On May 31, 2000, 724 acres of forested mountain ridge and open fields were added to Jenny Jump State Forest. The tract, purchased from the Pequest Property Company after nearly five years of negotiations and through the perserverence of Green Acres' staffers Jim Bresnen and Renée Jones and former staffers John Denlinger and Kerri Ratcliffe, borders Allamuchy Mountain State Park, at the junction of County Route 517 and Interstate 80, in Allamuchy Township. This newest addition to New Jersey's system of state forests is situated along the Jenny Jump Mountains of Warren County, and will begin a greenway connector westward along Route 80 and the upper watershed of the Pequest River, toward Jenny Jump State Forest. The map below depicts preserved open space in the area.

Open Space in the Area of the New Acquisition

 

The property comprises open agricultural fields and mixed hardwood forest - which until the onslaught of the wooly adelgid included abundant Eastern Hemlock - with rock outcroppings, glacial erratics and beautiful views of the surrounding ridges and valleys. Jenny Jump rises to approximately 1,100 feet above sea level, and is one of several large Precambrian gneissic overthrust sheets within the Kittatinny Valley. The new acquisition is depicted below on the USGS Tranquility quadrangle map. The mountain top echoed with the sounds of iron mining during the late 1800's. By the turn of the twentieth century, the property was a portion of the vast holdings of John Rutherford Stuyvesant. The Rutherford Mansion was built in 1903-1904 and is presently the Villa Madonna.

At nearby Allamuchy Mountain State Park experience some of the best trout fishing in the state, on the meandering Musconetcong River. Several miles of trails crisscross through the forests and marshlands of the park. Waterloo Village, which is located on the banks of the Morris Canal, is well known for its historic buildings and diverse cultural programs of classical and popular music as well as dance and opera.

 

The former Pequest Properties Co. Lands

 

 

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revised July 21, 2000