Come to the Fleming Castle Museum at the regular Open House on Saturday, May 10th and weave a Mother's Day Gift! We will be weaving pot holders on small looms. Come take a tour of the museum and leave with a gift for Mom! The Museum is open from 1 - 4 PM, no reservations are required and there is no admission fee.
There will also be a Member's Picnic after the Open House on Saturday, May 10th at 4:30 PM. Enjoy fun family activities, entertainment and a variety of delectable dishes from outstanding local restaurants. The trustees of the Fleming Castle Museum invite all members of the museum to come and enjoy this "Meet and Eat" in celebration of their generous support, The Rain Date for this event is Sunday, May 11th at 4:30 PM.
The Museum is also interested in anyone who would like to volunteer their time and talents. Are you interested in local history? Perhaps you like to become a docent/guide at the Fleming Castle Museum.
Our docents are in all the rooms of the Museum. They point out items of interest and tell you a little bit about the history of the house and its occupants. They will do their best to answer any questions you have and will direct you to the next room on the tour.
Our docents are all members of the local community who volunteer their time to help preserve this treasure of Flemington for this generation and generations to come.
Would you like to join us? There are also opportunities to help with research and events and sewing projects. Stop by on the second Saturday of each month or call (908-782-4607). We'd love to meet with you!
Fleming Castle's "Second Saturday" opening, April 12, 1 to 4 PM, will feature a favorite, Colonial Needlework. Visitors are invited to experience this single showing of the past by practicing and learning the cross stitch.
Cross Stitching Activity will be available from 1 to 3 PM.
Vintage samplers will also be on display. The Museum would be most appreciative of the donation of antique needlework for permanent display. Gift donors will, of course, be given appropriate tax credit forms in exchange for their gifts.
Strains of entrancing flute music will drift from the Fleming Castle Museum during it's regular Open House on March 8th. Renowned flutists Lori Dribbon and Emily Bengels will perform both solos and duets between 1 and 2 PM.
This will be a return engagement for Lori who performed at Sam's Summer Camp in 2006.
Tours will be available, without charge, from 1 to 4 as usual on the "Second Saturday", March 8th. Hear the stories, both old and new, about the Castle, built c.1756 and stop by our gift shop for a Flemington treasure.
Can't find a Valentine to please you? Come make your own this Saturday. February 8th, at FLEMING CASTLE MUSEUM, 5 Bonnell Street, Flemington.
Take a family break together and enjoy an early family valentine by visiting the Castle and viewing the beautiful vintage Valentine collection on display. Susan McGee will be available from 1:30 to 3:30 to talk about the Holiday and her collection.
Your youngsters can make their own special and original Valentines to take home. Reservations for your Valentine class are appreciated but not necessary.
Tours will be available, without charge, from 1 to 4 as usual on the "Second Saturday", February 8th. Hear the stories, both old and new, about the Castle, built c.1756 and stop by our gift shop for a Flemington treasure. Come for our maps and stay to make a Valentine!
For more information call Carmen Grimes, 908-782-8235.
Join us for a tour of the Fleming Castle Museum on Saturday, January 12 from 1 to 4 and stay for a special slide presentation of historic maps and images of the Fleming Castle at 2:30 pm. Hear the stories, both old and new, about the Castle, built c.1756 and stop by our gift shop for a Flemington treasure.
The Fleming Castle is open the second Saturday of every month from 1:00 to 4:00 and by appointment. Visit us at 5 Bonnell Street, just off Park Ave. and find out why this house is called a Castle.
In honor all those Veterans who have served to keep our country safe the Fleming Castle Museum will have a special display of artifacts belonging to Charles E. Fleming who served as a midshipman on the USS Constitution during the period 1835 thru 1838. Come by and view the display, tour the Fleming Castle and get your very own American flag to display with pride on Veterans Day Monday November 11.
The Fleming Castle, built c.1756, is open the second Saturday of every month and by appointment. Visit us at 5 Bonnell Street, just off Park Ave. and find out why this house is called a Castle. No reservations are required and there is no admission fee.
The garden behind the Fleming Castle Museum will have some very special guests this Saturday. Gnomes! Our gnomes need names! Cherry Jebwinkle? Buckeye Bunkbiddle? Dogwood Dwobo? Visitors are invited to locate and name our jolly guests. Each gnome-naming participant will receive What Tree Is That?, a guide to the more common trees found in the eastern and central United States. Prizes will be awarded to each winner.
Flemington Shade Tree Commission members will present an exhibit of tree advantages and provide tree care booklets for the public. Information will be available on the Add a Tree Program. To learn more call Mike Deluca 908-806-7628 or Carmen Grimes 908-782-8235.
There will be an exhibit of antique reproduction toys and refreshments will be served under our tent. The Fleming Castle, built c.1756, is open the second Saturday of every month and by appointment. There is no need to make an appointment and there is no admission fee altho donations are gratefully accepted. Visit us at 5 Bonnell Street, just off Park Avenue.
Be sure and check out our Boutique in the Victorian Room. We have Flemington Mugs and Fleming Castle Museum tote bags as well as pins and cards!
The Courthouse Quilters have assembled a large collection of children's storybooks with quilts as the theme and made colorful quilts to match the quilts in the stories. The quilts and books, along with numerous additional teacher resources and suggested reading, history, math, and art activities, have been loaned to area grade school librarians during the past year. The goal of the project is to encourage the children's appreciation of quilting and literature and inspire future quilters!
The quilts and storybooks will be displayed at the Fleming Castle Museum as part of their monthly open house on Sat. July 14. There will be storybook readings at 1:30 and 2:30 as well as tours of the Fleming Castle from 1:00-4:00.
There will be a large variety of quilts on display:
Come out to see them all!
The Fleming Castle, built c.1756, is open the second Saturday of every month and by appointment. Visit us at 5 Bonnell Street, just off Park Ave. and find out why this house is called a Castle.
Fleming Castle was once again a-bloom with lovely floral arrangements designed by members of the Hunterdon Garden Guild. As you move from room to room you are treated to never ending examples flower arrangements that you might see at a wedding - bridal bouquets to flower girl baskets. Here are a sample of some of the arrangements our visitors saw.
Thank you Hunterdon Garden Guild for letting us see all the entries in your annual flower show!
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What fun we had today! The weather warmed up a bit and visitors came to see the castle and to watch as Catherine penned their names in the beautiful script of the 1700's. She made it look so easy! Catherine also talked about penmanship and letter writing of the time -- a lot slower and more deliberate. Anyone who would like to give calligraphy a try, we urge you to call Catherine who has Spring classes for all levels of students. She is also available for your wedding or other special occasion calligraphy projects. She can be reached at 908-996-7325. You can also check out her web site : http://www.calligraphybycatherine.com/
We would also like to thank Catherine for penning some Fleming Castle signatures for us. I would also like to thank her personally for my beautiful bookmark!
Catherine Lent has always loved art, and as a child her favorite gifts were always art supplies. At the age of 8 or 9, she received her first set of calligraphy pens, and that along with seeing the gorgeous envelopes penned by her maternal grandfather marked the beginning of her lifelong love of beautiful writing.
While Lent taught high school English for ten years with an emphasis on creative writing and poetry, she always had one hand in the visual arts and would often relax after a day of teaching and grading with knitting, stained glass, or a mosaic project. After having her daughter, Stella, in 2002, she turned to calligraphy as a way to make money while staying home with the baby. In the years since Stella's birth, Catherine has developed a broad base of clients and calligraphy students. While brides and their families make up about half of her clientele, the other half is a wide variety of folks looking to preserve important texts in a beautiful way. From family Bibles to dog pedigrees to a hundred-pound hand-painted pumpkin, there is no project she won't consider. Her client list consists mostly of Hunterdon and Bucks county folks, but she has also done work for the New York Times company and the Elton John Aids Foundation.
For someone who loves teaching, it was only natural for Lent to begin offering classes for people who want to learn this time-honored skill. She offers beginner and intermediate classes in broad-pen Italic as well as introduction to the pointed-pen Copperplate style, and she occasionally holds one-day workshops for holidays, envelope addressing, etc. In addition to adults, she teaches young people both in her home and at local schools. She can be contacted at calligraphybycatherine@earthlink.net or 908.996.7325. You can also check out her web site : http://www.calligraphybycatherine.com/
It was a hands-on day at Fleming Castle Museum! (OK, the event was held at Boro Hall due to space limitations.) After an informative, interesting, and endlessly entertaining lecture and slide show by John Kraft, the audience was invited to take a close look at all the displays he brought and try them out.
Rattles were rattled, clothes and masks were tried on, corn was ground in a mortar. What fun we all had! Thank you, John, for a wonderful presentation! For more information about the Lenape Indians, please visit their web page at www.lenapelifeways.org
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Shots were heard at Fleming Castle on Saturday as the Outwater's Militia set up camp. Having enlisted some young volunteers, they drilled them in the proper handing of muskets and the proper barking of "Huzzah!" Although the wooden replicas were manageable for the new recruits, they were surprised by the weight of the 'real thing' especially when the bayonet was added on the end.
We are learned about the gear the militia had to carry with them including cooking equipment, canteens, and their blankets and tents.
Militiamen were the equivalent of today's National guard protecting their local area and occasionally going further afield to assist other militia units.
And we were treated to demonstrations by the militia's musician who played for us on his fife. He also explained the duties of the musicians which included piping orders which could be heard over the sound of gun fire during a battle and administering punishment when needed.
We also watched as wool from a sheep was combed and spun into yarn which could then be made into clothing. What must have been a drudgery back in the 18th century is today a pleasant hobby for those taking the time to learn these skills.
We are so glad that the Outwater's Militia stopped for a few hours at 'Fleming's' and we hope to have them back again. Until then, be sure to check out their website for photos, information, and a schedule of future 'encampments'!
Outwater's Militia
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"I spy with my little eye ..."
Can you find the document box? How about the child's rocking chair? Or the coffee grinder?
Be sure and pick up one of our Scavenger Hunt sheets and see how many items you can spot during your visit. You can find the answers in the 1890's room. And if you get stuck, just ask one of the docents -- they'll be glad to help you!
“ A person who acts as a guide, typically on a volunteer basis, in a museum... ”
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Our docents are available in all the rooms of The Fleming Castle. They will point out items of interest and tell you a little bit about the history of the house and its occupants. They will do their best to answer any questions you have and will direct you to the next room on the tour.
Some of our docents are in traditional colonial garb. Others may be recognized by their long white smocks and mop caps.
Our docents are all members of the local community who volunteer their time to help preserve this treasure of Flemington for this generation and generations to come.
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