Morris County Historical Society

At Acorn Hall

SPRING 2009
Out of the Closet: An Art Collection Revealed
Our membership continues to
grow! Please welcome the
following new members: woodblock prints depicting the
“floating world” of geishas and
 John Allen actors.
 Barbara Brown th
 A charming 19 century oil
 Thomas DiMartino painting of a peasant girl by
 Margaret Findley Francesco Augero, who exhib-
 Elizabeth Hauser ited at the National Academy.
 A collection of miniature
 Elisabeth Joubert &
portraits on ivory by Morristown
Annette Mowen
artist Gertrude Colles.
 Barbara Jutila A hand-colored print by famed local artist Lucille  Landscapes by 19 century
th
Hobbie
 Joyce Kanigel Morris-
 G. (Chris) Mailander The Morris County Historical Society is town art-
 Kate Nitto inviting the public to come up and see its ist Mabel
 Mr. & Mrs. Frederick etchings – and paintings and sculptures – Olmsted.
now on display in Out of the Closet: An  A se-
Olex & Family
Art Collection Revealed. In this newest ries of
 Constance Rooney
exhibit at Acorn Hall, the Society is neoclassi-
 Lynne & Clifford showing off its extensive collection of cal etch-
Taylor prints, paintings, drawings, and other art- ings de-
 Dave & Mary Lynn works, many of which have never been picting
Townsley publicly exhibited before. scenes
 Linda Willner from
The works represent both local and inter- Greek
Inside this issue: national artists. Among the featured art- mythol- AGertrude
delicate miniature by
Colles
Historical Happenings 2 works: ogy.
th (continued on page 6)
 A collection of 19 century Japanese
From the Director 3

Home Garden Club 3 Celebration of Cultures

Exhibit Workshop 4 Go around the world in an afternoon at learning, and fun for the whole
“Many Lands, One County: A Celebration of family.
In the Gift Shop 4
Cultural Heritage” on Sunday, April 19, from
Spring Tea 5 1 to 5 p.m. The event, co-hosted by the Mor- “Many Lands, One County,” will
ris County Historical Society and the Morris take place at the Student Center at
Rev. Weekend 5 County Human Relations Commission, will the County College of Morris, 214
feature arts, foods, music, dance, and other Center Grove Road in Randolph.
Yard Sale 5
traditions of the many different peoples who Please use Parking Lot 6. For more
Be Our Guest 6 call Morris County home. The event is free of information visit
charge and promises to be a day of sharing, www.morrishumanrelations.org.
Membership 7
PAGE 2
Historical Happenings
Boonton Historical Society
Tuesday, April 14 – “Celebrate
NJ.” Linda Barth will present an
armchair journey down the by-
ways of New Jersey. 2 p.m. at
the Senior Center.
Saturday, May 2 – Biennial
House Tour.
Wednesday, May 20 – “Stories
from the Boonton Police Depart-
ment” with Chief Steven Stross.
7 p.m. at the Senior Center.
Friday, May 22 – Dinner with
Sherlock Holmes. Neill Hartley
of the American Historical
Theatre will portray Holmes.
6:30 p.m. at the Columbia Inn,
29 Route 202, Montville. $40
per person.
For additional information:
(973) 396-6782
www.boonton.org/Community/
HistoricalSociety.htm
Chester Historical Society
Thursday, April 9 – “New Jer-
sey in the French and Indian
War” with Douglass Pitchell and
Andy Drysdale. 7 p.m. at the
Chester Public Library, 250
West Main Street, Chester.
Thursday, May 14 – “New Jer-
sey and the Civil War” with the
33rd Regiment New Jersey Vol-
unteer Infantry re-enactors. 7
p.m. at the Chester Public Li-
MCHS
brary, 250 West Main Street,
Chester.
For additional information:
(908) 879-2761
www.historicchesternj.com
Lake Hopatcong
Historical Museum
Saturday, May 9 – “Victorian
Times at Lake Hopatcong.” 6
p.m. at The Arlington.
For additional information:
(973) 398-2616
www.hopatcong.org/museum
Long Hill Township
Historical Society
Thursday, April 9 – “Life in the
Slow Lane” with Lois Hocken-
bury. 7:30 p.m. at the Long Hill
Township First Aid Squad build-
ing, 949 Valley Road, Gillette.
Thursday, May 14 – “Morris
County Canal” with Dave Phra-
ner. 7:30 p.m. at the Long Hill
Township First Aid Squad build-
ing, 949 Valley Road, Gillette.
Thursday, June 11 – “Tour
Basking Ridge Presbyterian
Cemetery” by George Fricke.
7:30 p.m. at the Long Hill
Township First Aid Squad build-
ing, 949 Valley Road, Gillette.
For additional information:
(908) 647-6456
www.longhillhistory.org
SPRING 2009
Madison Historical Society
Thursday, April 16 – “The
James Family,” a presentation
focusing on D. Willis James,
who gave Madison its Public
Library, now the Museum of
Early Trades & Crafts. 7 p.m. in
the Chase Room, Madison Li-
brary, 39 Keep Street, Madison.
Thursday, May 21 – Annual
Dinner, featuring Bob Butts and
members of the Baroque Or-
chestra of NJ playing selections
from “Ballads of NJ in the
Revolution.” 6 p.m. at the Madi-
son Hotel.
For additional information:
(973) 377-0722 Ext. 8
www.rosenet.org/mhs
Washington Township
Historical Society
Friday, April 16 – Used Book
Sale, 4 p.m.-8 p.m.
Saturday, April 17– Used Book
Sale, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
Sunday, April 18– Used Book
Sale, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
WTHS Museum, 6 Fairview
Avenue, Long Valley.
Sunday, May 17 – Historic
School Bell Dedication, 2-4
p.m. at the WTHS Museum, 6
Fairview Avenue, Long Valley.
For additional information:
(908) 876-9696
www.wthsnj.org
SPRING 2009 PAGE 3
MCHS

From the Director

March 2009 marked my tenth year at the Morris County Historical Society. The historian in me cannot
let this anniversary pass without comment, so I’d like to take this opportunity to share my reflections
with you. The thing that stands out most to me is the great joy I have taken in being associated with the
Society and in the people I have had the opportunity to meet.

“Society” truly is the key word in this organization. Members, volunteers, interns, staff, and board
members are really the living heart of MCHS. I can think of so many members who have become dear
friends – I look for their presence at events the way you look forward to seeing a favorite relative at the
holidays. Volunteers, both those who have been at Acorn Hall since I began and those who are rela-
tively new, are a constant source of inspiration. We have been tremendously lucky in attracting truly
talented young people as interns, and I have enjoyed not only working with them, but watching them
graduate and continue on their careers. Staff member Debra Westmoreland will celebrate her ten-year
anniversary this fall and I cannot imagine the Society without her. I can honestly say that all of the
various members of the staff have contributed in their own way to the Society’s development. Right
now we have a quartet of women at MCHS, each with her own special strength, and although each of
us is so very different, we are like parts of an automobile engine – it takes the work of each one to
move that car forward. Finally I’d like to recognize the trustees, especially those who have been there
since the beginning, who took a chance that an inexperienced yet eager young woman could have what
it takes to lead a venerable organization into a new century.

Thank you to everyone who has made the last ten years seem like a brief moment in time. There are far
too many of you to list by name, but know that I value each of you and your contributions. I look for-
ward to celebrating more anniversaries with you, and with new friends, in the future.

– Bonnie-Lynn Nadzeika

Home Garden Club

The Pinelands Traveler—
Ghost Towns, Bogs, and
Legends
Wednesday, May 20
1 p.m.
Frelinghuysen Arboretum
Michael Fowler, a noted
speaker, author, photographer,
and professor at Burlington
County College, will speak.
Bus Trip to Arboretum at about 4:30 p.m.
Stonecrop Gardens, For tickets contact Gail
Avery at 973-541-0278 or at
Cold Spring, N.Y.
gavery@optonline.net.
Thursday, June 18
The bus will depart from the
Frelinghuysen Arboretum at 8
a.m. A tour of the wonderful
gardens at Stonecrop will be fol-
lowed by lunch at Hudson
House. The bus returns to the
PAGE 4
Fonts to Frames Workshop
The Morris County Historical
Society and the Morris County
Heritage Commission are spon-
soring “Fonts To Frames: Ex-
hibit Design and Installation on
a Budget,” a workshop for staff
and volunteers at small, volun-
teer-run museums and historical
In the Gift Shop
Bunnies and chicks have hopped
into the Oakleaf Gallery gift
shop, a sure sign that Spring is
on its way! There’s a lovely se-
lection of items that are perfect
for Easter baskets or hostess
gifts. Most items are under $10
and several are under $5, so you
can pick up a treat without
breaking the bank.
New to the shop is a selection of
Victorian-themed items for
home and office. There is a
beautiful porce-
lain bedside
water carafe
decorated with
roses. Perk up
your desk with
a mouse pad
MCHS
agencies in Morris
County. The program will
be held on Wednesday,
April 8, at 5:30 p.m. at the
Morris County Cultural
Center, 300 Mendham
Road, Morris Township.
Participation is free of
charge but is limited to
persons affiliated with
volunteer-run organiza-
tions in Morris County.
Reservations are required and
are available on a first-come,
first-served basis, with a limit of
two participants per organiza-
tion. For additional information
or for reservations contact the
Morris County Historical Soci-
ety at 973-267-3465.
featuring roses, an English cot-
tage, or vintage correspondence.
Organize with style with book-
shaped boxes decorated with
vintage seed packets or Jazz Age
beauties.
If economic concerns are forcing
you to cut back on gift giving,
the shop at Acorn Hall
has a solution. Instead
of a commercially
printed card, give the
gift of Acorn Hall.
Beautifully printed
cards featuring a his-
toric image of Acorn
Hall are $6 and give
the receiver a free visit
to Acorn Hall. For just
a few dollars more
SPRING 2009
MCHS staff members Bonnie-
Lynn Nadzeika and Debra West-
moreland and MCHC adminis-
trator Carrie Fellows will pro-
vide tips and tricks to help small
organizations make the most of
their time and money when
mounting exhibits. They will
demonstrate tools and tips for
creating text panels that look
like a million bucks for only a
few bucks. They will discuss
sources for inexpensive frames
and small exhibit cases, and
show how simple and affordable
materials from the local hard-
ware store can be used to create
low-cost display panels and par-
titions.
than a store-bought card, it’s
sure to brighten someone’s day!
The shop accepts all major credit
cards. Members always save
10%, so every day is a sale day!
Every purchase benefits MCHS
programs.
SPRING 2009
Spring Tea
Calling all tea lovers! The Society
is once again hosting a traditional
sit-down tea at Acorn Hall. The
Spring Tea will be held on Satur-
Revolutionary Weekend comes to Morristown
As part of the Morristown-wide
April “Revolutionary Weekend,”
the Morris County Historical Soci-
ety is displaying an exhibit of sou-
venirs, publications, and other arti-
facts relating to America’s 1876
Centennial. A Revolutionary Cen-
tennial: 1776-1876 will be on dis-
play at Acorn Hall during special
hours on Friday, April 24 (10 a.m.
to 4 p.m.) and Sunday, April 26 (1
to 4 p.m.) as well as during regular
public hours until May 10. The
Yard Sale
MCHS will be holding a yard sale
fundraiser at Acorn Hall on Satur-
day, May 30, from 10 a.m. to 2
p.m. (no early birds, please!) This
year’s sale will feature a wide vari-
ety of goods, including vintage re-
cords, books, clothing, toys and
games, antiques, and household
items. Volunteer Diane Freedman
will also be featuring a selection of
vintage jewelry.
You can help us, not just by buy-
ing, but by donating items to the
MCHS
day, May 9, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Attendees will enjoy three courses
of scones, finger sandwiches, and
desserts.
In addition to enjoying tasty treats
in a beautiful setting, guests will
have the opportunity to view two
exhibits at Acorn Hall—Out of the
Closet: An Art Collection Revealed
and A Revolutionary Centennial:
1776-1876. There will also be a
short presentation about the birth of
the nineteenth century women’s
movement at a ladies’ tea party.
exhibit is included in the price of a
tour of Acorn Hall.
MCHS’s headquarters, Acorn Hall,
wasn’t built until 1853, well after
the American Revolution. But the
Hall’s inhabitants – like the rest of
America in 1876 – would have
been caught up in the patriotic fer-
vor that swept the young nation
celebrating its 100th birthday. The
special exhibit will include such
items as textiles printed with colo-
sale. We are especially in need of
additional antique and vintage
items. If you’re cleaning out an attic
and come across vintage clothing,
linens, luggage, or whatever, con-
tact us about selling it to benefit the
Society. A few of the items may
even end up being added to our col-
lection. You’ll get some usable
space back, and the Society will get
some much needed income. It’s a
win for everyone! If you would like
to donate items to the sale, please
contact the Society at 973-267-
PAGE 5
The Oakleaf Gallery will be open
throughout the event.
Reservations are required and
will be taken on a first-come,
first-served basis, so call today!
When making your reservation
please be sure to let the staff
know about seating requests or if
you need a vegetarian plate.
Tickets are $25 for MCHS mem-
bers and $30 for non-members.
Checks, cash, or credit cards are
accepted.
nial themes, Frank Leslie’s Illus-
trated Weekly magazines from
1876, souvenirs from the Phila-
delphia
Centennial
Exposition,
and a bustle
gown worn
to Centen-
nial festivi-
ties.
3465. All items must be dropped
off two weeks prior to the sale.
Acorn Hall will not be open to
the public during the sale. No one
will be allowed entrance to the
sale prior to 10 a.m. All proceeds
will benefit the Society’s pro-
grams.
PAGE 6
Out of the Closet Continued
(from page one)
 Mid-19th century folk art
portraits of Charles and Clarissa
Byram Thompson of Mendham.
 Hand-colored prints and a
seaside painting by 20th century
Morris County artist Lucille
Hobbie.
 A Victorian marble Venus.
While this exhibit may seem
like a departure from the Soci-
ety’s traditional exhibitions, it
will still be firmly rooted in his-
tory. Not only do the pieces se-
lected reflect the tastes and val-
ues of nineteenth and twentieth
century America, many of the
featured works were done by
Morris County artists and pro-
Be Our Guest
May 17 is Morris County’s an-
nual “Be Our Guest” day, a free
open-house day at Acorn Hall
and historic sites and museums
throughout Morris County, from
noon to 5 p.m. You can visit the
participating sites by contribut-
ing a non-perishable food item
for the Interfaith Food Pantry in
lieu of the normal admission fee.
(For a list of the Pantry’s most
pressing needs, visit their web-
site at www.mcifp.org.) A free
shuttle will be available between
select Morristown-area sites, in-
cluding Acorn Hall. To learn
which other sites are participat-
ing, visit
www.morristourism.org/ or call
the Morris County Visitors Cen-
MCHS
vide a visual tour of Morris
County’s past.
The exhibit would not have been
possible without the contribu-
tions of two individuals. MCHS
intern Mary Hauser-Kropa has
devoted countless hours to pho-
tographing and documenting the
Society’s art collection. Through
her efforts this will be the first
MCHS exhibit to be featured on-
line. While seeing the exhibit in
person is ideal, having an on-line
version will allow the Society’s
work to reach an even broader
audience. The catalog can
viewed at mchistori-
cal.tripod.com/id17.html.
Phil Fico of The Connoisseur
Fine Arts in Bernardsville did
ter at 973-361-5151.
The Interfaith Food Pantry has
already been the beneficiary of a
food drive organized by the Mor-
ris County Historical Society.
MCHS collected food in Decem-
ber in conjunction with its Key
Ingredients traveling Smith-
sonian exhibit. The much-needed
food items were delivered to the
Pantry in Morristown in Febru-
ary.
In thanking the Society for its
donation, Rosemary Gilmartin,
the IFP Executive Director,
wrote, “We are so very fortunate
for friends like you who under-
stand about the need and care
SPRING 2009
restoration work on 19 pieces
from the Society’s collection.
Most importantly, he did resto-
ration work on the Thompson
family portraits and the Fran-
cesco Augero “Peasant Girl.”
Mr. Fico also generously do-
nated the striking framing for
the “Peasant Girl,” which will
be on permanent view at Acorn
Hall following the exhibition.
For a more in-depth look at the
collection and the restoration
work, join Debra Westmoreland
and Mary Hauser-Kropa for a
gallery talk on Sunday, June 7,
at 2 p.m. at Acorn Hall. The
program is free with admission
to Acorn Hall.
about your neighbors. Your gift
of 3 1/2 bags of food means so
much to us and our clients….
Neighbors helping neighbors is
a wonderful concept that has
come to life through your caring
and generous donation!”
Victorian
Weekend
June 27 & 28
New this year—
Antique Appraisals!
SPRING 2009 PAGE 7
MCHS

Membership

 Student $15  Family/Institution $50  Sponsor $500

 Senior $20  Contributor $100  Patron $1000

 Individual $30  Sustaining $250  Life $2500

 Mastercard  Visa  Discover  American Express

Account#_______________________________________________________

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Make checks out to Morris County Historical Society

68 Morris Avenue
Morristown, NJ 07960

NAME_________________________________________________________

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
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 I have enclosed a matching gift form.
 I would like to volunteer.

www.acornhall.org

Where did you get this newsletter?____________________________________

Board of Trustees Hours
Acorn Hall: Mon. and Thurs.
Barbara Benedict 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sun. 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
Learned T. Bulman Office: Mon. to Fri. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Nancy Cooper
Robert Donaldson This newsletter is published quarterly by
Heather Emelander the Morris County Historical Society, headquartered at
Harvey H. Gilbert Acorn Hall, 68 Morris Avenue,
David G. Holdsworth Morristown, NJ 07960-4212
Diane Kafel Phone: 973-267-3465 FAX: 973-267-8773
Gregory C. Kurlander www.acornhall.org
Teresa LeDonne The mission of MCHS is to discover, preserve,
Suzan Santiago and make known the history of Morris County
through exhibits, programs, publications,
and preservation advocacy.
MCHS receives operating funds from
the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders,
the F.M. Kirby Foundation,
and the New Jersey Historical Commission.

President of the Board—David G. Holdsworth

Director—Bonnie-Lynn Nadzeika
Curator—Debra Westmoreland
Education Coordinator—Carie Levin
Outreach Coordinator—Karen Ann Kurlander

MORRIS COUNTY
HISTORICAL SOCIETY
At Acorn Hall
68 Morris Avenue
Morristown, NJ 07960-4212

MCHS