By Jaimie Julia Winters
In the mid-2000s, Sandra McAllister climbed the stairs to the second floor of the Kearny Library and stepped into the long-closed Kearny Museum. After years of being shut to the public, the space had become a catchall for donated “historical” items left behind by well-meaning residents.
“There were piles everywhere of people’s belongings after they had passed away, and their families thought the museum would want them,” McAllister recalled.
The museum had originally opened in 1976 as part of Kearny’s bicentennial celebration. Its first curator, Jesse Hipp, invited residents to share stories and artifacts that captured the town’s history. But over time, stewardship of both the collection and the space faded, and the museum remained locked away, its contents largely untouched. That is, until McAllister retired and was looking for something meaningful to do with her time.
Years later, the museum has reopened following an extensive cleaning, careful cataloging of its collection, and the creation of new exhibits. Now under its fourth president, the Kearny Museum is led by McAllister.
“I don’t have a background in history,” she said. “But I was drawn to the little museum at the top of the stairs, and I like looking at old things.”
If you go …
Kearny Museum at the Kearny Library
318 Kearny Avenue
201-998-2666
Hours: Wednesday, 5-6:30 p.m. & Saturday, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Today, the museum is supported by an 11-member volunteer committee that meets regularly to plan programming and serves as docents during public hours on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings. Recent events have included a talk on New Jersey diners, an appearance by a “Weird NJ” author, and antique road show–style appraisals. Upcoming programs include a juried art show featuring Kearny artists and an author reading by Richard Sackerman, whose book “Target Hudson” explores the region’s history.
The museum’s displays span Kearny’s military, civic, and everyday history, with special attention given to Major General Philip Kearny Jr., the Civil War hero for whom the town is named. Among the highlights are pieces of furniture from his Belle Grove home, donated by his granddaughter and second wife.
Visitors will also find a complete collection of Kearny High School yearbooks, along with antique clothing and accessories dating back to 1850. Many of these items were donated by residents and offer a window into daily life across generations.
Other exhibits explore the history of St. Cecilia School, the town’s fire and police departments, and the evolution of Kearny from a rural community to the town it is today. A large military exhibit features uniforms, artifacts donated by local veterans, and historic newspaper clippings, including materials related to the former New Jersey Home for Disabled Soldiers, once located in Kearny and long since closed.
The museum also highlights some of the region’s earliest families, including an exhibit on early settler William Sandford and his estate, providing insight into life in the area before the town was formally founded.
McAllister said her favorite aspect of Kearny’s history is its deep connection to the military and veterans, from famed Civil War hero Major General Philip Kearny Jr. to the Soldiers Home on Belgrove Drive, which housed veterans from the Civil War through World War II, and Arlington Memorial Park, the historic military cemetery on Schuyler Avenue. She also enjoys highlighting Kearny’s shipbuilding era, when dozens of warships were constructed along Newark Bay.
The museum is also woven into Kearny’s fourth-grade curriculum, with student visits forming part of lessons on local history.
Former president and current committee member Barbara Toczko said one of the museum’s ongoing challenges is sparking interest among younger generations and helping them feel invested in both their town’s history and history more broadly.
“We are always looking for younger committee members to join us,” Toczko said.
One place to start, she suggested, is with the story of Major General Philip Kearny Jr., nicknamed “The One-Armed Devil” for leading cavalry charges with his sword clenched in his teeth after losing an arm.
“He was a pretty cool guy,” she said.
Jaimie Julia Winters is an award-winning editor and journalist. She has held senior editorial and communications roles with local, nonprofit, and faith-based news organizations, including Montclair Local, Jersey Catholic, The Record, South Bergenite, Ridgewood News, and North Jersey Media Group/ Gannett, where she helped pioneer digital-first reporting and transparency-driven coverage through extensive public records requests. She also aided in the startup of Kearny Life and Our Meadowlands Magazine.