Special Post: An Invitation and a Follow Up to Last Month’s Post

Photo by: Doug Hayes-Patterson

SPECIAL POST: AN INVITATION AND
A FOLLOW UP TO LAST MONTH’S POST

This is a special post to give you more information about the upcoming Four Centuries in a Weekend event where you can meet me, and a host of historical figures from the Deserted Village of Feltville, live and in person! David Felt, John Willcocks, Sara Felt Toby—and even more, all in one place! I won’t be in costume, but my presentation, which will take place on October 21 at 2 p.m. and October 22 at 1 p.m., will introduce you to some of the fascinating people involved in the resort era of the village, from the late nineteenth century until the early twentieth century. I hope you will fall in love with them as I have.

There is a second part to this special post. Tim Bernier (whose alter ego is John Willcocks) sent me a copy of a letter he found while doing historic research at the New Jersey Historical Society, as a follow up to my September 2023 post on transportation. He wrote to describe his finding:

I would be remiss if I didn’t share a bit of train-related information I came across during my research into the earlier Wilcox-era associated with the Deserted Village.
The attached photos are of a letter I had the opportunity to review in person at the NJ Historical Society, showing that on October 24^th, 1870, the residents of New Providence and vicinity, petitioned the Board of Directors of the New Jersey West Line Rail Road Company to “locate a Depot on lands of Henry Wilcox, Esq. on the North side of the Rail Road track, and on the Westerly side of South Street, New Providence, as near as my be to South Street.” The local residents saw such benefit in bringing train transportation through their town, that they were willing to donate property and rights of way for this train depot.
Henry Wilcox is the 2^nd great grandson of Peter Willcocks, original settler of the area known today as the Deserted Village of Feltville. The Wilcox family property referenced contained a home which still sits today along South Street and the train depot is known today as Murray Hill.

I love that Henry Wilcox donated the land for the train station which would later be the one which guests were directed to use in getting to Glenside Park, the resort which Feltville was transformed into. I am very grateful to Tim for passing this along. You can meet Tim in his alter ego, John Willcocks, at Four Centuries.

Please come introduce yourself if you come up to the village on October 21 or 22. See you at the village!