Visitors Can Witness New Discoveries & Improvements at Union County’s Deserted Village During “Four Centuries in a Weekend” Event on October 19th & 20th

Enjoy seasonal and historical activities for all ages at the Deserted Village of Feltville in Union County

The Union County Board of County Commissioners announces thatthe Deserted Village of Feltville will once again host an annual open house featuring old-fashioned children's games, apple cider pressing, an archaeological activity, and guided tours as part of Union County's Four Centuries in a Weekend event this Saturday and Sunday, October 19 and 20, from noon to 5:00 p.m. each day.

"The Deserted Village is a historic gem in Union County and a key part of our "Four Centuries" weekend events. Over 100,000 people visit this site throughout the year with their families, friends, and pets," said Union County Commissioner Chairwoman Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded. "Our Commissioner Board and I are looking forward to completing several projects aimed at further preserving the historic buildings and improving the overall visitor experience. We welcome you to visit this weekend, take part in the activities, and see the progress we have achieved so far."

All activities for the Four Centuries weekend are rain or shine, and most are free of charge. Enter the Deserted Village from Cataract Hollow Road, off of Glenside Avenue (use GPS address 1 Cataract Hollow Road, Berkeley Heights). Free parking is available at the entrance to the site. A hay wagon provides barrier-free access to key sites within the 130-acre historic district.

Visitors can pick up a free self-tour guidebook at the parking lot, or use their cell phones to take an audio tour. A list of activities will be available at the reception table.

The Deserted Village of Feltville is located in Union County's Watchung Reservation. It was established in 1845 by entrepreneur David Felt, who built a printing mill, housing for his workers, and other buildings for communal use by Feltville's 175 residents. As part of the weekend's festivities, the "ghost" of David Felt will stroll the grounds of the Deserted Village and converse with visitors, telling tales of the factory town he built and recounting memories of the people who worked in his mill, on his farm, and in his store and school. At 12:30 pm each day, Mr. Felt will also offer a 30-minute long armchair tour from the porch of his general store, with an interactive opportunity for children.

Other activities for children will include old-fashioned games on the Deserted Village's grass tennis court, writing with a quill pen and ink, and searching for artifacts at the site of David Felt's house. A small apple orchard has been recreated along Cataract Hollow Road to recall the 600-acre farm established by Mr. Felt to provide food for the villagers. A hands-on demonstration of apples being pressed into cider by Boy Scout Troop 23 of Elizabeth will continue throughout the Four Centuries weekend.

Visitors of all ages can also bring their "Passport to Your National Parks" to the general store and get stamped, thanks to Union County's inclusion in the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area. While at the General Store, visitors are invited to view exhibits of artifacts, photographs and maps depicting the history of the Deserted Village across four centuries. A bas-relief wood carving, sculpted by Nicaraguan artist Roberto de la Selva in 1927, will be on display. Nostalgic candy, snacks, toys and games will be sold at the store. Families are also invited to pack a picnic and use one of the nearby picnic tables.

The beautifully restored circa-1882 Masker's Barn carriage house will be open for the weekend. Visitors can tour the building and then linger outside to roast marshmallows around a campfire with the ghost of Annie Malloy, wife of an early caretaker.

Moving even farther back in time, visitors can take a short walk to a small family graveyard on a hillside just beyond the church and general store. John Willcocks, a New Jersey militia soldier who fought in the Revolutionary War along with General George Washington's regular army, will greet visitors. He and Eagle Scout Michael Ondrey will explain how the discovery of a human tooth started a quest to find the unmarked graves of two dozen members of the Willcocks and Badgley families. Archival research and non-invasive archaeological investigation revealed the site of the missing cemetery, which has been cleared and marked.

The Deserted Village has seen many changes since its origin as David Felt's business enterprise. Over the years it has been used as a farm for fancy cattle, a summer resort, relief housing during the Great Depression, and an outdoor education center. By the 1970's, the Deserted Village was all but forgotten. Fortunately, restoration work has been ongoing since 1992. Felt's general store building now serves as a visitor center. The resort-era carriage house known as Masker's Barn is a rental venue that hosts 100 events each year. The Union County Board of County Commissioners has authorized five new projects, with $1.1 million allocated for new roofs, building restoration work, museum exhibits, and an eco-friendly parking area.

Special programming on the Four Centuries weekend will be provided by historian Priscilla Hayes. Each day at 1:00 p.m., visitors can "Meet the Historian" in Masker's Barn. Ms. Hayes inherited her lifelong love of this area from her grandfather - historian and genealogist Edwin Baldwin of Summit - who took her and her siblings there as children. She has been using her skills as a freelance writer and retired attorney to author booklets describing how this one small village illuminates nearly all of New Jersey history. In 2022, she launched a website at www.feltvillefeatures.com, where each month she writes about some facet of Deserted Village history.

At 2:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday, Priscilla Hayes will present an illustrated program in Masker's Barn about a king who wanted to expand his empire, a double-dealing duke, children of New England colonists who wanted to make their own fortune, and a group of natives bewildered by an offer to receive trade goods in return for a mark on a piece of paper. The "Elizabethtown Purchase," which included the territory where the Deserted Village of Feltville sits, has all this intrigue and misunderstanding and more.

Ms. Hayes will lead an interactive presentation to dig into the ways land ownership was manipulated and transformed, including exploring the different worldviews which the European colonists and the native Munsee/Lenape brought to the bargaining table. After the presentation, she and David Felt will lead a guided tour through the Village.

For more information about the Deserted Village of Feltville, visit the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation online at ucnj.org/dv.

Four Centuries in a Weekend is funded in part by a grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, part of the Division of Cultural Affairs in the Department of State, and is organized by the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, in collaboration with staff and volunteers at the sites and is sponsored by the Union County Board of County Commissioners.

For locations, hours, special events, and other details about more than 35 other historical sites participating in Four Centuries in a Weekend this year, visit the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs ucnj.org/parks-recreation/cultural-heritage-affairs, www.ucnj.org/4c or call (908) 558-2550.

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