History Tour To Educate on Montville's Colonial Past

A return to the Colonial days of eastern Morris County will be the subject of a tour of historic homes in Montville and the surrounding area the weekend of Sept. 18 and 19.

"Following the Pathways of History" is being sponsored by the historical societies and museums of Montville, Boonton, Boonton Township, Kinnelon and Butler as a way to tell area residents and visitors of the early history of the five communities.

"We have never done anything like this before," said Kathy Fisher, president of the Montville Township Historical Society. ""This event was created to promote the history in each of our communities."

 She said that Montville has done its own historical programs in the past but never in conjunction with neighboring towns.

"This was the brainchild of Gretchen Longo of Boonton Township," Fisher said.

"She came to us and said, 'Let's do this. Let's show everybody the ties that bind these towns.'"

On view in Montville will be the Henry Doremus House on Route 202 just south of Towaco and the Nicholas Vreeland Outkitchen House on Jacksonville Road.

Weaving and spinning demonstrations will be held at the Dutch Colonial Doremus House, which in its heyday hosted George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and the French reformer Rochambeau.

A Revolutionary War re-enactor will be on the site to answer questions about that era.

A lengthy renovation of the house was completed in April 2009.

The Nicholas Vreeland Outkitchen House is one of the last examples of an exterior kitchen in existence, Fisher said.

Hearth cooking and a demonstration of colonial cookery will be held at the Vreeland House.

Kinnelon will open its historical society headquarters, the L'Ecole Museum, while Boonton Township's Kincaid House on Powerville Rd. will entertain visitors.

In the Town of Boonton, the Dr. John Taylor House and the Miller-Kingsland House will be open and a walking tour of the town's historic residential area will also be held.

Butler's Historic New York Susquehanna and Western Railroad Station will be open along with the Butler Museum.

An exhibit about Butler's ties to the Statue of Liberty will be on display along with a film about the Butler fire of 1957, the largest industrial fire in the United States.

While many think the Morris Canal was the reason for Montville's growth in the 19th Century, Fisher said that is not completely true.

"The Morris Canal certainly had a big influence on Montville and Towaco, both had sawmills long before the canal," she said.

The heart of Montville Township was Old Montville, where River Road and Route 202 intersect. The mostly commercial/residential district extended to Taylortown Road. Towaco, Fisher said, was a more rural area.

Both Montville and Towaco (a corruption of the Dutch word for Hook Mountain) comprised what became known as Upper Montville. Meanwhile, Pine Brook, south of Hook Mountain, was part of Lower Montville and almost completely disconnected from the rest of the township.

"Pine Brook was kind of broken away on the other side of the mountain," Fisher said. "It would take travelers a while to get over the mountain to get to Towaco." Fisher added that Pine Brook was more associated with the Caldwells in Essex County.

The "Following the Pathways to History" tour is free, although donations to local food banks are requested. Visitors can start the tour at any location in the five participating towns.

The event will be held from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 18 and from noon-4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 19 and will feature tours and demonstrations at several historic homes in each town.

For further information, call 973-263-0907.