Milltown - A 19th Century Village Marker

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Chester in Morris County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Milltown - A 19th Century Village

By Alan Edelson, June 28, 2009

1. Milltown - A 19th Century Village Marker

Inscription. Few vestiges remain, but in the 1880s Milltown bustled. Cooper Mill shared "Main Street" with a blacksmith shop, a general store, a tavern, Abram Cooper's sawmill and the Mountain Spring Distillery, a cider mill that made apple brandy and apple jack. One mile north, the Chester Furnace employed 100 men who produced nearly 300 tons of iron weekly. Down river, Nichols' Woolen Mill turned out blankets and Taylor's iron roaster burned unwanted sulphur from ore mined nearby. Trains loaded with iron ore rumbled through Milltown daily. Schoolteacher Edith Secor and shopkeeper John P. Rockafeller called Milltown home. They shared their community with farmers, machinists, engineers, and teamsters, people from all walks of life. Miners, making 50¢ a day, lived in modest houses huddled together in "patches" on the edge of town. Mill and mine owners like General Nathan A. Cooper built relative mansions in nearby Chester.

Location. 40° 46.728′ N, 74° 43.225′ W. Marker is in Chester, New Jersey, in Morris County. Marker is on Washington Turnpike (New Jersey Route 24) near State Park Road, on the right when traveling east. Click for map. Marker is in this post office area: Chester NJ 07930, United States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, as the crow flies

By Alan Edelson, June 28, 2009

2. Cooper Mill

Located in the Village

. Bartley Turbine (within shouting distance of this marker); Cooper Gristmill (within shouting distance of this marker); Hacklebarney (about 400 feet away, in a direct line); Chester Area Veterans Monument (approx. 0.6 miles away); First Congregational Church (approx. 1.4 miles away); Chester Veterans Monument (approx. 1.4 miles away); Sgt. Larry W. Maysey (approx. 1.4 miles away); Brick Tavern (approx. 1.4 miles away). Click for a list of all markers in Chester.

Also see . . .
1. "Milltown Area". Vintage photos and history of the Milltown area are highlighted in this article posted by the Chester Historical Society (Submitted on July 2, 2009.)

2. Auto Tour of Chester. A driving tour of Chester published by the Chester Historical Society. (Submitted on July 2, 2009.)

Cooper Mill Park Photo, Click for full size

By Alan Edelson, June 28, 2009

3. Cooper Mill Park

Credits. This page originally submitted on June 28, 2009, by Alan Edelson of Union Twsp., New Jersey. This page has been viewed 563 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 28, 2009, by Alan Edelson of Union Twsp., New Jersey. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.