- Summer season (July through mid-September): Wednesday through Saturday, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
- Winter season: Wednesday and Friday, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
- Programs offered on site include lectures by local and regional historians, special exhibits featuring various themed items from the Society’s large collection, guided tours, and a variety of children’s programs
- Docent-led tours of the house and barn offered Wednesday through Saturday during summer months and less frequently during the off-season
- This spring, the Society's first documentary, 300 Years in the Middle: A History of Middle Township, premiered to offer a glimpse into the little-known history of Middle Township
- A summer camp series features hands-on experiences where children and young adults can learn introductory skills from professional archaeologists
- Lectures hosted regularly by history scholars
- A changing exhibit currently features a display of wedding dresses from the Society’s collection
- ADA accessible
- Gift shop
- Restrooms
- On-site parking
- Research library
- Free
Cresse-Holmes House
504 North Route 9, Cape May Court House, NJ 08210
609-465-3535
Owned and maintained by the Cape May County Historical and Genealogical Society, the Cresse-Holmes House operates as a house museum to portray life in Cape May County from the early 1700s to the late 1800s.
Furnished with Cape May County furniture, textiles, dishes, and other items, the house features a colonial kitchen and loft bedroom, Victorian dining, sitting, and music rooms, a children’s playroom, and a doctor’s room with instruments, glassware, and colorful vials. The property also boasts three historic outbuildings – a 1780 barn, 1855 gravel brick storage building, and 1900 outhouse. The Smith Barn houses popular exhibits such as the Maritime Room, the Military Room, and the Unalachtigo-Native American Room. The Maritime Room features historic implements from the local whaling industry and the original first-order Fresnel lens from the Cape May Light House. The Military Room pays homage to local veterans and features period pieces from the Revolutionary War to the Iraq War. Redesigned in 2017 by Stockton University students, the Unalachtigo Room portrays local artifacts representing 10,000 years of Native American culture. Additionally, the brick storage building is used for hands-on children’s programs during summer months. Visitors can also utilize the Society’s on-site genealogical research library.
WHAT TO SEE AND DO
- Tour the house museum to learn what life was like in Cape May County in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries
- Visit Smith Barn to explore popular exhibits in the Maritime Room, Military Room, and Unalachtigo-Native American Room
- Utilize the genealogical research library
Journey through Jersey strives to have the most up-to-date information, but always check with the site itself before planning a visit.
