New Exhibit: Answering the Call
Hunterdon County Select Servicemen on the Flemington Courthouse Steps: September 1917
The Hunterdon County Historical Society invites everyone to explore the military service and sacrifices of Hunterdon County residents throughout American history in its upcoming exhibition, Answering the Call: 250 Years of Service and Sacrifice in Hunterdon County. Opening Saturday, Nov. 14, the exhibition will be on view at the Doric House, 114 Main St., Flemington, through March.
Spanning the American Revolution through the Vietnam War, the exhibition will highlight the men and women who served in the Armed Forces during some of the nation’s most challenging times. It also will explore life on the home front, offering a broader look at how war affected communities throughout Hunterdon County.
Rare artifacts and photographs from the historical society’s collections will bring these stories to life. Among the featured objects are the uniform buttons belonging to British Cornet Francis Geary, who led the December 1776 raid on Flemington, but on his return trip to Pennington was shot and killed by local militia just north of Ringoes. Also on display will be a rare 1777 map drawn by British Major Samuel Holland depicting the provinces of Quebec, New York and New Jersey, including what was then Hunterdon County. Visitors will also see the death mask of New Jersey’s last surviving Civil War veteran; the coat and hat worn by John Purcell of Lambertville, who served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during the Spanish-American War; and World War II WAVE uniforms worn by Joan Callahan of Flemington. The exhibition will include a special salute to former long-time HCHS trustee John Kuhl, showing a few artifacts from when he served in the Navy in Antarctica.
Vietnam veteran Thomas Daniels’ hand-painted Patriot Jacket, bearing the signatures of President Barack Obama and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, will be another featured attraction. The jacket’s painted scenes portray the service and sacrifice of Americans across the centuries, connecting the experiences of individual veterans to the nation’s broader military history.
The museum will be open Saturdays from 1 to 4 p.m., with tours beginning at the top of each hour. (Last tour is at 3 p.m.) A $10 donation is suggested. Group tours may be arranged by calling 908-782-1091 or emailing hunterdonhistoryadm@gmail.com.
Through Answering the Call, the Hunterdon County Historical Society hopes to honor the service and sacrifice of generations of local residents while preserving the stories of those who served their country and the communities that supported them.