June 3 - 10 Keep Survivin' Kuser Mansion shortly before its demise in 1995. Photo by Donna Traylor.
You know how it goes. You don't know what you've got... There's much worthy of your attention, so take advantage by exploring the vibrant heritage of Northwest New Jersey. Here's your essential guide to the adventures ahead. And keep our calendar close! It's filled with events that will help navigate this most gratifying of seasons. Don't let the well run dry!
Spring Fest
Historic Lusscroft, once home to the finest purebred Guernsey herd in the region, holds its annual Spring Fling this Saturday.
Located in the northwest corner of Sussex County, Lusscroft Farm has a rich and diverse past, an early model of progressive dairy farming, gaining national prominence as the site where artificial insemination of dairy cows was developed. The historic farm, including fields and pastures, ponds, woodland, various barnyards, buildings, barns and farm structures, is now part of High Point State Park.
Take the opportunity to visit this Saturday, June 6 at Lusscroft's Spring Fest! Guided bird walks, Manor House tours, avian wildlife lectures, a photography contest, bake sale, barn sale, cottage sale, vendors and more are all part of a promising day. The event is presented by The Heritage and Agriculture Association, Inc., in cooperation with the NJ DEP/Div. of Parks & Forestry. 10am - 4pm. $5 admission, under 18 free. 50 Neilson Road in Wantage. Click or call 973-288-2760.
Homeward Bound on the Morris Canal
Morris Canal Lock #7 West at New Village
Read
about a canal boat captain and her two daughters as
they navigate the Morris
Canal in June, 1863. With your imagination properly
stimulated, make time to
introduce yourself to Lock 7 West, also known as Bread Lock, as home made potato bread and pies were sold at a little shack located at the foot of the lock. At today's Bread Lock Park, located on Route 57E (mile marker 4) in New Village, a short section of the canal towpath and canal prism has been cleared and offers a lovely walk. The park is one of many sites along the Warren County Canal Greenway.
The Essence of Fluorescence
A thirty-two-foot-long pageant of rocks at the Franklin Mineral Museum that includes many of the ninety-plus fluorescent minerals found here, comes alive under ultraviolet light.
Most visitors do not realize that oceans covered much of Sussex County some 1.25 billion years before, a time when there was little life in the seas and even less on land, but when the astounding volume and variety of minerals in this area was deposited in as what we now know as the Franklin Marble. The area’s unusual geology helped shape a rich stream of historic discoveries, visionary people, successes, and failures. Today, we can follow that history along a corridor running from Sparta northward to Franklin, a fifteen-mile road trip that is fascinating, fun, and well worth taking!
Ode to Jean
The Benjamin Van Campen House
Many have lamented the decline of hundreds of historic structures scattered throughout the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, most unmarked and unlikely to survive.
Among the most prominent
are those of the Van Campen Homestead: the historic house built by Abraham Van Campen (circa 1732), the Benjamin Van Campen House, dating to about 1840;, the Calno and Depue cemeteries, 1840, and the site of the "Van Kamps" fort of the French and Indian War.
There was no greater champion for this legacy than Jean Zipser, the widely admired former Mayor of the former Pahaquarry Township, and who died in a tragic car accident in 2006. Zipser spent 27 years as a National Park Service tenant in the Abraham Van Campen House, once owned by her family. She later helped forge a partnership with NPS to rehabilitate the Benjamin Van Campen House, where her grandmother, Julia Orthwine, once lived, and from which her descendants were later evicted by that same Park Service.
That work continues today as Van Campen family and friends have partnered with the Friends of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area to help fund the restoration and long-term preservation of the homestead. Visitors can learn more about this remarkable place—including its historic buildings, peaceful meadows, scenic walking paths, and nearby Van Campens Glen— during this Sunday's Walking Tour (June 7, 11am-2pm), a kick-off event for the revitalized preservation effort.
Up and Coming
A live music, original art, and crafts, celebration in conjunction with GreenFest and the Washington Borough Farmers Market kick off, Explore upcycled and recycled goods vendors, gardening and outdoor groups, environmental preservation exhibitors and related non-profit organizations and vendors. 10am - 5pm.
Centenary Stage Company's Summerfest Series presents a selection of music, comedy and theatrical favorites during the summer months featuring four great shows, June 25 - August 9.
Kymer's Camping Resort offers park model, cabin and luxury tent rentals as well as trailer or tent campsites with water, electric and cable TV hookups and an Olympic-size swimming pool on two-hundred scenic acres located in Sussex County near the Kittatinny Mountains, at
69 Kymer Road in Branchville.
Thanks for joining us in our appreciation of Northwest New Jersey and all the brilliant ways to get out and enjoy the pleasures of the season. Tap our calendar for the best events for you and your family, or check our current stories.
Pick from a multitude of daytrip itineraries and watch out for our virtual efforts to keep you informed.
For the more aerobically inclined, the Outdoor Map shows the way to go, or
choose among dozens of natural attractions or outdoor activities suggested on our website.
Like many other small, independent and specialized information sources, our operation increasingly relies on reader donations. Help us keep you informed about all the great stuff to do in and around Northwest New Jersey! If you like what we offer, we hope you'll consider a contribution.
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