Morris Tourism: First Fall Waterloo Village Canal Heritage Day This Saturday

Published on September 18, 2017

CARPENTER SHOP AND CANAL BOAT BUILDING WILL BE HIGHLIGHTED

Morris County residents are invited to take a quick drive just across the border into Sussex County to join the Canal Society of New Jersey for a day of family fun and historic exploration this Saturday, Sept. 23, during the latest Heritage Day at historic Waterloo Village.(JPG, 292KB)

The Canal Society will bring historic Waterloo Village back to life on Saturday with canal boat rides, tours and demonstrations.

A special feature this weekend will be a look at the carpenter shop where skilled wood worker Earle Post will be showing off his skills to build a full-size, 19th Century canal boat rudder.

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.

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 throughout the 19th Century.

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 for the Heritage Day event, which has free admission and a $5 parking fee, include:

HISTORIC TRADES:

  • Rick Giles, a storekeeper and village historian, will give visitors an idea what shopping was like in the 1860s.
  • Earle Post, a 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.
  • Steve Lauf, a miller, will be grinding grain and demonstrating the operation of a real water-powered gristmill.
  • Roy Justice, a singing historian, will present his own unique blend of music and story telling.

    photo of Singing historian Roy Justice on stage(JPG, 40KB) Singing historian Roy Justice

Canal Boat Rides: A narrated boat ride on the Morris Canal will be offered continuously from late morning until 3:30 p.m.

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 brown signs for turns

Final two 2017 Waterloo Village Heritage Days: Oct 14, and Oct.28

For more information on the event call 973.292.2755 or email macgraphics1@verizon.net

For more information on Waterloo Village: http://www.getoutsidenj.com/listings/Waterloo-Village.Stanhope.Warren-County.New-Jersey.html

For more information on the Morris Canal, visit: http://www.nj.gov/state/archives/pdf/morrisCanalSale.pdf

Tagged as:
Back to top