Tag Archives: Small Museum of New Jersey

Day Three Hundred and Eighty Four Bergecco-Parc Consulting presents “Bergen 250: Touring & Marketing the Pascack Historical Society Museum in Park Ridge, NJ for Tourism” April 29th, 2026

"A Local Journey: Exploring the outskirts of New York City, Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. Projects, Dedication to Warren Watrel, Exploring Historic Bergen County NJ, Exploring Historic Towns in New Jersey, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New Jersey, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring Paramus NJ, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the State of New Jersey, Historic New Jersey Towns and Neighborhoods, Historical Towns of New Jersey, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), MywalkinManhattan-Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc., Small museums in New Jersey, Smile! Your Visiting New Jersey!, The Bergen 250-250th Anniversary of the Revolutionary War in Bergen County, NJ, Uncategorized, Visiting a Museum in New Jersey, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Every semester for my Business Marketing, Management and Communications classes, I create one big Team assignment for my students. In a Commuter College, it is a lot tougher for students to get to know one another between their studies and their jobs, so I create these projects to foster learning, creativity and especially Teamwork.

This semester I taught two sections of Business 101-Introduction to Business, which is the entry level course to the Business/Hotel Management School. This is a tough course to teach as you always have students of various age groups and various levels of industry experience.

The Spring semester was no different. This makes the class more interesting yet more challenging to teach. I still challenge them and test them to see what type of future executives they will become.

I also taught Principles of Management, which came with its own set of challenges. It was the amount of people in the class and what projects would they be working on.

In the past, I have created these Team projects under the Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. banner, the main consulting company, the Orion Malls banner, a Mall design company and the Buscomonzefi.com banner, my Tech Division. All of these business concepts are simulated.

Each business does its best to be creative, forward thinking and have a thought producing presentations. I also challenge the students to top on another in their presentations and build on what they have seen others do in the past.

The Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. concept is an acronym for Bergen Community College Paramus campus where I work.

Professor Justin Watrel, CEO Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc.

Our Corporate site (created my one of my former President’s:

Additional Resources

While my morning Business 101 classes worked on their ‘Breakfast at Primo Pizza’ project and my International Marketing students worked on their “The Historic Revolutionary War Graveyards and Cemeteries of Bergen County” projects, I had my Principle of Management students create a game plan to market the Pascack Historical Society Museum in Park Ridge, NJ to a younger, more modern audience.

When choosing a project for this class, I had had two other ideas that fell through, then I had remembered working with the Pascack Historical Society Museum the prior year for my “Bergen 250” Team Project. We had proposed a Farm to Table Dinner at the Wortendyke Barn down the road with the dinner starting with a Cocktail Party here with a tour of the museum. I asked the museum again to partner with me on this project.

The “Bergen 250” Project in Spring 2025:

Day Three-Hundred and Thirty-Seven Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. presents “The Bergen 250-the 250th Anniversary of the Revolutionary War in Bergen County, NJ” April 23rd, 2025

The Video Presentation of the “Bergen 250” in 2024:

The museum had created a wonderful exhibition for the “Bergen 250” but when I went to visit it, no one was at the museum but myself. When I asked the volunteers that day how many people had visited the museum, they told me I was the first one. That got me thinking why people were not visiting this wonderful museum with its interesting artifacts and intriguing displays.

The outside of the Pascack Historical Society Museum at 19 Ridge Avenue in Park Ridge, NJ

Then I looked at their website and their displays. I realized that the museum was not adapting to the cellphone age. There were no QR codes at any of the displays, not enough pictures of the display on their website and their scavenger hunt bingo game needed an update to engage a younger crowd.

Home

https://www.facebook.com/pascackhistoricalsociety

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46713-d12610386-r1051662243-Pascack_Historical_Society_Museum-Park_Ridge_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

Pascack Historical Society Museum (John C. Storms Museum) 19 Ridge Avenue Park Ridge, NJ 07656

That’s when I came up with a Marketing plan for the museum and proposed it to their Executive Board. We worked together to come up with new ways to promote the museum and its collection. This was our combined idea and we looked at how to bring more traffic to the museum.

The Proposal for “Bergen 250: Touring the Pascack Historical Society Museum”:

BCC-Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. 2026 Touring the Pascack Valley Historical SocietyDownload

I presented the project to my students after the Spring Break and then the next week took my students on a mandatory field trip to the Pascack Historical Society Museum in early April. The Board members of the Museum led us on a tour of all the exhibitions, then discussed their plans for the “Bergen 250” and then discussed some of the challenges that the museum faced with attendance.

Touring the museum

The students on their part took pictures and notes about the museum and their displays. Many would make various trips back to the museum to crest the QR codes for the displays and map the museum’s backyard for the Farm to Table fundraiser and a proposed afternoon tea.

Touring the museum

Touring the museum

Touring the museum with the Board of the museum

The museum’s Board members could not have been nicer and more helpful to the students and myself. We got a lot of insights on what direction the Board wanted to go.

Our Team picture at the museum

The tour of the museum took about an hour. We then had a Division Team Dinner at Pompilio’s Pizzeria in Downtown Westwood, NJ:

https://www.pompiliospizzeria.com

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46923-d4643410-r1053567938-Pompilio_s_Pizzeria_Restaurant-Westwood_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

Dinner with my Divisional Team

I find that these Team dinners and lunches are very helpful in getting the students together to get to know each other and we share a nice meal as a Team should. We asked the Board to join us so we could continue the conversation.

Dinner with both the Board and my Team

For the next five weeks the three Teams broken into Marketing, Historical and Foodservice created their ideas and game-plans to help the museum increase traffic by trying to bring a younger and tech savvy visitor into the space.

The Pascack Historical Society PowerPoint:

https://onedrive.live.com/personal/de20296acb6718c2/_layouts/15/Doc.aspx?sourcedoc=%7Bbc38ac22-58a7-444e-8a3d-919c9e880890%7D&action=default&redeem=aHR0cHM6Ly8xZHJ2Lm1zL3AvYy9kZTIwMjk2YWNiNjcxOGMyL0lRQWlyRGk4cDFoT1JJbzlrWnllaUFpUUFXUktobTlXakl2R3NEUUZhQ0k5OFA4&slrid=f6a013a2-4017-1000-b492-bb60994c6fcb&originalPath=aHR0cHM6Ly9vbmVkcml2ZS5saXZlLmNvbS86cDovZy9wZXJzb25hbC9kZTIwMjk2YWNiNjcxOGMyL0lRQWlyRGk4cDFoT1JJbzlrWnllaUFpUUFXUktobTlXakl2R3NEUUZhQ0k5OFA4P3J0aW1lPW1yVHgtT3V4M2tnJnJlZGVlbT1hSFIwY0hNNkx5OHhaSEoyTG0xekwzQXZZeTlrWlRJd01qazJZV05pTmpjeE9HTXlMMGxSUVdseVJHazRjREZvVDFKSmJ6bHJXbmxsYVVGcFVVRlhVa3RvYlRsWGFrbDJSM05FVVVaaFEwazVPRkE0&CID=35417700-9c90-4764-923b-3c9c9a5a6ca3&_SRM=0%3AG%3A58&file=The%20Bergen%20250%20-%20Promoting%20the%20Pascack%20Valley%20Historical%20Society.pptx

The Pascack Historical Society Corporate Website:

https://ekucevic4.wixsite.com/bergecco-parc-consul

The Pascack Historical Society YouTube Presentation:

The video of our Presentation to the Board of the Pascack Historical Society Museum on the evening of April 29th, 2026

On the evening of April 29th, the Board members of the museum joined us for the Presentation of ideas the students came up with including setting new QR codes for all the displays, a revamped Marketing plan to showcase the museum, a new historical walking tour, one aimed at adults and one to children and the ideas for the fundraising dinner, a children’s birthday party concept and a Afternoon Tea fundraiser.

After the Presentation, we had a Q & A on the ideas and after the Presentation was over, we had a reception for our guests and for the student consultants. Then we took our Corporate Team picture.

My Divisional Team the night of the Presentation

Our reception after the Presentation

It was another successful project accomplished and it looked like the Board went home with new ideas and the students learned a few things about themselves. I could not have been more proud of the students.

Shivers House Museum/Sign of Key Tavern 68 North Main Street Woodstown, NJ 08098

"A Local Journey: Exploring the outskirts of New York City, Dedication to Warren Watrel, Exploring Historic Salem County, NJ, Exploring Historic Towns in New Jersey, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the State of New Jersey, Historic New Jersey Towns and Neighborhoods, Historical Towns of New Jersey, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), Smile! Your Visiting New Jersey!, Uncategorized, Visiting a Museum in New Jersey, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Shivers House Museum/Sign of Key Tavern

68 North Main Street

Woodstown, NJ 08098

(609) 216-8815

http://www.salemcountyclocks.com/the-big-red-house

Open: By Appointment Only-Please call/Special Events

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46943-d34027431-r1039569744-Shrivers_House_Museum-Woodstown_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

The Shivers House at 68 North Main Street in Woodstown, NJ

The front of the Shivers House Museum at 68 Main Street from across the street

I got a personal tour of the Shivers House Museum and the Sign of Key Tavern, which is attached to the main house of the Shivers Family. The first part of the tour was of the Sign of Key Tavern, which consisted of The Hearth Room, where all the cooking took place and the Cage Bar room, where meals would be eaten and used for socialization.

I could see that the family business was very popular at the time when transportation was slower and these areas in the early 1700’s were barely populated. So this became the focal point of the communities. These taverns were part of the communication and transport systems of the country up until the Revolutionary War.

Later, family members built the the main house of which the tavern would be attached and thus began the home’s transformation to modern times. The house from the outside has a more symmetrical appearance but these changes on the outside altered the historic inside.

The History of the Shivers House:

In 1668, John Shivers at the bequest of King William of England was given thousands of acres to promote the hamlet development with what was then known as West Jersey.

Upon arrival, Shivers constructed on the property, utilizing Native American labor, a dam and saw mill on what would become Woodstown Lake. From here he milled the timber for his tavern. The tavern, The Sign of the Key, operated for 65 years on the corner of what is today Routes 40 and 45. Travelers could sleep, eat meals, communicate and trade furs from the area. After Shivers death, it was moved to its present location by his son, Samuel, as an addition to the current house.

The Shivers family owned the house through marriage through the Nineteen century.

The outside sign of the house

The informational sign on the history of the home and construction

The sign of the clock repair and antique shop business inside the house

(Much of the following research comes from owner Gregg Perry’s personal research on the house and family and from the personal tour Mr. Perry gave me of the house and grounds).

The first part of the house tour I took was of the old tavern section of the house. This had once been in a different area and moved here by the family and connected to the newly built house around 1726 when Tavern owner, John Shivers died.

The Cage Bar/ Dining room

The Dining Room area

The pewter materials in the Dining Room

The tavern was open in 1669 for business. The tavern has been here open for business from 1669 to 1720 until John Shivers died. The first part of the building served as the Kitchen area with an open hearth for cooking and serving. Meals were prepared here as well as keeping the building warm for guests who might stay overnight upstairs.

The second part of the building served as the Dining Room for the old Tavern. Visitors would have their meals served here and converse and socialize in this room. There is a rebuilt Cage Bar for serving alcohol. The old Tavern section of house has since been restored and has period furnishings and decorations.

The Cage Bar in the Tavern Room

The Tavern kitchen

The Hearth of the Kitchen is eleven feet wide by three feet deep by five feet high in opening containing two mobile cranes. The back firebox bricks are laid in a herringbone style pattern. A tavern hearth of this dimension would have allowed the cook to have multiple fires going in the firebox (Gregg Perry research).

The Kitchen of the Tavern

This is the room where all meals were prepared and served. It was also used as the central heating for the tavern in colder weather. It is decorated in period furnishings and pewter ware decorates the walls. This would have been used in serving at that period in the 1700’s.

The pewter materials

For the price of a penny today, a patron could have his choice of a tankard of ale or hard cider and a plate of whatever the entree was of the day as well as have the option to spend the night on the floor of the second floor with a burlap blanket. They could also have the horse fed and boarded if needed. The tavern had been in business in one form or another until the 1930’s when it closed for business during the Great Depression (Gregg Perry research).

The Main Part of the house was build 1723. This section of the home was built by John Shivers, whose portrait sits above the mantle.

The Grand Reception Room

The Grand Reception Room was built to impress visitors to the house and for entertaining for this prominent family. As the family accumulated wealth and social prominence in the area, the house was meant to impress people with its large fireplaces and tall ceilings.

The Portrait of John Shivers in the Grand Reception Room

The Grand Room

Much of the period furniture of the room has been restored back to its original form and the woodwork to the room is from the original house. Period clocks and decorations are from that period and part of the owners collection.

The Grand Room looking into the old Tavern

In the back of the Grand Reception room is the Keeping of Family Room where things were less formal. The room had been set up for Christmas. In the Keeping Room is the portrait of Samuel Shivers, John Shivers son above the fireplace.

The Keeping Room

This cosy room was set up and lit for the holidays. The lights put a nice glow on the original woodwork.

The Keeping Room at Christmas

Samuel Shivers painting in the Keeping Room

The house decorated for the Christmas holiday season

The Social Media for the house:

Video on the tour of the Tavern:

Part Two:

U.S. Life Saving Station 30 801 East 4th Street Ocean City, NJ 08226

"A Local Journey: Exploring the outskirts of New York City, Dedication to Warren Watrel, Exploring Historic Atlantic County NJ, Exploring Historic Ocean County, NJ, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New Jersey, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring Ocean City NJ, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the Jersey Shore, Exploring the State of New Jersey, Historic New Jersey Towns and Neighborhoods, Historical Towns of New Jersey, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), Smile! Your Visiting New Jersey!, Uncategorized, Visiting a Museum in New Jersey, Walking the Ocean City NJ Boardwalk, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

U.S. Life Saving Station 30 Museum

801 East 4th Street

Ocean City, NJ 08226

(609) 398-5553

https://uslifesavingstation30.com/

https://www.facebook.com/U.S.LifeSavingStation30/

https://www.ocmuseum.org/about-us/museum-history

Open: Sunday 10:00am-4:00pm/Monday-Friday Closed/Saturday 10:00am-4:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46696-d14961805-r1033640492-U_S_Life_Saving_Station_30-Ocean_City_Cape_May_County_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

The front of the museum

The front sign of the building

Short History of the Museum:

(from the museum website)

Also known as the U.S. Coast Guard Station No. 126, this is the only life-saving station (now museum) of its design in NJ (1 of 6 in the country) still in existence. The designer and architect was James Lake Parkinson in a Carpenter Gothic style. This building is one of 42 stations built in New Jersey. It was also the workplace of the brave surfmen who were the beachfront First Responders of the day.

The anchor outside the building

The historical plaque outside the building

The History of the Building and Museum:

(from the State of NJ Historic website)

The U.S. Life Saving Station in Ocean City is significant as an example of a significant type of life saving station and for its association with the activities of the U.S. Life Saving Service. The building was constructed in 1885 in what was referred to as the “1882 type.” There were 25 life-saving stations constructed in this style. In 1905 the building’s footprint was expanded to nearly twice its original size. The expansion was done in a style unique to New Jersey Life Saving Stations.

In 1915 the U.S. Life Saving Service and the Revenue Cutter Service were combined to form the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard continued to utilize the building until it was decommissioned during the 1940s and sold. It was used as a private residence until the City purchased it in May 2010.

The first room inside was the formal dining room where guests who visited or who had been rescued had dined. It was a rather formal affair.

I visited the museum on a weekend day to learn of the rescue procedures and the job these men did on a day to day basis. The first thing I learned was how shifting tides can change an island.

This building which now sits about four blocks inland was once at the shoreline a hundred years ago. Talk about change and Mother Nature’s role in this.

The first room I visited was the formal dining room in the newer extension of the building. This would be where the officers and men would entertain guests and visitors to the building. It could be a casual or formal affair.

The first floor formal dining room

The entertainment for the evening was either board games or a music box

Some of the items salvaged from the sea

The Life Guard officer formal outfit was worn for formal affairs

The officers would be dressed formally to receive guests

The next room over was the Rescue room and door where the boats and other equipment would be held when the alarm sounded.

The docent discussed how the doors were opened and the boats needed to be pulled out on a stormy night. Everything you needed had to be close by, in good shape and ready to go.

The rescue boats and pulleys that would be used in the sea

The ropes and pulleys used to assist in the rescue

The lanterns were used as communication between shore watch and the tower

The equipment used to repair the items used for rescue

The rescue boat and the items used for a water rescue

The additional boats used in rescue

Some boats were used for fishing and collecting shell fish

The Sneak Box was used for duck hunting to camouflage yourself

The sneak box

We then toured the second floor sleeping room for the crew. This offered a great view of the sea when the building was at shore line. These men were given good accommodations for the time.

While not very private, it was comfortable and served its purpose for a job where you might not get a good nights sleep.

The sleeping quarters

The main sleeping room was for a crew of six

The loft lead to the tower where the look out for the evening would sleep (it is not open to tours right now).

The loft area from the window

We then headed back downstairs where we toured the station manager’s room and office.

The station manager’s room off from the kitchen

The station manager’s office where all the monthly paperwork was done and business was conducted.

The kitchen

The Station Manager’s office was right next to the kitchen stove so that the room was kept warm during the winter months and on cool nights.

The kitchen stove

All the meals for the crew and visitors were cooked either by the men or their wives might be allowed to visit and assist in duties in the building.

The kitchen

All the storage of the foodstuffs has to be accounted for because getting them was rough with no cars for transportation and no bridges to cross to the mainland.

The gift shop

The museum and grounds

The museum offers a glimpse of the everyday life of these brave men who were on call 24/7 and performed such dangerous work. Ocean City has done a wonderful job preserving this legacy.

The museum has docents on hand for more formal tours and are very detailed on their knowledge of the building and its contents. It is a very interesting look at Ocean City’s past.

Millville Army Air Field Museum 1 Leddon Street Millville Airport Millville, NJ 08832

Dedication to Warren Watrel, Exploring Historic Cumberland County, NJ, Exploring Historic Towns in New Jersey, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring Millville NJ, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the State of New Jersey, Historic New Jersey Towns and Neighborhoods, Historical Towns of New Jersey, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), Uncategorized, Visiting a Museum in New Jersey, Walking in Downtown Millville NJ, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Barbara and Lillian

The front of the Millville Army Air Field Museum

The Japanese WWII exhibit

The back display of Gallery One and all the wonderful artifacts from the war years

Skylands Manor-New Jersey Botanical Garden 5 Morris Road Ringwood, NJ 07456

"A Local Journey: Exploring the outskirts of New York City, Exploring Historic Sussex County NJ, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the State of New Jersey, Historic New Jersey Towns and Neighborhoods, Historical Towns of New Jersey, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), MywalkinManhattan at the Christmas Holidays, Small museums in New Jersey, Smile! Your Visiting New Jersey!, Uncategorized, Visiting a Museum in New Jersey, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Skylands Manor-New Jersey Botanical Garden

5 Morris Road

Ringwood, NJ  07456

(973) 962-9370

http://www.ringwoodmanor.org/Victorian-Christmas.html

Open: Check website for details

Fee: Check the website for details

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The Skylands Manor at Christmas time.

Note: The Skylands Manor is decorated for the holidays during the first week of December and only for one weekend as it used for a banquet facility the rest of the time and as a hotel. The first weekend of December is when local Gardening groups are assigned one room to decorate and they have one week to put it together, display their ideas and explain how they did it to the public.

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The front of the Skylands Manor during Christmas time.

The best day to go is the Thursday afternoon opening as it is the quietest day of the four day event with Saturday being the busiest. The best time on Thursday to come is in the morning.

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The side entrance to the Skylands Manor.

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g46774-d1140628-Reviews-The_Castle_at_Skylands_Manor-Ringwood_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

Skylands Manor during Christmas Time:

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The Manor home decorated for Christmas.

Visiting the Skylands Manor in 2019:

In 2019, the decorations were not as elaborate as the previous two years. The snow storm before the event may have put a damper on a few of the groups decorating. Still the best day to visit the manor is Thursday afternoon as it is the quietest time and you can take the best pictures.

The two best rooms in the manor in 2019 were the Entrance Hall and Grand Staircase decorated by the Magnificent Seven, a group of volunteers whose theme was ‘The Secret Life of Gnomes’ and the trees and staircases were studded with gnomes, large and small, on the trees and wreathes surrounding the stairs.

The other room that was very impressive was the Center Hall whose theme was the “Enchanted Forest, full of little fairies and painted rocks and jeweled winged ornaments. When you looked at the detail work of the trees and table displays you could see the work that went into the decor. Each little fairy on the stands and trees had immense detail and took a lot of time. This display was done by the Friends of Laurelwood Arboretum in Wayne, NJ.

The rest of the rooms in the manor were really pared down from 2018 and did not have the same elaborate details to them. The Library and Study did not have half of the display items that they did in the past.

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The Carriage House on the estate.

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The Carriage House was used as a restaurant and a gift shop during the event.

The fee to enter the home is still $10.00. The carriage house is being used for a cafe with Chicken Salad sandwiches and hot dogs with toppings. There are all sorts of crafts for sale.

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The Carriage House for Lunch.

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The menu at the pop-up restaurant at the Skylands Manor.

Watch the calendar for 2024 in early December for the next display.

The Display in 2023:

It was just breathtaking!

This was the first time I had visited the mansion and I was able to visit on Thursday morning and the crowds were very small. This is the best time to come to the Skylands Manor.

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The front door leading inside of the house.

The house looked amazing as usual and because I came the first day in the morning, it was the perfect time to visit the manor while the crowds were away.

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The entrance to the self-guided walking tour of Skylands Manor.

The tour was really spectacular in 2023. The whole house was decorated so beautifully.

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The entrance to the house was decorated by the Passaic County Parks and Recreation. This display was based on the magic of the Scottish Highlands.

After passing through the entrance of the house, it was off to the Ladies Parlor of the home and the decorations of the Garden Club of Teaneck. Then off to the Dining Room that was decorated by the Master Gardeners of Bergen County.

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The Dining Room was just breathtaking.

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The Dining Room was festive with lots of lit Christmas trees.

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The Dining Room was quite elaborate.

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The Master Gardeners of Bergen County were very detail orientated with their display spreading the Christmas cheer as you entered the house. The next room was the Breakfast Room with beautiful sunlight coming into the room and views of the gardens that are dormant at this time.

The theme of the Breakfast Room was that of enchanted forests with sacred fairy springs and moss covered meadows. The Breakfast Room was decorated also by the Master Gardeners of Bergen County.

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A beautiful view of the Breakfast Room done by the Master Gardeners of Bergen County.

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The decorations of the Breakfast Room were quite elaborate.

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The side of the Breakfast Room.

As I left the Breakfast Room, I entered The Center Hall where the many faucets of Robert Burns, the Scottish author of “My Heart is in the Highlands” themed room was decorated by the Ringwood Garden Club.

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The Center Hall of the manor house.

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The Center Hall led to the back porch that was decorated by the Demarest Garden Club.

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The Back Porch of the house just off the Center Hall.

The room was done with the theme “We wish you Blythe Yule as you enter a pastoral view of Holidays in the Highlands”.

The next room I visited the was The Great Hall, which is a Jacobean style interior designed to impress with its arched beams, paneled walls and spectacular stained glass windows (Skylands pamphlet).

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The Great Hall Christmas tree

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The Great Hall by the stained glass window.

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The Great Hall decorations by the fireplace off to the side.

I next walked through The Octagonal Hall, that is the transition room between The Great Hall and The Withdrawing Room/Living Room. This was transformed into a boutique lounge with custom made furniture and decor. Festive pops of pattern and color create a merry, modern vibe (Skylands pamphlet). The Octagonal Hall was designed by Stephanie Graham and Diane Simon.

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The entrance to the Octagonal Hall

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The decorations of The Octagonal Hall

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The statuary in the room beautifully embellished.

The Living Room was decorated to celebrate a Hip Highland Holiday and transformed into a boutique lounge with custom made furniture and decor. The Living Room/Withdrawing Room was designed by local artists Nicole Cohen (Teaneck), Brenda Gallagher (Upper Saddle River) and Lisa Williamson (Ridgewood).

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The Living Room in full view.

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We were joined by the Winter Queen in the Living Room who was roaming around the manor home engaging with all the guests who attended that morning.

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A modern twist to the Christmas tree in the Living Room.

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The display by the stained glass windows.

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The festive trees of the Living Room

Transitioning out of the Living Room into the The Study, this room with its window seat is the perfect place to curl up with a good book or share stories of Christmas on a snowy afternoon. The study was designed by artist Linda Karen.

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The window seat in The Study.

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The dark wood paneling of The Study.

The last room on the tour was The Library that is resplendent with the holiday tree decorated with hundreds of lights and a myriad of ornaments representing the Scottish heritage of its owners (Skylands pamphlet). This room was designed by the Master Gardeners of Passaic County.

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The Library at the Skylands Manor decked out for the holidays.

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The Library in full view.

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The fireplace in The Library is beautifully decorated for the holidays.

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The Library in all its Christmas glory.

The Living Room was the last decorated room in the manor home for the holidays. I exited by the back door and then explored the grounds and the dormant gardens and look out areas of the estate that must look quite spectacular in the Spring and Summer months. I headed back to the Carriage House to look at the menu and explore the gift shop. This display is only open the first weekend of December and then for the rest of the year, the manor house is used for banquets and meetings and as a B & B. Until next year.

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The front of the Carriage House where the restaurant and gift shop were located during the event.

History of the Skylands Manor & People:

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The entrance to the manor that morning.

Clarence McKenzie Lewis bought Skylands in 1922 from the estate of Francis Lynde Stetson, who founded Skylands in 1891. Mr. Lewis was educated in England and Germany. While he was there, his widowed mother, Helen Forbes Lewis married William Salomon, founder of the New York banking house. Upon his return, Lewis attended Columbia University, where he received a Civil Engineering degree in 1898. In 1908, he married and bought a country place in Mahwah; it was there that Lewis became interested in horticulture.

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The front of the manor home.

Helen Lewis Salomon, the mother of Clarence Lewis, was widowed in 1919. Not only thereafter, she and her bereaved son agreed to a joint project; she wanted a Tudor-style showplace; he wanted plants and gardens. Mrs. Salomon worked closely with the architect on Skylands Manor but she died in 1927 before its completion.

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The entrance to the Walled Gardens.

John Russell Pope (1874-1937) “an architect born to work, in the grand style” was educated at City College, Columbia University, the American Academy in Rome and the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. He trained under Bruce Price, the master builder of Tuxedo Park. Pope designed many outstanding public buildings, such as the Jefferson Memorial and the National Gallery of Art.

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The estate gardens overlooking the mountains and the valley below.

Tutor Architecture originated in England in the late Gothic period and continued to be popular into the Renaissance. It features half-timbering on the exterior, crenelated walls, large groups of rectangular windows, oriel or bay windows and intricate chimney complexes The interiors usually had large central halls, wood paneling, molded plaster ceilings and elaborately carved staircases. Tudor Revival became a popular style for the elegant country houses of wealthy Americans.

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The estate grounds.

The builder of Skylands was the Elliot C. Brown Co., of New York City, which also built the country homes of Franklin Delano Roosevelt at Hyde Park and E. Roland Harriman (Arden House).

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The house as you enter the drive.

Samuel Yellin (1885-1940) decorative metal designer and craftsman, who performed to call himself “the blacksmith”, fashioned the lanterns. electrical fixtures, lamps, gate, and spiral staircase rail for Skylands Manor.

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The side of the estate that afternoon in the late fall.

Native Granite for the exterior walls of Skylands was quarried at Pierson Ridge above Emerald Pond in the eastern part of the property in Bergen County.

Mrs. Salomon purchased a collection of antique Stained Glass Medallions from an English collector. The 16th century German, Bavarian and Swiss panes were set in leaded windows by Heinegke & Smith of New York City.

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The entrance to the Botanical Garden.

Disclaimer: This information on the details of the history of Skylands Manor was taken directly from their pamphlet and I give them full credit for it. Please call the manor for times that it is open as it is used a banquet/catering facility and a B & B.

The NJ Botanical Gardens just off the Manor House Fall 2026:

I visited the NJ Botanical Gardens in the Fall of 2026 just as all the Fall flowers were in bloom. With the foliage in the background mountains, it gave the whole garden colorful effect on the late afternoon. I will have to remind myself to visit the gardens again in the Spring and early Summer next year. There is a real complexity to these gardens during each season. I will have to visit again in the Spring and early Summer of 2027.

Skylands Manor Gardens:

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The Pump House at the start of the Gardens

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The Pump House used to irrigate the estate

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The Orchard on the lawn of the edge of the estate

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The Butterfly Garden sign

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Even though Fall began the early Fall flowers were still in bloom

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The main part of the Gardens

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The Gardens with the Fall foliage in the way

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The foliage was just beginning in the Gardens

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I noticed this beautiful seating area in the corner of the Gardens

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Looking at the length of the gardens from the center point stonework

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The center point stone vase

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The Rose Garden in the second set of Gardens was still in bloom

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The Gardens were filled with statuary. Mostly little angels and fairies

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The Fall flowers were in full bloom

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The second set of Gardens were lined with small bushes and more colorful flowers

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The beautiful flowers of the Fall

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The Perennial Garden was still in bloom at the time of my visit

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The Fall foliage served as a backdrop for the Gardens

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The Gardens were so beautifully maintained

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The archway into the Gardens from the main house

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The beautiful flowers lining the edges of the Gardens

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The Rock Garden

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I thought this was so beautiful

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I thought this garden was so pretty in the third set of Gardens

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I though of the angels as a good sign

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The flowers were so colorful by the archway

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The full view of the Gardens from the lawn and orchard

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The view of the mountains in the distance

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The Rose Garden on the edge of the lawn

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The variety of flowers on the Gardens

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The view of the lawn and mountains on the background

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The lawn looking north

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Leaving the Gardens to head back to the parking lot

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The view from the parking lot

jwatrel's avatarVisiting a Museum: The Unique, Unusual, Obscure and Historical

Skylands Manor-New Jersey Botanical Garden

5 Morris Road

Ringwood, NJ  07456

(973) 962-9370

http://www.ringwoodmanor.org/Victorian-Christmas.html

The Skylands Manor is decorated for the holidays during the first week of December and only for one weekend as it used for a banquet facility the rest of the time and as a hotel. The first weekend of December is when local Gardening groups are assigned one room to decorate and they have one week to put it together, display their ideas and explain how they did it to the public. The best day to go is the Thursday afternoon opening as it is the quietest day of the four day event with Saturday being the busiest.

In 2018:

skylands manor ii

Each of the eleven rooms that were decorated for the event were amazing each with their own decor, docents and gardeners and theme to the room. The Entrance Hall was elegant with its garland and potted…

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