An Irish celebration

The Columns museum honors the first owner of the building that houses it

MILFORD, PA — On August 23, the Pike County Historical Society’s Museum, known as the Columns, will host a celebration in honor of Dennis McLaughlin, who built the great white house that later became the museum as a summer home for his family in 1904. The celebration, including a corned beef and cabbage dinner, will be served at 7:00 p.m. in the Foundation Room of the museum, followed by an evening performance by Celtic singer Celeste Triebeneck in the side yard of the museum. Triebeneck will be accompanied by Paul E. Mitchell on 12-string and classical guitar. The duo currently performs at theaters, cultural centers, pubs and galleries.

McLaughlin came to this country from Ireland as a small boy, and grew up in Jersey City, NJ. He became a news dealer in what was known as the “old Horseshoe district” of the town, and later aspired to a career in politics, holding the offices of alderman, county clerk and assemblyman. One of the better known Democratic politicians in New Jersey in his time, Dennis was also known as one of the “Big Four.” This was the title given to the four owners of the then popular Guttenberg Racetrack. At one time, McLaughlin was known as the “heaviest holder of real estate in Hudson County, NJ.”

In the spring of 1912, McLaughlin took ill with what was described in the local newspaper, the Dispatch, as “an attack of acute indigestion.” He was in residence at the White Columns, as the home was commonly referred to then, when the attack occurred, and returned home to Jersey City where, a few days later, he died. Although Mr. McLaughlin’s time here in Milford was short, his home remains one of the finest structures in Milford. Since McLaughlin’s time, the Columns has assumed many personas, including dance studio, boarding house, restaurant, night club, VFW and private residence. In the 1980s, the Pike County Historical Society purchased it and made it the “official museum of Pike County.”

The Columns was designed by architect Charles Fall of Jersey City. It is built in the neo-classical style, reminiscent of Georgian structures in some ways, yet having combined elements that are non-Georgian. The interior plan follows the Queen Anne style. The stained glass windows of the Columns are an added feature, designed by Lewis Comfort Tiffany of New York.

Tickets for the evening cost $25 per person. Reservations are suggested.

For more information visit pikecountyhistoricalsociety.org.or call 570/296-8126.