West Amwell Historic Preservation Committee

The West Amwell Historic Preservation Committee is charged with responsibility to-

• record and preserve the history of the people, sites, and buildings in the township

• identify artifacts of historical significance

• create an awareness of the rich history of the township

The Committee’s primary function is to act in an advisory capacity to the Township Committee, the Township Planning Board and Township Zoning Board of Adjustment whenever a proposal under consideration impacts on an historic structure – building, bridge, sign, etc. The Committee will determine what is significant to preserve of the Township’s heritage and to educate the residents about why historic preservation is important to the Township’s future.

West Amwell Township’s first Historic Preservation Committee was appointed in November, 1992. The Committee is appointed by the Mayor to serve three-year terms.

The 2011 Committee--

Carolyn Deal

Ruth Hall (Chairperson)

Mary Ann Hartman

Zach Rich (Township Committee Liaison)

Martha Shea (Secretary)

The Historic Preservation Committee is presently working on several projects. The 2011 Historic Preservation projects--

• Continue interviews and video taping of long-time residents of the Township (such as students who attended the four one-room schools in the Township)

• Continue to collect photos and memorabilia depicting sites/people of West Amwell

• Research the history of the painting of the farm house that is hanging in the lobby of the Municipal Building

Long range project -

• In 2002 the Township Committee asked that the Historic Preservation Committee consider the restoration of the West Amwell Veterans’ Honor Roll as a project. The current Honor Roll is a white painted wooden structure located at the Fire House in Mt. Airy. It is in disrepair and in need of attention. In 2005 the Road Department made some emergency repairs and stabilized it as best they could. The Historic Preservation Committee would like to replace and relocate the current Honor Roll with something that can stand the test of time, both artistically and structurally, and that would honor all Township veterans who have served in all the country’s military conflicts. The current Honor Roll contains the names of only the young men and women who served in the armed forces during World War II. The Committee plans to attempt to contact each of the veterans listed and/or their families and ask them to share photos and biographical information. So far the Committee has collected the names of 198 current and former West Amwell residents who have served in military conflicts going back to the Revolutionary War. It is our understanding that the West Amwell Parent Teacher Association was responsible for creating the current Honor Roll. We believe that children in the four one-room grade schools helped raise funds for the project. The structure was built by Earl Holcombe, School Board President and a local builder. The Historic Preservation Committee is fortunate to have a picture taken at what we believe was the dedication of the Honor Roll. Shown in the photo are--Township Clerk, Bill Lauderdale; School Board President, Earl Holcombe; PTA President, Emily Gulick; and PTA Secretary, Mildred Tietsworth. The Honor Roll was originally located at the corner of Mt. Airy Village Road and the Mt. Airy-Harbourton Road in front of the Mt.Airy Presbyterian Church. At some point the Honor Roll was relocated to the Fire House in Mt. Airy.

Former Historic Preservation Projects of note-

• In 2000, the Committee was awarded two grants to fund a video archive project. A $500 grant was received from The Hunterdon Cultural Heritage Commission and a $3,000 grant from Rutgers University. The Township matched both grants. After numerous video taped interviews, approximately twelve hours of tape were edited into a 90-minute video made available publicly in 2002 and is currently available at the Hunterdon County Library or for purchase at our Municipal Building.

• In 2005 the Committee conducted research on the Village of Gano. Gano was a Belgium block mining community in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The village was located in the Sourland Mountain area of the Township (also known as High Valley) off the Mt. Airy-Harbourton Road between Rock Road West and Rocktown Road.

• The Committee joined with other residents on Memorial Day 2008 to honor the six men from the Township who were killed in World War II and Vietnam. The Historic Preservation Committee was responsible for conducting research into the lives of each of the six men.

• The Committee documented and updated inventory of historic sites identified by Hunterdon County for their Master Plan Historic Element, completing the project in early 2010.

• In 2010 the Committee worked collaboratively with West Amwell Planning Board to update the Master Plan Historic Element.

The Historic Preservation Committee should be encouraged to continue its work in identifying, cataloging and recording West Amwell’s historic heritage.

This page was last updated on: August 15, 2011