HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUNTERDON COUNTY! OUR MINI SERIES SCHEDULE IS HERE!

ON MARCH 22, 1714, HUNTERDON COUNTY WAS INCORPORATED, SO HAPPY 310 YEARS TO US ALL!

IN CELEBRATION OF 310 YEARS AND COUNTING OF RICH HISTORY, THE HUNTERDON 300TH IS PROUD TO PRESENT A YEAR OF "MINI SERIES", MOST OF WHICH YOU WILL SEE BELOW.  WE ARE STILL WORKING ON A SMALL SERIES OF CHURCH TOURS AND TAVERN TOURS WHICH WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN AN UPCOMING BLOG.

ALL OF THE EVENTS, MEET UPS, WALKS AND TALKS BELOW ARE FREE AND NO RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED.  HOWEVER, RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED FOR THE TWO MEET UPS (SO WE CAN INFORM OUR HOSTS) AND THE TWO WALKING TOURS (AS THEY HAVE LIMITED CAPACITY).    

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE MINI SERIES:

THURSDAY, APRIL 18TH:  THE INTERNATIONAL GEOPHYSIAL YEAR; PICTURES FROM ANTARTICA: The International Geophysical Year lasted from July 1, 1957 to December 31, 1958 and marked the end of a long period during the Cold War when scientific exchange between the East and the West had ceased.  Hunterdon County author and historian, John Kuhl, was in the Navy during this period and was aboard a ship in Antarctica -- talk about a Cold War!  A historian even then, John recorded his voyages via both camera stills and movie reels.  John shared this with the public in 2016 for the Hunterdon 300th for the first time.  This is only the second time these pictures and reels will be seen and this talk is very special!  John will be playing these incredible films and pictures via a powerpoint presentation while describing his adventures in one of the most hostile and wild places on the planet!  Lower Level Meeting Room, Main Branch Hunterdon County Library, 7 pm.  Free, no reservations required.  Free refreshments follow.

THURSDAY, MAY 2ND:  THE HISTORY OF THE D&R CANAL:  Canal Historian and Author Linda Barth weaves the story of how the Delaware & Raritan Canal  meandered across New Jersey, becoming one of America’s most successful towpath canals, carrying more tonnage in 1866 than even the Erie Canal.  Johnson & Johnson, Roebling, and Fleischmann’s Distillery all had their start along the D&R which now provides people of central New Jersey with both a water supply and an amazing recreational facility. This companion talk is beneficial for all those wishing to join us for our D&R Canal Mini Walking Tour on Saturday, June 1st.  Lower Level Meeting Room, Hunterdon County Library Main Branch. This talk is free. 7 pm.  Free refreshments follow. No reservations required.

THURSDAY, MAY 16TH:  THE BEST FRENCHTOWN WATER STORIES AS ONLY RICK EPSTEIN CAN TELL THEM:  Frenchtown historian Rick Epstein will talk about the floods of 1903 and 1955 and explain the difference between river floods and creek floods. He will tell about Durham boats and timber rafts; Frenchtown’s dozen drownings; its water power and the mill race; and the advent of “city water” for fighting fires, drinking, and washing. He also might try to sell you his book, "Frenchtown; Fires, Floods, Fads, and Felonies."  Lower Level Meeting Room, Hunterdon County Library Main Branch. 7 pm.  Free refreshments follow. No reservations required.

JUNE 1ST, 10 AM:  MINI WALKING TOUR OF THE D&R CANAL:  Join D&R Canal historians Bob and Linda Barth on this morning walk of a section of the canal.  The walk starts at the area of the canal behind historic Holcombe-Jimison Farmstead (the oldest farm in Hunterdon County) to see the canal aqueduct.  From there we will walk approximately three quarters of a mile to Lambertville to see the lift lock and the outlet.  About 1.5 miles round trip taking approximately 2 hours, which includes stops and interpretation. Reservations thru Humantix is required for the walk to Lambertville only and limited to 25 people. If you are only planning on seeing the aqueduct at the Farmstead, you do not require a reservation.  Free.

We are trying a new reservation system.  Please cut and paste the following URL or try clicking on the link below.    https://events.humanitix.com/mini-walking-tour-of-the-d-and-r-canal?_gl=1*he1qsp*_ga*MTkxNjQxMTgxMi4xNzExMTM0NzMw*_ga_LHKW5FR9N6*MTcxMTE1NzUxMS4yLjEuMTcxMTE1NzgyMi42MC4wLjA.

https://events.humanitix.com/mini-walking-tour-of-the-d-and-r-canal

HUNTERDON AND THE CIVIL WAR MINI SERIES:

THURSDAY, JUNE 6TH:  A FIELD OF BLUE AND GRAY?  That would be the History of the Civil War in Hunterdon lecture given by County Historian and Author of the book by the same title, John Kuhl on June 3rd. John's stories are haunting, like the faces of those battle weary or battle lost.  Lower Level Meeting Room, Hunterdon County Library Main Branch. 7 pm.  Free refreshments follow. No reservations required.

THURSDAY, JUNE 13TH:  ABRAHAM LINCONLN AND THE AMERICAN FLAG:  Perhaps no one in our nation's history has been associated more with the American flag than Abraham Lincoln. From his election to the presidency in 1860 until his death by an assassin's bullet five years later, this newly researched PowerPoint presentation examines the role the flag played in Lincoln's political life. Several flags used in his two presidential campaigns as well as those draped on the theater box at Ford's Theatre and on the front of the funeral train that carried his body from Washington D.C. back to Springfield, Illinois, are among the historic examples being highlighted. Also rare paper mourning flags waved by onlookers during Lincoln's funeral procession through major U.S. cities will be on display. Our speaker, Hunterdon's own Richard Pierce, is a nationally recognized expert on the American Flag.  Lower Level Meeting Room, Hunterdon County Library Main Branch. 7 pm.  Free refreshments follow. No reservations required.

THURSDAY, JUNE 20TH: MUSIC OF THE CIVIL WAR: In period dress, Ridley and Anne Enslow will perform historic Civil War songs played on instruments found during the 19th century.  The Enslow's played this concert for us last in March of 2014.  It was a very emotional and moving evening of music that evoked the pain, the boredom and the patriotism of the American Civil War.  A night not to be missed!  7 pm; Lower Level Meeting Room, Main Branch of the Library.  Free.  No reservations required.  Refreshments Follow.

SATURDAY, JULY 6TH:  MEET UP!  CIVIL WAR FLAG UNVEILING AT THE STATE MUSEUM, TRENTON:  In the American Civil War, flags guided troops into battle and served as patriotic emblems of honor and pride. Join flag historian Dr. David Martin and Curator of Cultural History Nicholas Ciotola for a gallery walk about the history of five new flags to be unveiled in the State Museum’s exhibition, The Civil War Flag Collection of New Jersey. One-hour tour followed by a reception hosted by Hunterdon 300th in the museum’s Riverview Court. Attendees can also visit Discovering Grant Castner, a new exhibit consisting of more than 200 historical images taken by a long-forgotten, turn-of-the-20^th-century photographer from Belvidere, NJ, who later lived and worked in Trenton.  10 a.m, New Jersey State Museum, 205 West State Street (FREE weekend parking behind the museum), Trenton, NJ.  Reservations requested but not required.  

We are trying a new reservation system.  Please cut and paste the following URL or try clicking on the link below even though it says it is for the D&R.  

https://events.humanitix.com/copy-of-mini-walking-tour-of-the-d-and-r-canal?_gl=1*1xsgi1u*_ga*MTkxNjQxMTgxMi4xNzExMTM0NzMw*_ga_LHKW5FR9N6*MTcxMTU4NjEzNy4zLjEuMTcxMTU4NjQ3MS4xNS4wLjA.

https://events.humanitix.com/copy-of-mini-walking-tour-of-the-d-and-r-canal

LINDBERGH MINI SERIES:

A SPECIAL LINDBERGH LECTURE SERIES:  In 2014, the Hunterdon Tricentennial Committee, now the Hunterdon 300th, produced a series of 8 lectures by Jim Davidson on Lindbergh at the Historic Courthouse over 8 weeks.  We are proud to bring a new series of 6 lectures to the Historic Courthouse over 2 weekends!

James Davidson has lived the Lindbergh Kidnapping for over 30 years. A former history teacher and a popular speaker on the Lindbergh case, this is the third book he had written on the Lindbergh Kidnapping. Along with co-author Mark Falzini his first book was “New Jersey's Lindbergh Kidnapping and Trial”. This was followed up in 2022 with “When the Circus Came to Town – Flemington New Jersey and the Lindbergh Kidnapping Trial”.James Davidson grew up in Flemington, New Jersey where from an early age he heard stories of the Lindbergh Kidnapping and Hauptmann Trial. His parents had lived in Trenton, NJ and attended a Hauptmann Execution Party at a local hotel, where they listen to Gabriel Heater broadcast the execution live from outside the State Prison. His father said all the lights in the hotel dimmed when they electrocuted Hauptmann! As a young boy Davidson met William Allen, who worked for his grandfather and who was one of the people who found the Lindbergh baby. In Flemington he knew Lloyd Fisher, who was his father’s attorney and who was also Bruno Hauptmann’s attorney, while Davidson’s neighbor was one of the jurors at the trial. A local historian and former history teacher, Davidson, over a 30 year period, has amassed one of the largest collections of Lindbergh Flight and Trial memorabilia. With Mark Falzini, archivist of the New State Police Museum, he co-authored “New Jersey’s Lindbergh Kidnapping and Trial.” Davidson is an avid and much sought after speaker on the Lindbergh’s, the Kidnapping and the Trial.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5TH:  ANNE AND CHARLES LINDBERGH, PART ONE:  A two-part biography of the couple, including Lindbergh in Nazi Germany and the families Lindbergh fathered in Germany.  Historic Courthouse, Main Street, Flemington, 7 pm.  Free. No reservations are required.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6TH:  ANNE AND CHARLES LINDBERGH, PART TWO:  Historic Courthouse, Main Street, Flemington, 7 pm.  Free. No reservations are required.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8TH:  SEARCHING THE SOURLANDS:  Early stages of finding the Lindbergh baby, including all the chaos in Hopewell.  Historic Courthouse, Main Street, Flemington, 2 pm.  Free. No reservations are required.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH: MEET UP! VISIT TO THE STATE POLICE MUSEUM WITH A SPECIAL MEET UP AT THE LINDBERGH KIDNAPPING EXHIBIT:  We've arranged a very special visit to the State Police Museum to tour the State Police Museum and meet up at the Lindbergh Exhibit where there will be a special talk.  Come on your own as early as 9 am when the Museum opens.  Spend time before or after our Meet Up at 11 am at the Lindbergh Exhibit.  The Museum closes at 3 pm so you can tour at your leisure no matter what time you arrive.  Please have photo identification for every member of your party.  The State Police are graciously allowing us to provide some refreshments as well.  This tour is free but we will be requiring reservations as we get closer to the event to provide a head count to the State Police.  

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 (RAIN DATE SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 22):  LINDBERGH'S FLEMINGTON WALKING TOUR:  Join historical architect and Flemington architecture expert Chris Pickell for a new walking tour on and around Main Street to explore Main Street as Lindbergh saw it.  Chris will also outline and show some of the special places in town including where Defense Attorney Lloyd Fisher's office was, where Anna Hauptmann and her son stayed, and where the reporters ate.   Reservations will be required as we get closer to the event. Limited to 20 guests.  10 am.

A SPECIAL LINDBERGH LECTURE SERIES CONTINUES:

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27TH:  DEBUT: THE OTHER LINDBERGH TRIAL IN FLEMINGTON:   In 1932, Charles Lindbergh sat in the Flemington New Jersey courtroom in the First Lindbergh Kidnapping trial. Most people are familiar with Charles Lindbergh vs. Bruno Richard Hauptmann in the famous 1935 “Trial of the Century.” But very few people know that there was another trial that preceded the Hauptmann trial. In the summer of 1932, John Hughes Curtis, a well-known pillar of society in Norfolk, Virginia was approached and asked to serve as an intermediary between the gang who said they kidnapped the Lindbergh baby and Charles Lindbergh. Thus began an adventure with Curtis and Lindbergh out to sea for three weeks, Curtis being held captive in the basement of Lindbergh's house, culminating in a wild trial in the hot summer of 1932 in the Flemington courthouse. Many of he same people who show up in the Hauptmann trial are there: Lloyd Fisher, Anthony Hauck, Col. Lindbergh, Col. Schwarzkopf, Betty Gow, Ollie Whately, etc.  Historic Courthouse, Main Street, Flemington, 7 pm.  Free. No reservations are required.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28TH:  When the Circus Came to Town Much has been written of the Lindbergh-Hauptmann Kidnapping Trial of 1934. This book examines what actually happened in the town of Flemington, New Jersey, a sleepy farm town that became, for a few months, the center of the universe. The first weekend of “The Trial of the Century,” the town saw 50,000 people arrive. Over 700 reporters were on hand as well as 150 photographers and countless sketch artists. Nellie’s Bar in the Union Hotel became a landmark for those who got to drink there while prostitutes roamed the streets, paying newsboys tips for “Johns.” Every famous news writer and commentator of the day was there – Adela Rogers St. Johns, Damon Runyon, Dorothy Kilgallen, Walter Winchell, Gabriel Heater, etc. This book examines what they wrote and what they said in their own words as well as colorful stories about each of them. Some of the most famous sketch artists and cartoonists of the times were also there and this book examines what they produced on a daily basis. Flemington, the trial and the times are shown in a light heretofore not described in other books. Historic Courthouse, Main Street, Flemington, 2 pm.  Free. No reservations are required.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29TH:  12 THEORIES OF WHO KIDNAPPED THE LINDBERGH BABY:  This dynamic lecture goes through not only the most popular and well-known theories of the Lindbergh Kidnapping, but also some of the less well known that will make you rethink everything you ever knew about the kidnapping.  This talk is a stunner as Jim Davidson summarizes various theories, spinning them into the facts of the case and how each theory could possibly identify other guilty parties including a famous mafia don and Colonel Lindbergh himself.  You will leave this talk questioning whether or not Hauptmann acted alone or with others, what he really knew, who else was involved and whether or not he was simply framed.  Sunday afternoon Sept. 29 at 2 pm: 12 Theories of Who Kidnapped Jr.  Historic Courthouse, Main Street, Flemington, 2 pm.  Free. No reservations are required.

EVENTS FROM OUR PARTNERS AROUND THE COUNTY

JUNE 1ST:  FLEMINGTON HISTORIC HOUSE TOURS:  11 am to 5 pm.  More information forthcoming.  Sponsored by the Flemington Historic Preservation Commission.