Matawan Historical Society NJ

Matawan Historical Society NJ The Matawan Aberdeen Historical Society is an all volunteer, charitable non-profit organization founded in 1969

🏛️ FREE Burrowes Mansion Tours TODAY! 🏛️Join us this afternoon from 2-4 PM for a free guided tour of the historic Burrow...
09/06/2026

🏛️ FREE Burrowes Mansion Tours TODAY! 🏛️

Join us this afternoon from 2-4 PM for a free guided tour of the historic Burrowes Mansion!

At 303 years old, this remarkable home was already standing 9 years before George Washington was even born! Imagine everything these walls have witnessed.

Tours are held every 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month, so if you can’t make it today, mark your calendar for next time!

📍 Burrowes Mansion, Matawan, NJ

🕑 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

💰 FREE — all welcome!

We hope to see you there! 🇺🇸

Thank you to all who attended and volunteered!
09/01/2026

Thank you to all who attended and volunteered!

09/01/2026

You watched the mayors get captured. You cheered on the crews. You witnessed history on Lake Lefferts. Now it’s time to wear the proof!

A limited number of official Great Whaleboat Race 2026 T-shirts are available for just $20, first-come, first-served, while supplies last! Stop by the Matawan Borough Municipal Building (201 Broad Street) to get yours.

Show your support for your town, celebrate an unforgettable day on the water, and proudly prove that you survived the Great Whaleboat Race 2026!

But don’t wait! These shirts may disappear faster than a mayor being hauled into a whaleboat!

Sizes available:
Small (1)
Medium (9)
Large (16)
XL (6)
2XL (4)

Get yours while they’re still on shore!


Rest in Peace Legendary Matawan High School Head Football Coach Barry Rizzo 🙏
08/31/2026

Rest in Peace Legendary Matawan High School Head Football Coach Barry Rizzo 🙏

08/31/2026

🏆 ABERDEEN TAKES THE GOLDEN OAR - BY A HAIR!

Watch our video of the final minute from another angle. That’s how close it was. 👆

Congratulations to Aberdeen Township, winners of the inaugural Great Whaleboat Race of 2026! The Golden Oar heads to Aberdeen’s town hall - though it may not be settling in for long. Mayor Altomonte is already calling for a rematch. 👀

Over 500 people came out to the banks of Lake Lefferts Saturday. Five hundred neighbors from three towns, cheering first responders rowing a race first run 248 years ago. The energy out there was something else.

Matawan’s crew - Mayor Joseph Altomonte, Councilman De Zaio, and Taron Jones of the Matawan Fire Department - left everything on that lake and crossed just a hair behind. What a race to watch!

Thank you to:

🚒 Every first responder, especially those who rowed - you answer the call for this community all year, and yesterday you gave us all something to cheer about

🎩 Mayors Altomonte, Cannon and Araneo for being genuinely great sports about being captured

🤝 Borough of Keyport and the Keyport Historical Society, Aberdeen Township, the Keyport Yacht Club, and Matawan Borough - three towns pulled this off together

🎨 The Matawan Aberdeen Arts Society for the origami boats and wonderful paint jobs on the whaleboats themselves

🙌 Every volunteer, organizer, and neighbor who showed up and gave their time, especially the event creators Cathy Zavorskas, Kurtis Roinestad and John Lazar

This is what Marriner’s raid was really about in 1778 — neighbors coming together for something bigger than any one town. 250 years later, we did it again.

Three towns, one lake, and not a single empty stretch of shoreline. We are already looking forward to next year!

🤝 AND IF YESTERDAY MADE YOU WANT TO BE PART OF THIS - we’d love to have you. Memberships in the Matawan Historical Society start at just $25 for individuals and $40 for families, and you do not need to live in Matawan or attend a single meeting to join. Support the work, get the newsletter, and come to the annual BBQ.

👉 https://matawanhistoricalsociety.org/join-or-donate/

🎃 AND WE’RE NOT DONE. Our next big event is Haunted Halloween on Saturday, October 24. It sells out every single year, so keep an eye on this page - ticket details are coming soon and you’ll want to move quickly when they do.

Here’s to 250 years of history - and to that rematch. 🇺🇸🚣

Video credit: Linda Martin

08/30/2026

Congratulations to the winner of the coveted Golden Oar Trophy - 2026 Great Whaleboat Race Champions - Aberdeen Township!

08/28/2026

Due to The Great Whaleboat Race of 2026, a 250th anniversary event hosted by the Matawan Historical Society and Matawan Borough, the kayak kiosk rental will be closed on Saturday, Aug. 29th. It will come back online again on Sunday, 8/30.

Lake Lefferts entire waterfront, including the Ravine Drive bridge, the boat launch area, and the main dock will be closed from 1 pm through 8 pm. There will be no fishing or use of the boat launch area during this time in order to prepare and hold the Great Whaleboat Race event.

All are invited to attend this free and unique event that begins at 5 pm, Saturday August 29. It includes live music, kids RC boat races, kids' relays, and kids inflatables, face painting, and other fun activities leading up to and including the Great Whaleboat Race between Keyport, Aberdeen, and Matawan. We hope to see you there.

🇺🇸TOMORROW - AND THE KIDS ARE IN THE ACTION TOO 🚣🇺🇸The Great Whaleboat Race is THIS SATURDAY, and while the mayors wait ...
08/28/2026

🇺🇸TOMORROW - AND THE KIDS ARE IN THE ACTION TOO 🚣🇺🇸

The Great Whaleboat Race is THIS SATURDAY, and while the mayors wait to be rescued, there’s a full slate of races and activities for the kids.

🎈 KIDS’ RACES & ACTIVITIES
💦 Water Balloon Toss
🧽 Sponge Relay Race
🚤 RC Boat Races, ages 10–13, 5:30–6:15 PM - register onsite
🏅 Top three finishers recognized in the RC boat race and the ages 3–9 kids’ races
🎪 Patriotic Obstacle Course and 3-in-1 Game inflatables
🎨 Origami boat-making with the Matawan Aberdeen Arts Society

📹 AND YOU WON’T MISS A SECOND OF THE RACE
A drone will fly the racecourse and feed live to a 20-foot LED screen on shore - so you’ll have a front-row view of the capture and the row back, no matter where you’re standing on the banks.

Every single activity is FREE.

Matawan Borough and the Matawan Historical Society host, as their team of rescuers takes on Aberdeen Township and the Borough of Keyport. We may be a little biased, but we’re pretty sure Matawan is taking home that Golden Oar. 😏

📅 Saturday, August 29 | 5:00–7:30 PM
📍 Lake Lefferts Park - Ravine Drive & Matawan Ave, Matawan NJ
🅿️ Parking at Matawan Ave, Main Street, and the Bank of America lot
🪑 Bring a lawn chair or blanket - the banks fill up fast
🧴 Bug spray isn’t a bad idea near the water at dusk

Come early. The best spots go quickly, and you’ll want to be settled before the crews launch.

Thank you to Mayor Joseph Altomonte, Mayor Greg Cannon and Mayor Rose Araneo for being such good sports about being captured. And to every volunteer, every first responder rowing tomorrow, and every partner across all three towns - this doesn’t happen without you.

Three towns. Three whaleboats. One Golden Oar.

Who’s rowing for the win?

👉 RSVP (free, helps us plan): https://app.seemylegacy.com/community/2738/campaign/10053/overview

Address

P. O. Box 41
Matawan, NJ
07747

Telephone

+17325665605

Website

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