Morris Canal Day: Visit Waterloo Village
Published on August 07, 2018
Historic Morris Canal Town Open for Fun and Learning
Morris County residents are invited to join the Canal Society of New Jersey for another day of family fun and entertainment on three final Saturdays, Aug. 25, Sept. 8 and Sept. 22, during this 12th season of interpreting historic Waterloo Village in nearby Sussex County.
(JPG, 692KB) Miss Sharon will demonstrate her skills in a 19th century seamstress shop using a vintage treadle sewing machine to recreate period garments.
The Canal Society of New Jersey will bring historic Waterloo Village back to life this weekend with canal boat rides, live music, tours and demonstrations. A special feature will be the new Canal Boat Exhibit that will include the recently discovered remains of a real Morris Canal boat.
Many of the historic buildings will be open including Smith's Store, blacksmith shop, a working water-powered gristmill, and the New Jersey Canal Museum.
Canal Society volunteers who will be on hand to talk about Waterloo's history and offer hands-on activities and demonstrations.
Once a bustling inland port on the Morris Canal, Waterloo retains its character as a 19th Century canal town. Since 2007, the Canal Society has gradually opened industrial and commercial buildings to interpret trades that were common in the 19th Century.
(JPG, 189KB) Narrated boat rides on the historic Morris Canal will be offered continuously from late morning until 3:30 p.m.
Waterloo Village is managed by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry within the state Department of Environmental Protection and is located in Allamuchy Mountain State Park.
Scheduled activities at Saturday's event, which has free admission and a $5 parking fee, include:
Historic Trades & Crafts:
€“ Rick Giles will greet visitors at the Smith's Canal Store with stories of the canal,the Smith family, and the long and complex history of the village.
€“ Rich Brusco, a metallurgist and blacksmith from Brookside, will be working in the blacksmith's shop, hammering red-hot metal and interpreting the process.
(JPG, 678KB) Smith's Canal Store will be open this weekend.
€“ Earle Post, woodworker, has set up a carpentry shop in the Peter D. Smith Carriage House where he will be building a full size canal boat rudder.
€“ John Holochworst, tinsmith, will be demonstrating his skills at making household items of all kinds.
Canal Boat Rides
A narrated boat ride on the historic Morris Canal will be offered continuously from late morning until 3:30 in the afternoon.
Highlands Canal Boat Exhibit
The all-new Highlands Canal Boat Exhibit features the recently discovered remains of what may be the last Morris Canal Boat.
Getting there from Morris County:
Waterloo Village, 525 Waterloo Road, Stanhope, New Jersey
3 miles from Exit 25 on Route I-80
(Route 206 N, Stanhope & Newton)
Follow the brown signs for turns.
Future 2018 Waterloo Canal Heritage Days, summer and fall 2018: Aug 25, Sep 8 & 22. For more information on the August 11 event call 973.292.2755 or email macgraphics2@gmail.com.
For details on events at Waterloo, visit the Facebook page.
Visit the Canal Society web site or Canal Society Facebook Page.
For more information on Waterloo Village.
For more information on the Morris Canal.