History is a strange thing. The myth often outweighs the truth in many cases, sometimes distorting the truth to make a better story. Sometimes, it’s like the game where you whisper something to someone, then they whisper to the next, and by the tenth person hearing the whisper, the story is distorted. This article sheds some light on the facts that are known regarding the Ku Klux Klan in northern Somerset County, New Jersey.
NOTE: As with all Mr. Local History retrospectives, we often update the post when we learn stories and are sent photos from our community. We will continue to grow this piece as information is digitized.
The 1920s were characterized by profound social change that disturbed many of America’s largely rural, white, Protestant population. They were concerned about the potential power and influence of African Americans, southern Europeans, Roman Catholics, Jews, and potential leftist labor unions. The Klan saw itself as defending American ethics and culture against dangerous foreigners and their ideas. While the group believed it was defending traditional American values, it often violated some of them.
On the other hand, one of the major appeals of the Klan in the Somerset Hills was the dual role of being a member. They volunteered to enforce moral codes in their communities and at the same time, symbolize their commitment to God by marching in on church services, in full Klan dress, to leave donations. This is what most likely led to the Klan’s demise in the area, and the more prominent race-concerned faction of the KKK took over, particularly in the South.
Research
Before starting, numerous historical reference materials highlight klan activity in the area. Trips to the Bernardsville Library history room and The Historical Society of Somerset Hills in Basking Ridge provided information, including handwritten stories, diaries, photos, and postcards about Klan activity in the area, mainly from the 1920s. The Bernardsville News also had several news articles published in the 1920s and the 1970s that showcased dates and descriptions but often left out identifying specific participants. We also searched the Star-Ledger and Morristown Newspapers.
Myths
The KKK in the Somerset Hills area runs the gambit on here, say and innuendo. The most prevalent topics seem to be about Klan hangings. There have been numerous statements that at ritual gatherings, individuals were hanged at various sites. One rumor is about hangings at the infamous Devil Tree in Liberty Corner. No records, photos, or news stories ever identified a hanging in the 1900s in the area. There have been statements published about military hangings on the Bernardsville/Basking Ridge border during the Revolutionary War, but that’s another topic for another post.
Devil Tree Hangings?
There is a very evil truth to the mythology of the Devil Tree. At one time, Bernards Township (Basking Ridge/Liberty Corner) had a vast KKK congregation. They held many demonstrations in the town and meetings throughout what’s known as the Hills. As per KKK policy, often they would lynch local African-Americans to set an example, not only to other African Americans-but also as an example of their principles and resolve. There is no truth or stories that substantiate anything Weird New Jersey or any other publication has posted about Klan hangings. And there is nothing documented regarding killings at the famed Devil Tree. Nothing has been published about the Klan demonstrating or gathering at the Devil Tree.
KKK Money and a Church Organ
Another rumor is that Rev. Carl C. E. Mellburg from the Bishop Janes Methodist church in Basking Ridge took money from Klan membership initiation dues during one of the biggest Klan rallies ever held in the area and donated the money to the Bishop Janes Methodist Church to purchase a new pipe organ.
It was rumored at the April 1924 Klan gathering that 12,000 klansmen met at the Whitnall property in Basking Ridge, and around 800 inductees paid $10 to join the KKK, of which Mellburg received half. The $400 take was close to the $460 Bishop Janes Methodist Church paid to purchase and install a new organ in 1926.
Grand Kludd’s Master Home
It was also stated that Pastor Mellburg from the Bishop Janes Church in Basking Ridge tried to build a house on the corner of Allen Street and Hillside Terrace, rumored to be three times the price of any home in the neighborhood. It was estimated that the price tag was around $14,000. Based on those assumptions, the most prominent house is at 21 E. Allen Street (the NE corner).
With the Klan membership dwindling post-1925 and Mellberg’s various business dealings not panning out, Mellberg was left with his pastor’s income only and couldn’t sustain the project. He went to his father for the money to finish the house. Soon thereafter, he left the Basking Ridge area and moved to a Franklin, New Jersey congregation. We’re unsure what happened with the house, but we’ll keep digging.
Facts
There is no doubt that Klan activity in the Somerset Hill area between 1920 and the mid-1920s before slowly disappearing at the end of the decade. But for those ten years, there were some of the largest gatherings ever recorded in New Jersey. Between 1923 and 1925, three key gatherings drew between 10,000 and 15,000 klansmen in Basking Ridge. Two points are clear. The rallies were held on the Whitnall property in Basking Ridge, and two churches were involved: the Bishop Janes Methodist Church and the Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church.
A Pastor and a Church
Source: The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills postcard archive
There is a great deal of published information during the 1920s tying Bishop Janes Methodist Church and Reverend Carl Mellberg to the Klu Klux Klan in Basking Ridge.
Cover – Bernardsville News Aug. 8, 1924 – Klansmen attend service in Bishop Janes Church in Basking Ridge
Reverend Carl Mellberg was appointed the Grand Kludd and served as the area leader for the KKK for 7 years. He was also mentioned as the Kluegel, the Basking Ridge area leader of the KKK. A statement was reported that Reverend Dr. Lauren G. Bennett from the larger Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church was Mellberg’s noted foe “because that church was so powerful and Bennett would not indulge in unnecessary crusading”. At the end of his term, Mellberg said he did not like the organization’s direction and formally resigned.
On April 5, 1923, the Bernardsville News reported that on Prospect Slope Bernardsville a pipe shaped like a cross with inflammable material burned in Bernardsville at 9 pm brought firefighters from Bernardsville. Over the next few weeks, crosses were burned on Somerset Ave, Bernardsville, the second on M.F Ellis property in Basking Ridge, and then on Peapack Road, Far Hills.
Image source: Bernardsville News 1923
The biggest KKK rally in the area was held Saturday, June 23, 1923, on the Whitnall Tract in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. Whitnall Farm covered over 250 acres from Oak Street south to Lake Road. When members went under the railroad tracks, they ended on the empty Whitnall tract of land at the top of what is now Spencer Road/Oak Stump Road. The lot went all the way down to Lake Road. Over 1500 cars were noted to be parked on the lot. If you didn’t have the password, dressed Klansmen would not let you pass to the ceremony. It was later noted that 11 crosses were burned up to the Sand Pit Hill.
On Saturday, April 24, 1924, at the Whitnall Farm across from the Evergreen Cemetery, Rev. Carl Mellberg of the Bishop Janes Church started the Easter Service for the Klan at 5 am. Almost a year to the day, the most significant ceremony in the area commenced when twenty-three fiery crosses were set up in a circle and ignited. Klan attendees were estimated to be between 10,000 and 12,000, with over 800 inductees awaiting indoctrination. It was estimated that there were 1,500 cars parked on the grounds. The klansmen broke into song, singing “My Country Tis of Thee.” When the song was completed, Reverend William D. Amos, pastor of the Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church, led in prayer and read a scripture lesson from the twenty-eighth chapter of Matthew. The final song was the hymn “Onward Christian Soldier.”
Since klansmen came from all over the eastern seaboard, when they got to the Somerset Hills, Klan organizers sprinkled flour on the roads to direct visitors to the location. If you got into the sector, you were greeted by Klan security, who would ask for the appropriate password to enter the Whitnall property. The Whitnall Farm was named after Horatio Gates Whitnall, who had been named after the famed Revolutionary War general. Whitnall was Chief Surgeon of the Union Army during the Civil War in 1871. While his tract of land was over 250 acres, Whitnall lived in what’s known as the “sister-house” to the Washington House in Basking Ridge. His home is now the Bank of America building on S. Finley Avenue in Basking Ridge.
On April 17, 1927, Dr. Hiram W. Evans, the Imperial Wizard of the KKK, made his first-ever appearance in New Jersey for a rally and Easter service in Basking Ridge. The klan met at Sunrise Hill at 4:00 am on the Whitnall Farm on Oak Street across from the Evergreen Cemetery. Dr. Evans addressed at 5:00 am at the Bishop Janes Methodist Church, where Pastor Carl Mellberg coordinated the Easter service.
The article also noted that the village had 863 cars in the previous year’s service.
It was reported that in West Millington, John V. Haas held a picnic of burning crosses, a parade, and fireworks on a large farm off present-day Haas Road in Bernards Township. It was reported in the Bernardsville News that between 4,000-5,000 attended. The Bernardsville News also reported in 1924 that a rally that Mr. Haas of Basking Ridge scheduled was moved to the Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church. What people had to understand is that the LCPC was more conservative than the BRPC, so the Klan was very tempting since they promoted strong Christian and family values.
Based on our research, most churches participated in the Klan events as they saw them as an opportunity to preach American and Christian values. Seeming like it was the right thing to do, a more violent and intimidating Klan was also on the rise, mostly in southern states. This is where the rub began, and it most likely led to the downfall of the northern Klan operations between 1920 and 1926.
The Kamelia – Ladies of the Invisible Empire
What was known as the “Kamelia” or the “Ladies of the Invisible Empire” was the auxiliary of the KKK for women. There was also a Junior Klan program as well. Both groups were noted marching in a parade on Central Avenue and Main Street in Millington in 1925. The report was that approximately 1,000 people marched in the two groups.
Pastor Carl Mellburg joined the Pillar of Fire Church in Zarapath (pronounced ZARRA-fath) down in Franklin, NJ in either 1925 or 1926. It was stated, however, that in 1927, Mellburg was still the Pastor at Bishop Janes church in Basking Ridge. When Alma White published the book In Prophecy, the Fire Church in Zarapath was key in promoting the Klan Ku Klux Klan.
Bernardsville KKK
Friday Night, Sep. 26, 1924 – 9:45 pm – Bernardsville experiences the first Klan parade through town. Approximately 50 members marched, along with another 40 junior KKK members. The march ended in Basking Ridge. Over 300 cars also participated in the march that ended at the Bishop Janes Methodist Church for a hosted “Fiery Cross Social.”
Peapack KKK
March 24, 1924 – Peapack/Gladstone – Monday night KKK parade, then a meeting in Allen’s Auditorium in Peapack, drawing more than 500 people.
Far Hills KKK
There were also numerous rallies and crosses burned in Far Hills. Below is a photo of a Klan rally in Far Hills c.1920 (Photo courtesy NJDH). There were noted rallies in 1923, burning crosses on the highway near Schley’s Hall in front of the Catholic Rectory.
Bridgewater KKK
The former Rabbit Farm in Bridgewater was purchased by a known area Klansman. The Top of the Hill Tavern site was at the southern portion of the former Rabbit Farm, which went north up to Brown Road in Bridgewater.
During the 1920s, it was called the Owanamassie Farm Clubhouse on Route 31 in Pluckemin (now Top O’The Hill). According to Hurley, where the elementary school now stands on Brown Road, James Hurley bought the farm in the 1930s, and the property was then broken up and no longer experienced any Klan activity. Two major Easter Rallies were held at sunrise on April 16, 1933, at 5:30 am and 5:26 am, April 12, 1936. (Bville News – Apr. 9, 1936).
Conclusion
Basking Ridge, Bernardsville, Far Hills, Peapack, Gladstone, and Bridgewater were KKK hotbeds in the 1920s. Based on the written records, there was never any mention of hangings, forced lynchings, or Klan murders in any of the stories. So when you hear that the Klan murdered people at the Devil Tree, or at Top o’ the Hill, or the Sand Hill, the facts just don’t show that happened. Just as quickly as the organization started in the area, by the time the Great Depression hit, it was all but a trace.
Comments
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