Who knows where this impressive gate is? Hint: It still stands on a main road in the Somerset Hills. We’ll post the answer in a few days. ANSWER: The gate is found on Route 202 in Far Hills. Going north toward Bernardsville, it is on the right before you get to Lake Rd. The gate
... Learn more
A postcard of Main Street (now U.S. Route 202), Far Hills, NJ, looking south toward the Raritan River bridge. The site was later occupied by L. V. Ludlow hardware and lumber complex. The note on reverse is dated December 16, 1909. Printed on reverse:No. B545 Published by Harry E. Lamerson, Far Hills, N.J.Made in GermanyExcelsiorA
... Learn more
This real picture postcard shows a “cottage” on the grounds of Froh Heim, the lavish estate of Grant B. Schley (1845-1917) in Far Hills, NJ. Schley began building the estate, which also included a main house, barns and other buildings in 1888. Froh Heim, which means “Happy Home” in German, eventually grew to several thousand
... Learn more
This 1899 letterhead from David Dumont (1863-1909) shows the account of Charles Bird of Liberty Corner. When the railroad reached Far Hills in 1890, David Dumont quit farming and became a dealer in coal and lumber. In 1899, Dumont and Evander Schley divided up Dumont’s old farm into lots for what became the village of
... Learn more
Charles Engelhard, Jr. (1917-1971) was an American industrialist and resident of the Cragwood Estate in Far Hills. Many writers mention that Engelhard may have been the model for Ian Fleming’s Goldfinger and recount the lavish parties Charles and his wife Jane threw for friends and neighbors. But Engelhard was a successful businessman and expanded the
... Learn more
Driving east from Far Hills on Liberty Corner Road (before you get to I-287), the land drops off to the right into a deep gorge called Moggy Hollow. This was once, 19,000 to 14,000 years ago, the outlet to Lake Passaic, a 30-mile-long lake, created when the Wisconsin Glacier blocked the area’s natural drainage system.
... Learn more
This 1909 real picture postcard shows the original Far Hills, NJ, Train Station with the freight house on the left. The station was built in the 1890s when the railroad was extended from Bernardsville to Gladstone. The current concrete Far Hills station replaced it in 1914, but the original was moved. Most railroad stations can’t
... Learn more
UPDATE Oct. 27, 2023: Descendant Found! A friend spotted this lost family on the discard pile after the VNA Rummage Sale in Far Hills. On the back, the photo is identified as the family of Malcolm Belcher (1887-1987), who was the longest serving mayor of Far Hills (1938-1965). The fairgrounds in Far Hills is named
... Learn more
