In 1882, a handful of Jews settled in this rural Southern New Jersey community.  The Settlers became the first successful colony of Jewish farmers in America.  Others followed forming the villages of Alliance, Brotmansville, and Norma.

In 1982, as part of a centennial celebration, the Alliance Colony Foundation was formed to create a permanent museum to honor and perpetuate the memory of those early settlers.  The museum, as part of the 1982 YOVAL (Jubilee Celebration) commemorated the 100 years since the founding of the Colony. It contains photos, documents, farm implements and memorabilia of the Colony including the Bimah, Ark and other items from the then closed Brotmanville Synagogue.  

Today, photographs and documents dated from 1884, along with the restored pulpit and bimeh from the original Brotmanville Synagogue, are displayed in the historic Alliance chapel.

The Alliance Colony Museum also houses artifacts from this early era that are shown in special exhibitions, on holidays and by request.

In 2019, the Alliance Heritage Center at Stockton University was formed to continue the work of the foundation and establish a permanent center with the mission of preserving and disseminating the history and culture of the Alliance Colony and subsequent related Jewish farming communities in southern New Jersey.