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Riker Hill Art Park 2023 | Livingston, New Jersey
Riker Hill Art Park Is A Former Nike Missile Base iker Hill Art Park was originally a Nike Missile Base. It operated from 1954 to 1974. According to the Park website: The United States Army’s Nike Air Defense System comprised a chain of anti-aircraft missile sites encircling major US cities, intended to intercept Soviet transcontinental nuclear bomber aircraft. Each Nike site consisted of a radar tracking and a missile launch facility. Riker Hill’s elevation on of the highest in the county provided the optimal location for one of the project’s radar installations with a clear line of sight for the defense of the New York Metro area. After it was…
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Van Vleck House and Gardens, Spring 2023 | Montclair, New Jersey
Van Vleck House And Gardens This historic home and garden in Montclair is a very beautiful place. The historic site was owned by the Van Vleck family until 1993. You can see a timeline of major events in the history of this historic house and garden. There is also a calendar of events. According to the Garden Conservancy: Three generations of Van Vlecks, a family of architects, built this beautifully proportioned suburban Italianate villa in Montclair, NJ, that features stunning collections of rhododendrons, azaleas, and other broad-leaved evergreens. We assisted the Montclair Foundation, current owners of Van Vleck House & Gardens, in the rehabilitation and management of the garden to…
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The Spectacular Rainbow on the Hill: Presby Memorial Iris Gardens 2023 | Montclair, New Jersey
Presby Memorial Iris Gardens This spectacular place is the site of one of the largest collections of irises in the WORLD. These special gardens are known as the “Rainbow on the Hill” because the beautiful blooms stretch up and down the hills of the beautiful grounds. These lovely gardens located in Montclair, New Jersey have been around since 1927: In 1927, Miss Katherine Inness, the first curator of the Montclair Art Museum, acted on behalf of the Montclair Museum Board and presented to the Montclair government the project of establishing an iris garden as a memorial to Mr. Presby. The proposed iris gardens would act not only as place of…
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The Caldwell Public Library Building Will Soon Be History | Caldwell, New Jersey
The Caldwell Public Library Is A Carnegie Library Carnegie Libraries were funded by the great philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. According to The National Park Service: Many Americans first entered the worlds of information and imagination offered by reading when they walked through the front doors of a Carnegie library. One of 19th-century industrialist Andrew Carnegie’s many philanthropies, these libraries entertained and educated millions. Between 1886 and 1919, Carnegie’s donations of more than $40 million paid for 1,679 new library buildings in communities large and small across America. Many still serve as civic centers, continuing in their original roles or fulfilling new ones as museums, offices, or restaurants. Caldwell Establishes A Library…
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Glenmont – Thomas Edison’s Home | West Orange, New Jersey
Glenmont Was The Home of Thomas and Mina Miller Edison Thomas Edison resided in his magnificent home in the exclusive Llewellyn Park section of West Orange, New Jersey for many years. He originally moved to Glenmont in 1886 with his second wife Mina Miller Edison: Mina Miller was born on July 6, 1865, the seventh of eleven children. She met Thomas Edison at the home of a mutual friend of her father and Edison, the inventor Ezra Gilliland. Her future husband claims he taught her Morse code so that they could converse in secret, even while the family watched. This is how Edison claims he proposed marriage and how she…
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Thomas Edison National Historical Park, Part 2 | West Orange, New Jersey
Thomas Edison was the greatest inventor in American history, and certainly one of the most prolific inventors in world history. His inventions helped usher in a new age of progress. If you ever get a chance, please visit the national park in West Orange, New Jersey that is devoted to his work! In Part 1, I wrote about his labs and various offices. In Part 2, I will show more of his inventions and his music room! Thomas Edison National Historical Park At this museum, you can see and get an idea of all the inventions that he was involved with. He had 1023 patents! He either helped invent or…
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Thomas Edison National Historical Park, Part 1 | West Orange, New Jersey
Thomas Edison National Historical Park Thomas Edison became world famous when he was busy working on various inventions in Menlo Park, New Jersey. He later moved his expanded laboratory over to West Orange, New Jersey, near his beautiful home, Glenmont. He became the most significant inventor in American history, with over 1000 patents in his name! As the Park’s website says: Thomas Edison’s home and laboratory are a step back in time, when machines were run by belts and pulleys and music was played on phonographs. Where to the uninformed passerby, the buildings betray little evidence of the industries they once started. Discover where America’s greatest inventor changed our world…
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Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park | Edison, New Jersey
Thomas Edison is one of the most famous inventors in American history. He was awarded 1,093 U.S. patents. The Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park is in Edison, New Jersey. It is located on 36 lovely acres including Edison State Park and the Menlo Park Nature Trail. According to their website: More than any other inventor in history, Thomas Edison is responsible for the technologies that make modern life modern. By the time of his death in 1931, he held 1,093 patents covering the creation or refinements of devices in telegraphy and telephony, electric power generation and lighting, sound recording, motion pictures, storage batteries, and mining and cement technology. However,…
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Environmental Education Center at Lord Stirling Park | Basking Ridge, New Jersey
The Somerset County Environmental Education Center The Environmental Education Center is a great place to learn about the natural environment. It is located right down the road from The Raptor Trust – Bird Rehabilitation and Education Center, which I wrote about in my last post. We visited it on the same day! Located in Lord Stirling Park in The Great Swamp area, the center is in a setting of great natural beauty. The Center is a wonderful place for families to learn more about the great outdoors. Their mission statement: Dedicated to stimulating awareness and understanding of the natural world in order to foster a sense of responsibility for its…
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The Raptor Trust – Bird Rehabilitation and Education Center | Millington, New Jersey
The Trust Helps Injured Birds Of Prey! This wonderful bird rehabilitation center is located in Millington, New Jersey. They help injured or sick birds of prey. According to the Bureau of Land Management: Birds of prey, or raptors, are the main reason the NCA was given special legislative protection. It is the unique combination of soil, climate, geology, and vegetation that has created an ecosystem where nesting birds of prey occur in extraordinary numbers. But what makes raptors so special? All birds, even those as different as a golden eagle and a hummingbird, share some common traits, such as feathers, wings, laying eggs and being warm-blooded. But certain characteristics set…
