Jacobus Vanderveer House

05/29/2026

Bedminster’s Farmers Market is open this Saturday!

05/25/2026

Learn about one of our country’s heroes, Dorie Miller, who helped defend Pearl Harbor and later made the ultimate sacrifice in World War II. He is one of the many people we honor today on Memorial Day.

05/25/2026

Today, we remember all those who gave their lives while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States. Our eternal gratitude goes out to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

In a few weeks we will unveil this year's Field of Honor in memory of everyone who has served.

05/23/2026

Yesterday in history (1688): Somerset County, NJ, established!

Today in : OTD, May 22, 1688, Somerset County, was established by charter from portions of Middlesex County. Map dates to 1850. Source: Library of Congress

05/22/2026

05/20/2026

Bedminster’s farmers market reopens on Saturday!

05/18/2026

From all of us to all of you, a happy International Museum Day!

Museums aren't just collections of objects. Museums matter because they tell stories about people just like us from different eras. Museums bring the past to life in a way that helps people understand the present. They are partners in education. They provide education and enrichment. Community is at the center of what museums do.

We hope to see you at our museum sometime soon!

05/17/2026

Let's resume our virtual tour of the Jacobus Vanderveer House by taking a look at the Vanderveer Parlor. This is where the family spent a great deal of time, and where General Knox worked and had meetings with his staff while he lived here.

You can see it for yourself at one of our open house events!

Copyright © 2020 Friends of the Jacobus Vanderveer House

05/13/2026

Washington’s Battle with the Red Death – Smallpox and the American Revolution. Saturday at 1 PM.

Learn how a public health crisis nearly derailed the American Revolution!

In the 1700s, as American colonists revolted against Britain, they faced a second, invisible threat that nearly destroyed the Continental Army—smallpox. As the disease swept through the colonies, General George Washington made a bold, science-driven decision to confront the epidemic with a controversial strategy, despite strong opposition from the Continental Congress. His leadership not only prevented a catastrophic defeat but also established him as one of the nation’s earliest public health champions.

Discover how Washington’s use of variolation—a risky but effective early form of inoculation—protected his troops from severe illness and death, and how he even convinced Martha Washington to undergo the procedure. Explore how this groundbreaking approach paved the way for modern immunization and learn the key differences between “inoculation” and the safer practice of “vaccination” that emerged just two decades later.

Click the link to register https://register.communitypass.net/Bedminster

About the Presenter – Paula Podgurski is a passionate student of history who brings the past to life through her work as a historic interpreter and dedicated school programs educator. On school days, she loves engaging students with stories, artifacts, and hands- on activities that make history feel real and relevant. As a docent at the historic Vanderveer House, Paula shares her deep appreciation for local heritage with visitors of all ages, helping them connect today’s world with the people and events that came before. As a member of Outwater’s Militia, Paula portrays a camp follower at various period events. She has been a featured speaker at Somerset County’s Docent Training program and at the Dey Mansion in Wayne, NJ.

05/13/2026

Celebrating the Society of the Cincinnati, whose first leader was none other than our very own General Henry Knox!

The Society of the Cincinnati was founded by officers of the Continental Army as the nation’s oldest patriotic organization: created not to govern, but to preserve and transmit the lived memory, ideals, and legacy of the American Revolution.

In the uncertain months following the war, these officers understood that independence had been won not only on battlefields, but through sacrifice, perseverance, and shared purpose. They believed the story of the Revolution, and the principles for which it was fought, should be remembered and carried forward for future generations.

More than two centuries later, the Society continues that work through scholarship, preservation, collections, exhibitions, and public education, ensuring that the history of the American Revolution remains a living part of the nation’s civic memory.

Image: Drawing of the Society of the Cincinnati medal by Pierre-Charles L’Enfant, June 1783. The Society of the Cincinnati Archives.