The annual Holly Walk in Morristown, NJ is to benefit six historic house museums. These historic homes are decorated for the holiday season. Some of the holiday decorations you will be viewing range from simple greens of the 18th century Ford family to the exuberant festivities of the Macculloch clan. Some sites offer historical presentations and demonstrations, while others present musical programs. The following is a list of the participating museum homes as follows:

THE WILLOWS AT FOSTERFIELDS HISTORICAL FARM was built in 1854 for Joseph Warren Revere, grandson of Revolutionary patriot Paul Revere and is an exceptional example of American Gothic revival architecture. In 1881 Charles Foster purchased the property as an active breeding farm for Jersey cattle. When his daughter Caroline died at the age of 102, she willed the property to the Morris County Park Commission, which continues to operate Fosterfields as a living history farm. For the Holly Walk, Fosterfields will be presented as Christmas in 1901.

WASHINGTON'S HEADQUARTERS at Morristown National Historical Park, built in 1774, was the residence for Washington and his general staff during the winter of 1779 - 1780. The Georgian mansion, has been restored and furnished as it could have looked when George Washington, his aides, and the Ford family were crowded into this wartime house for the holidays. During the Holly Walk, the room used by Washington and his staff is presented as it may have appeared during dessert for Christmas dinner.

MACCULLOCH HALL, a twenty-room Federal-style mansion, was begun in 1810 by Scotsman George Macculloch and was occupied by four generations of his descendants. Today "the Old House" is a fine and decorative arts museum arranged in period rooms and formal galleries. Holly Walk highlights are the original works by Thomas Nast, who created the American image of Santa Claus, and the eleven-foot Christmas tree in the Drawing Room. This year, Macculloch Hall's period rooms will be decorated on the theme "Sweet Dreams". Throughout the Holly Walk, Macculloch Hall will host live performances of holiday music.

SCHUYLER-HAMILTON HOUSE, circa 1760, was the scene of Alexander Hamilton's tempestuous courtship with Betsey Schuyler during the Revolutionary War. The house remains nearly unaltered since the young lovers' time and now serves as local headquarters for the Daughters of the American Revolution. During the Holly Walk, an exhibit of eighteenth and early nineteenth-century medicine will be highlighted. Light refreshments will be served.

HISTORIC SPEEDWELL, the birthplace of the telegraph, is a National Historic Site preserving seven and a half acres of restored Homestead Estate of Stephen Vail, proprietor of the Speedwell Iron Works, a vanguard of America's Industrial Revolution. Stephen's son, Alfred, worked here to perfect the telegraph in the 1830s and 1840s. In keeping with the mid-1800s period, the Vail Mansion decorations will feature holly sprigs cut fresh from the spectacular trees on site, pine boughs and cones, and other natural trimmings. Musical entertainment and holiday refreshments will also be offered throughout the weekend.

Holly Walk 2001 is a self-guided route with a map and brief history included with each ticket, and museum staff guide visitors through the varied periods and sites. Advance tickets are available through the Historic Morris Visitors Center or at each site during the Holly Walk. Holly Walk is the cornerstone of Holly Week, a collaborative holiday celebration of the Morris Tourism Council. General and group tour information for Holly Walk is available through the Historic Morris Visitor Center (973) 631-5151.

Happy Holiday Exploring!