Meadowlands Museum
Encyclopedia
The Meadowlands Museum is a museum
located in Rutherford, New Jersey
. It was established in 1961 as a repository for artifacts relating to the history of Rutherford and the New Jersey Meadowlands
region.
founded the museum. They collected artifacts of natural history
, including local mineral
specimens, as well as items relating to the area's Native American
heritage.
The first location for the museum was a room at Rutherford's Sylvan School, and the collection was known as the Sylvan School Museum and open to students in the Rutherford public schools. In the late 1960s, the school district needed the classroom space once again, and the museum relocated to an office building on Ames Avenue and called itself the Rutherford Museum.
In 1974, the museum purchased the Yereance-Berry House
at Crane Avenue and Meadow Road. The house, most of which was built in the early 19th century, is on the National Register of Historic Places
, although a portion of the house was removed when Crane Avenue was built through to Meadow Road in the 1930s.http://www.meadowlandsmuseum.org/history.html
As of 2005, the museum has four permanent exhibits: an antique toy
room featuring items from the 19th and early 20th century; an exhibit of local rocks and minerals, including fluorescent
minerals; a pre-electric
kitchen
, designed to resemble a kitchen of the early 20th century; and the "homespun" room, featuring early- to mid-19th-century items such as spinning wheel
s, dishes, and clothes
.
In keeping with the museum's original concept, field trip
s to the museum are common among area schoolchildren.
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
located in Rutherford, New Jersey
Rutherford, New Jersey
Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 18,061. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....
. It was established in 1961 as a repository for artifacts relating to the history of Rutherford and the New Jersey Meadowlands
New Jersey Meadowlands
New Jersey Meadowlands, also known as the Hackensack Meadowlands after the primary river flowing through it, is a general name for the large ecosystem of wetlands in northeast New Jersey in the United States. The Meadowlands are known for being the site of large landfills and decades of...
region.
History
A group of parents who belonged to the Rutherford Parent-Teacher AssociationParent-Teacher Association
In the U.S. a parent-teacher association or Parent-Teacher-Student Association is a formal organization composed of parents, teachers and staff that is intended to facilitate parental participation in a public or private school. Most public and private K-8 schools in the U.S. have a PTA, a...
founded the museum. They collected artifacts of natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
, including local mineral
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
specimens, as well as items relating to the area's Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
heritage.
In 1974, the museum purchased the Yereance-Berry House
Yereance-Berry house
The Yereance-Berry House is a stone house built in the early 19th century in what is now Rutherford, New Jersey. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 10, 1983 and is currently home to the Meadowlands Museum....
at Crane Avenue and Meadow Road. The house, most of which was built in the early 19th century, is on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, although a portion of the house was removed when Crane Avenue was built through to Meadow Road in the 1930s.http://www.meadowlandsmuseum.org/history.html
The museum today
The museum's primary mission is to interpret the region's history through educational programs and displays of items relating to that history.As of 2005, the museum has four permanent exhibits: an antique toy
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
room featuring items from the 19th and early 20th century; an exhibit of local rocks and minerals, including fluorescent
Fluorescence
Fluorescence is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation of a different wavelength. It is a form of luminescence. In most cases, emitted light has a longer wavelength, and therefore lower energy, than the absorbed radiation...
minerals; a pre-electric
Electric power
Electric power is the rate at which electric energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt.-Circuits:Electric power, like mechanical power, is represented by the letter P in electrical equations...
kitchen
Kitchen
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a...
, designed to resemble a kitchen of the early 20th century; and the "homespun" room, featuring early- to mid-19th-century items such as spinning wheel
Spinning wheel
A spinning wheel is a device for spinning thread or yarn from natural or synthetic fibers. Spinning wheels appeared in Asia, probably in the 11th century, and very gradually replaced hand spinning with spindle and distaff...
s, dishes, and clothes
Clothing
Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...
.
In keeping with the museum's original concept, field trip
Field trip
A field trip or excursion, known as school trip in the UK and school tour in Ireland, is a journey by a group of people to a place away from their normal environment...
s to the museum are common among area schoolchildren.