Honoring Grant Schley and His Far Hills, New Jersey History

NOTE: The Borough of Far Hills celebrated its 100th anniversary #farhills100, with Council President Karner and the mayor’s wife, Janis Vallone, spearheading “what will be a great community event on May 15, 2021, with a parade and picnic for Far Hills residents.” Due to COVID, the Town only had a small 10 a.m. ceremony outside Borough Hall.

The plan was to have a parade starting at the Far Hills Train Station, continuing down Peapack Road, and ending at the monument in front of our municipal building. Mayor Vallone will read a Proclamation commemorating this great event. A time capsule was also to be buried, including articles, photos, and comments submitted by residents. Following this ceremony, residents were going to join for an elegant, catered country picnic at the J. Malcolm Belcher Fairgrounds.

Far Hills Ties to Bernards Township

Many people weren’t around when Far Hills was actually part of Bernards Township. On March 28, 1921, a bill was introduced to the New Jersey State Legislature. The Far Hills bill was “introduced, heard, and first and second readings, referred to committee, voted out, and passed by the state Senate.

In a local referendum on May 12. In 1921, Far Hills voters approved the incorporation of the borough. The Mr. Local History Project honors the incorporation of the Borough of Far Hills, their founding families, and what history books state is Elizabeth Schley’s recognition and the final designation of the “far hills” as one of the richest towns in New Jersey.

The Borough of Far Hills in the Somerset Hills of New Jersey was set off from Bernards Township and incorporated as a political entity in 1921 by means of a special act of the New Jersey Legislature and a successful local referendum in which 117 votes were cast in favor of, forming a borough and 15 votes were in opposition.

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New Jersey Historic Village Collection Honors Far Hills – Watch the Video

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Some of the earliest settlers to this area were the Wyckoffs, who farmed the upland meadows and bottom lands along the Raritan River. The Millers employed the water power of the streams for industrial use. Zachariah Smith built a sawmill and brush block factory on the North Branch shortly after 1800. Eighty years later, it was still in operation under his grandson, Oscar Smith.

In 1887, Elizabeth Schley is said to have exclaimed on the vista of those beautiful “far hills”, thus expressing the name for the first time. It stuck.

Elizabeth Baker Schley

Further south on the river, in the area known as Forge Hollow and later as Hub Hollow, William Ludlow was a shoemaker, and his son, Charles, had a saw mill and woolen factory, which were succeeded by the Ludlow Family’s hub factory.

Evander H. Schley, anticipating a land development demand for country estates, set his broker’s eyes on the area. As a bachelor, Schley bought several thousand acres of farmland, some of it sight unseen, in Bedminster and Bernards townships in the 1880s. Then, one day in 1887, Evander’s brother, Grant, and his wife, Martha Elizabeth Baker Schley, came out from New York City by horse-drawn carriage to look at Evander’s farms. Elizabeth is said to have exclaimed on the beautiful vista of those “far hills”, thus coining the name for the first time. It stuck.

They both liked the area so much that they bought 1,500 acres on the North Branch of the Raritan River from Evander, including the hills that have since been known as Schley Mountain. On the knoll above the river, the Schleys built Froh-Heim, a rambling country house with Japanese accents, and all the auxiliary buildings required for an estate that was to be a working farm as well.

Through Grant Schley’s efforts, the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad built an extension line from Bernardsville to Gladstone. Service began in 1890. A train station was constructed at Far Hills, and a rural commercial center soon developed around it.

Evander Schley acquired a half interest in David Dumont’s farm among the lands. In 1899, Schley and Dumont drew up a subdivision plan and offered lots for sale in what was to become Far Hills village. A unique clause was written into each deed prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages on the premises.

Far Hills is a Dry Town

Some may wonder why there isn’t a bar serving alcohol in the Borough of Far Hills. Well, there’s a reason. With the incorporation of Far Hills in the middle of the prohibition era, you guessed it, Far Hills was going to be a dry town as part of its incorporation as a borough.

And said party of the second part further covenants and agrees for himself, his heirs, executors and assigns, that neither he nor they shall or will at any time erect or permit to be erected on the premises hereby conveyed any building for the purpose of selling intoxicating liquors, beer or wine.

Grant Schley

The Eighteenth Amendment (Amendment XVIII) of the United States Constitution established the prohibition of alcohol in the United States. Congress proposed the amendment on December 18, 1917, and it was ratified by the requisite number of states on January 16, 1919. The Eighteenth Amendment was repealed by the Twenty-first Amendment on December 5, 1933. It is the only amendment to be repealed. So Far, Hills was a dry town from the beginning.

Schley’s Community Development

On lands set aside for community uses, Grant Schley paid for the costs of building a village school, a church, a firehouse, a social club and a recreational area. Flood plain lands along the river were drained, graded, and seeded for a fairgrounds for agricultural and sporting events.

Automobiles began to appear on local roads about 1906, and Charles Welsh installed a gasoline pump at his livery stable. It is well remembered that Percy Pyne and C. Ledyard Blair had the first cars, and how frightened the horses were of the machines. Electricity came to Far Hills about 1910, and telephone service began about 1912.

The Gilded Age: Natirar Estate in Peapack & Far Hills

Catherine “Kate” Macy and Walter Graeme Ladd began acquiring property in the Somerset hills in 1905. Macy was a Quaker heiress to a whaling/oil/shipping fortune; her father’s business partner was John D. Rockefeller.

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Far Hills Secedes from Bernards Township

Rising taxes led the 200 residents of Far Hills to decide to secede from Bernards Township and to incorporate as a Borough. The local property tax rate jumped from $2.72 in 1919 to $3.53 in 1920. Both the villagers and Far Hills estate owners objected to sharing the costs of road upkeep in the 60 square mile township with its population of 5,100, and also to the school taxes for educating the township’s 800, of which only 90 were from Far Hills. Further, they protested the lack of police protection.

New Jersey Senate Bill 332, authorizing the incorporation of the Borough of Far Hills, was introduced into the Legislature by state Sen. Clarence E. Case. Fifty residents went to Trenton to cheer for the favorable action. In a 30-minute session on March 28, 1921, the Far Hills bill was “introduced, heard and first and second readings, referred to committee, voted out, and passed by the Senate.” The Assembly concurred a week later. In a local referendum on MAY 12. 1921 Far Hills voters approved the incorporation of the borough by a vote of 11 7-15.

Far Hills Race Meeting Celebrated its 100th Running in 2021

Lured by the magnet of the interstate highways in 1971, AT&T acquired 225 acres in Far Hills and an adjoining 140 acres in Bedminster, lands once part of Grant Schley’s Froh-Heim, and constructed a corporate headquarters for its Long Lines Division near the river in Bedminster. AT&T pledged to keep the Far Hills lands open space forever and to continue to make the race course available for the Essex Fox Hounds Race Meeting.

In November 1921, the Essex Fox Hounds Race Meeting, which had previously been held in Bedminster, moved to Froh-Heim. More than 2,000 people came to see the fourth running of the New Jersey Hunt Cup Race—it rained.

The Far Hills Race Meeting is the quintessential nexus of family, friends and the beautiful fall season outdoors on Far Hills most historic grounds. For years I’ve researched, studied, and photographed so many aspects of the race meeting and always step back on the hillside to soak in the spectacle that provides the perfect backdrop of the area’s beauty and equestrian grandeur. As a historian, I can’t tell you how excited I am to honor this event with a centennial badge of honor.

Mr. Local history Project founder Brooks Betz

Far Hills Train, Schools, Government

In 1931, electric trains replaced the old steam-powered engines on the DL&W tracks. The borough adopted its first zoning ordinance in 1932. With the exception of village lands, the whole of Far Hills was zoned for a 25-acre minimum lot size. In 1947, the Zoning Ordinance was revised, reducing the 25-acre zone to a 10-acre minimum lot size.

Local K-8 students attended Bedminster schools from the fall of 1967 until 1984, when they were shifted to Bernardsville and the Somerset Hills School District.

Finally, you cannot forget the civil servants who ran Far Hills over the years. The position of Mayor has been a place for many men who’ve left their mark serving the community.

Far Hills is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 565) statewide, making it the most common form of government in New Jersey. The governing body comprises the Mayor and the Borough Council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office.

The list of Mayors of the Borough of Far Hills is as follows:

1. LOUIS VERNON LUDLOW – June 13, 1921 to December 31, 1923 (2)
2. REEVE SCHLEY – January 8, 1924 TO December 31, 1937 (13)
3. J. MALCOLM BELCHER – January 3, 1938 to December 31, 1965 (27)
4. EDWIN BURKE – January 10, 1966 to December 30, 1970 (4)
5. JOHN WETZEL – January 4, 1971 to May 15, 1974 (3)
6. EDMOND P. ROCHAT, JR. – June 10, 1974 to December 31, 1978 (4)
7. HENRY ARGENTO – January 9, 1979 to December 31, 1982 (3)
8. HARRY HOFFMAN – January 3, 1983 to June 2, 1986 (3)
9. WILLIAM C. LAYTON, JR. – June 16, 1986 to December 31, 1994 (8)
10. CARL J. TORSILIERI – January 2, 1995 to December 31, 2010 (15)
11. PAUL J. VALLONE – Jan. 7, 2011 to Present

Far Hills Community Photo Album

MLH honors the history of Far Hills in their Far Hills Community Photo Album. Send us a photo and we’ll add it to the collection. (Click any image to start the slideshow)

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• The 15 richest towns in New Jersey
• Mr. Local History honors Far Hills
• Far Hills 100th Anniversary Committee

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The Mr. Local History Project Honors Two Far Hills Historic Icons. Accepted into the New Jersey Historic Village Collection – Get Yours Today

Some of the above history research was written initially by Bedminster Township Historian ANNE O’BRIEN and appeared in the Bernardsville News on October 23, 1987. Mrs. O’Brien died on October 10, 1987. The Mr. Local History Project provided additional research, photos, clarifications, and a general update to her work. We miss you, Anne!

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