Griggstown
Before European settlers arrived in Mattawang (Millstone) Valley in the late 17th century, the Lenni Lenape Indians fished the Millstone River, hunted game in its woodlands, and cleared plots of land where they cultivated corn, beans, squash and tobacco. The many projectile points and other Indian artifacts that have been discovered over the years reveal that several Lenni Lenape villages dotted the landscape of present-day Griggstown.
European Settlement
Initial European settlement of the region occurred early because of two key factors, inherent soil fertility and location on a navigable waterway. The Millstone River gave Griggstown’s early colonists access to a transportation and trade route, while also providing a water source for the powering of mills and other early industries.
Most of these early settlers were Dutch as evidenced by 18th century tax records for the township of Franklin. The 1735 tax list reveals that over 120 of the 125 names were of Dutch derivation. These include many of Griggstown’s earliest residents, such the Veghtes, Hoaglands, Van Dorens, Beekmans and Van Dykes.
Documentation of slaveholding in Griggstown also appears in both early tax records and probate records. The inventories of Garret Veghte (grandson of Garret, the original purchaser), Abraham Van Doren, and the Veghte family for example, list slaves among their other assets.
Sometime between 1681 and 1700, Garret Claus Veghte purchased a tract of 1100 acres of land on the east side of the Millstone River which included the area now known as Griggstown. Although Veghte himself did not settle here, by the early 1700s, his grandson, also Garret Veghte, built a house at the intersection of present-day Canal and Butler roads. This house still stands today.
Benjamin Griggs, for whom Griggstown was named, arrived in the area around 1727 with his three brothers - Daniel, Samuel and Thomas. Sometime before 1733, Benjamin built a gristmill on the Millstone River about ½ mile south of the present-day Griggstown Causeway. Griggs sold the mill to Nicholas Veghte in 1752 and by 1770, it was owned by Abraham Van Doren.
Early Roads & Transportation Links
Historically, Griggstown has not had clearly defined boundaries. Early maps show a cluster of buildings along present-day Canal Road just south of the Griggstown Causeway, which represent the center of Griggstown. However, references to Griggstown in early deeds and other historic records suggest that Griggstown was generally considered to be anywhere within a 2 mile radius of the causeway.
Roads and bridges in the area were established early and provided connecting routes for farms and links with mills that had been established along the Millstone River. According to the early 18th century records of the Somerset County Justices and Freeholders, the Griggstown Road (present-day Canal Road) was laid out in 1744 “beginning at ye main road at Rocky Hill to New Brunswick, and passing Griggstown Mill over the Millstone River at Christopher Hoagland’s...”. During the 18th century, the river crossing, which was in place by 1740, was situated south of the present bridge on the Griggstown Causeway. Also known as the “Four Rod Road”, (this being the standard width of a right-of-way), the Griggstown Road would later become the route followed by the British in their retreat after the Battle of Princeton.
Griggstown’s location near a bridge crossing and along an important transportation route led to the establishment of two inns. The Betheir Map of 1781 shows 13 structures in Griggstown including two taverns, the Black Horse Tavern (also known as Skillman’s Tavern) and the Red Horse Tavern, both situated near the intersection of the Griggstown Canal Road and old bridge crossing. The Marquis de Chastellux, who visited the Black Horse Tavern in 1780, described it as “an indifferent inn, in “Greeg Town”.
Agriculture & Industry in the 18th Century
Agriculture was the primary economic pursuit in Griggstown and Franklin Township. The 1735 tax list reveals that in addition to raising livestock, farmers grew wheat and other grains such as rye and buckwheat, which were then ground into flour by local gristmills. A total of 1206 cattle and 592 sheep grazed in Griggstown and the surrounding area that year.
By 1776, in addition to Griggstown’s mill, several other gristmills were in operation in Rocky Hill, Blackwells’ Mills, and Weston. In fact, the movement of wheat and other products to and from these mills stimulated the growth of settlements like Griggstown along the Millstone River and eventually earned the region its reputation as the “breadbasket of the Revolution”.
Richard Stevens opened a copper mine at Rocky Hill in 1748. The mine was excavated by Welsh miners who lived on the property, which was located about one mile south of the causeway and one-half mile east of the Millstone River just below the crest of Ten Mile Run Mountain. Stevens also owned a stamping mill in the vicinity.
The remains of the old mine, mining machinery and an 18th century house occupied by the miners are now part of the privately-owned Copper Mine Farm on Canal Road. In 1752, John Stevens of New York conveyed the mine property with its mines, minerals and ores to William Oppie, one of Griggstown’s earliest settlers. The sale included an access road for the “liberty and license of digging and carrying away minerals for getting timber for the mines and works.”
By 1755 the mine was considered highly productive with 220 casks of copper ore having been shipped to England that year. Benjamin Franklin visited the copper mine in 1770 and George Washington made a visit during the Revolutionary war in 1777 to inspect the machinery. Shortly after, concerns about the loyalty of the Welsh miners prompted Washington to send them to England in exchange for American prisoners held by the British. After 1777, the mine remained closed until 1840 when an unsuccessful effort was made to extract ore from it. In 1901 and 1905 two more failed attempts were made to revive the mine before it was abandoned permanently.
The Revolutionary War Period
According to a local historian, by the time of the American Revolution, Griggstown might have had a store, a flouring mill, a saw mill, a carding mill and power loom, a cider mill and distillery, a cooperage, a coach and wagon shop, two blacksmith shops, a lath mill, and a church in addition to the two taverns and the gristmill.
Although no battles or skirmishes took place in the area, both American and British troops marched through Griggstown along present-day Canal Road several times during the Revolutionary War. After the Battle of Princeton in1777, George Washington and his troops stopped at the Abraham Van Doren House in nearby Blackwell’s Mills for food and clothing while marching to their winter headquarters in Morristown.
Many of Griggstown’s residents fought in the Revolutionary War, but the most well-known is John Honeyman, whose house still stands at the intersection of Canal and Bunker Hill roads. Honeyman was secretly employed as a spy for George Washington and is credited with supplying Washington with valuable information that helped defeat the British at the Battle of Trenton.
Honeyman gathered such information while posing as a butcher selling cattle to the British troops, a practice that raised suspicion among Griggstown residents who considered him to be a traitor. One night a group of neighbors who mistakenly believed Honeyman to be at home, arrived at his house to “burn him out”. After Mrs. Honeyman presented the mob with a letter from George Washington protecting her and her family, the mob dispersed.
After the war, Washington visited John Honeyman in Griggstown to dispel any residual mistrust of Honeyman. However, these efforts may not have been entirely convincing, because Honeyman eventually left Griggstown with his family to reside in Lamington, New Jersey where he remained until his death.
Griggstown & the Delaware & Raritan Canal
The opening of the Delaware & Raritan Canal in 1834 marked a significant event in the history of Griggstown. Dug by local and immigrant workers, the canal created a transportation link between New York and Philadelphia opening up interior regions to a wider market and allowed easier, more efficient movement of goods and produce. For the first time, bulk transport of anthracite coal from Pennsylvania to eastern markets was possible.
The presence of the Delaware & Raritan Canal brought change and encouraged the growth of small commercial centers like the one at Griggstown. Benjamin Griggs’ original gristmill was removed in 1831 to make way for the construction of the canal and a new mill was constructed on the west side of the canal adjacent to the causeway. Farmers who sold land for the construction of the canal used the income to further improve their farms. By 1850 agricultural production in Griggstown was diverse and most farms were about 100 acres in size. The agricultural census records for that year list crops grown as wheat, corn, oats, peas, beans, barley, potatoes, and buckwheat, while livestock raised included cattle, milk cows, swine, and sheep.
Two Somerset County maps from 1850 and 1873 illustrate further the direct effect of the canal’s presence on the development of Griggstown, especially at the town center, situated at the intersection of the Griggstown Causeway and Canal Road. The bridge tender and his family lived in a house built and owned by the canal company as part of his salary. A store and post office were located in the Longhouse.
Another store was located on the east side of Canal Road at the intersection of the causeway and was operated by William and Caroline Oppie for over 50 years until it burned early in the 1900s. Oppie also ran a lumber business in a structure on the southwest corner of Canal Road and the Griggstown Causeway. This building, which was later destroyed by fire, was located on the grassy lot next to the extant Sherman House.
Griggstown’s expansion during the first half of the 19th century is reflected also in the increase in building. About one-third (23) of the 68 structures in the present-day Griggstown Historic District were constructed during the period 1835-1850.
With an increase in the town’s population and prosperity, the Griggstown Dutch Reformed Church was built in 1842. It was situated just north of the causeway on Canal Road. Behind the church sits the schoolhouse. It originally stood along Canal Road, but was moved to its present location and restored by the Griggstown Historical Society.
The Griggstown Bridge Tender’s House
The bridge tender house at the Griggstown Causeway is one among many that were built during the canal’s construction. The first phase of canal house construction occurred during the latter half of the canal’s “official” build period in 1833-34. When the canal opened in June of 1834 only 12 houses were completed. By 1839, 33 houses were on the rolls – 14 lock houses and 19 bridge houses. Eventually the D&R Canal house inventory would come to a count of 67 (road/farm bridge and lock houses) along its 66 mile length. Today only 17 houses survive.
The typical canal house on the D&R Canal was a small, two-story vernacular structure typical of modest homes in New Jersey in the first half of 19th century. At first, these houses were plain and painted white. In the later 19th century, doors and window frames on some were painted a darker color, and porches, shutters, decorative brackets and corbels were introduced. Most of the decorative elements used were of the same size and design, indicating they were probably standard Canal Company additions. While most of the houses started out as cookie cutter editions, each house eventually developed its own peculiar individuality, from its setting, additions, and the changes made by successive occupants.
The majority of the houses were of two basic styles – stone and clapboard. The canal house at Griggstown is of stone construction much like those built in other flood prone locations such as Kingston, Rocky Hill, Blackwells Mills, East Millstone, Weston, Zarephath South Bound Brook and Bogan’s Lane near New Brunswick. Many of these still stand. They varied somewhat in layout and size but these were, generally speaking, two-story with a gable roof, stuccoed stone exteriors with two end chimneys. Most, though not all, had a center door on their façade and a second door on side or rear as is the case at Griggstown. Often there were roofs or porticos over doors and/or porches which were added later. The interior plans consisted of a simple layout with four rooms (2-over-2 with enclosed center stairway) and many had lean-to kitchen additions added towards the end of the 19th century. Interestingly, the Griggstown bridge tender house never included the additional lean-to kitchen found on many of the surviving canal houses. Lock houses were generally larger with more substantial additions.
When the canal officially opened in the summer of 1834 the bridge tender assigned to Griggstown was Hugh Blaney, an Irish immigrant who was born in Ireland in 1793. He is listed in the 1840 census with his wife Elizabeth Perrine (born in Somerset County, NJ sometime between 1809 – 1811)) and five children under the age of 15 (Daniel, Hugh, Charles, Catherine and John). Hugh and Elizabeth would have two more children, Mary (b. 1843) and William James (b. 1852) before he passed in 1853. By the time of his death his two eldest sons, Daniel and Charles were 23 and 19 years old (Hugh has disappeared from the area census) and likely assisted their mother with the bridge tending duties for a time. Neither the 1860 or 70 census specifically assigned the occupation “bridge tender” to anyone in Griggstown but Daniel Blaney still resided in town with his large family and was listed as a “laborer” and “farm laborer” as does Elizabeth Blaney. Elizabeth passed sometime in the 1870s. While it is not clear if she and/or her children tended the bridge and lived in the house until her passing, it is clear that by 1880 Daniel Blaney is officially listed in the census as “bridge tender.” His death in 1887 seemingly marked the end of the Blaney bridge tender legacy in Griggstown although it is possible that another family member took on the post for a time after his passing.
Unfortunately, the records for the 1890 federal census were lost so we don’t pick up the trail for the occupancy of the bridge tender house again until the next available census in 1900. By the turn of the 20th century the Slover family began its legacy of Canal Company employment in Griggstown. Both the 1900 and 1910 census indicate that Aaron Slover was stationed at the bridge tender’s house while Enoch Slover (Aaron’s father) and John Buchanan held the post at the Griggstown lock (lock 9) in 1910. By 1920 and 30 Aaron had taken over the duties at the lock. The 1930 census lists Frank Carr as bridge tender in Griggstown and Sandor Fekete as “gate tender.” It is suspected that Mr. Carr (a single man from France) was perhaps working the bridge at the lock along with Mr. Slover as it is clear from the census that Sandor Fekete was living in the bridge tender house on the Causeway. However, by the time the canal closed in 1932 Harold “Happy” Slover was tending the bridge in Griggstown while Sandor had moved his family to Blackwells Mills.
The Railroad Arrives
The opening of the canal was soon followed by the construction of the Camden and Amboy Railroad, which provided further impetus for industrial growth in the area. The railroad allowed goods to be transported even faster than by road or canal.
A railroad spur built along the canal near Rocky Hill, provided the Atlantic Terra Cotta Company, situated on the southern portion of Canal Road approximately 3 miles from Griggstown, a faster way to deliver its products to urban markets.
This factory later manufactured architectural terra cotta for numerous commercial and office buildings, including Carnegie Hall and the Woolworth Building in New York and the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.
Dawn of a New Era
Griggstown remained virtually unchanged from the late 19th century until after World War I when in 1926 a group of Norwegians purchased a tract of land for a settlement of summer homes they called Norseville. This was followed by two other Scandinavian settlements, Acken Park and Sunset Hill, situated to the east of Norseville. These summer bungalows were converted to year-round residences after World War II.
From the 1940s to the 1970s some newer houses were built along Canal Road. A few small developments were also built on parcels of land east of Canal Road between Bunker Hill Road and the causeway. In 1983, Griggstown was placed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district.
Griggstown Mill/Mule Tender’s Barracks
The story of the Griggstown Muletender’s Barracks, or Longhouse, still remains – at least in part – a mystery. While Dan Saunders, former Executive Director of the State Historic Preservation Office, dated it as an early 19th century structure based on its clues from its construction, documentation dating its actual erection has not yet been located. According to the deed chronology, the property on which the building stands was acquired by Abraham Veghte in 1848 or 1852. The Veghte family was one among many Dutch farm families that migrated to the Griggstown area, and Somerset County in general, from the colony of New York in the 18th century. The Veghtes (or Van Veghten) thus established their presence in Griggstown almost a century previous to the construction of the Delaware and Raritan Canal. Nicholas Van Veghten, Abram’s grandfather, purchased the first mill in Griggstown from Barnet Griggs (Benjamin Griggs’ son) in the 18th century. He owned and operated the original “Griggs Mill” until his death when it was then sold again to Abraham Van Doren.
It is suspected that the Longhouse has an 1830s construction date. If that is the case then it must be concluded that it was part of the original tract owned by the Simonson family (another Griggstown family of Dutch ancestry) when Abram Veghte acquired it. Simonson’s house was located (and still stands) on east side of Canal Road just south of the church; his barns and fields could likely have been located across the road. Thus, it is possible that the Longhouse was originally built as a barn by the Simonson family and was later expanded and/or converted into a mill store and grain storage facility by A. Veghte when it was purchased in 1848/1852. A photograph of a similar New Jersey structure was located in the Images of America series book Somerset County: Crossroads of the American Revolution. The photograph is described as a “grain barn built in 1768 to store grain for the Van Dorn mill.” This is a significant clue as to the possible use of the Griggstown Longhouse. Its construction and style are almost identical, it is also a Somerset County building and linked to a family with Dutch ancestry. Thus it is fair to surmise that Veghte erected the structure to serve as an additional storage facility and store for his newly constructed Mill complex across the road. It has also been suggested that the building was originally constructed to house 18th century mill workers and/or serve as storage for the first Griggstown Mill. This theory, like many others, has not been substantiated and remains somewhat doubtful since the original Griggs Mill was located some distance from the Longhouse property. Additionally, the property was owned by Cornelius Simonson who did not have a connection to the first mill. Thus, while the chronology of property ownership has been revealed, the building’s origin and original purpose are still to be determined.
Various sources confirm the Veghte family’s ownership of the building in the 19th century and that it functioned – at least in part – as a store. The building appears on the Otley map of 1850 and the Beers map of 1873. The Otley map labels it as A. Veghte while the Beers map indicates “Mrs. T. Edgar; Store & P.O.” When Abram Veghte died in 1865 he left his daughter Ann Veghte Edgar approximately 14 acres of land which included the “mill, store, basin and dwelling house” as well as an additional 5 acres of woodland. William Oppie, a local Griggstown store owner, is mentioned in the inventory taken upon Abram Veghte’s death. Oppie and Company owed $275 for ¼ rent of the mill, $32 for ¼ rent of the store and $275 for wheat. This confirms Oppie’s involvement in the Griggstown mill and store at least prior to A. Veghte’s passing. Ann Veghte Edgar and her husband owned the property and business (including the mill) from 1865 until 1885 when it was then sold to their brother-in-law, John DeWitt Boice. Unfortunately, in 1887 the National Bank of New Jersey took ownership of the property due to a default on an outstanding bank loan. Perhaps this was an indication of the declining profitability of the mill in Griggstown or simply poor management on the part of the Edgars. In any case it was back in Veghte hands by 1901 as Charles Hoagland, Abram’s grandson, took back ownership from the bank. According to Terhune, Harvey Boice, grandson of A. Veghte and C. Hoagland’s cousin, was not only a farmer but also operated the mill, owned a store on the east side of Canal Road at head of the Causeway and ran a door-to-door butcher business in 1905. In 1911, Charles Hoagland bought out his cousin Harry Edgar’s interest in the mill and Longhouse property. Soon after, or perhaps prior to, he had the mill dismantled leaving only its foundations. By the late 20s Charles was ready to relinquish his ownership of the Causeway properties. Presumably, it was at this time that the Longhouse and the Mill properties were split and sold to different owners. In 1927 the Longhouse was sold to Benjamin and Fanny Feyl (possible family members). It remained in the Feyl family until 1937 and then was passed on three more times for a mere dollar until it became the property of Virginia Skillman in 1960 where it remained until it was sold to the State of New Jersey in the 1970s. In the 1950’s the Fairweather house was built directly on the foundation of the old Veghte mill.
Today, the Longhouse building is referred to as “The Mule Tender’s Barracks.” This too, is a mystery. In 1976, local historian Laura Terhune published Episodes in the History of Griggstown. In it the building is never described as the “Mule Tender’s Barracks”. Evidence has not yet been revealed to substantiate claims that it functioned specifically as a “boarding house” for Mule Tenders or canal workers. Thus, it begs the question: Is it possible that this was an invention to justify the significance of the building and its connection to the D&R Canal in order to give good reason for its purchase by the State in 1970s? According to Terhune, the Rightmires (a local Griggstown family) did offer mules for hire presumably around turn of 20th century. These could have been used both for local traffic as well as along the canal. However, major mule concessions/barns were located at Bordentown, Kingston, and New Brunswick which were owned and operated by a single proprietor. Of these, the closest mule barns were located at Kingston. Logically, those who tended the mules would not travel by foot from Kingston to retire for the night. In fact, many canal boatmen and crew remained on their boats for the night.
It is clear that the Longhouse was divided into several attached dwellings, or apartments, at some point in its history. Prior to its most current restoration, the interior layout suggested three separate sections or units each with its own fireplace. These units were, according to census data and local history, rented. This was likely an early 20th century renovation to the building completed in order to adapt it for another use. While the possibility exists that it served as a type of dormitory or “barracks” for mill hands and their families or canal workers, documentation has not surfaced to support or deny this claim. Thus, it will be necessary to conduct further research to uncover any existing manuscripts, diaries, letters or news items that mention the Mill and/or Longhouse and their purpose.
While it is clear that much remains in question regarding the history and function of the building, it is evident that it is a significant canal era structure and worthy of restoration, interpretation and further investigation. Indeed, it is a prominent player in the Griggstown story and a significant fixture on the Causeway.
Six Mile Run
RESERVOIR, SO WHERE’S THE WATER?
Settlement was gradual as some held onto the land for speculation or to pass to their sons as inheritance. One of the earliest homesteads is the Wyckoff-Garretson house that was built by Cornelius Wycoff’s son John who moved to the area around 1710 and began the difficult process of tilling the land and establishing a farmstead. That 1730 Dutch style home has been restored
and is maintained by the Meadows Foundation. As are two other Six Mile Run properties also restored and maintained by the Meadows Foundation - the Hageman House and the
Vanliew/Suydam House. Each house has its own unique story but the Hageman House and Farm which also dates to the 1700s is worth mentioning because it was owned by only two families for
over 200 years before being sold to the state – the Hagemans and Garretsons - both of Dutch origin. It is an example of the longevity of ownership that permeated the Six Mile Run district.
The three Meadow Foundation houses are examples of farmsteads that have been successfully restored and adaptively reused. Others that trail users might encounter while at the Six Mile Run
site have not fared as well including the imposing J.J. Voorhees House, the Polhemus Farmstead, the Wyckoff Farm and the Dmuchoswki property to name a few. Abandoned and no longer in
use, these structures are exposed to the elements and vandals. With limited resources, the State is unable to restore, reuse or staff these structures. While demolition through neglect is the likely
outcome for the abandoned built environment of the Six Mile Run site, the upside is the preservation of the land from development. Had the 3000 acres not been purchased by the state
in the 1960s and 70s, much of what is now open space would be dotted with homes, condos, supermarkets and strip malls.
Above all, the Six Mile Run district was predominately agricultural and the surviving landscape with its open fields, rolling hills and forested wood lots, hints strongly of that past. This was
acreage where the people made their livelihoods from tilling the soil, raising livestock, cultivating orchards, running dairies and harvesting wheat, rye, oats and a variety of produce. These
activities continued into the twentieth century and up until the state earmarked the land for a
reservoir in the early ½ of the century. The state stepped in before the era of large scale development hit its prime. It does seem clear that had the land not been eyed by the state,
developers would not have been far behind in an effort to sway farmers from the land with large payouts. Slowly land would have been bought up, farmers bought out and the vistas we now
enjoy would be pot-marked with box stores, subdivisions, condos, shops and acres of small strip malls. Instead the landscape has been preserved and continues to be farmed through land leases
with local farmers and dairymen. It is a time capsule, a throw-back to the days when the state earned the moniker “The Garden State.”
Three pilot trails offering 7 miles of hiking, biking and horseback riding officially opened to the public in the Spring of 1998 after several years of planning, trailblazing and unofficial access.
Not unlike the rest of the Six Mile Run story, these trails were not implemented without their fair share of controversy. Although the open space tract was handed over to the Division of Parks and
Forestry in the early 1990s to be managed for public use, farmers, who for years leased a large percentage of the Six Mile Run fields, objected to the idea of trails skirting along and adjacent to
their cultivated lands. Fears of trespassing, crop damage and liability issues were among their chief concerns. Despite these issues, the park staff along with local friends organizations began
work in 1995 to layout and plan the paths that would become the first open trails to crisscross the historic landscape. At the same time discussions and public meetings were held in order to bring
all sides to the table until agreements were reached and the pilot trail project could be successfully launched with the blessing of all involved.
It has been several years since the opening of official public recreational use at the Six Mile Run Reservoir site and in that time this preserved landscape has been discovered by many outdoor enthusiasts. With the help of JORBA, an off-road biking non-profit organization, the multi-use
trail system has been improved and grownto just under 17 miles of trails. On any given day one is likely to see birders, bikers, hikers and horseback riders sharing the trails and enjoying the open
fields and wooded paths.
It has been over 300 years since colonial settlement of the land now referred to as Six Mile Run. In that time this rolling landscape has been tamed, cultivated and built upon by the generations of
people who set down roots here. The evidence of their inhabitance dot the landscape from the
shells of their homes, outbuildings and cemeteries to the acres of agricultural fields now
maintained and cultivated by a new generation of farmers. For the time being the landscape has
been preserved and saved from development. Much of the land is still being put to its historic use
through agriculture and a small portion can be used and enjoyed by the public – a happy
compromise. It is an oasis surrounded by suburban sprawl. It will be decades before discussions
of flooding this tract of land are brought back to the table. In the mean time discussions for an
alternate site are not unlikely and the Six Mile Run Reservoir Site, listed as an Historic District on
both the State and National Register of Historic Places registry, will likely remain an untouched
agricultural and cultural landscape for the benefit of all.Along South Middlebush Road in Franklin Township is a unique resource – a cultural landscape dating back to the colonial settlement of the area in 1702. From a hill top farm along Skillman’s Lane, a farmland vista unfolds toward the Delaware and Raritan Canal and the Millstone River beyond. Not a strip mall, food establishment or subdivision is in sight. Instead, on the hills above Blackwells Mills Road is a glimpse into a past time, an undeveloped rural landscape and the remains of farmsteads and outbuildings that are relics of the Dutch pioneers who settled this area that we now call The Six Mile Run Reservoir Site.
The name might confuse those park visitors expecting to find a large body of water and the associated recreational activities that usually accompany a reservoir. If you’re looking for boating, swimming, fishing or even lakeside camping, you’ll be disappointed to learn none are available here. As the name implies, Six Mile Run is the “site” of a proposed reservoir; a site that until now has not been constructed.
But why build a reservoir? The need to supply water to NJ’s rapidly growing population in the 1950s was identified as a hot issue by our state leaders after the state suffered drought in 1953. A reliable source was needed and discussions quickly turned to reservoir building. Several locations were identified as suitable including the large farming community surrounding the Six Mile Run (a natural stream located 6 miles from the colonial settlement at New Brunswick and so named by the early 17th century settlers). The others were the populated farming communities we now know as Round Valley and Spruce Run Recreation Areas. Both the Round Valley and the Spruce Run projects pre-dated Six Mile Run and although plans were well underway in the 1960s and properties were purchased to make way for the new water supply, the Six Mile Run site was eventually tabled. As it turned out, the reservoirs at Round Valley and Spruce Run, as well as the waters of the D & R Canal, proved to provide adequate supplies of water for those in the northeastern and central area of the state at that time. The Six Mile Run reservoir was not yet needed and so the 3000+ acres that now belonged to the state were turned over to the Division of Parks and Forestry in the 1990s to be managed as open space and parkland until such time that the proposed reservoir was deemed necessary; something not likely to happen, according to the state, for several more decades.
Displacement
Creation of a reservoir is usually fraught with controversy and such was the case for the Six Mile Run site even though the run was never dammed nor the farmland flooded. Many families lost their ancestral homes as the state bought out privately owned properties and a total of 3000+ acres in preparation for the proposed reservoir. Several property owners were descendants from some of the original owners who date back to the early seventeenth century. Many others had purchased their properties decades earlier with little desire to sell to the state. Yet despite an efforts by those affected and a concerned community, the properties were slowly sold. Some owners opted to stay and lease their former homes and farmland for a time from the state. In other cases families moved on leaving only the structures and farmed landscape behind. The ghosts of many of those farmsteads can still be seen dotting the landscape. They stand as testament to those who called this “Pleasant Valley” their homes. The pristine landscape and the architectural remains of those structures can be seen by those hiking and biking the trails of the Six Mile Run Reservoir site today.
History of the Areas
The colonists, who settled the area and built the first phases of some of the surviving structures can be found without looking very hard. Their names have survived into the 21st century and are printed on street signs that cross through the Six Mile Run area: Cortelyous, Jacques, Suydam, Skillman, Vliet, Van Cleef. Some names never made it to street signs but their influence on the
agricultural landscape was no less significant: Polhemus, Vanliew, Nevius, Hagemen, Wycoff, Voorhees. These names are connected through culture and heritage as many were of Dutch origin. The first Dutch landowners from Staten Island purchased their extensive land tracts in 1702 from John Harrison – an early land speculator. Those 10,000 acres were subdivided into 16
lots by Jacques Cortelyou. The land was extensive running east to west from today’s Route 27 to the Millstone River. The 10,000 acre tract was split down the middle and 8 lots were laid on each side. The dividing line became South Middlebush Road. Those landowners were Jacques Cortelyou, Peter Cortelyou, Theodorus Polhemus, Garritt Stoothoff, Cornelius Wycoff, Hendrik Lott, Cornelius Van Wyckoff, Frederick Van Liew, Stoffel Probaskoo and Deneys Tennisson; Names that have endured into the 21st century.
Farming
Trail Building and Recreational Use
Conclusion
CANAL BRIDGES
The stationary bridges along the D&R Canal today are very unlike the original structures that spanned this transportation corridor when it was used for boat traffic. Unlike Pennsylvania’s Delaware Division Canal, all the bridges crossing the D&R Canal were initially movable and gave the canal an advantage - no height restriction. Low profile mule-drawn canal boats, heavily built steam powered vessels, elegant tall-masted ships, and personal yachts were all able to navigate the corridor.
The first bridges along the D&R were A-framed swing bridges. The support for this simple, well designed timber bridge was built in the form of the letter “A” giving the bridge its name. From the peak of the “A” support beams, cables were strung downward and anchored to the bridge’s deck; a span that reached over 68 feet in length. Horse, wagon, carriage and pedestrian traffic crossed the canal when in the closed position.
A bridge tender, employed by the canal company, was responsible for a crossing location where he operated the swing bridge by hand with the aid of a bridge key or wrench using a system of gears and cranks similar to the lift locks. The tender monitored the tension in the supporting suspension cables to keep the bridge in good working order by regularly climbing the attached ladder to the apex of the “A” where he could inspect and tighten the cables as needed. Each tender was provided with a house which was located adjacent to the assigned bridge. The housing was part of the tender’s salary. Adjacent to each bridge crossing was a small wood framed structure large enough to accommodate a few items such as a chair, table, lamp, and small stove. This bridge tender station allowed the tenders some comfort as they waited for the sound of a boat horn or the blow of the conch shell that signaled the approach of an oncoming vessel. When heard, preparation to open the bridge began. A barricade halted the road traffic before the bridge gears put the well-balanced deck in motion. Slowly the long deck swung low across the waterway to the open position parallel to the side of the canal and cleared the path for the oncoming boat traffic to proceed. Once through, the deck swung back across the canal into the closed position and road traffic resumed. The A-framed swing bridge served the D&R Canal well for over 80 years before being replaced in the early part of the 20th century with the stouter kingpost style swing bridge better suited to handle the weight of the automobile. As the new horseless carriages arrived and gained popularity in the 19-teens, the need to retire the A-frames grew more pressing. By the 1920s, all the A-frames were replaced by the more practical King-Post swing bridges. Although the D&R Canal closed as a transportation corridor in 1932, these second generation swing bridges remained a fixture along the canal until they were removed and replaced in the early 1950s by the stationary bridges you see today.
Bulls Island
Called Ponnacussing by the native people in the pre-colonial period, this parcel of land surrounded by the D&R Canal on the east and the Delaware River on the west is known today as the Bulls Island Recreation Area. This island was included in a 625-acre tract of land that was granted to Richard Bull and John Ladd by the proprietors of West Jersey in 1712. Starting in the colonial period, the Island came to be called Bulls Island (sometimes spelled “Bools”). Prior to the construction of the Delaware and Raritan Canal in the 1830s, the Island was separated from the main land by a natural waterway aptly named Bulls Creek. This creek was dug out, dredged and enlarged to become the start of the canal’s feeder in the early 1830s.
The Island property went through a series of owners throughout the 17th century and into the 20th. Early owners of the Island included Isaiah Quimbey (who also acquired the lot where the Saxtonville Tavern now stands). Some fledgling enterprises were established here in the 18th century including a profitable shad fishery on the northern section of the Island. According to Marfy Goodspeed, who has done extensive research on Raven Rock and Delaware Township, a 10-acre mill lot, powered by the waters of Bulls Creek, was also in operation by the end of the 18th century. She identified the owners as Mahlon Cooper and Robert Curry. It is unclear whether Cooper and Curry built the mill site or acquired it from a previous owner. What is clear is that the business went through a series of owners in the early 19th century until it was finally acquired in 1835 by the D&R Canal Company who was purchasing property on Bulls Island for the purposes of building the canal’s feeder.
Another early recorded property owner was Nathaniel Saxton who began purchasing lots - eventually including the Cooper and Curry mill property - in 1808. Saxton, a land surveyor, lawyer, legislator and entrepreneur seemed to be a bit of a self-promoter as well. Although his time in and around Bulls Island was relatively brief (about 20 years), his influence on Raven Rock was considerable. Evidence of that is found a mere three years later on an 1811 map that refers to the area as Saxtonville and road returns of the same year make reference to “Saxton’s Mills.” Goodspeed speculates that applying the moniker of “Saxtonville” and “Saxton’s Mills” to the location might have been in an effort to draw business to his newly acquired mill and this sparsely populated community north of Center Bridge (now Stockton). Clearly, Nathaniel Saxton had an interest in the location as he purchased additional properties and extended his holdings around Bulls Island. The historic building located along Route 29 just north of Bulls Island still bears the name “Saxtonville Tavern” from Nathaniel’s period of ownership (1810 – 1836). In an effort to expand his business holdings in the area (which included “Saxton’s Ferry in addition to the mills), he extended the building and operated a tavern out of the old Quimbey homestead. It is not clear whether or not Saxton ran the tavern or the mills or even resided long-term in Saxtonville as his primary place of residence seems to have been Flemington.
Change was coming to the Island community. In the 1830s Bulls Island was established as the starting point of the Delaware and Raritan Canal’s feeder. A wing dam would be constructed at the northern tip of the island to efficiently direct water into the canal's feeder. As mentioned above, the Delaware and Raritan Canal Company began the process of purchasing the property it needed to construct the 66-mile waterway including holdings on Bulls Island. In 1831 a sizable parcel was purchased from James Cox where the guard lock is now located. The mill lot (then owned by James Coryell) was added in 1835 and still others in 1847. In 1852 lots on the eastern bank of the feeder were purchased by the Belvidere and Delaware Railroad.
By the end of the 19th century much of the land was maintained by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company who since 1871 held a 999-year lease on all Canal Company property. In the 1890s the upper half of the Island was used by railroad employees and locals for picnics and was called Ellmaker’s Island. In fact, with the exception of several river front parcels which remained in private hands, much of the Island was owned by the railroad and likely used as a summer get-away by some employees. According to Edward Irons, grandson of the Ernest and Nellie Fogleman the last private owner of the river front parcels, several homes and summer cabins stood in the day use area one of which, “The Oaks,” was likely built in the early 20th century. It is speculated that this house may have been built and owned by the railroad and used by its employees before being sold into private hands (presumable to Frank Withington and then Edward Hack).
By the mid-twentieth century parcels along the pedestrian bridge road (a road bridge was first established between Raven Rock and Lumberville in 1856), the day use and campground areas were in private hands. Although the full deed chronology of the Island property is still to be completed and properly documented, evidence suggests that the Pennsylvania Railroad decided to sell off its Island holdings as the century progressed. Some of the family names associated with those first purchases in the 1920s and 30s are Carter, Withington, and Heath. All three were long-time employees of the railroad and lived in the greater Philadelphia area. Later owners included Stem, Robbins, Herholz, Hack and Tusche. A private campground on the northern section was established and maintained on the Island by the 1960s. The state began the process of purchasing the privately held lots, including the campground in the 1960s for the purposes of creating the Bulls Island Recreation Area and Campground. The newly created recreation area and campground facilities would eventually come under the management of D&R Canal State Park which was established in 1974.
CANAL LOCKS
When the D&R Canal first opened for operation in 1834, there were 14 lift locks along the 44-mile main stem of this transportation waterway between Bordentown and New Brunswick. Along its 22-mile feeder, which flowed south from Bulls Island to Trenton, there was only one lift lock and one outlet lock; both were located at Lambertville.
Whenever an elevation change occurs in the topography along the route of a canal a lift lock is needed to overcome it. Think of them as a water-filled elevator that lifts or lowers a vessel from one level along the corridor to the next. Locks are needed to maintain an even, controlled flow of water on this “highway” for boat traffic. Few locks were needed on the D&R Canal. This contour canal was surveyed to follow a relatively level stretch of land along the narrowest central section of the state between the Delaware and Raritan rivers. The highest elevation along the route was 56 feet above sea level at Trenton.
The locks visitors see today along the D&R are altered-- missing are the doors that “locked” boats in. Today water enters the lock through a sluice gate on the upstream end. When the canal was in operation, this was the location of the drop gate; a heavy wood door that pivoted at the bottom and when opened, lay horizontal and flat under the water allowing boats to float over it. At the downstream end were two large wood mitre gate doors that pivoted vertically (like French doors). When in the closed position the mitre gates rested at angle against the upstream flow of water, creating a tight seal.
Both the drop and mitre gates had smaller doors built into them. These smaller doors were called wicket gates and they allowed water to enter or exit the lock. There were eight wicket gates cut into each mitre door, located under water level. The lock tender would operate each wicket gate independently using a “lock key”, a wrench-like tool which opened the gates allowing water to exit the lock and lower the boat to the downstream level. In contrast, the upstream wicket paddles laid flat on the floor of the drop gate and allowed water to rush into the lock chamber and raise the boat.
The lock tender assigned at all the locks along the canal lived in houses built and owned by the Canal Company. All the canal company lock houses were constructed in 1833-34 and were provided to the tender assigned at each lock location as part of his salary.
By the 1850s, the length of all the locks on the D&R Canal were doubled to 220 feet to accommodate the increasing boat traffic. The original upstream mitre gates were replaced with the drop gates expediting the locking process. The longer lock allowed for two 90-100 feet boats to be locked through at the same time. With the new drop gate at the upstream end, the entire process, from entering to exiting the lock, took about 15 minutes.
With the closing of the canal in 1932, the wood covered masonry locks sat unused. By 1936 the defunct D&R Canal became the property of the State of New Jersey and its fate was uncertain. However after heated debate, a new use for the old canal as a state water supply was approved. The transformation began in the late 1940s as the drop gates, mitre doors, and mechanisms were removed, replaced by the modern sluice gates. Today only the shell of the masonry lock, now covered in concrete, is left as a reminder of the part it played in the D&R Canal story.
