Waterloo Village welcomes home school students and their families. 10AM-3PM. Reservations strongly recommended. Admission $9/adult, $7/student. Story and activity packets available with prior registration. Call the Education Department at Waterloo Village at (973) 347-0900 for reservations or information.
Waterloo Village, a 19th century Morris Canal port town, is a National Historic Site. It is located along the banks of the Musconetcong River in the Allamuchy State Park in Sussex County, New Jersey. The Village, totaling about 400 acres, is managed by Waterloo Foundation for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1964 by Percival Leach and the late Louis Gualandi. The Foundation is dedicated to the preservation and public education of historic Waterloo Village (also known as Canal Town) through tours, a comprehensive school education program, general public events and outreach programs. A variety of cultural and musical events assist the Foundation in raising public awareness and revenue for the preservation and ongoing operation of the historic Village.
Visitors to Waterloo are provided with a schedule of tours, demonstrations and other historical events. A typical day features guided tours of the Lenape Village, the Rutan Farm and most of the sites in Canal Town.
Outdoor guided experiences such as a variety of walking tours and garden tours are also provided. Many special events, rooted in New Jersey and Waterloo’s vast history, occur on weekends with no additional admission. Examples of historical events at Waterloo are: 19th century sheep shearing, wool dyeing, encampments and Canal Day.
Aside from the the regular public visitation days, a host of cultural and musical special events are held to assist the Foundation in raising public awareness and revenue for the Village’s ongoing restoration and operation. Examples of special events at Waterloo include: the Andes Festival, Irish Feis and Fall and Spring Wine Festivals. Larger events, such as musical events, antique and craft shows are held at our field about one mile from Canal Town.
Canal Town
Canal Town’s living history demonstrations include presentations at the gristmill, saw mill and blacksmith shop. These sites, which are restored and fully functional, interpret the typical daily activities of Canal Town’s commercial aspects with demonstrations by period-dressed interpreters. Canal Town also offers guided tours at the following residences: Canal House, the Wellington and the Homestead. Visitors may receive a guided experience at the Stage Coach Inn, Smith General Store, Apothecary, walking tours of Canal Town and garden tours. Waterloo Foundation and the Canal Society of New Jersey also operate the Canal Museum, a site rich with canal artifacts, exhibits, and video presentations. In 2003, the Cathy H., a boat that actually navigated on the Morris Canal, will be on view near the museum.
The Rutan Farm
The Rutan Farm offers tours of the farmhouse and gardens, outdoor demonstrations in woodworking, candle making, and miscellaneous early 19th century chores. Visitors may also see and learn about the farm animals the Rutan family owned and their pens. The Rutan farm also includes a site known as the Weaving Barn. At this site, living history interpreters demonstrate how wool, cultivated from our sheep, is cleaned, carted, dyed and spun into yard. A dyers garden was created in 2002 to replicate and demonstrate the vast array of colors that were created naturally. A variety of special events, including dye pot demonstrations, sheep shearing and others are also offered. In-depth classes in spinning, quilting, knitting, crochet and other handcrafts will be introduced in 2003.
The Lenape Village
The Lenape Village offers guided tours featuring three longhouses, fishing, hunting, spiritual, and birthing areas that provides a complete understanding to daily life of the Lenape. A recreated archaeological site teaches visitors how historians, archaeologists and museum staff trace our vast history.
Carri L. Manchester
Education Assistant
Waterloo Foundation for the Arts
973-347-0900, x13
cmanchester@waterloovillage.org
http://www.waterloovillage.org