Macculloch Hall Historical Museum

09/23/2026

✨Step Back in Time This Saturday!
Families are invited to Macculloch Hall Historical Museum this Saturday, September 26, for a fun-filled day of history, games, and hands-on activities!

What’s happening:
🔎 Take part in history scavenger hunts.
✨Make an Uncle Sam based on Thomas Nast’s 19th-century drawings.
✍️ Use your best handwriting to sign a life-size reproduction of the Declaration of Independence, provided by the Morristown Chapter, National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
🎲 Enjoy games inspired by the 18th century.
💥 See a cannon on display!

Meet members of the Doughty Artillery Company, who will share stories about the Revolutionary War battles the unit fought in. Learn more about Captain John Doughty (1754-1826) and his connections to Morristown.

📅 Saturday, September 26
⏰ 11 AM–4 PM
💰 FREE event
📝 No registration required
🌦️ Rain or shine

Bring the whole family and experience history in a fun and memorable way!

09/22/2026

🏛️✨ FREE Open House this Saturday at Macculloch Hall!

Join Macculloch Hall Historical Museum for a FREE Open House on Saturday, September 26, from 11 AM–4 PM, as part of Morristown’s Living History Weekend! 🎉

Bring the whole family for a day filled with history, creativity, and hands-on fun! 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦
⚔️ Meet members of the Doughty Artillery Co. and learn about Captain John Doughty and his Revolutionary War service. See a cannon up close and hear stories about the battles their unit has interpreted for more than 30 years. 💥

🎨 Family-friendly activities include:
✒️ Write Like a Founding Father with a calligraphy dip pen
✨ America 250 Sparkler Art
🇺🇸 Thomas Nast Uncle Sam Art
🔎 Revolutionary Artifact Scavenger Hunts
🧸 Revolutionary Era Toys in the Garden

This September marks the 200th anniversary of John Doughty’s death, making this a meaningful opportunity to explore his legacy and connection to Morristown—including the land where Macculloch Hall stands today. 🕰️

📅 Saturday, September 26
⏰ 11 AM–4 PM
🎟️ FREE admission
📍 Macculloch Hall Historical Museum, Morristown, NJ

Come be a part of history, community, and honor the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution! 🇺🇸🎉

🙏 Made possible by 250th Anniversary of the Revolution: Morris County, The F.M. Kirby Foundation, Morristown Partnership, Trustees of the Morristown Green, and Sanofi.

More information— https://morriscounty250.morristourism.org/living-history/

🇺🇸✨

09/22/2026

MHHM is thrilled to be part of this exciting line up: three great events—and something for everyone!

MCHS invites you to spend a day in Morristown! Join us on October 4th from 11-2pm at the surface lot at 12 Dehart St. for History in Motion, a fundraiser to support MCHS, to see a stunning array of classic cars, muscle cars, hot rods, and exotic vehicles from all eras. Round out the day with Morristown Farmers Market and MHHM's Historic District House Tour. See the comments below for link to more info on History in Motion!

09/22/2026

Join us for a weekend of discovery, community, and American heritage at the Living History Weekend in Morristown. While we finalize our full programming schedule, take a look below at what we have in store!

09/18/2026

🌱 From our historic garden to our community! 🥒🌶️

Macculloch Hall Historical Museum (MHHM) has donated more than 150 pounds—and counting—of fresh fruits and vegetables to our long-time community partner, nourish.NJ!

Throughout the season, MHHM staff and program participants have harvested produce from the Museum’s historic garden beds. This year, peppers and cucumbers have been especially abundant! 🥒🌶️

The garden is rooted in history, too. The plants grown in today’s beds are based on the garden journal kept by George Macculloch (1775–1858) from 1829–1856. The journal is preserved in the Museum’s archives and is available digitally online.

We’re proud to preserve the past while nourishing our community today—sharing locally grown, fresh produce with our neighbors. 💚

09/17/2026

🏛️ Curator’s Tour: “Thomas Nast’s American Hero: Ulysses S. Grant”!
📅 Sunday, September 20, 2026
🕐 1 PM

Join Macculloch Hall Historical Museum’s F.M. Kirby Curator of Collections Ryan Hyman for a special guided tour of the newest exhibition, "Thomas Nast’s American Hero: Ulysses S. Grant".

Explore the life and legacy of Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885)—Civil War Union hero and 18th president of the United States—and discover how political cartoonist Thomas Nast (1840–1902) portrayed Grant throughout his career. 🎨📜

🔎 Go beyond the finished exhibition and uncover the stories behind the historic artifacts, Nast’s powerful images, and the curatorial decisions that brought this fascinating exhibition to life.

✨ Free for MHHM members!
🎟️ Non-members: $15 adults | $10 seniors | $5 children
🏛️ Admission included
Register online

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to see the exhibition through the eyes of the curator!

📚

09/16/2026

: Remembering General John Doughty (1754–1826)

Today Macculloch Hall Historical Museum (MHHM) remembers General John Doughty on the 200th anniversary of his death in Morristown, New Jersey.

A Revolutionary War veteran, Doughty fought at the Battles of Brandywine (1777) and Germantown (1777) in Pennsylvania, as well as Monmouth (1778) and Springfield (1780) in New Jersey. He and his artillery unit also participated in the Siege of Yorktown in 1781.

Doughty had deep connections to Morristown. A large property owner, he chose to make Morristown his home after retiring from military service. He is buried in the historic graveyard of The Presbyterian Church in Morristown, where he was a respected member of the community.

Louisa Macculloch’s September 1826 letter offers a glimpse into the community’s response to Doughty’s death and the opening of his will, which included provisions for family, friends, and the formerly enslaved people in his household.

Doughty’s story also has a direct connection to Macculloch Hall: George Macculloch purchased the land on which Macculloch Hall was built from General John Doughty.

📜 Join us in remembering Doughty and exploring this history! On Saturday, September 26, from 11 AM–4 PM, MHHM is honored to host members of Doughty’s artillery reenactment unit on the grounds of Macculloch Hall as part of Morristown’s Living History Weekend. https://morriscounty250.morristourism.org/living-history/



Image credit: "Lt. Col. John Doughty"; Janet R.M. Fitzgerald (1949- ) after Thomas B. Woodburn; Oil on canvas, 1982. Collection of the United States Army Center of Military History.

09/16/2026

🌿🌸 A huge thank you to our incredible garden volunteers! 🌸🌿

Thank you again to the wonderful team of Rutgers Master Gardeners of Morris County—James, Sue, Karen, Denise, Paul, and Jeff—for such a productive and inspiring day earlier this month! Your enthusiasm, expertise, and tireless energy made an incredible difference in transforming the front garden of Macculloch Hall Historical Museum. 💚

What began as an overcast morning 🌥️ ended with an afternoon full of sunshine ☀️—shining a light on two beautifully refurbished signature garden beds!

The master gardeners identified invasive plants, carefully pruned and trimmed for long-term plant health, and transplanted garden plants worth saving. 🌱 Along the way, they also shared ideas for future plantings and recommendations for ongoing bed maintenance.

We are so grateful to the Rutgers Master Gardeners of Morris County for working alongside our MHHM garden volunteers, Wilma, Barb, and Mary. Together, we’re caring for and preserving this historic garden—creating a beautiful place where thousands of visitors can enjoy nature, history, and a little peaceful time outdoors. 🌳💐

Thank you for helping our gardens flourish! 💚🌿

09/15/2026

🌎 Ulysses S. Grant’s World Tour Comes to Life at MHHM!

Macculloch Hall Historical Museum visitors enjoyed a fascinating afternoon with author Louis Picone, who shared captivating stories from Ulysses S. Grant’s remarkable 1877–1879 world tour, featured in Picone’s book, "Ulysses’s Odyssey: Ulysses S. Grant’s World Tour at the Dawn of American Empire".

Picone explored Grant’s historic meetings with Queen Victoria of England, Emperor Meiji of Japan, and Otto von Bismarck of Germany, as well as Grant’s travels through Africa, Vietnam, and other parts of the world. 🌍

Grant and his wife, Julia, spent more than 1,000 days traveling around the globe and throughout the United States, making Grant the first U.S. president to undertake such an extensive journey. His international reputation also transformed the tour into an unexpected opportunity for American diplomacy.

📺 Missed the event? No worries! Louis Picone’s presentation was filmed by C-SPAN, and MHHM will share it when it becomes available.

A huge thank-you to The Morristown & Morris Township Library for cohosting this wonderful event, and to Louis Picone for an unforgettable Sunday afternoon!

And don’t miss MHHM’s newly opened exhibition, “Thomas Nast’s American Hero: Ulysses S. Grant,” now on view Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays 12:00 PM–4:00 PM, and by appointment.

09/12/2026

🍂 Macculloch Hall Historical Museum OPENS for the Fall Season with a NEW exhibition, “Thomas Nast’s American Hero: Ulysses S. Grant”!

Explore original engravings of Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) created by famed cartoonist Thomas Nast for "Harper’s Weekly" between 1864 and 1885. The exhibition also features presidential memorabilia and personal items—including a fascinating March 21, 1877 letter from Ulysses S. Grant to Thomas Nast! ✉️

📅 Open: Thursdays, Saturdays & Sundays
🕛 Hours: Noon–4 PM
🎟️ Admission
• Adults: $15
• Seniors & students (17–25): $10
• Children (5–17): $5
• Children 5 & under: FREE
• Members: FREE

MHHM participates in NARM, Families First Discovery Pass, Museums for All, and Blue Star Museums programs.

Come discover history, art, and the fascinating connection between Ulysses S. Grant and Thomas Nast! 🇺🇸🖼️Visit MHHM's website to see the lineup of exciting events!

We can’t wait to welcome you to the Museum! 🏛️✨


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Image Credit: "Ulysses Simpson Grant (Sovereigns No. 10.)"; Thomas Nast (1840-1902); Chromolithograph; "Vanity Fair", no. 187, June 1, 1872. Collection of Macculloch Hall Historical Museum TN2011.359.