The gardens will be open during regular Museum hours on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday afternoons from 1-4pm and the gates secured at all other times. This change is in response to repeated reports by our neighbors and the police of illicit activity occurring in the gardens when the Museum is closed, both during daylight hours and at night. Group use of the gardens must be scheduled through the Museum office; please contact us at 973-538-2404 x15 regarding use of the garden as an outdoor classroom, or for groups, tours, or special event photography.
Garden History: George and Louisa Macculloch once owned 26 acres of land surrounding their house, much of it used as farmland and orchards. Commodore Matthew Perry brought the wisteria planted along the rear porch arbor as a gift to Senator and Mrs. Miller circa 1857. Perry opened China and Japan to American trading in the mid-1850s.
Among the sixty-five varieties of roses, many considered “heirloom” or pre-1920s, are two bushes that have defied identification and are named “Old Macculloch Hall Roses.” It is possible that these roses survived from the earliest period of the garden’s history. Although not dated, the sundial on the upper lawn has been a part of the Macculloch Hall landscape since 1876. The very old sassafras tree at the far end of the lawn is the second largest example in New Jersey (NJDEP).
Today, the remaining three acres are a colorful and elegant garden. Returned to their former splendor by the Garden Club of Morristown in the 1950s, the plantings still enjoy the careful attention of Garden Club members on annual cleanup days. Planted for seasonal bloom, daffodils and bulbs welcome spring, followed by the magnificent wisteria, and in June, the roses perfume the air.
The gardens are private property, open at no charge during Museum hours: Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday afternoons from 1-4pm. Group use of the gardens must be scheduled through the Museum office; please contact us at 973-538-2404 x15 regarding use of the garden for groups, tours, or special event photography.
