2026 New Jersey History and Historic Preservation Conference

The New Jersey History and Historic Preservation Conference is the annual state-wide educational and networking opportunity for history and historic preservation professionals and volunteers in the fields of architecture, planning, heritage site and museum management, public history, archaeology, municipal preservation commissions, county heritage offices, developers, students, and more.

• Choose between guided tours of Willowwood Arboretum and Bamboo Brook or Morristown
• Choose between two workshop topics practical preservation techniques for traditional finishes or collections management
• Informal Networking Reception hosted by the Morris Museum at the Morris Museum

• Keynote planery with Erik Hein, Executive Director of the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers, and Nakita Reed, Associate Principal at Quinn Evans & Host of Tangible Remnants Podcast.
• Choice of 13 educational sessions
• Poster sessions and awards sponsored by Preservation New Jersey
• Marketplace sponsor and vendor exhibits
• Closing Networking Event

You may register for events on one or both days.

Info: Location: METC Education Annex | This is a hands-on, technical workshop that expands upon the use and application of linseed oil paints as presented on during last year’s conference. The workshop will begin with a brief presentation of linseed oil paints then the participants will break out into working groups to practice preparation and application. The stations include plaster application, window application, the painting process, and removal/stripping. Attendees will leave the workshop with an understanding of how to use and apply linseed oil paints on windows and clapboard. This workshop is a must for any architects, contractors, and individuals interested in learning more about returning to traditional materials.

Info: Location: Fosterfields Living Historical Farm Auditorium | Join the Morris County Park Commission and Morris County Historical Society to explore the fundamentals of collections and archives management. Workshop will include discussions on topics such as establishing a scope of collections, accessioning and deaccessioning, cataloging and documentation, as well as collections care, organization, and storage. Special attention will be given to working within the limitations of sites’ display and storage capabilities as well as organizations’ budgetary and workforce restraints. Participants will have the opportunity to visit the many buildings that comprise Fosterfields Living Historical Farm to see how a variety of structures are utilized to achieve collections management goals. The session is designed to guide participants through the practical first steps towards effective stewardship of historic collections and archives.

Info: Location: Willowwood Arboretum | Step into the living legacy of American landscape design with a behind the scenes tour featuring the historic gardens at Willowwood Arboretum and Bamboo Brook Outdoor Education Center. This guided experience invites garden enthusiasts, landscape professionals, historians, and preservation professionals to look beyond the building and explore two of New Jersey’s most significant horticultural treasures. Participants will get a behind-the-scenes look at how new scholarship is changing the narrative and context of Willowwood Arboretum, New Jersey’s most comprehensive and longest continually operating Arboretum, and explore the preserved historic gardens of pioneering landscape architect Martha Brookes Hutcheson. The tour will include walking on grass and unpaved/uneven surfaces along an approximately 2-mile route.

Info: Location: Acorn Hall | Famously the site of two encampments by Washington’s troops, Morristown boasts a remarkable history that expands far beyond the Revolution. Over the centuries that followed, the town continued be shaped by notable people and events that left their mark on the local landscape. Join us for a guided experience as we explore over 250 years walking across one of New Jersey’s most storied towns.

Led by Amy Curry, Executive Director of Morris County Historical Society, the tour will begin at Acorn Hall, the organization’s headquarters and one of the best-preserved historic house museums in NJ, where a shuttle will be provided to continue the tour. Participants will be hosted at each stop by experts who will share the history preserved within each site.

Info: Join us at the Morris Museum for an informal networking reception. Details coming soon!

Info: Location: Saint Elizabeth University | Check-in at registration to receive essential materials such as name badges, conference programs, and other relevant information. Fuel up for the day by enjoying breakfast and mingling with fellow conference attendees.

Info: Location: Saint Elizabeth University, Dolan Performance Hall

Info: Location: Saint Elizabeth University | (S-1) High Water, High Stakes: Adapting Historic Homes for Flood Resilience; (S-2) Engaging the Public with Preservation: 50 Years of Lessons; (S-3) Is Your Museum Building Part of Your Collection?; (S-4) Living History in Practice: Special Considerations for Historical Reenactments

Info: Location: Saint Elizabeth University

Info: Location: Saint Elizabeth University | (S-10) Revolutionary New Jersey Revealed; (S-11) Honoring New Jersey Black History through Historical Markers; (S-12) Complying with Law P.L. 2025, c. 149: Educating Historic Preservation Commission Members and the People You Serve; (S-9) The Morris Canal & Morris Canal Greenway in the 21st Century

Info: Location: Saint Elizabeth University | End the day with an informal networking event outside on the patio.

Info: Location: Saint Elizabeth University | (S-5) Developing & Applying Historic Design Guidelines in New Jersey; (S-6) Historic Property Reinvestment Program: Assessing its Impact and Evolution; (S-7) The Revolutionary She: Preserving Women's History at Historic Sites; (S-8) America 250th & Heritage Tourism: Storytelling, Preservation & Community Growth; (S-13) Lord Stirling Unearthed: Public Archaeology at a Lost Country Estate

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Host or Publisher Friends of New Jersey Heritage