The Farmhouse

Today's Long Valley History Lesson

This is our neighbor's farmhouse which until about 20 years ago was completely derelict and has been lovingly restored piece by piece. The process took them nearly 12 years and is now almost complete.
The stone foundations which you can see in the photograph date back to approx 1790 [ absolutely ancient by New Jersey standards ! ] and the cellars are packed earth, as hard as any cement floor.
The original 18th century farmers were from Germany and settled in the valley which was then known as German Valley. It was changed to Long Valley in 1916 because of popular sentiment at the time which goes to show the Political Incorrectness is nothing new.
There are still a very few stone buildings to be found in Long Valley but most are just the foundations.
Like most of rural New Jersey our tranquility and traditional lifestyles are rapidly becoming just pleasant memories !

douglas