Historic Cold Spring Village Cape May County Living History Museum

Authored By Cathy Antener

Discover over one million acres of Wilderness, Wetlands and beauty in southern New Jersey.  The phrase “New Jersey Pine Barrens” often conjures images of desolate forests and even the piercing red eyes of the Jersey Devil   While those just might be true, there are over one million acres in southern New Jersey filled with remarkable people, charming communities, natural wonders and man-made marvels.  Conservationists from around the state strive to protect the region from overpopulation and preserve the pristine wilds.  From sweetly scented pines, blueberry and cranberry farms and family businesses to the proud inhabitants who welcome thousand of visitors every year, discover what makes the Pine Barrens one of the most beautiful regions of the Northeast.  Publisher The History Press.  160 pages.

Join us for the author’s Lecture on Wednesday, March 20th 7 PM  in the Welcome Center at HCSV.

Authored by Sarah Kilborne

The incredible story of the nineteenth century millionaire William Skinner, a leading founder of the American silk industry, who lost everything in a devastating flood and his improbable, inspiring comeback to the pinnacle of the business world.

Hear the story of the author’s ancestor on Wednesday, March 27th at 7 pm in the Welcome Center of Historic Cold Spring Village.

Authored by Joseph E. Salvatore, MD, and Joan Berkey

Commissioned as Navy Section Base 9 in 1917, the US Coast Guard Training Center at Cape May stands on the site of a former amusement park that bordered the Atlantic Ocean a few miles east of Cape May in southern New Jersey.  Dirigibles, submarines, and minesweepers were based here during World War I.  Because of its proximity to the ocean and Delaware Bay,  the base was used by Coast Guard patrol boasts and cutters to chase rum runners during Prohibition in the 1920′s.  An airfield was established adjacent to the base in 1926, and in 1940, both combined to become naval Air Station Cape May.  The station protected the coast line from German U-boasts during WW II.  the Coast Guard took over the facility in 1946, and in  1948, the base became the only recruit training center in the country, today graduating more than 4,000 recruits per year.

Join Joan Berkey on Wednesday, April 3rd, 7 pm in the Welcome Center at Historic Cold Spring Village.

Authored by Karen Schnitzspahn

No trip to the Jersey Shore would be complete without indulging in the cuisine that helps make it famous. These foods we enjoy today are part of a long tradition beginning in the Victorian era, when oceanfront hotels served elaborate meals. The advent of  prohibition gave way to restaurant dining. Iconic fast foods and boardwalk favorite treats made an appearance during the Great Depression.   Predating the farm to table movement, fancy and fast eateries have been supplied by local fishermen and farmers for decades. So whether you indulge in a tomato pie, pork roll or salt water taffy, take a mouthwatering historical tour and discover timeless treats from Sandy Hook to Cape May.

Karen Schnitzspahn will discusss her book on Aprile 10th , 7 pm in the Welcome Center at Historic Cold Spring Village.

Over 195 Heirloom Recipes and Family Favorites created by the many generations of cooks of who have lived, worked and played along the Atlantic Ocean.  From traditional soups and preserving  goodness of the harvest to time saving contemporary cooking.   This collection of recipes brings the bounty of Cape May to your table.

Historic Cold Spring Village’s new forty-page children’s activity book. Kids can have fun coloring pictures of the Village’s twenty-six restored historic buildings, scenes of life in Early America, and patchwork quilt patterns, or they can challenge themselves with Early American trades-themed puzzles. The Activity Book is the perfect way to bring history home!

Our neighbor P. Smith raises bees that feed on our organic garden and wild flower fields producing a pure raw honey sold exclusively at the Country Store.   The glass jar is a one pound size.  The flavor is sweet with out an after taste.

Few would guess Atlantic City has a rich aviation history.  In 1958, the airfield became home to the Federal Aviation Administration’s premier research center, a New Jersey Air National Guard jet fighter base, a US Coast Guard air station, and Atlantic City International Airport.

The New Jersey Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee’s third publication, New Jersey’s Civil War Odyssey: An Anthology of Civil War Tales from 1860 to 1961. Part of a projected series of books detailing the state’s role in the greatest national crisis in American history, New Jersey’s Civil War Odyssey, edited by Joseph G. Bilby, is a collection of essays relating untold and long forgotten tales of New Jerseyans and how they coped with the Civil War and its memory, from 1861 to 1961.  HCSV’s own Jim Stephens, Deputy Director of Education has contributed to this volume.  The book’s stories include a thorough debunking of persistent myths about New Jersey’s role in the conflict.

A complete set to practice your penmanship.

A perfect set to bring the 19th Century one room school house to life.  Includes slate, slate pencil, quill & Ink Bottle Set, the American Spelling Book, McGuffey’s 4th  Reader & HCSV  educational materials.

The classic dunce hat to signify a poor scholar.  The trick of the dunce hat is to balance it on one’s head.  The shape makes this task difficult and requires little movement on the part of the wearer.

Perfect stocking stuffers.  They do not need batteries, but will entertain your loved ones for hours!  The set includes a high flying puddlejumper, cup & ball game,  jacob’s ladder, wooden bird whistle, wooden yoyo and finger top.

Colors of items may vary.

Real slate is the heart of this board wrapped in wood.  Use either a slate pencil or a piece of chalk.  Much easier to cypher with a slate.

Measures 6″ X 8 “.

Use the hard slate pencil with the slate board.  Wipe your board with a soft cloth to clean.  The pencil measures 5 inches in length and 1/4 inch wide.

Nicknamed “The Blue-Backed Speller” due to  its light blue cover.  This is a reproduction of the book students would have become quite familiar with if they had gone to school two centuries ago.  Its full title, however, was much longer: “The American Spelling Book: Containing the Rudiments of the English Language For The Use Of Schools in the United States” by Noah Webster, Esquire.When you open up the book, one thing you notice is quite a few long lists of words. Students memorized many of their lessons. Rote memorization is not a very stimulating way to teach, but most teachers of that era had no training for their jobs, and few skills were necessary to teach this way. A scholar might be told to memorize a column of words, (how they were spelled, what they meant) then be called by the schoolmaster or schoolmistress to stand up next to their desk, repeat all the information, and sit down again. This was also believed to teach students something called “elocution,” the ability to speak in public in front of others, which was thought to be a useful skill for scholars to learn

A paperback reproduction of the book first published in Boston in 1829, the Boy’s Own book is a guide for entertainment from the days before radio, movies and television.

Written by Mrs. L Maria Child in 1834, this reproduction from an original  is a guide for girl’s entertainment from days before movies, television and the internet.