I had long anticipated the trip to the New Jersey State Museum because I knew that New Jersey contributed a great deal to early American material culture. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed with the third floor display room which specifically housed New Jersey affiliated examples of early culture. I was hoping for more indigenous pieces and in depth explanations.However, there were enough pieces to pique my interest. I spent about 45 minutes on the third floor. Here is a sampling of the items on view:
Kast circa 1775 by James Garretson
Copper Locomotive Weathervane circa 1912
Jacqurd Coverlet by Nathaniel Young Bergen County 1834
Signature Quilt for Hannah Hoyt, teacher from New Brunswick, made by her students in 1845
Inside tavern sign circa 1800 depicting the border war between New Jersey and New York
Vase made at the Trenton Potteries, 1904
Map created in 1778
George Ohr water cooler, 1900
Children seemed to enjoy themselves here so by all means bring them along. Do allow extra time for parking. The lot behind the museum is not available to the public. You will need to park down the block in the underground garage. It took us about half an hour to park and find our way out of the garage and into the museum. On departure, it took another twenty minutes to find the correct exit to the garage.