Morven Museum & Garden

Morven Museum & Garden Morven Museum & Garden

Open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more than 200 years Morven has played a role in the history of New Jersey and the nation. Originally part of a 5,500-acre tract purchased from William Penn in 1701 by the Stockton family, it is the home of Richard Stockton, a Signer of the Declaration of Independence. As well as serving as a Stockton homestead for several generations into the 20th century, Morven was home to the families of Ro

bert Wood "The General" Johnson Jr., and eventually five New Jersey governors, three generations of enslaved families, respective domestic workers, and staff. Morven Museum & Garden showcases the rich cultural heritage of the Garden State through regular exhibitions, educational programs, and special events.

We have a new addition to the garden, and it bloomed for the first time yesterday! This is a Franklin Tree (Franklinia a...
09/01/2026

We have a new addition to the garden, and it bloomed for the first time yesterday! This is a Franklin Tree (Franklinia alatamaha), named, yes, for Benjamin Franklin by his botanist friend John Bartram, Jr.

John and his brother William built the first botanical garden in America- Bartram's Garden in Philadelphia, which you can still visit today. It was there that William planted the seeds he collected for the Franklin Tree. It’s thought that the trees became extinct in the wild in the early 1800s; all known specimens today- including Morven’s- descend from the ones in Bartram’s Garden.

Tomorrow is our final Twilight Garden Tour of the year (just in case the weather doesn’t play along, the rain date is Tu...
08/31/2026

Tomorrow is our final Twilight Garden Tour of the year (just in case the weather doesn’t play along, the rain date is Tuesday, September 15). Learn about the historic grounds from our horticulturists and enjoy the blooms in these last days of summer.

The tour starts at 5:30 pm and ends with light refreshments on the pool house porch. Tickets are $20 - Morven Members save $5. Reserve your spot here: bit.ly/4ygx5ve

Morven Museum & Garden is proud to announce our new exhibition VOICES IN PRINT: NEW JERSEY BLACK WOMEN PRINTMAKERS SHAPI...
08/20/2026

Morven Museum & Garden is proud to announce our new exhibition VOICES IN PRINT: NEW JERSEY BLACK WOMEN PRINTMAKERS SHAPING THE AMERICAN NARRATIVE, opening Friday, September 4. Curated by Judith K. Brodsky and Rhinold Lamar Ponder, the exhibition focuses on the contributions of Black women artists across generations, and features the work of 14 printmakers.

Voices in Print will be the inaugural exhibition in our Stockton Education Center and joins robust programming throughout Princeton under the umbrella Re-Visioning America: 1776–2026, which commemorates America’s 250th with narratives highlighting the nation’s diversity and showcasing the work of female artists of color.

Artists include Emma Amos, Camille Billops, Vivian E. Browne, Nanette Carter, Nefertiti Goodman, Gladys Barker Grauer, Diane Victoria Horn, Carmen Cartiness Johnson, Nell Painter, Sondra Perry, Janet Taylor Pickett, Mickalene Thomas, Nette Forné Thomas, and Bisa Washington.

Click here to learn more: bit.ly/4gbmXh2

The Library Company was the first lending library in America. Created by Benjamin Franklin and his friends, it was desig...
08/18/2026

The Library Company was the first lending library in America. Created by Benjamin Franklin and his friends, it was designed to allow members to share costs for purchasing books. This share, or paid subscription, was issued to a man named Isaac Hopkins, and is signed by Francis Hopkinson, one of the five New Jersey signers of the Declaration of Independence. Hopkinson held numerous positions in the Library Company, including Secretary, Librarian, and Director.

See this in person (and more) at Morven in our exhibition "Five Independent Souls: The Signers from New Jersey," now through January 17: bit.ly/4csl8tM

Pictured: Membership of Isaac Hopkinson in Library of Congress, signed by Francis Hopkinson, April 6, 1769: Museum of the American Revolution

08/13/2026

Have lunch with us Tuesday! Register for our FREE virtual Curator Corner talk, exploring the history and competing narratives behind “Congress Voting Independence.”

Join us on Tuesday, August 18 from 12-1 pm! Register here: bit.ly/45YrKwh

Robert Edge Pine’s painting is the first depiction of the vote, and the most accurate representation of Assembly Hall in Philadelphia, where it took place. However, it was unfinished at the time of Pine’s death in 1788, and may have been completed by Edward Savage, the painter and engraver who purchased it.
___

Congress Voting Independence, 1796-1817, Probably Edward Savage after Robert Edge Pine. Purchase, Historical Society of Pennsylvania / Atwater Kent Collection, Drexel University.

The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776, 1786-1820, John Trumbull: Yale University Art Gallery, Trumbull Collection.

One week from today! Register for our FREE online Curator Corner talk with Jesse Gordon Simons, and learn about the fasc...
08/11/2026

One week from today! Register for our FREE online Curator Corner talk with Jesse Gordon Simons, and learn about the fascinating history behind “Congress Voting Independence.”

Join us on Tuesday, August 18 from 12-1 pm! Register here:
bit.ly/4hZVPCT

Robert Edge Pine’s painting is the first depiction of the vote, and considered the most accurate representation of Assembly Hall in Philadelphia, where it took place. However, it was unfinished at the time of Pine’s death in 1788, and may have been completed by Edward Savage, the painter and engraver who purchased it.

Congress Voting Independence, 1796-1817, Probably Edward Savage after Robert Edge Pine. Purchase, Historical Society of Pennsylvania / Atwater Kent Collection, Drexel University.

It will be a little cooler and NOT raining on Tuesday- it’s like Mother Nature knew about this month’s Twilight Garden T...
08/09/2026

It will be a little cooler and NOT raining on Tuesday- it’s like Mother Nature knew about this month’s Twilight Garden Tour!

It starts at 5:30 pm and ends with light refreshments on the pool house porch (or we’ll move indoors in the AC if it’s too humid). Tickets are $20 - Morven Members save $5. Reserve your spot here: bit.ly/3TGLIsN

Last Friday we hosted The Blawenburg Band for their tour of performances called "Listening to the Revolution: 250 Years ...
08/04/2026

Last Friday we hosted The Blawenburg Band for their tour of performances called "Listening to the Revolution: 250 Years of American Music." Thank you to everyone who attended!

This free concert took place on Morven's great front lawn, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States at the home of a signer of the Declaration of Independence and New Jersey's first Governor's Mansion.

We hoped you all enjoyed a journey through America's past through the art of music! 🎶

There are just 3 tickets left for Thursday's Meet the Curators tour of Five Independent Souls! Get yours here: bit.ly/4g...
08/04/2026

There are just 3 tickets left for Thursday's Meet the Curators tour of Five Independent Souls!

Get yours here: bit.ly/4galA1Y

This summer Morven was lucky to host Gloria Schulz, a summer intern through the McNeil Center for Early American Studies...
07/31/2026

This summer Morven was lucky to host Gloria Schulz, a summer intern through the McNeil Center for Early American Studies.

Gloria worked on a variety of projects, including compiling existing research on people enslaved by the Stocktons into profiles for eventual inclusion in the Rutgers NJ Slavery database. She also created transcription guides for the numerous eighteenth century documents in our current exhibit, and curated an exhibit case on past commemorations of 1776.

In July, Gloria joined the Morven team on a special curators’ tour of the The New York Historical exhibit Revolutionary Women.

Thank you for all of your hard work, Gloria!

Address

55 Stockton St
Princeton, NJ
08540

Opening Hours

Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+16099248144

Website

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