Liberty Hall Museum to Reopen to Public April 1

Liberty Hall Museum has announced it will resume public tours on Monday, April 1, signaling a welcome end to the Museum's traditional winter break, which featured an ambitious slate of seasonal and special programming but limited access to day visits. The Museum will also extend its fascinating ongoing exhibit, Ring for Service: The Role of Servants in a Country House, until November 16. This scintillating look "behind-the-scenes" enables guests to follow in the footsteps of a real-life servant working at the Kean mansion over a century ago, and offers a rare glimpse into Liberty Hall's attic, where two servants' quarters have been opened to the public for the first time in the Museum's history.

Beginning April 10, Liberty Hall Museum will also host its stylish Afternoon Tea twice a month. In the grand tradition of the former lady of the house, guests are invited to Liberty Hall's signature tea service the second and fourth Wednesday of every month (2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.). Tea will be served in the Museum's comfortable glass-enclosed porch, overlooking Liberty Hall's stunning formal English gardens. For two tranquil hours, guests will sit back, relax, and enjoy three of life's simplest but enduring pleasures: good food, good drink, and breathtaking scenery. Liberty Hall Museum's Blossom into Spring Tea (April 10 at 2:00 p.m.) has already reached full capacity, but reservations are still available for Arbor Day Tea on Wednesday, April 24 at 2:00 p.m. by calling 908-527-0400.

Mothers and daughters of all ages are encouraged to join the Museum for The Girls of Liberty Hall Tea and Fashion Show on Saturday, April 13. From 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m., guests will be treated to a luncheon of scones, dainty finger sandwiches, sweet treats, lemonade, iced tea and sherbet punch on real china while enjoying a fashion show of reproduction historic children's clothing from colonial times through the early 20th century. This delightful afternoon will also feature a children's dress-up and play tent, games and prizes. Admission is $25.00 per person, and reservations are required.

Liberty Hall's newest venture, the Liberty Hall Museum Community Farmers Market, will celebrate the advent of spring on Saturday, April 20 by offering a free planting activity for children, the Kids' Spring Seedling Event. From 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., children will tour Liberty Hall's farm, enjoy healthy snacks and live storytelling, and plant seeds in portable containers they may take home to nurture and watch grow. Admission to the event is free, but capacity is limited; please email info@njmomsguide.com by April 15 to reserve your space.

Finally, Liberty Hall Museum's elegant Downton Abbey Brunches continue to defy expectations, with all scheduled Downton Abbey-themed brunches and luncheons sold out from now through May 19. The wildly popular events are often attended by trivia-savvy Downton fans enthusiastically attired in vintage or reproduction Edwardian-era clothing. Each brunch features a sumptuous buffet, party favors, a champagne toast, and access to Ring for Service: The Role of Servants in a Country House.

Liberty Hall Museum at Kean University chronicles more than 240 years of American history. The museum also houses extensive collections of furniture, ceramics, textiles, toys and tools owned by seven generations of the Livingston and Kean families. The Firehouse Museum, built in 2004, houses three antique fire engines, including a rare 1911 American LaFrance Metropolitan Steam Engine. Public tours of the Museum resume Monday, April 1, and are available Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Tours begin on the hour (last tour departs at 3:00 p.m.), and are conducted by the Museum's friendly and knowledgeable staff in exquisite reproduction clothing from the early-20th century era.

For reservations and further information, please call 908-527-0400, e-mail libertyhall@kean.edu or visit www.kean.edu/libertyhall. Please follow Liberty Hall Museum on Facebook and Twitter at https://www.facebook.com/libertyhallmuseum or https://twitter.com/LibertyHallKean. More information on Liberty Hall Museum's Community Farmers Market is available at https://www.facebook.com/libertyhallfarmersmarket.

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