Blairstown Photos

New 6 April 2005

READ FAMILY CONNECTIONS

Blairstown
Blairstown Township
Warren County, New Jersey

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All photographs were taken by Esther Doyle Read
Postcards are part of the collection of Esther Doyle Read

Blairstown

The village was originally known as Smith's mills after a grist mill once located there. By 1819, it was called Butt's Bridge after Jacob Butts, the owner of the bridge across the Paulinskill. The following year a post office was established in Butt's Bridge. At that time the village had a storehouse where the post office was kept, a log dwelling, a log tavern, a blacksmith shop, and at least two frame dwellings. In 1825, the name of the post office was changed to Gravel Hill. Thomas Gordon's 1834 Gazetteer of the State of New Jersey called the town Gravel Hill and described it as containing "a large grist mill, tavern, store, tannery, and 6 or 8 dwellings." The town assumed the name of Blairstown on 24 June 1839 when the male citizens voted to change the name to honor John Insley Blair, the town's most prosperous resident. An 1846 description of the town in John W. Barber and Henry Howe's Historical Collections of the State of New Jersey, stated that "Blairstown, formerly called Gravel Hill, contains a store, a grist-mill, several mechanics, a tannery, 15 or 20 dewellings, 1 Methodist and 1 Presbyterian church." By 1881, when James P. Snell wrote his History of Sussex and Warren Counties, New Jersey the town contained two churches—Presbyterian and Methodist—the Blair Presbyterial Academy, the district school, and a public hall. Businesses included a hotel, four general stores, two grocery stores, a jeweler, a tailor, two shoemakers, three blacksmiths, a carriage manufacturer, a coal dealer, a marble dealer, a dentist, a druggist, two physicians, an insurance agent, and one newspaper—the Blairstown Press—which was established in 1877. The map included with this section is taken from the 1874 F.W. Beers County Atlas of Warren County New Jersey

Historic View

This post 1873 view of Blairstown was taken from a ridge to the south and east of the Paulinskill. The bridge in the foreground crosses over the Paulinskill. The church to the right is the first Presbyterian Church of Blairstown, that to the left is the Methodist Episcopal Church which was dedicated on 23 January 1873, it burned down on 22 May 1955. The view is toward the north and west.

Blairstown 2004

This series of photographs was either taken along New Jersey Route 94, which skirts the south edge of Blairstown, or from Footbridge Park, which is on the south side of the Paulinskill. Route 94 is the location of several gas stations, a diner and other small businesses. The first photograph was taken from Route 94, facing toward the north. In the foreground is a series of contemporary businesses, but behind them on the ridge is the older town of Blairstown. In the center of the photograph is a white nineteenth-century cross gable house. The Methodist Episcopal Church was located in the lot to the left of the house. Directly behind this house is the cemetery, which has been known by at least two names over the past 200 years: Gravel Hill and J.I. Blair Academy. It is the burial place of John Insley Blair and most of the founding members of the Prebyterian church. In the second photograph, which is located further to the east along route 94, the red building on the right was the original home of the Blairstown Hose Company, which was founded on 8 October 1889. Land and the building on Carhart Street were donated by John I. Blair and Walter Wilson. The old grist mill is just visible at the end of the Street (it is the building with the arched entry). An historic view of the mill is included in a following section below. The third photograph is a little further to the east, the rear of the hose company building can be seen on the left side of the photograph. The photo is oriented to the north and was taken from Footbridge Park. The Paulinskill flows in the foreground. The route 94 bridge crosses over Blair Creek at its confluence with the Paulinskill. The final photograph was taken from Footbridge Park and is oriented to the north and east. This is a view of the eastern edge of the town. The church steeple raising above the all the other buildings belongs to the Presbyterian Church.

Blairstown Presbyterian Church

The Blairstown Pesbyterian Church was incorporated in 1839. The original members all transfered from the Knowlton Presbyterian Church, the distance to Knowlton being too great to comfortably travel every Sunday. These members included Philip Raub and Jacob Lanterman as original elders of the church, John and Rachel Harden, Isabella Lanterman (wife of William), Rachel Read Lantermen (wife of Jacob), Rachel Lanterman (wife of Peter), Michael and Mary (Read) Raub, Sabry Raub (wife of Philip), Mary Shipman, Henry K. Snover, and Joseph J. and Sarah Snover. The current church is the second church built by the congregation. This building was dedicated on 16 July 1872. The three photographs of the church include a daytime view taken from Footbridge Park on the southside of the Paulinskill on 22 November 2004 at about 1:15 PM. The photo is oriented toward the north and east. The two night exposures were done on 27 March 2003 at 8 PM and include a close up of the lighted steeple and of the stain glass widow over the main entrance to the church. These views were taken from main street and are oriented roughly to the south and east.

Footbridge Park

Footbridge park is located on the south bank of the Paulinskill. The cast iron footbridge was built by John I. Blair in 1877 as a means to reach the railroad station for the DL&W (Delaware Lackawana & Western). The bridge crossed the Paulinskill and a low meadow. Dr. John Sharpe the head master of Blair Academy recalled in his 1939, Memories of Blair how the academy rented the meadow as their football field in the early years of the twentieth century. Today, the meadow area is a park, complete with a children's play area. The railroad station at the south end of the meadow is gone, all that survives is the concrete foundation. The two photographs are first of the bridge from the meadow, facing north and east and second of the bridge and park area from the bridge, facing south and east. The play area is just visible behind my daughter. The photographs were shot on 22 November 2004 at approximately 1 PM.

Railroads

In addition to the DL&W railroad, the NYS&W railroad also had a depot in Blairstown. This line—the New York, Susquehanna and Western —was nicknamed the "Susie Q." The date of post card is unknown.

Blair Academy

The academy began due to the efforts of John I. Blair, John Bunnell (a successful carriage manufacturer in Blairstown) and the Rev. John A. Reiley, who was pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Blairstown. In April 1848 a building committee was selected and the school opened on 16 November 1848 as the Blair Presbyterial Academy, a co-educational facility. The original building was located adjacent to the cemetry. It measured 48 by 24 feet was one story in height and was completed shortly after the school opened. According to James P. Snell's 1881 History of Sussex and Warren Counties, New Jersey the building contained "...two rooms, occupied by the primary and higher departments respectively, separated by folding doors, which were thrown open during the opening and closing exercises, and on other necessary occassions. Across the end of the classical department was a broad platform, occupied by the desk of the principal and by the classes in recitation, as well as for purposes of declamation." Classes met in the little building between 1848 and 1854. After 1854, the size of the academy expanded and students from around the United States began to attend the school. Blair is still a college preparatory boarding school. The first photograph is a view of Insley Hall taken on 22 November 2004 from the cemetery. The current Insley hall was built after the first Insley Hall burned to the ground in 1867. It is used as a boys dormitory. The second photo is of the old grist mill, which the academy purchased in the early years of the twentieth century. Built in 1825, the mill was originally a two story structure. In about 1855, a wooden addition was added to the east side of the mill that extended it to the creek. Dr. Sharpe's 1939, Memories of Blair described the changes made to the mill in 1904. The roof was removed and a third story was added. Because the mill abutted the street a sidewalk was fashioned by cutting arches in the end walls of the building to provide a line of travel. Other aches were cut in the first floor facade to provide light. Dr. Sharpe finished his description of the renovation by stating the "The old mill presents a covered walk, as is seen in some old foreign cities." The second photograph is a post 1904 post card of Main Street in Blairstown which includes a view of the mill. The steeple in the background belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church. The view is to the west. In about 1903, the academy had built a limestone dam across the race way that provided power to the mill and across Blair Brook (or Creek). This covered the Brook Meadow as it is labeled on the 1874 Beers atlas of the county. In the summer of 1904 a bridge was built across the dam. Dr. Sharpe and his wife designed the stair entrance at the waterfall which was also built that summer. This entrance is still in use. The third photograph is of the dam and was taken on 22 November 2004. The final overview is of Canadian geese around the academy lake on 25 March 2004 (the dam is just off the right edge of the photograph).

Houses

The undated postcard is a view of High Street, which is located on the eastern edge of Blairstown on a hill well above the Paulinskill flood plain. The night time photograph is of the former home of Dr. John Couse Johnson on Main Street. Dr. Couse was born in Wantage Township, Sussex County in 1828. He attended the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York and after recieving his certification settled in Blairstown in 1850. Twelve years later he married Anna Howell. Anna served as the post mistress of Blairstown from 5 June 1856 until 14 February 1862. The Johnson house is located on the south side of Main Street next to the Presbyterian Church. The photograph was taken at 8 PM on 27 March 2003.

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This web site was produced by Timothy Doyle 5/5/98,
Questions regarding content should be directed to Esther Doyle Read readgen@adelphia.net