Historic Cold Spring Village is a beautifully restored and authentic 1800s village that brings this era back to life. Set on a 30-acre site in Cape May, the Village features 27 expertly restored and refurbished buildings, in which period clothed interpreters demonstrate broom making, blacksmithing, tinsmithing, bookbinding, basket weaving, printing, pottery, and open hearth cooking.

The Village also has an organic farm with a horse, chicken, sheep and more and presents an array of special weekday family activities such as arts and crafts, dress ups, memorable games, and free horse-drawn carriage rides.

History

Historic Cold Spring Village came to life in 1973 when Dr. Joseph Salvatore and his wife Patricia Anne acquired Cold Spring Grange #132 and began a living history museum. The following eight years saw the Salvatores gathering an impressive collection of buildings from the 18th and 19th century and setting them on 22 acres of wooded land between Routes 9 and 626. They also collected period décor and furnishings, tools and trade implements, and other items from this era and housed the buildings with them, with the idea of taking visitors on a journey back in time to a working village and rural South Jersey community in the 1800s.

Historic Cold Spring Village was opened to the public in 1981 and the buildings, and the land on which they stood was donated to the people of Cape May County in 1984, before being returned to the Salvatores in 1993. Today, the Village is managed by the HCSV Foundation, private non-profit corporation, and acts as an educational and historical center for the public to enjoy with the aim of preserving the history and improving understanding of the past.

Cold Spring Brewery

The Cold Spring Brewery joined the village in 2014 and was housed in an 1804 three-bay English-style Cape May County barn. Located just outside the Village and beautifully restored to its former glory, the Cold Spring Brewery serves a selection of ale on tap and is open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 8:00 pm.

Village Country Store

Built in the 1700s and formerly known as The Hathorn House, the Village Country Store sells a unique assortment of hand-crafted arts and crafts, artisan wares, and heritage goods, ranging from hand spun wool and craft kits to hand-wrought ironware homemade jams and books. The Village Country Store is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10: 00 am to 4:30 pm.

Village Bakery

Originally called the Ezra-Norton House and built in circa 1850, the Village Bakery is run by Madison’s Bakery of Cape May and offers freshly baked bread, pastries, and other delightful treats and beverages. The Village Bakery is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10: 00 am to 4:30 pm.

Cold Spring Grange Restaurant

Built in 1912 and known as the Cold Spring Grange #132, the Cold Spring Grange Restaurant sits on the original site on which it was constructed. The two-story building was made to serve as the meeting hall and gathering place for the residents of Cold Spring and its surrounding rural areas until 1970. Today, the building has become the Cold Spring Grange Restaurant, which offers an array of healthy meals and beverages in a historical setting, and is listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.

Ice Cream Parlor

Formerly called the Ewing-Douglass House and built in circa 1850 with a Greek Revival style façade and Victorian style point-arched windows, the Ice Cream Parlor offers refreshing and sweet respite during a Village visit.

Visitor Information

The Historic Cold Spring Village is located in Cape May and is open to the public from mid-June through Labor Day on Tuesdays through Sundays from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm. Special events are held every weekend from early June through mid-September for the whole family to enjoy. The Village features an organic farm with plenty of activities, as well as a Welcome Center where visitors can find information about the community and its rich history, a Country Store and Bakery with fresh goodies to eat, an Ice Cream Parlor and the Cold Spring Grange Restaurant.

720 US 9, Cape May, NJ 08204, website, Phone: 609-898-2300, Map

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