-
The Haunted Deserted Village of Feltville and the Enchanted Forest 2023 | Berkeley Heights, New Jersey
Deserted Village of Feltville In the beautiful Watchung Reservation lies a deserted and possibly haunted mysterious village. According to the Union County website: About 1736, Peter Willcocks built a sawmill along the Blue Brook to produce lumber, which would be needed by farmers as they settled this frontier area. The sawmill operation cleared hundreds of acres of forest. In 1845, David Felt bought 760 acres of land and built a printing factory along the brook. He built an entire town on the bluff above the brook to support the mill operation, and by 1850, 175 people were living in Feltville. After Felt retired in 1860, other business ventures were tried…
-
First Presbyterian Church of Oxford at Hazen and the Spooky Graveyard 2023 | Belvidere, New Jersey
First Presbyterian Church of Oxford at Hazen The First Presbyterian Church of Oxford at Hazen is located in the historic Hazen section of White Township, just outside of Belvidere. It is a small country church sitting on a knoll. This church has a long history in Warren County. According to their former website (which has vanished since I wrote my original now-deleted post in 2014), and was adapted from Snell’s ‘History of Sussex and Warren Counties’: This is one of the oldest churches in Presbytery of Newton. As early as 1739 there was occasional preaching in the bounds of the congregation. In 1744, Rev. James Campbell preached several times and…
-
The Historic Cooper Gristmill | Chester Township, New Jersey
Cooper Gristmill Nathan Cooper built the Cooper Gristmill in 1876 in lovely and historic Chester Township, New Jersey. The mill is still in limited operation, grinding flour. According to the Morris County Park Commission website: Cooper Gristmill, located on 14 acres, was built in 1826 and is one of the remaining restored water-powered mills in New Jersey. It is listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. It is a living example of the state’s transition from an agricultural to an industrial economy. The website continues: In the 1760s, Isaiah Younglove began a flour milling operation that lasted until 1788. Over the years, the mill went through several…
-
Sea Girt Lighthouse 2023 | Sea Girt, New Jersey
Sea Girt Lighthouse Sea Girt Lighthouse was built in 1896. It stands on the corner of Ocean Avenue and Beacon Boulevard in lovely Sea Girt, New Jersey. It overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. According to the Lighthouse website: Sea Girt Lighthouse, at Ocean Avenue and Beacon Boulevard in Sea Girt, New Jersey, flashed its first light December 10, 1896. The beacon, which could be seen 15 miles at sea, guided countless mariners in their journeys and contributed to the state’s economic growth and helped make sailing through local waters safer. The lighthouse was built to illuminate a blind spot midway in the 38½-mile stretch between Navesink Lighthouse (Twin Lights) to the…
-
National Guard Militia Museum 2023 | Sea Girt, New Jersey
National Guard Militia Museum in Sea Girt This interesting military museum in beautiful Sea Girt, New Jersey is a non-profit museum designed to preserve the military history of New Jersey. This little museum has many interesting exhibits to explain New Jersey’s important role in various military campaigns. We visited this museum over 10 years ago, which I wrote about in a now-deleted post. Since then, they have moved to a smaller building, and the battle-scarred tanks and aircraft that were in front of the other building have been removed. It looks quite different now. I wondered why they had moved to another building. Perhaps this explains why Hurricane Sandy was…
-
Frelinghuysen Arboretum, Spring 2023 | Morris Township, New Jersey
The Frelinghuysen Family The Frelinghuysen family (great link with a family tree!) has been possibly the most prominent New Jersey family for centuries. They came to New Jersey even before the Revolutionary War. Many family members have been politically active, Some have married into other extremely prominent American families, including the Boston Brahmins. According to New Jersey Monthly: The Frelinghuysen family tree planted itself in U.S. soil when Theodorus emigrated from Germany to the Raritan Valley in the British colony of New Jersey in 1720, evangelizing as a Dutch-Reformed minister during the period of religious fervor known as the Great Awakening. His grandson, Frederick Frelinghuysen, was commissioned major general in…
-
The Secret Garden: Avis Campbell Gardens, Spring 2023 | Montclair, New Jersey
Avis Campbell Gardens Are Known As The Secret Garden This small but delightful garden is tucked away behind the United Way Building in Montclair, New Jersey. I originally called this the Secret Garden in a long-deleted post from over 10 years ago. It is even more hidden now because all the signs in the front of the building and also in the garden itself have disappeared, so someone may not know it even exists. It is beautifully maintained by The Garden Club of Montclair: What can we say? The Avis Campbell Gardens — our hidden garden open to the public behind 60 South Fullerton Avenue — is our pride and…
-
Riker Hill Art Park 2023 | Livingston, New Jersey
Riker Hill Art Park Is A Former Nike Missile Base iker Hill Art Park was originally a Nike Missile Base. It operated from 1954 to 1974. According to the Park website: The United States Army’s Nike Air Defense System comprised a chain of anti-aircraft missile sites encircling major US cities, intended to intercept Soviet transcontinental nuclear bomber aircraft. Each Nike site consisted of a radar tracking and a missile launch facility. Riker Hill’s elevation on of the highest in the county provided the optimal location for one of the project’s radar installations with a clear line of sight for the defense of the New York Metro area. After it was…
-
Van Vleck House and Gardens, Spring 2023 | Montclair, New Jersey
Van Vleck House And Gardens This historic home and garden in Montclair is a very beautiful place. The historic site was owned by the Van Vleck family until 1993. You can see a timeline of major events in the history of this historic house and garden. There is also a calendar of events. According to the Garden Conservancy: Three generations of Van Vlecks, a family of architects, built this beautifully proportioned suburban Italianate villa in Montclair, NJ, that features stunning collections of rhododendrons, azaleas, and other broad-leaved evergreens. We assisted the Montclair Foundation, current owners of Van Vleck House & Gardens, in the rehabilitation and management of the garden to…
-
The Spectacular Rainbow on the Hill: Presby Memorial Iris Gardens 2023 | Montclair, New Jersey
Presby Memorial Iris Gardens This spectacular place is the site of one of the largest collections of irises in the WORLD. These special gardens are known as the “Rainbow on the Hill” because the beautiful blooms stretch up and down the hills of the beautiful grounds. These lovely gardens located in Montclair, New Jersey have been around since 1927: In 1927, Miss Katherine Inness, the first curator of the Montclair Art Museum, acted on behalf of the Montclair Museum Board and presented to the Montclair government the project of establishing an iris garden as a memorial to Mr. Presby. The proposed iris gardens would act not only as place of…
