What to Expect at the Ocean County Historical Society
Planning Your Visit
To help ensure an enjoyable experience, we encourage visitors to plan ahead.
Museum Tours
The museum is open by appointment for guided tours.
Advance reservations are recommended to ensure a volunteer docent is available to welcome your group. Guided tours provide visitors with the opportunity to learn about the history of the Elizabeth Sculthorp Force House, the Society’s collections, and the people and events that shaped Ocean County.
School groups, community organizations, and other groups are welcome by appointment.
Richard L. Strickler Research Center
Researchers are welcome during posted research hours. Because many collections are stored in archives, visitors are encouraged to contact the Research Center in advance if they wish to access specific materials.
Admission
Admission is always free, donations are appreciated. Please visit our website or contact the Society for current event RSVP information and tour availability.
Arrival & Parking
Free parking is available adjacent to the museum, with additional public parking located in the Ocean County Parking Garage across the street a short walk away. One accessible parking spot is available near the main entrance. Please use designated walkways when entering the museum grounds.
Parking Lot
Ocean County Parking Garage
Begin Your Journey
Your visit begins in the entrance foyer to the left is the Pauline S. Miller Room with rotating displays and the business office. To your right is the Richard L. Strickler Research Center. During business office hours, visitors can also explore the museum through the interactive virtual tour kiosk in the Research Center, which includes accessibility features such as pictures and videos of the museum and is adjustable in height.
Entrance
Elizabeth Sculthorp Force House
Elizabeth Sculthorp Force House
Constructed during the 1860s, the Elizabeth Sculthorp Force House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, New Jersey Register of Historic Places and the New Jersey Women’s Heritage Trail. Today, it serves as the home of the Ocean County Historical Society.
Guided tours by appointment lead visitors through beautifully furnished period rooms while sharing stories of the families who lived here and the broader history of Ocean County. Throughout the house, artifacts, furnishings, photographs, and decorative arts illustrate daily life, education, transportation, maritime commerce, industry, and community life.
As an original nineteenth-century home, visitors should expect:
- Historic wood floors that may be uneven.
- Original staircases and narrow doorways.
- Antique furnishings and fragile artifacts.
- Intimate gallery spaces.
- Guided interpretation by volunteer docents.
Please help preserve the collections by refraining from touching and sitting on artifacts unless invited to do so.
Museum Garden
The garden adjacent to the Richard L. Strickler Research Center is open to visitors during museum hours and provides a peaceful setting to enjoy before or after your tour.
Seasonal flowers, ornamental shrubs, and landscaped beds complement the historic property while offering space to reflect and appreciate the museum’s setting. Benches throughout the garden invite visitors to relax and enjoy the grounds.
To help preserve this shared space, please:
- Leave flowers and landscaping undisturbed.
- Dispose of litter properly.
- Supervise children.
- Respect others enjoying the garden.
Museum Garden
Birdsall Room
Birdsall Room
Located on the lower level, the Birdsall Room presents a permanent exhibition that follows the story of Ocean County from its earliest inhabitants to today.
Visitors journey through the history of the Lenape, early settlement, the American Revolution, the Civil War, maritime commerce, agriculture, industry, tourism, military service, aviation, and modern Ocean County through artifacts, photographs, graphics, and interpretive displays.
The Birdsall Room is accessible using a stairlift, allowing visitors with limited mobility to enjoy the exhibit.
Pauline S. Miller Exhibit Room
The Pauline S. Miller Exhibit Room features changing exhibitions drawn from the Society’s extensive collections.
Rotating exhibits highlight important people, communities, anniversaries, businesses, military history, transportation, architecture, and other stories from Ocean County’s past.
Please note it is accessible by a platform step and another two steps with handrails.
Pauline S. Miller Exhibit Room
From Foyer Looking to Front Desk
Pierson Emporium
Located on the upper level, the Pierson Emporium showcases selections from the Society’s outstanding textile collection, including Victorian clothing, military uniforms, quilts, accessories, and household textiles.
This exhibit illustrates changing fashions and daily life throughout Ocean County’s history.
Please note that this gallery is accessible only by the original historic staircase.
Pierson Emporium
Richard L. Strickler Research Center
Richard L. Strickler Research Center
The Richard L. Strickler Research Center serves genealogists, students, homeowners, historians, and anyone interested in researching Ocean County.
The collection includes:
- Local history books
- Family histories
- Maps
- Newspapers
- Photographs
- Manuscripts
- Municipal records
- Archival collections
Researchers are encouraged to schedule appointments in advance, particularly when requesting archival materials.
To preserve these collections:
- Food and beverages are not permitted.
- Materials remain within the Research Center.
- Please ask staff for assistance with archival collections.
Accessibility
The Ocean County Historical Society is committed to making history accessible to everyone.
Accessibility features include:
- Accessible parking
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance
- Accessible entrance-level restroom
- Interactive visitor kiosk
- Stairlift providing access to the Birdsall Room
Because the Elizabeth Sculthorp Force House is a historic building, the Pierson Emporium on the upper floor is accessible only by the original staircase.
Visitors with accessibility questions are encouraged to contact the Society before scheduling their visit.
ADA Parking Space
Accessible Bathroom
Information Kiosk
Stairlift
House Staircase
Sounds
The museum is generally a quiet environment designed for learning, research, and reflection.
During your visit, you may occasionally hear:
- Conversations between visitors and docents.
- Educational programs or school groups.
- Traffic from downtown Toms River.
Food & Refreshments
The Ocean County Historical Society is a museum and research center. We do not have concessions, vending machines, or a café on site.
To help protect the collections:
- Food and beverages are not permitted inside museum galleries or the Research Center.
- Covered water bottles may be permitted in designated areas at staff discretion.
Visitors are encouraged to enjoy one of the many restaurants in downtown Toms River before or after their scheduled tour.
Museum Etiquette
The Ocean County Historical Society preserves thousands of irreplaceable artifacts, books, photographs, and archival documents.
During your visit, please help us protect these collections by:
- Not touching artifacts unless invited by your docent.
- Supervising children at all times.
- Speaking quietly, especially in the Research Center.
- Silencing mobile phones.
- Following the guidance of staff and volunteers.
Questions?
If you would like to schedule a museum tour, arrange a research appointment, or have questions before your visit, please contact the Ocean County Historical Society.