Macculloch Hall Historical Museum's Living History in the Garden!

On Sunday March 4th visitors are invited to visit a living history program in the garden of Macculloch Hall Historical Museum.  Reenactors who represent Company K of the 13th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry will be available to meet visitors, answer questions and share camp life information with visitors to the Museum garden.  This demonstration is presented in conjunction with the current “Gone for a Soldier:” Jerseymen in the Civil War exhibit.  Macculloch Hall Historical Museum in collaboration with the New Jersey Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee (NJCW150) presents this major exhibit which commemorates the participation and heroism of Jerseymen in a major turning point in U.S. history.  The exhibit brings together for the first time nearly two hundred objects from the Civil War from over thirty museums, historical societies, and private collections.

The reenactors who portray Company K of the 13th New Jersey are an American Civil War living history organization that depicts this Union volunteer infantry regiment through clothing, weapons, artifacts, demonstrations, displays and public interaction. Company K was mustered in the Army of the Potomac in Patterson N.J. in 1862. The group focuses on the year 1864 when the 20th Corps commanded by General William T. Sherman cut a 60-mile path across Georgia from Atlanta to Savannah in the infamous “March to the Sea.”  Visitors will be able to interact with the reenactors and learn about the hardships of a soldier’s life on campaign as well as their experiences in the Federal Army.

The Museum is also pleased to welcome Dominick Mazzagetti, author of "True Jersey Blues," who will also be available to sell and sign books between 1pm and 4pm to museum visitors.  “True Jersey Blues” is the story of Lucien A. Voorhees and William Mackenzie Thompson who left Flemington, New Jersey, in high spirits in September 1862 as enlisted men in the 15th New Jersey Regiment to join the fight for the Union. On the march south Voorhees and Thompson each began a correspondence with the local newspapers back home to describe their activities as soldiers in the Army of the Potomac. These young men proved to be great writers as well as patriots. Their letters convey their feelings and the events they witnessed in vivid and colorful language.  Regular admission covers a museum visit and both programs. 

A Civil War Lecture Series in conjunction with the “Gone for a Soldier” exhibit is being held monthly. This March, during Women’s History Month, Dr. David Martin will present “Nurses, Spies and Warriors: Women in the Civil War”.  It is estimated that over 500 women fought as soldiers in the Civil War with their sex disguised. Dr. Martin will discuss the careers of famous women soldiers in the Civil War, as well as some of the well-known female nurses and spies on both sides on Wednesday March 21st at 7pm at the Cincinnati Masonic Lodge No. 3, 39 Maple Avenue (one block from the museum). Full details about the lectures, book signings, and family-friendly events can be viewed on the museum’s Facebook events page, which can be accessed through the Museum website.

The New Jersey Sesquicentennial Committee, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War, a volunteer organization working for increased awareness and recognition of New Jersey’s important role in the Civil war, has been recognized by the New Jersey Governor and both houses of the New Jersey legislature.

Macculloch Hall Historical Museum preserves the history of the Macculloch-Miller families, the Morris area community, and the legacy of its founder W. Parsons Todd through its historic site, collections, exhibits, and educational and cultural programs. The Museum is open to tour the house and view exhibits on Wednesdays, Thursdays & Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. General Admission: Adults $8; Seniors & Students $6; Children 6 – 12 $4. Members and children under 5 are free. The last tickets for admission are sold at 3 p.m. School tours, adult/senior tours and rentals may be scheduled by appointment. For information, call the Museum weekdays at (973) 538-2404 ext. 10, visit our website www.maccullochhall.org or find us on Facebook.  Macculloch Hall Historical Museum, 45 Macculloch Ave., Morristown, NJ 07960.  Macculloch Hall Historical Museum is a nonprofit educational affiliate of the W. Parsons Todd Foundation.