Morris County History: Grange and Grandeur in 19th-Century Land Use
Published on September 07, 2019
Tours and Talks at Three Locations on Sunday, Sept. 15
The history of land use in Morristown and Morris Township will be explored through special joint presentations on Sunday, Sept. 15, beginning at 12:15 p.m. with a tour of Macculloch Hall's gardens followed by a talk at 1:30 p.m. at Morristown and Morris Township Library given by Joseph Grabas, author of Owning New Jersey.
Spindle Seat Carriage
Rounding out the day, at 3:15 p.m., Morris County Historical Society invites visitors to tour Acorn Hall's Carriage House, where Membership and Volunteer Coordinator Patricia Goodfriend will discuss the Carriage House and its historic farming tools. Executive Director Amy Curry will offer a presentation on the upcoming Carriage House restoration. The program is free and does not include tours of Acorn Hall and exhibits.
Like many of his counterparts in the mid-19th century, Augustus Crane came to Morristown to be a gentleman farmer and country squire.
While living a comfortable lifestyle indoors, Crane was equally, if not more, concerned with the purposeful design of his 9-acre farmland. His connection with the land was so strong that he named his home Acorn Hall, in honor of a centuries-old oak tree that stood on the southwestern corner of his property.
MCHS is located at Acorn Hall, 68 Morris Avenue, Morristown, and is open Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sundays, 1-4 p.m. Admission, which includes the exhibits and landscaped grounds, is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for students, and is free for children under 12 and MCHS members.
For more information, call MCHS at 973-267-3465 or visit the MCHS website: MorrisCountyHistory.org