The Black River Journal, LLC PO Box 115 Pottersville, NJ 07979 US
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Welcome to Black River Country
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!
We Happened to Pick Up a Copy
"While visiting my son and daughter in law in Basking Ridge, I had the pleasure of visiting Oldwick where we happened to pick up a copy of your magazine.
To my delight and surprise I found your articles well written and informative, heads and shoulders above the usual caliber of such advertising journals.
As I am a psychologist, I found “The Asylum” fascinating. Then I moved on to History in Miniature: The Peapack Trestle. I found that article totally charming and quite evocative.
Most surprising is that I read all your articles enjoying the accompanying photographs.
I look forward to perhaps joining the Frilluftsliv revelers next January. It was fun reading about the Wolf Moon and learning its meaning.
Everything about your endeavor, is first rate down to your choice of paper stock.
You give meaning to the saying, 'Anything worth doing, is worth doing well.'”
Thank you,
S.B.
Princeton, NJ
Ida Mae’s Mercury
Journal Entry: Summer Harvest 2023
The hour hand of village life ticks by our porch like an old clock set to the familiar routines that mark time here in Pottersville. As sure as the tolling of the bells at the Dutch Reformed Church, we knew what time it was when Ida Mae Schmidt stopped to chat on her daily constitutional to the post office and what day of the week it was when she pulled onto the Island in her blue 1993 Mercury Tracer to pick up Pearl Lindabury for lunch with the girls. Read More
Inside Our Current Issue
The Cabin by the River: A Century of Good Memories
Melick's Peaches: "My ancestors have been growing peaches since before the Civil War"
Melick's Peaches: "My ancestors have been growing peaches since before the Civil War"
The wild and spectacular stretch of the South Branch that runs through Califon and the Ken Lockwood Gorge has always been a draw for wildlife and sportsmen. In the days before modern roads and highways made day-tripping possible, fishermen and hunters would rent log cabins along River Road... read more
Melick's Peaches: "My ancestors have been growing peaches since before the Civil War"
Melick's Peaches: "My ancestors have been growing peaches since before the Civil War"
Melick's Peaches: "My ancestors have been growing peaches since before the Civil War"
John Melick had already spent 4 hours behind the wheel of a tractor when we climbed into his weathered, white GMC pick-up at 10 a.m. on a mild, early June morning to tour one of his family’s peach orchards in Califon... read more
Country Life at Blairsden: Schiff Natural Lands Trust’s Farm-to-Table Dinner
Melick's Peaches: "My ancestors have been growing peaches since before the Civil War"
Country Life at Blairsden: Schiff Natural Lands Trust’s Farm-to-Table Dinner
On Saturday, September 23, tours of the legendary mansion, period cocktails on the mountain-top terrace, and a Farm-to-Table Dinner, promise guests an intimate look at the lavish country lifestyle of C. Ledyard Blair... read more
Bernie's Hillside Lodge: "A Great Old Roadhouse"
Bernie's Hillside Lodge: "A Great Old Roadhouse"
Country Life at Blairsden: Schiff Natural Lands Trust’s Farm-to-Table Dinner
It was 20 minutes until show time on a sunny Saturday afternoon, an extra-special gift after days of deluge. This Old Engine, a Grateful Dead cover band, was about to take the stage to kick off the outdoor concert season at Bernie’s Hillside Lounge, a third-generation family-owned roadhouse in Chester... read more
Two Sisters and the Somerset Hills Gentleman
Bernie's Hillside Lodge: "A Great Old Roadhouse"
Two Sisters and the Somerset Hills Gentleman
Rachel and Morgan Colwell are inspired by their dad, Eric’s, classic and cool sense of style. It’s a casual flair they call the “Somerset Hills Gentleman” look - shirt and pants you can wear to dinner on Friday night and chop wood in on Saturday morning... read more
A Knight’s Tale
Bernie's Hillside Lodge: "A Great Old Roadhouse"
Two Sisters and the Somerset Hills Gentleman
My friend, Jane Knight, recently died at 91 years. She lived in the same pre-Civil War farmhouse in Chester for the last sixty years or so along with her late husband, Gus Knight. They raised cattle (Herefords) and always had a stellar herd of 60-80 animals... read more
Summer Foraging and Mushroom Sporing: Gathering and Growing Wild Food with The Foraged Feast
Summer Foraging and Mushroom Sporing: Gathering and Growing Wild Food with The Foraged Feast
Summer Foraging and Mushroom Sporing: Gathering and Growing Wild Food with The Foraged Feast
This time of year, nature is a well-stocked pantry, full of edible plants. A walk through your neighborhood can reveal several edible wonders, from berries to mushrooms to herbs... read more
DIVERSIONS
Summer Foraging and Mushroom Sporing: Gathering and Growing Wild Food with The Foraged Feast
Summer Foraging and Mushroom Sporing: Gathering and Growing Wild Food with The Foraged Feast
Macculloch Hall’s Pickled Peaches - George Macculloch (1775-1858), grew over thirty fruits and vegetables on his 19th-century farm, including peaches, which his wife, Louisa, used for her “Pickled Peaches.”
The Mighty Federal Truck - Leaving the stylish chrome to its main competitor, Diamond T, the Federal Motor Truck Company relied on rugged reliability.
Perky’s Writing Slate - Before the availability of affordable paper and ink, the use of writing slates was nearly universal among school students in North America, and much of the world.
BONUS FEATURE: Ledyard Blair and the History of Blairsden
Summer Foraging and Mushroom Sporing: Gathering and Growing Wild Food with The Foraged Feast
BONUS FEATURE: Ledyard Blair and the History of Blairsden
In 1897, despite admonitions from their friends that Peapack-Gladstone was too remote from New York City, C. Ledyard and his wife, Florence, began piecing together nearly 500 acres of farmland and wooded tracts to establish their country estate. They selected the highest peak on the property, a spectacular location that offered a commanding view across the reflective waters of Ravine Lake and the countryside beyond... read more
Thanks for Stopping By!
We've got to go, but we'll be back in the Fall with another great issue of The Black River Journal!