By Donald Gilpin

The theme is understanding the past and shaping the future, and Morven on Stockton Street in Princeton, embodying a rich history that dates from the American Revolution to the roaring ’20s to the societal upheavals of the 1960s, provides an ideal setting to explore that theme.

Morven Museum & Garden, supported by a variety of community partners, is taking on the challenge of connecting history and civic engagement with a July schedule of educational programs and entertaining events that includes a festive Fourth of July Jubilee; a community reading of Frederick Douglass’ “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”; a Summer Reading Soirée with two authors of historical fiction discussing their recent novels; summer cream tea service in Morven’s historic Garden Room; and an exploration of the “hidden histories” of women’s education in early America.

“All of these events share themes of learning from the past and the people who’ve made change throughout American history to both inspire and inform civic action, and how creating a space for conversation and the exchange of ideas is important to exploring different perspectives/experiences that make up our communities and our country,” wrote Morven Curator of Education and Public Programs Greer Luce in an email.

As part of the national Civic Season program, which emphasizes the historical significance of Juneteenth and July 4th, Morven is hosting its Jubilee celebration on Thursday, July 4 from noon to 3 p.m., featuring family-friendly interactive activities and crafts, including tours of Morven’s gardens, live music, food trucks, face painting, and a unique opportunity to “sign” the Declaration of Independence.

Morven marked Independence Day in 1783 as it hosted congressional delegates, explained Morven marketing communications consultant Ellen Malavsky, and now, 241 years later, it continues the tradition in its role as the home of a signer of the Declaration of Independence and New Jersey’s first governor’s mansion and residence of five New Jersey governors.

The Historical Society of Princeton, one of Morven’s community partners, will be hosting an open archives activity at the July 4 event featuring historical documents and photos about monuments in Princeton. Visitors will be able to engage with the history of monuments in Princeton and then create their own monument featuring a person or event they’d like to see remembered in the future.

YWCA Princeton, another community partner, will be hosting voter registration and resources among other activities at the Jubilee, as visitors explore Morven’s history and also learn about ways to participate in civic life today through voting, community service, supporting local causes and projects, and more.

Other community partners include the Paul Robeson House of Princeton, People & Stories/Gente y Cuentos, Princeton Academy of Art, Princeton Public Library (PPL), Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum, and the Witherspoon-Jackson Historical and Cultural Society.

On Monday, July 8, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., Morven, along with several local partner organizations, will present an online Zoom event with community members reading an amended version of Frederick Douglass’ speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?.” which he delivered on July 5, 1852 in Rochester, N.Y., to the Rochester Ladies Anti-Slavery Society. Registration and Zoom link for the reading are available at princetonlibrary.org.

Greer described Douglass’ speech advocating for justice and equality as one of the “touchpoints for understanding today how one’s civic voice can make a difference.”

A Summer Reading Soirée with Morven in partnership with the PPL and Labyrinth Books will take place on Wednesday, July 10 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Ann Hood and Laura Spence-Ash will be discussing their recent novels, The Stolen Child and Beyond That, the Sea respectively.

Again, at Morven’s Summer Cream Tea Service on July 18 and 19, with seatings each day at 12 and 2:15 p.m., Morven invites attendees “to join in conversation with one another in a mansion where many political ideas and thoughts were discussed over a cup of tea,” Greer said. Included with each tea service is a tour of Morven’s first floor exhibition on the lives of the people who lived and worked at the house during its long history.

Later in the month, on July 25 at 6:30 p.m., Morven will be hosting a talk called “Women’s Educational Worlds: Hidden Histories.” Greer noted, “Long before colleges opened their doors to them, women in early America, like Morven resident Annis Boudinot Stockton, sought their own education, forging relationships and exchanging ideas with their contemporaries.”

At the July 25 event, historian Lucia McMahon, author of the recent The Celebrated Elizabeth Smith, will present her new research portraying a previously hidden world of women’s ideas, political thought, and civic influence, reflecting on the theme of engaging with the past as an inspiration for making change in the present.

In reflecting on the month ahead, Greer emphasized, “Attendees can expect to join Morven and some amazing community partners for events that encourage learning, creativity, and conversation, all aspects central to building a healthier civic life.”

Morven is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the gardens are open daily until dusk. Visit morven.org for more information.