The Wyckoff Historical Society was established to research, preserve and educate about the rich history of Wyckoff, NJ. The organization was founded in 1974 and is incorporated. Recent programs included a walking tour of Wyckoff.
The Society recently restored the old Wyckoff barbershop that was donated to them and now sits on the town property by the Zabriskie Pond and the historic Zabriskie Home. Inside the building houses all sorts of local artifacts, farm tools and vintage furniture along with historic photos of the town of Wyckoff, NJ.
The little building sits right on the Zabriskie Pond.
The Zabriskie Pond in Wyckoff, NJ
History of the Museum:
This 1890’s structure was recorded as being a barbershop in 1905 when it was owned by John Lawrence, who worked for the railroad by day and cut hair at night. It was also a cobbler shop for several years and again a barbershop. The building was on Main Street and Everett Avenue relocating to its current home and donated to the Wyckoff Historical Society by resident and member, Sebastian Gaeta.
The farming display at the Barbershop Museum
The history of the building
The building was neglected for several years and was restored several times, most recently in the summer of 2018 by the society including a full paint job of the interior and exterior and refinishing the bare floors.
The barber chair from the old barber shop
On display are artifacts from Russell Farms, a barber chair from longtime Wyckoff barber, Frank Muscara, a 1905 child’s dress, Lenape artifacts, a Hoosier cabinet and photographs.
The Native American Collection
Artifacts from Wyckoff’s past
Artifacts from old businesses in Wyckoff and the surrounding areas
The tiny museum has a display of its own history as a barbershop on the Main Street of Wyckoff, NJ and how the building served as a local center for its citizens. It was eventually moved as times changed and became the museum it is today telling the story of the Town of Wyckoff, NJ.
The history and movement of the building when it left its original location
The history of the barbershop
The history of the building and the barbershop and of Wyckoff, NJ
Where the building was located in Wyckoff, NJ
Please check their website for opening dates.
The beauty of the Zabriskie Pond on a fall day in 2022. The area is just beautiful.
The Zabriskie Pond in Wyckoff, NJ
Disclaimer: This information was taken directly from the Wyckoff Historical Society pamphlet and I give them full credit for the information. Please email them for more information.
I visited the Zabriskie House in May 2016 and 2019 for the Northwest Bergen History Coalition 6th Annual History Day. The house is left the way the last owner. Grace Zabriskie, willed it to the town with all the original furnishings.
The historic signage
It has period furnishes, family heirlooms and antiques. The docents will take you on a tour of the house and show you where all the later additions were added and how they make up the whole house. As you walk through the house, you can see the difference in structure of the home plus how the last owner lived.
The Zabriske House in Wyckoff, NJ
Don’t miss touring the gardens in the Spring as Mrs. Zabriskie worked with a Botanist to plant the gardens to bloom at different times. She planted it in stages so that she could entertain in them but still treated the gardens similar to the house as if you had to walk into a room. It is very nice and colorful in the Spring.
I have visited the house during the Northwest Bergen History Day and I was able to take a lot of pictures of the gardens next to the house on a rather gloomy day. The gardens were in full bloom in the middle of spring and the rain added a layer of beauty to the flowers and flowering bushes that lined the paths. They did a nice job maintaining the house.
On the terrace there are people to guide you through the house and docents to take tours. The ladies had a nice reception laid out for all of the people who came to visit.
The Van Voorhees-Quackenbush-Zabriskie House in the Fall of 2022
The original stone structure of the Van Voorhees-Quackenbush-Zabriskie House was built in 1730 by William Van Voorhees. It is believed to be the oldest house in Wyckoff, NJ. In 1824, William’s son, Albert, completed a major addition to the house in the classically Dutch colonial style. The original structure then became the dining room (NWBHC).
The historic part of the house from the 1700’s
The entrance of the Zabriskie House
History of the House: (Taken from the Wyckoff History Page)
The Van Voorhees-Quackenbush-Zabriskie House has been a local landmark for over 275 years and is believed to be the oldest structure in the Town of Wyckoff, NJ. In 1720, William and John Van Voor Haze, yeoman of Bergen County, purchases 550 acres of land in what is now Wyckoff. The brothers were descended from Dutch settlers who emigrated from Holland in 1660 (Wyckoff History).
The historic part of the house
The first stone house was built circa 1730 by William. The land was cleared and the family farmed, raising table crops and staples such as grain, corn, potatoes and grapes. Over time, apple orchards and dairy farming became main occupations in the area. The Jersey Dutch were especially skilled at animal husbandry. They were considered the best farmers and gardeners in the American Colonies (Wyckoff History).
The historic kitchen in the original part of the house
There were only about 20 families in the area in 1775, when the house served as the village store and tavern. William’s son, Albert, served in the Militia in the Revolutionary War. The original stone structure later became the dining room of the house, when a large addition was added in 1824 by William’s son, Albert when he was 86 years old. He had just one son, John, but likely expanded the house for his nine grandchildren and their wives and children. Over the years, in addition to serving as a home, the house served as a not only home, tavern and store but also as a hotel and ballroom for area parties (Wyckoff History).
The gardens on the side of the house
The gardens in April 2023 on a gloomy day
The original 1730 house has a steeply pitched roof and overhanging eaves designed to protect the building and foundation from rain. It has a two piece “Dutch” door to allow ventilation while keeping animals outside. Inside is a five foot high fireplace which originally was the sole source of heat and was used for all cooking (Wyckoff History).
The pathways to the gardens to the side of the house
The lawn next to the house
The pathways next to the house
The pathway to the gardens
The much larger 1824 structure is three stories originally tall with a sub-basement. It contains four fire places, again for heat. It has two half and four quarter moon windows and two oval windows. There are four bedroom with pegs to hand clothes on (no closets then). Its exterior demonstrates the classic Dutch Gambrel roof with an upper 23 degree roof line and then a lower 45 degrees roof line. This beautiful design was developed by the Dutch in northern New Jersey and up the Hudson River and is found nowhere else in the world. The typical Dutch front porch has two benches on either side of the entrance (Wyckoff History).
The house in the Fall
The property left the Van Voorhees family in the mid-1800’s. In 1867, it was purchased by Uriah Quackenbush. Uriah and Keziah Quackenbush had one son, John, who died as a young adult. Grace Quackenbush was his only child and was two years old when he died. She was raised in the house by her grandparents, who left the property to her when they passed on, after Grace had married John Zabriskie (Wyckoff History).
The Zabriskie Pond across the street
During her lifetime, Grace modernized the house (including adding an indoor bathroom) and restored the appearance of the home using authentic period antique furniture and furnishings. She also created three beautiful formal gardens on the landscaped property with her friend, Mrs. Elizabeth Spencer, a botany major (Wyckoff History).
The house is considered one of the finest examples of American architecture in northern New Jersey. The current House Museum has been called one of the finest in New Jersey. In 1973, Mrs. Grace Q. Zabriskie, who was the last resident, willed the house and its antique furnishings to the Township of Wyckoff, when she died that year. The “Zabriskie” house belongs to everyone in Wyckoff to enjoy (Wyckoff History).
The Zabriskie Pond in the Fall of 2022
Please check out their website for when the house is open to the public.
The Lyndhurst Historical Society at 400 Riverside Avenue
The Lyndhurst Historical Society is an interesting look into the early history of both the town of Lyndhurst, NJ and Bergen County. The museum shows how we moved from the agricultural era to the modern era in just one generation. The growth of the county really accelerated after the Civil War into the 1920’s.
Lyndhurst Schoolhouse grounds
The Lyndhurst Schoolhouse historic marker
A child’s statue in the gardens on the grounds of the museum.
The building itself is built on the original 1804 school house that was torn down for the newer one built in 1893. The unique part of the museum’s history is that the building was used as a school house for third graders in the town until 1980.
The museum’s school display
The museum is a treasure trove of memorabilia from the town’s past. One part of the museum is set up as an early school room with desks, blackboards and a whole teacher’s work area while the other side of the display is a nurses office for the kids.
The history of the school over the past hundred years.
The history and school pictures surrounded the display.
What is unique about the museum is that the original bell to call the children for school is still located on the top of the building and the bell can be accessed by the string in the coat room. They even let you ring the original school bell that has been in place all this time.
School nurse display
The original built in chalk boards exist with artwork that had been left on them from the 20’s that have now been preserved. What is interesting about them is that they had been covered up since the 1930’s and a child had drawn out in colored chalk two children’s fairy tales that have now been preserved. They had been hiding under the new chalkboard after the renovation for over fifty years.
The Little Red Riding Hood chalkboard drawing
The Three Bears chalkboard drawing
The other side of the floor plan is items from the 100th Anniversary of Lyndhurst. This had happened a few years earlier and the display is very prominent when you walk in. There is a lot of pride in this town.
The displays are related to the celebration with displays on businesses that have been in town for many years, Indian relics that were found in the town and memorabilia. Even the basement bathrooms are from the 1920’s and still work!
Music display and heating the school house
The big exhibition in the museum was the history of the ‘Lyndhurst High School Marching Band’, its past events and the teachers who run the program now. They have a very talented Music Department.
The History of the Lyndhurst High School Marching Band
The other big display was the ‘Kingsland Explosion and Fire’ that had occurred over twenty years ago and it is part of the permanent collection. It was interesting to see how it happened, how it was put out by the fire department and the history of the company.
The Kingsland Explosion and Fire Exhibition
This was a new exhibition that the museum is featuring in the Winter and Spring of 2025 on the history of the Lyndhurst Fire Department. This had unique items from the fire service donated by firefighters from the Lyndhurst Fire Department:
‘The History of the Lyndhurst Fire Department’ exhibition
The exhibition on ‘The History of the Lyndhurst Fire Department’
This exhibition will on display through the Spring of 2025.
Lyndhurst Historical Society:
(from the museum website)
The Lyndhurst Historical Society is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of local historic sites and the promotion of community pride in our history and traditions.
In 1984, a group of local citizens formed the Lyndhurst Historical Society. One of the Society’s early projects was to restore the “Little Red Schoolhouse” on Riverside Avenue and establish a museum in the schoolhouse for the exhibition of local history memorabilia.
The School Nurse cabinet in the schoolhouse
With community support as well as county and state grants, the Society’s goal to open the Schoolhouse Museum to the public was achieved in 1993.
The Society meets regularly on the third Wednesday of each month (except July and August) to…
*plan and present educational programs and workshops of historical interest.
*raise funds to meet the goals of the organization.
Active members and supporters are vital to the success and growth of the Lyndhurst Historical Society.
The history of the Lyndhurst Historical Society Museum
We welcome:
*those interested in membership.
*anyone wishing to volunteer time.
*offers of financial support (all memberships and donations are tax deductible in accordance with IRS regulations).
Lyndhurst Historical Society Museum grounds
Little Red Schoolhouse History:
(from the museum website)
A one room schoolhouse crowned by a bell, symbolizes a simpler time, 19th and early 20th century America.
In 1804, Jacob Van Winkle presented a strip of land to the school trustees for the construction of River Road School (“The Little Red Schoolhouse”). The yearly rent was one peppercorn if demanded. Thus was born the first known public school system of southern Bergen County. A subsequent building was erected in 1849. In 1893, the present school was built and used for classes until 1980.
Old Class pictures at the museum
The Township purchased the school in 1984. It was leased to the Lyndhurst Historical Society in order to preserve this landmark, now more than a century old, for future generations to appreciate and to use as a local museum.
Lyndhurst Historical Sites:
The Little Red Schoolhouse is one of three historic sites in Lyndhurst.
Just south of the Schoolhouse is the Jeremiah Yearance House, circa 1841. Years ago, teachers assigned to the School often boarded at the Yearance House during the week because the commute by train to their permanent homes would be too long.
One block north of the Schoolhouse is the Jacob Van Winkle House, built in 1797. Van Winkle presented the property for the Schoolhouse in 1804. River Road School is joined by the Van Winkle and Yearance Houses on both the National and New Jersey registries of historic places.
Historical Events & Trivia:
Did you know…
*Lyndhurst was once called Achter Kol?
*The town has three sites on both the New Jersey and National Historic Sites Registry?
*January 9, 2004 marked the 200th anniversary of the deeding of the land to the school house?
*Lewandowski Commons is named for the brothers killed in World War II?
*Palazzo Corner, built in 1905 and located at 262 Ridge Road, was used as the town’s first police state and court clerk’s office?
*The Jacob Van Winkle House, now the Masonic Club is the oldest building in Lyndhurst?
Events sponsored by the Lyndhurst Historical Society include:
*festivals
*re-enactments & historical portrayals
*cultural, artistic and musical presentations
*educational lectures
*bus and walking tours of Lyndhurst
Schoolhouse Museum Information:
The museum is located on the corner of Fern and Riverside Avenue, is open to the general public on the fourth Sundays of each month from 2:00pm to 4:00pm.
Group tours can be arranged at any time by reservation for schools, organizations and individuals. A visit includes a tour of the Schoolhouse, its exhibits and a presentation of local history by one of the Society’s docents. Call (201) 804-2513 for further information on museum tours and special events.
Disclaimer: The second part of the this information was taken directly from the Lyndhurst Historical Society’s pamphlet. The Little Red Schoolhouse is open from 2:00pm-4:00pm on the last Sunday of each month or by appointment only. Please plan accordingly.
In November of 2024, I had my Introduction to Business at Bergen Community College in Paramus, NJ create a Destination Tourism project for the museum. This is their project:
It was going to be a tight project as we only had five weeks to pull it off and we had Thanksgiving Weekend break in the middle of the project. I created one less Team and gave them a fair amount of work to develop and then we started the project.
I had an extra credit Team Field trip to the museum that Sunday and about a third of the students showed up. The museum is a one room schoolhouse so it is easy to tour.
Team members touring the museum on the extra credit trip
Touring and planning ideas in the museum’s backyard and gardens
The next week during class time, I took the students on a more formal tour and lecture on the museum where they met with the Museum Board, their volunteers and it was time to ask questions and view the museum from the vantage point of how to we promote this museum and how can we bring people in from outside the Bergen County area.
First we met with the staff at the museum on class night
We started with a discussion of the museum, its history and its direction in the community. We also got to meet the Volunteer Board of the museum.
Then we toured the museum
The Kingsland Explosion Fire display
Going over the project steps with the Museum Board
Our Team picture with the Museum Board of the Lyndhurst Red Schoolhouse Museum
Here is the Marketing Team Project that was created by the students:
The next week on December 12th, 2024, the students presented the project to myself, the Board and members of the Lyndhurst Schoolhouse Museum and to parents and other invited guests. For a four week project, the students did a good job.
The Bergecco-Parc Corporate Website for the Lyndhurst Schoolhouse Museum Team:
Team Two presenting their Holiday events to the Board
Team Two presenting their Holiday events budgets
Team Three making their presentation
The Lyndhurst Schoolhouse Museum Team at the end of the presentation
At the end of the Presentation, we had a Q &A with the Board of the Museum, who really loved the ideas that the students came up with and how creative they were with such a small museum. The President even admitted to me that she, like all the other museums I worked with this semester, would miss having the students visiting and touring the museum. That made me feel good, that in some small way we made a difference.
Historic Cold Spring Village in the summer of 2023. The 1800’s came to life when you visit.
The welcoming sign
Historically clothed interpreters demonstrate blacksmithing, pottery, printing, basket weaving and more! Visit an Early American schoolhouse, take part in hands-on activities and crafts and sample historic games and horse-drawn wagon rides on weekdays.
The Visitor’s Center at Historic Cold Spring Village
The village is also home to an organic farm complete with a horse, chickens, sheep and more! Visitors will also find a Welcome Center, Country Store, Bakery, Ice Cream Parlor, Cold Spring Grange Restaurant and Cold Spring Brewery.
The Map of the Village
Historic Cold Spring Village is a non-profit, open air living history museum dedicated to preserving the rich heritage of southern New Jersey. During the summer months, interpreters and artisans in period clothing preserve the trades, crafts and heritage of “the age of homespun.” From October-May, the emphasis is on teaching history through school trips to the Village, classroom visits by the education department and interactive teleconferences with schools throughout the U.S.
The Visitor’s Center exhibition is open in off season.
Our Education Program relates the history of the region to the broader scope of New Jersey, American and World History. Historic Cold Spring Village offers programs for students of all ages and programs can be adapted to any grade level. Please contact the Village for a more detailed description of each program.
Historic Cold Spring Village’s educational offerings are designed to comply with the 2009 New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards for Social Studies as established by the New Jersey Department of Education.
The Visitor’s Center exhibitions at Historic Cold Spring Village.
Stroll the shaded lanes of Historic Cold Spring Village’s 30 acres as you step back in time to an early American South Jersey farm community. Craft persons, tradesmen, housewives and farmers are eager to share their experience as you visit the Village’s 27 historic buildings. The Village is located on Route 9, four miles south of Rio Grande and three miles north of Cape May City. Visitors from the north, take the Garden State Parkway to Exit 4A and follow the signs to the Village.
For additional information on Historic Cold Spring Village programs, projects or events, please call, fax, email or visit our website.
Give the Past a Future: Invest in the future of HCSV by making a tax-deductible charitable contribution, volunteering or becoming a member. For additional information, call (609) 898-2300, ext. 10.
The Village’s educational programs meet the following standards:
6.1 US History, America in the World
6.2 World History/Global Studies
6.3 Active Citizenship in the 21st Century
The Marshallville One-Room Schoolhouse Experience
In the circa 1850 Marshallville Schoolhouse, students experience a typical Early American school day. Students ‘make their manners’, discover the subject studied by Early American students, write with quill pens and learn the consequences of not following classroom rules.
The Schoolhouse
The Marshallville Schoolhouse is available free of charge for teachers who wish to personally recreate a ‘school day of the past’ for their class. Village staff is available to run the program for a fee.
‘Visits to the Past’
Field trips to Historic Cold Spring Village offer students and teachers the opportunity to experience the past first hand. Select Village buildings, like the print shop, schoolhouse, blacksmith shop and inn are open exclusively for school groups. Costumed interpreters interact with students while demonstrating the trades and crafts of Early America. Field trips are held mid-May through early June. Call or email for fees and dates.
The gift shop offers all sorts of old fashioned goodies
We see America Learning: Teaching Early American History through ‘I Visits’
Distance learning programs are offered to schools nationwide. The programs are delivered via a state of the art broadband IP (Internet Protocol) systems and are adaptable to any grade level. If your school does not have a teleconference camera, our distance learning programs are also available through Skype using just your classroom computer and a webcam.
An Early American School Day: A typical day in an Early American rural school.
The Story of Old Glory: The origins and early history of the flag of the United States, using a collection of reproduction historic flags from the 17th Century through the Civil War.
Past Versus Present: A comparison of contemporary everyday objects with their Early American equivalents for example, a flashlight vs a lantern; digital camera vs daguerreotype.
Four Great Inventions (and one that almost was): Explores the creation of the steam boat, the steam locomotive, the daguerreotype camera, the telephone and difference engine, an 1832 attempt to build a mechanical computer.
Hearth and Home: An exploration of the role of the domestic arts practiced by 1800’s housewife with an emphasis on food preparation including hearth cooking.
Gone for a soldier: A day in the life of a Civil War Infantryman: Includes discussions of uniforms, equipment, camp life, food and weapons.
Welcome Centers: Taverns, Inns and Wayside Stops: A presentation utilizing our circa 1836 Dennisville Inn, A former stagecoach stop in Dennisville, NJ to explain the important part buildings such as these played in a community.
The Inn at the Historic Cold Spring Village
Revisiting the Country Store: An Important Community Resource: A look at the vital role of a general store in the life of rural America as a purveyor of goods, social center, post office, etc.
The War of 1812: More than the Star-Spangled Banner: An overview of the “Second War of Independence”,
Fiber Arts: A domestic program primarily including weaving and spinning interpretations.
The First Frontier: Whaler Yeomen in Colonial New Jersey: The story of the first permanent European settlers in New Jersey as well as a discussion of how the Eastern Seaboard was the original American Frontier.
Early American Trades: Explores the important role a printer, woodwright, blacksmith, bookbinder or tinsmith, had in an Early American community. Includes in-workshop demonstrations.
Disclaimer: This information is taken directly from the Cold Springs Village pamphlet. Please call them at the above number or email address for more information.
