In 1736, Peter Willcocks built a sawmill along the Mo-No-Pe-Nonck Indian trail, near the Blue Brook. He built a house on the Second Watchung Mountain.  At the same time, his in-laws, the Badgleys, built a house along that same trail on the First Watchung Mountain.

            Over the next 250 years, the house was a residence, horse riding stable, and maintenance garage.  About 1907, the Badgley house was moved about 250' north and set onto a high foundation.  After the house was moved, it was converted to a barn for a riding stable, which operated into the 1940's. 

Sadly, the house was destroyed by a fire set by an arsonist in 1984. However, a depression in the lawn at the nearby Scout Camping Area reveals the location of the original house.

Emerging from the trail that leads up from Lake Surprise, there is an open field just before reaching the

 location where the Badgley House once stood.  This field is now often used for Boy Scout events.