MacCulloch Hall Historical Museum

Josephine

4 days ago2 min read

Morristown, NJ

22 March 2025

On a sunny Saturday, we opted to visit MacCulloch Hall, a historical museum and garden. It was nestled in the middle of Morristown, NJ, and was packed with history. When we visited, there were two staff members that told us many interesting facts about the building and the people that the exhibits were about.

The featured exhibits focused on paralleling the current presidency with former president Grover Cleveland's election (only other president to have a gap in his presidential terms), and a cartoonist, Thomas Nast. Part of Nast's works' on exhibit included numerous cartoons depicting scenes published during Cleveland's campaigns. Another fun fact about Nast, he was responsible for creating the Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, and the North Pole that we know of today! Thomas Nast also lived just across the street and a few houses down from this museum. It is currently privately owned, so unfortunately, that house cannot be toured.

The second floor of MacCulloch Hall was closed to viewing as it had been converted into offices, but at one point, the second floor served to house the people and students that lived in the home. Part of the house was used for schooling and those students remained in the home. That section of the house, consisting of a large room, still had some furniture true to the time period. Other rooms of the building had naval items on display, musical instruments, and various furniture and trinkets from the time period.

Another great feature of this museum was that throughout the exhibit they had touch items for people that are blind. 3D Cartoons, 3D paintings, and even historical items were placed in "touch areas" so that people that cannot see are able to touch and feel the shape of what is depicted in the drawings/paintings, as well as items that are on exhibit.

After viewing the first floor, we went to the garden to enjoy the nice weather. The garden is always free to visit, even when the museum is closed, making it a nice rest stop if you want a peaceful respite or small picnic.