| New Jersey (Sussex County), Andover Borough — The Lackawanna Cutoff |
| | The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad started construction on an eleven million dollar connection between Port Morris and Columbia, NJ in 1910. Completed within less than two years, it was an engineering marvel of its time, given that it was built without earth-moving machinery, and its use of reinforced concrete.
During the Cut-Off's construction, the railroad purchased the original Huntsville Schoolhouse and built a new structure, rather than change the alignment of the rail . . . — Map (db m26355) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Bevans — The Village of Bevans — Delaware Water Gap Nat’l Recreation Area |
| | Dutchman Peter Van Nests, first Sandyston Surveyor of Highways, settled here around 1767 at the intersection of rural roads that he had surveyed. The community, Peters Valley, became one of several small villages that supported nearby farms through the late 1800s. The village grew with the general store, which opened in 1830, and the Dutch Reformed Church, built in 1838. In time, houses and shops lined the roads of the village, now called Hen’s Foot Corners to describe its . . . — Map (db m16802) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Branchville — Branchville, NJ — Incorporated 1898 |
| | On or about the year 1690 William H. Beemer settled here on 1,000 acres of land and built the first mill. James Haggerty purchased this land in 1793 and built additional successful mills lending the area the name known as "Brantown" due to the many mills located here. Named "Branchville" in 1821 by Schoolmaster Samuel Bishop. The post office opened in 1824. William H. (Billy) Bell established a railroad line in 1869. In 1882 a devastating fire ravaged most of the Village of Branchville. Charles . . . — Map (db m26446) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Branchville — Stokes State Forest |
| | Governor Edward C. Stokes established the Board of Forest Park Reservations in 1905. The new forestry commission acquired 5,432 acres on Kittatinny Mountain in 1907 to create the E. C. Stokes Reserve. Stokes State Forest grew to 12,429 acres by 1933 and included camp and picnic sites with stone fireplaces, 50 miles of hiking trails, including the Appalachian Trail, and 30 miles of scenic drives. The Civilian Conservation Corps made improvements between 1933 and 1942, including construction of . . . — Map (db m16817) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Branchville — Sussex Railroad |
| | In 1869, due to the efforts of a prominent Branchville resident, William H. Bell, the Sussex Railroad was completed, ending in Branchville borough. The line, finished by Bell himself, was for a time referred to as the “Branchville Railroad.” The first passenger train arrived on July 3, 1869.
Among the facilities located on this site, were the Branchville Station, Engine House, Livestock Chute, Water Tower, and a 57-foot diameter turntable. This turntable was used to turn . . . — Map (db m8094) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Byram Township — Amity School |
| | The Amity School was built in 1840, and in continuous use until June 1936. When it was built, Byram Township included part of current Sparta Township, and all of Stanhope and Hopatcong Boroughs. Stanhope Road did not reach from Green Road to Tomahawk Lake. Students came from areas now known as Tomahawk Lake, Seneca Lake, Byram Cove, Bear Pond and Lackawanna Road. The building was sold in 1940 to William Roleson, then to Katherine Spranger Riker, whose son William is the present owner. Students . . . — Map (db m26433) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Byram Township — Cat Swamp Hijacking and Murder |
| | In this area, on Cat Swamp Hill in Byram Township, at about 6:00 a.m. on June 14, 1921, the Sussex Print Silk truck was hijacked. Albert Koster drove onto the scene on his motorcycle, was mistaken for a state trooper, and murdered. The gang escaped with $11,000 of bolt silk. Through the work of Franklin Police Chief Herbert C. Irons, the killers were eventually captured. County Sheriff Linus Littell and Prosecutor Lewis Van Blarcon persevered through two years of trials to obtain convictions of . . . — Map (db m26354) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Flatbrookville — Old Mine Road |
| | Connecting Esopus (Kingston) on Hudson River with Pahaquarry Copper Mine Length 104 miles – Built about 1650 Daniel Decker Ferry established 1756 Moved to Rosenkrans 1898 Lower Walpack Reformed Church one-fourth mile west Built 1737 – Moved to Flatbrookville 1898 Marked by Chinkchewunska Chapter D.A.R. Sussex County Historical Society Marker presented by Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Decker — Map (db m16810) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Frankford Township — Augusta Hill Baptists |
| | In 1750, several families left the Congregational Church of Mansfield, CT relocating to New Jersey with William Marsh, their spiritual leader. Building a log meeting house here, they associated with the Baptist faith in 1750. As the church prospered, members were released to establish congregations in Wantage, Hamburg and Newton. In 1830, the congregation relocated to Lafayette, citing a better location for river baptisms. The cemetery was used for three generations of the Morris family, . . . — Map (db m26434) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Franklin — Dr. Samuel Fowler — (1779 - 1844) |
| | Dr. Samuel Fowler, born in Newburgh, NY, and came first to Hamburg after medical studies in Philadelphia. He established mills, a blacksmith shop, tannery, and a furnace to process ores from mines owned in Franklin Furnace. He became a noted and respected mineralogist and developed early industrial uses for zinc ore. He discovered the rare mineral Franklinite and its fluorescent qualities that made Franklin minerals famous. He was esteemed as one of the leading scientists in the United States. . . . — Map (db m26449) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Fredon Township — Fredon |
| | Fredon Township, incorporated in 1904 became the last town in Sussex County and the only so named in the Country. Fredon, a name proposed for our nation in the early 1800's means a place of peace and freedom. The Route 94 crossroads, known as Coursen's Corners, became a town center in the early 1800's when the Coursen Family had a school, store and blacksmith shop here. The Fredon Post Office operated from 1834 to 1901. The Paulins Kill forms the town's Western Border. The East-West Jersey . . . — Map (db m26453) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Hamburg — Joseph Sharp's Iron Works |
| | In 1768, Joseph Sharp erected a forge and furnace on the Wallkill River. The village around the Sharp Iron Works became known as Sharpsborough, later becoming Hamburg. Due to the expensive nature of the venture and competing forges, Sharp abandoned the property in 1774. Stephen Ford used it to secretly produce cannonballs for the British during the American Revolution. After reclaiming the property, Joseph Sharp Jr. built the stone grist mill in 1808. Sharp's mill provided the flour for the . . . — Map (db m26457) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Hampton Township — Twin Bridges |
| | Two rudimentary bridges were built to cross the Tockhockonetcong (now the Paulinskill) as Jonathan Hampton ordered the construction of the Military Road in 1756. An essential supply line to the frontier fortification in the Delaware Valley, the Military Road was maintained until 1760. A permanent pair of bridges was built when the abandoned lands and mills, formerly owned by Benjamin Barton, a Loyalist, were bought by Henry and Peter Bale around 1790. A mill, located between the two bridges, . . . — Map (db m27283) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Hardyston — George Washington Encampment — 1779 – 1912 |
| | In this field, General George Washington encamped for a night on a march from Newburg to Morristown in 1779 to meet General Lafayette.
With him was an aide, Lieutenant John Kays of Sussex County, a soldier of the American Revolution.
This memorial was erected by Marchioness Ellen Kays McLaughlin, a member of the Newton Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and a Grand Daughter of John Kays. — Map (db m8070) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Hopatcong — Home of Hudson Maxim |
| | Maxim Park was the estate of famous inventor, Hudson Maxim. Purchased by Maxim in 1901, the property included a spectacular Venetian boat house, guest cottages, a laboratory, ice house/observatory, servant's quarters, tennis courts and garage. Maxim lived here until his death in 1927 and his widow kept the property until her death in 1953. While the main house and boat house were removed in the 1950's, Maxim's observatory, garage and two guest houses still survive today. — Map (db m26455) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Montague Township — Brick House Village |
| | This central hamlet for Montague, a township created in 1759, was named for the Brick House Hotel - a colonial tavern, hostelry and stage coach stop built in the 1700's. It sat at the convergence of two turnpikes with Old Mine Road and near the Delaware River ferry crossings, later replaced by the Milford Bridge. By 1880, this village boasted a store, two churches, burial grounds, two blacksmiths, a wheelwright and a new school. The hotel was demolished in 1953 for a new bridge approach. The . . . — Map (db m26416) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Newton — Defenders of the Union — 1861-1865 |
| | . . . — Map (db m8127) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Newton — George Washington Tree |
| | This tree planted in memory of George Washington
by the Chinkchewunska Chapter D.A.R. 1932 — Map (db m8090) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Newton — Henry W. Merriam — (1828 - 1900) |
| | President of the H.W. Merriam Shoe Company, he relocated his factory from New York City to Newton in 1873. The nation's largest producer of ladies' and children's shoes, it was also the largest employer in Sussex County with over 350 employees. Held in high esteem by his workers, Merriam was a pioneer in labor relations: generously distributing part of the profits to employees on his birthday and other holidays, providing loans for his workers to build homes, retirement pensions and paid . . . — Map (db m26454) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Newton — Home of Thomas Anderson |
| | Admitted to New Jersey Bar as Counsellor 1765.
Appointed first Surrogate of Sussex County by Royal Governor William Franklin, 1768
Office held by reappointment until death 1805.
Acting Clerk of Sussex County 1770-1777.
Assistant Deputy Quartermaster General during Revolutionary War.
Placed by Society Daughters of Colonial Wars
in the state of New Jersey, 1958 — Map (db m8077) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Newton — Newton Green |
| | The only Colonial county seat in New Jersey where a court house on its original site fronts a town square or public Green.
In 1908 architect J.J. Vreeland added an upper story and Classical porch to the County Clerk and Surrogate Offices, built by Brink & Knox in 1859. It became the County Park Building in 1930. The Romanesque Revival Hill Fountain was built of local limestone in 1895 by gift from Joshua Hill, a native of Sussex County. — Map (db m8082) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Newton — Newton Green — A Birthplace of Democracy |
| | The Courthouse Yard was a central part of landowner Jonathan Hampton’s Town Plot in 1762. It was used for political meetings, corporal punishment, militia trainings, public entertainments, and a common pasture. Until 1858 voters in township elections indicated their choice by moving either up or downhill on the Green for a head count.
The 90-ton granite Civil War Soldier’s and Sailor’s Monument was erected in 1895.
In eternal gratitude to all those from Sussex County who have served in our armed forces. — Map (db m8085) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Newton — Sussex County |
| | To commemorate the establishment of Sussex County by Act of the Legislature, June 8, 1753. To Commemorate the setting up of the Court of General Sessions and the Inferior Court of Common Pleas by decree of Governor Jonathan Belcher in the name of King George II, October 13, 1753. and To commemorate the building of the first Court House on this site in 1765.
This tablet is erected by the Society of Colonial Wars in the State of New Jersey in 1949 — Map (db m8089) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Newton — The Hill Memorial |
| | The Hill Memorial Headquarters of the Sussex County Historical Society
Built 1916 in Renaissance Revival style by gift of Joshua Hill. Dedicated June 8, 1917. Listed 1985 on State and National Historic Registers as the oldest Museum Building in New Jersey. — Map (db m8091) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Newton — Unknown Soldier of the Revolution |
| | Erected to an unknown soldier of the Revolution
Chinkchewunska Chap No 24 DAR NJ — Map (db m8073) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Sandyston Township — Hainesville, New Jersey |
| | The original name of "Sandyston" was changed to honor N.J. Governor Haines in 1845. This hamlet was created on a 1,000 acre plot purchased from the Gardner Tract by Simon Courtright before the Revolutionary War. Ownership passed to Peter Hotalen, then John Shay, and in 1825 to Parshall Howell who opened the first hotel and established a post-village with mail delivered by a four-horse stage. John D. Everitt was the first schoolmaster in 1815. The "Shaytown Cemetery" was created in 1812 on lands . . . — Map (db m26413) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Sandyston Township — Old Mine Road |
| | Built about 1650.
Bell House – has housed nine generations of same family.
Minisink Village – white men and Indians lived together.
Minisink Island – in river to the west.
Westbrook Fort – during French and Indian War in rear of barn.
Ennis House – Home of first school teacher in Sussex County one-half mile south.
Normanock Fort – During French and Indian War one mile south. — Map (db m27279) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Sandyston Township — The Westbrook - Bell House |
| | Johannes Westbrook, who was among the earliest permanent settlers of the Minisink region, built this homestead around the year 1701. It was subsequently fortified when incidents of hostility increased between the residents of New York and New Jersey during the height of the "Border War" between the two colonies. Ownership of the land was finally secured from its Lenni Lenape owner for five pounds sterling and a generous measure of rum. It is the oldest house still standing in Sussex County. — Map (db m26414) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Stillwater — Casper Shafer — (1712 - 1784) |
| | Casper Shafer, a German emigrant settled this area circa 1742. By 1750, he built this stone house, later fortifying it with a stockade during the French and Indian War. His first grist mill, built 1743, was located upstream, replacing it in 1764 with a larger structure at the present site. This profitable enterprise shipped goods by flatboat down the Paulinskill and Delaware Rivers to Philadelphia. The mill rebuilt in 1844 after a fire was the last operating grist mill in New Jersey. A strong . . . — Map (db m26448) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Sussex — High Point Monument |
| | Height 220 Feet Base 34 feet square at the platform and 19 feet square where apex begins. The base of the monument is erected on the highest point in the State of New Jersey Altitude 1803 feet above sea level. Corner stone laid June 8, 1929 1930 < Second Plaque > This monument is erected by Colonel and Mrs. Anthony Kuser to the glory and honor and eternal memory of New Jersey heroes by land and sea and air in all wars of our country. — Map (db m23645) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Sussex — High Point: An Early Haven for Sightseers & Sportsmen — High Point State Park |
| | Early Settlement Were Sparse Since prehistoric times the rugged landscape of the Kittatinny Ridge has made it more a place to visit than a place to live. Native Americans hunted the forests and fished the lakes here, but their villages were located in the more fertile river valley below. By the early 1800s a few settlers built farmsteads amongst the rocks. These hardy mountain dwellers survived by logging the forests for cordwood and charcoal, growing crops and raising livestock. The . . . — Map (db m24545) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Sussex — Public Parks: Refuge & Recreation for All — High Point State Park |
| | The First Public Park Was an Urban Oasis When Europeans first arrived in America the land seemed limitless. However, by the late 1800s settlements stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific. More people were living in crowded cities and needed an escape from city life. To create such an escape, Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted designed Central Park in 1857. It was the first major public park. People Followed the Roads and Rails to Parks The Federal government began to set aside . . . — Map (db m24583) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Sussex — The Gift of a State Park — High Point State Park |
| | High Point – One of New Jersey’s First State Parks Like many early parks, High Point was privately owned for many years. During the early 1900s it was the summer estate of Anthony Kuser and his wife, Susie Dryden Kuser. Senator John F. Dryden, founder of Prudential Life Insurance, also owned a substantial amount of the land. Devoted conservationists, the Kusers and Drydens ultimately decided that their estates should become a public park for all to enjoy. High Point State Park was . . . — Map (db m24581) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Sussex — The Kuser Lodge: An Inn, A Mansion, A Museum — High Point State Park |
| | The Kuser Family Transformed the High Point Inn Twin brothers John and Anthony Kuser, purchased the High Point Inn and the surrounding property in 1910. The sprawling mountain resort became the summer retreat of Anthony Kuser and his wife, Susie Dryden Kuser. The Kusers tore down more than a third of the 300-foot building to convert the rustic, Adirondack-style inn into their private summer home. They remodeled what remained in the Colonial Revival style with massive columns and large . . . — Map (db m24594) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Walpack — Old Mine Road |
| | Connecting Esopus (Kingston) on Hudson River with Pahaquarry Copper Mine Length 104 miles – Built about 1650 Pahaquarry Copper Mines Southern end of Old Mine Road Mine opened by Dutch about 1650. Moses Van Campen House – Built 1755 one mile north. Marked by
Chinkchewunska Chapter D.A.R. Sussex County Historical Society Marker presented by Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Decker — Map (db m16812) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Walpack Center — Wallpack, N.J. |
| | Wallpack Township, formed in 1731 out of Hunterdon County, included the present townships of Montague, Sandyston and the former Pahaquarry.
The Delaware River forms the western boundary and the Old Mine Road, supposedly built by Dutch miners before 1664, traverses the township.
Anna Symmes, Mother-in-law of President William Henry Harrison, is buried in the Old Shapanack cemetery.
In 1757 Jonathan Hampton constructed this road through the village to connect Elizabethtown and Morristown . . . — Map (db m26415) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Wantage — Old Clove Church — 1787 |
| | The Dutch Reformed Church of New Brunswick granted men of this community permission in 1787 to establish a congregation here. In 1817 this small group affiliated with three other churches and became the First Presbyterian Church of Wantage. Second Plaque: The Old Clove Church Erected 1829 Was placed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places in 1982. — Map (db m20546) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Wantage Township — DAR Van Bunschooten Museum |
| | This house was built in 1787 as the home of the Reverend Elias Van Bunschooten, a Dutch Reformed Minister. He was a farmer, mill operator, and large land owner. The farm was part of a 1000 acre plantation. The Dutch Colonial house is post and beam construction. Out buildings include a Wagon House, Ice House and a Privy. The home was given to the Chinkchewunska Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution by Mr. and Mrs. Clifford Ramsey in 1971. The house and out buildings were listed on . . . — Map (db m26450) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Wantage Township — Goldsmith Maid — Queen of the Trotters |
| | Here in the Clove in 1857 a filly of Hambletonian lineage was foaled on the farm of John B. Decker. When fully grown, a bay standardbred mare 15 hands, she was bought by Alden Goldsmith of Washingtonville, NY and won her first harness race at Goshen on September 7, 1965. Trained and driven by Budd Doble, Goldsmith Maid won 95 of 121 races from Boston to Sacramento. Best time 2:14 made at Boston in 1874. Estimated earnings $364,200, a record until the 1940's. The Maid won her last race at age 20 . . . — Map (db m26353) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Wantage Township — Kilpatrick's Reenactment |
| | At the invitation of Major Hugh Judson Kilpatrick (1836-1881), a native of Wantage, over forty thousand veterans of the American Civil War and guards were treated to four days of festivities from August 25-28, 1878. On the final day of the encampment, a re-enacted battle involving four thousand men, took place. The roar of cannons was heard over twenty miles away.
Kilpatrick, an 1861 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, was unsuccessful in his campaigns for Governor . . . — Map (db m27305) |
| New Jersey (Sussex County), Wantage Township — Lusscroft |
| | Enos Brink farmed this foothills at the head of the West Branch of the Papakating Creek from 1835 to 1871. James Turner (1859-1939), of Montclair, retired executive of Arbuckle Brothers, a NY coffee and sugar company, built Lusscroft between 1919 and 1930. He donated 1,050 acres in 1931 to create the North Jersey Dairy Branch of the NJ Agriculture Experiment Station, which operated until 1970. Research in artificial insemination and genetic improvements to dairy cattle, grassland farming and . . . — Map (db m26451) |
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