High Breeze Farm | |
 Main House | |
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| Nearest city | Highland Lakes, New Jersey |
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| Coordinates | 41°13′6″N74°25′3″W / 41.21833°N 74.41750°W |
| Area | 162 acres (66 ha) |
| Architectural style | Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Federal, English barn |
| NRHP reference No. | 89000993 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | July 27, 1989 |
High Breeze Farm, also known as Barrett Farm, is located in the Highland Lakes section of Vernon Township, in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States.
The 160-acre (65 ha) farm, now known as High Breeze Farm, was owned by the Demarest family from approximately 1818 to 1860, when it was purchased by the Barrett family. The main farmhouse was built in 1828 and the barns and outbuildings were built between 1860 and 1935. The Barretts operated it continuously from 1860 to 1986 with very few changes to the original farming methods. [2] The farm was used mainly for subsistence farming. [3] Four generations of Barretts operated it. They raised horses, cows, and chickens and produced hay, corn, turnips, rutabagas, apples, peaches, pears, plums, honey, and maple syrup. [4] Luther J. Barrett was the last family member to work the farm, operating it “almost as a time capsule of 19th century farming,” using a draft horse for most farm work. At the time of Luther J. Barrett's death in 1986, the farm had not installed plumbing, central heating, or telephones. [2]
The Barretts did, however, install minimal electricity in 1948. [3] The State of New Jersey purchased the property in 1981 and made it part of Wawayanda State Park. In 1989, the State of New Jersey planned the demolition of the farm, but the Vernon Historical Society, specifically through the work of Ron Dupont Jr. struggled to preserve it. Dupont rallied school children and compiled numerous slideshows to show the historic significance of the farm. [4] His efforts were successful, and High Breeze Farm was listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. High Breeze Farm is now the only remaining farm on Wawayanda Mountain. The main house, barn, and outbuildings remain, and are displayed as part of the “living history museum,” as it was restored in 1992. [2] The farm also displays historic farm equipment including mowers, sickle bars, and wrought iron wheels that were used by the Barretts. [4]
Bill Becker now operates High Breeze Farm as a working farm devoted to preserving traditional farming methods. The farm offers Certified Naturally Grown produce, maple syrup, eggs, pork, and beef. [5] By practicing “Naturally Grown” techniques, which are based on the USDA National Organic Program standards, High Breeze maintains many traditional historical practices, rather than choosing to utilize “modern” pesticides and fertilizers or more mechanized agricultural techniques. [6]
High Breeze Farm served as the grounds for the Black Powder Association's annual encampment in 2009 and 2010. At this encampment, members of the Black Powder Association reenact pre-1840s American culture through dress, props, crafts, and activities. Different groups choose different time periods between American colonization and the 1840s. Members representing different periods camps separately, in an attempt to preserve the historical integrity of the reenactment. Some camp out in teepees or tents, while others construct lean-tos. The encampment also features a competition known as the “Seneca Run,” where competitors must start a fire with a tinderbox, flint, and steel, use bows and arrows, and fire black powder muskets. [7]
With fifty sugar maple trees on the property, people also use the boiling of sap into maple syrup as an opportunity to celebrate the historic background of High Breeze Farm. People, including members of the Black Powder Association, dress for the syrup-boiling event in period clothing from anywhere between 1720 and 1840. They discuss the historic methods of syrup boiling, and use the weekend for festivities such as crafts, cooking, and shooting in the style of the historic period they choose to represent. [8]
As part of Wawayanda State Park, High Breeze Farm is also a destination for hikers. Wawayanda has 40 miles of bicycle and hiking trails, including an 11-mile section of the Appalachian Trail. [3] The farm also serves as a lookout point of an extensive view over Orange County, New York. [9]
Maple syrup is a syrup made from the sap of maple trees. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before winter; the starch is then converted to sugar that rises in the sap in late winter and early spring. Maple trees are tapped by drilling holes into their trunks and collecting the sap, which is processed by heating to evaporate much of the water, leaving the concentrated syrup.
Sussex County is the northernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its county seat is Newton. It is part of the New York metropolitan area and is part of New Jersey's Skylands Region. As of the 2020 census, the county was the state's 17th-most-populous county, with a population of 144,221, a decrease of 5,044 (−3.4%) from the 2010 census count of 149,265, which in turn reflected an increase of 5,099 (+3.5%) over the 144,166 persons at the 2000 census. Based on 2020 census data, Vernon Township was the county's largest in both population and area, with a population of 22,358 and covering an area of 70.59 square miles (182.8 km2). The county is part of the North Jersey region of the state.
Morris County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about 30 mi (48 km) west of New York City. According to the 2020 census, the county was the state's tenth-most populous county, with a population of 509,285, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 17,009 (+3.5%) from the 2010 census count of 492,276, which in turn reflected an increase of 22,064 (+11.6%) from the 470,212 counted in the 2000 census, Morris County is part of the New York metropolitan area and is divided into 39 municipalities, with many commuter towns but no large cities. Its county seat is Morristown, in the southeast. The most populous place was Parsippany-Troy Hills Township, with 56,162 residents at the time of the 2020 census, while Rockaway Township covered 45.55 square miles (118.0 km2), the largest total area of any municipality. The county is part of the North Jersey region of the state.
Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the county's population was 955,732, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 50,616 (+5.6%) from the 905,116 recorded at the 2010 census, which in turn reflected an increase of 20,998 (2.4%) from the 884,118 counted in the 2000 census. Located in the northeastern corner of New Jersey and its Gateway Region, Bergen County and its many inner suburbs constitute a highly developed part of the New York City metropolitan area, bordering the Hudson River; the George Washington Bridge, which crosses the Hudson, connects Bergen County with Manhattan. The county is part of the North Jersey region of the state.
Vernon Township is a township in Sussex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located about a one hour drive from New York City and is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 22,358, a decrease of 1,585 (−6.6%) from the 2010 census count of 23,943, which in turn reflected a decline of 743 (−3.0%) from the 24,686 counted in the 2000 census. It is both the most populous municipality and the largest in area in the county.
Acer saccharum, the sugar maple, is a species of flowering plant in the soapberry and lychee family Sapindaceae. It is native to the hardwood forests of eastern Canada and the eastern United States. Sugar maple is best known for being the primary source of maple syrup and for its brightly colored fall foliage. It may also be called "rock maple," "sugar tree," "sweet maple," or, particularly in reference to the wood, "hard maple," "birds-eye maple," or "curly maple," the last two being specially figured lumber.
Maple sugar is a traditional sweetener in Canada and the northeastern United States, prepared from the sap of the maple tree.
Basking Ridge is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Bernards Township in the Somerset Hills region of Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
The Brendan T. Byrne State Forest is a 37,242 acres (150.71 km2) state forest in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Its protected acreage is split between Burlington and Ocean Counties.
River Edge is a New Jersey Transit rail station on the Pascack Valley Line. The station is one of two rail stations in River Edge, New Jersey and is located at River Edge Road and Park Avenue, one block east of Kinderkamack Road and three blocks west of River Road.
Malabar Farm State Park is a state park in Richland County, Ohio, United States, located near Lucas and the Mohican State Park.
Acer is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae, along with lychee and horse chestnut. There are approximately 132 species, most of which are native to Asia, with a number also appearing in Europe, northern Africa, and North America. Only one species, Acer laurinum, extends to the Southern Hemisphere. The type species of the genus is the sycamore maple, Acer pseudoplatanus, the most common maple species in Europe. Maples usually have easily recognizable palmate leaves and distinctive winged fruits. The closest relatives of the maples are the horse chestnuts. Maple syrup is made from the sap of some maple species. It is one of the most common genera of trees in Asia. Many maple species are grown in gardens where they are valued for their autumn colour.
Towaco is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Montville Township in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP Code 07082. Its name reflects the Native American history in the area, which identified the locale as TaWagh, meaning "hill", a reference to the terrain of Towaco.
The Abbott Farm Historic District is a National Historic Landmark archaeological site in New Jersey. It is the largest known Middle Woodland village of its type on the East Coast of the United States. Significant evidence suggests that the Delaware River floodplain was occupied by Paleoindian people for a long period. It was inhabited between 500 BC and 500 AD. It has been a source of controversy and debate around early development.
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Helena Ely Fairchild was an American amateur gardener, founding member of the Garden Club of America, and writer, whose three books influenced American and British gardeners to avoid Victorian formal gardens in favor of plantings that embodied an "informal and sensual style." She focused on planning her gardens around planting "hardy perennial plants found in the agricultural landscape."
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