Enjoy seasonal & 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 18 and 19, from noon to 5:00 p.m. each day.
“The Deserted Village of Feltville is a Union County treasure, full of natural beauty with a rich history that dates back to the 19th century,” said Union County Commissioner Chairwoman Lourdes Leon. “There’s something for everyone to enjoy! You can take a guided tour, try making apple cider, roast marshmallows, and learn more about this historic landmark with family and friends. I hope to see you there!”
All activities for the Four Centuries weekend are rain or shine, and are free of charge. Enter the Deserted Village parking lot from Glenside Avenue (use GPS address 1 Cataract Hollow Road, Berkeley Heights). A haywagon 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.
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 1:00 pm each day, Mr. Felt will 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 to recall the 600-acre farm established by Mr. Felt to provide food for the villagers. Visitors can taste the apple cider being pressed by Boy Scout Troop 23 of Elizabeth.
Visitors can also bring their National Parks Passport to the general store and get it 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. Photos from the late 1800’s that were just found this year 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 Anna 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 behind 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 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 called Glenside Park, 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 1985. Felt’s general store now serves as a visitor center. Masker’s Barn is a rental venue that hosts 100 events each year. Plans are progressing for projects authorized by the Union County Board of County Commissioners for new roofs, building restoration work, museum exhibits, and improvements to the Barn.
Special programming on the Four Centuries weekend will be provided by historian Priscilla Hayes. 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.
On October 18and 19, at 2:00 p.m., Hayes will discuss the life and works of a distinguished Latin American artist named Roberto de la Selva, and the discovery and restoration of murals painted by him in the Deserted Village. On Sunday, she will be joined on Zoom by Ron Burkard, an Oklahoma resident who owns an extensive collection of de la Selva’s artwork.
In 1927, De la Selva, a native of Nicaragua, painted colorful images depicting rural Mexican life directly on the plaster walls of one of the Glenside Park cottages. De la Selva became renowned as a bas relief sculptor in wood, working as part of the movement known as Mexican Modernism in which artists such as Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco celebrated post-Revolution social reform and the heritage of indigenous cultures. But the Deserted Village murals are the only murals he is known to have painted.
An exhibit of De la Selva’s work, including a bas-relief wood carving, will form a backdrop to Hayes’ presentation. After she finishes, the ghost of De la Selva will present a short monologue. Then Hayes 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.
“In addition to the Deserted Village, our Four Centuries weekend event has over 30 participating sites throughout the county that will be open to the public, providing visitors with opportunities to explore the parks and historic landmarks of Union County like never before,” said Union County Commissioner Bette Jane Kowalski, Liaison to the Cultural and Heritage Advisory Board.
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 30 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.