(PRINCETON, NJ) -- Morven Museum & Garden has been awarded funds that will be used to apply a historically accurate treatment of white wash to the home-turned-museum from the Semiquincentennial Grant Program funded by the Historic Preservation Fund as administered by the National Park Service, Department of Interior. Testing of treatment methods will begin immediately to determine the safest and best application to the entire building next summer.

The funds will also support an upgrade to Morven’s elevator to ensure ADA compliance and to help us begin addressing site lighting needs in advance of the anniversary year’s anticipated increase in attendance as the national spotlight turns to important American Revolutionary sites like Morven. We are honored to receive the full amount of our funding request, and to be among three New Jersey sites, the most awarded state, in this highly competitive market.

From Morven’s Executive Director Jill M. Barry: “We are delighted to receive the National Park Service funding to help prepare Morven for the 250th anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence. This builds on the recently awarded NPS Save America’s Treasures grant, allowing us to address maintenance issues and provide an exceptional visitor experience at the only extant New Jersey home of a signer open to the public.” Indeed, this generous grant will allow Morven to continue its mission of preserving and celebrating our, and our community’s, authentic stories.

Morven Museum & Garden is located at 55 Stockton Street in Princeton, New Jersey. It is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10:00am to 4:00pm. 

Most historic sites celebrate one notable resident. Morven is unique in that it was home to many remarkable people. Built in the 1750s and home to one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, Morven was home to five generations of Stocktons, then Robert Wood Johnson, Jr. before becoming New Jersey’s first Governor’s Mansion and home to five New Jersey governors, their families and staffs, witnessing nearly 300 years of history.