Programs

2024 Programs and Events

August

Celebrating the 250th Centennial with Waves of Independence!

To order the coloring book Waves of Independence Coloring Book: A Colonial Family Story of Cape May County Settlers by Inga E. Buccella | BookBaby Bookshop

The Waves of Independence Coloring Book is a companion piece to a children's chapter book of the same title, to be released in 2026. Both the chapter book and the coloring book were created to celebrate the 250th Centennial celebration of America for The Greater Cape May Historical Society.

Willa Thyer, oldest of her siblings, tells of colonial life in Cape May, New Jersey leading up to the year 1776. From Mayflower descendants, to whalers, and finally becoming farmers, the Thyer family tree grew many branches. Willa's account takes us back to a simpler, but often tougher time as seen through the eyes of one of the brave families that moved to Cape May Island in the 1760's.

Although the story is fictional, it includes many historical references to the different types of people, both rich and poor, who inhabited the early settlement during the colonial period in Cape May County. Children of any age, but especially young children, will enjoy adding color to these interesting pages that capture Cape May's Waves of Independence story.

June

June 15: the Colonial House opens for the season. It is all about the gardens of Cape May!

On June 15, we will welcome the MAC Garden Tour. Link below for more information. https://capemaymac.org/experience/special-events/garden-tour/

The MAC Garden Tour explores Cape May’s unique natural areas and the private plants, blooms, and landscape designs of area gardeners. See both public and private gardens. Cape May’s Emlen Physick Estate gardens are included. The grounds of the Emlen Physick Estate will host local and regional vendors, plus a complimentary wine tasting by Cape May Winery. A trolley shuttle will make a continuous loop during the hours of the tour. Garden club members will be available to answer questions.

June 18: The Colonial House will be hosting the Garden Club of Cape May. The colonial house garden is designed and maintained by the Garden Club of Cape May. The garden includes plants that “cured the miseries”. Yarrow that contains flavonoids, plant-based chemicals to help improve digestion; Chamomile for chest colds, sore throat, anxiety, inflammation, and abscesses; Sage, a natural antibiotic, bactericidal, antiseptic used for wound healing; and Angelica “Wild Celery” named 'Herb of the Angels' after the archangel Michael who supposedly visited a monk to inform him that this botanical could help cure the bubonic plague to name a few. For more information: The Garden Club of Cape May meets from September through June on the second Tuesday of each month. Welcome | The Garden Club of Cape May.

June 19: Juneteenth Program - Greater Cape May Historical Society and MAC Lunch and Learn

Join the Society along with the MAC Lunch and Learn program team for a presentation by Author and Historian, Richard Geffken at the Lutheran Church on June 19th.
For more information: Lunch & Learn | Cape May MAC

Rick Geffken will speak on the topic of slavery in Cape May County …… “Slavery was “baked into” New Jersey from its very beginnings. In the 1664-65 Concession and Agreement of the Lords Proprietors of the Province of New Caesarea, or New Jersey, Lord John Berkeley and Sir George Carteret granted prospective colonists 75 acres of land “for every weaker servant, or slave, male or female, exceeding the age of fourteen years, which anyone shall send or carry, arriving there. ” meant to jump start a new agricultural community, this provision of one of New Jersey’s founding documents nonetheless made chattel slavery foundational.”

Rick has spoken about New Jersey historical topics – Amazing New Jersey; Lost Amusement Parks; Quakers & Slavery in NJ; NJ’s Submarine Inventors: Simon Lake & John Holland; The Morris Family of NJ - at dozens of historical societies and libraries. He has been a featured speaker at the Trent House Museum, the Quaker Meeting of Shrewsbury, the Battleground Historical Society, and other organizations. He is a Trustee of the Shrewsbury Historical Society; a Board member of Truehart Productions (film company); a Project Manager for the Board of the Asbury Park Museum; a Trustee for the Friends of Cedar View; Past-president and a Trustee of the Jersey Coast Heritage Museum at Sandlass House; and a member of the Monmouth County Historical Association.

Rick taught New Jersey slavery for Monmouth University in West Long Branch. He is part of a project called the New Jersey Slavery Records Index under the auspices of Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. He is an active member of the New Jersey Social Justice Reconciliation Committee and was instrumental in placing a memorial plaque in Eatontown, the 1886 site of the only recorded lynching of a Black man in New Jersey. He was also successful in convincing Middletown Township to erect a commemorative plaque at Cedar View Cemetery, purchased by fourteen free Black men in 1850.

May

The Colonial House is closed. For a private tour, email 1730colonialhouse@gmail.com

Society to Present Wreath

On Memorial Day at the Soldier and Sailors Monument in Cape May city, the Society will present a wreath specially designed and created by the Longest Yarn Committee of Cape May County.

The wreath commemorates and honors the brave men and women who participated in World Wat II from Cape May County. The speaker will be Rita M. Rothberg, Cape May County Clerk and Adjuster, and Cape May County Historian.

April

The Colonial House is closed. For a private tour, email 1730colonialhouse@gmail.com.

March

The Colonial House is closed. For a private tour, email 1730colonialhouse@gmail.com

February

On February 21, please us for a MAC Lunch and Learn presented by the Society at the Lutheran Church. Topic: Magnesite Plant and Ecology Presentation by Harry Bellangy. Contact Cape May MAC for information. NJDEP-Office of Natural Resource Restoration-Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area Tidal Marsh/Upland Restoration Project

• A $37.5 million ecological restoration project expected to begin later this month at the Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area in Cape May County. Portions of the wildlife management area, situated on Delaware Bay at the southernmost tip of the state, closed Monday, Jan. 29 for site preparation work. The meeting at the Lower Township Municipal Building will give the public an opportunity to learn more about the closure and construction schedule, as well as the benefits the Pond Creek Restoration Project will have for wildlife and ecosystems in this ecologically important area of the state.
• The project, to be implemented by A.P. Construction of Philadelphia, will enhance wildlife habitats and re-establish tidal flow to the property’s marshes. The DEP anticipates that a 428-acre section of the wildlife management area will remain closed until approximately December 2026.The closure will ensure public safety and protect and preserve the land and water areas of the 1,160-acre wildlife management area. Construction is anticipated to begin immediately following preparation work that includes fencing, signage, erosion prevention measures and site dewatering.
• “The Delaware Bayshore is a globally unique place, vital to migrations of shorebirds and raptors and home to an abundance of wildlife,” said Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette. “The Pond Creek Restoration Project will restore a major section of the wildlife management area that was degraded many years ago by a magnesium-extraction plant. We are excited to share our progress as we begin the important work of restoring this land for wildlife and public enjoyment.”

January

The Colonial House opened the door to over 1500 visitors during the Christmas season to support the MAC tours for the Inns of Cape May, Candlelight Nights and Lamplighter events.

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