Our Mission
Morris County Historical Society preserves and promotes the history of Morris County, New Jersey.
Since 1971, MCHS has been headquartered at Acorn Hall, an 1853 Victorian Italianate country home. MCHS operates the Hall as a house museum and uses its extensive collections and archive holdings to produce exhibitions and programs related to local and state history.
Officers
Kathleen O. Margiotta
President
Gail Boertzel
Vice President
Robert Alper
Treasurer
Caroline Kolb
Secretary
Amy E. Curry
Executive Director
Board Members
- Robert Donaldson
Emeritus - Robert Alper
- Gail Boertzel
- Joen Luy Ferrari
- Larisa Gjivoje
- Elizabeth Kogen
- Caroline Kolb
- Kathleen O. Margiotta
- Caryl Anne McBride
- Kate McCabe
- Ariadne Monfalcone
- Lynn Shavelson
- Steven Wienerman
Photograph Courtesy of Manfred Saul
Staff
-
Amy E. Curry
Executive Director -
Anne Motto
Curator of Collections -
Erin Feith
Research Assistant -
Gary Rintz
Facilities Manager -
Noel Grabow
Collections Assistant -
Patricia Goodfriend
Membership & Volunteer Coordinator
Amy E. Curry
Executive Director
A Massachusetts native, Amy received her bachelor’s degree from The Pennsylvania State University, where she was a full-scholarship athlete, and her master’s degree from Millersville University of PA. Following successful tenures with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and National Park Service, Amy came to NJ in 2012 as Morris County Historical Society’s Executive Director.
Since then, Amy has successfully grant funded and managed projects ranging from the recovery of Acorn Hall’s six acre cultural landscape, decimated by Superstorm Sandy, to the complete exterior restoration of both Acorn Hall and its carriage house, a total of $2.5 million. Additionally, working with several other local entities, she has successfully grant funded nearly $1 million for the restoration of two significant Morris County historic resources. In addition to completed interior and exterior restoration projects for Acorn Hall, Amy has overseen the exponential growth, organization, and diversification of MCHS, its membership, collections, and archives to include some of Morris County’s most significant and historical treasures.
When not working for MCHS, Amy is… well… always working for MCHS.
Anne Motto
Curator of Collections
Anne joined MCHS in March 2019. A native of Randolph, she graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Anthropology. Since then, she has worked at several local museums as both a curator and educator. Most recently, she was Assistant Curator at the Morris Museum and a museum educator/graphic designer at Macculloch Hall Historical Museum.
In her free time, you’ll find Anne working on a fused glass project.
Erin Feith
Research Assistant
Erin started as an intern at MCHS in 2020, before becoming the research assistant. She studied at Drew University and graduated with a degree in History and double minors in English: Literature and Humanities. During her collegiate education, Erin gained experience in the Digital
Humanities and worked alongside her professor to analyze and visualize historical questions through digital mapping and graphing software. Familiar with archival research, she used primary texts to complete her undergraduate honors thesis, through which she earned Specialized Honors in History. In her position, Erin combines her passion for History and research.
Gary Rintz
Facilities Manager
Born and raised in Budd Lake, Gary attended Morris County Vo-Tech for the electrical trades. After living in Florida and California, Gary moved back to his native NJ and opened a landscape and masonry business, which he ran successfully for eight years. In 2014, Gary was hired by MCHS as a part-time Facilities Manager, but the rate of our restoration projects on the Acorn Hall property necessitated his position becoming full-time. Gary completed some of MCHS’s most recent interior restoration projects, including the butler’s pantry, servant staircase, and gallery gift shop.
In his spare time, Gary enjoys camping, fishing, hunting, kayaking, and riding his motorcycle.
Noel Grabow
Collections Assistant
A lifelong sewer with a special interest in historical sewing machines and sewing techniques, Noel’s academic background is in English Literature and Education. Noel started volunteering with MCHS in 2015 and was hired as collections assistant in 2017. Her professional experiences include teaching, bookkeeping, and working as a system administrator for an IT company. Noel’s personal interests help her bring a passionate approach to working with the MCHS collections.
Patricia Goodfriend
Membership & Volunteer Coordinator
A native of Connecticut, Pat amassed a variety of museum, communications, nonprofit, and government-related experiences in Illinois and Texas before coming to NJ. Starting as a volunteer docent in 2001, Pat has served in various capacities for MCHS, but in her role as Membership & Volunteer Coordinator, Pat provides office support to meet the needs of MCHS’s growing membership, and diverse group of volunteers, utilizing her varied professional experiences to build strong community relationships on behalf of MCHS.
After work, Pat actively pursues her interests in history, the arts, and the natural sciences.
Grantor and Friends
We are grateful for the generous and continued support of our grantors.
Morris County Historical Society receives general operating support from the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders, New Jersey Historical Commission, Campbell Family Foundation, and Robert and Diana Wong Charitable Foundation. MCHS receives project-based funding from the NJ Historic Trust, Morris County Historic Preservation Trust, NJ Cultural Trust, and Benjamin Moore.
Thanks also to our friends for all their support: The Honorable Rodney Frelinghuysen, First Rate Landscape, Ricciardi Brothers, Connolly & Hickey Historical Architects, Rutgers Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program, Home Garden Club of Morristown, Keefe Plumbing, Viking Electric, and Carolle Huber.