I took a ride to Upstate New York in July to visit museums and historical sites in Orange County, NY that had been on my bucket list but most were closed on the sunny Sunday. I made a U turn on the local highway and stopped to visit the Hill-Hold Museum in Campbell Hill, NY.
The Hill-Hold Museum at 128 NY 416 in Campbell Hill, NY
After the tour of the house was over, I decided to stop at the Orange County Fair for the evening and get something to eat.
Being a frequent visitor of the Dutchess County Fair, I expect all the fairs to be of the size and scope of that fair. This one was much smaller but still had a lot to offer.
The entrance to the Orange County Fairgrounds in Middletown, NY
When I arrived in the late afternoon, the fair was rather quiet as it was the late afternoon and most of the demonstrations and entertainment would be later that evening.
Walking through the entrance of the fairgrounds past the rides and the concessions
Still there was a sizable crowd already at the fair riding the rides, playing games of chance and eating at the somewhat over-priced concession stands.
There were a nice variety of rides and things to do while I walked around surveying the grounds to what there was to do and experience.
Looking over the rides which were filled with families
The first tent I visited was the Livestock Tent and the petting zoo. While the fair did not have the livestock displays that the other fairs did or the 4H presence, the tent had friendly selection of animals to see and feed. They looked so happy to see humans with food.
Walking through the petting zoo
Walking through the petting zoo
The sheep and llamas were waiting by the edge of the pens for treat from a human hand. I found them inquisitive of us especially as we fed them.
Watching the llamas decor an ice cream cone filled with treats
The next tent I visited was the 4H tent with all the craft and food items on display. The judging had taken place and all the ribbons were on display.
Walking through the crafts tents
The Scarecrow Contest in the Crafts Tent
We even got to vote on a scarecrow. I thought that was interesting.
Nightmare Manor, the haunted funhouse
The preview of the movie “The Funhouse”
I next walked along the Midway past a whole series of rides and attractions. The first ones were the funhouse and the glory, the Nightmare Manor haunted ride. The lines were short so most people were getting in quickly.
The next thing I did was visit the grandstands where they were having a demonstration on Monster Trucks. This I had to see.
The Monster Trick Rally competition
They were offering rides to patrons before the show (which was a separate fee), so I got to see people driving around the field having a great time.
I did not want to stay for the show as those lines were getting long and I wanted to head home before it got dark. I left the ever growing line to head to the concession to get something to eat.
Stopping for dessert at Tootsie’s Fried Dough Concession
Someone had just walked by me with a steaming funnel cake and then I had to have one. The one thing I have to say about Tootsie’s Fried Dough is that everything is made fresh to order and the quality of the funnel cake was better than any one that I had at the Dutchess County Fair, which are always premade and soggy by the time you get them.
The Funnel Cake was made to order and out of this world
Yum! These were the best!
The last thing that I attended was the circus, which had just started at 6:00pm as I was leaving the fairgrounds. I decided to stay for the most of the show. I enjoyed the high wire acts and the acrobatic displays.
The high wire acts
These brothers from South America were extremely talented and do the most amazing tricks on the high wire.
The bicycle ride over the high wire
Skipping rope on the high wire acts
I really had a nice time at the fair. While it was not as big as either the Dutchess or Ulster County fairs that I attended in the past, there was a lot to see and do at the Orange County Fair.
The Bridgewater, NJ 4H Fair:
Going to the 4H Fair in Bridgewater, NJ was like a step back in time. I used to come here with friends after swim team practice as kids and we all used to garbage up eating our way through the Food Tent. After that, we would enjoy the fair.
The entrance to the Somerset County 4H Fair in Bridgewater, NJ
Walking into the 4H Fairgrounds was like stepping back over forty years as I had not been here since 1981. I even searched all the tents to find someone I knew (I did not know anyone).
The various displays of crafts, hobby cars, crafts and gardening tips
I first visited the Craft and Hobby tents with the displays of model trains, planes, automobiles and artwork. It was mostly families talking amongst themselves. The I next visited the Cow pens.
The cow pens
The cow pens
The cows were getting their afternoon feeding
I next visited the Sheep tent and they were in the middle of having their lunch as well not paying too much attention to us humans.
The sheep were enjoying their lunch when I got there and stopped for a second to see what I was doing
They all went back to feeding
There was a llama tent as well and they seemed very welcoming to human interaction
While walking around the fair, I could see the dark clouds coming in the distance. I had thought the storms were not coming until that evening, so I hustled through the rest of the tents.
Walking down the Midway of the fair with dark clouds in the distance
Entering the Poultry Tent
There were all sorts of varieties of chickens, ducks and geese to visit at the fair.
The prize chickens in their pens
The chickens were eating their lunch and pecking away
The highlight of the 4H Fair to me as a child was the Food tent with all the hot dogs, hamburgers, fried dough and funnel cakes and the popcorn and cotton candy for dessert.
The Food Concession tent
The Food tent
Just as I was deciding what to eat for dinner, there was a panicked announcement over the loudspeaker that they were closing the fair due to incoming storm clouds and lightening.
Everyone made a mad dash for their cars and I actually felt for all the concessions, who had all this food to sell and now how to shut down quickly. Some of the patrons had a ‘screw it’ attitude and kept eating probably until they kicked them out of the tent.
It started to rain while I was in the parking lot and I just checked messages on my phone and worked on blogs until most of the traffic got out of the parking lot. Then I drove into Bridgewater and had dinner at Joe’s Pizzeria at 1938 Washington Valley Road in Martinsville.
Joe’s Pizzeria at 1938 Washington Valley Road in Bridgewater, NJ
I had been coming to Joe’s since I was five and the pizza has not changed on bit since then. The next and the current owner both use the original Joe’s recipe for tomato sauce for the pies and calzones. Dinner here is another step back in time to my teen years. The inside of the pizzeria has not changed much in 35 years.
I was in the mood for a sandwich but I did not see any on the menu. They no longer make them so I ordered the Sausage and Pepperoni Roll. When it came out, it looked like a small pizza folded over. They made it fresh for me.
The Sausage and Pepperoni Roll with a side of red sauce
The roll was stuffed with a half pound of sweet fried sausage and spicy pepperoni, tucked in a pizza dough shell and baked to perfection.
It was the perfect meal for me covering both lunch and dinner. This could have been shared by two people.
The food here has been excellent since I started to come here in the 1970’s and has not changed since.
The dining area has not changed much since I was a kid
There’s more fairs to see and many more experiences to be had at them.
One of the last places I visited in the 2026 Pathways tour of Morris County was the Historical Society of Boonton Township which is located in the former Oscar Kincaid Farm Homestead. The house and what was left of the acreage of the farm was part of the current museum. The museum was an example of early New Jersey farming that dated from the 1800’s to the Twenty-First century. There was not much in the way of period furniture or farm equipment (items of the home were sold off since Mr. Kincaid’s passing), but the new historical society is buying artifacts and bringing them back to the farm. This includes one of Mr. Kincaid’s tractors. His roll up desk is also still in the display room which was once the Living Room of the home.
The Kincaid Homestead
History of Oscar Kincaid and Homestead:
(From the Morris County Historical Society website)
Originally a part of the extensive tract belonging to William Penn, the earliest portion of the home was constructed in 1785 by Adam Miller and Anna DeMouth Miller. Just over a decade later, they sold the property to Adam’s cousin, Sarah Miller Parlimen (of the Miller/Dixon homestead) and her husband, John, who built a sawmill there. After a brief ownership by William Scott of Powerville, a Miller relative, the land was sold to John Decker in 1828. An industrious man, Decker operated both a farm and successful forge, shipping his goods to New York via the Morris Canal. By 1837, he expanded the home, adding a distinctive folk-art painting of a face and unique plasterwork that can still be seen today (MCHS website).
The homestead passed through generations of Decker’s family, ultimately being inherited by Oscar Kincaid Sr. in the early 20th century. Kincaid ran a popular ice cream stand and dairy business throughout the 1920s and 30s. Following World War II, the family opened Valley Farm on the site, which continued until the death of Oscar Kincaid Jr. in 2000. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, the Decker-Kincaid Homestead today operates as a museum and headquarters of the Historical Society of Boonton Township (MCHS website).
The Kincaid House
The historical marker for the house
The front yard
The entrance to the house
The main foyer of the house
The house is a small farmhouse built in two sections. The original part of the house dates back to the late 1700’s and the newer part in the early 1800’s. The once furnished rooms now hold displays of Morris County and the farming industry of the time plus community artifacts.
The former Living Room
Oscar Kincaid’s desk
There were not much left in the way of family furnishings and heirlooms but this desk was Oscar Kinkaid’s.
The back bedroom
The Flag display for the ‘250th Anniversary’
Story of Oscar Kincaid’s life: Oscar Kincaid was a farmer/businessman, a politician and a conservationist.
On Community:
(From the museum website)
Oscar’s commitment to his community transcended farming. He served as a member of the Boonton Township Committee for 30 years and was mayor for two terms. He was also a founding member of the Morris County Agricultural Development Board, on which he served for 17 years, six as board chairman. Oscar led the charge for farmland preservation in Morris County. His efforts resulted in the preservation of 41 farms covering 3,100 acres spanning several municipalities throughout the county. As one person put it: “Oscar had more impact on preserving the character of Boonton than any single individual.”
But to Oscar: “Farming and being active in local politics was simply a way of life.” Oscar passed away November 11, 2000
The contractor’s face on the wall
The face came about when Oscar Kincaid did not want to pay a contractor for his work. He created this face so that he would have to live with it for the rest of his life. It can not be planted over.
The ‘Mr. Face’ in Weird NJ
On Farming:
(From the Museum website)
Oscar Kincaid, Jr., was born into farm life. It was 1824 when the Kincaid family purchased 30 acres in Boonton Township, Morris County and began farming. More than a century later, a young Oscar took over the operation, working alongside his father as they raised dairy cows, grew vegetables and developed a poultry business. For years, they delivered eggs to retail establishments and sold vegetables from their roadside stand. Over time, Oscar moved away from the dairy and poultry business and focused his efforts on vegetable and hay production.
The Kincaid house from the side
After the short tour around the house, I walked around the farm grounds. The house was set on a beautiful piece of land that sloped down to the old farmstand. There was also a swimming pond which was once part of the farm which is now private property.
The farm property from the side with the barn
The barn across the street
The property was about ten acres at the time of his death and parts have been developed. It still has some of the most wonderful views of the area.
The view of the old farm from the front porch
The farm land stretches over different sections of the road and the property is very picturesque. It is a very beautiful homestead.
The view of the farm from the lawn
The swimming pond on the edge of the property
The old farm stand that had been used for eighty years
The old Farm stand was used into the mid 2000’s
The full view of the farm
Since the house was just recently bought, there is still some design and artifacts that need to be collected to complete the look of a Jersey farm.
The Historical Society of Boonton Township is still expanding the collection of farm equipment for property and finding furniture for the home. The property is a beautiful and picturesque and shows how the traditional farm has adapted to modern times. Mr. Kincaid only passed a few years ago but kept the farm traditional and that worked for him. He left a legacy for us to appreciate the independent Jersey farmer.
I visited the Tunis-Ellicks House on the Morris County ‘Pathways’ tour of historical sites throughout the County and enjoyed the self-guided tour of this well maintained and displayed home. Unlike many sites I have visited over the years where things are left out and jumbled on tables, the Tunis-Ellicks House offers a look at small family farms from before the Civil War. The displays depict and discuss the life of a farming family in Central New Jersey.
The Tunis-Ellicks House in New Vernon, NJ
The house sign
The house is located in the New Vernon Historic District
The house was located in one of the oldest sections of the community, facing other structures in the historical district of New Vernon, NJ.
The house and front garden from the road
The vegetable garden in the front of house
In front of the house was a large vegetable and fruit garden with a grape arbor for spirits on the side of the house. These items would be jarred and pickled for the winter months or sold at market.
Mission Statement:
(From the Museum website)
The Harding Township Historical Society is a private, not-for-profit corporation founded in 1977 to stimulate interest in the history of Harding Township. The Society shall support, assist in and seek to achieve the preservation of documents, buildings and sites related to Harding Township. It shall also collect, preserve, maintain and interpret original cultural material, which illuminates this history. In addition, The Society is responsible for preserving and maintaining the Tunis-Ellicks House and environs. Through use of its historic site, collections and programs, the society endeavors to document and illustrate the history of Harding Township for present and future generations (Tunis-Ellicks website).
You enter the museum from the back of the house. In the backyard of the home, there were all sorts of activities going on while you could start a self-guided tour of the house.
The back of the Tunis-Ellick’s House
The beautiful view from the back door of the home
The inside of the main part of the museum
The main part of the museum was the newer extension of the home where the living room and dining rooms were located. There were displays on the walls discussing farm life in New Jersey during the late 1700’s and early 1800’s.
The Dining Room section of the house
The workings of the Dining Room
The story of ‘Country Life’ and the gentleman farmer
Pieces of the decor on display
The kitchen area of the older part of the home offers a homey fireplace for cooking and summer storage for jarred and pickled food stuffs for the winter.
The kitchen and storage areas of the home
Pottery collection in the museum
The pottery collection
The kitchen dining and cooking area of the home
The fireplace for cooking, roasting and stewing of foods
The oven for baking breads, cookies and pies and the baking equipment
The Summer storage area for canned and jarred provisions for the winter months and for cooking.
The bathrooms were on the second floor of the home/museum and I got a quick tour of the upstairs bedrooms.
Bedroom One
Bedroom Two
These were not part of the self-guided tour but I was able to see them and how they were decorated.
History of the Harding Township Historical Society:
(From the Museum website)
The Harding Township Historical Society was formed in 1977 to save the circa 1795 Tunis-Ellicks House and restore it as it appeared in the early 19th century. The society discovered an original 18th century hearth and Federal-style mantel and a water-fed cooling room besides the well. Areas of the house were left exposed to showcase the post-and-beam construction. A permanent exhibit on 19th century farming was created as well as space for temporary exhibits.
The Society saved a circa 1870 Tramp House from destruction when the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge was created by having the building moved the Tunis-Ellicks House property. The Harding Township Historical Society maintains an extensive archive containing records, maps, and objects since the colonial era pertaining to the town. The archive is open to researchers, genealogists and the public. Each year we provide an award to a student at the Harding Township School that excels in the subject of history. The Society produces exhibits, lectures, tours, and interactive events to bring history to the public.
I then joined many of the other visitors to hear an historical reading on the patio of the home from a descendant of a Colonial family. He was discussing life in Colonial New Jersey.
The Colonial talks
They also had a table set up for arts and crafts. The volunteers were making corn husk dolls with some of the visitors.
They also had corn husk doll making as an activity
Then I was able to tour the grounds and visit the ‘Tramp House’ that was used for workers of these farms. This had been moved from the ‘Great Swamp’ to this location. It showed the living conditions of workers on the farm.
Walking on the grounds of the farm
The Wine Arbor on the side of the house
History of the Tunis-Ellicks House:
(From the Museum website)
The Tunis-Ellicks House was built in 1795 when George Mitchell bought it from Michael Pearce, a Minuteman in the Revolutionary War. The deed for 7 acres of land is dated April 22, 1795. Interestingly, the ledgers of Daniel Tunis, who lived down Millbrook Rd and had a store, show that, beginning May 9, 1795, Mitchell bought items consistent with building a house: a load of timber and half a bushel of hair (used for plaster).
In 1838, a local farmer named Silas Tunis bought the farm and his descendants owned the house until 1923. Eva and Lee Ellicks sold the house to the township in 1968. In 1977, the Harding Township Historical Society began to restore the home as it would have appeared in the early 19th century. The house is a post-and-beam East Jersey cottage complete with a cooling room fed by the well outside. The museum features a permanent exhibit entitled A Country Life about the workings of 18th-century farms.
The ‘Tramp House’ for farm workers
The historic sign
The inside of the small living quarters
The farm equipment used in processing crops
History of the Tramp House:
(from the Museum website)
The Tramp House is a simple stone building built about 1870 by the Morris Overseer of the Poor as a place to stay for wandering Civil War veterans searching the countryside for work. By providing a place to stay, farmers protected their barns from accidental fires by the men trying to cook or keep warm. The men would work on the farms in exchange for a safe and warm place to sleep
The house was located in one of the oldest sections of the community, facing other structures in the historical district.
The house and front garden from the road
I really enjoyed visiting the site and got a good view how life on a New Jersey farm was before the Civil War. The museum was very nicely organized and the displays were engaging. The volunteers and docents could not have been nicer and it was a fun afternoon.
Over the years I have heard newspapers saying some negative things about the City of Bridgeton, NJ in Cumberland County. The crime, the problems and the rows of rundown housing. I have to admit that the city has its share of problems like any city but Bridgeton is a paradox. For all its problems, it has so many interesting things to see and do. As I have been exploring historical sites of South Jersey, I have made many trips through the city and driven through the neighborhoods and walked the downtown and its really interesting.
When you leave the city on any side, you are in the countryside. There are all sorts of fields of crops as far as the eye can see and many Farmers Markets just outside its borders. When you return though, you know immediately that you are in the city’s borders as housing just seems to pop out of nowwhere.
When I was visiting museums and historical sites for a blog I was writing on Southern New Jersey, I left Greenwich, NJ and took a local country road that took me through the back roads and farm country to the big city of Bridgeton, NJ where I explored their now rundown downtown. I then explored the crown jewel of the community, the Old Presbyterian Church and Cemetery.
The church stands out like a stately jewel in the middle of the town and is so beautiful and graceful at any time of the year especially in the late Spring and the early Fall when it is perfect for taking pictures. I love its historic cemetery with its Colonial era church and the gravesite that dates back to the 1700’s.
The Old Presbyterian Church and Cemetery at 54 West Avenue South in Bridgeton, NJ
Visiting the Old Presbyterian Church and Cemetery was an interesting experience. While trying to get from Greenwich to Bridgeton should have been a straight run but there were no names on the signs, and you just had to figure it out. I found the right road and it led me right to the cemetery.
The Presbyterian Church itself is only used now for special occasions and events but is an elegant building that sits on top of a bluff overlooking the downtown area. During the daylight hours you are allowed to roam around the cemetery looking at the gravesites (See my reviews on TripAdvisor and VisitingaMuseum.com).
So many famous politicians, war heroes, founding fathers of the City of Bridgeton and entrepreneurs at the turn of the last century are buried here.
The church and the historic cemetery.
What I found interesting about the cemetery was the family plots with the generations of people buried next to one another and their stories. It was sad when the parents buried their children and then died a few years later. Trying to figure the narrative of these families can be heartbreaking.
The family plots at the cemetery
The really sad part of such a historic cemetery is that it is so overgrown. I was walking through in some parts a foot of weeds. I know that taking care of a cemetery this size must be hard, but I would think there would be more care of the dead considering this is a destination for historians.
The historic cemetery in the Summer of 2024
When I finished touring the church grounds, I took a tour of the Bridgeton Historical Downtown. It was such a waste to see a bunch of old buildings falling apart and most of the businesses closed or small run-down businesses located in them. A block away was a more modern downtown with newer buildings. The shopping district caters to the very large Hispanic population that lives here and is great if you are looking for provisions for a picnic.
The one place that did stand out for me was the Century Bakery at 525 North Pearl Street in Downtown Bridgeton. They have some of the best and most creative doughnuts around. I could never make up my mind.
Century Bakery at 525 North Pearl Street in Downtown Bridgeton
The bakery just smells good when you walk in and the staff could not be nicer and more accommodating. I could barely make up my mind with all the delicious doughnuts to choose from.
I could not figure out what I wanted with all these delicious choices displayed in the cases. I finally decided on a Glazed Cream filled doughnut that was just mind blowing. It was so delicious. I had wanted to go back for another but did not want to ruin my appetite for lunch. For another trip.
This was like biting into a piece of heaven
When I visited Bridgeton in the Fall of 2024 for Halloween, I took the time to visit the Cohanzick Zoo and that was an interesting detour. The Zoo is part of the Bridgeton Park system like it is up in Bergen County. It is a small County zoo that takes about an hour to visit.
The zoo has an old fashioned feel with smaller rescue animals and equally not too large cages. The zoo is mostly comprised of animals who were rescued from either being poached, illegally transported or had been used as pets, many of them being neglected and abused.
The sign that welcomes you to the park at the Cohanzick Zoo
Throughout the park amongst the cages of wildlife are strolling gardens and animal related statuary.
The pathways and gardens were still in bloom the afternoon that I was there and it is a nice way to spend do the afternoon.
The Elephant statuary at the entrance of the zoo
The status of how some animals found their home here
The first resident I finished was the Raccoon House, where it looked like the raccoon was taking a snooze. He really looked out of it when I passed the cage.
The Raccoon House
The Raccoon Crossing sign
This poor little guy was out like a light
The zoo is one of the smaller more localized ones that I have visited so you can see the whole zoo in a short amount of time. Then you can walk leisurely around the paths and revisit the exhibitions again. Some of the animals like the peacock family, just wonder around the park and do their thing.
This gorilla sculpture that greets you in the back part of the zoo
Following the walkway to the back pens where a lot of the small animal and bird displays were located
The next exhibition that I visited was the Sand Hill Crane and I read that the poor little guy had been injured. He seemed a bit more optimistic when I passed the cage. I think that the animals just want some attention.
The Sand Hill Crane display
The Crane was watching all of us as we passed his cage
The next small animal that I visited was the Fennec fox and the two that I saw were fast asleep on this warm afternoon. They must have had a busy morning.
The Fennec fox cage
The foxes that I saw that day were fast asleep
One of the historical sites that I had wanted to visit was the historic Potter’s Tavern across from City Hall. I tried twice to stop in to see the Potters Tavern in Bridgeton but then double checked the guide and found out that it is only open on Sundays in July from 1:00pm-4:00pm.
Finally in the Summer of 2024, Potter’s Tavern opened for touring again and is now open on Sundays. It is well worth stopping and touring this important part of our Revolutionary War history.
Potters Tavern at 49-51 West Broad Street in Bridgeton, NJ
The tavern is one of the city’s connections to the Revolutionary War where patriots from that time met and plotted their strategy during the war. It was also a meeting place for men who need to gather after a hard day on the farm. These taverns were part of the social factor at a time before electronic communication.
The Entrance room of the Potter’s Tavern
The Hearth in the Kitchen in the Potter’s Tavern
The Bar at the Potter’s Tavern
The tavern has been rebuilt and furnished to reflex the time period. There are three floors to tour with the first floor being the tavern itself, the bedrooms upstairs where travelers would stay after a long stagecoach journey. The lower floor was the kitchen and store room where meals would be prepared and staff would sleep.
The upstairs of the Potter’s Tavern was the overnight accommodations
The lower level of Potter’s Tavern
It is an interesting tour that should not be missed but the museum’s hours can be sporadic even as they are posted online and are seasonal so plan accordingly.
On a recent trip to Bridgeton, I was able to finally see the Bridgeton Liberty Bell that sits in a display case across the street from Potter’s Tavern in Bridgeton’s modern courthouse.
The Bridgeton Liberty bell is located in the lobby of the Bridgeton Courthouse, which is open only during the week. You can walk in through the back door from the parking lot and walk through the metal detector to get to the bell that is displayed in the hallway.
The bell was cast in Massachusetts in 1765 and was a source of information during Colonial days.
The Bridgeton Liberty Bell
It was used to call people together for important news and meetings when hanging in the courthouse in the Courthouse that was built in 1760-61. It rang for liberty when the Declaration of Independence was signed and as a warning signal for the War of 1812 (South Jersey Early American Historical Trail pamphlet).
A close up look at the bell
The historic marker of the bell
While walking in the downtown area one afternoon in the summer, I was trying to stop in the Bridgeton Library to visit the Robert Woodruff Museum of Indian Artifacts (that is only open by appointment only). Since nobody was there to help me that afternoon I left the library.
Across the street, a mother-daughter team was barbecuing and preparing tacos and tamales for locals and some workers on the construction site around the corner. The tacos were amazing and they only charged $3.00 for two small tacos and a Coke. I thought this great and the tacos were excellent. The ladies could really cook.
The fresh tacos from the pop up taco stand across from the library
Continue to follow this blog as I explore more of Bridgeton and its historical downtown and all it has to offer. There is so much that can surprise you in the City of Bridgeton, NJ.
My logo for “Smile! You’re Visiting New Jersey!” created my very creative nephew, Artist Kyle McFarlane
I have found that the way we market the State of New Jersey boring. Most of the tourism books created by the state tourism board and the local county tourism boards just don’t capture all the wonderful things to do and see in the State of New Jersey. From our quirky beach communities to our unique small downtown based towns, each section of the state is so different.
When most tourists think of New Jersey, they think of the opening scene of “The Soprano’s”, with the glimpses of Newark Bay and the skyline of lower Manhattan or the more urban sections of the state that have their share of problems. What we miss about our great state is that every part of the state has so much to offer. We even run into the paradox of North and South Jersey, where part of our state roots for New York teams and the other for Philadelphia teams and never the two should meet (except over the summer when I was in Cape May when Philly played the Mets to a very mixed crowd of fans).
We range from big cities, university towns and commuter townships to historical small towns and Revolutionary War era villages that rival anything in Vermont or New Hampshire with their town squares and “Greens” to the 18th century architecture with signs that read “Washington Slept here”. Don’t write off communities such as Newark or Paterson, which have a host of great things to do and experience. We have so much to offer.
So from this point, I have created this site to mirror the work I am doing on blog “MywalkinManhattan.com, which is walking every inch of the Island of Manhattan and surrounding parts of New York City, to creating this site to do the same with every corner of the State of New Jersey.
I have recategorized all my New Jersey based blogs from museums and cultural sites to festivals and special events that I have experienced and walking tours that I have enjoyed that I want to share with readers. This also includes great restaurants, delis and bakeries that dot our great state. If you have not been to New Jersey then you are missing a lot.
So join me as we explore the great State of New Jersey and say “Smile! You’re Visiting New Jersey!”
I thought this was an interesting video to describe the state. I hope you enjoy it.
I was out exploring the Route 46 corridor several years ago from Budd Lake to the Delaware Water Gap and I visited a series of small farm stands along the way. RH Farm at 590 US 46 was one of the standouts that I visited .
It was not just the selection of fresh produce I saw on each of my visits in both in the Spring and Fall, but it was the selection of the variety of goods there was to purchase and the way they were displayed.
There was also a nice selection of freshly baked goods, arts and crafts items and plants and flowers all beautifully displayed like a boutique.
The inside of the farm
The selection of pumpkins in the Fall
I love the way they decorate the farm for each holiday. They decorated not just the selling space but other parts of the farm as well like the grounds and the barn area.
The display of holiday crafts and pumpkins
The holiday display of pumpkins and flowers
The Halloween decorations
They have a wonderful selection of pumpkins and gourds for the Halloween and Thanksgiving season.
The pumpkin display
Even their barn which looks like it is falling down looks picturesque. The property has such a unique feel to it.
The outside grounds
Both in the Spring and the Fall, the trip to both Budd Lake and the Delaware Water Gap are a real treat. What beautiful views.
The beautiful foliage in the Fall of 2025 by Budd Lake
.
The sun blazing in the Fall of 2025
The sun simmering on the lake at Budd Lake
The foliage by the lake
The views of the surrounding community in the Fall of 2025
Visiting the farm in the Spring:
Before I left Budd Lake I stopped at RH Farm stand, a small farmstand at 500 Route 46 West. I would spend most of my day exploring various farmstands along to way to see the selection and prices of the items. For the most part, everyone was charging New York City farmers market prices for produce. Some stand were charging $6.99 a pound for peaches and $12.00 for a small pie. I guess many of these people were hoping people from Manhattan were coming out for the day. I did find some decent prices but for the most part most of the stands were pretty expensive.
The entrance of RH Farms
RH Farm Farm Stand at 500 Route 46 West
This picturesque little farm stand has been in business since 2012 (I would have thought much longer) and offers an array of produce, gourmet products and flowers. I just thought it looked really nice. The prices are a little high though. Still quality does have a price tag to it.
The entrance of RH Farm Stand
The inside of RH Farms Farm Stand
The inside of RH Farms
The beautiful flower arrangement at RH Farms
The peaches and produce at RH Farms
4th of July display in Summer of 2024
4th of July display in the Summer of 2024. Uncle Sam looks on
Christmas display in the Summer of 2024
The plant display in the Summer of 2024
Their little cat welcome me with a couple of charming rubs to my legs.
History of the Farm:
(from the farm website)
RH Farms LLC is a local family-run Farm that has been producing delicious fresh products since 2012. We strive to make the most of everything the great outdoors has to offer. Our products are fresh from the field, so you can be sure you are buying the best quality produce. Come visit us with your family for a day of fun at RH Farms LLC.
We’re dedicated to providing a traditional farm experience to everyone in The Northern New Jersey area. Our crops, flowers and home furnishings bring visitors closer to nature while providing a memorable experience. We pride ourselves on our advanced farming methods so we can protect the environment while providing the community with only the freshest food. Contact us to learn more about our goals and missions.
The front of the Marshall Farm Market at 114 US 46
Sometimes you will pass a farm stand and you see the standard pumpkins, peaches and apples outside. When you pass Marshall’s Farm Stand in Delaware, NJ, you see a whole farm experience with orchards of fruit, corn fields and a property that is decorated for the upcoming Halloween holidays.
The side of the farm stand
The other side of the farm stand stocked high with pumpkins
The festive pumpkin sat on the roof of the building
The whole front of the farm was stocked with all sorts of early Fall produce, honey, jams and jellies and delicious baked goods including pies, cakes and rolls and their specialty, their mini Apple Cider doughnuts.
The fresh Jersey produce
The cream rolls and homemade pies, including apple, berry and Shoo Fly pies
The best is their mini Apple Cider doughnut. One bag of these and you are content for the afternoon. I can barely get out of the parking lot with indulging in one or two of them before my drive down Route 46 to the Delaware Water Gap.
The farm stands addictive Apple Cider doughnuts
These sugary delights are so good!
What I also enjoy is their delicious apple cider. I found out though that they do not make it in house but a farm close by makes it both for their farm and Marshall’s. It is sweet and very refreshing and only comes in gallon containers.
I love walking through the stand, walking past the pumpkin, produce and the crafts display.
The pumpkin display in the parking lot
After I put my purchases in the car, I walked around the farm, looking at all the decorations they had for the upcoming Halloween holidays. The farm has pumpkin picking, corn mazes and a hayride where the $5.00 cost includes along with the hayride a cup of apple cider and a doughnut. I could handle that.
The sign for the weekend hayrides
The witch sign in the parking lot near the Corn Maze
The witch painting at the start of the corn mazes
Ghosts decorating the field
The Corn Maze was still tall and green and I am sure led all around the property. Each part of the front part of the farm was decorated for Halloween festivities which would happen the next weekend.
The cemetery in the back of the farm stand
A horrible ghoul
All the Halloween decorations at the start of the hayride
The Halloween decorations in the back of the building
The Halloween poems on the decorations
The Halloween decorations
What I love about the farm in the farm in the Fall are all the beautiful colors and hues of the surrounding area.
Looking down Route 46 West/East
The sign on the other side of the fields
The decorations in the front part of the parking lot
Poems and riddles were on all the panels
There is a very warm welcome for Halloween
Don’t forget to visit the Delaware Water Gap just down the highway. The colors are amazing in the early Fall.
The sign for the park
The Delaware Water Gap in the Fall
The beautiful hues of the park
Visiting Marshall’s Farm Stand in the Spring:
Marshall’s Farm Stand 114 Route 46 West in the Spring months
Marshall’s Farm Stand in the summer of 2023
Talk about a step back in time. It reminded me of places I used to go to as a kid that have since disappeared with suburban sprawl. I toured around the stands with shelves of fresh jellies and honey, sauces and salsa and arts and crafts. I found a nearly empty shelf of pies and doughnuts and not a sweet roll in site. The girl working the register told me that everything sells out so quickly and they had baked a second batch of everything.
The signs leading to Marshall’s Farm Stand in the summer of 2023
There were three pies left and that was it of the baked good when I got there.
I did grab one of the last bags of cider doughnuts for the trip home and freshly made cider that you rarely see any more. Most of it is processed in big facilities now not at farms. Their doughnuts were outstanding ($4.75 for six). All but two got home with me as I munched on them on the trip through the Delaware Water Gap.
The Apple Cider doughnuts at Marshall’s Farm Market
The Apple Cider doughnuts are amazing here!
In 2021, I bought the same items again but after a big breakfast and then lunch, I only ate two of the doughnuts this time.
Marshall’s Farm Stand in the summer of 2023
The Fresh peaches and plums at Marshall’s Farm Stand.
I had a lively conversation about the upcoming election and trust me, this woman said a mouthful as most people were right before the election. In 2021, people were talking about the recent Governor’s election and Murphy seems in the doghouse with most of these residents. I said my good byes as quickly as possible. Politics is not something to talk about when buying food products.
Marshall’s Farm on a warm sunny afternoon.
At any time of the year, visiting Marshall’s Farm Stand is a treat!
The History of the Farm:
(from the Marshall Farm Market website)
Founded in 1920, by George Amer Marshall, Marshall’s Farm Market sells quality fruit, vegetables, and specialty foods. George W. Marshall ran the farm for many years and now the third generation of Marshall’s continues the tradition. Marianne Marshall Saponaro & her husband Nick Saponaro are on site daily to make sure customers have the finest products available.
A visit to Marshall’s Farm Market is like stepping back in time. Old time values of hard work, friendliness, service, and the finest quality are what you can expect. Many people return each year to purchase produce, gifts, specialty foods, outdoor furniture, meats, cheeses, pumpkins, and more.
Families visit Marshall’s Farm Market each Fall for the hay rides and the Halloween Hollow display. There is nothing better than a cup of apple cider on a cool Autumn day. All of the seasons are special on the farm. Stop in year round to see what new items have been added to the store.
I had a very busy weekend of running around South Jersey. I have been updating my blog on the Historical Sites of South Jersey and trying to visit as many of this small museums and special events venues before they close for the season. Like any of my blogging trips, I planned the weekend like “D Day”. I lucked out as the weather was wonderful both days, clear, sunny and in the mid 80’s. I could not think of a better time to go to the shore than post-Labor Day weekend. My goal was to attend the Apple Festival that I had heard about at the Gandy Farmstead Museum when I toured the home for my blog, VisitingaMuseum.com (see blog and reviews).
The JW Gandy Farmstead Museum at 26 Tyler Road in Greenfield, NJ
Two weeks after my initial visit to the Gandy House during the Firemen’s Convention, I returned for the Historical Society’s Annual Apple Festival on Saturday, October 4th. The event reminded me of the Brinckerhoff House Strawberry Festival I had attended in May , a very nice family and community event that attracted everyone.
The East Fishkill Historical Society-Brinckerhoff House Strawberry Festival 2025/Exploring Fishkill, NY blog:
Since there were a lot of shore towns I wanted to revisit while the weather was nice, I arranged to stay at an Airbnb in Ocean City so I had plenty of time to do what I needed to do and relax afterwards. Plus when the event was over, I could visit Ocean City and explore both the downtown and the boardwalk.
I could not believe how crowded the roads were as so many places were having either Fall festivals or October Fest. Route 9 was like a parking lot near Smithville, NJ as the town was having their ‘October Fest’ over both days of the weekend. Traffic was backed up for about two miles trying to get in so I got off Route 9 and traveled down the Garden State Parkway.
I got to the Apple Festival around noon and the parking lot was packed with people. One of the members said later that afternoon that he could not believe the consistent crowds as it was still busy at 2:15pm (the festival was over by 3:00pm). The crowds were filled with several generations of family members who I am sure were traveling from one event to another on this spectacular sunny morning. People were still arriving even as the event was winding down that afternoon.
The sign welcoming you to the event
When I arrived at the festival, the parking lot was still filling up so I had to park way in the back so I could get in and out easily.
On the Gandy family property on the other side of the home, they had an antique car show, a mini train ride around the tracks of this part of the property and a Caboose train car that you could explore.
The train tracks around the farm property
The train set up and tracks to tour around the farm
The train rides were really popular with both the small and ‘big’ kids
This small train trip had a nice sized line to it as families were really enjoying themselves
I then toured the Caboose which was set up for service and a day in the life of a conductor. Some of the volunteers were even dressed as conductors leading tour and talking to families. I did not understand how the train car got there but I thought it was an interesting look at life on the early train system of this country especially how it opened up the State of New Jersey.
The caboose on the farm property
The inside of the caboose
Getting ready for the holidays
Life of a train conductor shown in the caboose
After the tour of the car show and watching the families have fun on the trains, I headed across the street to the Gandy House for the tours and activities. There were all sorts of craft vendors, food and entertainment. The music duo was performing the James Taylor song “How Sweet it is to be loved by You” when I arrived.
The back of the Gandy Farmstead with crafts and entertainment
Entering the Apple Festival with a Farmers Market and Apple sale
The Farmers Market of locally grown produce
There was a stand that was a mini Farmers Market with locally grown apples, pumpkins, squash and tomatoes on top of other produce. It was so nicely displayed and the prices were really reasonable.
They had a wonderful duo interesting the crowds that afternoon
There were all sorts of crafts stands around where the entertainment was performing
The local crafts people were really talented and included crocheted, painters, floral arrangers and jewelry markers. There were all sorts of handmade items and there were stands to buy homemade jellies and pickles and the prices were not like North Jersey, where a jar of jam at a Farmers Market will run you $15.00. The prices here were closer to $5.00 for certain items, which I thought was very fair.
One woman sold flowers from her gardens and arranged bouquets
This woman painted her own crafts and did beautiful work for both Halloween and Christmas
Here beautiful holiday crafts
I loved this Santa tree and was going to get it for my mom
This woman had the most beautiful handmade doll clothing and knit items for the holidays
What is an Apple Festival without food? I went to the concession stand for lunch and ordered a hot dog with a glass of locally made Apple cider and had an homemade Apple Shortcake, which I found out later the members had made the night before.
The concession stand where all the food was made
Enjoying my lunch. Both the hotdogs and apple cider were locally made and that’s why it tasted so good! The apple cider was from a local farm and I wished they had sold this at the festival. I think the farmer would have sold out!
Hot dogs taste so good off the grill!
The delicious homemade Apple Shortcake with homemade apple topping were made by the members
I also stopped off at the apple stand where cases of apples were being sold. It looked like many people were going to make pies and sauce with these and the stand looked like they were selling out.
I managed to buy one of the Mango sweet apples they were selling individually
The apples were so hard, fresh and sweet that it made the perfect addition to dessert. Nothing is better than a Jersey Apple right off the vine. I could not believe how fast they sold out of the boxes of apples and the individual apples were selling just as fast.
The Mango Sweet apples
Talk about delicious
After lunch, I ran into the Board members who had helped me with the tour two weeks early and I took a quick tour of the first floor of the home. The laundry room was not open the day of my private tour, so I toured this part of the house on top of taking a better look at the first floor.
Touring the outside grape arbor
The grape arbor on an early Fall day
Touring the first floor laundry room
An early washing machine
How to do laundry at the turn of the last century
After having lunch, touring the house and visiting all the vendors I relaxed for the rest of the afternoon and listened to the entertainment perform. The duo performed a combination of 70’s hit songs, country music and some James Taylor.
The duo performing classic hits
The first part of the song “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” from the 1970’s before people walked in the way
The rest of the song performed. They did an excellent job with it
Before I left just after 2:00pm, I stayed to see who won the Apple pie contest. There were only three contributors but I wanted to get a slice before I left. They did not slice them up while I was there. Bummer! I really wanted a piece of fresh Apple pie.
The winners of the Apple pie contest
The Apple Festival sponsored by the Upper Township Historical Society happens every October. It is a wonderful family event and fundraiser for the Historical Society. I know I had a lot of fun and it reminded me of the events that I went to as a kid in the 1970’s, which was long before cell phones.
It was funny that the only person who had a cell phone glued to his hand was me but then I was there to cover this event. It really was a relaxing and wonderful afternoon with good food and entertainment. It was just like the 1970’s all over again with families enjoying each other’s company. Sometimes I think that people underate these local events which are so much fun.
By the time I left, most everyone was gone but I did watch families still walking in and heading to the food concessions. I hope they had that delicious Apple Shortcake. I assume the Festival did not close until after 3:00pm.
From the festival, I headed to Somers Point for an afternoon of picture taking. I had been here the summer before Grad school to visit the three museums on Shore Road, the Somers Mansion, the Atlantic County Historical Society and the Somers Point Historical Society and never got the exterior shots of the town that I wanted. I ended up revamping the whole blog and almost all the pictures.
As I was heading into Somers Point, I came across the most unusual farm stand sign and had to stop to take a picture. I thought this was fun and engaging and what a way to capture your attention.
The sign for Vaughan’s Farm Stand
The entrance to the Vaughan’s Farm at 312 Roosevelt Boulevard in Marmora, NJ
I stopped for a quick visit to the Vaughan’s farm stand and took a quick walk around the greenhouse to admire the plants and fall decorations on sale. I thought there might be food but just colorful plants and gardening supplies for local homes.
The flower and plant selection
The beautiful plants that they carry
The selection of seasonal items and Halloween themed gifts that they carried
Then I headed into Somers Point and my first stop, the original Somers Mansion which was the only museum open at the time. The other museums had closed earlier in the day but I had already visited all three in the past.
While the house looks impressive from the outside and was once home to five generations of the Somer family, the inside is a dusty relic of the past and they will not allow you to take pictures inside (I think they think someone will steal the dusty relics). I just think the inside could be a better interpretation of the family who lived here. Still the views from the house are amazing on a sunny day.
The view of the bay and the highway and bridge
On this trip I had about two and a half hours to really tour and explore the town. I ended up revamping the entire blog from three years ago with more pictures and a better depiction of this historical town.
I walked through the historical district of the town which stretches from the Somers Mansion to the modern downtown and got a better understanding of the growth of this community.
The district is filled with old and classic beach homes
Then I walked down Shore Avenue, the heart of Somers Point historical area and came across the statue of Richard Somers.
The statue of Master Commandant Richard Somers
Walking down to the elementary school on New York Avenue, I also visited the graves of the Somers family which is tucked off to the side.
The family cemetery was once part of their estate
After my tour of the historic district and revamped my entire blog on Somers Point, I remembered the Dairy Queen in town and had a craving for a Banana Split. It still tastes the same as it did in 1972!
The Dairy Queen in Somers Point at 501 Shore Drive
After my snack, it was time to walk it off. I took a tour by the shore line and discovered parks that I had not seen on my last trip to town.
The park and beach by the bay
As I walked further down the road, I came across the walkway under the bridge and the highway. That was an interesting walk.
The walkway under the bridge offers great views of the bay and dazzling sunsets
The sun was starting to make its descent in the late afternoon
I wanted to get to the Airbnb by 5:00pm and relax before dinner. Driving between Somers Point and Ocean City is a breeze in the off season and I made it in about twenty minutes.
My Airbnb was right next to downtown Ocean City and three blocks from their Boardwalk
After I settled in and relaxed a bit, I took a walk through the downtown to look at the stores and restaurants. I pretty much knew where I wanted to go for dinner but wanted to see my options.
Their pizza is always a treat and I look forward to eating here every time I am in Ocean City. Their red sauce has a nice flavor and is so well spiced. While a bit pricy for a slice (the meat lovers slice was $8.00), they did not skimp on the toppings.
A slice of the Meatlovers and a slice of Cheese pizza
I really enjoyed my dinner. The Meatlovers was loaded with different types of meat and you could taste the complexity in every bite. It was also fun to watch everyone glued to the Phillies game. When I explored Beach Haven the next day, it was all about the Giants.
After dinner, I took a stroll down the Boardwalk and walked through the amusement parks and games. Ocean City does not have the ‘honky-tonky’ feel of Wildwood or Point Pleasant. It really has the feel of family resort.
Walking through the amusement area
The park was really busy for a Saturday night post Labor Day
What was really beautiful was my walk on the beach and the light of the moon rising over the shore.
The beach views were breathtaking
My video of Ocean City Beach at sunset
Just walking on the boardwalk in the evening on a beautiful fall night was a treat. It had not gotten cool yet and it was still warm that evening.
My last stop before I headed back to the Airbnb was a stop at Johnson’s Popcorn. By this point it was now 9:00pm and everyone was closing up shop fast. I have never seen an amusement park empty out that fast.
The girl at the counter of the main Johnson’s Popcorn could not have been nicer. She told me she had plenty of popcorn left and gave me a bag of a combination of Caramel and Cheddar in addition to my cup of popcorn that I could barely finish.
My bag of Johnson’s Popcorn
The combination of the Cheddar and Caramel has the best flavor
I was a very happy camper that night
The popcorn was still warm and the caramel was still really sticky. Even at that time of the evening, the popcorn was such high quality. Trust me, not a kernel went to waste on the Boardwalk.
I slept so soundly that night and had one of the best night’s sleep in a long time. The Airbnb was great because it was so close to everything that it was a short walk back from the boardwalk I could get right into bed.
My room at the Airbnb
The next morning I wanted to take a quick walk around town before I headed towards my next shore town of Beach Haven just up the coast.
I stopped for a quick breakfast at McDonalds in Ocean City and indulged in the new Sausage McMuffin and Egg Breakfast Extra Value meal.
The new McDonalds in Ocean City, NJ at 900 West Street
I still think the Sausage McMuffin with Egg is the best breakfast in the industry
I wanted to make two stops before I left town. I started with a walk on the boardwalk admiring the sunny morning. Nothing is more wonderful than walking around a boardwalk on a quiet Sunday morning. The stores and restaurants were opening for breakfast and surfers were out in full force ‘catching waves’. Mornings in a shore community have their own life.
The boardwalk at Ocean City, NJ
The beach with early risers
The amusement area in the distance
There’s a big surfer culture here
I could not believe the amount of surfers who were on the Ocean City beach. The waves were not that big that morning but I could imagine what the waves were like during the recent storms. These folks have their own culture and lingo.
My video on the Surfers of Ocean City on the beach that morning
After my walk on the beach, I headed off to the US Lifeguard Station 30 Museum to see the exhibitions.
I was very lucky that I was able to visit the museum before it closed for the season and tour the facility. I found the life of the rescue teams fascinating and all the work these men did before the creation of the Coast Guard. The way they handled rescues and the training they needed back before the advent of phones and walkie-talkies was interesting. How the lanterns were used for as a form of communication between the beach and the building.
The inside Rescue Gallery
The formal Dining Room
There was a whole formal culture built on this and visitors and guests were welcomed to the building by officers, some meals cooked by the members wives and some by themselves.
The pulleys and wenches that saved people
Additional rescue boats
Life here was active but comfortable as I judged by the bunk room. This loft once overlooked the sea that is now three blocks away. Here the men had to be ready for anything and the windows offered perfect access to the sea.
The Bunk Room loft where the men slept and watched over the beaches
After I left the museum, it was time to travel to Beach Haven. So I took more walk around Ocean City to enjoy the beauty of this Jersey shore town. Even though it was just an overnight trip, there is a lot to see and do in these South Jersey communities packed with historical sites and interesting restaurants and especially beautiful beaches.
One last walk on the Boardwalk that morning
One last look at the spectacular beach
Now it was on to Exploring Beach Haven, NJ and Long Beach Island. I wanted to revamp that blog as well as there were places I wanted to visit before the weather got cooler. This is the best time to visit the Jersey shore and what a spectacular weekend it was!
My blog on Visiting and Exploring Beach Haven and Long Beach Island:
It was another wonderful afternoon in South Jersey and really shows all the wonderful things this area of the State has to offer. These little festivals show what volunteers can accomplish and I think we are better as tourists when we ger to attend them.
The historic grounds of the property in the winter
I visited the John Westley Gandy Farmstead on private walking tours both in the Winter of 2024 and the Summer of 2025 and got a glimpse of farm life in early rural Southern New Jersey. Away from the markets of New York City, I got to see how tenant farming and life was for early farmers after the Revolutionary War.
The house is decorated with artifacts from the early 1800’s to the turn of the Twentieth century and how they affected the lives of early inhabitants of the house. There is antique furniture, home made quilts and a fully stocked kitchen with a wood burning fireplace to cook meals from scratch (which was not a trend in those days, that is how they lived).
The grounds when I visited in the summer months
The grounds of the farm in the winter
The grounds of this historic homestead in the winter
When a returned for the private tour in the summer, it was a different story. The grounds were lush and in full bloom. It was really interesting to see how the farmstead was in the different seasons.
The same grounds in the summer
The history of the house
The front of the house during the summer
When you walk inside the Gandy Housr on the first floor, you are welcomed into the kitchen and pantry area plus some of public areas of the house. Here meals were prepared and guests were greeted.
The pantry area of the kitchen
Wood was stored for heat and cooking and herbs were drying for the winter months for cooking and daily use.
The fire wood and herb s drying
The pantry and larders for daily cooking and baking for the daily meals. All meals were cooked from scratch and large breakfasts and lunches were part of farm life. All meals were cooked in the open hearth so meals had to be properly timed and cooking and baking had to be coordinated for the family meals.
The larders were filled with the items that were in season
Cooking over a wood burning fire was part of everyday meals in the farm kitchen. Various pots and pans were in use to cook the family meals.
The inside of the kitchen area that heated the main room
Meals were coordinated for the day with cereals and soups cooking first, baked items going into the oven when it was warm enough followed by roasts and stews.
The days cooking over a hot stove
There were early morning breakfasts on the farm and then a late lunch/ early supper when the afternoon work was done.
The other half of the main room was used for dining and the families social space. Here meals were served and the family relaxed.
Everyday family objects of the household
The front part of the room faced the road and the comings and goings of the surrounding community.
The side bench and family objects
The most interesting part of the tour of the first floor is the view of the construction of the home. Behind the glass frame showed how the home was built and of what.
The construction of the home behind the glass frame
The family quarters on the second floor show the chores that followed during the day with spinning yarn, making and mending clothes and dying fabrics.
The spinning wheels and the making of quilts
The landing and the first floor rooms
The spinning wheels and patterns
The first bedroom was furnished with handmade quilts and sown linens. The wash basins were used before indoor plumbing.
The first bedroom upstairs
The wash basin and grooming products
Going out for a formal evening
The second bedroom on the second floor has is collection of quilts
The hand made quilts in the second bedroom
The children’s toys
The handmade quilt collection in the one bedroom
Handmade linens were part of the fabric of rural life as women were trained to sew and quilt their clothes and bed linens. Store bought linens were a rarity at this time and the quality of a woman’s homemaking skills defined her household. The handwork on these quilts were amazing.
The upstairs fireplace to keep the rooms warm
The upstairs alcove where the fireplace is located
The Morning clothing in the alcove
We then headed up the stairs to see the attic which were hard to walk up they were such small stairs.
The narrow stair’s to the attic
I got to see the attic area which visitors normally don’s see. This is where the boys of the family would sleep in the summarrr
The attic loft area
We finished the house tour back in the kitchen-living room
The full kitchen and living room room
The laundry area just off the main room
The we then toured the grounds of the estate walking through the grounds and exploring all the buildings on the property, some original to the estate and some brought here from other properties that awaited the wrecking ball. The grounds included the family well, barn, outhouse, root cellar, wood shed and a grape arbor.
The area right behind the main
The estate well which was going to be replaced
Fresh well water is still a part of the communities in Southern New Jersey. These farmsteads were pretty much self-sufficient and people grew what they needed and could barter for the rest or bring it to market.
The woodshed on the estate
The estate on a sunny day
The root cellar
The Root Cellar was used to keep Summer foods and preserves cool throughout the season. People tried to eat seasonally as much as possible and store for the Winter months.
The Ice House
The historic sign for the Ice House
The inside of the ice house and the hooks to hold meats
Ice was brought in from local lakes and ponds to keep foods well preserved during the warmer months of the Spring and Summer.
The barn that was moved here
The inside of the barn with all sorts of historic farm. These are pieces of equipment that were used over the last 100 years.
The farm equipment
The equipment that runs a farm
The storage area of the farm
The storage bins
The Outhouse
There was no indoor plumbing in those days and the use of the outhouse was placed far from the main house.
The grounds of the farm
The back of the farm
The front of the homestead in the summer of 2025
The house was warm and contained by fireplaces in the Winter months and open and airy in the Summer months with a flow of air through the open windows. The Upper Cape May Township Historical Society is open also for special events like their Strawberry and Apple festivals plus private tours.
The Gandy Farmstead Annual Apple Festival
Two weeks after my initial visit to the Gandy House during the Firemen’s Convention, I returned for the Historical Society’s Annual Apple Festival. The event reminded me of the Brinckerhoff House Strawberry Festival, a very nice family and community event that attracted everyone.
Since there were a lot of shore towns I wanted to revisit while the weather was nice, I arranged to stay at an Airbnb in Ocean City so I had plenty of time to do what I needed to do and relax afterwards.
I could not believe how crowded the roads were as so many places were having either Fall festivals or October Fest. Route 9 was like a parking lot near Smithville, NJ.
I got to the Apple Festival around noon and the parking lot was packed with people. One of the members said later that afternoon that he could not believe the consistent crowds as it was still busy at 2:15pm (the festival was over by 3:00pm). The crowds were filled with several generations of family members who I am sure were traveling from one event to another on this spectacular sunny morning.
The sign welcoming you to the event
When I arrived at the festival, the parking lot was still filling up so I had to park way in the back so I could get in and out easily. They had plenty of parking on the farm across the street.
On the Gandy family property on the other side of the home, they had an antique car show, a mini train ride around the tracks of this part of the property and a Caboose train car that you could explore.
The train tracks around the farm property
The train set up and tracks to tour around the farm
The train rides were really popular with both the small and ‘big’ kids
This small train trip had a nice sized line to it as families were really enjoying themselves
I then toured the Caboose which was set up for service and a day in the life of a conductor. Some of the volunteers were even dressed as conductors leading tour and talking to families.
The caboose on the farm property
The inside of the caboose
Getting ready for the holidays
Life of a train conductor shown in the caboose
After the tour of the car show and watching the families have fun on the trains, I headed across the street to the Gandy House for the tours and activities.
The back of the Gandy Farmstead with crafts and entertainment
Entering the Apple Festival with a Farmers Market and Apple sale
The Farmers Market of locally grown produce
They had a wonderful duo interesting the crowds that afternoon
There were all sorts of crafts stands around where the entertainment was performing
The local crafts people were really talented and included crocheted, painters, floral arrangers and jewelry markers.
One woman sold flowers from her gardens and arranged bouquets
This woman painted her own crafts and did beautiful work for both Halloween and Christmas
Here beautiful holiday crafts
I loved this Santa tree and was going to get it for my mom
This woman had the most beautiful handmade doll clothing and knit items for the holidays
What is an Apple Festival without food? I went to the concession stand for lunch and ordered a hot dog with a glass of locally made Apple cider and had an homemade Apple Shortcake, which I found out later the members had made the night before.
The concession stand where all the food was made
Enjoying my lunch. Both the hotdogs and apple cider were locally made. That’s why it tasted so good!
Hot dogs taste so good off the grill!
The delicious homemade Apple Shortcake with homemade apple topping were made by the members
I also stopped off at the apple stand where cases of apples were being sold. It looked like many people were going to make pies and sauce with these and the stand looked like they were selling out.
I managed to buy one of the Mango sweet apples they were selling individually
The apples were so hard, fresh and sweet that it made the perfect addition to dessert.
The Mango Sweet apples
Talk about delicious
After lunch I ran into the Board members who had helped me with the tour two weeks early and I took a quick tour of the first floor of the home. The laundry room was not open the day of my private tour.
Touring the outside grape arbor
The grape arbor on an early Fall day
Touring the first floor laundry room
An early washing machine
How to do laundry at the turn of the last century
After having lunch, touring the house and visiting all the vendors I relaxed for the rest of the afternoon and listened to the entertainment perform. They did a combination of 70’s hit songs, country music and some James Taylor.
The duo performing
The first part of the song “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” from the 1970’s before people walked in the way
The rest of the song performed. They did an excellent job with it
Before I left just after 2:00pm, I stayed to see who won the Apple pie contest. There were only three contributors but I wanted to get a slice before I left. They did not slice them up. Bummer!
The winners of the Apple pie contest
The Apple Festival sponsored by the Upper Township Historical Society happens every October. It is a wonderful family event and fundraiser for the Historical Society. I know I had a lot of fun and it reminded me of the events that I went to as a kid in the 1970’s.
It was funny that the only person who had a cell phone glued to his hand was me. It was just like the 1970’s all over again with families enjoying each other’s company. Try to visit in the future.
Formerly The Ramapo Meeting House was organized in 1785 and built in 1798
In 1713, a small group of eleven German Lutheran families settled at the “Island,” so named because of extensive marshlands surrounding high, dry land. They formed a congregation in 1715, and c. 1720 built a log church. Prior to 1739, they built a larger, frame church.
Dutch, French, English and Scottish settlers of the Reformed faith came to the Island about mid-century and attended church in Paramus, 10 miles distant. In 1785, they organized The Ramapo Dutch Reformed Congregation at Ramapough in Bergen County.
After the Revolutionary War (1776-1783), the first task of the new nation was to repair the damages of war and neglect. Neither the Lutheran nor the Reformed congregation at the Island had sufficient means to build a new church. In spite of having fought on opposing sides during the War, they agreed to jointly repair and use the old Lutheran church. The arrangement was so successful that in 1798, they agreed to build the present church together.
Construction began on June 4th, and was finished in November. The last items purchased were “one lock and two keys” on December 12, 1798. The two congregations shared the church for fifty years until 1848, when the Lutherans sold their interest and moved to Airmont, NY and established the present Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church.
As soon as its doors opened to the public in 1798, the new Ramapough Meeting House became the heart of the daily activities. Social gatherings and civic meetings were held here all week long, and personal and official notices were posted on the doors. But on the Sabbath (from sundown Saturday to sundown Sunday) the building became a sacred place.
Ramapough – or Bellgrove, as it was called at this time – had four mills, several blacksmith shops, a general store, a stagecoach stop, and U.S. Post Office, one of the earliest in New Jersey (1797). The old Kings Highway of 1703 or Ramapough Road (Island Road) was part of the ancient 150-mile Albany Post Road from Paulus Hook (Jersey City) to Albany, NY. Dobbin & Tustin, est. 1797, ran a passenger and mail stage line on this road, right past the door of the Ramapough Meeting House.
In 1798, when pews and people were smaller, the Meeting House held 385 people. (Today, it holds 250). Though the old box-type pews are gone from the sanctuary, the gallery seats above still exist. The Island Church held an important place in the railroad hamlet of Mahwah throughout the 1800s. It was known simply as the Community Church until the 1950s, when suburbanization brought many other faiths to Mahwah.
One of the earliest public schools in the area, c. 1815, was operated on the church property until 1906, when the church sold land to the Township for the Commodore Perry School. In the cemetery is a roadbed of the old Kings Highway.
The Ramapo Reformed Church is the oldest public building in Mahwah, and a repository of more than 200 years of local and regional history. It is the older of only two remaining frame Federal-period churches in Bergen County, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The modern church sign
I walked through this quiet and reserved graveyard in search of ghosts from the past. The graveyard at the Ramapo Reformed Church, like many of these former Dutch churches, are steeped in memories of the past.
The historic graveyard in the back of the church
In the unique graveyard are the places of rest of many of the first families of Bergen County, NJ who not just shaped the county, but the State of New Jersey and the United States as well.
The oldest part of the graveyard surrounds the church
While the names Haring, Christie, Blauvelt, Demarest, Ramsey, Sutherland, Fox, Hopper, Van Ripper, DeBaun, Terhune and Tice may not similar to most people, to a generation of us were the names of farming families in Bergen County.
Their farms supplied us with fresh fruits and vegetables when in season and places for us to go during Halloween and Thanksgiving for our baked goods and much needed apple cider.
The 1980’s real estate boom put an end to many of these traditions but those names still live in the memories of an older generation. We see some of these traditions still hold tight at Demarest Farms in Hillsdale where hayrides and apple cider and fritters are still part of that experience.
For this trip though, I was in search of graves of our brave veterans of the American Revolution and in the faded tombstones surrounding the church, I found most of them.
The oldest part of the graveyard wraps itself around the church or faces the road, which at one time must have been a country lane.
Some of the oldest families from the community are buried closest to the church building
The graveyard is filled with family plots of most of the first families of the area once surrounded by old fences.
The graveyard is full of families and their memories. In some parts of the graveyard, family plots are organized by generations. To so the progression of mother and father to their children and grandchildren. The history of these families is in the rows of names and the intermarriages of all these families to one another.
The Fox family plot, where one of the members of the family was a veteran of the Civil War
Peter J. Ramsey was born on 23 November 1804, in Bergen, New Jersey, United States. He married Margaret Hopper in 1828, in Hohokus Township, Bergen, New Jersey, United States. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 5 daughters. He died on 10 May 1852, in Ramapo, Bergen, New Jersey, United States, at the age of 47, and was buried in Mahwah Township, Bergen, New Jersey, United States (Family Search.org).
Closer to the church, I discovered the graves of our brave soldiers from the Revolutionary War whom I had been searching for.
The grave of John Suffern, who fought in the Revolutionary War and whose family the County of Suffern was named after
When John Suffern was born on 23 November 1741, in County Antrim, Ireland, his father, William Suffern, was 27 and his mother, Margaret Templeton, was 19. He married Mary Myers on 1 January 1766, in Burlington, New Jersey, British Colonial America. They were the parents of at least 7 sons and 4 daughters. He lived in Rockland, New York, United States in 1820 and Ramapo, Rockland, New York, United States in 1830. He died on 11 November 1836, in Suffern, Ramapo, Rockland, New York, United States, at the age of 94, and was buried in Ramapo Reformed Church Cemetery, Mahwah Township, Bergen, New Jersey, United States (Familysearch.org).
The graves of John Suffern and his wife
The Christie family plot, where John and James Christie who fought in the war were buried
When John W Christie was born on 7 May 1754, in Schraalenburgh, Bergen, New Jersey, British Colonial America, his father, William James Christie, was 33 and his mother, Catalijntje Demarest, was 32. He married Annatie Hannah Brinkerhoff about 1773, in New Barbadoes Township, Bergen, New Jersey, United States. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 8 daughters. He died on 11 September 1815, in Bergen, New Jersey, United States, at the age of 61, and was buried in Bergenfield, Bergen, New Jersey, United States (Familysearch.org).
When James Willem Christie was born on 20 August 1744, in Bergen, New Jersey, British Colonial America, his father, William James Christie, was 24 and his mother, Catalijntje Demarest, was 22. He married Maria Banta about 1772, in Schraalenburgh, Bergen, New Jersey, British Colonial America. They were the parents of at least 5 sons and 5 daughters. He died on 23 July 1817, in Bergenfield, Bergen, New Jersey, United States, at the age of 72 (Familysearch.org).
The grave of Lawrence Sutherland another Revolutionary War Veteran
When Lawrence Sutherland was born on 12 June 1763, in Harrington Township, Bergen, New Jersey, United States, his father, James Sutherland, was 21 and his mother, Marietje, was 19. He married Elizabeth Sutherland in 1786, in New Hampstead, Rockland, New York, United States. They were the parents of at least 2 sons and 3 daughters. He died on 9 October 1846, in New Hampstead, Rockland, New York, United States, at the age of 83, and was buried in Mahwah Township, Bergen, New Jersey, United States (Familysearch.org).
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