Pathways of History—Roxbury

PATHWAYS IS BACK FOR FALL TOUR!

Morris County is hosting a fall edition of Pathways of History in 17 municipalities for the purpose of opening local community history museums simultaneously. Tours will be Saturday, Oct. 4, in the western part of the county and Sunday, Oct. 5, in the east. On both days, the open houses will run from noon to 5 p.m.

Roxbury Historic Trust’s King Museum at 209-2011 Main Street, Ledgewood and the adjacent Riggs Saltbox house will be open on Saturday, Oct. 4, during those hours. The museum tours will be available rain or shine. The King Store and Homestead represent the area as it existed from the Morris Canal Era through the Victorian period. The store features a replica of the original Drakesville (now Ledgewood) Post Office as well as shelves full of items that would have been for sale to canal boatmen and their families. There are tools, a Coats and Clark thread case, fabric, cleaning supplies, and many other items needed by the people who spent their lives on the canal. A major restoration project may be underway in the King Store by Oct. 4, which could limit access to the building exterior and viewing the inside from standing in the front doorway. The house was occupied by the King Family for approximately 100 years, until Louise King’s death in the 1970s. The homestead represents a Victorian residence of a well-to-do merchant family. It includes a recreated Victorian girl’s bedroom, a replica schoolroom simulating the one-room schoolhouse that once served local children, and a period-furnished parlor and dining room.

In addition to the Pathway opening, the King Museum is open in the afternoon of the second Sunday of each month, except in winter. Pathways of History is sponsored by the Morris County Historical Society, opening 25 of the small history organization museums in Morris County for this fall tour. Another Pathways of History set of events will occur in the spring.