Tag: Small Historical Societies in New Jersey

West Milford Museum 1477 Union Valley Road West Milford, NJ 07480

West Milford Museum 1477 Union Valley Road West Milford, NJ 07480

West Milford Museum

1477 Union Valley Road

West Milford, NJ 07480

(973) 728-1823

https://www.westmilford.org/cn/webpage.cfm?TPID=3979

Open: Sunday-Friday Closed/Saturday 1:00pm-4:00pm

Admission: Free but donations are accepted

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/R4960NKjustinw/photo/798400892?m=19905

The West Milford Museum at 1477 Union Valley Road

The Museum focus:

(From the Township of West Milford, NJ website)

The Museum presents an eclectic view of local and regional history through permanent and changing exhibits of artifacts, documents, photographs, books, and videos. The West Milford Museum is the result of over 35 years of collaboration between local volunteers, donors, businesses, and municipal government. Formerly a M.E. Church, circa1860, this local historic landmark has been renovated extensively in the interior to accommodate the museum exhibits. 

The entrance to the museum

The museum is located in the former Methodist Episcopalian church built during the Civil War. It was designed in the Gothic Revival style with a cedar shingled roof over hand hewn beams and a dried laid foundation. The congregation moved to a new location in 1906 and the building was deeded to the town in 1910 (museum pamphlet).

The museum sign

The inside of the West Milford Museum

History of the museum:

(From the museum pamphlet)

Following the 1976 Bicentennial, with a renewed interest in American history, the Town of West Milford, NJ decided to establish a museum in the old Town Hall Annex. Passing a resolution in 1985, the museum started the collection and archiving it and renovating the building. The museum opened in 2000 to patrons.

Maps of the early history and colonization of the town

The Farming Community display of the Dutch and English settlers

The development and population growth around Greenwood Lake

The Warner Brothers ‘Jungle Habitat’ Park of the early 1970’s that was located in the area. This drive through park was very popular in that time. The park was once filled with exotic animals. Warner Brothers moved the operation out of the area when they built Six Flags Great Adventure Park in Jackson, NJ.

The display of the old park with promotional videos

Some of the promotional items and mementos from the park

The Long Pond Ironworks display

The display on the growth of the railroad in the area

The Long Pond Ironworks display at the museum. This was a big business between the World Wars

The Long Pond Ironworks

The History of the Ironworks:

The ironworks got its name from ‘Long Pond’, the Native American translation for Greenwood Lake. The ironworks were an important business in the area serving both the Revolutionary and Civil War armies with much needed iron for equipment and munitions. Because of cheaper options in the Midwest and more abundant ore, the ironworks closed in 1882 (museum pamphlet).

The Native American exhibition

The extensive collection of Lenape artifacts in the collection

The museum has a large collection of arrowheads and other hunting and fishing artifacts

The museum has an extensive collection of reproductions of the Hudson River School painter Jasper Francis Cropsey

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

https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.1191.html

The reproduction works of the artist in the collection

Many of the books and notes from the artist and the locations where the works were made

They even had a resident bear as a artist

The museum has an extensive collection of textiles both clothing and quilts

This display quilt has many of the town’s historical sites that are of significance in the town

One of the sites was the Cross Castle that was knocked down years ago from neglect

Pictures of one of the local homesteads that has passed through many families hands

The Ice Industry which was a big business on the lake and the Rocket Mail business which was a failure

The resort business and the Greenwood Lake hotels were a big business until the advancement of the automobile made other areas desirable.

Local businesses had an interesting display along with community organizations

There was an interesting display on the West Milford Pharmacy

Some of the old medical equipment that you would have seen in the past

The museum is also dedicated to the West Milford school system. Their first display is a replication of an old schoolhouse, which has not changed too much in form. Desks still face the chalk board and the teacher still leads the class.

The old classroom

The old fashioned classroom has not changed much in the last 100 years

The museum gives children a glimpse of the past and a better understanding of how it relates to the future. There are all sorts of artifacts in which children can relate to and compare to today’s counterparts. It is a good place to use your imagination and think back to life in the past.

The new exhibition on the West Milford Marching Band will be opening soon

The back of the museum is filled with interesting artifacts

The gallery of Paintings and Native American artifacts

Boro of Lakehurst Historical Society Museum 300 Center Street Lakehurst, NJ 08733

Boro of Lakehurst Historical Society Museum 300 Center Street Lakehurst, NJ 08733

Boro of Lakehurst Historical Society Museum

300 Center Street

Lakehurst, NJ 08733

(732) 657-8864

https://lakehurstmuseum.org/

Open: Sunday 12:30pm-3:00pm/Monday-Tuesday Closed/Wednesday 12:30pm-3:00pm/Friday-Saturday Closed

Admission: Free but donations are accepted

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46549-d23615473-Reviews-Lakehurst_Historical_Society_Museum-Lakehurst_New_Jersey.html

The Lakehurst Historical Society at 300 Center Street

I visited the Lakehurst Historical Society Museum on a trip to South Jersey and was taken by the depth and stories that the displays told of this community, its historical background, the influence on shore communities and the nearby site of the 1937 Hindenburg disaster. They even had artifacts that people collected and saved from the disaster.

The former decommissioned Catholic Church houses the collection of the history of the community

The History of the Church as a Museum:

When the Borough of Lakehurst faced increasing population, Manchester Township started construction of the new church in 1972. The members of the Lakehurst Historical Society met with the head of the church and discussed plans to convert the church into a small museum. The request was granted through the Trenton Diocese. The grand opening was on July 18th, 1993 (Museum pamphlet).

The building is surrounded by the resting place of many citizens of the community

The surrounding cemetery of prominent families

The history of St. John’s Church:

William Torrey, the founder of Lakehurst, donated land to the Irish immigrants to build the first Roman Catholic Church in Ocean County, New Jersey. The first mass was observed in 1874 in St. John’s Church. Today this little white gem is the popular museum of the Boro of Lakehurst Historical Society (Museum pamphlet). The museum was established in 1993.

The Mission of the Museum:

Our objective is to preserve the history of Lakehurst, NJ.

The main gallery of the old church tells the different stories of this community

The beautiful and historical stained glass windows decorate the sides of the museum

The history of the air travel through blimps and how this type of travel changed transportation between Europe and the United States

A docking ladder to leave the air ship

The history of this type of air travel

The types of blimps docking in the area

The docking stations at the air field in Lakehurst, NJ

The Hindenburg disaster which happened nearby ending our international travel on the zeppelins

Some of the artifacts saved from the wreckage of the Hindenburg disaster

Another form of transportation in the region was the now defunct Blue Comet Train, which was a major form of transportation from urban areas to the shore communities.

A model of the ‘Blue Comet Train’

The model of ‘The Blue Model Train’

The History of the ‘Blue Comet’:

The Blue Comet was the dream and the folly of R.B. White, the President of the Central Railroad of New Jersey. He developed the train line with such luxury and distinction that for the classier set, there would be no other way to come to the Jersey shore. The color blue would permeate through the whole line.

The line operated like a luxury hotel and never turned a profit. At the start of the Depression, the cost of the trip became prohibitive and the shore destinations it catered to fell out of favor to the wealthy. The last run was on September 28th, 1941 (Museum pamphlet).

Community activities through the years such as the Lakehurst Baseball team are displayed in the museum.

The Lakehurst Baseball Team display

The back of the museum displays life in Lakehurst over the last century with many artifacts donated from clothes, household items and personal artifacts from many families who have lived in the community.

The every day items of a Lakehurst daily living in clothing and furnishings over the last century

One of the standout items was this beautiful Civil War era Swiss music box that was played for me

The video of the music box:

The antique music box

Many other household and personal items have been donated by community members tell the day to day life of members of all classes of the community

Clothing, toys and decorative items

Decorative items for the home, clothing and personal items

Antique toys from the turn of the last century

A display of school items used in the classroom. Not much has changed

The mapping and history of Lakehurst’s agricultural past

The farm and construction building equipment of the past

Community social routines of every day life were on display in the museum.

Local shopping and dress making in the early 1900’s. There was even old advertising from Bambergers on display

More household artifacts

The progressive history of the town over the last century

Mr. & Mrs. Torrey, the founders of Lakehurst, NJ whose land the town grew upon

The History of the Torrey family:

Samuel Whittemore turned over a mile square tract of land (640 acres) as a wedding gift to his daughter, Adeline and her husband, William Torrey in 1821. Torrey mapped out the land (now known as Lakehurst). Adeline Torrey named most of streets after trees and flowers and William lined Union Avenue with Elm trees.

William Torrey was a devout Presbyterian but donated the land in 1869 to build the old St. John’s Church. The first Mass was in 1874 (Museum pamphlet).

Artifacts from Lakehurst’s manufacturing past of Brickmaking

Telephone operators station

Artifacts from the town’s Military past

WWI military helmets

Domestic life changed when people returned from battle. Many of these items created during the war years are still with us.

Domestic items through the years

The glass bottle collection

The glass bottle collection

Artifacts from the transportation and rail industry

The jail cell from the old police station

Blogger Justin Watrel in the display

The home life of the residents of Lakehurst

The most unusual artifact in the collection, the stuffed dog, ‘Stuffy’ who used to welcome residents to the local hardware store.

The sign for the Lakehurst Hardware store

The stuffed dog, ‘Stuffy’ from the Lakehurst Hardware store

The museum does a nice job telling the story of this small Southern New Jersey community and the growth of shore towns locally.

Day Three Hundred and Thirty-One Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. presents “Promoting the Lyndhurst Schoolhouse Museum for Tourism-Be a Tourist in your Own Town” December 12th, 2024

Day Three Hundred and Thirty-One Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. presents “Promoting the Lyndhurst Schoolhouse Museum for Tourism-Be a Tourist in your Own Town” December 12th, 2024

Day Three Hundred and Thirty-One Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. presents “Promoting the Lyndhurst Schoolhouse Museum for Tourism-Be a Tourist in your Own Town” December 12th, 2024

Little Red Schoolhouse Museum of Lyndhurst, NJ at 400 Riverside Drive

The Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. Lyndhurst Team the night of the visit.

The Ayres/Knuth Farm Foundation 25 Cooper Street Denville, NJ 07834

The Ayres/Knuth Farm Foundation 25 Cooper Street Denville, NJ 07834

The Ayres/Knuth Farm Foundation Inc.

25 Cooper Street

Denville, NJ 07834

(973) 625-9345

Home

https://www.facebook.com/AyresKnuthFarm/

Open: See website on hours/Seasonal

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46392-d24065367-r838840100-Ayres_knuth_Farm-Denville_Morris_County_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

Video on the Ayres/Knuth Farm

The grounds of the Aryes-Knuth Farm

The farm sign and layout

On the second day of the Morris County, NJ “Pathways to History’ tour in 2022, I was on my way back to Morris County for a second day of adventure. My first stop on the tour was the Ayres/Knuth Farm (The Ayres/Knuth Farm Foundation Inc.), a former working farm just off Route 10. I had visited the farm/museum the previous year and on this trip got a better understanding on the workings and history of the farm. I was able to take the time to explore the buildings that were open and tour the grounds.

I visited the farm again in the Fall of 2026 for an art gallery event held in the renovated farmhouse. I got a better tour of the grounds and of the renovations going on on the property. There is a lot that needed to be repaired on the site.

The main farmhouse on the Ayres/Knuth Farm

The grounds by the main farmhouse

When I toured the farm during the Pathways event, they had a mini car show with antique cars and fire trucks owned by some of the members. Seeing some of these Model T Ford’s and Steam Engine Fire Trucks in perfect condition shows American quality motorship at its finest. It was nice that they had combined the events.

The approach on the road to the farm

What I liked about the farm is that it had been a working farm up until the last fifty years and showed the progression that the farm took in its almost 100 years in the county. The farm itself dates back to pre-Revolutionary War days with the farm being purchase in either 1735 or maybe 1759 by Obadiah Lum. The property itself was settled and developed by Daniel Ayres, who was born in New Jersey in 1778 (The Ayres/Knuth Farm Foundation).

The Ayres-Knuth Farm and the outer buildings

105 acres of land was given to him by his father-in-law, David Garrigus upon the marriage of his daughter, Hanna in 1803. His son, William took over the farm in 1856 upon the death of his father in 1856, changing the farm to add husbandry and fruit cultivation. When William retired in 1896, none of his children wanted the farm and it was sold (Ayres/Knuth Farm website).

The stone foundation on the farm is being renovated

Changing hands many times, it was bought by Martin and Anna Knuth in 1906. The farm was taken over by two of their children and it remained in the family until the 1990’s upon both of their passings. In 1996, the Township of Denville purchased 52 acres of the original farm and it is now managed by the Ayres/Knuth Foundation Inc. (The Ayres/Knuth Farm Foundation).

On this clear and sunny Sunday morning, it was fun to walk around the former working farm to see how it developed. Both families learned to modernize and add to the operation. I was able to tour the smaller tenet farmhouse (built in 1895), the barn (built in 1895 (and the various outer buildings like the chicken coops (built in 1895), outhouse (built in 1930) and the Smokehouse (built in 1825). The small well was built in 1797 and was the oldest structure left on the property.

The old barn

The smokehouse at the farm

The Corn Crib on the farm

What I found interesting is that there still are tenant farmers on another tract on the property still working the land and the property is protected by grants from Morris County. So, it still is technically a working farm.

The Tenant Farmhouse

The historical sign on the Tenant House

A lot of care was taken to preserve the farm as is and the volunteers told me that there were plans to fix up the other buildings. The Tenant House needed a lot of work and was run down but the main Farmhouse had been renovated and was closed the first time I was there. It was opened for an art show when I returned in October of 2026.

Most of the farm has either been sold off or is being utilized but the core of the farm buildings can be toured, and it is interesting to see a working farm in New Jersey that dates back to the 1700’s and was still active until the mid-1990’s. That is longevity. Still is a step back into the past to see how a working farm once thrived along with the changes that came with the development of Morris County in the late 20th century. The area still has the rural feel, and the well-maintained property is a glimpse into our rural past.

The farmland in the back of the property

History of the Ayres/Knuth Farm:

(From the Ayres/Knuth Farm Foundation Inc. site):

The Ayres/Knuth Farm has a long history not just in the County or State level but in the country. It is believed that the farm was formed around 1759 but could be as early as 1735. It was located in the Franklin section of Denville. Obadiah Lum purchased 180 acres and built the first forge and sawmill on the Den Brook.

The old outhouse on the property

Lum purchased the property from Thomas and Richard Penn, the sons of proprietor, William Penn with financing from Colonel Jacob Ford, who owned extensive land including mines in Morris County. Franklin developed into one of the primary agricultural hubs of Denville due to the high quality of soil of the area and proximity to numerous towns with markets where the crops could be sold (Ayres/Knuth Farm website).

The wishing well on the property

The Ayres Farm was first settled by Daniel Ayres who was born in Middlesex County in 1778. His mother was Anna Jackson, who was the daughter of General Joseph Jackson, who was known as the founder of Rockaway. Daniel married Hanna Garrigus, the daughter of David Garrigus, who was a prominent landowner in Franklin and owner of the Franklin iron forge. In 1803, David Garrigus conveyed 105 acres to his son in law.

Daniel died in 1856 and his son, William Ayres took over the farm. In 1860, he expanded the farm to 300 acres and practiced a mixture of husbandry and a cultivation of different grains. They also raised sheep for wool and cows for butter. He built the existing farmhouse in 1855 and in the 1860’s built the Tenant House for hired hands in the expanding farm. Over time the farm grew to 500 acres.

Farm transport flatbed

During the economic depression between 1873-1879, William Ayres adopted to the changes in the market and shifted the focus of the farm to dairying, poultry and vegetable farming. He also sold lumber to the railroads and expanded into fruit cultivation particularly apples, peaches and pears (Ayres/Knuth Farm website).

Looking at the farm from the baking

William Ayres retired from the farm in 1896 and since none of his children wanted to take over the operation, the property changed hands several times until 1906, when Martin and Anna Knuth purchased the farm and moved in with their five children. They kept the tradition of husbandry and fruit cultivation and a mix of vegetables as a truck farming operation (Ayres/Knuth Farm website).

The Office Barn on the farm

The Office Barn sign

The Barn Office from the side view

The farm faced a lot of tragedies in the 20th Century with the death of Martin Knuth in 1935. Between a destructive fire in 1936 and a lapse of insurance, the barn was not rebuilt. With an economic Depression going on in the 1930’s, the farm was largely reduced to a subsistence-level truck farm operation. Anna Knuth died in 1950 and her two children, Frank and Sue took over the operation. Both remained on the farm until their deaths in the 1990’s. They grew a variety of crops and produced eggs that were sold locally (Ayres/Knuth Farm website).

The Chicken coop is still going through a renovation

The farmhouse was not electrified until the 1960’s and indoor plumbing was never installed. In 1996, a few years after the deaths of Frank and Sue Knuth, the Township of Denville purchased the nearly 52 acres of the original Ayres/Knuth Farm and the property is now managed by the non-profit Ayres/Knuth Farm Foundation Inc.

The site now houses a series of historical buildings that is maintained by the foundation that are part of the original farm.

Visiting again in October 2026:

In the Fall of 2026, the farm hosted an art event I attended by the ‘Artists as Advocates’ event sponsored by the New Jersey Highlands Coalition. The exhibition entitled ‘Farming: A Highlands Heritage’ featured artists who concentrated on agricultural themed artwork.

The exhibition ‘Farming: A Highlands Heritage’ featured in October of 2026

https://highlandsart.org/13th-annual-2026-atrium

https://farmsteadarts.org/events/event-calendar.html/event/2026/08/25/1787655600/nj-highlands-art-show-/571145

The exhibition was held on the main floor of the farmhouse and not only gave everyone the opportunity to look at local art but tour the grounds on a beautiful Fall day.

After I toured the exhibition, I walked around the grounds of the farm and noted all the renovations going on with the various buildings. It will be more interactive when they are finished and you can see the historical interpretation of the farm.

The grounds were beautiful with all the foliage.

The farm property in the Fall of 2026