BETTER KNOW NJ
The Cornelius Low House: standing three centuries and counting. PHOTO COURTESY MIDDLESEX COUNTY DIVISION OF HISTORY
Journey to the past, experience culture, and cheer the home team. Piscataway Getaway
T E X T PAUL HAGEN W hile a visit to the new GPS Piscat- away flagship is plenty of excite- ment for a design lover’s day, there is more going on in the area—history, culture, and sports— to add to your itinerary East Jersey Old Town Village is a Piscataway gem with reconstructions and replicas of buildings used by 18th- and 19th-century Raritan Valley resi- dents—including a tavern, blacksmith, barracks, and more. Starting in April, visitors can meet historical interpret- ers who bring the village to life. As spring stretches into summer, the site will host re-creations of life during the Civil War and the Revolutionary War. Father’s Day brings a demonstration
of historic baseball, and July 4 will feature a unique salute to those who fought for American independence. middlesexcountynj.gov The nearby Cornelius Low House/ Middlesex County Museum was built in 1714 for a wealthy merchant and remains one of the state’s best exam- ples of Georgian architecture. Today, the house also hosts exhibitions about the area’s history. visitnj.org And a little ways down River Road stands the Metlar-Bodine House Museum, another piece of American architectural history, but one with a reputation for being haunted. Busi- nessman George Metlar purchased the house in the 1890s, and rumor has it that visitors still hear unexplained noises or feel blasts of cold air at the
Illustrations by Jennifer Mack-Watkins for You Gotta Meet Mr Pierce! COUTESY KOKILA
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