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Fosterfields – A Living Historical Farm | Morristown, New Jersey
Fosterfields The farm is located in beautiful and historic Morristown, New Jersey. The farm is a gorgeous place where after you enter the Visitor’s Center, you can roam around farm buildings, through the woods, and see how farms were run in the “olden days.” There are also school field trips. General Joseph Warren Revere was the grandson of Revolutionary War hero Paul Revere, who bought the property in the 1800s (which had been a working farm since the 1760s) and built the Gothic Revival main house, The Willows. Around 1881 Charles Foster bought the property and renamed it after himself! His daughter, who was around four years old at the…
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The Famous Sunnybank Collies | Wayne, New Jersey
Albert Payson Terhune Ran Sunnybank Kennels Albert Payson Terhune wrote the famous classic Lad A Dog. It was originally published in 1919. He lived in a home called “Sunnybank” in what is now Wayne, New Jersey. He raised “rough collies” at the in his famous kennels. According to See Passaic County website (where you can see photos of the long-gone house: In the late 1860s, Reverend Edward Payson Terhune and his wife, Mary Virginia Hawes, purchased several acres of land on Pompton Lake in Wayne, NJ, where they built a three-story home with a central gable, attic, cellar, and expansive veranda; the large porch hearkened to Hawes’ Virginia heritage. Hawes…
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Bahrs Landing Is Still Standing in 2024 | Highlands, New Jersey
Bahrs Landing Has Made It Through Much Adversity For Over 100 Years Bahr’s Landing Restaurant and Marina is a legendary place situated on Sandy Hook Bay in Highlands, New Jersey. Bahrs Landing is still open after more than 100 years! They survived all the terrible storms of the last two decades, including Superstorm Sandy. They survived Covid. Superstorm Sandy Bahrs Landing sustained considerable damage in October 2012 from Hurricane “Superstorm” Sandy, which destroyed many other businesses in the area. It is open year-round, and the owners were determined to re-open quickly: 100th Anniversary How did it all start? On the Bahrs Landing website, it states: Founder John ”Jack” Bahrs, the…
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The Funky Town of Red Bank, New Jersey
Red Bank Is A Great Town Red Bank, New Jersey is an interesting town only five miles away from the Atlantic Ocean. It is perched on the Navesink River which is a very important part of the town. The town has many interesting stores, including branches of Tiffany’s and Restoration Hardware. But what I really enjoy are the interesting shops that are NOT chains, and have been in Red Bank for many years. The eclectic offerings include an old-school record shop, a comic book owned by a famous filmmaker, a classic arcade shop, and many antique stores. Jack’s Music Shoppe Jack’s Music Shoppe has been a Red Bank mainstay for…
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Late Night Local TV And Fabulous Saturday Night Discomania in the 1970s
I Really Miss Local Television Programming I really miss 1970s television. Not just the great shows that were in prime-time, but late-night LOCAL TV – which simply doesn’t exist anymore, except for local news in the afternoons and evenings. This video is an audio of a broadcast aired in the middle of the night, right before The Late Show, which was a show dedicated to old movies. CBS would broadcast old movies under the banner The Late Show, followed by the Late, Late Show. These have nothing to do with comedy. In a future post, I will discuss this. But let’s get down to the subject at hand. The first…
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The Historic Red Mill Museum Village 2024 | Clinton, New Jersey
The Red Mill This may be the most photographed building in New Jersey. The little town of Clinton in beautiful Hunterdon County is the home of The Red Mill, a very important building in its day. The Mill sits on the south bank of the Raritan River. The Red Mill was used to make many things over the years; including wool, peach baskets, talc, and graphite. The property changed ownership multiple times. Then a group of investors known as the “Red Mill Five” sprang into action: The story began in 1960, when the Red Mill Five, spearheaded by James Marsh and Monroe DeMott, finally succeeded in buying the landmark Red…
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New York Television Celebrates New York and New Jersey During the 1970s and 1980s
New York Television Celebrates New York and New Jersey New York in the 1970s was a tough place. New York City was teetering towards default, crime was rampant, and times were dark. New York City was in serious trouble, and the federal government, reeling from Watergate, refused to help: The New York Daily News printed one of the most infamous newspaper headlines ever written about the President of the United States: FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD As Rare Historical Photos writes: In the 1970s, New York City was a broken, ungovernable metropolis barreling into anarchy. New Yorkers remember this decade as the bleakest, most crime-ridden, and most uncertain time the…
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Branch Brook Park and the Beautiful Cherry Blossoms 2024 | Newark and Belleville, New Jersey
The New Cherry Blossom Welcome Center A new Cherry Blossom Welcome Center opened at Branch Brook Park in November 2023. You may learn all about the magnificent cherry blossom trees that grow in the park. Branch Brook Park has more than 5,000 cherry blossom trees – even more than the famous cherry blossom trees in Washington. DC! My husband and I visited the park in April 2024. We were excited to see the new Welcome Center and of course, wanted to admire the beautiful cherry blossoms! The new center is beautifully decorated with plenty of information about the park. This is an interesting quote about the Essex County Executive, Joseph…
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Mount Tabor | Parsippany, New Jersey
Mount Tabor Was An Independent Religious Community Mount Tabor, New Jersey in Morris County was started as a Methodist Camp Revival Meeting town, just as Ocean Grove was in Monmouth County. According to the Mount Olive Historical Society: Mt. Tabor, New Jersey, is a fine example of a 19th century community. Established in 1869 as a Methodist summer camp meeting ground, Mt. Tabor is now a full-time residential community. While walking through Mt. Tabor, one can see Victorian cottages, complete with gingerbread, and several historic community buildings. Trinity Park is still a busy and central focus of the community. In addition to residences surrounding the park are three octagon structures.…
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The Historic and Lovely Town of Belvidere, New Jersey
Belvidere, New Jersey Belvidere considers itself “the best-kept secret in New Jersey”. No more! It is a lovely town with more Victorians per square mile than any other in New Jersey. Every year they have a Victorian Day. This year it will be on Saturday, September 7th. According to Belvidere Heritage: Most New Jersey towns created before 1800 were unplanned with irregular street patterns. Usually situated on major roads or waterways, these villages grew in random manner. Belvidere, the first county seat erected in New Jersey on a new site after 1800 was laid out in a clear rectangular fashion with a central public square which faced the courthouse. Plotted as…
