Celebrate local history at the Hunterdon Land Trust (HLT) Farmers’ Market on Sunday, July 9 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Dvoor Farm, 111 Mine Street in Raritan Township. HLT’s History Day will feature tours, a presentation about life in Hunterdon County in the 1870s, and a visit by several local historical organizations.

The event begins with a tour of the barns on the Dvoor Farm at 9:30 a.m. with Chris Pickell, the principal architect at Pickell Architecture in Flemington. He will lead a walking tour and discuss the farm’s bank barn, north and east barns, horse barn (with the iconic Dvoor Bros. advertisement painted on the roof) and wagon house. Pickell specializes in upgrading antique buildings, historic design, and timber and stone barns. He’s also a trustee of the Hunterdon County Historical Society.

At 10:30 a.m., John Allen shares the findings of his research using the 1870 Federal Census alongside the 1873 Beers map to create a fascinating snapshot of a late 19th century farming community in Hunterdon County. Using East Amwell Township as a model, Allen discusses the lives of rich and poor farmers and farm laborers, telling several fascinating stories along the way. The presentation, which includes maps and intriguing images, also covers such topics as the 1872 equine influenza epidemic and population trends in the county.

At 11:30 a.m., tour the historic stone farm house with Dave Harding, HLT’s director of outreach. He’ll take you through 279 years of local history, covering Johan Philip Case’s arrival to the Flemington area, his friendship with the Delaware Chief Tuccamirgan, to the preservation of the Dvoor Farm in 1999. Visitors can check out the 18th-century graffiti in the attic and learn about the 1803 murder in the basement. Harding serves on the board of trustees of the Hunterdon County Historical Society and is a member of the East Amwell Historical Society.

Also participating in the house tour is Ariel Dvoor Hylton, who created a podcast of a self-guided walking tour of the Dvoor farm and house for her Girl Scout Gold Award. The tour will be available from HLT’s website and YouTube channel. Hylton is the great-granddaughter of Jacob Dvoor, who purchased the property in 1920 and ran a stock farm until his death in 1972. Jacob’s son, Herb Dvoor, continued to run the family cattle business well into the 1990s.

All events are free, and no registration is required.

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