feltville historic district

I love all things deserted, so when I saw "Deserted Village" I knew I had to go! It's not as abandoned as I had hoped, but is still quite neat to walk through. There's a walking path that provides a quick trip into the woods. There's not a ton here to see, but if you're about to head out on a long drive (back to Massachusetts in my case) and need to stretch your legs, this is the place to do it!

Feltville Historic District is located in Berkeley Heights section of the 2,000 acre Watchung Reservation. It's often called the Deserted Village which gives it a Weird New Jersey aura. Actually the village has a long and complex history which dates back to pre-Revolutionary War Era. Peter Wilcox an Englishman came to the area from Long Island in 1736 and operated a saw mill. He also was a horse soldier in the American Revolution and he, his wife and descendants are buried in the village cemetery. If you visit Feltville don't miss the interesting headstones. After Wilcox came Felt who bought the property from Wilcox descendants and also operated a mill and built housing for 175 people who worked at the mill. It's hard to believe that in the larger homes up to four families called it home. The small smaller homes housed two families. William Ackerman created a summer resort called Glenside Park in 1850 but it to fell through as people began to prefer the New Jersey shore. In the 1920's the Union County Park Commission purchased the property. Restoration of the houses on the property is ongoing with the Masker's Barn and Church/General Store getting the first attention .Free self-guided tours are available year round but they do not allow you to see the inside of the buildings. Guided tours are also free and seasonal and begin at 2:30 pm. They begin at the Church/General Store and are free and about 45 minutes long. Brochures can be picked up. .The place is claimed to haunted as a result of three young girls disappeared in 1912 after camping in the Watchung Forest. It's a 4 Star experience for history enthusiasts who will enjoy the Revolutionary War headstones.

A few buildings standing with some interesting history attached to them. Don't forget to get a pretty informative pamphlet at the bulletin board before entering. A good way to burn off an hour and see something off the beaten path, but by no means not worth going out of the way to see.

A local told us about this place. We're thinking...how can there be anywhere deserted in the middle of New Jersey and right off I-78?Well lo and behold there is a deserted village with houses built in the 1800's. It served as a mill town built by David Felt. The buildings include a church/store, a cemetery, several houses and a mill site. The buildings are frail and access inside them is not permitted. There is a walk to all of these structures which is about a mile. It is billed as deserted but a couple of the houses were inhabited and we did notice fire hydrants and electricity lines. Nevertheless it is interesting to see and there are walking trails and a picnic area. It is very quiet and peaceful in the middle of suburbia.There is a parking lot at the top Cataract Hollow Rd and it is an easy walk to the village. There are pamphlets available showing the walking route and also a pamphlet depicting the wildlife.There are bathrooms in the Church/Store house and per the pamphlet his structure is available for parties.

Feltville is a great place to walk around. The parking lot is about 5 minutes from the first old house. The walk to the houses is paved. there are several houses, but they are not open to explore. During the 4 Centuries Weekend, we were able to go into the a building where we could buy hot cocoa and cookies, as well as go on a very informative tour. There are dirt paths that lead to an old grave site, as well as to the rest of the reservation. It is a beautiful place to visit. There are no bathrooms that I know of in Feltville, but in the reservation itself there are bathrooms. Bathrooms are just a short drive away.

This is a wonderful piece of history right in the middle of the Watchung Reservation. Home to a mill, a paper business, summer vacationers, and artists, this district shows a great piece of history that should not be forgotten!

This is part of the Watchung Reservation in Union County. Several of the buildings have been restored but many are in disrepair. Lots of good hiking paths. There is parking before you can enter the area. There are scheduled activies through out the year and most are free. Bring the family but be careful around some of the builings that are in eed of repair. Some of the old homes do have people living in them.

This is an interesting place. It includes the remnants of an old mill town and miles of hiking trails. It is located in the Watchung Reservation. To map your trip to the parking lot, use the following address: Cataract Hollow Road, Berkeley Heights, NJ. There is a gravel parking lot with a decent amount of parking. The Deserted Village is located in an unusual place. As we were driving through the populated suburban streets, we couldn't imagine that there was going to be a village and woods to hike in there, but they are. There is a map of the trails and a booklet that guides you through the village. You can pick them up in the parking lot. The booklet describes the various buildings and tells the history of Feltville and then Glenside Park. It took about an hour to walk through the village while stopping to read the history. Most of the buildings are off limits because of their condition. The Church/Store is open on special occasions, particularly around Halloween when there are haunted hayrides. If you want to eat before or after visiting, there are no restaurants nearby. You can go into the town of Berkeley Heights for food. It's only about 10 minutes away.

We love to walk around this old, abandoned village. You can see the old homes, the general store and what was pieces of the mill that used to be there. You can feel the tired, lingering spirits. Find the family gravesites, and wander around the untamed woods. A great place to bring visitors. For the kids, a great hayride, cider drinking event around Halloween. It's free!

The deserted village Feltville/Glenside Park is one of 25 historic sites across Union County. You may also refer to it as Peter's Hill. Peter Willcocks and his wife Phebe Badgley Willcocks settled in the area and gave the place its first name. Later it became Feltville when David Felt bought the land. Eventually it became a summer resort - as cities were deemed unhealthy during summer - and became Glenside Park.It seems that the buildings from the Feltville village were not torn down. Rather the Glenside Park resort owners decided to give the exteriors a face-lift leaving the basic structure of the houses intact. Though the 35 buildings of Feltville have not survived, what remains builds up a sense of mystery in the place. There are headstones in a cemetery that suggest three (or is it two) people died on the same day. One school of thought says that Phebe died in the summer but her death was not recorded till her son John died in November. There are however rumors that the Willcocks may have converted their mill to a covert gun powder factory to supply George Washington's army. Could there have been an accident?I would imagine that after dark the place would assume the atmosphere for the Haunted Hayrides during Halloween. But you don't need to conjure up spirits to enjoy the place. There is a self guided walking tour that you can take. You can relax at one of the benches and wonder what people did during the day when they walked these same paths and lived in these houses. I expect that as more people visit the site it will get better organized. As of now it is part of a Four Centuries in a Weekend program. On Saturday and Sunday, visitors can, I have read, take part in guided tours and view exhibits in the restored Church/Store. We went on a weekend and could not figure it out. It also seems that the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs conducts an Operation Archaeology program for fifth-grade students.If you choose to visit I would suggest read about the place a bit before you go. There are a number of PDF files available on the internet. You can expect a unpaved free parking lot and a clean restroom with a pay phone during the park hours. If you don't have very high expectations you will not be disappointed.