Area October 24, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 19 Area residents are invited to participate in a Family Woodland Hike at the New Jersey State Botanical Garden. Hikes are scheduled for 1 p.m. on Nov. 18 and Dec. 16. These easy, family-friendly hikes are designed for all nature-lovers ages six and up. Younger children are welcome, but may need to be carried. Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult. Participants should wear comfortable shoes and meet at the Carriage House Visitor Center. Rain or snow cancels these hikes. NJBG offers these Family Woodland Hikes on the third Sunday afternoon each month, and each hike is structured to fit the group. Depending on the weather, the hike may include meanders along the garden’s charming woodland and meadow paths, with steppingstone bridges to navigate. More ambitious groups may make the easy trip to the top of Mount Defiance for a splendid view across the Ramapo Mountains. Each hike will include an exploration of local State botanical garden hosts Family Woodland Hikes Historic treasures collection (continued from page 7) Nearby, a sepulchral black mourning dress from the 1880s is also on display. “Mourning was a very formal ritual, and the women in the family were the focus,” Brogan explained. “The custom was that a widow had to dress entirely in black for a year and a day, and only then could she sometimes wear a little white. During the second year, she could gradually add a bit of color.” Brogan and Latham said that the mourning dress in The Collection will gradually be augmented to show visitors how the process worked. On a more cheerful note, a case in a corridor displays the entire 1897 wedding trousseau of Henrietta Hawes, for whom the Hawes School was named. Hawes was an important force in early Ridgewood education. The tiny waists and dainty sizes of the garments generally reflect changes in American fashion and nutrition. A mandolin and an accordion highlight the days before songs were downloaded and both middle-class and immigrant families made their own music. A collection of Lenape Indian projectile points, tools, and a complete corn grinder with a tubular stone pestle are also on display. One corner also shows the blouse (jacket), trousers, and campaign hat of Ridgewood’s own Sergeant Major Thomas Barber, who volunteered to serve in the Spanish-American War in May of 1898 and was shipped to Florida, where he spent his entire war without ever reaching Cuba, Puerto Rico, or the Philippines. He served, however, as an aide to Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross and a prime worker in identifying the dead of the Civil War for proper burial. A campaign medal of H. P. Doane, Ridgewood’s other Spanish-American War veteran, is also displayed. Henry Seifert, a ninth grader at Ridgewood High School, sometimes helps out with the military collection. The Collection, assembled by Brogan, Latham, and Vicki Herbert, a member of the museum board, is intended to highlight the variety of the Schoolhouse Museum, which includes artifacts, art, and fashions from pre-Colonial times to the dawn of the 20th century and beyond. The Schoolhouse Museum is open Thursdays and Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and Sundays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The Collection will be on display until July 28, 2013. geology, and the plants and animals that call the Botanical Garden home. The New Jersey State Botanical Garden at Skylands, which appears on both the State and National registers of historic places, is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day of the year. Admission to the garden is always free. Parking is also free in the fall, winter, and spring. In 1966, the State of New Jersey purchased the 1,117 acres of Skylands, a former country estate and the state’s first acquisition under the Green Acres preservation program. Governor Thomas Kean designated the central 96 acres surrounding the manor house as the state’s official botanical garden in 1984. Since 1976, NJBG/Skylands Association, an incorporated, member-supported non-profit organization, has worked with the state to preserve and protect Skylands and its historic structures. NJBG sponsors volunteer gardeners, educational programs, concerts, and events at the garden throughout the year. NJBG receives no funding from the State of New Jersey or from on-site operators. Donations and sponsorships are always appreciated. NJBG/Skylands is located on Morris Road in Ringwood. For an event schedule, membership brochure, directions, or information, call (973) 962-9534 or visit www.njbg.org. Hikers, strollers and mountain bikers enjoy the changing seasons on the woodland roads and paths surrounding the New Jersey State Botanical Garden. (Photo courtesy of Maja Britton.)