MCHA has been the owner and caretaker of the Holmes-Hendrickson House since 1959, moving it to its location in Holmdel when Bell Labs acquired the farmland on which it originally sat. After a careful and expensive restoration, the house was opened to the public in 1965 and is one of the most significant colonial Dutch houses in Monmouth County if not in New Jersey, periodically hosting a very robust spinning program, the popular Wool Days program every spring and opening to the public on weekends   between May 1 and September 30. 

As is common with historic treasures, meticulous  and  diligent   maintenance  is required to keep Holmes-Hendrickson at its finest. In recent years, MCHA has begun to think strategically about the best way to ensure all the houses it owns are preserved properly well into the future. To that end, the Monmouth County Park System purchased a conservation easement to the property upon which Holmes-Hendrickson House sits in 2011 which included  the contingency to sell Holmes-Hendrickson to the Monmouth County  Park System. In 2017, we began to move forward on the process of transferring ownership of the house to Monmouth County Park System as outlined in the easement. Once finalized, Monmouth County Park System will acquire the Holmes-Hendrickson House with an agreement that MCHA will continue to use and occupy the home. 

Such action will preserve this prominent house museum for generations to come and allow MCHA will continue to interpret and host public programs there. This partnership is a natural fit as the property abuts Longstreet Farm and the house will officially become part of the beautiful open space of Holmdel Park. Trails will bring visitors from the park to Holmes-Hendrickson and programs will be cross-promoted which should be beneficial for all and bring new visitors to this 1754 gem-- one of the most significant colonial Dutch houses in Monmouth County if not in New Jersey.

Sewing Group Meeting

Interested in sewing or 18th-century clothing? Stop by our next meeting of our monthly sewing group on Saturday, April  21 from 12-4 pm at our Museum in Freehold. This group meets the third Saturday of the month and is free to members, $5 for non-members. If you are interested in joining this group or have any questions, please call  732-462-1466  or email  [email protected] .

Check out what the Two River Times is saying about our sewing group!

MCHA would like to congratulate Board President Linda Bricker who has been selected as a recipient of the  AAUW NMCB Women of Achievement Award.

The Northern Monmouth County Branch (NMCB) of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) will celebrate 90 years of advancing equity for women and service to the community at its annual Scholarship Luncheon on April 26 at the Salt Creek Grille. To mark this anniversary year, the group has established the AAUW NMCB Women of Achievement Awards . Co-presidents Nancy Butler and Pat Miller are pleased to announce that the recipients of the inaugural awards to be honored at the luncheon are Linda Bricker, Mary Eileen Fouratt, and Gilda Rogers. 

Linda Bricker has served MCHA as a trustee since 2010, and was elected Board President in 2015. Under her leadership, we have opened several critically acclaimed  exhibitions , launched a newly redesigned  website , and began digitizing our vast collection of over  30,000 artifacts . Her volunteer contributions to Monmouth County go far beyond these efforts to ensure the history of Monmouth County is preserved and made available to our community. She has been an Active member of the Junior League of Monmouth County for 20 years, serving two back to back presidential terms between 2008 and 2010 and leading the Capital Campaign to restore the centennial firehouse in Rumson that serves as the JLMC headquarters. Over the past decade, Linda has served on the Steering Committee of Running & Winning, a collaborative effort between AAUW NMBC, the League of Women Voters Greater Red Bank and Hadassah ensuring that Junior high school students understand the value of elected office in impacting positive change and helping these young women to find their voices. MCHA congratulates Linda on this well-deserved honor.