The Black River Journal

Tumbling over falls and down Hacklebarney’s rugged ravines as it leaves Morris County, the roiling dark waters of the Black River rush headlong to the village of Pottersville, where the landscape begins to flatten and the river banks become wider, and the once raging waterway transitions to the Lamington River and flows gently into Hunterdon and Somerset Counties. The Black/Lamington River is the heart of Pottersville, a village that grew up around the mills and foundry along the river bank, and reached it’s heyday with the arrival of the “Rock-A-Bye-Baby” railroad in the late 1800s. But while the mill wheels and rail cars stopped turning long ago, Pottersville still retains an abundance of 19th century charm and is a popular stop for day trippers and Sunday drivers. Spread out among four townships and three counties, Pottersville is also the place where the boundaries of Hunterdon, Morris, and Somerset Counties all converge, and The Black River Journal is the meeting place for all three. We’re bringing together readers that share a love for the villages, historic town centers, and open countryside that make our area of New Jersey such a unique and special place to live and work! 

For decades Seneca Falls, NY has claimed to be the true inspiration for the town of  "Bedford Falls,” in the 1947 holiday classic film “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and they back up the boast with a museum and annual “It’s a Wonderful Life” festival. Hints throughout the movie make it clear the Bedford Falls in the movie is somewhere in New York State, even Westchester County, and it may be that director Frank Capra had Seneca Falls and it's steel truss bridge in mind when he created the fictional town. But Philip Van Doren Stern, the writer of “The Greatest Gift,” the short story that the film was based on, said that he drew his inspiration from a small town in Hunterdon County, NJ. According to a 2017 article by NJ.com, Stern, a Rutgers graduate and historian who was best known in later life for his works of non-fiction, told a reporter in a 1946 interview that "Actually, the town I had in mind was Califon, New Jersey."

"FINDS SANTA CLAUS IS REAL" 

"Clark Hackett of Easton, whose legs were crushed in an accident on the Lehigh Valley Railroad, necessitating their amputation above the knees, several days ago received the following letter:

My Dear Friend:

I understand that you have both feet off and I am sorry for you. Enclosed find a check for $100 signed “Santa Claus.” Do not think this a joke. Have the Lehigh Valley Railroad Co. or any business concern send the check through for collection and give you the money when it is forwarded. Funds are on deposit at the North Philadelphia Trust Company to meet this check.

Sincerely yours, 

SANTA CLAUS

Hackett was in doubt whether some one was trying to fool him, but he decided to try it. Tuesday he received the $100... "

The market at Metropolitan Seafood was closed, as it always is on Monday, when we slipped through the front door on a drizzly mid-morning, and locked it behind us. The only light came from the kitchen, where the tenor lament of Luciano Pavarotti, channeling Leoncavallo's cuckolded clown, Canio, played on a low volume but still drowned out the sound of a simmering pot of salted water steaming on the flame of a gas-lit burner... Metro’s owner and renowned fishmonger, Mark Drabich, greeted us with a tray heaped with iced Maryland Blue, and Maine Rock Crabs that brought a tear to my eye – Pagliacci and Atlantic crustaceans always make me cry... READ MORE

We do tend to connect gingerbread with Christmas but people have been eating gingerbread since the time of Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece. Ginger was taken for medicinal reasons, including the soothing of the stomach and digestion. Today gingerbread houses and gingerbread men come to mind, thanks to the stories of the Brothers Grimm. Louisa Macculloch (1785-1863) had several gingerbread and ginger cake recipes in her cookbook. All of these recipes call for baking powder or baking soda which may mean they date from the 1840s to the 1860s.... READ MORE