Tag: warren george watrel

Stillwater Historical Museum/Historical Society of Stillwater 900 Main Street Newton, NJ 07860

Stillwater Historical Museum/Historical Society of Stillwater 900 Main Street Newton, NJ 07860

Stillwater Historical Museum/Historical Society of Stillwater

900 Main Street

Newton, NJ 07860

https://www.facebook.com/groups/HistoricStillwater

https://www.historicstillwater.org

Admission: Free but donations are appreciated

Open: check the website for hours/Seasonal

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46674-d34737428-r1081596401-Stillwater_Historical_Museum-Newton_New_Jersey.html

The front of the Stillwater Historical Society

The last museum on my tour during the Sussex County Heritage Weekend was the Stillwater Historical Society Museum in Stillwater, NJ, a small town just west of Newton, NJ, the County Seat of Sussex NJ.

The Historical Society is set up like a General store on the first floor with displays with merchandise of the past and household items. They have recreated the recreation of the past with a modern twist. How did a small town buy and sell a hundred years ago? How did they socialize when this was the place of communication?

The sign for the museum

The Historical Society of Stillwater Township:

(from the museum pamphlet)

Since its organization in 1977, the mission of the Society has been to foster and promote an interest in Stillwater area history by maintaining a museum and reference library of historic artifacts and genealogical records of area families and support preservation efforts of historic structures sites and events.

Through the generous foresight and planning of Mr. Amos F. Dixon and his wife, Mrs. Mary W. Dixon, the museum associated with the Historical Society of Stillwater Township has been located within the Neighborhood House on Main Street in Stillwater since 1954. Originally a one room schoolhouse from 1842 to 1909 and the home of Mary W. Dixon Library, within the building are interpretive displays of a restored schoolroom and a general store with a post office. A collection of artifacts depicting the early life of the village and surrounding area is on display as well as a costume collection, mineral collection, Native American artifacts and military items dating back to the Revolutionary War. Genealogical records, photographs and newspaper clippings of historic significance to the area and its families are part of the Reference Library.

The first floor gallery of the Stillwater Historical Society is set up like a general store.

The first floor gallery

The History of the Museum:

(from the museum pamphlet)

The museum’s collection has grown and flourished throughout the years thanks to generous donations from the Stillwater community. The Society is always seeking locally-relevant physical artifacts and genealogical information. Dedicated members are working to preserve the artifacts and we are currently computerizing our collections to make the information.

The Preservation of the Museum:

(from the museum pamphlet)

Along with the continued preservation of the Museum and its artifacts, the society has supported the concept of an historic district in Stillwater and recently assisted in the historic registry designation of the Shafer Grist Mill in Stillwater village. The Society & the Casper Shafer residence on Main Street previously assisted with the preservation of Keen’s Mill in the Swartswood Lake area.

The Van Horn family burial plot is also preserved and maintained by the Society. The Society supports all efforts to preserve these and other important historic structures and to make them available for public enjoyment and educational purposes.

To support Stillwater’s community life, the Society hosts educational programs and fund-raising events throughout the year. Past topics have included the evolution of grist mills, herbal remedies used during the 18th Century, Revolutionary War weaponry, the Tocks Island Project and historic cemeteries. Fundraising events range from festivals featuring music, food and games to seasonal bus tours.

The General Store display

The General Store display

The old pot belly stove the center of the General store

The stove of the old General Store

The pot belly stove

Kitchen artifacts

Local artifacts from the Stillwater community

The second floor galleries were broken up into two different sections, Native American and early settler artifacts plus part of the building was once a schoolhouse so the museum also set up a schoolhouse display.

The Lenape Native American display

Native American artifacts

Native American artifacts

This was the old stage of the elementary school now being used to house the Children’s display.

The Children’s Schoolhouse display on the old second floor stage

The other side of the second floor galleries houses clothes, accessories and household goods. The clothing was beautifully displayed.

The second part of the second floor galleries

The back part of the second galleries

It really was an interesting little museum with wonderful artifacts nicely displayed throughout the museum. The museum did a nice job with this.

The Morning clothing display

Day and Evening dresses

Hats and gloves and other accessories

Military outfits and some formal clothing

Farming equipment

Farming equipment

Shoes and sewing items from the turn of the last century

Household items for the turn of the century home

The Town of Stillwater, NJ:

(from the museum pamphlet)

https://www.historicstillwater.org/township-overview

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

Home

Stillwater Township is located in Sussex County, eights miles west of Newton. Its encompasses an area of 28 square miles. Three small villages: Stillwater, Middleville and Swartswood, together with residents now residing in what was only a few years ago a farming community, compete its population of approximately 4,500.

After my tour of the Stillwater Historical Society Museum, I took a walk in the rural downtown of Stillwater, NJ. I felt like I was in a quaint New England village and not twenty miles from Manhattan.

The beautiful Victorian homes

The town was decorated for upcoming Halloween

The General Store restaurant downtown

The farm view from the downtown

The historic sign for the old Casper Shafer farm

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

https://www.sussex.nj.us/585/Casper-Shafer

https://www.facebook.com/groups/HistoricStillwater/permalink/10159716198614329

The original farmhouse decorated for the Halloween holidays

The ghost on their porch

The picturesque farmland

The farm stand in front of the house (on the honor system)

The plant and pumpkin stand on the farm (also on the honor system)

The also had a arranged flower stand with colorful Fall flowers

The back of the old Shafer farm in the Fall

The town was so beautiful and picturesque and it was so much fun just walking around looking at the foliage. It was also a nice way to end my tour on the Sussex County Heritage Tour for the afternoon. I could not believe I was still in New Jersey.

Sparta Train Station 30 Station Road Sparta, NJ 07871

Sparta Train Station 30 Station Road Sparta, NJ 07871

Sparta Train Station

30 Station Road

Sparta, NJ 07871

https://www.facebook.com/SpartaTrainStation

Open: The museum is seasonable and open for special events. Please check out their website for more information. Open for the Sussex County Heritage weekend event.

Admission: Free

Home Page

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46839-d34737451-r1081601474-Sparta_Train_Station_Museum-Sparta_New_Jersey.html

The old Sparta Train Station

I visited the Old Sparta Train Station Museum as part of the Sussex Heritage Weekend and it was a fascinating trip back in time to when these rural communities started getting connected to the cities after the Civil War.

The museum was at the beginning stages of development with displays being created in the rail system in Sussex County and train artifacts that were mounted on display. There was a model train set chugging along a train route.

The side view of the station

The plaque dedicated to the train station

The water tower outside the train station on the station’s grounds

The grounds where the station and the water tower are located are still an active train line.

The inside gallery at the Sparta Train Station Museum

The back part of the station’s gallery

Old travel equipment used on the train rails

Though the collection is small for now, the docents explained they will continue to add more to the collection. They were also a wonder book of knowledge on the history of this area of New Jersey.

The history of the museum

The building and the museum have had quite the history. This includes the fire and the rebuilding.

The train displays

The train display

The engine display

The docents were a wonder book of information on the history of the rail system and of the station building itself. The museum is just starting to develop so for now it is quick visit through the museum when it is open and visits back to see how it grows it collections. For now, it was a very interesting visit.

Day Three Hundred and Ninety-Three Private Members Night-Halloween at the MoMA October 27th, 2026

Day Three Hundred and Ninety-Three Private Members Night-Halloween at the MoMA October 27th, 2026

It is the week of Halloween in New York City and the Museum of Modern Art opened its door for a Members get together.

The MoMA was haunted on a pre-Halloween Night and members of the museum were looking for a fright!

On October 28th, the Museum of Modern Art held their annual Members Night with a Halloween theme “It’s Alive”. They asked members to dress up and carried the Halloween theme throughout the museum with entertainment, refreshments and art lectures on spooky looking art. It was a fun evening out on a warm October night.

The Costumed guests at the Museum of Modern Art

The guests were greeted at the museum with a DJ playing and a pumpkin carving display being created. On the second floor, there were arts and crafts for adults and children, while a spooky silent film played in a darkened hall. The theme of the evening was “It’s Alive” and the museum came to life with each member arriving.

Members mingling among the ghosts and ghouls and things that go bump in the night

The sign welcoming us for the Members Evening “It’s Alive”

https://www.moma.org

https://www.moma.org/calendar/programs/193

https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/11748

Many of the museums were having their Members Nights before the start of the holidays but nothing beats a night at the MoMA before Halloween night. This was no ordinary night of Trick role Treating at the museum. There was a costumed DJ spinning tunes as we entered and the whole lobby was filled with people in costume.

The lobby was the heart of the party

I love the art in the lobby

There was a pumpkin carving demonstration on the first floor when we walked in

The museum planned an array of activities to enjoy from the DJ spinning to the to the dancing and music on the first floor. Pumpkin carving and artwork to enjoy with our creative side to a spooky silent film to watch and then tour the haunted halls of the museum looking for sinister art. Movies and music on the patio as the sun set and the moon rose in the night sky.

Our directory of the evening

My first stop was the outside patio and it was just beautiful this evening with the weather warm at 65 degrees and such a pleasant night to be outside. The cool weather finally gave way to a warm week leading into Halloween. Surrealist movies were playing on the screen while the Beauty of Midtown lights gleaned in the background.

The patio was busy with people chatting and enjoying the nice weather

My video on the patio

The patio fountains were lit for the evening

I then made my way to the second floor to watch a silent horror film, ‘The Cat and the Canary’

The beginning of the film

The movie in full

The silent film “The Cat and the Canary”

Watching the silent film

The silent film “The Cat and the Canary”

While we were watching the film, the tables were set with play dough and paper to create what inspired us. I created my version of Mr. Bill. It was fun being a kid again!

The table setting our spooky instructions

The spooky instructions

My version of Mr. Bill doing the scream

My creative artwork

After my time with the arts and crafts , I sat down to watch the full film which had lots of twists and turns on it.

I needed a drink after the film was over and with it being Midterms week at work, I really needed one to relax me. I eyed the Blood Orange Margarita and watch it get mixed. They even put a small gummy eye at the bottom of the drink.

The Blood Orange Margarita sounded good after a long week of running around

The margarita looked cute but not for $17.00. I thought it was a bit small with too much ice. The candy eyeball was cute though.

As I was enjoying my drink and listening to the music, the museum laid out trays of Halloween candy like M & M’s and Tootsie rolls, which got devoured quickly. As I walked around the lobby, the main floor turning into a dance floor of witches and ghosts and many costumed characters.

The make shift dance floor on the first floor

The party continued on the first floor

I continued the evening walking the galleries of the Fifth Floor looking for Halloween art. There were talks and tours all night and I joined other members on the Fifth Floor and I found many ‘haunting’ objects in the halls of the MoMA.

Artwork on the Fifth Floor

The spider like Alexander Calder piece

The colorful surreal pieces of the Fifth Floor

A missing mysterious magician

A headless Spector rooming the halls

Colorful art dominating the Fifth floor

The party continued into the later evening with the dance floor going strong.

The costumed characters on the dance floor on the first floor

I took a break from the festivities and relaxed on the patio enjoying the warm night and admiring the lights of Midtown. With everything going on in the world today, the MoMA tricked us in for a real treat at the museum that night.

Relaxing in the patio at the end of the evening

The haunted pools of the patio relaxed me that evening.

All good things come to an end and the museum started to close down by 9:00pm. I could tell many of the party goers did not want to leave but out into the darkness we went only to be treated by the array of lights to Midtown Manhattan.

Looking at the MoMA from a distance down Seventh Avenue

Decorating for Halloween has become a big business and all signs of the Fall were around us. Unfortunately with Halloween on Saturday I was already seeing the signs of Christmas lurking in the background. Designers were putting up pine displays and decorations you could see just waiting for Halloween night to end. Still for tonight, Midtown was a haunting display.

Pumpkins lining an office building on Sixth Avenue

The Fall leaves are falling along the sides of West 55th Street

Looking down 8th Avenue at night

It was fun to walk around the City on this warm October night and enjoy the pre-Halloween festivities. Trick or Treat everyone!

Boo!

Matchbox Road Museum 15 Pearl Street Newfield, NJ 08344

Matchbox Road Museum 15 Pearl Street Newfield, NJ 08344

Matchbox Road Museum

15 Pearl Street

Newfield, NJ 08344

(609) 381-2332

https://www.facebook.com/MatchboxRoadMuseum

HOME

Open: Sunday-Friday Closed/Saturday 10:00am-2:00pm or by appointment

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/R4960NKjustinw/mediabatch/14537611?m=19905

The Matchbox Road Museum at 15 Pearl Street

The logo of the museum

I was recently traveling around the Newfield, NJ area, where a small museum dedicated to Matchbox cars was located. I had enjoyed playing with them and collected them when I was little and it sounded fascinating to have a whole museum dedicated to them.

They were not open that day but arranged to visit the museum when I was in the area on my next trip. A few weeks later I arranged a private tour of the museum and got a very interested and detailed tour of the collection, the history of Matchbox cars and the owner of the collection and his collection.

The museum sign at the front of the museum

The rows and rows of cars and trucks

The museum houses one of the most extensive and complete collections of Matchbox cars from not just the collectibles but cars that were part of their promotions in Happy meals and in boxes of Kellogg cereal.

The rows and rows of the collection

The collection also extended out to toys from the company that manufactured the cars from Universal Toys to Tyco Toys to the current owner, Mattel (Wiki.com).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matchbox_(brand)

Matchbox Collector Cars
matchbox

The first car created as part of this vast collection

The collection contained some of the original die cast cars from the first set that were created.

All the cars are so neatly organized

We went row by row and room by room and I was fascinated by the detail and extensive knowledge the docent had on the collection and the history of Matchbox cars. This is a great museum to take kids on just for the sheer collection and for toy collectors who are interesting in Matchbox items.

Our Story, Our Passion

(From the museum website)

The concept of Matchbox Road Museum was formed out of a life-long interest in miniature automotive perfection. The personal collection turned into a well-renowned museum of the preservation of the rare, discontinued and historically important die-cast models. Every item in our assortment symbolizes the art, nostalgia, and cultural impact of the small cars over time.

The inside of the Galley

We think such miniature cars are not just collectibles but narrators of innovations, design and childhood fantasy. By means of professional conservation, careful exhibitions and devotion to authenticity, we give our visitors and collectors an experience that is informative and inspirational.

The Matchbox cars in Happy Meals

The cars available in cereal boxes

The models of Queen Elizabeth II coronation carriages that helped start the company

We have a very easy mission to fulfill, which is to secure the legacy, celebrate the history and make sure these small cars keep on telling big stories in the coming decades.

The Legacy of Matchbox Cars

(From the museum website)

Since its inception in the year 1953, Matchbox cars have changed the way we view toys as well as the toy industry.

They were not only iconic in size but storytelling. Real-world vehicles. Authentic detail. The palm of your hand Dreams at affordable prices.

These small masterpieces attracted the minds of millions of people during decades. Nowadays, they are not just toys, but a part of history, art of engineering, and culture.

We celebrate that tradition at Matchbox Road Museum.

Video on the tour

The museum also has an extensive collection of toys and playthings on display.

Walking around the extensive collections of cars

About the Founder

(From the museum website)

Every great collection begins with a single spark.

A childhood obsession turned into a lifetime goal – retain the heritage of miniature car perfection to the generations to come. The creator of Matchbox Road Museum devoted several decades to the collection of rare, discontinued, and historically important models.

This museum is not constructed using shelves of cars.

It is built on passion. Dedication. Obsession with detail.

And now that heritage open to you is there.

The museum is open for private tours that can be arranged in advance. The tour will take about an hour and you will see a lot. I was taken in by the sheer collection and the walls filled with rows and rows of cars. I really is a fascinating museum.