Morris Tourism: Waterloo Village Heritage Day This Saturday

Published on July 19, 2017

SINGING HISTORIAN ROY JUSTICE TO PERFORM IN 19TH CENTURY VILLAGE

Morris County residents are invited to join the Canal Society of New Jersey for a day of family fun and historic exploration this Saturday, July 22, during the season's second Heritage Day at historic Waterloo Village in nearby Sussex County.

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The Canal Society of New Jersey will bring historic Waterloo Village back to life on Saturday with canal boat rides, tours and demonstrations, plus a performance by singing historian Roy Justice.

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.

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 blacksmiths

HISTORIC TRADES:

  • Richard Brusco, metallurgist and blacksmith from Brookside (Mendham), will be working in the blacksmith's shop. They will alternate between hammering red-hot metal and interpreting the process.
  • 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.

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

Future 2017 Waterloo Canal Special Programing Days, summer and fall 2017:

Aug 5 & 26, Sep 9 & 23, Oct 14 & 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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