Did
You
Know
That ?

• 1895 - Clinton Ledyard Blair (Owner of The Blairsden Estate in Peapack) decides with other local developers to dam the Raritan River, creating Ravine Lake. Did you know he bought the surrounding land for only $80 per acre.
• 1910 - T. Leonard Hill, son of Garner Ferris Hill, in 1910, was one of Peapack's first automobile owners, creating the first auto taxi in the Garner Hill Livery Service.

2010 Historic Preservation Award

Bernards TowHistoric Preservation Award to Recognize the Kennedy - Martin - Stelle Farmstead

 

The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills is pleased to announce its 2010 Historic Preservation Award. In special recognition of the 250th anniversary of Bernards Township, a single project that represents three centuries of Township history has been selected for honor.  The Kennedy-Martin-Stelle Farmstead has been chosen as an outstanding example of achievement in historic preservation.

Before (2003) and after (2010).

The award was presented on Thursday evening, May 20, 2010 at the Brick Academy, 15 W. Oak Street, Basking Ridge. The program included an illustrated slide program on the rich history of the Farmstead and its many illustrious owners, including Rev. Samuel Kennedy, Col. Ephraim Martin, and Bell Labs inventor Gerald Pearson. A retrospective photograph exhibit of previously recognized projects was also on display during the event.

In announcing the award, Chairperson Marcella Miccolis stated, “The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills is privileged to bestow the 2010 Historic Preservation Award on the Kennedy-Martin-Stelle Farmstead. The inspiring project preserves a Bernards Township landmark, listed on the National and New Jersey Registers of Historic Places, as well as provides an adaptive reuse as an arts center for future generations.”

The award was accepted by members of the Friends of the Kennedy-Martin-Stelle Farmstead, a non-profit organization established to preserve and operate the Farmstead. Friends’ President John Campbell said, "This project is an excellent example of what can be accomplished through public and private collaboration. The Farmstead for the Arts is on the brink of a very exciting time, with preservation of the Farmhouse set to be completed by the end of the summer, and arts programming to start this fall.

Bernards Township Mayor Scott Spitzer said, "I am pleased to participate in this celebration during our Township's 250th anniversary year. The Farmstead is a significant part of our Township's heritage, and the Friends of the Farmstead have made an impressive start to preservation of this historical site."
 
Beginning this year, the historic preservation award will be dedicated to the memory of the late Bernards Township resident Lorraine Passmore, who served the Historical Society for over forty years and was a dedicated advocate of local history and historic preservation.

Additional Information

See all the previous winners of THSSH's Historic Preservation Awards - Click Here

For additional information visit www.kmsfarmstead.org

To learn more about The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills - visit them online at www.THSSH.org

Submitted: April 15, 2010
Submitted by: Brooks Betz

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About The Brick Academy

The Brick Academy (also known as the Basking Ridge Classical Schoolhouse) is a 1809 Federal-style architectural structure located in the center of Basking Ridge in Bernards Township. The Brick Academy has been a boys’ private preparatory school, a public school, a meeting hall for several fraternal and benevolent organizations, and the Bernards Township municipal building. It currently serves as the headquarters of The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills, as well as a schoolhouse and museum to local history. The Brick Academy also celebrated its bicentennial in 2009.

About the Historical Society of the Somerset Hills (THSSH)

Founded in 1928 originally as the Historical Society of Basking Ridge, the mission and name of the society was later changed to The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization including all five communities of the Somerset Hills region: Bedminster Township, Bernards Township, Bernardsville ,Far Hills, Peapack-Gladstone which are all located in Somerset County, New Jersey.

The mission of The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills (THSSH) is to acquire, conserve and share local artifacts and information on matters of local historic interest; cultivate interest in local history; encourage the preservation of local historic resources; facilitate historic research; and preserve, operate, and interpret the Brick Academy.

To further this mission, THSSH sponsors events and activities that promote community awareness and appreciation of the history and architecture of the Somerset Hills. THSSH headquarters is at the Brick Academy in the Basking Ridge section of Bernards Township, where our collections of items of local historic interest are available to the public.