Note:
2024, MLHP increased the coverage to include all of Somerset County active farm stands, farmers markets, private farms, historic farms and farm preservation projects in the county. Specific farms for equestrian activity, xmas trees and other categories will be included as well.
The Mr. Local History Project has begun an effort to create a list of key agricultural, life stock, equine, and fruit farms in the Somerset Hills area of Bedminster, Basking Ridge, Liberty Corner, Bernardsville, Far Hills, Peapack and Gladstone. A number of researchers are building the list along with details to share with the public.
While the bucolic Somerset Hills remained the treasure of western New Jersey, once the railroad started in the 1870’s, farming shifted to estates. Mostly in Bernardsville and Bedminster, Basking Ridge, Liberty Corner, parts of Bernardsville, and the surrounding area remained deep in farming and livestock. Check out the list below and if you have any memories, please feel free to post and share.
Work on a Somerset County, NJ Farm?
If you worked on a farm in the Somerset County, New Jersey farm, we’d love to hear your story. Drop us a note as we’re preparing a file and a story to present to the public.
Somerset County Dairies
Basking Ridge and Bernardsville, New Jersey, were once home to several prominent dairies during the late 19th and early 20th centuries when agriculture was vital to the local economy. Among the most notable in Basking Ridge was Hillside Farm, operated by the Cowperthwaite family. This dairy farm was a significant provider of milk and other dairy products to local residents and cities such as Newark and New York. Another important site was the Kennedy-Martin-Stelle Farmstead, a historic property with a long agricultural history. In its later years, it was utilized as a dairy farm and remains a preserved landmark reflecting the area’s rural heritage.
Bernardsville Creamery was a central hub for dairy processing. Local farmers would bring their milk to the creamery, where it was pasteurized and bottled for distribution to regional markets. Another prominent operation was the Somerset Hills Dairy, which flourished in the early-to-mid 20th century. Known for its high-quality products, it served a growing population. Additionally, the property now known as the Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary was once used for dairy farming before being transformed into a nature preserve managed by the New Jersey Audubon Society.
As the 20th century progressed, these dairies and others like them began to decline. The rise of large-scale industrial dairies and the rapid suburban development in the region made it increasingly difficult for small, family-run operations to compete. By the mid-1900s, most local dairies had shuttered, marking the end of an era when farming was central to the identity of Basking Ridge and Bernardsville. Today, remnants of these dairies serve as a reminder of the area’s rich agricultural past.
Lost Farmsteads, Orchards, Dairies List (Help us Remember)
Do you know a missing farm? Maybe you have a story about being a youngster on one of these farms, or maybe you just shopped at one? Feel free to reach out and post any memories in the comments section below. The list will grow, and we’ll add photos and stories from the past. It’ll be an MLH work in progress.
| Basking Ridge | Alward Farm | Farm | Henry Alward – Also owned Chimney Ash House |
| Basking Ridge | Bakenhaven Farm | Farm | See Charles Baker Farm |
| Basking Ridge | Bardy Farm | Farm | Current site – The Barrons Basking Ridge. Still operating today in Warren, NJ with a farm grocery store. |
| Basking Ridge | Cedar Hill Farm | Orchard | Samuel Owen’s Peach and Apple orchards, Flowers. Was also a dairy in the early 1900s. |
| Basking Ridge | Charles Baker Farm | 85 acre Charles Baker Farm, called Bakehaven – Lord Stirling Park | |
| Basking Ridge | Childs Farm | Farm | Childs Restaurant and owned Grain House as well |
| Basking Ridge | Chimney Ash Farm | Farm | Henry Alward home. Built c.1740, it is one of the first structures in Bernards Township. |
| Basking Ridge | Collyer Farm | Farm | |
| Basking Ridge | Copper Gate Farm | Pic – Before was Day Farm | |
| Basking Ridge | Crane Farm | Farm | Still there today in Basking Ridge on South Maple Avenue |
| Basking Ridge | Decker Farm | Farm | By Decker Road |
| Basking Ridge | Greulock Dairy | Dairy | The G.M. Greulock Dairy in Basking Ridge, NJ, was located on South Finley Avenue, just south of the center of town. The Greulock family and Carl Martin Greulock managed the dairy. Given the family’s ties to the Lyons and Basking Ridge areas, the dairy likely operated near Lyons Road. |
| Basking Ridge | Knollcroft Farm | ad 1926 | |
| Basking Ridge | Mine Brook Farm | Farm | |
| Basking Ridge | Shalebrook Farm | Dairy | 1944 ad – (Earl Farms) |
| Basking Ridge | Whitnall Farm | Pic | |
| Bedminster | Black River Farm | Equine | |
| Bedminster | Copperthwaite Farm | Farm | Trump National Today |
| Bedminster | Hamilton Farm | Farm | Once one of the largest Farms in America – over 5,000 acres |
| Bedminster | Joseph Hoy Farm | Farm | Purchased by Brady in July 1917 |
| Bedminster | Lana Lobell Farm | Equine | 400 acres once part of Schley estate |
| Bernardsville | Cherry Lane Farm | Owned by Lowensteins | |
| Bernardsville | Jockey Hollow Fruit Farm | Fruit | |
| Bernardsville | Meadowbrook Farm | Livestock/Dairy | Vleit Lindaberry – A great story about raising cattle and making glitter. |
| Bernardsville | Sherwood Farms | Livestock | |
| Bernardsville | Wendover Farm | ||
| Chester | Larisons Turkey Farm | Animal Farm | Check out our story about the history of Larison’s |
| Coffee Corner | Ross Farm | Once owned by Elias Boudinot – Check out the history | |
| Far Hills | Applewood Farm | Orchard | |
| Far Hills | Dunwalke Farm | Active Today | |
| Far Hills | Froheim Farm | Livestock/Dairy | |
| Gladstone | Pfizer Farm | Equine/Hounds | Bought Essex Hounds and brought to Gladstone |
| Gladstone | Redgate Farm | Livestock | Kissel |
| Liberty Corner | Baldwin Farm | ||
| Liberty Corner | Bonnie Brae Farm | Farm | Wayward Kids from Newark |
| Liberty Corner | Bontecoe Farm | Pic | |
| Liberty Corner | English Farm | Farm/Dairy | James English, first pastor Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church – See our research. |
| Liberty Corner | Fair View River Farm | 2 pics | |
| Liberty Corner | Ripple Hill Farm | Orchard | |
| Liberty Corner | Rippling Brook Farm | ||
| Liberty Corner | Sky Farm | Nudist | Built between 1750 and 1840, the Farmstead and three historic agricultural structures are part of Old Farmstead Park, a 36.5-acre property along the Passaic River. |
| Lyons | Day Farm | Dairy | |
| Millington | Schmalz Dairy Farm | Dairy | |
| Morristown | Wightmans Farm | Farm/Orchard | Just north of Bernards Twp. Still there today |
| W. Millington | Dewy Meadow Farm | Farm | 22 acres in 1969. Have researched – check out link. |
| W. Millington | Frank Orr Farm | Farm | Near Pleasant Valley School |
| W. Millington | Stelle Farmstead | Farm | Built between 1750 and 1840, the Farmstead and three historic agricultural structures are part of Old Farmstead Park, a 36.5 acre property along the Passaic River. |
Additional Research
My grandfather Ralph Waldo Earl owned Shalebrook Farm in the1940s. I have a few pictures of them harvesting apples and hay; Belgian horse-drawn wagons and such. They must have had dairy cows as well. I have one aerial picture of the farm, and one of their large farmhouse.
My father Richard Earl renovated an old barn, moved it across Route 202 and started Shalebrook Farm Market on the corner of Route 202 and Bailey’s Mill Road in the early 1950s. I used to sit on top of open truckloads of corn and pumpkins that he would bring up from South Jersey. He owned that market until about 1963 when we moved out of state.
We’d love to take a look at your images and possibly add to the story. Can take a phone pic and send via our Contact us page.
I lived on Alward farm from 1975-1980. At that time its address was 40 Mt. Airy Rd., and the property still consisted of nine wooded acres. A couple of times a year we would cross country ski out to check the mailbox! Farming was no longer happening, but I do remember my mom harvesting black walnuts and making banana bread. There was also a massive mulberry tree with a tire swing on it – will never forget misjudging the angle and slamming the side of my head into it. I had several paranormal experiences in that house but hitting my head on that tree was definitely something that happened in real life.