March 27, 2018
March For Our Lives in Morristown!
March For Our Lives
On Saturday, March 24th one of the March For Our Lives rallies took place in Morristown, New Jersey.
Protesters came with clever signs and a real sense of accomplishment amongst the surprisingly large crowd.
About 13,000 marchers showed up! Morristown was one of about 800 sibling marches to the main one in Washington, DC.
It was a cold day but with blue skies and bright sunshine.
Drones flew overhead, speeches were made, and determination for real change pervaded the crowd.
First, we gathered in front of town hall.
You can read about it (and watch videos) here.
You may also want to read about the New Jersey Candlelight Vigil for the Charlottesville, Virginia tragedy.
Thanks for visiting New Jersey Memories!
December 06, 2015
Gingerbread Wonderland 2015 | Morristown, New Jersey
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English Cottage at Gingerbread Wonderland |
Gingerbread Wonderland
The Frelinghuysen Arboretum is currently hosting the Gingerbread Wonderland until Sunday, December 13th.
Many creative structures made from gingerbread are being displayed. Next weekend there will also be a craft show!
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Welcome to Gingerbread Wonderland |
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Santa's Workshop - front |
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Santa's Workshop - back |
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Gingerbread House |
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Polar Friends |
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Night Circus |
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Bake Shoppe |
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U.S. Mint |
I took these photos with my smartphone instead of my Canon camera.
You may also want to read about The Yule Log!
Thanks for visiting New Jersey Memories!
July 20, 2014
Girls Just Want to Have Fun | Music
It Was the 1980s
Back in the 1980s, there was a fresh new face on the music scene! Cyndi Lauper debuted her solo career with this instant classic!
It was so fun, fresh, and now that the day after I first saw that video I danced down to the record store in the mall and bought the album!
Yes, a vinyl record!
When my mother first heard the song she said “they had to know it would be a hit!”
"Girls Just Want to Have Fun" was written by Robert Hazard from a male point of view.
Girls Just Want To Have Fun
Cyndi changed the lyrics a little (with Hazard’s permission) and turned it into a cheerful feminist anthem about female independence and living her life by her rules!
I became a Cyndi fan immediately! I still am.
Here is the original video!
Ah, the 80s. The last fun decade.
That’s Cyndi’s real-life mom playing, well, her Mom, and wrestler Captain Lou Albano playing her Dad, and singer Steve Forbert playing her boyfriend at the end.
That ending scene has a Marx Brothers like twist, right?
It’s such a fun video and great song! Nothing better than that!
Cyndi had several other hits on her debut album and won the Best New Artist Grammy.
There is a great article on this song at The Atlantic.
The "Time After Time" Video Was Filmed In New Jersey
The biggest hit was the follow up, "Time After Time", a song that Cyndi co-wrote. This song went to number one for two weeks!
The video, of course, included many members of Cyndi's family and her friends.
The video was shot mostly in New Jersey: Roxbury Township (the now defunct Tom's Diner), Wharton (outside shots), and the train station in Morristown (got to get those Jersey plugs in!)
Cyndi is still going strong!
She won a Tony Award last year for her musical score to “Kinky Boots”!
Check out my musical post on New Jersey's Got Talent!
Thanks for visiting New Jersey Memories!
July 23, 2013
Historic Speedwell | Morristown, New Jersey
Historic Speedwell
Historic Speedwell is a beautiful 7.5 acre park which includes the former Speedwell Ironworks and Speedwell Village, in historic Morristown, NJ.
This is the place where the first electric telegraph was demonstrated.
Before the Internet, before television, before radio, and even before the telephone – the telegraph eventually allowed a way to almost instantly transmit messages across the country and even overseas. This is one of the most critical inventions – ever!
Stephen Vail was the proprietor of the Speedwell Ironworks. Stephen Vail’s son, Alfred, helped Samuel Morse perfect the telegraph.
The village included The Granary, Moses Estey House, Ford Cottage, and the Wheel House. Here is a wonderful article about this place from Jersey Through History:
Jersey Through History: Historic Speedwell & Speedwell Ironworks
Also read this:
A Forgotten History: Alfred Vail and Samuel Morse
You may also wish to read about Fosterfields - A Living Historical Farm, Part 1
Thanks for visiting New Jersey Memories!
October 23, 2011
Fosterfields, - A Living Historical Farm, Part 2 | Morristown, New Jersey

Fosterfields Living Historical Farm
Fosterfields, located in Morristown, New Jersey, is a beautiful place to visit.
Yesterday I explained the history of Fosterfields. Here are a few more photos.
In first photo above are corn cribs, used for storing and drying field corn, which is eventually fed to the animals.
The next two photos are cornfields.


The first photo below shows the ensilage pits.
Ensilage is livestock feed made by chopping green corn stalks and storing them in an almost airtight environment.

The farm superintendent's home, the 1920's farmhouse:








Walking the cows home:

To read my first post on Fosterfields, click here.
Thanks for visiting New Jersey Memories!
October 22, 2011
Fosterfields -- A Living Historical Farm, Part 1 | Morristown, New Jersey
Fosterfields is a living historical farm
It is located in beautiful and historic Morristown, New Jersey.
In the first photo of this post, B.J., the very friendly farm cat, is front and center, and Calvin the horse is poking his head through the door.
His companion, an almost identical horse with a missing left eye, Hobbes, is inside the stall (yes, they were named Calvin and Hobbes after the comic strip -- my favorite!)
General Joseph Warren Revere, who was the grandson of Revolutionary War hero Paul Revere, bought the property in the 1800s (which had been a working farm since the 1760s) and built the Gothic Revival main house, The Willows.
Around 1881 Charles Foster bought the property and renamed it Fosterfields after himself.
His daughter, who was around four years old at the time, lived in the house her entire life.
Apparently country life agreed with her, because she lived to be 102! She was quite an interesting character.
As the website says:
Wishing to preserve her beloved home and give future generations the chance to experience the sights, smells, and sounds of rural life, Caroline Foster in 1979 bequeathed Fosterfields to the Morris County Park Commission, to be preserved as a "living historical farm," the first in New Jersey. Not a replica, Fosterfields is a working farm, using the tools, techniques, and materials of a turn-of-the-century farm.
Fosterfields closes for the season on October 30th.
It is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.




The Willows:

The Ice House:

The Woodshed:

You can read more about Fosterfields, including some wonderful stories about Caroline Foster.
Click HERE for Part 2!
Thanks for visiting New Jersey Memories!
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