Unlock the Door to Local History!

History Day 2024, sponsored by the Northwest Bergen History Coalition, will be held on Saturday, April 27 from 10 AM to 4 PM. For the price of $10, you can visit all or as many of the twelve NW Bergen museums and historic homes as you choose.

Each historic site will feature unique textiles, artifacts and ephemera and share information that will enhance your knowledge of Northwest Bergen County’s history. The museums and historic homes on the tour include:

The Hermitage 335 North Franklin Turnpike in HoHoKus is steeped in three centuries of history. George Washington visited The Hermitage after the Battle of Monmouth in 1778. Aaron Burr married Theodosia Prevost there in 1782. Elijah Rosencrantz purchased the house in 1847 and renovated it in the Gothic Revival style. The last resident, Mary Elizabeth Rosencrantz willed the property to the State of NJ in 1970. Come visit and explore the lives and histories of the people who called The Hermitage home.

John Fell House 475 Franklin Turnpike in Allendale is a 22-room Colonial Revival mansion and home to John Fell, a leading patriot during the Revolutionary War. This home is on the National and State Registers of Historic Places.

Mahwah Museum 201 Franklin Turnpike in Mahwah features five new exhibits including 10 Mahwah Stories Told by Everyday Objects, Les Paul and Mary Ford in Mahwah, Palisades Amusement Park, Ramapough Legacy, and Heritage, and You are Here – 150 Years of Mahwah Train and Town History in Film and Pictures. Visitors can also enjoy the Donald Cooper Model Railroad and walk across the street to see the Old Station Museum and Caboose.

Van Allen House 3 Franklin Ave. in Oakland was headquarters for General George Washington on July 14, 1777. The museum preservation work has been completed and there will be displays inside and outside at this 275-year-old home.

Old Stone House 538 Island Road in Ramsey is the oldest building in Ramsey dating back to 1740. This historic building served as a tavern and stagecoach house and is now a museum with period furniture, a display of vintage toys, and artifacts and photographs from a century of education in Ramsey.

Schoolhouse Museum 650 E. Glen Avenue in Ridgewood was built in 1872 and served as Ridgewood’s first school. Their current exhibit is It’s Personal: Exploring 300 Years of Obsolete Everyday Essentials. This fascinating exhibit displays previously indispensable objects made obsolete through innovation and technology. Visitors will be enthralled by What is it? a fun showcase of uncommon items.

The Museum at the Station 176 Rock Road in Glen Rock is housed inside the original 1905 Erie Main Line Train Station. There will be a display of Glen Rock life through the years, Erie Railroad memorabilia and works by Glen Rock artists and noted Glen Rock architect, Carl Kemm Loven, Designer of Dreams.

Hopper-Goetschius Museum 363 E. Saddle River Road in Upper Saddle River dates to 1739 and is the centerpiece of a rural farming complex that includes a tenant house, Dutch barn, out-kitchen with beehive oven, privy, woodshed, and working black-smith shop. New to the house is an 18th century Dutch kast and a display of some seldom shown items. The tenant house features a schoolroom plus displays of Native American artifacts and African American history.

Waldwick Museum of Local History 4 Hewson Avenue in Waldwick is in the restored Waldwick Railroad Station. Built in 1886, this rail station depot is listed on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places. Their current exhibit is dedicated to the Erie Lackawanna Railroad for its contributions to the growth of Waldwick and Bergen County during the late 1800s to the early 1970s.

Waldwick Signal Tower 1 Bohnert Place in Waldwick houses the Harvey Springstead Memorial Museum. This interlocking tower built in 1890 by the New York, Lake Erie and Western RR was the control point for all the rail traffic from Ridgewood to Suffern. Featured on History Day will be information about the work performed by hundreds of area workers who kept the Erie Railroad running. Hear the personal stories of these workers and view the tools they used.

Wyckoff Historical Society at The Barbershop next to the Pond on Franklin Ave in Wyckoff is housed in a 9x12 building dating back to 1905 when it was occupied by John Lawrence, a barber at night and a railroad employee by day. Visitors will learn about Wyckoff through the photographs and artifacts on display.

Zabriskie House 421 Franklin Avenue in Wyckoff is believed to be the oldest house in Wyckoff circa 1730. On History Day docents will open the doors to this lovely home with its collection of historic and rare furnishings from the 17th to the 20th century.

Tickets at $10 for an adult, free for children 16 and younger, will be on sale starting April 1 at:

• the Mahwah Museum Saturdays from 1 to 4,
• Abma's Farm Market 700 Lawlins Road in Wyckoff Mondays through Fridays from 8 to 6 and Saturdays from 8 to 5:30, and
• the Schoolhouse Museum Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 3.

Tickets will also be sold at each of the sites on History Day. All proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the twelve historic sites in Northwest Bergen County.

Be a part of History Day 2024 and learn about local history at these wonderful museums and historic homes. For more information about the day call Sheila Brogan at 201-652-7354 or email smbrogan@aol.com.

Slavery in New Netherland and the Dutch Atlantic World, May 3-4, 2024

In partnership with the New-York Historical Society and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the New Netherland Institute presents "Slavery in New Netherland and the Dutch Atlantic World." This conference brings together scholars from the United States, the Netherlands, and Belgium to discuss the newest research on the history of slavery and its legacy.

This event is free.

Find the Event Schedule and Information for Friday, May 3 at the Schomburg Center in Harlem here.

Find the Event Schedule and Information for Saturday, May 4 at the New-York Historical Society on the Upper West Side here.

Image: Attributed to Laurens Block, Detail of "Novum Amsterodamum (New Amsterdam), 1650, Collection of the New-York Historical Society