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First Tour of the Year: Feltville
Deserted Village of Feltville/Glenside Park Historic District and
Seeley’s Paper Mill Site
Union County Department of Parks and Recreation, Watchung Reservation, Berkeley Heights, NJ
Sunday, March 16, 2025, 1:00– 3:30PM
(Rain date: Saturday, April 12, 1:00-3:30PM)
The Roebling Chapter, Society for Industrial Archeology (RCSIA) is sponsoring a three-part,1-to-2.5-hour tour of the National Register of Historic Places listed Feltville/Glenside Park Historic District with a side-trip to the Seeley’s Paper Mill site.
The tour will be conducted in three parts, starting with the village’s residential and managerial zone with an overlook to the book factory, dam and raceway. This part will take about an hour and is accessible to all. The second part, a hike to the archeological remains of Feltville’s industrial complex will also take about an hour. A side trip to the site of the 18th and 19th century Seeley’s paper mill site, a short drive from Feltville, will conclude the day. The second and third parts of the tour both include walking on uneven and rocky surfaces.
The tour will be led by Matt Tomaso and Dan Bernier. Matt, with co-author Carissa Scarpa, who gave a paper at the 2023 Roebling Chapter Symposium on social reforms that influenced the development of planned industrial communities, such as Feltville, in the mid-19th century. Matt has been the Deserted Village’s archaeologist and one of its historians since 1998. Dan Bernier is Union County’s Director of Park Planning and Environmental Services. Dan and his family have lived in the historic Manager’s Office at the Village for the last 25+ years and he has dedicated much of his professional and personal life to preserving, restoring and commemorating the park’s historic sites. Many thanks to Matt and Dan for sharing their knowledge of these sites with RCSIA!
This tour is family- and pet-friendly.There are restroom facilities in the park.
Since there is no limit to the number of participants, we will not take RSVPs. That means the group will not wait for you to start the tour. In the event that bad weather is forecast, an email will be sent to all members prior to March 16, and the tour will be re-scheduled to April 12.
Industry here dates back to 1736 when a sawmill was launched. More information about the site can be found here: https://ucnj.org/parks-recreation/deserted-village/
DIRECTIONS:
GPS address: 1 Cataract Hollow Road, Berkeley Heights
By NJ Transit from NYC:
Take the 11:11AM Morris & Essex line from Penn Station arrives at Summit at 12:08. Please let Lynn Rakos know at lrakos@hotmail.com if you need transport from Summit by Thursday, March 13 as a member has offered to shuttle registrants to the site.
By Car:
Be sure to note “RCSIA Special Tour Directions” at the end of the directions.
From the east: Take Route 22 west into Mountainside. Turn right at the Express Fuel station onto Summit Road. At the traffic light at the top of the hill, turn left onto Summit Lane. At the traffic circle, take the first right. Follow W.R. Tracy Drive, staying to the right, as it goes down one mountain to Lake Surprise and up the next mountain to Glenside Avenue. Turn left onto Glenside Avenue and go about one mile to the first paved road on the left. Turn onto this road (Cataract Hollow Road). Continue with “RCSIA Special Tour Directions” below.
From the south: Cross over Route 22 in Mountainside at New Providence Road. Continue up the hill, staying left when New Providence Road becomes Deer Path, and take the next right into the Watchung Reservation on W.R. Tracy Drive. At the traffic circle, take the second right. Follow W.R. Tracy Drive, staying to the right, as it goes down one mountain to Lake Surprise and up the next mountain to Glenside Avenue. Turn left onto Glenside Avenue and go about one mile to the first paved road on the left. Turn onto this road (Cataract Hollow Road). Continue “RCSIA Special Tour Directions” below.
From the west: Take Interstate Route 78 east to Exit 44. At the bottom of the ramp, turn left onto Glenside Avenue. Go a half mile and turn right onto the first paved road (Cataract Hollow Road). Continue with “RCSIA Special Tour Directions” below.
From the north: Take Interstate Route 78 west to Exit 43. At the bottom of the ramp, go right on Diamond Hill Road to the first traffic light. Turn right onto McMane Avenue and follow it until it ends at the light at Glenside Avenue. Turn left onto Glenside Avenue. Go a half mile and turn right onto the first paved road (Cataract Hollow Road). Continue with “RCSIA Special Tour Directions” below.
RCSIA Special Tour Directions
RCSIA tour participants should continue down the road (ignore the Road Closed signs) and turn right on the first bridle trail (there is a yellow sign with a man on a horse). Follow the trail out into the open field and park to the left. Walk back out to Cataract Hollow Road, turn right, and walk down to the second building.
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