Bergen County historical artifacts will soon get a new museum to call home
RIVER EDGE - Bergen County-related historic artifacts, including a chestnut dugout canoe from the late 1600s found in the Hackensack River in 1868, will have a new home once the Bergen County Historical Society's Historic New Bridge Landing builds its new museum.
After 10 years of planning and raising funds, the historical society is hopeful the museum construction will be finished by next summer, said Deborah Powell, a former president of the historical society and chair of the Historic New Bridge Landing State Park Commission.
"It's becoming reality," said Powell.
The "barn-looking" museum will be built on the Historic New Bridge Landing property along the Hackensack River and near the Campbell-Christie House, a sandstone historic home from the 1770s that was moved from New Milford to River Edge in 1977. The house is opened for special events held by the Bergen County Historical Society.
Among a number of artifacts that will be housed in the soon-to-be-built museum will be portraits of residents and other artwork created by Bergen County residents between 1800 and 1915, including a painting created by a young woman from Oradell in 1824 of the Greek goddess Cybele in her chariot pulled by tigers. A 6-pound cannon that may have been used in the War of 1812 and reported stolen by the society in 1980, will also go into the museum if it's recovered.
Polio in the U.S.Polio found in Rockland County; vaccines urged to fight virus
The historical society hopes to bring in tourists to the area who are interested in Bergen County's history.
Bergen County is already home to dozens of museums, including the Aviation Hall of Fame in Teterboro, The Hermitage in Ho-Ho-Kus, and the New Jersey Naval Museum in Hackensack among others.
A name for the museum hasn't been formalized yet, but one possibility is naming it after Kevin Wright, a New Jersey historian and supporter and volunteer of New Bridge Landing who died in 2016. He is Powell's late husband.
The 3,850-square-foot museum will be divided into three sections, Powell said. It will have a meet and greet area for functions, a storage area in the upper floors and the display area.
Powell said it was a long road to get to the building stage, getting all the permits and most important raising the funds to build it. She said it's not yet under construction and the price tag for the project has not been finalized.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Bergen County NJ to have new museum for local artifacts
