Vanderveer House Colonial Christmas brings in 700 Visitors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Vanderveer House Colonial Christmas Brings in 700 Visitors

Bedminster, NJ . . .  More than 700 people toured the Jacobus Vanderveer House during its annual Colonial Christmas celebration Nov. 30-Dec. 2. Greeting them were rooms decorated authentically by New Jersey’s most celebrated interior designers, colonial antiques, and Christmas trees decorated with lush fruits, berries, and pinecones. Boutiques sold Christmas items, and colonial balladeers and fiddlers played to the delight of visitors.

RARE TEA SET belonging to Gen. Henry Knox, who occupied the house in 1778 and 1779 when he was the chief military officer for the Pluckemin Artillery Park nearby, is displayed by interior designer Susan Miniman. She is a member of the board of The Friends of the Jacobus Vanderveer House and coordinated the work of the Colonial Christmas designers.

Attendance was up about 40 percent over last year, said Ellen Vreeland, vice-president of The Friends of Jacobus Vanderveer House, which organizes Colonial Christmas. She said many people wanted to tour the House’s $350,000 new visitor center, which was dedicated at a cocktail party for patrons on Friday evening, Nov. 30.

The visitor center has been built on the site of the house’s kitchen wing, long since crumbled but rebuilt after archaeologists excavating the house site found the original footings. This welcome addition to the main block of the house has been under construction for the past year.

There were 150 guests at the dedication ceremonies, including Somerset County Freeholders Peter Palmer, Denise Coyle, Jack Ciattarelli, and Rick Fontana. The county has been the principal grantor of funds to restore Vanderveer House.

Also there was Kevin Tremble, president of the Board of Trustees of the Crossroads of the American Revolution, a new national park that will bring together many of the Revolutionary War sites in New Jersey. The Vanderveer House will be a stop on the Crossroads Tour.Among other guests was Dr. Thomas H. Brown, president of Union County College and immediate past president of the New Jersey Historic Trust, another large funder of the restoration effort.

CAMPAIGN BED of the type that might have belonged to Gen. Henry Knox is displayed in a room designed by Nancy Mikulich of NLM Design Interiors in Bernardsville.

The 1772 Foundation has been extraordinarily generous in grants to the House.  Trustees Dan Ely and Davis Schardien came to the dedication as did members of the Somerset County Cultural and Heritage Commission: President Ann Rosenblum and Commissioners Don Esposito, Kels Swan, Mark Else, Phyllis Fittipaldi, and Bob Bouwman.

DUTCH THEMED antiques, flowers, and accessories brightened a room in the Jacobus Vanderveer House during Colonial Christmas. Katje van der Loo of Boonton (right) was the interior designer. Jim Cline (left) is president of the Friends of JVH.

Tom D’Amico, historic sites coordinator for the Somerset County Cultural and Heritage Commission, was also present at the dedication. The House teemed with visitors the entire weekend. Many wanted to see the rare tea set that belonged to the family of General Henry Knox, who occupied the house in 1778 and 1779 when he was the chief military officer for the Pluckemin Artillery Park nearby.Families came to share Christmas conversations with Santa, who, in keeping with the early history of the house, was dressed for a traditional Dutch Christmas. “Everyone was enthusiastic about the decorated rooms, each with its unique flavor,” said Vreeland.

Friends of Jacobus Vanderveer House board member Susan L. Miniman of SLM Design & Interiors in Lebanon Township, coordinated the room designers.  Jim Cline of Jim Cline Interiors in Bridgewater and president of the Friends of Jacobus Vanderveer House  decorated the new visitor center with a large plank table, colorful quilts, and baskets of tart oranges and nuts.

Other designers were Katja van der Loo of Papyrus Home Design Inc. in Boonton, Sandra McDonald of Sandra John Interiors, Inc. in Basking Ridge, John D. Colligan of Pereaux in Morristown, and Sagri Frieber of Accents by Design in Bedminster. Nancy Mikulich of NLM Design Interiors in Bernardsville designed her room as an office for Gen. Henry Knox. Robin Conners of Favourite Finds in Martinsville packed a bed chamber full of antique furniture and children’s toys.

PARLOR OF Jacobus Vanderveer House was warmly furnished for Christmas Eve during the Colonial Christmas show house and tour.

Floral designers participating were Laura Clare Floral Design and Event Décor of Bernardsville and Hoboken and Jardiniere of Far Hills and Chatham.

“We thank everybody who attended Colonial Christmas,” said Vreeland. “The money we raised during the weekend will go toward furnishing the house and designing the exhibits in our museum.” According to Vreeland, the museum will open in 2009.

For additional information, contact:
Public Relations Coordinator Liz Fuerst
(908) 234-0866

 

---

Submitted: December 30, 2007

.