Warren County New Jersey: the Ny Metro area's Undiscovered Historic Treasure
When people head out from Ny and surrounding environs in search of weekend retreats, invariably they end up in western Connecticut, the Hudson River Valley, the Catskills and other upstate The big apple areas, the Jersey Shore, and the Hamptons.
As places the place New Yorkers historically vacation, buy second homes, celebrity watch and more, it’s comprehensible that these locales are high of the list.
But what about a spot as close to Manhattan as any of the aforementioned hotspots that provides almost everything we find endearing about our destinations of choice for second and trip homes – historic villages and cities, amazing countryside, outdoor actions, farmhouses, farm markets, artists, nation eating places – however doesn’t have the excitement or the name recognition, at least not yet.
There is an space throughout the Ny Metropolitan area that is still ignored by the masses. Where residents are already beginning Friday night dinner in their stone farmhouses while weekenders are stuck in visitors on the way to Litchfield, or Rhinebeck, or East Hampton. Even places farther a discipline like Bucks and Pike Counties in Pennsylvania and Sullivan County in New York get more press. Well let me introduce you to the formerly depressed backwater turned beautiful and handy countryside of Warren County, NJ.
Interestingly, Warren is surrounded by counties which persistently rank among the wealthiest in America: Hunterdon, Somerset and Morris. These are counties filled with investors, a highly educated workforce, an abundance of so referred to as McMansions, and fairly a bit of disposable income. And to make sure, a few of Warren’s jap border cities have picked up developments and transplants from these ever more unaffordable neighboring areas. However for the most half, it’s the locals who learn about or consider living in or visiting Warren County and even then, the western and northern reaches are still fairly rural and untouched. For most of its historical past, Warren County has both been a mystery to those that have never seen it or a place to keep away from to those who had heard of its largest city, Phillipsburg--a poor industrial metropolis that had fallen on exhausting times.
A Nice Shock
4 years in the past, my partner Mark and I stumbled throughout the village of Finesville in southern Warren County completely by accident. Residing in suburban Morristown NJ, we have been contemplating a second home purchase in the country and noticed a house in Bucks County Pennsylvania on a real estate Website that interested us. Always up for a weekend drive, we decided to find it. With map in hand, we took what seemed like probably the most direct path to Upper Bucks County and found ourselves following the Musconetcong River, along Warren County’s southern border, previous a collection of about fifty small however magnificent 18th and nineteenth century stone and clapboard buildings, often called Finesville, just before we crossed into Pennsylvania.
Although Warren County was barely on my radar display screen, as a Real Estate Agent specializing in historic houses and neighborhoods I used to be flabbergasted that there was a hamlet of this size and high quality in Northern NJ of which I was unaware. Even more superb, Mark grew up in eastern Warren County and we had attended an public sale only three miles away from Finesville so I had some information of the area.
With its roots within the mid 18th century, Finesville began as a group of taverns, shops and a mill alongside the Musconetcong River run by the Positive and Siegel Households of Germany. The village was pretty affluent for most of its historical past but declined throughout the twentieth century. At this time, locals have bought and restored lots of its buildings and, indicative of its burgeoning upscale nature, vineyards, a vineyard, an vintage retailer, and an alpaca farm have arrange shop within the hamlet. Some of the restorations have been so spectacular that two Finesville homes had been just lately featured in national dwelling and backyard magazines.
On the time we discovered it, a c.1825 stone Georgian colonial was for sale in the village. The exterior was in some disrepair, the stucco was cracking and peeling, and the original entrance doorways had been gone. However the setting in this pristine and strange village was stunning and the price, at $135,000, was irresistible. As soon as inside, we realized this was our dream house within the country. The interior was nearly completely intact with a stroll-in fire, cabinet stairs, beamed ceilings, broad plank floors, and unique home windows—a jewel field of a house that just wanted some sprucing up. And so we purchased and restored this home and acquired the Warren County Historic Preservation Award for our efforts. Even higher, due to Warren County’s proximity to work, we had been able to sell our main house in Morristown and move to the nation permanently.
The Villages and Countryside
Warren County is filled with hidden and beautiful villages and cities like Finesville and since arriving, a number of of them have tempted us to think about moving again.
As testomony to Warren County’s less than stellar fame, the signal welcoming guests into its county seat describes Victorian Belvidere as “NJ’s best stored secret”. Belvidere is a sleepy town situated off the beaten path and layed out around a New England-fashion Village Green. Each September, the town celebrates Victorian Days, highlighting the prevalent nineteenth century architecture that lines its streets and varieties the idea of the town’s small business district. Most of the grand homes have already been restored and there's a great sense of pride in this small shut-knit community. Its location immediately on the Delaware and Pequest Rivers additionally makes it a great base for out of doors activities.
Northern Warren County affords a scene that rivals essentially the most beautiful in New England. Hope is a one-traffic mild crossroads city, based in the 18th century by a bunch of Moravians who left a formidable assortment of stone dwellings now restored and transformed to companies and residences. Considered one of which is a former gristmill turned into an inn and conference center. Stone and clapboard homes surrounded by cows and sheep dot a landscape that is harking back to the Litchfield Hills. With little business improvement, the pace in Hope is decidedly slow but that simply adds to its appeal.
North of Hope lies the slightly bigger village of Blairstown with its lately restored collection of retailers and eating places, currently under consideration for the National Register of Historic Places. Main Avenue is bookended by a prestigious prep school and the city’s venerable feed store. This is a strolling village, good for an hour’s stroll with weekend visitors and a poke across the shops and quiet streets.
Simply west of Hope and Blairstown, outdoor actions exist in the Delaware Water Hole Nationwide Recreation Area which incorporates part of the Appalachian Path, Millbrook, a recreated nineteenth century village, and Peters Valley, an artists colony which provides common reveals and exhibits.
On the eastern fringe of Warren, Hackettstown still retains its 19th century feel with spectacular multi-colored Victorian houses, vintage shops alongside Main Avenue and Centenary College in its midst.
Phillipsburg – An Industrial Town Reborn
As beautiful as Warren County’s countryside is, it’s town that we originally tried to keep away from that has captured our creativeness and should eventually tear us away from Finesville. The county’s largest city is a small, formerly industrial city and transportation hub along the Delaware River that had been neglected for years. Assume Hoboken New Jersey or Hudson Ny before gentrification. Fortunately that neglect, as in most of Warren County, has stored a lot of its historic material intact and over the previous 20 years, constructing homeowners have been peeling off previous aluminum siding to disclose stunning architecture.
The city actively encourages restoration and enterprise development -- businesses in Phillipsburg cost solely 3% gross sales tax with some of that cash going to revitalization projects. Progress had been slow, however now there are several highly regarded eating places in the restored downtown as well as antique shops and a number of other specialty stores. Train rides along the Delaware River begin downtown and are fashionable in the summer in addition to for Halloween and the winter holidays. On Thanksgiving, Phillipsburg High Faculty performs its rival Easton Pennsylvania of their annual soccer game. P’burg, as it is identified by locals, is extremely handy as Routes seventy eight and 22 run just outside of town as does the categorical bus to Manhattan, which stops at the Phillipsburg Mall.
There are a number of plans to transform Phillipsburg together with the redevelopment of its underutilized waterfront into a residential neighborhood, with construction set to start in 2006, and the repurposing of a vacant industrial park into a new commerce center. Rumor has it that a mattress and breakfast is slated to open in an historic stone tavern near the Delaware River bridge. Phillipsburg was named as the placement for the New Jersey Transportation and Heritage Museum. Sadly, legislation to supply the funding to make it happen has been stalled and seems unlikely. Nonetheless, the city is dedicated to building its own museum and has plans already in the works.
Simply over the river, Easton Pennsylvania affords more eating places, the Crayola Manufacturing facility museum, a very popular local grocery retailer (a branch of which may hopefully pop up in Warren County), a thriving artists neighborhood, the State Theater, and the historic School Hill neighborhood. Much more exciting, there are a number of luxury condominium developments at present below construction or planned in present historic Easton properties, equivalent to the previous Easton Hotel, which will bring wealthy folks inside strolling distance of downtown Phillipsburg.
Phillipsburg has great bones and unbelievable architecture. South Fundamental Road near the Delaware River Bridge is usually restored and ready to turn into the following Cold Spring or South Norwalk or New Paltz. And prices are nonetheless a relative bargain. A couple of years ago, we purchased two historic properties on Phillipsburg’s Main Road: an 1887 firehouse for $60,000 and a 19th century Georgian-model colonial for $ninety,000.
As the city continues to revitalize, we are considering a move into the colonial as our permanent house so we are able to get up on Saturday mornings and walk to our favorite breakfast spot down the street. Although, we’ll probably maintain the Finesville house as our place in the country.
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