Sad Monument on Pond Hill Road

Just off Pond Hill Road in Bernards Township, NJ, is a lonely monument dedicated to the memory of Frederick W. Schmidt (1865-1926) who owned the nearby Millington Quarry (opened 1895).  In 1966, his heirs and the quarry donated 15 acres of land along the Passaic River, which is now Schmidt Park, and erected the monument.

The site made sad headlines on June 26, 1971, when Millington teen Wendy Schindler (b. 1953) was found dead by suicide behind the monument.

The monument sits on the west side of Pond Hill Road, south of the railroad track at the top of the hill near telephone pole 1728.

Inscription: This monument has been placed here in memory of Frederick W. Schmidt, 1865-1926, by the trustees of his estate. Mr. Schmidt owned and operated the nearby Millington Quarry which opened in 1895.  He later organized the North Jersey Quarry Company which in 1950 became Houdaille Construction Materials Incorporated, a subsidiary of Houdaille Industries Incorporated.

It was Mr. Schmidt’s intention that the land he owned along the Passaic River between the two bridges and Pond Hill Road be set aside for park purposes. This additional area has been made available through the generosity and cooperation of Houdaille Construction Materials, Incorporated. Both tracts have been given to Bernards Township for use as a public park in perpetuity.  Dedicated October 15, 1966