THSSH PROJECTS & COMMITTEESWhether you are interested in the history of the area, family, people, architecture, there is always something going on. Feel free to contact the project sponsor to find out more about any of the ongoing projects.Move your mouse over the collage and click to learn more...
For more information on any of these projects, feel free to look at the Committee information, our Online Discussion Forum, or feel free to Contact Us directly.
Walking Tour of Historic Basking Ridge Village
Local Tours
The Walking Tour of Historic Basking Ridge Village is the first of a planned series of local walking and driving tours. The easy tour takes in the village center, which remains a favorite Bernards Township gathering place, with attractive shops and restaurants, including outside dining during warm weather.
You may download a pdf version of the tour here or you may visit the Brick Academy to pick up a printed copy.
Other historical tours can be found at:
Kennedy-Martin-Stelle Farmstead
The historic Kennedy-Martin-Stelle Farmstead, a National Register site located at 450 King George Road in Bernards Township, is being preserved and operated by the Friends of the Kennedy-Martin-Stelle Farmstead, a separate organization from the Historical Society.
(Left - Barn picture taken September 2006)
For more information about the Farmstead, including becoming a member, click here or email John Campbell, President of the Friends at junejohn@optonline.net.
Rev. Dr. Samuel Kennedy, who was the founder
of the classical school that was eventually housed in the Brick Academy, conducted his school for several years, from about 1762 to about 1767, on a large farm he purchased four miles south of Basking Ridge. The farmstead had been established around 1740 by one of Basking Ridge’s earliest settlers, Nathaniel Rolfe. Later another early settler, Moses Doty, acquired the property and then sold it to Kennedy. Kennedy lived there only a few years. The property was then acquired by Ephraim Martin, a Basking Ridge native who, as a young man, had moved to Sussex County, where he first volunteered for militia duty just prior to the Declaration of Independence. Within a short time, Martin was commissioned as a Colonel in the Continental Army and served under Brigadier General William Alexander (Lord Stirling). During the war, he returned to Basking Ridge, and settled at the farmstead that is depicted on several Continental Army maps drawn by Erskine and DeWitt. After serving in the army, Martin was elected to the newly formed New Jersey state legislature where he served until his death in 1806. In 1795 the farmstead property passed to his stepsons, John and Oliver Stelle, and it remained in their family until the 20th century when it was broken up for development. Read the Stelle Diaries from 1847.
January 1847 February 1847 May 1847 June 1847 July 1847
In 1999, a 36.5-acre portion of the original farmstead was purchased by Bernards Township with municipal open space funds. Four acres were leased by Bernards Township in 2005 to the Friends of the Kennedy-Martin-Stelle Farmstead who envision creating an environment reminiscent of the nineteenth century, where historic buildings, grounds, and gardens will be used for fine and performing arts. The property is listed on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places. The Historical Society has supported this project since 1999, when several members first informed Bernards Township officials of the farmstead’s historic importance and spearheaded preservation efforts.
For more information on this project, feel free to look at the Committee information, our Online Discussion Forum, or feel free to Contact Us directly.
For more information about the Kennedy-Martin-Stelle Farmstead,
Click Here
Newsletter (Inside the Brick Academy)
Published three times a year. For more information on this project, feel free to look at the Committee information, our Online Discussion Forum, or feel free to Contact Us directly.
Brick Academy Top Floor Restoration
The restoration of the Brick Academy has been a top priority of the Historical Society since 1975, when the first lease was signed. Currently, the Historical Society is working to restore the top floor with a grant from Somerset County. The aim is to interpret Brick Academy's top floor as a c.1900 classroom with related exhibits on early local education.
For more information on this project click here. Feel free to look at the committee information, our Online Discussion Forum, or feel free to Contact Us directly.
Click here for more about the history of the Brick Academy.
Historic Preservation Awards
Formed in 2003, the Historical Society's Historic Preservation Committee has given annual awards to recognize local historic preservation efforts.
Come review the winners, descriptions, and photos - Click Here
To see how the nomination process works, Click Here.
For additonal information on this project, feel free to look at the Committee information, our Online Discussion Forum, or feel free to Contact Us directly.
Peapack Limestone Kiln
Located on the east side of Main Street in Peapack, the Peapack Limekilns were donated to THSSH in 1996, when the adjacent property was being developed as a residential subdivision. THSSH created a pocket park featuring the kilns that was dedicated in May 1999 and is open to the public. The preserved kilns serve as an important reminder about the agrarian heritage of the Somerset Hills.
A limekiln operation existed in Peapack as early as 1794. By that time agricultural land in New Jersey was “wearing out,” and an important use for lime was as a soil additive used by farmers to increase the yield of their crops. Many farmers burned limestone in small kilns on their property, but the Peapack kiln was a commercial operation. Lime was also an important ingredient in mortar and whitewash. Lime would also have been used in the early leather-tanning factory that was located beside the Peapack River south of the kilns. An 1848 daybook kept by John Stelle, a farmer in southeast Bernards Township, records numerous trips to Peapack for lime during the winter months when roads were frozen or snow covered, making the 20-mile round trip wagon journey easier than during the warmer months when mud frequently made roads nearly impassable.
The Peapack area was a good source for limestone, which was quarried in the nearby vicinity well into the 20th century. The quarried limestone was loaded into the limekiln from the top, alternating with layers of fuel, such as charcoal early on and eventually coal. After burning for about 60 hours, the lime was removed from the bottom of the kiln.
The Peapack kiln is composed of two adjacent kilns separated by a vertical joint visible in the stone wall, which suggests they may have been constructed at different times. The front wall, constructed of hewn stone, is 26’ high and is set into the side of a hill that provided easy access to load the limestone and fuel from the top.
Click to EnlargeA Sanborn insurance map from 1932 shows the Peapack Lime Company operation,
with the two kilns labeled as “burners,” a nearby coal shed, a grinding room, and a large storage building.
For more information on this project, feel free to look at the Committee information, our Online Discussion Forum, or feel free to Contact Us directly.
THSSH Holiday House Tour
Held in early December of alternate years, the Holiday House Tour is one of the Historical Society’s major fundraisers. This is a very popular event that draws hundreds of visitors to the area to visit selected residences in the Somerset Hills that typically include some of the area’s oldest and most charming homes and glamorous estates.The next Holiday House Tour is scheduled for December 2, 2007. Click Here for Details.
About the 2007 Tour
Six distinctive homes in the Somerset Hills were open for touring at the bi-annual Holiday House Tour on Sunday, December 2, 2007 and sponsored by The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills. The properties ranged in age from the 1820s through the mid-20th Century and feature a variety of styles.
Click to See the Video
The House Tours aim is to welcome in the holiday's, showcase some of the areas most beautiful homes, and invoke a little sense to our areas history. A pleasant trip from the city, it is a day’s escape to earlier, simpler times.
Below are some of the wonderful homes that were on display for the tour.
A Victorian Christmas tree was just one of the decorations at the 1809 Brick Academy, which served as the Official Hospitality Center.
Official Press Release and Home Descriptions - Click Here
For more information on this project, feel free to look at the Committee information, our Online Discussion Forum, or feel free to Contact Us directly.
Education Programs
Programs and tours conducted by Bernards Township historian June O. Kennedy on the history of the Brick Academy and Basking Ridge are suitable for school and Scout groups. THSSH is also working to expand its youth history program. Click Here to visit THE KIDS CORNER
We will be looking to expand this program to other areas and include other topics of interest. Please let us know if you have a program or project to promote.
For suggestions on future topics or speakers, or more information on this project, feel free to look at the Committee information, our Online Discussion Forum, or feel free to Contact Us directly.
Speaker Series
Each spring and fall the Historical Society offers speakers and illustrated lectures on a wide variety of historic topics. Click Here for dates and information about the current series.
For suggestions on future topics or speakers, or more information on this project, feel free to look at the Committee information, our Online Discussion Forum, or feel free to Contact Us directly.