Category: Historic Sites in New Jersey

The J.W. Gandy Farmstead 26 Tyler Road Greenfield, NJ 08250

The J.W. Gandy Farmstead 26 Tyler Road Greenfield, NJ 08250

The J.W. Gandy Farmstead

26 Tyler Road

Greenfield, NJ 08250

(609) 390-5656

https://theclio.com/entry/100872

Click to access Upper-Twp-History_2-page_Sep2013.pdf

Click to access gandy-house-history_copy_%2015June2008.pdf

https://capemaycountynj.gov/BusinessDirectoryii.aspx?ysnShowAll=0&lngNewPage=0&txtLetter=J&txtZipCode=&txtCity=&txtState=&txtBusinessName=&lngBusinessCategoryID=29&txtCustomField1=&txtCustomField2=&txtCustomField3=&txtCustomField4=&txtAreaCode=

Open: Sunday 1:00pm-3:00pm (Seasonal and Special Events

Admission: Free but donations accepted

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/R4960NKjustinw/mediabatch/13884120?m=19905

The J. W. Gandy House at 26 Tyler Road

The historic marker

The historic signs

The Gandy House sign

The farm grounds

The historic sign

The historic grounds of the property in the winter

I visited the John Westley Gandy Farmstead on private walking tours both in the Winter of 2024 and the Summer of 2025 and got a glimpse of farm life in early rural Southern New Jersey. Away from the markets of New York City, I got to see how tenant farming and life was for early farmers after the Revolutionary War.

The house is decorated with artifacts from the early 1800’s to the turn of the Twentieth century and how they affected the lives of early inhabitants of the house. There is antique furniture, home made quilts and a fully stocked kitchen with a wood burning fireplace to cook meals from scratch (which was not a trend in those days, that is how they lived).

The grounds when I visited in the summer months

The grounds of the farm in the winter

The grounds of this historic homestead in the winter

The same grounds in the summer

The history of the house

The front of the house during the summer

The Laundry Room

The Laundry Room

When you walk inside the Gandy Housr on the first floor, you are welcomed into the kitchen and pantry area plus some of public areas of the house. Here meals were prepared and guests were greeted.

The pantry area of the kitchen

Wood was stored for heat and cooking and herbs were drying for the winter months for cooking and daily use.

The fire wood and herb s drying

The pantry and larders for daily cooking and baking for the daily meals. All meals were cooked from scratch and large breakfasts and lunches were part of farm life. All meals were cooked in the open hearth so meals had to be properly timed and cooking and baking had to be coordinated for the family meals.

The larders were filled with the items that were in season

Cooking over a wood burning fire was part of everyday meals in the farm kitchen. Various pots and pans were in use to cook the family meals.

The inside of the kitchen area that heated the main room

Meals were coordinated for the day with cereals and soups cooking first, baked items going into the oven when it was warm enough followed by roasts and stews.

The days cooking over a hot stove

There were early morning breakfasts on the farm and then a late lunch/ early supper when the afternoon work was done.

The other half of the main room was used for dining and the families social space. Here meals were served and the family relaxed.

Everyday family objects of the household

The front part of the room faced the road and the comings and goings of the surrounding community.

The side bench and family objects

The most interesting part of the tour of the first floor is the view of the construction of the home. Behind the glass frame showed how the home was built and of what.

The construction of the home behind the glass frame

The family quarters on the second floor show the chores that followed during the day with spinning yarn, making and mending clothes and dying fabrics.

The spinning wheels and the making of quilts

The landing and the first floor rooms

The spinning wheels and patterns

The first bedroom was furnished with handmade quilts and sown linens. The wash basins were used before indoor plumbing.

The first bedroom upstairs

The wash basin and grooming products

Going out for a formal evening

The second bedroom on the second floor has is collection of quilts

The hand made quilts in the second bedroom

The children’s toys

The handmade quilt collection in the one bedroom

Handmade linens were part of the fabric of rural life as women were trained to sew and quilt their clothes and bed linens. Store bought linens were a rarity at this time and the quality of a woman’s homemaking skills defined her household. The handwork on these quilts were amazing.

The upstairs fireplace to keep the rooms warm

The upstairs alcove where the fireplace is located

The Morning clothing in the alcove

We then headed up the stairs to see the attic which were hard to walk up they were such small stairs.

The narrow stair’s to the attic

I got to see the attic area which visitors normally don’s see. This is where the boys of the family would sleep in the summarrr

The attic loft area

We finished the house tour back in the kitchen-living room

The full kitchen and living room room

The laundry area just off the main room

The we then toured the grounds of the estate walking through the grounds and exploring all the buildings on the property, some original to the estate and some brought here from other properties that awaited the wrecking ball. The grounds included the family well, barn, outhouse, root cellar, wood shed and a grape arbor.

The area right behind the main

The estate well which was going to be replaced

Fresh well water is still a part of the communities in Southern New Jersey. These farmsteads were pretty much self-sufficient and people grew what they needed and could barter for the rest or bring it to market.

The woodshed on the estate

The estate on a sunny day

The root cellar

The Root Cellar was used to keep Summer foods and preserves cool throughout the season. People tried to eat seasonally as much as possible and store for the Winter months.

The Ice House

The historic sign for the Ice House

The inside of the ice house and the hooks to hold meats

Ice was brought in from local lakes and ponds to keep foods well preserved during the warmer months of the Spring and Summer.

The barn that was moved here

The inside of the barn with all sorts of historic farm. These are pieces of equipment that were used over the last 100 years.

The farm equipment

The equipment that runs a farm

The storage area of the farm

The storage bins

The Outhouse

There was no indoor plumbing in those days and the use of the outhouse was placed far from the main house.

The grounds of the farm

The back of the farm

The front of the homestead in the summer of 2025

The house was warm and contained by fireplaces in the Winter months and open and airy in the Summer months with a flow of air through the open windows. The Upper Cape May Township Historical Society is open also for special events like their Strawberry and Apple festivals plus private tours.

The Gandy Farmstead Annual Apple Festival 2025:

Two weeks after my initial visit to the Gandy House during the Firemen’s Convention, I returned for the Historical Society’s Annual Apple Festival. The event reminded me of the Brinckerhoff House Strawberry Festival, a very nice family and community event that attracted everyone.

Since there were a lot of shore towns I wanted to revisit while the weather was nice, I arranged to stay at an Airbnb in Ocean City so I had plenty of time to do what I needed to do and relax afterwards.

I could not believe how crowded the roads were as so many places were having either Fall festivals or October Fest. Route 9 was like a parking lot near Smithville, NJ.

I got to the Apple Festival around noon and the parking lot was packed with people. One of the members said later that afternoon that he could not believe the consistent crowds as it was still busy at 2:15pm (the festival was over by 3:00pm). The crowds were filled with several generations of family members who I am sure were traveling from one event to another on this spectacular sunny morning.

The sign welcoming you to the event

When I arrived at the festival, the parking lot was still filling up so I had to park way in the back so I could get in and out easily.

On the Gandy family property on the other side of the home, they had an antique car show, a mini train ride around the tracks of this part of the property and a Caboose train car that you could explore.

The train tracks around the farm property

The train set up and tracks to tour around the farm

The train rides were really popular with both the small and ‘big’ kids

This small train trip had a nice sized line to it as families were really enjoying themselves

I then toured the Caboose which was set up for service and a day in the life of a conductor. Some of the volunteers were even dressed as conductors leading tour and talking to families.

The caboose on the farm property

The inside of the caboose

Getting ready for the holidays

Life of a train conductor shown in the caboose

After the tour of the car show and watching the families have fun on the trains, I headed across the street to the Gandy House for the tours and activities.

The back of the Gandy Farmstead with crafts and entertainment

Entering the Apple Festival with a Farmers Market and Apple sale

The Farmers Market of locally grown produce

They had a wonderful duo interesting the crowds that afternoon

There were all sorts of crafts stands around where the entertainment was performing

The local crafts people were really talented and included crocheted, painters, floral arrangers and jewelry markers.

One woman sold flowers from her gardens and arranged bouquets

This woman painted her own crafts and did beautiful work for both Halloween and Christmas

Here beautiful holiday crafts

I loved this Santa tree and was going to get it for my mom

This woman had the most beautiful handmade doll clothing and knit items for the holidays

What is an Apple Festival without food? I went to the concession stand for lunch and ordered a hot dog with a glass of locally made Apple cider and had an homemade Apple Shortcake, which I found out later the members had made the night before.

The concession stand where all the food was made

Enjoying my lunch. Both the hotdogs and apple cider were locally made. That’s why it tasted so good!

Hot dogs taste so good off the grill!

The delicious homemade Apple Shortcake with homemade apple topping were made by the members

I also stopped off at the apple stand where cases of apples were being sold. It looked like many people were going to make pies and sauce with these and the stand looked like they were selling out.

I managed to buy one of the Mango sweet apples they were selling individually

The apples were so hard, fresh and sweet that it made the perfect addition to dessert.

The Mango Sweet apples

Talk about delicious

After lunch I ran into the Board members who had helped me with the tour two weeks early and I took a quick tour of the first floor of the home. The laundry room was not open the day of my private tour.

Touring the outside grape arbor

The grape arbor on an early Fall day

Touring the first floor laundry room

An early washing machine

How to do laundry at the turn of the last century

After having lunch, touring the house and visiting all the vendors I relaxed for the rest of the afternoon and listened to the entertainment perform. They did a combination of 70’s hit songs, country music and some James Taylor.

The duo performing

The first part of the song “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” from the 1970’s before people walked in the way

The rest of the song performed. They did an excellent job with it

Before I left just after 2:00pm, I stayed to see who won the Apple pie contest. There were only three contributors but I wanted to get a slice before I left. They did not slice them up. Bummer!

The winners of the Apple pie contest

The Apple Festival sponsored by the Upper Township Historical Society happens every October. It is a wonderful family event and fundraiser for the Historical Society. I know I had a lot of fun and it reminded me of the events that I went to as a kid in the 1970’s.

It was funny that the only person who had a cell phone glued to his hand was me. It was just like the 1970’s all over again with families enjoying each other’s company. Try to visit in the future.

Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary 11400 3rd Avenue Stone Harbor, NJ 08247

Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary 11400 3rd Avenue Stone Harbor, NJ 08247

Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary

11400 3rd Avenue

Stone Harbor, NJ 08247

(609) 368-5102

https://www.facebook.com/p/Stone-Harbor-Bird-Sanctuary-100064916130839/

Home

Open:Sunday-Saturday 24 Hours

Admission: Free

My review on TripAdvisor:

The sign welcoming you

The History of the Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary:

(from the park’s website)

The Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary is a wonderfully preserved microcosm of what the barrier islands of New Jersey looked like hundreds of years ago.  As you walk along Sanctuary paths, it is easy to imagine the Lenni-Lenape Indians wandering through the maritime forest, crossing wind swept sand dunes, past groves of white cedar, birch, pine, holly and sassafras trees, taking time to drink water from a spring fed freshwater pond and then, fishing in the salt water meadows surrounded by herons and songbirds.

As early as the 1870’s and 1880’s, the Sanctuary area was recognized as a “veritable paradise of birds” for ornithologists.  The primary attractions were Little Blue Herons, Black-crowned Night Herons, Green Herons and egrets.  Once the 96th Street Bridge opened in 1911, those who wanted to study, hunt or collect the eggs of birds no longer had to walk across four miles of marsh.  Easy access to the heronry was a boon to birders but also a threat to birds whose plumes and eggs were valued.

In 1941, the Stone Harbor Bird Club was organized in the home of Lillian R. Leuallen.  The Bird Club was renamed in 1946 as the Witmer Stone Club to honor Witmer Stone, one of the first ornithologists to document birds in the Sanctuary area.  With considerable foresight, the Witmer Stone Club proposed early in 1947 that the Borough of Stone Harbor establish a “sanctuary”.  In October of 1947, the Borough Council passed Ordinance #208 which preserved 31 acres of land as a wildlife sanctuary.  Subsequent to expert study in 1961 which demonstrated that no birds were nesting on the beach side sanctuary acreage, the Stone Harbor Borough Council sold ten acres to the east of Second Avenue.  The remaining 21 acres bounded by Second Avenue to the East, Third Avenue to the West, 111th Street to the North and area between 116th and 117th on the South represents the Sanctuary as we know it today.  The Sanctuary remains one of the few bird sanctuaries in the world that are completely within municipal boundaries.

One can’t overstate the foresight and commitment of the residents and Borough officials to conservation as well as the preservation of open space and wildlife in 1947, 1961 and every year since.  This commitment was reinforced by the United States Park Service in 1965 when it designated the Sanctuary as a National Natural Landmark.

Over the years, the Sanctuary has been home to thousands of birds and visited by more than a million people representing all fifty states and most countries in the world.  It has been estimated that Sanctuary visitors spend more than $5 million each year, locally. Although some like the New York Times in 1960 glorify the Sanctuary, referring to it as “The Everglades of New Jersey”, Stone Harbor residents think of the Sanctuary as a symbol of the character of this quiet, single family town which respects the nature and wildlife that surrounds them while placing a premium on livability, aesthetics and serenity.

The front of the sanctuary from 3rd Avenue

I took a walk when I was in Stone Harbor through the town’s Bird Sanctuary to hopefully view some rare birds. While I did not see much, I heard a lot of singing and scrawling as I walked the path through the trees.

The front gardens in the sanctuary

The gardens were still in bloom in the late Summer and many colorful wildflowers attracted all sorts of butterflies and other insects.

The sign greeting you about the experience

The front path of the sanctuary

You head over the bridge to the paths that take you into the woods

Walking down the pathways through the woods

The path takes you into a deep wooded area in the middle of the town and by the time you get to the middle of the path, you can hear the mating calls of many birds. It’s funny to note that we are a couple of blocks from the shore.

Walking through the pathways

Reaching the middle of the beach woods

The middle of the bird sanctuary noisy with bird calls

Walking back through the pathways through the roads

Touring through the Bird Sanctuary does not take a long time, but offers relief from a busy shore town.

Video on the park:

The Sam Azeez Museum of Woodbine Heritage 610 Washington Avenue Woodbine, NJ 08270

The Sam Azeez Museum of Woodbine Heritage

610 Washington Avenue

Woodbine, NJ 08270

(629) 626-3831

https://woodbinemuseum.org/

https://visitnj.org/sam-azeez-museum-woodbine-heritage

https://www.facebook.com/p/The-Sam-Azeez-Museum-of-Woodbine-Heritage-of-Stockton-University-100085580916230/

Open: Sunday-Tuesday Closed/Wednesday-Saturday 10:00am-4:00pm/Saturday Closed

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46938-d3915473-Reviews-The_Sam_Azeez_Museum_of_Woodbine_Heritage-Woodbine_Cape_May_County_New_Jersey.html

The front of the Sam Azeez Museum of Woodbine Heritage

The entrance sign that welcomes you

The History of the Sam Azzez Woodbine Museum:

(from the museum’s website):

The Sam Azeez Museum of Woodbine Heritage is an independent non-profit charitable organization preserving the unique history of Woodbine, NJ.

Established in the 1890’s through Baron de Hirsch’s philanthropy, Woodbine began as an agricultural colony for Russian Jewish immigrants seeking freedom denied in their homeland. As poor soil conditions limited farming, Woodbine evolved into Cape May County’s manufacturing center while maintaining founding values of education, religion and inclusion.

The museum occupies the historic Woodbine Brotherhood Synagogue, listed on the Natural Register of Historic Places. The restored sanctuary hosts special services, while the Brotherhood Hall houses exhibitions including the community-contributed Collective Memory Wall.

The historical significance of of the Town of Woodbine

The entrance to the museum

The museum is another interesting look at New Jersey history and the development of the immigrant story of assimilation into American society.

I was given a personal tour by the Assistant Curator and she explained the resettlement of Russian Jewish immigrants by a wealthy patron into this South Jersey community.

The main gallery of the museum

The panels tell the story of how these community came into being and how these people built a community through agricultural and eventually manufacturing and small businesses that supported the community around it. It established a town that was self sustaining and grew to the community center.

The panels show the growth of Woodbine as a community

The residents established their own sports teams, community organizations and civic groups like the councils and fire and police departments.

The records of the many town organizations of Woodbine

Display of one of the first families to settle in Woodbine

Display of the religious faith of the community

One of the most touching displays is of survivors of the concentration camps during the holocaust. These pictures represent these women as children and them today.

The display of the women who survived the camps

The history of the community and the growth of diverse businesses in Woodbine

Creating and building the Synagogue in the community

On the second floor of the building is the old synagogue of the community which is only used during the high holidays. This is used by descendants of the community and family members of theirs.

The inside of the synagogue on the second floor of the building

The front of the temple

The chandelier is original to the temple

The space was being prepared for the Jewish New Year and the crowd of people who would be attending.

The Memorial Wall

The traditions of the religion being practiced in the community

The self-government of the community

Still the younger generation was all American and wanted to assimilate into society with an all American past time of things like baseball.

The Woodbine youth baseball team

The uniform of the old baseball team for youths in the town

The last display is of the famous alumni who once lived in the community. These are the men and women who once lived here and went on after all odds to do great things and make our country better.

The Hall of Fame

The museum I thought had a bit of an identity crisis as I really did not know what the museum was about.

I was pleasantly surprised to find an interesting part of New Jersey history I had never known. It just goes to show you how a museum can educate you with just one visit. The Assistant curator said there will be more to come in the future.

The Friendship School Museum 859 South Shore Road (Route 9) Palermo, NJ 08223

The Friendship School Museum 859 South Shore Road (Route 9) Palermo, NJ 08223

The Friendship School

859 South Shore Road (Route 9)

Palermo, NJ 08223

(609) 628-3303

http://uppertwphistory.org/Friendship-School.htm

https://hpsout.tripod.com/

https://capemaycountynj.gov/DocumentCenter/View/5497/CMC-Heritage-Brochure

Open: Please call for a appointment and special tour

My review on TripAdvisor:

The front of the schoolhouse

The entrance to the property

The historic marker

The outside sign

The Friendship School was an interesting look at early rural education where students of various ages would be educated together.

The hours would vary with the growing seasons and students would be educated in the basics to educate them to the next level.

During the school day, children would have various chores to do such as gather wood, collect water, mind the fire and watch the day’s lunch. It would be a full day for both the teacher and the students.

My tour guide confirmed that nothing was easy during the school day and children had a lot of responsibility for what went on in their lives.

The tour was an interesting look at the lives of children of that period of time and the education they received.

The history of the Friendship School:

(from the Museum’s website)

This historic property contains the circa 1930 Friendship School, a circa 1900 privy, and a circa 1917 coal storage shed.  The Friendship School was originally donated in 1976 by William Wells, grandson of Enoch Clouting to the Upper Township Bicentennial Committee during a time when Upper Township was particularly interested in its earliest buildings.

The historic plaques

The school’s hand pump

The committee, headed by the late Curtis T. Cordon, evolved to become the nucleus of the Historical Preservation Society of Upper Township (HPSUT) in 1977. Virginia M. Wilson was its’ first President.

 The history of the Friendship School begins when it was incorporated in May of 1831 with Jonathon Corson, Lewis Corson, and Seth Young as trustees. The students’ tuition was paid for by parents in 1830, but by 1869, public funding for schools was established. In the 1862-63 school year, 52 students crowded into this 15’x 20’ structure, and of those students in the teacher’s roll book, 24 were Corsons!

The grounds of the school grounds

The school itself is standing on its fourth known location! It was originally located 6 houses southeast of its present location. It was used for classes until it was replaced with a larger building in the 1860’s.

The abandoned school house later owned by resident, Lot Corson, became known as “Lot’s Temple” because church services were held there. Then, it was moved to Enoch Clouting’s farm where a corn crib was placed on one side. It is Enoch’s grandson who kindly donated the school.

 The barn on the grounds

The school building was in extreme disrepair when it was moved from the Clouting property to the corner of Ocean Ave. and Shore Road.  According to an undated news article, “mere fragments of the (original) building remained” although “some of the heavier corner posts were salvaged.”

The school’s outhouse (pricey)

The historic sign

Nevertheless, restoration of this Friendship School was researched and planned by Kyle Fleetwood of Tuckahoe and James Wilson of Marmora; with assistance from Matt Unsworth, Robert Entirkin, Curtis Corson III, Somers Corson, Marshall “Ted” Behr, Guy Himmelberger, Harry “Hap” Folger and other members of the Bicentennial Committee. It was completed in 1980.

 All replacement wood matched the original in size and material and great care was taken to restore it to its original appearance. Locally sourced materials for the restoration/reconstruction came from the Van Vorst sawmill in Petersburg, the Hess sawmill in South Seaville and the Brewer sawmill in Dennisville. Benches donated by Myra Clouting Biggs, were reproduced by Matt Unsworth.

The inside of the school house

The teacher’s desk is a reproduction also made by Matt Unsworth. Hardware for the building was hand-wrought by Robert Entrikin of Petersburg. Although it does not qualify for the State and National Registers listing because it retains little original historic building fabric, the building is important to the historical time line of Upper Township.

 The schoolbooks and school equipment

Also on this site are two old frame buildings: a circa 1900 privy donated from the property of the Seaville School on Kruk Drive and a circa 1917 coal/storage shed donated from the Palermo School on Route 9.  The coal storage shed, was donated by Wes and Doris Nickerson with Jim and Nancy Siegrist helping with its restoration. It was added to the property in 1993. Three three-seat privy (outhouse) from the old unused Seaville School was donated by Sharon Kruk in honor of her father, and was restored by Lewis Albrecht and Jim Siegrist. It is a work of art (with a French style roof), but is non-functional.

 The school room reproduction

A special item, the cedar flag pole, from which flew a U.S. flag that flew above the capitol in Washington, DC, was donated by former Deauville Inn owners, Walter and Gloria Carpenter in December of 1983. (Since replaced)

 The school bell and flag

The Friendship School was dedicated on September 10, 1983 by Virginia M. Wilson, President of the Historical Preservation Society of Upper Township, Upper Township Mayor Leonard Migliaccio, HPSUT members: Ebbie Unsworth and her son, Matt Unsworth, and guest speaker, New Jersey State Senator, James R. Hurley.

 The children would collect water and fire wood for the class room during the school day

The reproduction of the school

Upper Township continues to own and manage the property and the school, while HPSUT members manage the inside and its activities. Each Upper Township Kindergarten class is invited to the annual Kindergarten Day to learn what a student classroom life is like in a one room school house in the early

The outside of the school