NJ – L&J's Natural and Historical Travel Project

Historical African-American Landmarks of Monmouth County, New Jersey (part 1)

During a trip to Red Bank, NJ, we were compelled to visit two landmarks with deep-rooted history within the area. While these visits were quick and limited in terms of photography, the information we learned was profoundly enlightening. This is the very first of what will be several trips to Monmouth County’s historical African-American landmarks.

T. Thomas Fortune House and Cultural Center

The historical T. Thomas Fortune House and Cultural Center is a preserved property in Red Bank, New Jersey. Once owned by Timothy Thomas Fortune (1856-1928); a speaker, civil rights figure, writer, journalist, and editor; well known for being the editor of The New York Age – one of the leading black newspaper publications in the United States.

Fortune founded the National Afro-American League in 1890; later the National Afro-American Council, with the goals of providing advocacy and support for African-Americans and the socio-cultural injustices that they faced in the late Nineteenth Century and beyond. These organizations became a predecessor for the NAACP. Later, Fortune famously served as an editor for the highly influential Negro World, a publication that reached a circulation total of 200,000.

Fortune moved into the historic house, named Maple Hall, in 1901. Despite the family’s brief tenure in the house (1901 – 1911), the structure still served as a popular destination for local, cultural, social, and political events among the African-American community. Fortune also entertained famous guests, including Booker T. Washington. In 2019, the house was restored and donated to a local non-profit by a developing plan which included a housing complex on the physical property. As the historical structure was facing demolition, this new business development saved the house and all the history associated with it. To that end, the T. Thomas Fortune Foundation and Cultural Center was formed.

We visited the house on a Saturday afternoon after a visit to the downtown Boro of Red Bank. On the ground floor, there are two display rooms featured. First, in the main room to the left is an exhibit detailing the life and work of another famous Red Bank resident, legendary jazz pianist and bandleader “Count” Basie. In the other room to the right is a showcasing of pictures and documentation of Fortune and his family, including some of his most famous publications.

Upstairs leads us to a room converted into an open floor with a podium and chairs for speaking engagements and public events; a common activity at the Cultural Center, and also an exhibit on Drs. James W. Parker; Sr. and Jr., and the Parker family legacy of being among the pioneering African-American doctors in Monmouth County. A truly educational experience of which we should all be so grateful to still have with us – restored, and preserved.

For more information, please consider visiting

https://www.tthomasfortuneculturalcenter.org/

http://redbankmensclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Drs-James-Parker-1.pdf

Cedar View Cemetery, Lincroft, New Jersey

The Cedar View Cemetery at Lincroft is a historic resting place for black veterans and their families. Acquired in 1850 to 14 black men in a land deal from a wealthy farmer and slaveowner, the cemetery is situated along a quiet stretch of land within what is now a residential area within the unincorporated section of Lincroft in Middletown Township, NJ.

The first reporting of the Cedar View Cemetery was in 1900, when former slave Charles Reeves died at the age of 80. The article acknowledging his passing was the first publicized reference for the Cedar View Cemetery, despite being in existence for 50 years.

Over the latter half of the Twentieth Century, Cedar View Cemetery at Lincroft was largely forgotten as development happened around the space, and the decades moved along into the new century. However, some of the local residents and descendants of the former slaves and war heroes buried at the site would continue to uphold the historical integrity of the location.

In present day, thanks to the dedicated efforts of the Friends of Cedar View Cemetery, the site is now known among locals and historical travelers alike. The Friends have done their part to raise awareness and education for the importance of this location. Every Memorial Day, a ceremony is held at the cemetery, acknowledging the sacrifices made from the veterans and citizens buried there.

Turkey Swamp Park – Freehold Township, New Jersey

Turkey Swamp Park is an expansive park and campsite along the seasonal, rural colors of Freehold Township in Monmouth County, right in the center of NJ. A well traveled site for hikers, dog walkers, and campers, Turkey Swamp Park has been providing its year round public service for many years, with a beautiful lake for fishing and canoeing, and 9 miles of trails for hiking.

Oddly enough, the origin of the name Turkey Swamp Park is unexpected. Turkey was the former name of what is now known as Adelphia, an unincorporated community in Howell Township; and Swamp, referring to the occasional swampy ground conditions due to the proximity to the water line. No turkeys or swamps, but still a fitting name.

The beautiful floral display is sprawled throughout the trails, synonymous with the NJ Pinelands. Turkey Swamp Park’s greatest feature for us is its versatility and diverse landscapes, which allows year round activity, for all seasons and hobbies.
For more information, please consider visiting: Monmouth County Park System Parks Turkey Swamp Park

Mercer Lake at Mercer County Park, New Jersey

It’s tough to do any sort of activity after working all day, but when the weather is an unexpected 75 degrees, it’s hard to pass up on a trip to the park. In this case, one of our default destinations is the expansive Mercer County Park, covering portions of Hamilton, West Windsor, and Lawrence Township, New Jersey. Mercer County Park deserves its own wing of posts within our travel blog, as it is a fully functional space with facilities and activities for all hobbyists. 2,500 acres of property boasting services such as a world class tennis center, performing arts stage, festival grounds, ice skating rink, over 25 fields, a disc golf course (!), volleyball courts, basketball courts, dog parks, picnic areas, a truly moving 9/11 memorial, plenty of nature/hiking/fishing opportunities, a bald eagle habitat, and a boathouse and marina. Within the area of the boathouse and marina is Mercer Lake, the beautiful man-made reservoir, and today’s destination.

The story of Mercer Lake is standard in environmental infrastructure policy. In 1975 a dam was formed to contain the flooding of nearby Assunpink Creek from the former USDA Soil Conservation Service – now the Natural Resources Conservation Service. During the construction of I-295, work crews excavated the basin as a complimentary service with no additional cost to the taxpayers (hard to believe). The basin is now the beautiful Mercer Lake, flowing through the heart of the massive Mercer County Park that surrounds it.

Present day, the belly perimeter of Mercer Lake is a frequently traveled stretch for hikers, dog walkers, fisherman, families. Grilling pavilions are available for rent, and spacious green patches are ideal for picnics and photo opportunities. Most notably, Mercer Lake is home to one of the premiere US Olympic Rowing training centers. The Lake hosted US Olympic Team trials in 1988, 1992, 2004, and 2008. Both Junior and National Rowing regattas are held there. The Olympic Rowing presence at Mercer Lake is one of the stronghold legacies of the area, and Mercer County Park as a whole. When going for a walk along Mercer Lake, it is not uncommon to both witness and overhear the intense team rowing training going on at any given time. Mercer Lake is a frequent fishing destination, too. The Lake is well stocked with bass, catfish, and perch, with a high catch rate.

While not a natural body of water, Mercer Lake has both the historical framework of the development of infrastructure and flood control in the 1970s, and has since become a revered facility for Olympic caliber rowing. Aside from that, Mercer Lake is always popular for a stroll and some photography. A truly pleasant way to spend time in good weather.

For more information, please consider visiting: Mercer County Park Commission | Mercer County, NJ

Hopewell Borough, New Jersey

One of our favorite daily visits, the historic Hopewell Borough is located within the larger Hopewell Township in northern Mercer County, New Jersey. Hopewell is a part of the Raritan Valley region of the state with the woodsy Sourland Mountains to the north; Lambertville to the west; South Brunswick to the east; and Princeton to the south. Visually, Hopewell boasts a sleepy, calming small town aesthetic that has attracted young artists and off-beat small business owners. While all of Hopewell Township provides opportunity for nature preservation and historical investigation, Hopewell Borough has its own unique small town legacy of pre Revolutionary American History.

Like most early New Jersey settlements, the territory that became Hopewell was inhabited by Lenape Native Americans. A substantial land deal in the latter 17th century introduced the Colonial influence into the area. Over the following decades, Hopewell would be inhabited by settlers who were enticed to move to the area for its space and fertile soil, only to be misled by the real estate company, as the area at the time was vastly rural, forested land. The settlers who stuck around after this ordeal would become core components to what would eventually become Hopewell, and their contributions still stand in town to this day. The Baptist influence of mid-18th century reflects today with the Baptist Meetinghouse and the Hopewell Academy – the latter was a Baptist school which taught Latin, laying the conceptual framework as the forerunner institution for what would become Brown University. If you’ve been to Brown, visited Brown, or have friends or family as Brown alum, you all can thank the Hopewell Academy for laying the groundwork! Over time, the people began to utilize the resourcefulness of the land to develop industry and production. Lumber mills began to operate in the area to clear out much of the forest to make space for farmland; not to mention, also curate the stock for the important asset of lumber, benefitting the growing community; which was eventually incorporated as Hopewell in 1891.

We decided to visit Hopewell because we were on the road thinking of a destination for a quick visit to take some pictures. We say Quick, because we were within a 4 hour window of clear Spring sunshine, sandwiched in between hours of rain earlier in the morning, and what would become a tornado warning and hail storm later that night. To that end, time was a factor. We pulled up on a residential street across from the fire station, right by the Borough park. The park has a gazebo, small playground, and then a short but serene nature trail covering the perimeter of the site. We walked along the main stretch of Hopewell Borough, Broad St.(County rd 518) and took in a few sites, including the aforementioned Hopewell Academy. The antique shops and curious outdoor decorations are a trademark along the stretch of Broad Street by Greenwood, and on the other side is the Brick Farm Tavern (several Farm to Table options in the area, BTW), and the historic Hopewell Library. Hopewell Theater is a unique performing arts and dine-in theater right in town and offers an eclectic showcasing of music, plays, film screenings, and spoken word performances. The Highland Cemetery along the Baptist Meetinghouse is walkable along the town.

As you drive through Hopewell Borough without context, you may not realize that you are driving by structures that have existed within the community for over 250 years. That’s why whenever we drive through a small town in New Jersey, we always make it a point to visit and explore. Hopewell has always been a popular midday trip for us on a weekend, and when you take the time to learn about its historical significance, you learn to appreciate it even more.

For more information, please consider visiting

Hopewell Borough – Mercer County, New Jersey (hopewellboro-nj.us)

Hopewell Theater | Performing Arts & Dine-in Theater in Central NJ

Hopewell Academy Historical Marker (hmdb.org)

Historic Walnford, NJ

About twenty minutes east of home leads us to the calm, tranquil region of western Monmouth County, New Jersey. The village of Allentown – which will be covered by us in the near future, boasts many shops, restaurants, an old mill, and plenty of other opportunities for shoppers and weekend photographers alike. A little deeper into the Cream Ridge and Upper Freehold Township area we have today’s destination, with Revolutionary Era historical framework; now preserved into an open air museum, showcasing local artists while also preserving the artifacts and display of the late- 18th century. While historic Walnford is so beautifully tucked away in the quiet forest along Crosswicks Creek; much as anywhere else in New Jersey, it is still seemingly in the middle of everything.

We decided to visit and profile Walnford for this blog entry out of the inspiration of constantly driving by signs for the site while exploring Allentown. With full discretion and humility as someone who studies local regional history as a hobby, I had no idea about Walnford. I have never seen it advertised on our local travel guide pages on social media, and neither of us have seen it referenced in any of our literature regarding Atlantic regional historical sites. We owed it to both the physical site and its historical impact to take a visit and experience for ourselves.

The current site of Walnford, NJ is an open air museum, with several buildings showcasing old artifacts, such as early Eighteenth Century transportation hardware and horse rearing equipment. The two main event buildings – the Waln estate and grist mill, are preserved and protected for the public. From a historical perspective, Richard Waln purchased several mills on the land and constructed both the estate and grist mill in 1773. The open air displays on site tell a story of two centuries from an industrial stronghold to a Twentieth Century country retreat for the Waln family. The Merchant trading industry of Colonial America relied heavily on the Crosswicks Creek, flowing as a natural corridor during local trade routes. The Walnford site is situated right along the Creek, and the trading services sourced out of the grist mill allowed the Walnford site to become a thriving industrial complex. In later years, Walnford transformed into a quiet, serene family retreat, upholding generations of contributions of local industrial history, as perpetuated by Richard Waln.

In 1979, the Walnford site was donated to Monmouth County, NJ and has since become a public attraction and display site for local art. The open air museum displayed in structures along the site are open to the public, as is the historic mansion structure, and grist mill, still standing tall, with centuries of legacy supporting it. Occasionally, the park staff at Walnford will facilitate a grist mill demonstration, where visitors can receive an in-person account on the operation of the grist mill as it was, many years ago.

For more information about the Walnford site, please consider visiting

Monmouth County Park System Parks Historic Walnford

Historic Walnford | Facebook

Day Trips, July-August 2021

After a few trips, a broken couch, ongoing full-time work, and a brand new air purifier, we are back and ready to continue presenting our daily adventures. Since it’s been a while and we have so much ground to cover, we decided to showcase two locations and one event for this post– going against our ideal format of diving deep into just one location. We’ll be back at it next time around when we cover the Green at West Haven, CT.

For now… enjoy these pictures and blurbs from our grab bag of day trips over the past two months.

Calgo Gardens – Freehold, NJ

Along Adelphia Road in Monmouth County, NJ sits Calgo Gardens, an expansive display of floral arrangements, exotic landscape design, and unique gardening architecture. We took the trip one Saturday in July to take in the sights and check out the outdoor vendors. Despite the intermittent rain, we were able to walk the perimeter and take a few good snaps of the grounds. We also visited our friend Brian; the Driftwood Buddha of Wood Vibrations, showcasing his amazing art that he creates primarily out of driftwood. We also stopped by the table at Edgar Allan Joe coffee. The team saw quite a few travelers, eager to try some of their top notch coffee. We went home with a scented candle.

Calgo Gardens is a great destination to help find the perfect arrangement for your ideal backyard. The floral displays and gardening inspired architectural designs can transform your outdoors.

Please consider visiting

Front Page

Calgo Gardens (@calgogardens)

Wood Vibrations Restorations LLC | Facebook

Brian Sienkiewicz (@wood_vibrations_driftwood)

Edgar Allan Joe Coffee (edgarallanjoenj.com)

Edgar Allan Joe NJ • Coffee (@edgarallanjoecoffee)

The Rose Garden – Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

This place deserves its own full character profile post– something we intend to get to very soon. Morris Arboretum is located in the beautiful, affluent section of Chestnut Hill in Philadelphia. A beautiful property with a rich history, Morris Arboretum is worth a visit. There are many paths, biking trails, and unique bridges where you can get around to explore the many different exhibited displays on the grounds. The Victorian property has many different plants from around the world, and the presentation is such that while you are walking around, you feel as though you have entered several ecological environments. We attended Morris Arboretum in July to watch our good friends get married, which was a truly special occasion at the perfect ideal location. Prior to those festivities, we got to spend just a little bit of time exploring the Arboretum and were together blown away at the Rose Garden, pictured below.

This will not be the last report from Morris Arboretum. In the meantime, please consider checking them out at Morris Arboretum , and on Instagram, Morris Arboretum (@morrisarboretum) •

The Brigantine Food Truck Festival, Brigantine Beach, NJ

Visiting family in Brigantine is always a good time during the summer, and in early August we got to check out the vendors and grubs on their long, wide beachfront for the food truck festival. Latoya and family checked out the gyros, cheesesteaks, fries, pizzas, lemonade, and ice cream, while Jason went for the street tacos. A convenient and quick fun summer afternoon experience down the Jersey Shore.

We should be all caught up to speed now. Thanks for sticking around and for all of the positive feedback on Instagram. As stated above, we will return with another shot this week detailing our visit to the historic Green in West Haven, CT. We have a big Fall season planned — stay tuned.

Sayen Gardens, Hamilton Square, NJ

Unimpaired in its amount of beautiful parks, Hamilton, NJ’s Sayen Gardens boasts a pleasant visual panorama in its exterior with hidden gems nestled away in small, wooded nature trails. Situated along the busy small-town village of Hamilton Square, Sayen Gardens is frequently populated with hikers, skateboarders, and families on any given nice afternoon. If the air is right on a Saturday, you may even stumble upon a wedding in progress. We have been to Sayen Gardens countless times, and we were excited to make this particular visit on an early Spring evening, to take in the trails and the visuals.

After a quick turn on Hughes Drive, one will see the exterior of Sayen Gardens – a public parking lot and an open sky trail, featuring bridges, ponds, and ever changing floral arrangements that transition with the season. The trail spreads the perimeter and provides a nice opening act to what we consider the real treat of Sayen Gardens.

The wooded trails behind the exterior show a display of floral amazement. Frederick Sayen, a worldly man of the early Twentieth Century purchased the property in 1912 and constructed a house, which sits comfortably in the beautiful woods, not too far from the busy streets of Hamilton Square. Sayen House, as it is billed, is available for weddings, receptions, corporate functions, parties – like many other local NJ historical sites. Mr. Sayen had a penchant for flowers around the world, and he displayed his property with breathtaking arrangements, which are diligently maintained by groundskeepers to this day.

The area behind Sayen House showcases a fountain pond surrounded by one of the many benches in Sayen Gardens, beautifully nestled in the woods. It’s a quiet juxtaposition to its public location in Hamilton Square, as an enchanting park bridge spreads over the pond. This particular spot is prime for photo shoots, as the peaceful woods compliment Sayen’s distinct floral patterns, creating a backdrop for life’s best moments captured on photography.

What do we like best about Sayen Gardens? The convenience, accessibility, and atmosphere are always nice, but it’s really the dedication to preservation that makes it a special place. Frederick Sayen’s love for flowers from around the world is an influential trademark of the park. While this may not be the destination for the marathon hiking enthusiast, it’s still a great place to get your steps in, and an even better place to take in beauty that transports you around the globe.

Robbin’s House, Windsor, NJ

Certain destinations offer enough reflection by presentation alone. Robbin’s House finds itself within a unique category of local, small town NJ history. Once a Royally-indentured body of farmland, this modest plot now sits along a mostly-isolated, 23-acre hill of an open air homestead. Mostly-isolated; because while the land is kept and preserved, the property still sits within a short, pensive walk along the NJ Turnpike overpass, right at Exit 8, one of the most frequently congested Turnpike exits in the state.

NJ Turnpike – not a fry car from our destination.

What new things can we say about Robbin’s House during a pandemic climate? Not much. There were no tour guides, no fellow curious observers, no hours of operation. Not a soul in sight, other than the occasional ominous turkey vulture, circling its prey over a patch of vacant farmland and dead grass, recently exposed after a month of snowfall. The property was purchased from the Robbins’ family by the former Washington Township in 2001 (for any of you who are keeping score, Washington Township became Robbinsville Township in 2008.) Ever since its purchase, the property has been used as a picturesque rental space for any grab bag assortment of social events; weddings, grad parties, scout meetings, bridal showers, business conferences. The ensuing pandemic of which we are still currently living put an end to the social bookings at the Robbin’s House, and now the land remains undisturbed and well placed along its long driveway leading you to Hillcrest Farm.

Robbin’s House is the final destination along the desolate Windsor Road before it curves into the Turnpike overpass, eventually dropping off on Sharon Road, a stretch of rural-suburban Mercer County. The sign out front of the long driveway guides a thin drive up a makeshift blacktop parking lot, likely created when the property became a rental. The structure itself stands beautifully intact; a classic brick building representing a 19th Century homestead, despite any additional obvious signs of renovations (central air conditioning, headlights, landscaping). Latoya pointed out an old fashioned ringing bell connecting the original structure to an addition. We made it a point to make a third trip to the House to take a picture of it. Whether it’s a part of the original development of the property, or a cozy add-on is unknown.

This was a nice site, with plenty of photo opportunities and visual interpretations, not to mention centuries of historical context (We would be remiss if we didn’t include that). As mentioned earlier, the land was deeded from the King of England to Moses Robins (with one ‘b’ at the time) in the early 18th Century. David Robbins purchased the property in 1818, and it’s presumed that the farmhouse was built around then. It is with this family name that the property evolved generationally. With funding by Green Acres and Mercer County, the Township purchased the property in 2001 (Karas, 2013). The property has been utilized as a pastorally themed recreational site over the better half of the past two decades.

We enjoyed the isolated beauty of Robbin’s House and would absolutely love to revisit the area during a more operational time. Nevertheless, the 23 acre property sits quietly upon Hillcrest Farm, patiently awaiting the much anticipated end of the pandemic.