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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.
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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
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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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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.
