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Christmas at Kip’s Castle 2023 | Verona and Montclair, New Jersey
Kip’s Castle Park According to the Essex Parks website: Kip’s Castle is a magnificent 9,000-square-foot mansion that replicates a medieval Norman castle. The estate spans eleven acres of land on the ridge of First Mountain, resting in both Montclair and Verona townships, and provides spectacular views of New York City. The exteriors of both the castle and the 6,000-square-foot, two-story carriage house are constructed of local trap rock trimmed with sandstone. The interior of the castle consists of thirty distinguished rooms of varying shapes which include vaulted ceilings and six ornate fireplaces. There is a wonderful video from NJ.com about this place: The place has an interesting history. The Beginnings…
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Littell-Lord Farmstead (2023) | Berkeley Heights, New Jersey
Littell-Lord Farmstead Littell-Lord Farmstead is a beautiful landmark home in Union County, New Jersey. We visited it on the same spectacular fall day (October 28, 2023) we visited The Haunted Village of Feltville which is located in the same lovely town of Berkeley Heights on Horseshoe Road. According to the Berkeley Heights website: The Littell-Lord Farmstead, located in Berkeley Heights, Union County, New Jersey, United States, is a pastoral site reminiscent of Union County’s agricultural past. It was built around 1760 and added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 7, 1979. It currently serves as the home and public museum of the Berkeley Heights Historical Society. The…
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Delicious Orchards 2023 | Colts Neck, New Jersey
Delicious Orchards Delicious Orchards is a country food market located in Monmouth County, New Jersey, with close proximity to the Jersey Shore. It is located in beautiful Colts Neck Township, New Jersey, a wealthy community filled with equestrian farms and large estates. Delicious Orchards prides itself on carrying many products home-grown in New Jersey! They offer many Jersey Fresh products! It is an extremely popular place to buy incredible baked goods and gorgeous produce, including lots of pumpkins. The Garden State New Jersey is known as The Garden State, but that name is really not because of the flowers (although New Jersey has many beautiful gardens.) According to NJ.gov: Abraham…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
