Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for new jersey
The Battle of Princeton
By Linda Tancs
The Battle of Princeton was one of the fiercest battles of the American Revolution, when American troops under General George Washington surprised and defeated a force of British Regulars on the morning of January 3, 1777. At Princeton Battlefield State Park, visitors can participate in scheduled tours taking place from May to October. You’ll learn about the Mercer Oak, a tree that once stood in the middle of the battlefield not far from the spot where General Hugh Mercer succumbed to his battle wounds. The tree collapsed from old age in March 2000, but an offspring grown from an acorn now thrives next to the large stump of the original tree. The site also includes Clarke House, the farmer’s homestead that became a field hospital. Located on Mercer Road in Princeton, the park is open daily.
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The Black Doctor of the Pines
By Linda Tancs
Dr. James Still was a renowned herbalist and homeopathic healer often called “The Black Doctor of the Pines.” Born to former slaves, he was mostly self educated and entered into medical practice as a result of an interest in medical botany. One of the wealthiest men in Burlington County, New Jersey, he built an office in Medford as well as a home. The office building remains today and is the centerpiece of the Dr. James Still Historic Office Site and Education Center. Guided tours are available by appointment. There is also a nature trail on the property that is open from dawn to dusk.
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The Great Wooded Way
By Linda Tancs
New Jersey’s Atlantic City Boardwalk is touted as the world’s first and longest boardwalk (at 5.5 miles). Arguably one of the most famous boardwalks in the world, construction began in the late 1800s when the area became a premier resort destination and served as a prototype for other walkways. Along with its views of the Atlantic Ocean, the boardwalk boasts landmarks like the Steel Pier amusement park, the Boardwalk Hall concert venue and Absecon Lighthouse, the tallest beacon in the state.
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Tea Burners in New Jersey
By Linda Tancs
A precursor to the American Revolution, the Boston Tea Party was a protest that occurred in 1773 when a cadre of colonists threw over 300 chests of tea into Boston Harbor to protest what they viewed as taxation without representation. A lesser-known event is the protest that took place one year later in Greenwich, New Jersey, when a group of revolutionaries burned a haul of tea headed for Philadelphia. The occasion is marked by the Tea Burners Monument, erected in 1908 on Ye Greate Street.
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A Sporting Attitude in New Jersey
By Linda Tancs
Yogi Berra is an icon in American baseball history. Celebrated as much for his career statistics as for his malapropisms, his dedication to education, sports and community informs the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center. Located on the campus of Montclair State University in New Jersey, the 8,200-square-foot facility features permanent and rotating exhibitions telling the unique story of Yogi and explores history, culture, science and society within the larger context of baseball and sports.
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Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045.
Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.
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Whimsical Art in New Jersey
By Linda Tancs
Named for an amusement park in Italy, Luna Parc is a hunting cabin-turned-art studio in Sandyston Township, New Jersey. The brainchild of eclectic artist Ricky Boscarino, the site features more than 100,000 items. The artist repurposes common objects like bread tabs, bowling balls and crutches to create madcap art; the front façade alone is as madcap as it gets, like a cartoon come to life. One of the most stunning rooms is the bathroom, where mosaic work is composed of more than 1 million pieces of glass. The venue is open to the public only certain times of the year.
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The Horn on Crawford Hill
By Linda Tancs
Recognized as a National Historic Landmark for its role in confirming the Big Bang theory of the creation of the universe, the Horn Antenna in Holmdel, New Jersey, is located on the former Nokia site on Crawford Hill (the highest elevation in Monmouth County). The story begins with the research work of two radio astronomers, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson. While using this antenna in 1965, they discovered the cosmic microwave background radiation that permeates the universe, contributing evidence for the Big Bang theory. The antenna’s horn shape allowed for precise pointing that aided greatly in conducting radio astronomy observations. Although no longer in use, the site is open to the public.
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The Telephone Pole Farm
By Linda Tancs
A quirky yet iconic tourist attraction in Chester, New Jersey, the “telephone pole farm” on North Road hearkens back to the days when wooden telephone poles would be planted and tested for survival against the elements by comparing the effects of various chemical treatments. In this case, the outdoor laboratory site served one of the most famous research units in the world, Bell Labs. Today, the farm serves as a welcoming ambassador to the township’s Highlands Ridge Park, where you’ll find a portion of the Patriots’ Path, a multi-use trail system in Morris County.
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Where New Jersey Became a State
By Linda Tancs
New Jersey’s first state-owned historic site, Indian King Tavern Museum in downtown Haddonfield is where New Jersey completed its transition from colony to state. The year was 1777, and the newly formed New Jersey Legislature met in this public house and tavern to discuss matters of state, including changing the colony’s official designation. The tavern’s original owner named it “Indian King” in deference to Lenape Native Americans who had cared for the arriving European settlers. Open to the public, the site regularly hosts school tours and lectures.
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Old Phones in New Jersey
By Linda Tancs
Boasting eight streets, Vincentown is the archetypal small American town. Located in Burlington County, New Jersey, it features a building that housed the Vincentown-Tabernacle Telephone Company from 1911 until the company was bought out by New Jersey Bell in 1930. The unassuming clapboard structure also served as a millinery shop, a tinsmith’s shop and a plumber’s shop. Now it’s home to the Vincentown-Tabernacle Telephone Company & Museum, where early telephone equipment is on display, like a vintage black candlestick phone and a rotary gem.
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Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045.
Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.
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