Inside
THE BRICK ACADEMY
The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills
May 2012
Somerset Hills Receives
Historic Preservation and History Awards
The Somerset County Cultural and Heritage Commission presented the
„Somerset County Historic Preservation and History Recognition Awards‟ on
May 2 at the Brook Arts Center in Bound Brook. The 17th awards ceremony
recognized accomplishments in historic preservation and history/education.
Five Somerset Hills awards were presented among the eleven honorees:
Inside
this issue…
- The Astors, The Titanic
and Basking Ridge
- Charter Day: May 19
- Retiring Trustees
- Walking Tour Stories
- Peapack & Gladstone
Centennial
- American History Dates
- Museum Exhibits
- New Members
∙ 475 South Maple Avenue, Basking Ridge (David L. Lewis House)
Owned by Mr. and Mrs. Stan Holcomb
Preservation/Restoration of an 1870 Second Empire Residence
∙ Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church
111 Claremont Road, Bernardsville
Preservation of a 1900 Gothic Revival Church
∙ 18 Olcott Avenue, Bernardsville (left photo)
Owned by Mr. and Mrs. John Wurch
Preservation/Restoration of a 1909 Colonial Revival dwelling
∙ John Campbell
Kennedy-Martin-Stelle Farmstead, Basking Ridge
Leadership
∙ Bernardsville Library History Committee
Bernardsville Public Library
Leadership/Education
The nominations for the three Somerset Hills historic properties were
prepared by THSSH Trustees June Kennedy and Dan Lincoln.
Other recipients included the Jacob Ten Eyck House (circa 1725/1792 Dutch
Dwelling, Branchburg) and the Van Liew-Suydam House (1875 Italianate
Dwelling, Franklin) for Preservation/Restoration; and Mark Else (Franklin
Township/Meadows Foundation), Joyce W. Smith (Friends of Abraham
Staats House/Raritan Millstone Heritage Alliance, South Bound Brook),
Bridgewater Township Monument (Township Monument & Historical Committee, Bridgewater), and Bedensville School House Program (Cheryl Kunz,
Van Harlingen Historical Society, Montgomery) for Leadership.
Congratulations to the 2012 Award Recipients!
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The Astors, The Titanic and Basking Ridge
April 15, 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the ill-fated Titanic.
The original founder of the Astor fortune was John Jacob Astor who built a vast fur trading business after the
Revolutionary War. Astor later became a New York City real estate baron and died in 1848 as the richest man in
America with an estimated net worth of over $20 million.
However, it was his great-grandson John Jacob Astor IV (right photo), also known as Colonel
Astor who leads this story to Basking Ridge. John Jacob Astor IV was also a prominent real
estate developer. He built what was known as the greatest hotel in the world, The Astoria Hotel,
next to The Waldorf Hotel, built by his cousin William Waldorf Astor.
Through the years, John Jacob Astor IV also purchased land in Bernards Township. In 1898,
the Reverend Joseph Appley, young pastor of the Basking Ridge Methodist Church (currently
Bishop Janes Methodist Church), recorded that he had permission by Astor to roam the fields
from the present foot of Lindbergh Lane southward, between South Maple Avenue and the edge
of the swamp. Several times a week, Rev. Appley would line up volunteer wagons and some male
parishioners. Hours before the helpers arrived, he could be found inspecting a pre-selected area,
checking every large stone for shape, soundness and hardness. By marking the ones that passed his test, Appley is
credited with personally selecting the stones for building the church, kindly donated by John Jacob Astor IV.
In 1909, John Jacob Astor IV, at age 45, divorced his wife Ava and, two years later, married his eighteen-yearold mistress Madeleine Talmadge Force, which scandalized New York society. The newlyweds travelled to Egypt
and Paris and, in the spring of 1912, with Madeleine 5 months pregnant with their first child, the couple decided to
return to New York as First Class passengers on the maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic. They boarded the grand
ocean liner in Cherbourg, France, on April 10, with three servants and their dog, Kitty. A net worth of well over
$87 million made Astor, without a doubt, the richest man aboard.
Tragically, Astor was among 1,500 passengers and crew who perished when the Titanic sank at 2:20 am on
April 15 after hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean. Ironically, the U.S. Senate subcommittee hearings to
investigate the sinking were initially held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Astor‟s body was recovered on April 22 and
buried in the family vault in the Trinity Church Cemetery in Manhattan. Madeleine survived the maritime disaster in a lifeboat and inherited $1.7 million from John‟s estate. On August 14, 1912 she gave birth to John Jacob
Astor VI (a British cousin was named John Jacob Astor V). No specific provision for the unborn
child had yet been made, but a clause of his father's will provided that any surviving child,
other than his son and daughter by Ava, would receive $3 million, to be held in trust until the
child reached age 21. John Jacob Astor VI graduated from St. George's School in Newport,
Rhode Island and grew up to become a millionaire playboy much like his father.
In the early 1940s, Astor VI (left photo) owned over 400 acres of land originally included in
the Lord Stirling estate (presently part of the Somerset County Environmental Center and Lord
Stirling Stables). The family built a barn and raised dairy cattle on the farm. In 1950, the 38
year-old Astor VI (aka “Jakey”) purchased a twenty-room English Tudor manor house originally
built in 1912 by Samuel Owen, a pharmaceutical magnate. The entire area was once an apple
and peach orchard farm named “Cedar Hill”. There was much speculation why Astor returned to the Somerset
Hills. Some people felt the move was because he was ousted from many social registers (NY Times, 1954) and
needed a quiet retreat. While others rumored it was his association with socialite Brooke Astor (married to his
half-brother William Vincent Astor), who had been previously wedded to John Dryden Kuser, a wealthy resident of
Bernardsville.
Astor VI got divorced from his fourth wife in 1954. He seldom lived in the mansion, but employed a full staff. Vacated in 1960, the estate remained unoccupied
for eight years before Bernards Township purchased the hilltop house and 28 acres
for $140,000 in 1968. Today, it serves as Town Hall (mural at right by Oak Street
School Students, 2010). John Jacob Astor VI died in Miami Beach, Florida in 1992
at the age of 79 and is interred with his family in the Trinity Church Cemetery.
(Information provided by Trustees Brooks Betz and June Kennedy)
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Brick Academy ‘Open House’
Charter Day - May 19
Bernards Township‟s Charter Day Festival will be held on
Saturday, May 19 to commemorate the 252nd anniversary of
the granting of a Charter by King George II of England, establishing Bernardston Township. This act was in appreciation
for the services of Sir Francis Bernard, the son of a British
Reverend. Bernard served as Royal Governor of New Jersey
from January 27, 1758 to July 4, 1760. The Town Crier will
conduct the Charter Day opening ceremony in the center of
Basking Ridge at 11 AM.
In celebration, the Brick Academy will be open from 11 am
to 5 pm. Highlights of the museum include a timeline of the
historic 1809 building; Bernards Township 250th anniversary
quilt; 1752 Whitaker Deed, Indian Arrowheads; and current
exhibits: „Head to Toe: Victorian Fashions‟, „Kitchen Help:
19th C. Household Items‟, „Historical Politicians of the Somerset Hills‟, and „The George Washington Bicentennial Celebration‟. There will also be a special exhibit of Bernards Township
history. The building‟s top floor, restored to an 1890s schoolroom, includes period furniture, an authentic pot belly stove,
and hands-on craft making for young visitors.
The Brick Academy is located at 15 West Oak Street in the
center of Basking Ridge.
RETIRING TRUSTEES
The Board of Trustees extends its
sincere gratitude to retiring trustees
Ken Salvo and Don Lorenz for their
many years of dedicated service and
leadership for The Historical Society
of the Somerset Hills.
Ken is a long-standing THSSH
member, has served as a Trustee
since 2004, and was a founding
member of the Society‟s Historic
Preservation Committee.
Don, who retired from the Board
after more than ten years of service,
is a long-standing THSSH member
as well and most recently served on
the Society‟s Museum Committee
providing expertise on the Lord
Stirling Manor archeological project
and Indian arrowheads.
Best wishes to Ken and Don for
continued success in all that they
pursue in the future.
Tell Us Your Old Stories & Memories of Basking Ridge...
Message from Trustee Paula Axt…
The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills is inviting you to share your “old stories, tales or recollections”
of Basking Ridge from as early as 1850 through 1960.
The reason for the “tales” is to add further interest to the local walking tour that the
Historical Society sponsors twice per year. I have been giving the tour, and feel that the
walk is far more interesting when real life stories are interjected along with the historical
facts about the buildings in the center of town. The “tales” of the residents before us
make the town‟s rich history come alive.
If you know anyone, or have friends, family members or neighbors that know of any
stories, facts or simply remember what the Basking Ridge was like before Routes 287
and 78, or the former AT&T office complex, please contact me.
They do not have to be stories, they can be events or things that happened around
town. These stories can be tales told from neighbors, friends and family, or something
that happened, or simply what the town was like then. It could even be someone telling
me about the Kiwanis fairs back in the 1950‟s. Perhaps you could mention that their stories or events may be
what I talk about on the next historic walking tour scheduled for Sunday, June 10.
I would love to speak to you over the phone, email, or share a cup of coffee with you. Please call me at
908-953-9521 or email me at [email protected]. Look forward to hearing from you!
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Peapack & Gladstone Centennial
The borough launched its 100th anniversary celebration in January with a program by John C. Smith, chairman of the Historic Preservation Committee. The lecture and slide presentation covered “The History of Peapack” from the days it was occupied by Native
Americans through its incorporation in 1912. Excerpts from The Bernardsville News article posted on 1/20/12 include:
- Indians lived here for almost 10,000 years before the settlers came. They were friendly and unfortunately
taken advantage of by the white men. Lamington, Peapack, Raritan, and Watchung are all Indian names.
- In 1676, the Quintipartite Deed divided East Jersey from West Jersey. The line, called the Keith Line, after
the surveyor, ran from Egg Harbor on the coast to the Delaware Water Gap.
- In 1682, East Jersey was divided into four counties – Bergen, Essex, Middlesex, and Monmouth. Then in
1688 the western part of Middlesex became Somerset County, “named after Somerset County in England”.
- The first land purchases in Bedminster started as early as 1690, with settlers coming from Germany, Holland,
England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. Most Indian tribes started to move westward and north into New York State due to white
man‟s diseases and general overcrowding. By 1750 to 1775 most of the Indians left while a few blended with the colonists.
- In 1693, Somerset County was largely unsettled and considered one territory. It was then drawn into precincts – western, eastern
and northern. The northern precinct became Bedminster. Bernards and Bridgewater townships were the other two.
- In 1701, a grant known as the “Peapack Patent” transferred lands from the 24 proprietors of East Jersey to George Willocks and
John Johnson. The patent basically covered the lands of Bedminster, including Peapack & Gladstone as we know it today. Any
Indian claims were terminated by agreements with three Lenape Indians of the Raritan group.
- Peapack (6 sq. miles) was part of Bedminster (33 sq. miles) when Bedminster incorporated in 1749 by a charter granted in the
name of King George II. It remained so until 1912 when it chose to secede from the township and incorporate as a twin borough,
Peapack & Gladstone. Peapack residents did not like paying high taxes for the Bedminster rural roads that did not serve them.
- The first settlers were primarily farmers who bought large tracts of land from the Indians or from Willocks or Johnson. Farm-
related businesses started such as blacksmith shops, grist mills, saw mills, tanneries, wheelwright shops, limestone kilns, set kilns,
and stores. By 1750 the Lawrence Mill existed and in 1756 one acre of good land cost $1.56.
- The name Peapack has many explanations: „Peapack Path‟ was the name of an Indian thoroughfare that ran east and west through
northern New Jersey, crossing the North Branch of the Raritan River; „Peapacton‟ was the Indian word for „marriage of the waters‟
where the Raritan and Peapack Brook met; and some also say that Peapack is the Indian name for Smith.
- By 1808 the village contained four houses, the Jerolaman Mill which was formerly the
Lawrence Mill, and the Van Doren Mill.
- By 1880 there was a hotel, 2 grist mills, a post office, 2 churches, 4 stores, 3 blacksmiths,
3 wheelwrights, a distillery, 6 perpetual lime kilns, and 9 set kilns. The industrial development brought railroads, electricity, telephones, and more as the town grew (early postcard
at right).
- The need to incorporate became increasingly obvious as funds were required for community services such as electric wiring, water
hydrants and reservoirs, telephone lines, a constable, and road building.
- On March 4, 1912, Assemblyman A.L. Anderson introduced to the NJ Legislature Bill 483 calling for the incorporation of the
Borough of Peapack & Gladstone. It was approved and signed by Governor Woodrow Wilson.
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PAGE 5
DAYS OF AMERICAN HISTORY - MAY & JUNE
May
1
5
1931
1961
6
1935
7
1915
8
9
1945
1914
16
17
1866
1792
18
20
1852
1932
21
23
1881
1927
1904
24
1844
26
1876
30
1783
1868
The world‟s tallest skyscraper, the Empire State Building, opens.
The first American astronaut, Alan Shepard Jr., travels 115 miles into space aboard the Mercury
capsule Freedom 7.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt creates the WPA (Works Project Administration), putting the
nation back to work.
A German submarine fires without warning on British liner Lusitania which sinks off the coast of
Ireland, with 128 Americans among 1198 killed. Mary Stevens Fenwick, mother of US Congresswoman Millicent Fenwick was a casualty.
Celebrations across America and Europe mark V-E Day, the end of the war in Europe.
President Woodrow Wilson proclaims the first Mother‟s Day, following a campaign by newspapers,
clergymen, politicians, and a West Virginia woman named Ann Jarvis.
Congress authorizes a new 5¢ coin which is soon nicknamed „the nickel‟.
The first meeting of what would become the New York Stock Exchange is held at the Merchants
Coffee House in New York City.
Massachusetts passes the nation‟s first school attendance law, children 8 to 14 required to attend.
Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean solo.
Pan American Airlines begins the first scheduled commercial service across the Atlantic with a flight
from New York to Spain in 20 hours and 16 minutes.
Clara Barton founds the American Red Cross as a branch of the International Red Cross.
Charles A. Lindbergh completes his 33½ hour solo transatlantic flight aboard the „Spirit of St. Louis‟.
A price war breaks out among European steamship companies competing for immigrant passengers
and the price of a steerage ticket to America falls to $10.
“What hath God wrought?” exclaims Samuel F.B. Morse in the first message sent over his invention,
the Telegraph. Guest Dolly Madison, widow of President James Madison, is invited to send the next
message. “Message from Mrs. Madison —She sends her love to Mrs. Wethered.”
General George Armstrong Custer leads his 655 man cavalry regiment out of Fort Lincoln, South
Dakota toward Little Big Horn.
America‟s first daily newspaper, The Pennsylvania Evening Post, begins publication in Philadelphia.
The first Memorial Day is observed as General John A. Logan calls on soldiers and veterans to
decorate military graves with flowers.
June
1
1821
2
4
1924
1896
6
1944
8
1869
10
14
1935
1777
17
19
22
1947
1846
1944
28
1904
30
1948
Emma Willard, pioneer in higher education for women, founds the Waterford Academy for Young
Ladies in Waterford, NY. Later, she established the nation‟s first college level school for women,
The Troy Female Seminary in Troy, New York.
All United States born Indians are granted full American citizenship.
The first Ford automobile is assembled in Detroit, but a road test has to be postponed because the
finished car is wider than the door of the shed in which it was built.
“The eyes of the world are upon you”, General Dwight D. Eisenhower tells the troops about to cross
the English channel to land on the beaches of Normandy. “The way home is via Berlin.”
A patent is awarded to Ives W. McGaffey of Chicago for his invention of a „sweeping machine‟ that
operates by creating suction — a vacuum cleaner.
Alcoholics Anonymous is founded in New York City.
The Continental Congress agrees to a national flag with 13 stripes and 13 white stars in a field of
blue “representing the new constellation.”
Pan American Airways introduces „around the world‟ service for a fare of $1,700.
First recorded baseball game is played in Hoboken, NJ following rules by Alexander Cartwright.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signs the G.I. Bill or as it is formally know, The Servicemen‟s
Readjustment Act. The measure provides grants for specific purposes (e.g. housing and education).
Helen Keller, blind and deaf, graduates with honors from Radcliffe College. Keller has already
become a celebrity through the publication of her inspiring biography.
Bell Labs announces the development of the transistor as a substitute for radio tubes.
(From ‘A Book of Days in American History’, by Larry Shapiro, 1987)
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New Museum Exhibits
Historical Politicians of the Somerset Hills
Familiar names come to mind when we think of politicians from the Somerset Hills. Names such as Governor Chris
Christie, who had at one time considered entering the race for the Republican Presidential nomination; Malcolm
Forbes, who in 1957 ran unsuccessfully for Governor of New Jersey; Christine Todd Whitman, two-term Governor
of New Jersey who was the first, and to date, only female governor; and Thomas Kean, who also served two terms
as Governor of New Jersey.
A new exhibit at the Brick Academy Museum will feature the historical politicians of the Somerset Hills who also
played important roles in government. People such as Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen, Samuel Lewis Southard
and William Lewis Dayton, to name a few.
This exhibit starts in May and will grow throughout the year, ending on January 20, 2013, after the Presidential
Inauguration. Please stop by often to see this expanding exhibit and learn about the historical politicians of the
Somerset Hills.
The George Washington Bicentennial Celebration
Initially presented in February at the Bernardsville Library by the Bernardsville Historic Preservation Advisory
Committee, this exhibit contains memorial plaques to honor servicemen from the Somerset Hills who died in World
War One.
On Monday, February 22, 1932 Bernardsville held a celebration to mark the
bicentennial of George Washington. The all-day event started with an avenue of twenty trees planted on either side of the main entrance to the high
school property in memory of the Bernardsville and Bernards Township
boys who lost their lives in the World War. Two elm trees, with larger shield
plaques, were planted at either end in front of the high school to honor
George Washington and Abraham Lincoln (installed in 1933). Fifty-two local
organizations and about 1,200 residents participated in the celebration.
The exhibit, scheduled to be at the Brick Academy through the school year, displays eight of the original twenty
memorial plaques, military metals, and newspaper articles.
Welcome!
Brick Academy Sign
The following new members
have recently joined the
Historical Society:
The Historical Society
thanks its sponsors.
Please Patronize:
Diane Cantono
Basking Ridge
Sarah Smyth
Bloomfield
Look for events...
Ling Ling Chinese Cuisine
Lord Stirling Schools
Millington Savings Bank
Robert B. Decoste Landscaping
Roselle Savings Bank
Studio 7
Wabba Travel
5 Morristown Road, Bernardsville, NJ 07924
www.studio7artgallery.com 908.963.0365
Joseph E. Gorga
Executive Director – School Psychologist
Lord Stirling Road
Tel 908-766-1786 Ext. 111
P.O. Box 369
800-633-9578 Ext. 111
Basking Ridge, NJ 07920
Fax 908-766-9443
[email protected]
www.rosellesavings.com
Advertising Space Available
For rates and requirements...
contact Florence Hallgring at The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills
908-221-1770
Museum Hours:
Sundays 2 to 4 PM
P.O. Box 136
Basking Ridge, NJ 07920
908.221.1770
www.thssh.org
The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills
Chairman: Marcella Miccolis • President: Daniel Lincoln • Treasurer: Joseph Ryder • Recording Secretary: Robin Marion
Trustees: Paula Axt, Brooks Betz, John Campbell, June Campbell, David Connolly, Sylvia Gambony, Pat Gray,
Florence Hallgring, June Kennedy, Connie Smythe, Lawrence Terricone, Martine White, and Sue Zibelli
The Brick Academy
15 West Oak Street • Basking Ridge, NJ 07920
908.221.1770
For information, articles and news visit www.thssh.org