The Bergen County Historical Society (BCHS) is hoping to raise $3 million to build a new museum at the Historic New Bridge Landing in River Edge.
“The new museum will be a place to explore, document and showcase over 4,000 original objects that span several centuries” said Museum Chair and Bergen County Historical Society past President Deborah Powell.
“It will serve to educate the public on the important role our area played as a Native American and Colonial Settlement and but also as a fort, encampment ground and military headquarters during in the American Revolutionary War,” she said.
The BCHS started its fundraising efforts last month and is relying on both large donors as well as new museum members to help fund the new project.
Some highlights of the potential museum include a temperature-controlled exhibit and storage space, a theater as well as orientation gathering space. Plans for the new exhibit space include hands-on interactive exhibits with digital components. The BCHS also hopes to use the space for a community meeting and event space.
Plans for the museum, developed by G3 Architecture, were revealed last October. The new museum will feature a 3,850-square-foot barn-style building with a solar panel roof. This design will help the new museum blend with the other historic buildings already featured at the Historic New Bridge Landing.
“The new museum will also help to grow attendance to more than the current 100,000 visitors we receive each year” added Powell. “The new space will allow us to increase capacity for our programming to participants of all ages and allow us to expand our professional development opportunities to educators.”
The Bergen County Historical Society is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1902 to collect and preserve data and objects of significance to the history of the United States and to Bergen County in particular.
The BCHS is the largest historical society in New Jersey and the largest landowner at Historic New Bridge Landing, a site that witnessed several Revolutionary War events. The BCHS also promotes historical awareness through its programming and publications, such as lectures, tours, reenactments, newsletters and books.
To contribute to the campaign, click here.