Tis the Season - Join us for Some Holiday Cheer this December!

Join the Montclair History Center this December and celebrate the holiday season! The Crane House & Historic YWCA and our Museum Store will be open every weekend (dates and times below). Visit us to view the beautiful period decorations by the Garden Club of Montclair- regular admission is waived for the holiday season, donations welcomed. Speciality Candlelight Tours and Children's Holiday Tours back by popular demand (registration required).

This month also features our free and virtual History at Home series with presentation The Toll of the Garden State Parkway this Thursday at 7 pm with Rich Rockwell of the Bloomfield Historical Society. Full details below.

Vote for Us. We are excited to announce that our annual Historic Holiday House Tour was again nominated to be in the Top Ten as part of USA Today's 10 Best Readers Choice Awards! With your support we made it into the top 5 Historic Holiday Tours for the past two years. Continue to support our climb to number one by clicking here to cast your vote daily!??????????????

December Programs & Events

HISTORY AT HOME: THE TOLL OF THE GARDEN STATE PARKWAY

Thursday, December 1st at 7 pm

Historical Society of Bloomfield Trustee Rich Rockwell presents a new program on the history of the Garden State Parkway and its impact to our area. Rich Rockwell has lived in Montclair and Bloomfield for almost 30 years. He authored Bloomfield Through Time (Fonthill, 2015) and has become the leading expert on the Morris Canal in Bloomfield. 

LEARN MORE & ZOOM

ESSEX COUNTY HOLIDAY HOUSE TOURS

Saturday, Dec. 3rd and Sunday, Dec. 4th from 12 to 3 pm

Be among the first to see this year’s decorations as one of the Essex County Holiday House Tour sites. Visit us today to see the beautiful period decorations by the Garden Club of Montclair. Self-guided tours let you explore this 226-year-old home at your leisure. Warm yourself in the hearth and learn about holiday food traditions. Stop in to the Nathaniel Crane House for unique holiday gifts! As a gift to our visitors this holiday season, general admission will be waived. Donations are welcome. LEARN MORE

CANDLELIGHT TOURS (registration required)

Thursday, Dec. 8th and Dec. 15th at 6:30 pm 

A fun evening that begins with period libations in the historic hearth kitchen and continues with a tour of the Crane House & Historic YWCA. See the period holiday decorations artfully designed by the Garden Club of Montclair as staff lead special candlelight tours that tell the history of our holidays past from the 1700s to the 20th century. Recommended for visitors ages 10 and up due to Santa Spoilers! LEARN MORE & PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

SUGAR PLUMS & ST. NICK: CHILDREN'S HOLIDAY TOURS (registration required)

Friday, Dec. 9th and Dec. 16th (tour times vary)

On this family tour, guests will learn how children celebrated the holidays in days gone by while enjoying the holiday decorations artfully designed by the Garden Club of Montclair. Join Education Manager Susanne Costa, and Museum Coordinator Natalie Fontana-Rivera as we go through the rooms on the first floor of the Crane House and Historic YWCA sharing stories about how Christmas has changed over the years. LEARN MORE & PURCHASE TICKETS

WINTER WONDERLAND OPEN HOUSE

Sunday, Dec. 11th and Dec. 18th from 12 to 3 pm

Join us to see the decorations! See this year’s beautiful period decorations by Garden Club of Montclair. Self-guided tours let you explore this 225-year-old home at your leisure. Warm yourself in the hearth and learn about holiday food traditions. As a gift to our visitors this holiday season, general admission will be waived. Instead any donations are welcome. LEARN MORE

Shop Local with the Montclair History Center

This holiday season the museum store (located in the Nathaniel Crane House) will be open at public holiday tour events on December 3rd, 4th, 11th, and 18th from 12 to 3 pm. Can't catch us in person? Shop select products in our online store. 

PERSONALIZED HISTORIC MAPS

We’re offering replica maps from three different years: the 1906 Atlas of Essex County, 1926 tax map, and a 1934 Sanborn map. Great for long-time Montclair residents, new-in-town folks, or people who once called Montclair their home. Posters are printed on high-quality paper, suitable for framing, and identify the map source and year. Each map is personalized to the address of your choice. Deadline for holiday delivery is December 9. ORDER TODAY

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