Pleasant Valley, Warren County, New Jersey

Pleasant Valley is an unincorporated community located in Washington Township, Warren County, New Jersey, west of Washington, along the Pohatcong Creek. The hamlet was built around a mill on the creek during the mid-18th century.[2] The Pleasant Valley Historic District, encompassing the village, is listed on the state and national registers of historic places.

Pleasant Valley, New Jersey
Unincorporated community
Historic house, Mill Pond Road
Pleasant Valley, New Jersey
Pleasant Valley, New Jersey
Pleasant Valley, New Jersey
Coordinates: 40°45′5″N 75°0′30″W
Country United States
State New Jersey
CountyWarren
TownshipWashington Township
GNIS feature ID879366[1]

History

In 1754, Thomas Van Horn acquired a large tract of land in the Pohatcong valley from John Moore and later built a mill on the creek. After his death, the mill was eventually bought by John Sherrerd in 1791. John's son, Samuel Sherrerd, inherited the property in 1810. Samuel's wife, Ann Maxwell, was the daughter of Captain John Maxwell and the niece of General William Maxwell, both officers in the Continental Army. Their son, John Maxwell Sherrerd, was appointed the first Surrogate of Warren County.[2][3][4] William M. Warne, husband of daughter, Susan Sherrerd, bought the property in 1833 after Samuel's death.[2] He is listed as building the main block of the house at 14 Mill Pond Road in 1834.[3]

With the completion of the Morris Canal, which bypassed Pleasant Valley and favored Washington, the area had little growth.[3] In 1865, Dr. J. V. Mattison purchased the property from the Warne family and rebuilt the mill. In 1893, William Larison bought the property. After several exchanges, the property was bought by Earle S. Eckel in 1926.[2][3]

Eckel made several changes to the property. He dredged and enlarged the mill pond, and upgraded the dam and causeway with the goal of generating hydroelectric power. After the mill burned down in 1929, he built a brick and steel power house on the old mill foundation for the turbine and generator. Eckel was also interested in aviation, in particular the autogiro by Harold Pitcairn. In 1931, he purchased one and built a runway and hangar for it, probably the first exclusive autogiro airport in America.[2][3] During National Air Mail Week, he carried mail postmarked: "Via Air Mail. First Flight. From Washington, N.J. May 19, 1938" to Newark, New Jersey using his own Pitcairn PAA-1.[5] Eckel was one of the founding members and the first vice president of the Antique Automobile Club of America in 1935.[6][7]

Historic district
Pleasant Valley Historic District
Sherrerd/Warne/Eckel House, built 1834
LocationArea surrounding Mill Pond Road
Pleasant Valley, Warren County, New Jersey
Coordinates40°44′57″N 75°0′21″W
Area40 acres (16 ha)
Architectural styleColonial Revival, Greek Revival, Federal
NRHP reference No.94000013[8]
NJRHP No.2797[9]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPFebruary 17, 1994
Designated NJRHPDecember 20, 1993

The Pleasant Valley Historic District is a historic district along Mill Pond Road in Pleasant Valley, Warren County, New Jersey. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 17, 1994 for its significance in engineering, transportation, and architecture from 1830 to 1942. It includes 20 contributing resources.[3]

The Sherrerd/Warne/Eckel House shows Federal/Greek Revival styles with Colonial Revival remodeling. It features a round cobblestone fountain basin, built c. 1930. The Power House has a round cobblestone planter with flagpole.[3]

  • Power House, built 1930
  • House by Mill Pond dam, built 1865
  • Eckel's Autogiro Port, built 1931
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See also

References
  1. "Pleasant Valley". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. "Pleasant Valley". Washington Township, Warren County, New Jersey.
  3. Bertland, Dennis N. (March 1993). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Pleasant Valley Historic District". National Park Service. With accompanying 22 photos
  4. Cummins, George Wyckoff (1911). "Sherrerd". History of Warren County, New Jersey. Lewis Historical Publishing. pp. 285–288.
  5. Martin, Peter (2018). "Earle Eckel And His 1938 National Air Mail Week Autogiro Mail Flight".
  6. "A Concise History of AACA". Antique Automobile Club of America.
  7. Obituary (April 18, 1978). "Earle Eckel, a Founder Of Antique Auto Club And a Businessman, 87". The New York Times.
  8. "National Register Information System – (#94000013)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  9. "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Warren County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. March 17, 2020. p. 12.
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