Morris County Historical Society

At Acorn Hall

WINTER 2009
… and our member- Local Harvest
ship continues to
Meet some of the New Jersey farmers and
grow
artisans who produce the food on your table
Please welcome at “Local Harvest: Farms, Food, and Fami-
lies,” a celebration of the farms of northern
the following new
New Jersey. Meet farmers, watch chef
members: demos, sample and purchase local food, and
 Penny Jones learn about north Jersey’s agricultural heri-
tage past and present. Learn about CSA
 John Kern (Community Supported Agriculture) and sign
up for a share of the 2009 harvest. This fun-
for-all-ages event is co-sponsored by the
 Mary Leonardis
Morris County Historical Society and the
Northern New Jersey chapter of Slow Food
 Jaxon & Arlene USA. It’s at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum,
Teck Saturday, January 17, 2009 (snow date Janu-
ary 24), 1-4 p.m. And admission is free!
Some of the farms and artisans that will be at
the event:
PLAID PIPER FARM, Branchville, NJ
BOB-O-LINK DAIRY & BAKEYARD,
Vernon, NJ
CSG AT GENESIS FARM, Blairstown, NJ
Inside this issue: STARBRITE FARM, Newton, NJ
BAKE HOUSE BREAD, Columbia, NJ
VALLEY SHEPHERD CREAMERY, Long
Photo Shoots 2 New Jersey Council for the Hu-
Valley, NJ
BEST’S FRUIT FARM, Hackettstown, NJ
From the Director 3 the exhibit’s Morris County visit
DEGAGE FARM, Rockaway, NJ
Home Garden Club 3 ROGOWSKI FARM, Warwick, NY
HAVENWOOD FARM, Newton, NJ
ilms for Foodies 4
DUCKY LIFE TEA, Asbury, NJ
ALTER ECO, Murray Hill, NJ
THE HEALTH SHOPPE, Morris-
town, NJ, with foods and products
from these area farms:
BLOOMING GLEN FARM, Per-
kasie, PA
CAYUGA PURE ORGANICS,
Brooktondale, NY
WILD HIVE FARM, Clinton Cor-
ners, NY
SHUSHAN VALLEY HYDRO
FARMS, Shushan, NY
BIG BUCK FARM, Hammonton, NJ
The event is part of the program-
ming complementing the Society’s
current exhibits Who’s Minding the
Store?, at Acorn Hall, and Key In-
gredients: America by Food, a
Smithsonian Institution traveling
exhibition at the Morris County
Library December 13-January 25.
The Key Ingredients Garden State
tour has been underwritten by the
manities. Additional support for
was provided by Westy Self Stor-
age and Kings Super Markets.

Upcoming Exhibits 4 Films for Foodies

Tea Party 5 On Friday afternoons in January, the Mor- The 2007 romantic comedy No
ris County Historical Society and the Mor- Reservations will be shown on
Kings and Westy Help 5 ris County Library will present a series of January 16. The movie stars
Out
films focused on food and cooking, in con- Catherine Zeta-Jones as a top
New Board Member 6 nection with Key Ingredients: America by chef who must adapt her life
Food, on display at the library through when her sister is killed and she
MCHS Staffer 6
Awarded January 25. must care for her young niece.
This movie is rated PG.
Ball Photos 7
Membership 7 Continued on page 4
PAGE 2 WINTER 2009
MCHS

The MCHS Holiday NICE List

The following volunteers either helped deck the Hall this year, served as docents during Holly Walk, provided music,
or otherwise made our big holiday weekend a success. They’re definitely on our “nice” list! Thank you to

Melvin Arroya Mary Hauser-Kropa Helen Smith

Lucia Borecki History Club, Villa Walsh Academy Linda Tarr
Barbara Benedict Home Garden Club of Morristown Lynne Taylor
Dag Bulman James Howard Tom Thornton
Michele Bumiller Meg Imbriale
Kemper Chambers Sandra Italiano
Elizabeth Chao Vivi Klesch
Helen Clear Jon Kropa
Bridget Conlogue Gregg Kurlander
Betsy Cooper Michelle Lam
Nancy Cooper Linda Nadzeika
Stephanie Damiano Heather Nelson
Susan Data-Samtak Olivia Nguyen
Lucille Eckerson Jennifer Ochman
Diane Freedman Ben Olex
Jessica Han Ron Oullette
Vivi Klesch Liz Pierce
Jon Kropa Michael Schron MCHS Trustee Learned (Dag) Bulman and volunteer Susan Data-
Samtak dressed for the occasion!

Say Cheese!
We all know how beautiful Acorn
Hall is, but its historic interiors
have recently caught the eye of
several professional photographers,
too.
This fall, Acorn Hall became the
surprising setting for the team pho-
tos of the Morristown Madams,
Morristown’s local women’s roller
derby team. Team president “Dee
Licious” just knocked on the door
one day and was delighted at what
she saw. Although the Madams’
tongue-in-cheek history links them
to Morristown’s Revolutionary
past, they thought the Hall’s his-
toric setting would be a great back-
ground for them. So on a Sunday
afternoon, the entire team showed
up for their pictures, taken in the
dining room and on the grand stair-
case. They were very careful about
our old floors and their wheels!
Some of those photos have ap-
peared in the Madams’ program.
Roller Derby is a rapidly growing
sport that has quadrupled in size
over the last five years. There are
over 300 roller derby teams world-
wide. Founded in May 2006, the
Madams attract a wide range of
spectators from senior citizens to
elementary school students. Their
home games are at the Morristown
Rink. Learn more about the team at
www.morristownmadams.com.
Then, amidst the last-minute bustle
of getting Acorn Hall ready for
Holly Walk in December, a crowd
of students from the County Col-
lege of Morris – eight design stu-
dents, their models, and their entou-
rages – arrived for a fashion shoot.
They were students of James How-
ard, associate professor and coordi-
nator of design studies at CCM and
an Acorn Hall volunteer. The stu-
dents has originally planned to take
their pictures at another museum,
but when that organization can-
celled at virtually the last minute,
Acorn Hall was asked to fill in, and
we willingly agreed.
Morris County Vocational School
cosmetology students did hair and
makeup on the models, while pro-
fessional photographer Juliet Foster
of Rockaway volunteered her ser-
vices. Since the original design
assignment was to create an outfit
that was modern yet reflected the
past, many of the models looked
right at home in Acorn Hall’s Vic-
torian setting. You can see the stu-
dents’ creations in person at a fash-
ion show planned for May in the
CCM gym.
WINTER 2009 PAGE 3
MCHS

From the Director

Happy New Year!

Whether you get your news via television, the internet, or the newspaper, there hasn’t been a great deal
of news to be happy about recently. So I am going to take it upon myself to give you good news about
the Morris County Historical Society. This past year was an incredibly productive and successful one
from our point of view. We did more programming than ever before; we were honored by the New Jer-
sey Council for the Humanities to serve as a host site for the Smithsonian Institution’s traveling exhibit
Key Ingredients: America By Food; and we received more publicity for our programs than ever before.

We owe much of this success to a variety of supporters. Kings Super Markets provided a generous do-
nation towards our current exhibit, Who’s Minding the Store?, while Westy Storage donated trucking
and storage costs for Key Ingredients. The New Jersey Council for the Humanities provided grant
money for programming. These donations made a huge difference in what we were able to accomplish.

It’s hard to project what we will be able to achieve in 2009. The difference between a good year and a
great year is actually small for us; we are not a big-budget organization. And you may be surprised how
you as members and supporters can make that difference. You might think it’s a matter of money, but it
is much more than that. We could use a few hours of your time to help out with a program. We’re look-
ing for some help in rescuing and preserving the remaining slab of our historic oak and turning it into a
display that will memorialize that beautiful tree. Even bringing a friend or relative by to visit Acorn
Hall and see an exhibit is helping – the more visitors we get the more successful our grant applications
will be. Instead of buying some gift at the mall, stop by our shop. The perfect gift can also be support
for our organization.

I hope to see you in 2009. You will make the difference between a good year and a great year!

– Bonnie-Lynn Nadzeika

Home Garden Club

David Daehnke, “Pruning Linda Sercus, “Presby
Made Simple” Gardens and the Iris”

David Daehnke, aka The Garden Linda Sercus is director of the

Guru, has a radio show on
WGHT 1500AM, works at the
Van Vleck Gardens in Mont-
clair, and has a fun way of
teaching gardening skills.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009,
at 1:00 p.m. at the
Frelinghuysen Arboretum.
Presby Memorial Iris Gardens in
Montclair, the world’s largest
display garden of irises. The col-
lection of more than 2,000 varie-
ties includes tall and dwarf
bearded iris, as well as historic
irises. Wednesday, March 18,
2009, at 1:00 p.m. at the
Frelinghuysen Arboretum.
PAGE 4 WINTER 2009
MCHS

Food Film Festival

From page 1
The next film in the series will
be Chocolat on January 23. The
movie, starring Juliette Binoche
and Johnny Depp, is rated PG-
13. The story follows Binoche’s
character, Vianne Rocher, as she
opens a chocolate shop in a pro-
vincial French village.
The final film, on January 30, is
How to Cook Your Life. In this
documentary a Zen priest and a
famous chef teach viewers how
individuals’ food is connected to
the way they live their lives.
All movies will be shown at 2
p.m. in the Morris County Li-
brary Public Meeting Room. To
reserve seats contact the Music
and Media Reference Desk at
(973) 285-6979 or via e-mail at
mbutler@
co.morris.nj.us.

Down on the Farm

This January, the Morris County
Historical Society presents an
exhibit of historic farm photo-
graphs illustrating the agricul-
tural history of the area. The im-
ages will be on view at the
Haggerty Education Center at
the Frelinghuysen Arboretum
throughout the month of Janu-
ary.
Morris County’s diverse agricul-
tural and horticultural past is of-
ten hard to imagine as people
zoom past housing developments
and strip malls. However, the
area was once home to a wide
variety of farming. The rose in-
dustry bloomed in Madison, giv-
ing it the nickname the Rose
City. Jewish agricultural com-
munities existed in Pine Brook
and Chatham. Gentlemen farm-
ers owned prize-winning herds
of cattle in Morristown. A vari-
ety of images from the Soci-
ety’s collection and other local
history collections will illus-
trate this forgotten past.
The Haggerty Education Center
is open Monday through Sun-
day from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It
is handicapped accessible and
admission is free.

From Palates to Palettes – Next Exhibit Focuses on Art

Some of them haven’t been seen

in decades – or perhaps longer.
Some have been on constant dis- Below: This painting was done by Morris-
play, yet never in the spotlight. town artist Mabel Olmsted, who was active
All of them provide a fascinating in the late 19th century. It is part of the ma-
jor donation of art and antiques to MCHS by
glimpse into the aesthetics of the Alice Dunstan Kollar.
past. They’re the pieces in Out
of the Closet: An Art Collection
Revealed, the next exhibit com-
ing to Acorn Hall. Opening in
March, this exhibit will feature
Above: This triptych featuring the
the 19th and early 20th century Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus was
paintings and prints belonging to part of the collection of art do-
the Morris County Historical nated to MCHS with Acorn Hall
Society. You’ll see a side of the by Mary Crane Hone.
collection you’ve never seen be-
fore.
WINTER 2009 PAGE 5
MCHS

President’s Membership Tea

Members of the Metropolitan
Ladies Society will be in atten-
dance in period dress.
Society’s many benefits and re-
sources at the annual MCHS Presi-
Current dent’s Membership Tea Party. The
and pro- party is a thank-you to current
spective MCHS members and provides an
members opportunity for them to introduce
of the the benefits of Society membership
Morris to friends and family members. The
County tea also serves as an open-house
Historical event that allows anyone interested
Society in Society membership to learn
can enjoy more about the Society and its pro-
a cup of grams while enjoying refreshments
tea and a and chatting with staff, trustees,
scone volunteers and members.
while
learning The day’s $6 admission fee ($5 for
about the seniors, $3 for students) includes a
tour of the Victorian house and a
delectable afternoon tea buffet. The
fee is applicable towards an an-
nual membership in the Morris
County Historical Society. Cur-
rent MCHS members are also
encouraged to attend and bring a
guest at no charge. No advance
reservation is required for the
day’s activities.
The tea is being co-sponsored by
the Metropolitan Ladies Society,
whose members will be on hand
to model nineteenth and early
twentieth century fashions. The
tri-state-area-based group is in-
volved in a wide variety of phil-
anthropic projects.

Westy and Kings Support Key Ingredients

Our hosting of the traveling Smithsonian Institution exhibit Key Ingredients: America by Food was largely under-
written by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. But like any big undertaking, it created additional unfore-
seen expenses. Happily, two different corporate sponsors stepped up to help us make this exhibit possible.

The six units which make up Key Ingredients travel from site to site in 19 large, specially fitted, museum-grade
packing cases. These cases need to be stored somewhere clean and secure during the run of the exhibit. No such
space exists at either Acorn Hall or the Morris County Library, where the exhibit is on view through January 25.
But Westy Storage Center answered our call and donated two months’ worth of storage at its attractive facility in
Chatham, NJ. They also provided a large truck to get the cases from the Library to their facility, and even pro-
vided a driver and much-needed muscle in the person of manager Tom Spina. Westy works at being a good corpo-
rate citizen and has previously donated services to entities such as the Metropolitan Museum and the Museum of
Modern Art. The company is headquartered in Stamford, CT, and has 16 locations in New Jersey, New York, and
Connecticut.

The many public events programmed in conjunction with Key Ingredients means lots of refreshments are needed.
Kings Super Markets donated $500 towards the “key ingredients” of our various receptions, lectures, and meet-
ings. Headquartered in Parsippany, NJ, the regional supermarket chain operates about 25 upscale grocery stores in
northern New Jersey and a single store in Garden City, New York. Kings Super Markets was founded in 1936.
You can learn more about the founding and early years of the Kings chain in our current exhibit, Who’s Minding
the Store?, running through February 15 at Acorn Hall.
PAGE 6 WINTER 2009
MCHS

Welcome New Board Member

Robert H. Donaldson of Den-
ville has been elected to a four-
year term as a member of the
Board of Trustees of the Morris
County Historical Society. He
was voted in by the membership
in attendance at the Society’s
annual meeting on November 9.
Donaldson is also a Trustee of
the Denville Historical Society
and the Morris County Historic
Preservation Trust Fund. He
previously purchased and re-
stored the 1853 Antoinette
Brown Blackwell House in Hen-
rietta, New York, that is now on
the National Register of Historic
Places.
Donaldson is president of Delta
Planning, Inc., a management
consulting firm. He holds
Bachelor of Chemical Engineer-
ing and Master of Science de-
grees from Clarkson University
and the University of Rochester
respectively and is a Profes-
sional Engineer licensed in New
Jersey, New York, and Ohio.

MCHS Staffer Wins County Award

Education coordinator Carie
Levin received an “Individuals
Who Have Made a Difference
Award” from the Morris County
Municipal Utilities Authority at
the 21st Annual Morris County
Recycling Awards Dinner on
Friday, November 7. She re-
ceived the recognition for insti-
tuting recycling programs at
both her apartment complex and
at Acorn Hall. Recycling bins
for paper are now located on
every floor of Acorn Hall, and a
bin for mixed recycling is in the
kitchen area on the first floor.
Carie is happy to answer any
questions about what can and
cannot be recycled. Kudos to
Carie for her award and for
teaching us that everything old
can be new again!

Armistice Ball a Success

Thanks to the hard work of the Metropolitan Vintage Dance and Social Club, November’s Armistice Ball was a success – and a
great time! Don’t miss it this year – mark your calendars for Saturday, November 7, 2009!
Sue Fischer (on drums) gathered musicians from all over to form the Met-
ropolitan Club Orchestra, led by the renowned Vince Giordano (on tuba).

MCHS members Helen and Robert Clear take a turn on the floor at the
Armistice Ball held at the Clifton Rec Center on November 8.
WINTER 2009 PAGE 7
MCHS

Membership
Due to rising expenses and decreased funding, Morris County Historical Society membership at the
student, senior, individual, family, and institutional levels has been raised. The new membership fees are
comparable to those of similar institutions. So why not get the most out of your membership – take ad-
vantage of your member benefits by visiting Acorn Hall’s exhibits, attending programs, and shopping at
the Oakleaf Gallery gift shop, where members always get a 10 percent discount.

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

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

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

Account#_______________________________________________________
Expiration_______________ Signature_______________________________
 Mastercard  Visa  Discover  American Express

Make checks out to: Morris County Historical Society

68 Morris Avenue
Morristown, NJ 07960

NAME_______________________________________________________

ADDRESS____________________________________________________

CITY_____________________________________________STATE_____

ZIP___________PHONE(___)_____________EMAIL________________

 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