Liberty Hall Museum Executive Director Rachael Goldberg leads a tour of the site after the Cultural Trust Board's 2024 Annual Meeting. Cultural Trust photo.
Liberty Hall in Union was built in 1772 by William Livingston, who went on to serve as New Jersey’s first elected governor. In more than two centuries as a private residence, it was visited by revolutionaries, statesmen, and leaders of industry, and it witnessed the many complexities and changes of everyday life. In 2000, the home opened as Liberty Hall Museum, which shares New Jersey history with over 20,000 visitors each year.
In addition to the main house, Liberty Hall Museum includes 12 acres, gardens, and multiple outbuildings. In FY24, Liberty Hall Museum was awarded a $40,000 grant to replace the Wagon Shed’s deteriorating 40-year-old roof through the Cultural Trust’s Capital Historic Preservation Grant Program. The Capital Historic Preservation Program, operated in partnership with the New Jersey Historic Trust, support capital facilities projects at historic sites listed on the New Jersey and/or National Register of Historic Places. Liberty Hall’s outbuildings are critical to the museum’s operations, and the organization “continually works to ensure the safety and preservation of all buildings on the museum campus,” according to Liberty Hall Museum Grants Coordinator Maryellen McVeigh. In particular, as one of three fully accessible buildings on the museum campus, the Wagon Shed (c. 1900) is used extensively for educational programming and special events. It also houses a portion of the museum’s farm equipment collection — an echo of the building’s original purpose. McVeigh described the need for a new roof on the Wagon Shed as “a central concern” for the organization. “The Wagon Shed is … one of the integral buildings on the museum campus, and it gets used on a daily basis,” she said.
The Wagon Shed, pictured with its completed roof. Photo courtesy of Liberty Hall Museum.
While the roof replacement was a straightforward project, its effect was significant — and Cultural Trust support was critical to its timely execution. “Funds to replace the roof were not available in the museum’s operating budget,” Liberty Hall wrote in their final report. “The grant funding received enabled Liberty Hall to tackle the project immediately and prevent leakage that would have had a catastrophic effect on the collection pieces that are housed within the Wagon Shed as well as on day-to-day museum operations.”
Page Last Updated: 02/13/25
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