Welcome to Somerset County’s sixth annual Weekend Journey Through the Past, a perfect opportunity to take your family on a weekend outing to visit and immerse yourself in the distant past. We invite you to take this opportunity to feed your curiosity and expand your knowledge through the discovery of many fascinating aspects and oral histories surrounding the twenty-four significant historic sites open for touring all weekend-long. You will learn much about their former occupants, some among whom were quite distinguished statesmen and national leaders; how they occupied their day to day lives, from daily work responsibilities and pleasurable pastimes to the difficult hardships endured during the American Revolution. As you journey from site to site you will discover that many have significant Revolutionary War histories, contributing to the area’s designation as the “Crossroads of the American Revolution State Heritage Area.” By the end of your journey, you will have a better appreciation of the history of Somerset County and the lives of early settlers – who they were, where they came from, how they lived, and how they made a difference in the lives of their neighbors, in the growth and development of our county, and their contributions to the rich heritage and development of our great nation.
All participating sites are open free of charge for visitors on Saturday, October 8 from 10 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. and on Sunday, October 9 from Noon until 4:00 P.M. Event website: http://www.co.somerset.nj.us/SCHistoryWeekend/ features suggested tours with travel directions, grouping sites logically by area and winding you through scenic by-ways in hopes of making your journey more pleasurable.
This annual event is an initiative of the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission, a division of Somerset County government, in collaboration with many county-wide local historical organizations and other county organizations and representatives (see Tourism Partners). Participating collaborative partners have planned many special activities, among which are a contest for prizes; interpreted tours led by costumed docents; special collections & exhibitions; period military drills & reenactments; traditional blacksmithing; 19th century firefighting wagons & apparatus; gravestone carver re-enactor discussing the folk art of gravestone carving & significance of traditional motifs; history of golf & WPA initiative to create golf courses in the US during the Depression; live music performances, as well as a scheduled theatrical performance; arts/crafts; antiques sales; guidance with your genealogical research; daily chores of 18th cen. life; military history; demonstrations; local history videos; participatory activities; interesting architecture; access to some sites not generally open to the public… and so much more promising to engage your interests and satisfy your curiosity.
County of Somerset
Board of Chosen Freeholders
Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission
Public Information Office / Planning Division
Graphics / Print Shop / MIS
Borough of Bound Brook
Bound Brook Memorial Library
Borough of Somerville
Branchburg Historical Society
Branchburg Woman’s Club
Friends of the Jacobus Vanderveer House
Friends of the Abraham Staats House
Friends of the Codington Farmstead
Friends of the Kennedy-Martin-Stelle Farmstead
Friends of Somerset County Culture & Heritage
Friends of Vermeule Mansion
Green Brook CHHP Committee / Green Brook Historical Society
Griggstown Historical Society
Heritage Trail Association
The Meadows Foundation
Old Millstone Forge Association
Raritan Borough / Raritan Public Library
Raritan Fire Department
Rocky Hill Community Group
Somerset County Business Partnership
Somerset County Historical Society
State of New Jersey, Division of Parks and Forestry
United States Golf Association (USGA)
Warren Township Historic Sites Committee
We were pleased that you joined us in the past and look forward to your return visit again this year. Please save your “Weekend Journey” guide booklet, available at all participating sites, so you can plan a later visit to any of the sites you may not have had an opportunity to visit this weekend. We’d also appreciate your help in spreading the word about this annual event by telling your friends, family and neighbors about your Weekend Journey through the Past and suggest that they embark on a journey of their own or join you this year or in coming years.. Your comments and suggestions in helping us evaluate this event are always welcomed.
Special “Thanks” to Somerset County MIS Department, who worked collaboratively with Pat McGarry, SCC&HC Manager, providing much dedicated time and technical expertise to recreate and maintain this special event website which is essential to supporting our efforts to broadcast this annual event, and provide timely updated information for convenient public access.
We’d also like to acknowledge, with sincere appreciation, the participating representatives of Somerset County’s many historical organizations, participating municipal and county personnel and the Somerset County Business Partnership, contributing artists & arts organizations, all of which contribute their support, help promote and welcome participation in this annual collaborative heritage tourism weekend with much enthusiasm and creative thought… Many plan and facilitate special activities, and generously contribute their personal time as volunteers for this annual weekend-long event. Full list of collaborative tourism partners follows.
Funding has been made possible, in part, by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Dept. of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, through the State/County Partnership Local Arts Program Grant / Arts in Non-Traditional Venues. Funding helped defray the cost of some arts programming, and artists whose involvement contributed to and enhanced arts activities to complement this annual collaborative heritage tourism event.