Morris Tourism: Waterloo Village Heritage Day Set for This Saturday, Sept. 9

Published on September 05, 2017

SEAMSTRESS SHOP TO BE HIGHLIGHTED -- CANA BOAT RIDES FEATURED

Morris County residents are invited to slip 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. 9, during the latest Heritage Day at historic Waterloo Village.

photo of seamstress Sharon Kuechelmann and a young helper at Waterloo(JPG, 263KB) Seamstress Sharon Kuechelmann and a young helper at Waterloo

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 authentic seamstress shop where Miss Sharon will demonstrate her skills in a 19th Century setting using a vintage treadle sewing machine to recreate period garments.

Also featured will be the new Canal Boat Exhibit that will include the recently discovered remains of a real Morris Canal boat.

photo of Wareloo canal boat as passengers disembarkMany 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:

Waterloo woodworker(JPG, 212KB) Waterloo woodworker

HISTORIC TRADES:

  • Sharon Kuechelmann will demonstrate her skills in a 19th century seamstress shop using a vintage treadle sewing machine to create authentic period garments.
  • 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.
  • Jan and Jeff Aushfahl and Celtic singers will play traditional songs or Ireland and Scotland

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. Three miles from Exit 25 on Route I-80, (Route 206 N, Stanhope & Newton), Follow brown signs for turns.

Future 2017 Waterloo Village Heritage Days: Sept.23, 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

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