Chester Historical Society NJ

05/02/2026

The Washington Township Public Library in Long Valley will be hosting a talk on New Jersey militias on Thursday May 28th at 6PM! You can register on their website at the link below

05/01/2026

This weekend (May 2nd-3rd) is the annual Morris County Pathways of History event! Which historic places do you plan to visit?

Tour VenuesMay 2026 Pathways of History TourClick on any of the locations below to see a narrative page describing the particular site. For specific details on each site's tour-day events and hours, refer to individual Museum/Site Tours Websites and pages.View Site List & Map (PDF)The Blue....

05/01/2026

The Chester Historical Society will be participating in the Spring Blossom Festival and History Day that Riamede Farms is hosting on Saturday May 9th from 10AM to 3PM!

To celebrate America's 250th, Riamede Farms will be doing historic walking tours, a walk and talk at 12PM, and have colonial children's games for kids to try. The CHS will also be there to chat about Chester's colonial history so feel free to say hello!

Please visit Riamede Farm's website for event tickets and additional information. Advance admission tickets are only $5 and include a hayride!

05/01/2026

This year is the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America and residents in Chester, NJ played a part in the Revolutionary War!

After the battles of Concord and Lexington in 1775 and the state of New Jersey was formed, men between the ages of 16 and 50 were conscripted into the local militia. The Black River Patriots were the members of the militia in Chester. The term "minutemen" came from the period in which they would actively serve for a month at the time and during that time, they had to be ready to fight "in a minute".

Here we've shared the names of those Chester residents who served in the local militia during the Revolutionary War.

Additional information can be found in "Chester, New Jersey: A Scrapbook of History" by Frances Greenidge. Published by the Chester Historical Society.

05/01/2026

This weekend is the annual Morris County Pathways of History event and we will be at Rockefeller Center on Main Street in Chester! Feel free to stop by to learn more about the renovation project and the history of this building. Volunteers will be there from about 11AM to 4PM.

We hope you will stop by as you explore other stops on the tour!

For more information, visit https://pathwaysofhistorynj.net/tour-info/tour-venues/

04/13/2026

Some interesting local history from Long Valley!

04/08/2026

Chester Day is coming up in just a few weeks! If you enjoy hands on volunteer opportunities and want to help contribute to our community in Chester, this is a great way to get involved!

Saturday, May 2 2026 from 9AM- 1PM
Meet at the pavilion at Chubb Park

https://m.signupgenius.com/ #!/showSignUp/9040948A9AA23A64-63229787-chester

04/07/2026

This years Chester Day is coming up on May 2nd!

Thank you to the volunteers who already signed up to help beautify Rockefeller Center!

To sign up to volunteer, click this link;

03/28/2026

Over in long valley this May!

03/28/2026

The Chester Historical Society is excited to share that the restoration of Chester’s distinctive historic building, “Rockefeller Center”, is finally underway! This restoration project which is funded by grants from the Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Commission, the New Jersey Historic Trust, and the Chester Historical Society, will restore this 150+ year old building back to its former glory by repairing and restoring both the interior and exterior. This small (just 280 sq ft) building has seen a lot since it was originally built during the late 1800’s. This building has been used as a post office, a barber shop, a marble gravestone carving business, a farm office, and a greeting card and bicycle shop! It was moved to its current location in 1996 at Municipal Field to save it from demolition. We are excited to see this historic Carpenter Gothic style building being restored and adding more charm and history to Main Street in Chester, NJ