|
FAST FACTS:
|
TOWN:
Tewksbury Township
COUNTY: Hunterdon
REGION: Highlands - Black River Greenway
ACRES: 46 acres
TYPE: Farmland preservation
PARTNERS: State Agriculture Development Committee, Hunterdon County, Tewksbury Township
|
|
|
Historic Craigmar Farm preserved in TewksburyTownship
|
An iconic farm in Tewksbury Township, Hunterdon County, has just been preserved!
New Jersey Conservation Foundation
spearheaded the preservation of a 46-acre farm that has been in the same family since before the American Revolution.
Craigmar Farm was established by Moses Craig in 1757, nearly two decades before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. He passed the farm along to his son, Robert, who built the first house on the property. Over the next two centuries, it was owned and farmed by a succession of Craig descendants - William, Robert, Richard, Marshal and Miller Craig.
Miller Craig passed away in 2015, and the 76-acre farm was divided among his three daughters.
Marbern Berry and Marsha Livingston inherited 46 acres of fertile agricultural land with no buildings, currently being farmed by a local farmer.
"Mar" is the Scottish word for hill, so Craigmar means the Craig family hill. The picturesque farm is situated on a hillside on the north side of Homestead Road, adjacent to Raritan Headwaters Association's Fox Hill Preserve and across the street from Clucas Farms and the Johnson family's 3,000-acre Cedar Lane Farm.
"This is a beautiful piece of farmland in the heart of Tewksbury Township, and we're very grateful that the family chose to preserve it," said Michele S. Byers, executive director of New Jersey Conservation Foundation.
The State Agriculture Development Committee, Hunterdon County and Tewksbury Township all contributed funding toward the purchase of the development rights.
"Hunterdon County's rural heritage is protected with every farm that is preserved," said Shaun Van Doren, a Hunterdon County freeholder who lives in Tewksbury. "The preservation of the Craigmar Farm in Oldwick is a perfect example. The Board of Chosen Freeholders is happy to partner with New Jersey Conservation Foundation, the state and the township to make this project come to fruition, and of course is grateful to the family for preserving their farm."
|
|
