Joyce Kilmer, 'Trees' Exhibit Now Open At Mahwah Museum

MAHWAH, NJ — A special exhibit showcasing "Trees" author Joyce Kilmer and his famous poem "Trees" is now open at the Mahwah Museum.

The exhibit, entitled "Kilmer, The Man," is a collaboration between the Joyce Kilmer Society and the museum.

Alex Michelini, the society's founder, located proof in Georgetown University that Kilmer wrote "Trees" in his Mahwah home on Feb. 2, 1913, ending a century-long controversy regarding where one of the world's famous poems was penned.

The exhibit will feature a reproduction of the upstairs room where Kilmer wrote the poem while sitting at a desk and looking out of window.

Michelini said the exhibit is one of "extraordinary historical significance."

The Kilmer exhibit is one of four the museum is featuring during the 2017-18 season.

The others are:

• Another new exhibit, "The First World War," shows the role of Mahwah and Bergen County in World War I.
• "Mahwah's Herstory: The Changing Roles of Women in Mahwah's History." The exhibit examines the role of women in the township's history, beginning with its first settler, Blandina Bayard, through 1960. Highlights include women’s activities, including pioneering and farming, changing roles in the workforce and women’s accomplishments in the arts, in charitable organizations and in social reforms.
• "Medicine in Mahwah" highlights the history of medicine in Mahwah. It focuses on the growth and development of the medical field, Mahwah practitioners, their methods and tools they used.

The museum has two permanent exhibits:

• "The Donald Cooper Model Railroad" is an operating HO-scale model railroad featuring many trains and four levels. The exhibit features switches that allow the operator to control the entire layout and send trains to specific destinations.
• "Les Paul in Mahwah" highlights the famous guitar inventor and innovator. It has sections on his inventions, guitars and a re-creation of his studio.

The museum, at 201 Franklin Turnpike, opens Sept. 30 at 1 p.m. It is open weekends and Wednesdays from 1 to 4 p.m. Admission is $5 for non-museum members and free for members and children.

The model railroad and Les Paul exhibits are only open on the weekends.

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Photo: Joyce Kilmer in his French Army uniform./Wikimedia Commons, public domain