Hunterdon County Cultural & Heritage Commission Stephanie B. Stevens, Chair Lora W. Jones, Vice Chair Frank Curcio James Davidson Anne M. Hewitt , PhD John W. Kuhl Maeve Pambianchi Christopher Pickell Elizabeth M. Rice Hunterdon County Board of Chosen Freeholders, 2014 J. Matthew Holt, Director John King, Deputy Director Suzanne Lagay John Lanza Robert G. Walton Freeholders, 1964 Freeholders, 1989 William M. Amerman, Director George B. Melick, Director Ralph J. Muller Robert W. Anderson Chester L. Errico Harrie E. Copeland, III Library of Congress No. 2013957213 Printed in Flemington, NJ, January 2014 Acknowledgements, 2014 The original 1964 book was dedicated to Linton Alles (1909-1964) “ who served with distinction on the Board of Freeholders and who inspired the idea of placing on record a glimpse of the first 250 years” of Hunterdon County. County residents recognized in a foreword by the 1964 Freeholders not mentioned elsewhere in this new 2014 issue are Mrs. Clark Kinnaird John Lea Inez P. Prall Edward H. Quick Cover design by Elizabeth Rice Sketches at chapter heads were drawn by James R. Marsh for the original 1964 edition, except for education and healthcare, which are public domain clip art Credits for photographs are shown with each picture. Some photos are repeated on the cover. Robert Hunter (1664-1734) Hunterdon County was named for Robert Hunter through a cor- ruption of Hunterston, his former home in England. A Scot, he became a British military officer and Colonial Governor of both New York and New Jersey from 1710-1720. He completed his ca- reer as Governor of Jamaica, where he died. Portrait of Hunter attributed to Sir Godfrey Kneller, courtesy of the New York Historical Society. Table of Contents Chapter Page About the Authors i Introduction Hubert G. Schmidt, 1964 iii Stephanie B. Stevens, 2014 iv The Dawn of Hunterdon Norman C. Wittwer, 1964 1 County Government Kenneth V. Myers, 1964, 1989 19, 32 Cynthia J. Yard, 2014 35 Agriculture Bernard F. Ramsburg, 1964 41 George Conard, 1989 57 John W. Kuhl, 2014 61 Communications Pauline Brown (Mrs. Frederick) Stothoff, 1964 67 Edward J. Mack, 1989 78 Jay Langley, 2014 82 Education Frank E. Burd, 1964 85 Stephanie B. Stevens, 1989, 2014 99, 102 Healthcare Robert P. Wise, 2014 105 Industry Bernard F. Ramsburg, 1964 125 Jay Comeforo, 1989 135 David R. Reading, 2014 140 Transportation Pauline Brown (Mrs. Frederick) Stothoff, 1964 145 John Kellogg, 1989 163 Stephanie B. Stevens, 2014 165 Sponsors, 1964 167 About the Authors Frank E. Burd (1890-1985), a Reading Academy graduate, spent his life as an educator, retiring as school superintendent in South Bound Brook. His writing and files of vital statistics he developed are especially valuable to researchers at the Hunterdon County Historical Society where he was a member for 74 years. Jay Comeforo (1922-2010) held BS and MS degrees from Rutgers in Ceram- ics Engineering, a PhD from the Univ. of Illinois, and an MBA from Rider College. He founded and ran a ceramics company in Clinton, was a Civil War history buff, and wasactive in numerous civic and historical groups in Hunterdon. George Conard followed service in the US Air Force with a 27-year career with the Farm Credit Service, advancing from loan officer to chief appraiser. A keen observer of farming techniques and trends, he applied knowledge gained from experience to help Hunterdon County farmers become more successful. John Kellogg, a Colgate University graduate, holds a Master ‘s degree in City and Regional Planning from Rutgers. He served as Hunterdon County Planning Director from 1979 until retiring in 2004. Under his leadership, Hunterdon’s suc- cessful farmland preservation program was established in the early 1980’s. John W. Kuhl is a Penn State graduate with dual majors in Naval Science and Poultry Science. Before his career in commercial agriculture, he was a US Navy ship’s officer in the Antarctic in the 1950s. A writer and collector of Civil War items, local history and genealogy, he is a popular lecturer. Jay Langley, a Dartmouth College graduate, had a 40-year career at the Hun- terdon County Democrat, ending as executive editor. With his wife, he initiated four newspapers, two web sites, a weekly cable TV talk show, and published five local history books. He is currently writing several books. Edward J. Mack (1930-1995) graduated from Rutgers University and over his career advised its student-run newspaper. He was editor of the Hunterdon County Democrat from 1965 to 1984 and returned in 1989 as general manager. Ed gave countless young reporters their start and was active in the community. Kenneth V. Myers (1914-1995) devoted a lifetime of service to Hunterdon. He was a Freeholder, originator of an oral history project, author of The Fleming- ton Fair Story, a trustee of the Medical Center, advocate for the establishment of Holcombe-Jimison Farmstead Museum, and much more. i Bernard F. Ramsburg (1903-1985), a graduate of the University of West Virginia, came to Hunterdon in 1935 and was named the County’s first 4-H Club agent in 1936. He held the position until 1960 when he was named State 4-H agent. He retired one year later and moved to Arizona. David R. Reading is a retired software engineering consultant and the Exec- utive Director of the Mount Amwell Project, Inc., a Hunterdon County historical preservation charity. He is a 9th generation Hunterdon resident and edited and published John Reading’s Diary in 2010. Hubert G. Schmidt, PhD (1905-1980) was a Professor of History at Rut- gers University and an authority on New Jersey’s history. The author or editor of several books, most notably Rural Hunterdon in 1945, he also wrote a weekly col- umn in the Hunterdon County Democrat for many years. Stephanie B. Stevens is a retired special education teacher and the Histori- an of Hunterdon County. Recognized as a NJ Woman of Distinction in 1999 by the NJ Legislature, she has been Mayor of Readington Township, founded several museums there, and written six books on local history. Pauline Brown (Mrs. Frederick) Stothoff (1920-1999) was highly regarded for her writing and her clear soprano voice, which won her a spot in the noted Bach Choir of Bethlehem, PA. A member of the Hunterdon County Histori- cal Society, she served as a trustee and membership chairman. Robert P. Wise, President and CEO of Hunterdon Healthcare since 1990, earned a BA at Boston College and a Masters in Public Health from the Univ. of Pittsburgh. He also is President of Hunterdon Medical Center, HMC Foundation, Hunterdon Regional Community Health, and the Mid-Jersey Health Corp. Norman C. Wittwer (1919-1982) was an engineer and long-time president of the Hunterdon County Historical Society. His research on the Palatine Germans and NJ’s first German Lutheran Church, Zion Lutheran in Oldwick, resulted in The Faithful and the Bold, still deemed the most definitive book on the subject. Cynthia Yard has a BA from Thomas Edison State College and an MA in Pub- lic Administration from Rutgers. Her 40-year career in public service includes work at the Hunterdon Developmental Center in Clinton and from 1998 to 2013 as County Administrator, CEO of Hunterdon's public service delivery system. ii Introduction, 1964 by Hubert G. Schmidt The year 1964 marks the three hundredth anniversary of the first English settlements in New Jersey. To most readers of this book, it will be equally interesting to learn that in truth it is also the two hun- dred fiftieth anniversary of the formation of Hunterdon County as a seperate political entity. This requires a word of explanation, for most books give 1713 rather than 1714 as the date. (Snell’s History gives both dates.) The actual date was March 11, 1713, by the Julian Calendar, but this calendar was replaced by the Gregorian Calendar in all English possessions in 1752. Since even George Washington revised his birth date according to the “New Style,” it seems only proper that Hunterdon County should do so. All statements to the contrary, Hunterdon's date of beginning, according to our present calendar, was March 22, 1714. Within New Jersey’s first fifty years, that is, by 1714, settlers in Hun- terdon had put that area into the main current of development. The heartland of the original far-flung Hunterdon County of 1714 still re- tains the name after a quarter of a millennium, and the descendants of many of the original settlers are still to be found here. The long history of Hunterdon has been one of unity, comparatively speaking, and of slow and orderly development. Much of the area’s past is still mirrored on its present. That this will not long be true seems obvi- ous, since the region of which Hunterdon is a part may soon be swal- lowed, with hardly time for a shudder, by the great urban-industrial sprawl. Let us hasten, therefore, to put to paper as much of the past as we can, while at the same time fighting a valiant fight to preserve histor- ical documents, the best of our old buildings, and part of our coun- tryside as parks. We do these things less for ourselves than for those who follow us, for they will have only as much of the past as we pre- serve for them. The essays of this book were written by men and women who are much concerned with the preserving of something of our historical heritage. They have not attempted, on this anniversary date, to write a complete history of Hunterdon County. Rather, as a labor of love, they have given you essays on subjects in which they are interested, and even as regards their specialties, they have been limited as to space and as to available time.