Costumed docents will give tours of the museum.  Admission is free.  The theme this month will be to invite new members to join the Historical Society, take a tour of the Museum, shop in Miss Elizabeth’s Shoppe, and have refreshments.  This month’s exhibit features vintage accessories such as hats, gloves, artificial floral corsages, feathers, shoes, scarves, fans, etc. The Museum gardens will be beginning to bloom for your enjoyment.

The Jefferson Township Museum, located at 315 Dover-Milton Road, was entered into the National and State Registers of Historic Places.  Visit Miss Elizabeth’s Shoppe located in the original kitchen of the Museum, where small antiques, collectibles, handmade, handcrafted and seasonal items will be offered for sale.

The Jefferson Township Historical Society has opened Miss Elizabeth's Shoppe in the original kitchen of the Jefferson Township Museum. The Shoppe sells small antiques, collectables, handmade and handcrafted items. The Shoppe is open the first Sunday of each month from 1-4 P.M. Donations of appropriate items are welcome. Items will be considered on consignment. For information on the consignment policy and acceptance of donated items please contact either Christine Williams, 973-697-8675 or Carol Keppel, 973-697-5328.

"A WOODLAND CHRISTMAS" AT THE JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP MUSEUM
 December 1st and 2nd, 2012

Admission to the Museum is free.  The Jefferson Township Museum, located at 315 Dover-Milton Road, is on the National and State Register of Historic Places.  Miss Elizabeth’s Shoppe, located in the original kitchen of the Museum, is where small antiques, collectibles, handcrafted items along with homemade goodies are offered for sale for your holiday shopping. 

Visit our Slide Shows page for photos taken at the museum during the weekend.

The Jefferson Township Historical Society will hold an Attic Sale on Saturday, October 27, from 9 to 3 pm, rain or shine.  The Attic Sale will take place on the grounds of the Jefferson Township Museum, 315 Dover-Milton Road, Jefferson, NJ  07438.  This sale will be put on by members of the JTHS who will be selling their own items.  Come see what treasures you can find!

The Pathways of History: A Museum Tour

Saturday, October 20, 2012    10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Sunday, October 21, 2012    12:00 Noon – 4:00 PM

Small museums continually search for innovative ideas to promote community history and to entice the public to visit their museums and historic places. In 2010 five northern Morris County groups conceived an idea designed to highlight their seven distinctive museums and historical properties.  Housed in venerable buildings of local significance, each had a unique and fascinating story to share.  Aptly called “Following the Pathways of History – Links to Each Other and to the Past,” this two day museum tour was a huge success.

Now in its third year, the Pathways of History Museum Tour has grown to include 13 historic locations. The original five museums, Boonton, Boonton Township, Butler, Kinnelon and Montville Township, are honored to be joined by Denville, Dover, Jefferson Township, Lake Hopatcong, Pequannock Township and Riverdale’s Glenburn. The museums and historic sites will simultaneously open their doors in welcome. Admission to this two-day event is free and visitors may start the tour at any location. Detailed maps and an event brochure will guide you to the next stop. Refreshments will be served at various locations along the route.

Click here for more information

Miniature Display
April 1, 2012 / 1:00 - 4:00 pm

Jefferson Museum

Clock Collection
March 4, 2012 / 1:00 - 4:00 pm

Jefferson Museum

The Jefferson Township Museum, also known as the George Chamberlain House, had an open house on Sunday, March 4, from 1 to 4 pm.  Costumed docents gave tours of the museum at that time.  The theme of March’s exhibit was “It’s about Time”, a display of dozens of clocks and watches, ranging from antiques to more modern collectibles.  Those who visited the exhibit learned about horology and timepieces.  Paul Cincotta, a 27-year Jefferson Township resident and member of the JT Historical Society, has been an avid collector of clocks for 35 years.  Some timepieces in the collection include a Tekippe regular, and acorn,  mantle, banjo, regulator, grandfather, and ship’s bells clocks, as well as some antique barometers.  The exceptional pocket watch collection includes pieces from 1850 to 1960. Mr. Cincotta shared special stories about many of the timepieces that were on display.

Museum Christmas Weekend
December 3, 2011 /  Saturday  10 – 4 pm
December 4, 2011 /  Sunday     12 – 4 pm

The Jefferson Township Museum, also known as the George Chamberlain House, is proud to present “At Home with Mr. & Mrs. Claus” as this year’s theme for Museum Christmas Weekend.  Members of the Historical Society and Museum Garden Club have been busy transforming this lovely Victorian home into the North Pole residence of Mr. & Mrs. Claus.  Visitors, both young and old, will be delighted by the whimsical decorations and the melodies played on the antique harmonium located in the parlor.  Hot cider will be served outside by the pot-bellied stove.  Miss Elizabeth’s Shoppe, featuring unique and unusual gifts, will be open for your holiday shopping.  As always, admission to the Museum is free.

The Jefferson Township Museum, also known as  the George Chamberlain House, was entered into the State Register of Historic Places on September 3,2009. It was favorably received by the National Park Services, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. and entered into the National Register of Historic Places on December 2,2009.

To acknowledge and celebrate these honors, the Jefferson Township Historical Society held a "Celebrate the Museum" day on Saturday, May 22,2010. Tours of the Museum, under the direction of Carol Keppel, Museum Director, were given by docents dressed in period costumes. The costumed docents were as follows: Ellen Fuchs, Martha Scheri, Lynda MacDonald, Jana-Lee Bair, Mary Parr, Donna West, Nancy Chamberlain, Roberta Shaw, Robin Trevor, accompanied by her husband Keith Trevor, and Carol Keppel, accompanied by her husband Bob Keppel. An outdoor ceremony to unveil the plaque followed.

Christine Williams, President of the Jefferson Township Historical Society, was master of ceremonies. Invocation was given by Father Thomas Laws, St. Gabriel Episcopal Church. Mrs. Williams spoke on the process which brought the Museum the register entry and gave a brief history of the building. Mayor Russell Felter congratulated the group on this achievement.  Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen, State Senator Anthony Bucco and several Morris County officials were in attendance. Council members Debi Merz and Bob Birmingham also gave their congratulations. The plaque was donated in memory of Wesley A. Ackerson by his sister Marjorie Schubert. It was unveiled by Christine Williams and Carol Keppel. Pastor Ellen Bechtold, Milton United Methodist Church gave the benediction.

A reception for 100 was held at Casa Bianca Restaurant. A dessert reception at the home of the President followed.

For photos of the event, click here.

Jefferson Museum Docent Training

Join the Jefferson Township Historical Society and train to be a Museum docent.

As a docent, you will be a trained volunteer museum guide. All the training will take place at the Jefferson Museum, 317 Dover-Milton Road. There will be two training sessions of 45 minutes each. The dates are January 31,2010 and February 7,2010. Each session will last 45 minutes and both are required to receive the museum docent certification. There is no charge for the training; but enrollment is limited.

Interested parties may register by contacting Museum Director Carol Keppel 973-697-5328 or
museumdirector@jthistoricalsociety.org

23rd Museum Christmas Weekend

December 5th & 6th, 2009

The Jefferson Township Museum celebrated its 23rd Museum Christmas Weekend with a theme of "An Audubon Christmas".  The charming Victorian building was decorated inside and out with Victorian birds and cages.

Hot chestnuts and mulled cider, cooked on a pot bellied stove outside was served on the banks of the brook that runs behind the Museum. Entertainment surrounded the parlor Harmonium. Tours were conducted by members of the historical society and members of the Museum Garden Club, many dressed in period costume. Poetry reading and music of the season was performed by various groups.

Miss Elizabeth's Gift Shoppe was open and stocked with unique and usual gifts, many of which were handmade.

This year the Museum was part of a larger celebration, "Christmas in the Village" which took place on Saturday. On that day only, lunch was served in various locations through historic Milton Village. There was a craft show, "Grandma's Cookie contest, Gingerbread house contest and several musical performances at various locations in the Village.

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