The Monmouth County Historical Association was founded in 1898 by a group of local residents led by professional educator Caroline Gallup Reed. They were soon put in order "to discover, obtain, preserve and perpetuate anything related to the history of Monmouth County." In 1931, the current Museum and Library, a Georgian building designed by architect J. Hallam Conover, was built at Freehold, a county seat in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The enthusiasm generated by the announcement of the new headquarters brings many contributions to furniture, artifacts, paintings, documents and rare books.
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Historic properties
In 1936, MCHA expanded its mission to include the preservation of historic properties. That year, the first of five historic properties came to MCHA when Mrs. J. Amory Haskell purchased, returned and furnished Marlpit Hall (circa 1756) in Middletown, and then presented it to the organization. In 1959, the Holmes-Hendrickson House (circa 1754) was given to MCHA by Bell Laboratories and moved two miles to its present location in Holmdel.
During the 1960s, MCHA acquired and restored two of the most significant buildings in Monmouth County. In 1966, the Covenhoven House (circa 1752) at Freehold, which served as General Sir Henry Clinton's General Headquarters before the Battle of Monmouth, was acquired; and in 1968, Allen House (circa 1705) in Shrewsbury, interpreted to reflect late-18th-century use as a tavern, became a MCHA property. These four historic properties, complemented by a collection of MCHA decorative art to reflect life in the 18th century, are open to the public seasonally as a historic home museum. In 1999, the MCHA obtained an important example of the Victorian style, the Taylor-Butler House (circa 1853), built by the next generation of the Taylor Marlpit Hall family, which is on adjoining property.
Maps Monmouth County Historical Association
Education
The Monmouth County Historical Association is recognized as one of the premier local historical organizations in the country and remains committed to making its museum collections and research publicly accessible through publications, educational programs, outreach activities and annual and permanent exhibition programs. The main museum and the MCHA Library building in Freehold, New Jersey are open year-round and its historic sites open every season from May to September. Nearly 8,000 school children participate in school programs annually presented at museums, historic homes, and in outreach programs provided in classrooms throughout the area.
Publications
- Diary of Sarah Tabitha Reid, 1868-1873 (2001)
- Steamboat in Monmouth County: A Gazetteer by Megan E. Springate (2003)
- Documents in Class: Front Front of World War II in New Jersey compiled by Denise Lubrano (2007)
Collection
Museum collections are featured in changing exhibits at museums and complementing historic homes. They include furniture and other decorative art, costumes and textiles, ceramics, portraits and paintings, folk art and military objects.
The Library and Archives stores over 200,000 documents relating to the area and its citizens, in addition to a complete collection of pedigree, reference books, photographs, and local newspapers. Some of the more widely used collections include Coll. 1 Peter Vredenburgh (1837-1864) Papers, 1856-1868, Coll. 5 Phalanx Records of North America, 1841-1972, Coll. 42 John C. Mills Maritime Collection, 1870s 1970s, Coll. 51 A & amp; M Karagheusian, Inc. Collections, 1940-1962, Coll. 72 Battle of Monmouth Collection, and Coll. 466 Pach Brothers Photographer Glass Plate Negatives Collection.
See also
- Parker Homestead
- List of Historic Historic Places of Interest in Monmouth County, New Jersey
- List of oldest buildings in New Jersey
- List of museums in New Jersey
- Public Library of Properties
External links
- Monmouth County Historical Association
Source of the article : Wikipedia