ADDRESS
530 Ward Avenue
(corner of Buttonwood Street, Crosswicks, NJ)
Click here for a map of the Village of Crosswicks
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Orthodox Meeting House in Crosswicks

When the Hicksite faction of Friends broke off in 1826, they were the majority in a number of New Jersey towns, and so took over their respective meeting property. In Crosswicks, the original (or Orthodox) group that held the minority built this fine brick meeting house about a block away around 1850. Quaker meeting houses normally have two front entrances, one for men and another for women; this, like a few of the mid-nineteenth century meeting houses, has but a single front entrance, with two doors. That is also the case of the meeting houses in Westfield and the Orthodox meeting house in Trenton. The windows in the mid-nineteenth century buildings are larger than the earlier structures, with 12 over 12 panes instead of 9 over 9 which was common.

The meeting house now houses the Chesterfield Township Historical Society Museum.  
​Please contact us to visit outside normal opening hours.
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UPDATES – CTHS MUSEUM
The new museum sign was just the beginning!

Thank you to all our donors for your Giving Tuesday donations in 2020, 2021 and 2022. 
Giving Tuesday, Nov. 2020 helped make CTHS new entrance sign possible.
Interior painting was made possible, in part, through Giving Tuesday 2021 and generous sponsor donations.
2022 Giving Tuesday provided generous donations toward new lighting.  The lighting project is the last major update 
for the museum. Next step: reopening May 2023.

The Renovation
CTHS Museum closed for renovation after Night at the Museum Knights Baseball event, October 2021. There is much to tell, but these pictures give a glimpse into progress made.  
1-2 New Sign
3-5 The interior as it was in October 2021.
6-8. Donated cases from the American Museum of Folk Art in New York were transported to Crosswicks by CTHS board members and volunteers. 
9. The Museum committee met with artifacts and exhibition consultant, Batja Bell, to discuss removal, storage and re-organization of Museum artifacts. 
10. The Museum was cleared of all that could be moved.
11. CTHS cases not designated for reuse were donated to the New Jersey Fire Museum, established in Allentown, NJ.
12. Interior painting is underway!
13-14. Display pieces are prepared for Museum by volunteers from Sewa International Central Jersey Chapter.
15. ​Museum takes shape with new paint and displays
16-20. The Museum Committee works with Artifacts Consultant, Batja Bell and Installers, John Walako and Rory Mahon. The "new" Museum takes shape.
18. The Museum is almost ready! Lighting underway! A Grand Opening is being planned for May 6, 2023. Details to come.

19th-Century Bass Drum

Antique wheel-style coffee mill.

Many many grateful thanks to the Sewa volunteers from Sewa International Central Jersey Chapter. They provided invaluable help toward the completion of CTHS's Museum renovation and update. Sewa volunteers patiently traced the foot prints of each newly acquired (slightly used) display stands and cases to help with preliminary placement decisions as we begin to install new displays and installations in the museum. Sewa volunteers then sanded and beautifully painted all the display pieces. Sewa's help was vital to the progress of our Museum update project. 

Sewa means “SELFLESS SERVICE” in ancient Indian Sanskrit language.
Sewa volunteers are learning "Selfless Efforts for Welfare of All”. The Sewa USA vision is "Increase civic engagement of the communities in the United States to volunteer and promote volunteering.”  CTHS is so thankful for the "selfless service" these young people provided.

Find out more about Sewa at 
http://www.sewausa.org
Facebook & Twitter: @jerseysewa
Instagram: @sewainternationalcentraljersey