Join Durand-Hedden for a Revolutionary Dining Experience on Sunday, January 25

MAPLEWOOD, NJ – January 2026 – If you have visited the Durand-Hedden House (and we hope you have), you may remember the large open-hearth in our historic 18th-century kitchen.

Perhaps you have paused there and imagined what life might have been like for the home’s original inhabitants on Ridgewood Road—cooking, eating, and talking together around an open fire.

As we approach 2026, the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, it is a fitting moment to look back and consider what the world may have felt like during that tumultuous era.

On January 25, be one of only 18 guests who will visit that past

We warmly invite all members of our community to step back in time for an intimate and immersive evening at the hearth. On Sunday, January 25, from 2 pm to 5 pm, expert hearth cook Margaret Quinn will prepare an authentic 18th-century meal, cooked entirely on the original hearth. You’ll share this rare dining experience with a small group of like-minded neighbors (limited to just 18)—gathered to reflect on our shared past and to support the future of the Durand-Hedden House.

Your support will help to ensure the future of the Durand-Hedden House

Proceeds from this event will support the replacement of Durand-Hedden’s 100-year-old roof, a critical project that protects both the house and the historic collections it shelters. Restoring the roof ensures that we can continue to preserve this remarkable place and offer community programming rooted in our shared history.

We hope you will consider joining us for this very special event on January 25 —an opportunity to truly experience the past while helping to preserve the future of a community treasure. Tickets are available at DurandHedden.org.

About Durand-Hedden House and Garden

The Durand-Hedden House and Garden Association is Maplewood’s historical house museum, dedicated to creating engaging and informative educational programs and materials about the local history of Maplewood and surrounding communities, natural history, and other related topics. The House, at 523 Ridgewood Road, Maplewood, is open once a month between September and June. For more information, visit our website at durandhedden.org. To arrange group tours, write to info@durandhedden.org. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter.