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OPEN HOUSE all Weekend at the Vanderveer House - Tours & Lectures & Live Demonstrations
Saturday & Sunday, October 11-12, 2008

Come see the newly expanded Kitchen Wing of the beautiful Vanderveer House and celebrate our wonderful history of this early Dutch farmstead. Plenty of activities, displays, and demonstrations are planned for the Jacobus Vanderveer House Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 11 and 12 as part of Somerset County’s “Weekend Journey Through the Past.” The Vanderveer House will be open 10-4 Saturday and 12-5 on Sunday.

• Saturday 3 p.m.:  Hooked Rug Demonstration & Talk  by Trish Becker
  

Come meet Trish and see the beautiful workmanship and craft work of Trish Becker, a renowned hooked rug artist. Trish lives in an historic, mid-19th century four story stone bank barn near the Delaware River in NJ, across from Upper Bucks County, PA. Through her studio business, The Woolery, Inc., she sells over-dyed textured wool, and designs and color plans rugs for clients locally, across the country and internationally.  Trish is a master wool dyer, creating wonderful “colors that lift the spirit*” Her color palette, inspired by the wildlife and gardens around the barn and the antique textiles she collects, has been described as “very Ralph Lauren.”...learn more about Trish.

Antique Quilting Demonstration & Lecture: "Every Quilt Has a Story" by Trudy Frey

Trudy Frey believes that every quilt has a story to tell: about the quilter(s) who pieced it together, the historical events taking place in the country at the time it was quilted and more! She will show an antique quilt, which was handed down through her family since the mid-19th Century. She will recount her adventures conducting genealogical research on the names, lovingly stitched into it, to discover more interesting facts about her family history. Trudy has several old family quilts to share with the audience. She will answer questions from interested attendees also.

Trudy Frey has been an avid quilter for 25 years. She belongs to two quilt guilds and a historic quilt study group. A member of the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution), Trudy is descended from the Yonkers and Leech families, who settled in Philadelphia in the 1700’s, on land purchased from William Penn. Her ancestors built a mill and a bakery and supplied crackers for William Penn’s voyages from England to America in those early days. Trudy and her husband, Bob Frey, live on a large farm in Warren County, NJ. Bob’s family has been farming either in PA or NJ continually since the 1700’s.

Handcrafted Furniture Demonstration: Furniture Making by Stephen Surette (Saturday & Sunday)

Steve owns and operates a one man woodworking shop in Martinsville, New Jersey, specializing in handcrafting 18th century reproduction furniture. Using only the best woods available traditional joinery techniques are used on all his furniture. "These joints have stood the test of time, and cannot be improved upon. The proof of this is all the excellent 250 year old antiques that exist today. Come see Steve and watch as he crafts in front of your eyes.

SUNDAY: House Open 12pm - 5pm for guided tours and demonstrations.

• Sunday 3 p.m.:  Lecture by noted historic furnishings expert Jackie Hayley of CT
  on the Furnishings Plan for the Jacobus Vanderveer House, including exhibition.
  
  Jacquetta Haley received her doctorate in American History from SUNY Binghamton. She decided that she preferred museums to academe as a career path and took a job doing research for Sleepy Hollow Restorations, a.k.a. Historic Hudson Valley. While at Historic Hudson Valley she carried out research for all the sites, covering the full spectrum from a late 17th century early 18th century industrial slave site to the home of 20th century philanthropists and politicians. During those years her focus was research, interpretation and education, eventually becoming the Director of Interpretation, Education, Research and Special Projects. After 12 years Ms. Haley left Historic Hudson Valley for the less structured life of a consultant. Since then she has curated exhibitions, including the opening of a World War II military camp, Camp Shanks in Orangeburg, New York and the introductory exhibit at Boscobel. She has participated in interpretive planning projects at Lyndhurst, The Historical Society Greenwich and Mount Gulian in Beacon, New York. She has written numerous Furnishings Plans for sites as far away as the Governor Ramsey House in St. Paul, Minnesota and the Owens-Thomas House in Savannah, Georgia. Closer at hand she has completed plans for the Florence Griswold House in Old Lyme, CT and the Mark Twain House in Hartford, the Conference House on Staten Island, as well as sites up and down the Hudson Valley, including Lyndhurst.

Weekend Journey Information

As you journey from site to site you will discover that many have significant Revolutionary War histories, contributing to the area's designation as the "Crossroads of the American Revolution State Heritage Area." By the end of your journey, you will have a better appreciation of the history of Somerset County and the lives of early settlers - who they were, where they came from, how they lived, and how they made a difference in the lives of their neighbors, in the growth and development of our county, and how much they contributed to the rich heritage and development of our great nation. Click Here for an interactive online map.

This year’s (2008) 3rd annual collaborative tourism program is an initiative of the Somerset County Cultural  & Heritage Commission and Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders, and part of a countywide collaborative partnership of  countywide  historical associations, local historians, and the Somerset County tourism and hospitality industry.  Please visit the website for  comprehensive details, contact information and  travel directions.   Additional  questions..... call the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage office at (908) 231-7110.

This annual event is an initiative of the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission in collaboration with many county-wide local historical organizations and representatives. We have planned many special activities, contests and interesting surprises to complement your journey, from re-enactments, military drills, early furniture making to blacksmiths working at an historic forge, participation in children's early games with period toys, local authors and artists, as well as participatory art activities, period music and dance, historic videos, lectures by expert guests, family scavenger hunts, antiques, candle making & bee-keeping demonstrations, open fire cooking, tours describing early fire-fighter apparatus, and much, much more…promising to engage everyone's insatiable curiosity and interests.

Don't forget to bring your camera along to capture the enthusiasm as you enjoy your journey. (See Photography Contest opportunity inside.)

We would appreciate your help in spreading the word about this annual event by telling friends, family, and neighbors so they can join in the fun. Any comments or suggestions that would help us plan and promote the event in the coming years would be most welcomed.

For additional information and details on the Weekend Journey Through the Past, please visit www.schistoryweekend.com

Submitted: September 1, 2008

The Friends of the Jacobus Vanderveer House