macculloch hall historic museum & gardens

Very busy at Christmas but very interesting museum with local history and nice Nast exhibit, who was a very interesting person.

Our visit started with a private, docent led group tour of the historic home decorated with period furniture and Christmas greenery. Our docent, Barbara, was a great guide, enthusiastic and knowledgeable; she brought the house and its history alive for us, holding our attention throughout the entire tour. The furnishings are not, for the most part, original to the Maccullough's but are still lovely and very interesting, from original presidential china to 1700's water clocks. Our tour spanned 90 interesting minutes, covered all 3 floors of the home, and included a history of the prominent Macculloch family. Following the tour, we explored the museum on our own. Exhibits included charming antique Christmas toys and pen and ink drawings from the museum's Thomas Nast collection, the largest collection of Nast’s original works in the United States. The collection had 2 main themes: the civil war and Christmas scenes of Santa and/or children. I was impressed with Nast's sense of humor which showed through in the Christmas scenes. In addition to allowing 90 minutes for the docent tour, I would recommend a minimum of 1 hour to tour the museum with more time if you plan to read the description of each drawing. The museum is open only 3 days a week. Admission is very inexpensive ($8 for adults, $6 for seniors and tour groups). Being winter, the large garden in the rear of the property was dormant. I plan to return in the spring to see the garden in bloom. Note: the house Thomas Nast inhabited while living in Morristown is across the street from Maccullough Hall. It is a private residence so there is no admittance but you can view the home from the sidewalk and read the sign about its historic designation.

Rare pieces of history are on display in this three story home built by MacCulloch in the Federal style in 1810. The home is surrounded by Victorian homes which gives the neighborhood a unique charm. The Thomas Nast home is right across the street and is privately owned. MacCulloch is credited with the development the Morris Canal which was designed to transport crops, etc, to New York city. Maps of the canal can be seen, as well as, photos. Highlights for me were the Presidential porcelain collection (Teddy Roosevelt, Grant, and Lincoln), the back porch wisteria given as a gift by Commodore Matthew Perry, the 1876 sundial, the George Washington portrait (Peale) and of course the largest single Thomas Nast collection. Nast the cartoonist was responsible for the creation of the (Dem) donkey, Rep (elephant), Uncle Sam and a version of Santa. Period furniture, rare antiques add much to the three floor museum's interest. Christmas is a special time as the house is decorated with handcrafted period style ornaments, children's toys and decorations. I visited in September but have visited during the Christmas season in previous years.

Go look for it.. she revitalized this historic garden way before you were born. When she passed away they planted a tree in her name. Find it.. Pay homage.

This was a well run historical home. The person giving the tour was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. A wonderful hour to learn about famous people in the area.

Stopped in on rainy Halloween day about mid afternoon. My friend and I got a personal tour of the Hall which is three floors showcasing furniture, household items/collections and generally an accounting of the home's occupants and social peers through these displays. We were warmly greeted upon arrival and got a tour by a knowledgeable young lady who definitely has passion for her role in sharing history with guests. This was my second time visiting but it had been awhile. My plan is to go back sometime in warmer weather to view the gardens. There is I a new separate portion of the museum highlighting more recent historical NJ history. I rather thought this didn't fit with the rest of the museum.

Have lived in Morristown for 30 years, getting ready to move and first visit to Macculloch Hall Historical Museum. Very nice tour of the house with a lot of history of the area, beautiful historic collection of furniture, household items and art work. Nice Nast exhibit. Gardens even in early spring are very nice.

It was raining -- and we like antiques, so we tried Macculloch. We were pleasantly surprised to see so many beautiful and interesting antiques from the Parson's collection. While we have visited many period homes and museums, we saw items at Macculloch that we had never seen before. There are some excellent examples of WIndsor chairs -- so many varieties! -- and the Thomas Nast collection is quite interesting. The garden, though mostly spent, was pretty. Would love to see it during the summer! We are recommending Macculloch to friends and family in NJ area. PS -- Docent had good stories about local history and was both interesting and accommodating.

We decided to see what Macculloch museum had to offer. My husband and I were very pleasantly surprised. After visiting many museums we never thought a small local museum could add to our knowledge about the little things. The docent was incredible and kept making us want to know more. The garden is lovely and allows for a very calming & relaxing respite.

We went to see the Civil War exhibit (Gone for Soldier) parked on the street (in front of the Thomas Nast house as it happens) We were greeted & asked if we wanted the house tour, we weren't sure & the woman encouraged us to register as she said it was included in the admission price which was 8.00 per person for us. There were civil war re-enactors there & they really added to the experience. The woman in particular was very engaging & had a lot to share, loved the collapsible cup & the bone cutlery. The exhibit was on the small side, but interesting & we did go on the house tour, which we enjoyed. There is a room reserved for Thomas Nast's drawings, which you can see on your own. Be aware there was no AC & it can get very warm.There is a small array of gifts to buy & a lovely garden to tour.If you go on the tour there are stairs, & the garden would be difficult to tour if you are in a wheelchair.

Money for the mansion came from the vanished Morris Canal. On a great street full of Victorian houses, easy to imagine the heydays from the 19th century. Museum itself has a well curated collection of furniture and art. Be sure to make it only one stop on a Morristown walking tour. Look for the Thomas Nast House across the street but don't try to visit. It's private. There are other sites (Ford Mansion, Acorn Hall, Jockey Hollow) nearby.

This is a true hidden treasure of a museum. It is just lovely with beautiful exhibits and lovely gardens. They have the largest collection of Thomas Nast's work in the US. I happen to have a passion for Thomas Nast's work anyway, but a visit to their collection is something that could take days to really appreciate. Thomas Nast lived in Morristown and his home is still in existence. If you look carefully at some of his drawings and cartoons, you can find his family, his home, the steeples of Morristown churches and many other places from the Morristown area. His Christmas cartoons from Harpers show a lot of Morristown from that era.Macculloch Hall has other wonderful exhibits that change over the months. This is a small museum but has great ideas and execution of projects. Their curators should be very proud of their efforts! Everything is done with style and grace and somehow it is never boring. When my children were young, their Montessori School used to bring them to the museum for visits. It was a lot smaller then with lesser exhibits, but somehow the visits always seemed to excite and stimulate these children. I think that is so rare today and the dedicated staff needs to be both thanked and commended for their accomplishments.

We visited the Macculoch museum to see the Civil War display which was interesting but poorly presented... Nothing to catch your interest. Fortunately there were some docents dressed as Union soldiers available to offer some insight... and stories. The guided tour of the Macculoch home was 45 minutes long. Unfortunately the guides were not terribly knowledgeable. Admission is $8 per person and not worth it. There are other historic sites in Morristown of better value and interest.