Take a step back in time this Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 9. The West Windsor Historical headquarters will serve an old-fashioned tea from 1 to 4 p.m. Tea, both hot and iced, along with finger foods of tea sandwiches, brownies, and cakes round out the light afternoon menu. Draped tables and chairs will be set up outside. In case of inclement weather, the tea will be held inside the historical house at 50 Southfield Road in West Windsor. The tea is free, but donations are appreciated. Reservations are not necessary. Call 609-452-8598.
The grounds feature several buildings including the two-story 1790 farmhouse, preserved for use by the society several years ago. The house, renovated and restored, opened to the public less than two years ago. West Windsor Township owns the land and the buildings on the property.
Other buildings on the property are the schoolhouse formerly located on Clarksville Road. It was moved to the site about 10 years ago. It has not yet been renovated.
A recent acquisition is a corncrib standing nearby. The wagon house is being used for storage, and the front has been covered. Joan Parry, president of the society, says the society hopes that the wagon house will be reopened. Some of the pieces being stored in the building are the bar from the Edinburgh Hotel and the walls from the Princeton Junction post office — including the post office boxes.
“I would like to see a replica of an old general store-post office like the one that used to be by the railroad station,” says Parry. Good Friends Chinese restaurant on Station Drive was the old general store/post office, which was owned by two brothers who took turns being postmaster. The post office was not moved to Princeton-Hightstown Road until the late 1930s when the bridge over the tracks was built. Prior to that, it was a level crossing. Parry envisions the replica as a “dream building,” the perfect place to sell town memorabilia and historical society items. Until then, t-shirts, afghans, books, and Broadside newsletters, will continue to be sold from the farmhouse. They will all be for sale on Mother’s Day.
The barn, dismantled about four years ago, is in the process of being rebuilt. New Jersey Barn Company carefully took it apart, labeled every piece, and stored it all in the storage building next to the barn. Rebuilding it is like putting together a puzzle with missing pieces. Some of the beams were damaged and have to be replaced with new wood. This is an excellent time to see the original wood next to the new pieces.
“They redid the foundation and there are new footings and a new floor,” says Parry of the renovations being handled by the township offices. “Sam Surtees (West Windsor Township Manager of the Division of Land Use) always watches out for us. He’s a really good guy and has the siding and roof people standing by ready to put the finishing touches on the building.” She says the workers are using a crane to do the rebuilding. “They often wonder aloud how people built a barn without it.”
On Mother’s Day, docents dressed in period clothing will lead tours of the two-story house. The new exhibit, “Old West Windsor at Play,” features people playing croquet, fishing, playing horseshoes, men coming back from hunting, and people wearing historical 1940s bathing suits. “The exhibit of area residents also has people and their old cars,” says Parry. Previous exhibits still on display include “One-Room Schoolhouses” and “Farming.”
Old West Windsor names can be found in an exhibit of signature memorabilia. There are scarves, napkins, and pillows created from signatures collected by Adele Appelgate, who would ask for the signatures of her visitors and later embroider them to add to the piece.
“This is the second year for the tea and we had a good turnout last year,” says Parry. “I’m hoping that it will become more popular as it is something other than just taking mom out to lunch or dinner.”
—Lynn Miller
Mother’s Day Tea, West Windsor Historical Society, Sunday, May 9, 1 p.m. Free, donations encouraged. 609-452-8598.
