Tag: Small Historical Societies in New Jersey

Clayton Historical Museum 29 East Avenue Clayton, NJ 08312

Clayton Historical Museum 29 East Avenue Clayton, NJ 08312

Clayton Historical Museum

29 East Avenue

Clayton, NJ 08312

(856) 881-3039

https://claytonhistoric.org

https://www.facebook.com/ClaytonHistoric

Open: Sunday-Friday Closed/Saturday 11:00am-1:00pm (every third Saturday)

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/R4960NKjustinw/mediabatch/14542111?m=19905

The Clayton Historical Museum at 29 East Avenue

The sign welcoming you to the museum

The Clayton Historical Museum is the perfect example of a community recording and preserving its past and showing the direction of its future through historical timeline of this town. From its place in glass manufacturing the the cheer of its high school, the museum displays the community pride of Clayton, NJ.

It shows how small towns all over New Jersey can preserve their past while still being part of the community at large. Each of the rooms in the museum displays a part of the community and its progression through time.

The first small gallery is dedicated to the uniformed forces that help protect this small community, the majority of the second gallery is dedicated to the glassworks business that once dominated the area and the back gallery displays its community with schools, the business district and the continuation of the glassworks.

The docents and volunteers give you the freedom to walk around but time is limited because the museum is only open for two hours a month plus special events happening in the town.

The History of the Museum:

(From the Museum website)

Clayton Historic Preservation collects personal papers, local business and organization records, photographs, early maps, genealogies, church histories, family Bibles, historic books, newspapers, artifacts and so much more.

The Veteran’s Exhibition in the middle of the museum

Our museum’s archives showcases the heritage and culture of Clayton, allowing visitors to explore and appreciate the town’s fascinating journey. Clayton Historic Museum is a guardian of the borough’s rich heritage, offering visitors a journey through its exhibits and displays (Clayton Historical Society pamphlet).

The entrance hall to the museum

The church artifacts in the first entrance gallery

The Clayton Historic Museum fosters a sense of pride and appreciation for Clayton’s past by preserving artifacts, documenting stories and engaging the community. CHP invites residents and visitors to explore, learn and connect with the borough’s history.

As a testament to the borough’s commitment to preserving its unique identity, CHP is creating an enduring legacy for future generations(Clayton Historical Society pamphlet).

The front gallery dedicated to the town’s First Responders:

The front gallery of Clayton Fire and EMS displays

The Clayton Police and Fire Department displays

The Clayton Police display

The middle gallery is dedicated to the glassworks businesses:

The middle gallery

The glass making industry was a majority of the work force at the turn of the last century and shows New Jersey’s craftsmanship over the years.

The glass milk bottles showing the areas both dairy and glass bottle industries of the past

The back gallery contained a lot of Clayton’s manufacturing and retail history

The glassworks history in the community run deep

The Clayton Glass Works factory at the turn of the last century

Decorative glass was one of its specialties

Creative glass works are part of the extensive collection at the museum

The everyday decorative items were made right here in New Jersey

The main part of the gallery discusses and displays how important the glass industry was to the community and the creativity of the artisans.

The display of the glass blowers chair and the time and effort once part of this craft

The glass blowers chair on display

The museum’s exhibits offer an overview of Clayton’s history, covering various aspects such as industry, agriculture, transportation and daily life.

Collections from The local Clayton High School

The Clayton, NJ local business district businesses

Through an assortment of photgraphs and documents, visitors can explore the Borough’s development.

The beautiful decorative glass on display

The Clayton High School display showing small town pride

The progression of the telephone

The antique Victrola got its start in the Edison labs here in New Jersey

The exhibits provide a deeper understanding of Clayton’s past, fostering an appreciation for the borough’s heritage.

A clipping from the Salem Oak in Salem, NJ is in the yard behind the museum

The Mission Statement of the Museum:

(From the Museum website)

• Acquire and preserve documents, records and relics of the Borough of Clayton, Gloucester County and the State of New Jersey

• Encourage the protection and preservation of the historical landmarks and points of interest

Furnish historical information and documentation to the Borough

• Partner with Clayton Special Events and neighboring Preservation Associations to exchange and display historical related information, documents and artifacts

The middle gallery of the museum’s extensive glassworks collection

Remember that the museum is only open from 11:00am-1:00pm the third Saturday of the month so plan your trip to museum accordingly.

Vineland Historical Society 108 South Seventh Street Vineland, NJ 08360

Vineland Historical Society 108 South Seventh Street Vineland, NJ 08360

Vineland Historical Society

108 South Seventh Street

Vineland, NJ 08360

(856) 691-1111

https://discovervinelandhistory.org

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

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

Admission: Free but donations are appreciated

My review on TripAdvisor:

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

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

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

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

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

About the Museum:

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

The Mission of the Museum:

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

The Rain Garden outside the museum

The Rain Water Garden sign

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

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

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

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

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

Historical community information

The First floor collection of artifacts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The portrait of Charles K. Landis

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

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

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

The portrait of Portia Kellogg Chase as a young bride

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

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

The portrait of John Gage

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

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

The Gage Family

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

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

The ‘Made in Vineland’ exhibition:

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

The inventions of Angel Food Cake Marshmallow fluff

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

The post office desk from the turn of the last century

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

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

The Blown Glass Room

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

The Blown Glass Room

The Blown Glass Room

The Blown Glass Room

The Grape Juice industry glass and advertising display

The founding of the Welsh Grape company

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

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

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

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

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

The medical glass display

The Kimble Glass Company display

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

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

The early photography display

The Vineland High School display of photographs and memorabilia

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

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

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

The family Portrait display leading to the second floor galleries

The Second floor gallery and glass display

The display on the immigrant contributions to the Vineland Community.

The Italian immigrant contributions to Vineland

The Italian immigrant artifacts

Individual display cases

Farmhouse cooking equipment

Formal wear and accessories

The Vineland Egg industry

The Vineland ‘100th Anniversary’ exhibition

The Vineland’s Veterans display

The Vineland Fire Department display

https://www.facebook.com/vinelandfire

The Military, Vineland Police and Fire Department displays

https://police.vinelandcity.org

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

The Charles K. Landis Room:

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

The entrance to Charles Landis Family Room

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

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

The Landis Room display of Indian Artifacts

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

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

The museum Research Room and Library

The Museum Gift shop on the first floor of the museum

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

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

Touring historic Downtown Vineland after the tour

https://www.facebook.com/mainstreetvineland

https://www.instagram.com/mainstreetvineland

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Stone Harbor (Tatham) Life Saving Station 11617 Second Avenue Stone Harbor, NJ 08247

Stone Harbor (Tatham) Life Saving Station 11617 Second Avenue Stone Harbor, NJ 08247

Stone Harbor (Tatham) Life Saving Station

11617 Second Avenue

Stone Harbor, NJ 08247

(609) 368-2294

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Life-Saving_Station_No._35

11617 Second Avenue – American Legion Lifesaving Station

Open: (Seasonal-June-Labor Day)

Admission: Free but they ask for a donation of $5.00

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46850-d14316159-r1073429644-Tatham_Life_Saving_Station_and_Museum-Stone_Harbor_Cape_May_County_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

The outside of the museum:

The Stone Harbor Life Saving Station at 11617 Second Avenue

(From the Stone Harbor Museum website)

American Legion Post 331 represents both Avalon and Stone Harbor, but also includes many members from outside the area. The Post occupies the old Tatham Life Saving Station, the oldest building in Stone Harbor, and is dedicated to the memory of PFC Stephen C. Ludlam, of Stone Harbor, New Jersey (1925-1945). Stephen was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross (our nation’s 2nd highest award) and Purple Heart for heroic action during the Battle of the Colmar Pocket in World War II (Stone Harbor Museum website).

The historic Life Saving Boat

The historic signs

The historic signs

The historic signs

The museum is open for limited hours Monday-Wednesday and on Fridays from 10:00am-2:00pm during the summer months and then by appointment only during the rest of the year. The building is used for the local Veterans VFW meeting place so the building is used all year round.

The outside painting of the rescue team on the outside of the old bay

(From the Stone Harbor Museum website)

Murals in the building depict the history of the building, use of life saving equipment during the 1900s and honor to our fallen soldiers. All murals were created by artist and member Mr. James J. Thompson. Memorabilia available includes the life saving surf boat, steering oars, historic photos of the Life Saving Service and wall panels describing in detail the various aspects of life saving operations. The murals, wall panels and surfboat restoration were funded by the Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Also of interest is the view from the tower which presents an excellent panorama of Stone Harbor, the ocean, Hereford Inlet and the bay (Stone Harbor Museum website).

The second painting

I took a guided tour on a recent Friday and one of the veterans gave me a very though tour of the museum and all the displays. If you like this depth of the history of both the Coast Guard, the Jersey Shore Rescues and this history of all the wars especially WWI and WWII, this museum shows that history in depth with artifacts from both local residents and members of the military from New Jersey.

The Rescue painting from the old rescue bays

We started the tour on the first floor with the history of the building, how the Jersey Shore Rescue units worked and the early formation of the Coast Guard from the earlier Rescue Units.

The painting in the lobby is rescued

The beginnings of the US Coast Guard

The building is named after local resident , Stephen Ludham. The memorial to Private First Class Stephen Ludham is located in the first room.

The memorial Stephen Ludlam

The picture of Stephen C. Ludlam

(From the American Legion Post 331 website)

The American Legion Post 331 was chartered on March 30, 1946. At the time of our organization, we received permission from Mr. and Mrs. Jesse D. Ludlam of Stone Harbor to name the new post in honor of their son, Private First Class (PFC) Steven C. Ludlam. PFC Ludlam was killed in action at the age of 19 near Ostheim, France on January 23, 1945. For his heroic action on that date, he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, an award second only to the Medal of Honor. His brother, John Ludlam an Army Air Corps member, was a charter member of the new post (American Legion Post 331 website).

Post 331 is unique primarily because it is fortunate enough to have been able to purchase and restore a deactivated U. S. Coast Guard (USCG) station that was formerly an 1895 U. S. Life-Saving Service (USLSS) station as its Post building. The building not only serves as a meeting place for legionnaires, but it also houses a life-saving museum on its first floor and a military museum on its second floor. The building’s tower offers a panoramic view of the southern part of Seven Mile Island (formerly Seven Mile Beach). American Legion Post 331 and Sons of The American Legion (S. A. L.) Squadron 331 members provide free tours of the historic building five days a week during the summer (American Legion Post 331 website).

Post 331 is also unique among many Posts because it services the summer resort communities of Avalon and Stone Harbor whose populations, to include active legion members, drastically fall during the off-season months. As a result, the Post is closed during the months of February and March. The Post has a membership of over 200 members. Our membership is comprised of past and present members of our nation’s military services: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force and in the future US Space Force. As members of The American Legion, they carry out our goal of veterans helping veterans and our local communities (American Legion Post 331 website).

The main room on the first room where the VFW meets, there is all sorts of artifacts and pictures along the walls.

The main meeting room of the building

The beach live Guarding stations in this part of the shore district

The Rescue Stations used to line the coastline along a certain amount of miles that could be covered by Teams with the technology of the time. As modern rescue practices were developed after WWI, we saw the formation of the current US Coast Guard.

The uniform and the award to Charles M. Wright, along with his memos.

What the site looked like in the early part of the last century before Stone Harbor grew up around it.

The next memorial was to Seaman Stephen Tieser along with his uniform.

The memorial to Stephen Tieser

Stephen Teiser’s Sailor’s uniform

The uniforms and the group shot of the ‘Manning Station’, the men of the life guarding station

As we left the first floor of the station and arrived on the second floor, the first display was on the ‘Code Talkers’, the native Americans who spoke the ‘Navajo’ language, and established a code that no one could break during WWII.

The Code Talkers display. This was the basis for the movie “Windtalkers”

The second floor landing has an interesting display of artifacts, including uniforms and art from WWII.

The second floor display

The second floor WWII display

The WWI display of the ‘Doughboy’ uniform and pictures

The full uniform

The WWII display of veterans memorabilia

The museum has an interesting display of items that were taken as spoils of the war from veterans based in Germany. The collection as a lot of Nazi war items.

The Nazi memorabilia

The second floor gallery of the station

The electronic equipment used in the war

The WWII Women’s display of factory and war support

A local couple who both members of the armed forces during WWII family donated their entire collection of their parent’s memorabilia from the war years.

The collection of family memorabilia

Jay and Rosie Hart and all awards and accolades

A Japanese bomber uniform in the WWII

The Vietnam veteran display in the second floor gallery

The war display on the second floor landing

The third floor of the building had the look out and a spectacular view of the ocean.

The third floor lookout

The view from the lookout tower

The tour takes about an hour but can go longer depending on your tour guide and the amount of time you want to spend on each exhibition. It is a fascinating look not just at the history of the Legion and of the Rescue facility but of all our foreign wars. The museum is open from 10:00am-2:00pm on selected days of the week depending on the season.

The History of the American Legion Post 331:

(From the American Legion Post 331 website)

Since being chartered in 1946, Stephen C. Ludlam Post 331 of The American Legion has been welcoming veterans from all branches of our Armed Forces. The American Legion was chartered and incorporated by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization devoted to mutual helpfulness. It is the nation’s largest wartime veterans service organization, committed to mentoring youth and sponsorship of wholesome programs in our communities, advocating patriotism and honor, promoting strong national security, and continued devotion to our fellow service members and veterans (American Legion Post 331 website).

The American Legion is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization with great political influence perpetuated by its grass-roots involvement in the legislation process from local districts to Capitol Hill. Legionnaires’ sense of obligation to community, state and nation drives an honest advocacy for veterans in Washington. The Legion stands behind the issues most important to the nation’s veterans community, backed by resolutions passed by volunteer leadership (American Legion Post 331 website).

Margate Historical Society Museum 1 South Washington Avenue Margate, NJ 08402

Margate Historical Society Museum 1 South Washington Avenue Margate, NJ 08402

Margate Historical Society Museum

1 South Washington Avenue

Margate, NJ 08402

(609) 822-4709

https://www.margatelibrary.org/margate-historical-society-museum

https://www.margatelibrary.org

Open: Sunday-Wednesday Closed/Thursday-Saturday 10:00am-2:00pm

Admission: Free but donations is appreciated

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46600-d21309600-r1073428093-Margate_Historical_Society_Museum-Margate_City_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

The Margate Historical Society at 1 South Washington Avenue

The Margate Historical Society is a small history museum that tells the story of Margate, NJ and nearby Atlantic City, NJ. The two towns are intertwined by history and business. This small museum is run by the Margate Library, part of the town’s municipal system.

The museum sign when open

The entrance to the museum

The inside of the museum and their fire and rescue displays

This interesting museum covers the history of the Fire, Rescue and Police Departments with lots of artifacts from all three departments including pictures and equipment.

The rescue and life guard display

The display explains both the lifeguard stations and members and the rescue units run by both this department and the fire department.

Margate Fire Department artifacts

https://www.facebook.com/MargateCityFireDepartment

https://margate-nj.com/1333/Fire

The museum has a lot of interesting artifacts from the Margate Fire Department that covers both the working and social aspects of the department. Many cover the last 100 years of the department.

Margate Fire Company #1 Banner

The history of the Margate Fire Department

The Margate Police Department also had an interesting display of artifacts including a jail cell. The department also donated uniforms and items to arrest people.

The Margate Police Department display

https://www.facebook.com/MCPDNJ

https://www.margate-nj.com/1876/Police

The museum features the history of the town from community events and organizations to artifacts on buildings and businesses.

Transit display

The history of the community of Margate, NJ

The town has many historical sites especially the “Lucy the Elephant” building down the road from the museum, which is one of the most well known structures at the Jersey shore.

The history of the Margate trolley system that used to exist on the shore line

Artifacts from the old trolleys

The history of the early community

Artifacts from residents of the town that continue to be collected by the museum

Artifacts from the community

The corner stones from the local schools

The museum has an interesting display of the 1964 Democratic Convention that was held in a fading Atlantic City. One of the biggest complaints was that the hotels were past their prime. This was before gambling would be introduced five year later.

The Democratic Convention in Atlantic City that was held in 1964

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Democratic_National_Convention

How Atlantic City’s 1964 Democratic Convention Was a Turning Point for Civil Rights

The formation of the town map block by block

The museum also has files of the original set up of the town since its founding.

The Margate Champion Little League teams

https://www.unpage.org/newjersey/nj-1980.htm

https://www.app.com/story/sports/youth/little-league/2026/08/23/new-jersey-little-league-baseball-teams-of-all-time-ranked/91432459007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=false&gca-epti=z113329p003650l002850c003650e1186xxv113329&gca-ft=9&gca-ds=sophi

The museum touches on all parts of the Town of Margate,NJ and its role in the formation of beach communities along the Jersey shore. The museum shows the spirit of this New Jersey community.

The inside of the museum and the extensive displays of this small but interesting local museum.

The museum takes about an hour to visit and is packed with interesting information. The museum has very limited hours but you can work with the library in the off times to arrange a private tour.