Meadowlands Museum facts for kids
The Meadowlands Museum is a fascinating place to learn about history, located in Rutherford, New Jersey. It was created in 1961 to collect and protect old items and stories from Rutherford and the wider New Jersey Meadowlands region. It's a great spot to discover how people lived long ago!
A Look Back: Museum History
The idea for the museum came from a group of parents who were part of the Rutherford Parent-Teacher Association. They wanted to collect interesting things, like local rocks and minerals. They also gathered items that showed the history of Native American people in the area.
The museum first opened in a room at Rutherford's Sylvan School. It was called the Sylvan School Museum back then. Only students from Rutherford public schools could visit. In the late 1960s, the school needed the room back. So, the museum moved to an office building on Ames Avenue. It changed its name to the Rutherford Museum.
In 1974, the museum bought the historic Yereance-Berry House. This old house is located at Crane Avenue and Meadow Road. Most of the house was built in the early 1800s. It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A small part of the house was removed in the 1930s when Crane Avenue was built.
What You'll Find Inside
The main goal of the museum today is to share the region's history. They do this through fun educational programs and cool displays. These displays show items that tell the story of the area.
As of 2005, the museum has four main exhibits that you can always see:
- An antique toy room filled with toys from the 1800s and early 1900s.
- An exhibit of local rocks and minerals, including some that glow in the dark! These are called fluorescent minerals.
- A pre-electric kitchen that looks like a kitchen from the early 1900s. It shows how people cooked before electricity.
- The "homespun" room with items from the early to mid-1800s. You can see things like spinning wheels, old dishes, and clothes.
The museum also highlights the life of William Carlos Williams. He was a famous poet who grew up in Bergen County.
Many schoolchildren from the area visit the museum on field trips. This continues the museum's original idea of teaching kids about local history.
