*This little gem of a museum is only open one day a week but can be opened to accommodate groups so please call the museum for details. The museum is free to the public but please leave a donation to help with the costs of the museum. It is well worth the trip if you like the history early farming communities or want the know the history of Bergen County.

The Paramus Quilt display

The “Whatchamacallit” display

My Marketing Class at Bergen Community College Project promoting the museum:

The Blog on the whole project:

https://mywalkinmanhattan.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=57059&action=edit

In October of 2024, I partnered with the museum to a Destination Tourism project to assist the museum in targeting to a new visitor with new Digital Marketing. I thought the museum had a lot of potential that had not been tapped into and thought this would be the perfect challenge to for the students to give the museum a fresh perspective.

I made an appointment with the staff at the museum and asked if they would partner with me for a Marketing project and they gladly accepted.

I arranged the class to have a field trip to the Behnke Museum during class time but I also arranged an extra credit trip the Sunday before so the students could get a glimpse of the museum ahead of time.

My class on their field trip to the Behnke Museum in Paramus, NJ

Then during class time we took a more formal tour of the museum with the founder’s son, Fred Behnke and his Volunteer Board, who gave us a better perspective of the museum.

The students at the Behnke Museum during our field trip

The class getting the tour from the founder’s son, Fred Behnke

After the tour was over, our class took a group picture

I had the students write a paper on their thoughts of improving the museum and the broke them into groups based on their thoughts. They had one week to put their game plan together and then they presented it to myself and the museum.

This is their presentation:

The Student Consultants had a week to put the Presentation together and create a commercial to promote the museum and their PowerPoint on their ideas to create excitement at the museum. Here is their project Presentation and PowerPoint on the project. Please remember that they had seven days to do this.

The PowerPoint:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1atn7BlTHfG88tND0P8fU1yNzmEpFrEG4/view?usp=gmail

The Video of the Presentation: