Beginning in December, The Liberty Hall Museum will begin featuring its holiday programming. The programs are designed to celebrate the holiday season at Liberty Hall and explore the history of the holidays in the historic building. People of all ages are invited to come see what Liberty Hall has to offer during this festive time of year. There is something for everyone at Liberty Hall this season!
The historic Liberty Hall Museum at Kean University is a place where visitors can experience life as it was through generations of the Kean and Livingston families. There they can learn about their struggles and accomplishments. Members of the Kean and Livingston families have become Congressmen, Senators, Businessmen and William Livingston, the first elected governor of New Jersey, was a resident of Liberty Hall.
For Liberty Hall's Christmas tour, A Wartime Christmas, the museum has transformed five of their rooms to show what Christmas would've looked like in five historic wartime periods; the American Revolution (1776), the War of 1812 (1812), the Civil War (1862), World War I (1917) and World War II (1942). The showcase allows visitors to see how Christmas decor has changed and how war has affected the celebration of the holiday season throughout history.
A Wartime Christmas will be overlapping Liberty Hall's running feature on World War I, Brothers in Arms: Memories of the Great War, and is included in regular house tours, which takes place Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., with tours every hour. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for Kean alumni, and $8 for elders and children.
A family favorite, Liberty Hall's Gingerbread House Workshop will be held Dec. 9 and 16 from 10-11:30 a.m. and 1-2:30 p.m. Space is limited and you should make reservations ahead of time by contacting Liberty Hall. Admission is $25 for each child and one adult. All additional adults are $5.
In the evening, Liberty Hall will be having Holiday Lantern Tours. These special night time tours allow you to take the A Wartime Christmas tour lit by lanterns, recreating how the holiday nights felt at Liberty Hall years ago. Through personal accounts and letters, visitors will learn how war affected the Kean and Livingston families. Following the tour, hot chocolate and doughnuts will be served. Admission is $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and museum members and $10 for children.
If anyone interested in any of the excitingly festive holiday events at Liberty Hall this season call (908) 527-0400 or email libertyhall@kean.edu to reserve your spot. For more information on Liberty Hall Museum at Kean University and its upcoming events, visit www.kean.edu/libertyhall.
