Scenes from the Garden State

While on an extended visit to New Jersey, we made several excursions that took us all over the place. Here are some random snaps, along with some books and movies related to the state. The cover photo is from Cape May on the Southern coast of the state.

Old Barracks Museum

The Old Barracks Museum in Trenton showcases a building that dates from 1758, which originally housed soldiers of the British Army. Wait, what? The British Army? That’s right, it predates the American Revolution. In spite of its decent online rating, it’s not really very exciting – a bunch of rooms set up as barracks and a couple set up for officer quarters. There is also an exhibit area.

The barracks have been restored from very serious modifications made over the years – including cutting down a big section so a street could run through the center of it!

Higher ranked men did their Colonial-era dining in relative comfort.

The Art of Amy Whitman

We went to the see the Divine Feminine exhibit at the Urban Muse in Denville specifically to see the Art of Amy Whitman. Doug went to high school with Amy, but she wasn’t a professional artist back then. In fact, she spent many years as a teacher and pediatric therapist before focusing her time on art. She is mostly self-taught and very talented! She’s currently working on illustrations for a children’s book.

Trenton Battle Monument

The Trenton Battle Monument commemorates the 1776 Battle of Trenton, which was a pivotal victory for the Continental forces and commander George Washington during the American Revolutionary War. The 137-foot monument dates to 1893 and is topped with a 13-foot statue of General Washington. Though it’s not currently open to enter, it is capped by a small observation deck, which can be accessed via an elevator.

A full view of the monument, with Washington “depicted as he appeared at the opening of the engagement.”

Two members of the Continental Army guard the entrance: Private John Russell (Massachusetts) and Private Blair McClenachan (Pennsylvania). Both men took part in the Battle of Trenton.

The lovely bronze relief panels are by Thomas Eakins, this one depicting *The Continental Army Crossing the Delaware River.*

The Deserted Village of Feltville

In the 1840s David Felt built a mill in what is now Berkeley Heights but which was then named “Feltville.” A town grew up around it, and by 1850 175 people lived there. Houses, a church, general store, post office, and a school were all established. But after 15 years, David sold the property, and successive owners failed to make anything of the land. By the 1870s it was abandoned.

In 1882 it was transformed to a summer resort (brochures touted the clean air with “not a hint of malaria”), which operated until 1916. At that point the town was mostly deserted and has remained so ever since, though three families do live there today. A half-mile walk is all it takes to visit the remains of the town, which includes several very dilapidated buildings from the 19^th century.

We Must Have Pie!

Doug was craving pie, so I went to Reddit to find the best pies near us. I was directed to Penza’s Pies in Hammonton. When we first walked in, I thought the pies on display were fake because they were unbelievably beautiful. In the end, Doug settled on a blueberry ricotta pie and a pumpkin ricotta pie, which were both very good but quite subtle in flavor.