Museum of Early Trades and Crafts
The Museum of Early Trades and Crafts has been revitalized. A newly restored building provides a beautiful setting for new exhibits and interactive programs; a family oriented space where children and adults learn about the tools and trades of the past. The Museum even has a new logo and a slogan which proclaims "History: Made In New Jersey!"
When their collection of 8,000 objects outgrew the home of Agnes and Edgar Land, it moved into the town-owned building on the corner of Main Street and Green Village Road in Madison in 1970. The museum has continued to grow and to teach about the tools of farmers, tradesmen and the crafts of the past, acquaint visitors with the everyday lives of ordinary people, as the Lands intended.
Originally given to the town of Madison by D. Willis James as the first free library, the building was solidly constructed of stone on the outside and brick on the inside. Accented by a clock tower and arched stained and painted glass windows, the building is an example of Richardson Romanesque Revival architecture. Many people think it was a church until they look more closely at the windows to see that the images are of artistic and educational themes. Meant to inspire library patrons, over sixty quotations excerpted from classic literature exalting science, art, music and reading accompany the the visual images in the windows. There is even an angel dispensing knowledge to the young.
Bringing the building back to life meant removing everything that had been added to or changed about it since 1899. The goal was to restore the building's beauty and make it accessible to all. A conservatory was added to bring more light into the building and to house the new elevator and a second staircase. Craftsmen removed and restored the stained and painted glass windows. When plywood and plaster walls were removed from one interior room, built-in bookcases and a large mantel piece appeared, complete with andiron and the carved inscription: How forcible are right words. This room at the back of the building, lighted by windows which show a lighthouse and running brooks, is enlivened each time a train goes by on the elevated track outside as the sun shines through the wheels and spaces between the cars. The restoration cost nearly two million dollars, required four years of preparation, and took two years to complete.
The
new exhibits still focus on the tools from the Edgar and Agnes Land
Collection, accumulated piece by piece in New York and New Jersey over
the last sixty years. An exhibit on New Jersey farm families shows
which tools were used each family member and how they worked together
to provide for each other and their animals. A second exhibit focuses
on the craftsmen within the Madison community many generations ago
and how they depended on each other for the raw materials for their
craft and for marketing the finished products. The cooper, shoemaker
and cabinetmaker are featured along with their tools, a solid workbench
and a sturdy cabinetmaker's chest. Enlarged woodcuts and drawings and
quotations from diaries and journals bring the artifacts to live.
Family activities, school and scout programs and special workshops are scheduled throughout the year. Lectures, gallery tours on historic preservation and architecture, local walking tours, music and craft demonstrations allow participation by visitors of all ages. The Kid's Club meets monthly and a Teen Team of Volunteers is active and supplements the adult volunteer corps. Activities during school vacations and holiday weekends add to the excitement at the Museum. Bus tour and collaborative programming with other museums, arboretums and historic houses are some of the activities that the new Museum inspires.
The Museum of Early Trades and Crafts, located at Main Street and Green Village Road in Madison, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm and on Sunday from Noon to 5pm (closed on Sundays during the July and August). 973-377-2982. For more information, visit their website.