Acorn Hall Reflects Victorian Era's Gracious Living

     Get a glimpse of Morristown's past mid-Victorian era splendor during a visit to Acorn Hall, the Italianate villa-style house museum and headquarters of the Morris County Historical Society. The Society invites visitors to experience gracious living again on a guided tour of Acorn Hall, which is listed on the National and New Jersey State Registers of Historic Places, and is also part of the New Jersey Women's Heritage Trail. Stroll Acorn Hall's winding garden walkways, and see the MCHS's current exhibit Bottoms Up: Cocktails, Cider, and Civil Rights now through October 5, 2014. (Please note: Acorn Hall will temporarily be closed from August 4-15.) 
     Originally built in 1853, Acorn Hall was remodeled in 1860 from a Georgian house design to the Italianate villa-style. Acorn Hall's impressive exterior architecture notes Italianate features such as a large cupola-central tower, brackets beneath the roof's cornices, and chamfered corners on its porch posts.
     Step inside the mansion, and discover how Morristown's mid-Victorian upper middle class once lived. View exquisite examples of tromp l' oeil decorative painting treatments, wall coverings and carpeting from the 19th century, and many more period decorative arts pieces and furnishings. The pieces on display are from Acorn Hall's former residents, the Schermerhorn and Crane-Hone families, as well as from the collections of the Morris County Historical Society. 
     Guided tours that describe the mansion, and the lives of its previous residents, including Mary Crane Hone who donated her beloved home to the Society in 1971, are available on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.  A tax-deductible donation to tour the house is requested; this fee is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for students, and Free for children under age 12. To view the exhibit, only, is one-half of the admission.
     Founded in 1946, the Society's mission is dedicated to the discovery, preservation, promotion, and interpretation of Morris County history through events, programs, exhibits, and preservation advocacy. The Morris County Historical Society is a member-supported, 501 (c)3 non-profit organization. The MCHS receives operating funds from the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the New Jersey Historical Commission, and project grant funding from the New Jersey Cultural Trust, The Morris County Heritage Commission, and the Morris County Historic Preservation Trust.