CRG
The History of "The Orange Mountain Ridge"
The First Range of the Orange Mountains was known to the families that lived there as
"The Ridge". Its altitude of 610 feet was quite low as mountains go, but it towered over the land
stretching the 15 miles to New York. In the 1870’s, the "Ridge" had a number of well-known people
who either moved from New York City, or spent their summers on the mountain, overlooking New
York City. General George McClellan owned a gentleman’s farm that stretched from Mt. Pleasant
Ave. to Northfield Rd., After the General’s death in 1881, his mansion and part of the estate was
purchased by Eugene Delano. The property was further subdivided into six or seven estates. John
Crosby Brown, another NYC banker, purchased acreage that went as far south as Northfield Rd.,
and built two mansions, located where Seton Hall Prep now has a playing field. The mansions were
called "Brighthurst" and "Holmhurst". The General’s home was called "Maywood", and was farther
north. The foundations of these three homes were lost when the field was built. The remains of the
Delano Orchid Greenhouse and the overgrown formal gardens are still recognizable, west of the
"Maywood" location. Seton Hall Prep is using several of the drives from the estates as cross-country
tracks. Further north on Prospect Ave., then called "Perry Lane" was the property of Maria Harding
Farr. Barkley Farr was a prime force in establishing the Williamsburg Restoration. The next property
was the Douglas Robinson estate. Mrs. Robinson was the sister of President Teddy Roosevelt.
McClellan, Brown, Delano, and Robinson were some of the Founding Fathers of the St. Cloud
Presbyterian Church, founded in 1877. Overlooking the New York skyline, just west of the trap rock
quarry was one of the summer homes of the famous architect, Stanford White. It was a lovely
Victorian mansion, with turrets and secret stairs for the hired help. Mr. White’s claim to fame was
two-fold. He was the architect of Penn Station and the Boston Public Library. He was also known
as quite the New York playboy, and was shot dead in Madison Square Garden by the new husband
of White’s "girlfriend. Another of his designs is the "Crystal Plaza", on Northfield Ave. in Livingston.
Continuing north to Mt. Pleasant Ave. and stretching from Prospect Ave. down to the sharp
bend on Mt. Pleasant Ave., was the estate of George Loree. Mr. Loree had controlling interest in
Pennslyvania Railroad, before the company changed its name. His mansion became the dormitory
for Carteret Prep School, after Mr. Loree’s death. Moving north, across Mt. Pleasant Ave. we find the
100 acres of the estate of George Merck, of Merck Pharmacuticals. His property went as far north as
the Crystal Lake property, which now contains Route 280 and the Condominiums, across from Essex
Green Shopping Center, and east to the border of Llewellyn Park. Mr. Merck also had a "gentleman’s
farm", with cows, pigs, horses, chickens, peacocks, and other animals. His tenant farmer, a man who
was disabled at the Merck factory, managed the farm. There were three working Trap Rock Quarries
on the edge of the "Ridge". The first one to close was on Northfield Ave., behind the apartments. The
second one to close in the late 20’s is located near the bend in Mt. Pleasant Ave. The last one, located
on Eagle Rock Ave., continued operation until around the time Route 280 was cut through the "Ridge".
The "cut" was considered quite an attraction for geologists, who came to study the rock formations.
Apartments have been built on this site, also.