More Than 30 Union County Historic Sites Open Free This

More than 30 historic houses, churches, museums and landmarks across Union County open their doors this weekend, most of them free, for Four Centuries in a Weekend. Sites in 17 towns are open Saturday, Oct. 17, and Sunday, Oct. 18, generally from noon to 5 p.m., the county said.

The open house is run by the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs. This year it's tied to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, with programs on the county's people and places before, during and after the American Revolution. "Union County did not simply witness American history. Our communities, residents and landmarks helped shape it," Commissioner Chairman Joseph C. Bodek said.

Plan before you go: hours vary by site, and some locations are open only one of the two days, according to the county's schedule. Liberty Hall Museum in Union recommends reservations for its free hourly tours. The Reeves-Reed Arboretum in Summit and the Littell-Lord Farmstead in Berkeley Heights are open Saturday only, and the Union County Performing Arts Center in Rahway is open Sunday only.

Here's some of what's on the schedule, according to the county:

Deserted Village of Feltville, Berkeley Heights: guided or self-guided tours, hay wagon rides, apple cider pressing and campfire marshmallows.
Frazee House, Scotch Plains: "The March to Yorktown" on Sunday with Generals Washington and Rochambeau and the New Jersey Fife & Drums Corps, plus children's games on Saturday.
Drake House Museum, Plainfield: the rarely shown Tree of Life quilt.
Cannon Ball House, Springfield: sign a replica of the Declaration of Independence.
Twin Maples, Summit: a Sunday lecture on women's roles in the American Revolution.
Shady Rest Country Club, Scotch Plains: tours and live jazz.

Visitors can pick up a free Union County History Passport and get it stamped at each stop, and Union County History Trading Cards are available at participating sites. The full list of sites, addresses and hours is at ucnj.org/4c, and the county's Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs takes questions at 908-558-2550.

Source: Union County; Union County Four Centuries schedule.

Photo: Connecticut Farms Presbyterian Church in Union, one of this year's sites, on a pre-1923 postcard from the Presbyterian Historical Society collection. Wikimedia Commons (public domain).