Buyers in New Jersey’s real estate market often go straight to the Internet to find out about the latest listings, additional home information, or community amenities.  But sometimes learning about the history of a property is simply the result of the long-lost art of conversation.  A perfect example of that is a land sale that took place in the Washington Valley section of Morris Township.  The property, totaling just over four acres, was sold by Turpin’s Mendham office in 1999.

Barbara Barisonek, currently the Chatham Office Manager and Vice President of Business Development, relates a firsthand story from the former property owners about the land’s unusual background.  “The information on the property when we bought it was strictly word-of-mouth, but from ‘old timers’ who had lived in Washington Valley for a long time.  According to the stories, the property with its log cabin was originally a Boy Scout camp.  No one could ever give me a timeframe as to when it stopped being a Boy Scout camp.”  While the location of the Boy Scout camp was never confirmed, it was local lore that added some color to the sale, Barbara notes.

The owners continued their story, adding, “Apparently the property had been unused for several years before we bought it.  When we started building our house, neighbors were annoyed that they had lost their private park with a cabin and pond.”  Barbara reports that the cabin is still on the property, and the new home is like a private oasis with a swimming pool in the backyard amid the peaceful surroundings.

Turpin successfully marketed this parcel of land, prime acreage which included a stocked pond and stream set back from Gaston Road at the end of a long drive on a flag lot.  It is an enviable location minutes from downtown Morristown and near the protected land that comprises Washington Valley.  “It was a wonderful property to market,” Barbara adds.

Gracious Hedgerows Colonial in Chester Township

“Elegant simplicity” is a phrase that comes to mind when describing this custom-built home in Chester’s Hedgerows neighborhood.  Taking its design cues from Early American architecture, this classic white Colonial adjoins a red barn-style garage with three parking bays, giving it the look of a vintage farmstead.  The difference is that this home is filled with up-to-the-minute amenities and design elements that speak to a 21^st century lifestyle. 

Natural light spills into the spacious 12-room floor plan of five bedrooms, four full baths and a powder room.  Set amid 2.48± acres of rolling property, the home was built by the current owners in 2007, making it one of the newer residences in Hedgerows.  This desirable Chester Township community consists of just 39 New England reproduction homes based on 18^th century architecture.  Careful attention to detail is evident in all the homes in this sought-after enclave.

Among the outstanding amenities gracing the interior are red oak hardwood floors (which were fashioned from the property’s oak trees) on the main and second floors, traditional millwork, plantation shutters, built-ins and French doors.  Three fireplaces on the first floor are delightful focal points in some of the main gathering spaces.  Other highlights include a teak and granite gourmet kitchen fitted with stainless steel appliances, a private master suite on the second floor, and a partially finished lower level with full bath, exercise area and play room.

Hedgerows truly captures the one-of-a-kind charm of Chester real estate.

Spruce Hill Farm is a landmark estate in Mendham Borough.  The historic all-brick mansion is set on 27.9 acres overlooking a two-acre pond, manicured grounds with formal gardens and stone walls, windswept meadows and a 1,000-tree spruce farm.  In 2002 the Bernardsville Office listed the estate which sold for $4.55 million.  It was again successfully marketed by the Mendham office of Turpin in 2008.

Originally built in 1917, the 22-room main home was completely updated in 2003 and shows pride of ownership throughout.  A long, gated and tree-lined drive leads to the handsome Colonial Revival home, which was designed by the New York architectural firm of Lord & Hewlett.  Its elegant presence amid the open land is reminiscent of a grand manor found in the English countryside.

Timeless interior design details such as hardwood and parquet flooring, ten fireplaces with unique mantelpieces, many original interior doors, wood paneling and hardware, multiple sets of French doors and oversized windows lend character to the spacious rooms.  A delightful layout includes a grand center hall, a paneled library, and a sunroom overlooking the formal garden. Additionally, this noteworthy home has a billiards room, a private study, elevator and a staff wing. There are seven bedrooms, each with a full bath, many large walk-in closets, multiple kitchens, wet bars and powder rooms.

Spruce Hill Farm also features a pool and multiple outbuildings, including a two-story caretaker’s house with an attached six-car garage, chauffeur’s cottage, equipment barn, brick shed, wooden shed, and root cellar. 

Turpin took great pride in handling the transfer of Spruce Hill Farm on two occasions, giving it the same amount of care and attention as it does to every Mendham home for sale, or for that matter, every New Jersey home the firm represents.

Gated Far Hills Estate on Over 26 Acres

This spectacular Far Hills estate home, built in 2000, offers a unique escape from the mundane world. The hilltop site overlooking approximately 25 acres of farmland assessed property, provides expansive views of Ravine Lake and the Somerset Hills beyond.

This exceptional home was designed by Jeffrey Beer of the renowned architectural firm of Beer & Coleman. The sixteen-room main house, with its open floor plan, has four bedrooms, six full and two half baths, as well as a four-car garage complete with radiant heat. An enormous great room, reminiscent of the most elegant Adirondack lodge, with its rich paneling, soaring rustic beamed ceiling, and striking raised stone fireplace, is breathtaking both in its scale and attention to detail. The stunning open gourmet chefs kitchen is complemented by a highly functional butler’s pantry. The first floor master suite includes a silting room, dual dressing rooms, two full baths, and a laundry room. The lower level, complete with an exercise room, full bath, and multi-person sauna, includes both a playroom and an “Orvis” room with a wet bar, and a home theater, providing entertainment for all ages.

The caretaker’s cottage, designed with the same exterior architectural detail as the main house, includes a full kitchen which opens into the living room, full bath, a generous bedroom, and a huge additional multifunctional room. The cottage also houses the additional four-car radiant heated garage.

Marked by private entrance gates, this architectural masterpiece represents a rare opportunity in sought after Far Hills real estate. Surrounded by open land and wooded property, the setting is at once private, yet close to local amenities. Shopping, dining. excellent schools, train service, and a network of local and interstate highways are a short drive from this gated estate.

Weekend Events at the Scherman-Hoffman Center

Residents of Bernardsville are lucky to live alongside all the natural wonders of the Scherman-Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary at 11 Hardscrabble Road, owned and operated by the New Jersey Audubon Society. Two outdoor events on Saturday, March 26 are on the sanctuary’s schedule, with many more to come as the weather becomes milder.

Meet at the Hoffman Center on Saturday morning at 8am for a one-hour bird walk led by a staff member or an associate naturalist.  This free walk will cover topics like birds, trees, wildflowers, reptiles, amphibians and animal tracks.  The walks are offered every Friday and Saturday morning from 8 to 9am, a great way to start the weekend.

Saturday afternoon from 2 to 3:30pm, “A Froggy Wonder Walk in Spring” is on the calendar for young naturalists.  Listen to frog calls as you discover signs of spring along the river trail, then make a frog puppet out of a paper bag.  Members pay $5 per child and non-members pay $7 per child. 

The Scherman-Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary borders Morristown National Historic Park near the historic Cross Estate.  It offers three miles of hiking trails along the headwaters of the Passaic River, a bookstore/nature store and Environmental Education Center.  The Visitor Center and bookstore are open Tuesday to Saturday from 9:00am to 5:00pm and on Sundays from noon to 5:00pm.  Hiking trails are open every day from dawn to 5:00pm.

The Bernardsville Office of Turpin is located at 163 Morristown Road, a short distance from the wildlife sanctuary.  Local residents know they can expect the most recent news, trends and listings concerning Bernardsville homes for sale when they visit the office.

Turpin Real Estate sold White Oak, a timeless country property in Peapack-Gladstone, for $4.61 million in 2006.  Listed out of the Far Hills office, perhaps the most memorable aspect of this wonderful listing was the beautiful rolling property surrounding the main home and barns.

This Hunt Country farm presents an incredibly private setting on 50 acres with countryside views of rolling fields and distant panoramas.  The main residence, a substantial antique Colonial farmhouse, has been expanded numerous times through the decades. 

An architecturally interesting barn was built during the early 2000s on the foundation of the original antique barn that burned down in a fire.  A portion of the old barn remained and houses the horse stalls and tack room.  Outbuildings on the acreage include two cottages and several barn/garage structures. 

For recreational purposes, the swimming pool, tennis court and pond add to the relaxed country lifestyle at White Oak.  Additionally, much of the acreage is protected by a conservation easement, ensuring the future of this remarkable piece of New Jersey real estate.

Red Gate Farm was successfully marketed by Turpin’s Bernardsville office in 2005.

Listing agent Molly Tonero recalls the home’s 2005 sale: “The house was in sad disrepair but the bones were fabulous, and I still think of it as one of the two greatest houses in a town full of special properties.  The buyers have since done an historic renovation and the house is, again, fabulous. It seemed destined to happen, and again it was a terrific honor to work with such an important property.”

Red Gate Farm was built in 1925 for Seth E. Thomas Jr. and his wife, the former Josephine Van Beuren Reynolds.  Thomas was president of the clock manufacturing company founded by his great-grandfather in 1813, and his wife was descended from one of New Jersey’s earliest families. 

The estate’s elegant stone Georgian manor evokes timeless images of hunt balls, tea parties on the terrace, and moonlight dances.  This landmark was designed by Harrie T. Lindeberg who, along with Stanford White, was at one time part of the McKim, Mead and White architectural firm. The impressive 27-room home features seven bedrooms—most with their own fireplace–, eight full baths, seven staff rooms and a charming two-bedroom cottage.

All the hallmarks of fine design are found within Red Gate Farm.  The front-to-back foyer opens onto a rear terrace which captures lavish scenery.  Rooms for every conceivable use include a formal dining room, den, family room, media room, kitchen with refrigeration room and more.  An enormous living room was once used as a ballroom and offers a multitude of uses for entertaining on an extravagant scale.  Raised paneling, barrel ceilings, plaster crown moldings, original hardwood pegged oak flooring and marble fireplaces are just some of this home’s impressive interior highlights.

Located in the desirable Red Gate area of New Vernon in Harding Township, the estate property’s 9.27 acres encompass a long entry drive, mature trees, sweeping green lawns and a secluded, brick-walled courtyard with swimming pool. 

As one of the most notable transactions among New Vernon real estate, Red Gate Farm is now a stunning example of how an appreciation for and dedication to the preservation of historic New Jersey homes can revitalize a property!

Race to Nowhere Movie Screening on April 4

A film that’s getting a lot of notice in the media is headed to Far Hills Country Day School on Monday night, April 4.  Race to Nowhere will be screened at 7pm in the main school building’s gymatorium, to be followed by an open discussion.  Advance tickets are available for $10 at the school’s website or $15 at the door, and the event is open to the public.  Far Hills Country Day School is located along Route 202 in Far Hills.

Race to Nowhere recounts the true-life stories of young students in the United States who are under incredible amounts of pressure, parents who are trying to do what is best for their children, and educators who are concerned about effectively preparing students for the challenges of the 21^st century.  The website for Race to Nowhere says the movie “is a call to mobilize families, educators, and policy makers to challenge current assumptions on how to best prepare the youth of America to become healthy, bright, contributing and leading citizens.”

Far Hills Country Day School is one of the hundreds of schools, organizations and theaters involved in a six-month grassroots campaign to screen this important film.  It has already captured the imagination of tens of thousands of viewers, who hope the movie will change the nation’s dialogue on education.  Far Hills Country Day School will host a community-wide discussion immediately following the screening.

Since its founding in 1929 as a pioneering school of early childhood education, Far Hills Country Day School has integrated a curriculum that continually evolves to keep pace with an ever-changing world.  Dedicated to academic excellence, the school offers a bucolic 55-acre setting for students in kindergarten through grade 8.

Located on Route 202, Far Hills Country Day School is located right down the road from the Far Hills Office of Turpin Real Estate.  Our agents are well-versed in the area’s many public and private schools, and are a wonderful resource about educational and real estate opportunities in Far Hills.

Maplefield– masterpiece of Far Hills real estate– was listed by Turpin in 2006.

Brandes-Maselli Architects of Bernardsville brought their visionary design approach to this iconic Shingle Style estate home set on ten bucolic acres. 

What began as a 1970s ranch style home was completely re-built using the existing foundation and chimney.  The result of this stunning transformation is an elegant residence created with attention to detail both inside and out.

An ingenious exterior combines brickwork with cedar shingles, a tribute to Old World style seen in country estates at the turn of the last century.  The home is capped by a cedar shake roof and edged with copper gutters.  A seven-car carriage house offers excellent potential for car collectors or future finished space. 

Inside the main home, a gracious floor plan contains over 20 rooms, including six bedrooms and seven full baths.  Thoughtful architectural details include four fireplaces, custom handcrafted millwork and five-inch wide quarter sawn white oak flooring on the first and second levels.

Other highlights of the layout include sun-filled gathering spaces, a mahogany terrace, a chef’s kitchen with finely-detailed cabinetry, a master suite featuring a private stairway and a walk-out lower level with distinctive entertaining areas.

Of special note is the ten-acre parcel, which offers an ideal setting characterized by sweeping lawns, open pastures and captivating countryside views.  Additionally, the property adjoins Natirar’s over 400 acres of protected parkland acquired by Somerset County, assuring an extra degree of privacy for generations to come.

Bernardsville’s Legendary “Claremont” Estate

Claremont is the historic estate property sited on 70 Bernardsville Mountain acres and designed by renowned architect George Brown Post for use as his Summer home.  Its history is well-documented in the pages of New Jersey Houses: The Somerset Hills, Volume I, authored by Jack Turpin and W. Barry Thomson. 

Post was a founding father of the Bernardsville Mountain colony established in the late 1800s, and his home was an exceptionally fine example of the grand homes still located here.  The circa 1903 estate was a neo-Federal style residence fashioned of stone and terra cotta.  Using his considerable architectural gifts in the plans for Claremont, Post was also known as “the father of the tall building in New York,” and his Summer home has distant views that reach as far as the Manhattan skyline (the location of skyscrapers he designed). 

Inside, the size and scope of Claremont’s floor plan is immediately evident in the wide center hall which serves as a starting point for grandly-scaled rooms.  Marble floors, gracefully appointed fireplaces, soaring ceilings, detailed millwork and spacious windows are among the timeless design elements. 

Upstairs are four en-suite bedrooms, a master suite of rooms and roomy staff quarters.  Of special note is the upper floor’s Palladian window wall which takes in sweeping views of distant valleys, rolling hills and the estate’s elaborate terraced gardens.  This classic estate property also includes a lovely shingle style carriage house with apartment and an inviting guest cottage. 

With a legacy that reaches back over 100 years, Claremont is undoubtedly one of George Post’s most remarkable designs.  A rare and historic offering, this Bernardsville home for sale is truly a legendary estate property.