'Weekend inOldMonmouth' features tour of historic sites Monmouth County's first "Weekend in Old Monmouth" historic tour will open the doors of 32 local historic sites all at the same time - from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 3 and from noon to 5 p.m. on May 4. 17 "Independent and local historic sites are generally operated independently of one another," said Monmouth County Freeholder Director Lillian G. Burry, who is also the liaison to the Monmouth County Historical Commission. "This special tour project has coordinated the hours of operation so that history buffs can walk or drive to many of our richest historic places and enjoy them in the spring." "The tour has many options," said Randall Gabrielan, executive director of the Monmouth County Historical Commission. "The outlined tours (north, central and south) place what are often widely separated sites in some semblance of order. Visitors may see the places in any other, or no order, or reverse the sequence from the proposed starting points. A detailed tour book and map will be available at each tour location." The tours also represent several historic themes: 10 • The Revolutionary War: The Revolution visited here, not only the major sites in the Battle of Monmouth area (Manalapan and Freehold), but in lesser-known places such as the Burrowes Mansion in Matawan, Marlpit Hall and the Murray Farm, both in Middletown. • Military: There is Fort Hancock at Sandy Hook, the most heavily fortified installation on the East Coast for much of the 20th century, the National Historic Landmark Monmouth Battlefield in Manalapan, and one of the more fascinating but lesser-known museums, the New Jersey National Guard Militia Museum in Sea Girt, with museum exhibits and fighter aircraft on the ground, and tanks. • Preservation: Marlpit Hall in Middletown was the first restored house museum in the region, dating from its 1930s opening. • Faith: Architectural gems of each of the last three centuries, 18th-century Christ Church in Shrewsbury, 19th-century All Saints Memorial in Middletown and 20th-century St. Catharine's Church in Spring Lake. In addition, Old Tennent Church in Manalapan is closely tied to the Battle of Monmouth, and the Friends Meeting House in Shrewsbury represents one of the oldest worship traditions in Monmouth County. 16 • Shore: While the tour includes sites on the north, (Sandy Hook), central (Ocean Grove) and southern (National Guard Militia Museum) shores, the drive along the shore is one of the best ways to feel and appreciate Monmouth County's relationship to the shore. Other elements on the tour include lighthouses, Victorian homes, agriculture, industry, education and science.According to a press release from the county, all of the sites contributed to the importance of preservation and history throughoutMonmouth County. The county and the historical commission have been in the fore of the preservation movement by having made preservation grants to most of the tour's non-government buildings. The 325th anniversary of a March 1683 Act by the provincial General Assembly that established the County of Monmouth is this year, 2008. Asite list and map are available on the county's InternetWeb site at www.visitmonmouth.com. 15 Tour site name and location 1 Burrowes Mansion Museum 94Main St.,Matawan 2 Historic Longstreet Farm 44 Longstreet Rd., Holmdel 3 Holmes-Hendrickson House 62 Longstreet Rd., Holmdel 4 Marlpit Hall and Taylor-Butler House 137 & 127 Kings Highway,Middletown 5 Murray Farmhouse 345 Oak Hill Rd.,Middletown 6 All Saints Memorial Church 202 Navesink Ave.,Middletown 7 Strauss House 27 Prospect Circle, Atlantic Highlands 8 Twin Lights Two Lighthouse Rd., Highlands 9 Sandy Hook Lighthouse/Fort Hancock 426 Hartshorne Drive,Middletown 10HistoricWalnford 78Walnford Rd., Upper Freehold 11West Freehold School Museum 209Wemrock Rd., Freehold 12Oakley Farm House 189B Oakley Drive, Freehold 13Covenhoven House 150W.Main St., Freehold 2 14Monmouth County Historical Assoc. Museum 70 Court Street, Freehold 15Monmouth Battlefield State Park 16 Business Route 33,Manalapan 16Old Tennent Church 450 Tennent Rd.,Manalapan 17Village Inn TwoWater St., Englishtown 18National Guard Militia Museum Sea Girt Ave. & Camp Dr., Sea Girt 19 Saint Catharine's Church 214 Essex Ave., Spring Lake 20Great Auditorium 21 Pilgrim Pathway, Ocean Grove 21Ocean Grove Historical Museum 50 Pitman Ave., Ocean Grove 22Centennial Cottage McClintock and Central avenues, Ocean Grove 23 InfoAge Science Center Camp Evans 2201Marconi Rd.,Wall 24OldWall Historical Society 1701 New Bedford Rd.,Wall 25Allaire Historic Village at Allaire State Park 4265 Atlantic Ave.,Wall 26Ardena School Museum Old Tavern Road, Howell 27MacKenzie House 427 Lakewood-Farmingdale Rd., Howell 28 Eatontown Museum 75 Broad St., Eatontown 29 Shrewsbury Historic Museum/ Municipal Complex 419 Sycamore Ave., Shrewsbury 30Allen House 400 Sycamore Ave., Shrewsbury 31 Friends Meeting House 375 Sycamore Ave., Shrewsbury 32Christ Church 300 Sycamore Ave., Shrewsbury Saturday, May 3, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 4, noon to 5 p.m. For times, map and directions: www.visitmonmouth.com