Waterloo Village opens Grist Mill

BYRAM — The Canal Society of New Jersey will partner with the state Department of Environmental Protection and its Division of Parks and Forestry to open Waterloo Village’s section of the Morris Canal on Saturday, June 25, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For the first time since Waterloo Village closed the Grist Mill will be open to the public, possibly with the mill wheel working. Also new will be a photo exhibit of the turn of the 20th Century at Waterloo. Canal days are among the few times each season it is open to visitors. It is the most intact surviving canal town between Jersey City and Phillipsburg. The society’s crew will provide rides on the pontoon boat on the portion of the canal at Waterloo and Captain John Hummel will spin his yarns about life when the canals were the thoroughfares of the country. The day will also feature live period music and guided walking tours of the town, including the New Jersey Canal Museum and carriage barn which will have exhibits and video presentations. Also open to the public are Smith’s Store, a well-preserved Morris Canal store that exemplifies a mercantile establishment of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The 1820s Rutan Cabin and the Lenape Village will also be open as will the blacksmith shop. For more information log on to canalsocietynj.org. The rain date is Sunday, June 26.