Hunterdon Land Trust Farmers’ Market History Day

Historic architect Chris Pickell will lead a walking tour of the barns at the Dvoor Farm as part of the Hunterdon Land Trust’s History Day on Sunday, July 9.

Celebrate local history at the Hunterdon Land Trust Farmers’ Market on Sunday, July 9 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Dvoor Farm, 111 Mine St. in Raritan Township. HLT’s History Day will feature tours, a presentation about life in Hunterdon County in the 1870s, and a visit by several local historical organizations.

The event begins with a tour of the barns on the Dvoor Farm at 9:30 a.m. with Chris Pickell, the principal architect at Pickell Architecture in Flemington. He will lead a walking tour and discuss the farm’s bank barn, north and east el barns, horse barn (with the iconic Dvoor Bros. advertisement painted on the roof) and wagon house. Pickell specializes in upgrading antique buildings, historic design, and timber and stone barns. He’s also a trustee of the Hunterdon County Historical Society.

At 10:30 a.m., John Allen shares the findings of his research using the 1870 Federal Census alongside the 1873 Beers map to create a fascinating snapshot of a late 19th century farming community in Hunterdon County. Using East Amwell Township as a model, Allen discusses the lives of rich and poor farmers and farm laborers, telling several fascinating stories along the way. The presentation, which includes maps and intriguing images, also covers such topics as the 1872 equine influenza epidemic and population trends in the county.
Allen serves on the board of trustees of the Hunterdon County Historical Society and is a member of East Amwell’s Historic Preservation Committee and the East Amwell Historical Society. For 34 years he worked as a petroleum geologist, and lived on three continents before retiring in 2013.

At 11:30 a.m., tour the historic stone farm house with Dave Harding, HLT’s director of outreach. He’ll take you through 279 years of local history, covering Johan Philip Case’s arrival to the Flemington area, his friendship with the Delaware Chief Tuccamirgan through to the preservation of the Dvoor Farm in 1999. Visitors can check out the 18th-century graffiti in the attic and learn about the 1803 murder in the basement. Harding serves on the board of trustees of the Hunterdon County Historical Society and is a member of the East Amwell Historical Society.

Also participating in the house tour is Ariel Dvoor Hylton, who created a podcast of a self-guided walking tour of the Dvoor farm and house for her Girl Scout Gold Award. The tour will be available from HLT’s website and YouTube channel. Hylton is the great-granddaughter of Jacob Dvoor, who purchased the property in 1920 and ran a stock farm until his death in 1972. Jacob’s son, Herb Dvoor, continued to run the family cattle business well into the 1990s.

The Hunterdon County Historical Society, Hunterdon County 300th Committee, the Raritan Township Historical Society and the Friends of Historic Flemington are scheduled to attend.

All events are free, and no registration is required.

The Farmers’ Market features more than 20 local farmers and vendors offering organic produce, grass-fed beef, pork, chicken, yak, honey, artisan breads, freshly ground spices and loose teas, fresh-cut flowers, cheese, milk, eggs, locally roasted coffee, native plants and more. Visitors can enjoy a flatbread pizza made with ingredients provided by local farmers while listening to live music with the Back Porch Jug Band.

Farmers’ Market sponsors are Basil Bandwagon Natural Market, Matt’s Red Rooster Grill, ShopRite of Hunterdon County and Peragrin LLC.