Kids Summer Camp with focus on history

It's the first program of its kind. The Friends of JVH is proud to announce in conjunction with the Bedmister Township Recreation Department...

History Camp at Bedminster's Historic Jacobus Vanderveer House

Dates: July 14-18,2008
Monday-Friday from 1-4pm
Ages: 9-12
Fee: $175

Open to ALL students in the Somerset Hills area.

Download the Registration Form

Bedminster Recreation Department in partnership with The Friends of Jacobus Vanderveer House, is offering a unique camp experience this summer at the township’s Jacobus Vanderveer House.  The historic Bedminster landmark building is the focal point for this hand-on 18th century fun-filled history-center summer enrichment program.  While dressed in authentic 18th century clothing, campers will experience activities reminiscent of life in the 1700s including architectural exploration, craft projects, basket weaving, bee-keeping, music & dancing, games, and open-fire cooking.

History Camp is open to Somerset County residents, 9 to 12 years of age, and was made possible in part by a grant from the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission and the Friends of the Somerset County Culture and Heritage, Inc. 

History Camp is led by experienced professionals, and takes place in the natural historic setting of the Jacobus Vanderveer House, located at River Road Park in Bedminster. The camp is open to all Somerset County residents between the ages of 9 and 12.

Please register early as class size is limited to 20 students. The fee is $175 and includes a boy’s or girls’ period costume to be worn daily to camp. Please use the River Road Park entrance off of Routes 202/206 for access to the Jacobus Vanderveer House.

About the Jacobus Vanderveer House

For over two centuries, the Jacobus Vanderveer House has been at the center of Bedminster Township’s rich and colorful history. The house, built in the 1760s, is the last surviving building associated with the Vanderveers, a family prominent in Bedminster Township history from its earliest settlement through the 19th century.

The house later served as headquarters for General Henry Knox during the winter of 1778-79, when the American artillery was located in the village of Pluckemin during the Second Middlebrook Encampment of the Revolutionary War.

The house is the only known building associated with the Pluckemin encampment which is considered to be the first installation in America to train officers in engineering and artillery. The house was later enlarged by two additions in the nineteenth century, remodeled in the twentieth century, and subsequently abandoned. T

The Township of Bedminster purchased the home and the surrounding area as part of River Road Park in the 1990s. Recently the home was restored by The Friends of the Jacobus Vanderveer House, a dedicated group of volunteers, with plans to open the home as a museum and educational center.

Summer History Camp has been funded, in part, by a grant from the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission and Friends of Somerset County Culture & Heritage, Inc.