Mahwah in Bergen County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

The Hamlet of Darlington

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 24, 2019

1. The Hamlet of Darlington Marker

Inscription. Splendid estate farms were created in the Ramapo Valley in the 1870s by Alfred Darling and Theodore Havemeyer. Agricultural sciences were advanced by the farm owners, and the hamlet of Darlington became home to farm managers and workers. A lock factory (1873-1881) operated along the river. Havemeyer macadamized Ramapo Valley Road in 1890, attracting cyclists, and built the Darlington School-Havemeyer Hall in 1891. After 1920, the hamlet waned. The restored schoolhouse is owned by the NY-NJ Trail Conference and Township of Mahwah, embodying the rich history of the building and its locality.

Erected 1915 by Historic Preservation Commission.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Industry & Commerce • Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers.

Location. 41° 4.767′ N, 74° 11.038′ W. Marker is in Mahwah, New Jersey, in Bergen County. Marker is on Ramapo Valley Road (U.S. 202) just east of Darlington Avenue, on the right when traveling west. Marker is located beside the sidewalk, near the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 600 Ramapo Valley Road, Mahwah NJ 07430, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker

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, measured as the crow flies. Darlington Schoolhouse — Havemeyer Hall (within shouting distance of this marker); A.B. Darling Mansion (approx. ¼ mile away); Laroe-Van Horn House (approx. 0.9 miles away); The Winter Farmhouse (approx. one mile away); Ramapo Valley Road (approx. 1.4 miles away); The Cleveland Bridge (approx. 1.6 miles away); Old Lutheran Cemetery (approx. 1.8 miles away); Ramapo Reformed Church (approx. 1.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mahwah.

Also see . . .
1. Hotel magnate Alfred B. Darling left a legacy in Mahwah. Alfred Darling made a fortune running hostelries — first in Massachusetts, then Alabama, and finally New York City. He was a proprietor of the luxurious Fifth Avenue Hotel, built in the 1850s at Fifth Avenue between 23rd and 24th streets. In 1872 he paid $50,000 for hundreds of acres in the Ramapo Valley. Darling commissioned Col. Ezra Miller, whose claim to fame was his invention and patenting of a railroad coupling device, to build a grand, 27-room home. The area around Darling’s farm, on which he raised cattle and trotting horses and developed a racetrack, came to be known as Darlington. (Submitted on May 22, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Darlington Schoolhouse Historical Highlights. Darling's neighbor, Theodore A. Havemeyer, one of the proprietors of the American Sugar Refining Company

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 24, 2019

2. The Hamlet of Darlington Marker

(looking west along U.S. 202)
New York-New Jersey Trail Conference Center in background

— forerunner of today's Domino Sugar — established a nearby dairy farm estate, Mountainside Farm. Havemeyer, with assistance from Darling, financed the building of a new schoolhouse in the hamlet and hired Dudley Newton, architect of Havemeyer's Newport, R.I. residence, to design and oversee construction. (Submitted on May 22, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 24, 2019

3. The Hamlet of Darlington Marker

(looking east along U.S. 202)
Darlington Brook bridge in background

New York-New Jersey Trail Conference Center image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 24, 2019

4. New York-New Jersey Trail Conference Center

(formerly Darlington Schoolhouse-Havemeyer Hall)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 22, 2020. It was originally submitted on May 21, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 463 times since then and 58 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 22, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.