Woodbury

 

     Thursday, June 17, 2021: On this day I took a quick trip to the county seat of Gloucester County, New Jersey: Woodbury. My first stop was the headquarters of the Gloucester County Historical Society or the Hunter-Lawrence-Jessup House, 58 North Broad Street (856-848-8531). Although the first owner built the house in 1765, through the years, different owners altered it, and it looked like a Victorian Gothic house. When I was there, the museum was closed due to covid-19, but I did notice a nearby historical plaque which read that this was the site where British General Cornwallis had his headquarters on November 12-24, 1777. Later, I went to South Broad Street to browse at the businesses in Woodbury’s downtown. The styles of the buildings ranged from the 19th century to into the 20th century. My favorite shops were Woodbury Antiques and the Nerd Mall. This last place sold comic books, action figures, games, and so forth. If nothing else, I spent an interesting few hours browsing!     

Whitall House

      Saturday, June 12, 2021: This has been a place my parents used to take me to on a daytrip during my childhood in the 1960s. Back then, there was the “old house” on the property, a few monuments, and some cannons. We mainly enjoyed the parkland for a picnic and later did some beach combing along the Delaware River. Years later, the Ann Whitall Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution restored the “old House.” Nowadays, it has been known as the Whitall House at Red Bank Battlefield Park, 100 Hessian Ave., National Park, NJ (Gloucester County) (856-853-5120) and had been opened for tours. I toured it in the early 2000s and on the date above. (I have a more detailed account about this house in Volume 1, Issue 3, of Dotty’s Dimensions.) Inside, this house has been restored to the way it looked on October 22, 1777 when the Battle of Red Bank took place. Outside, I saw an 18th-century styled garden containing plants that a family from the 1770s would grow for many purposes: medicine, to make dyes, flavoring food, and so forth. In addition, I also noticed some of the monuments, cannons, parkland, and beachfront that I remembered from the 1960s!   

Amish Farmers Market

      Saturday, June 5, 2021: I’ve been to Amish markets in Pennsylvania, but this is the first time I have been to one in New Jersey. The Amish Farmers Market, 108 Swedesboro Road, Mullica Hill, NJ (Gloucester County) (856-478-4300) included about 16 vendors selling the following merchandise: wine, baked goods, and a coffee shop, as well as gifts, candy (sweets), and seafood. Other vendors sold salads, cheeses, and deli meats, as well as fresh meats, pretzels, herbs, produce, soups, cooked chicken, and this place included an Amish-styled restaurant. Whew! From the outside, it looked like a strip mall, but inside, it was quite different from most grocery stores. After buying a few items here, we later drove down Main Street in Mullica Hill its colorful downtown of many Victorian buildings containing antique shops, restaurants, and other businesses.  

Sea Girt Lighthouse

      Thursday, May 13, 2021: For the first time in years, I saw the ocean at the New Jersey Shore: Sea Girt to be exact. Upon arriving, I saw the outside of the Sea Girt Lighthouse, 9 Ocean Avenue, Sea Girt (732-974-0514). Since 1896, this lighthouse had been a beacon for ships off the NJ Coast between Sandy Hook and Barnegat. Although the interior wasn’t open, I did see it online through videos and pictures. One of the rooms looked like a circa 1890s living room, and other rooms displayed items, pictures, and texts dealing with local history, in addition to a Fresnel lens that the lighthouse keeper had to light with kerosene. Anyway, after taking pictures of this lighthouse and other close by sights: the Pavilion, the ocean and beach, the non-commercial boardwalk, and some grand-looking Victorian houses along Ocean Avenue, I ate a picnic lunch and called it a relaxing day. A short drive to the nearby town of Manasquan with over 40 businesses in the downtown, that someone described as a “Normal Rockwell painting,” could make for a full day!   

Thompson Park

      Thursday, May 6, 2021: Middlesex County’s largest park (675 acres), Thompson Park, Thompson Drive and Lakeview Avenue, Monroe Township (732-745-3900) included plenty of activities in practicing different sports, a few playgrounds, and trails for hiking. In addition, there was a lake for fishing, picnic areas, and an animal haven/zoo. When I was there, I ate my lunch near the lake, and later, I saw the animals: several white-tailed deer, goats, and hogs, as well as chickens, ducks, and geese. Other birds included ring necked pheasants, an emu, and peacocks, including a white peacock. Speaking of animals, another area of this park offered a dog park in two sections for large and small dogs where the public could let their four-footed friends run freely. Overall, you could visit here and be as active or relaxing as you want—and the same goes for your dog! 

Twin Lights Light House

      Saturday, April 17, 2021: Located high on a hill, more than 200 feet above sea level, the Twin Lights State Historic Site, 2 Lighthouse Road, Highlands (732-872-1814) looked like a brownstone castle. In 1841, this was the first lighthouse to use Fresnel lights, but the current building dated back to 1862. From what others told me, the reason there have been two lights here was because ships out at sea wouldn’t confuse it with the Sandy Hook Lighthouse. Among other things that happened there was that Marconi demonstrated the wireless telegraph in 1899. Although the main building was closed with its small museum and the entrance to climb the North Tower, due to covid-19, I did get a chance to observe the giant Fresnel light lens in the nearby former power plant. The staff opened the doors to this building, but they roped off anybody from entering the building. Nevertheless, I also got to see model-scaled sized power engines that once powered the lighthouse. Another nearby building had a life boat on display. Finally, I walked around the grounds of this building where signs outside provided pictures and text that explained the history of this lighthouse and its purpose. The best views from here showed the skyline of NYC! Be warned: Lighthouse Road was a very steep road. We had to put the car in second gear. In addition, the nearby towns of Highlands and Atlantic Highlands have some very interesting downtowns with different shops and other businesses. 

Johnson Park

 

Wednesday, April 7, 2021: Again, this was another place that I wrote about visiting virtually last year: Johnson Park, Johnson Park Road, Piscataway (732-745-3900). On the date above, however, I visited it in person. This 473-acre park contained picnic areas, playgrounds, and places to practice different sports, as well as a chance to observe nature, a replica of an 18th-century village, and a small zoo. After having a picnic lunch, I headed to the zoo first. Here, along an area of single and double chain-link fences, I looked at different farm and wild animals: chickens, guinea fowl, ring-nicked doves, ducks, geese, pigs, goats, alpacas, deer, horses, and a few other animals. The best part about this zoo was that it was free, and as a result, I saw a few families also looking at these animals. Later, it took a short drive, but I visited another section of this park: East Jersey Old Town Village. The collection of mostly reconstructed buildings resembled a village from the mid-1700s. Although these buildings stayed closed due to covid-19, I still enjoyed seeing the exteriors around the village green. Some of those buildings included a barracks, a tavern, and a blacksmith shop, as well as a wheelwright shop, a school house, a church, different houses, and an herb garden. During normal times, re-enactors demonstrated their trades, and other volunteers dressed as soldiers who did drills or played the fife and drums. Overall, this park made for a good outing no matter how active you wanted to be or if you just wanted to relax!