Museum of Early Trades and Crafts facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Madison Public Library and the James Building
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 Location in Morris County, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Location in the United States
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| Location | Main St. and Green Village Rd., Madison, New Jersey |
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| Built | 1900 |
| Architect | Charles Brigham, Willard P. Adden |
| Architectural style | Romanesque, Richardsonian Romanesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 80002512 |
| Added to NRHP | February 8, 1980 |
The Museum of Early Trades & Crafts is a special place in Madison, New Jersey. It's a museum that teaches about the history, culture, and old-time jobs (trades) and skills (crafts) of New Jersey. Its main goal is to help you feel connected to the past! The museum is located in a beautiful old building. This building, once the Madison Public Library, is so important it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
Discovering New Jersey's Past
The Museum of Early Trades & Crafts opened its doors in 1969. It was created to hold a huge collection of tools and items from New Jersey. These items were used before the year 1860. Agnes and Edgar Land collected over 8,000 of these historical pieces.
The Lands started their collection in the 1940s on Long Island. They bought many 18th and 19th-century craft items. These items were used on farms that were becoming more modern. The couple kept collecting after they moved to New Jersey.
The Museum's Historic Building
The museum's building is a gift to the town from D. Willis James. It was finished in 1900. Two architects from Boston, Charles Brigham and Willard P. Adden, designed it. The building is a great example of the Romanesque Revival style. This style uses ideas from old Roman architecture.
For many years, the building served as Madison's public library. In the late 1960s, the Lands leased it. This made it the perfect home for their amazing collection.
Bringing the Building Back to Life
In the 1990s, the museum had a big renovation project. They raised a million dollars to update the century-old building. A grant of $240,000 from the New Jersey Historic Trust helped a lot. This money was used to restore the inside of the building.
The renovation helped bring back the building's original beauty. Hidden features like arched ceilings, colorful stained glass, and fancy woodwork were uncovered. Visitors can now enjoy these amazing architectural details.
Exploring Exhibits and Programs
The museum has many interesting items on display. You can see old buckets, powder horns, and hayforks. There are also tools like cradle scythes for harvesting crops. You can even see ice saws! These saws were used to cut ice from ponds before refrigerators existed. People used this ice to keep food cold in iceboxes.
Hands-On Demonstrations
One of the most popular things at the museum is watching craftspeople at work. You might see a carpenter building with wood. A cooper might show how to make barrels. Blacksmiths demonstrate how they shape metal with fire and tools. These demonstrations help you understand how these tools were used long ago.
