UPCOMING EVENTS

Grover Cleveland Returns to Caldwell and a Presidential Trivia Contest

“Grover Cleveland Returns to Caldwell”  and a trivia contest will be the main attractions at the Grover Cleveland Birthplace Memorial Association’s Annual Meeting on Monday December 8th, 7:30 p.m. The event will take place in the Grover Cleveland Birthplace Visitor’s Center, 207 Bloomfield Ave., Caldwell. Board Member Paul Maloney will give an interactive talk portraying the 22nd and 24th President which will serve as an introduction and review of Cleveland’s life. Maloney is a Caldwell Resident and retired Social Studies Teacher from Cranford who has portrayed Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Roosevelt at other events in the past.

A Presidential Trivia Contest for prizes, the GCBMA President’s Annual Report, and election of Board Members will also take place. The museum store and the Presidential Museum will open after the program is over. The public is invited and refreshments will be served.  Reservations are recommended and can be made at gcbmaeventreservations@gmail.com.

RECENT EVENTS

2025 Annual Ice Cream Social at the Grover Cleveland Birthplace on the 4th of July!

The Grover Cleveland Birthplace had one of their best 4th of July Ice Cream Socials ever.
We are so grateful to the army of helpful, caring people who worked side by side with us in the months, weeks and days leading up to the event. And to all who pitched in on the 4th, you helped create a memorable patriotic celebration for the public to enjoy. Thank you.
The Grover Cleveland Birthplace Memorial Association and the Grover Cleveland Birthplace would like to thank the following for their assistance.
- Saint Aloysius Parish for use of their parking lot, and for offering their gym as our back up plan in case of rain
- Caldwell Police for your presence at our event.
- Caldwell DPW for hauling the debris from our 'NJDEP grounds clean up day' on July 2nd
– Richard and Linda Gibbs and their famous postcard collection.
– James Gardner, Jacob Olinsky, and Lucky Lukadoo for the Homefront Heroes program
– Dave Cowell and Greg Crump for the Marquis De Lafayette program.
- Akiko Tawarada-Axe for having the GCBMA's Musem Gift Shoppe stocked and staffed
– Caretaker Sharon Farrell for tales on Cleveland’s personal and public life.
– N.J. State Interpreter Elizabeth Dowd for the “Historic Jam Cookie” Contest, and the hands-on 1830s game and toy station
– Paul Maloney for the Benjamin Franklin program.
-Greg and Carol Crump for the giant flag over the Visitor’s center building
-John Elliott and CBS for the promo.
– The Women’s Club of the Caldwells for Children’s Lawn Games, and lending help with event set up and take-down.
– Contributions from Jack’s Foodtown.
– Contributions from the West Caldwell Shop-Rite.
– Contributions from the Rotary Club of the Caldwells.
– Contributions from the Kiwanis Club of the Caldwells.
– The many volunteers of the community including the Boy Scout Troop 6 Caldwell, Life Scout, Joseph Mikula, the Kiwanis Club of the Caldwells, Maggie from GCMS, and many more.
– Guerriero Gelato of Caldwell for creating an outstanding custom flavor for our 2025 event. 'Snickerdoodle Cookie Ice Cream'.
– The Cloverleaf Tavern of Caldwell for serving up memory making July 4th cookout fare on the grill.
– The very talented Board of the Grover Cleveland Birthplace Memorial Association
-- And last, but not least, the friends and relatives who came to show support for their loved ones who commit to working on the 4th. Whether you were here to help a family member who is a vendor, a volunteer, a board member or staff, your presence gives us all a boost of support that is greatly appreciated.

 

Opening of New Carriage House Room.

The Grover Cleveland Birthplace Memorial Association is proud to announce the long-awaited opening of the Carriage House Multipurpose Room.  The renovation of the Carriage House is the final phase of the building of the new visitor’s center and will serve as a meeting/lecture hall.  As part of the celebration of its opening, the association will be holding its Annual Meeting in the new room on Monday December 9th at 7:00 p.m. The meeting will be open to the public, with a maximum capacity of 35 people in the new room, and space for an additional 30 guests throughout the Visitor’s Center.  The event is free of charge and will be open to the public.  This meeting will serve as a “soft opening ceremony” for the opening of the new room.  A more formal opening ceremony will be held in 2025.  

The meeting will include presentation of committee annual reports and the election of Board Members. The featured speaker for the evening will be Board Member Louis Picone.  Join Mr. Picone to explore a history of presidential elections including the most controversial contests, political parties, campaigning, and pivotal moments in American history. In today’s heated political climate, understanding the past can help make sense of the present because, as Mark Twain once said, “History never repeats itself, but it does often rhyme.”

Reservations are welcomed on Event Brite but not required. For additional details, please contact Paul Maloney at EssexNewsMaloney@aol.com.

pastedGraphic.pngpastedGraphic_1.png

Photograph of Louis Picone courtesy of Paul Maloney. Photograph of Carriage House used by permission of the NJDEP.

4th of July Celebration 2024!

The Grover Cleveland Birthplace Memorial Association would like to thank the following for their continued support for our Annual 4th of July Ice Cream Social: the State of New Jersey; St. Aloysius Church; Boy Scout Troop 6; The Women’s Club of the Caldwells; the Rotary Club; the Kiwanis Club; Jack’s Foodtown; Shop Rite of West Caldwell; Richard and Linda Gibbs and their postcard collection; Guerriero Gelato; and Cloverleaf Restaurant.
Please stay tuned for some great things coming with the improved facilities at the Grover Cleveland Birthplace.

Paul Maloney
President
Grover Cleveland Birthplace Memorial Association.

 

Outdoor Fun at the Grover Cleveland Birthplace

In between the construction of the Visitor Center and the upcoming restoration of the historic carriage house, the Grover Cleveland Birthplace staff was able to test a new program for larger school groups, Outdoor Fun at the Grover Cleveland Birthplace. So far, three groups of local 2nd and 3rd graders and their teachers have participated in this immersive 90-minute program. The students enjoyed exploring the grounds of the Grover Cleveland Birthplace with an Architectural Scavenger Hunt, touring the museum, investigating replica artifacts up close, and playing with historic games and toys. This program is designed for groups of 25-40 students in grades K-4 and requires a minimum student-chaperone ratio of 6 to 1.
This program is all about fostering curiosity and empowering students to pose their own surprising and delightful questions such as:
Did Grover Cleveland have a pet? Why is there a bathtub in the middle of the kitchen? Why do you use plexiglass to protect certain artifacts? If there is no plumbing, where did people go to the bathroom? Why wasn’t Grover born in the hospital?
The historic educators enjoy fielding these questions because they open the door for deeper conversations about Cleveland’s life, early 19th century living, museum operations and many other topics.
Once the dust has settled next year from the remodeling of our historic carriage house, we will be ready to host more large groups of students. In the meantime, we will be working on developing even more content for our community of learners.