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It is always the perfect time to visit the Somerset Hills.
Beginning over 100 years ago, lured by scenic vistas and clean country air, the very wealthy began to establish country seats in the Somerset Hills. Pharmaceutical tycoon Charles Pfizer invited his friends from New York City for weekends of foxhunting. Seduced by the natural beauty of the area, and the camaraderie of good friends, many of them bought farms and built their own estates.
The Hills have been home to two United States senators, two secretaries of state, two secretaries of the treasury, two New Jersey governors, several ambassadors, numerous publishers, countless financiers, and one king. Turning a few corners north of central Bernardsville, one could pass by the girlhood home of Meryl Streep; the estate of big band leader, Tommy Dorsey, where Frank Sinatra used to rehearse; the Charles Pfizer mansion where a Mary Pickford film was made in 1915; the castle-like fortress of Prudential founder, John Dryden; and the former home of Mike Tyson and Robin Givens.
A short distance north of Route 202 on the Peapack Road is the 500-acre estate of King Hassan II of Morocco (recently purchased by Somerset County). It sits on the crest of a hill with a commanding view of the Raritan River, which meanders through the estate. Continuing north through the villages of Peapack and Gladstone, the arms and armor store is on the left and the Peapack Gladstone Bank on the right. (The president of the bank is a direct descendant of Cornelius Vanderbilt.) Turn left at the bank, and left again on the Pottersville Road. Just after crossing Route 206, the United States Equestrian Team headquarters is on the left. Visitors are welcome. The headquarters is in the stable of the former James Cox Brady estate. Ordinary mansions would easily fit within its walls.
Turning south on Larger Cross Road, one passes the Lorillard and Pierrepont estates on the left and the former home of C. Douglas Dillon on the right. Mr. Dillon’s immigrant grandfather scrimped and saved to put his father through Harvard University. Clarence Dillon built Dillon Read & Company into a financial empire rivaling that of J. P. Morgan. C. Douglas Dillon became Under Secretary of State and Ambassador to France under Eisenhower, and Treasury Secretary under Kennedy and Johnson. He bought the famous Haut Brion vineyards in France. His daughter, Joan, became a duchess by marrying Prince Philippe de Mouchy. Their children are Prince Robert, and Princess Charlotte de Luxembourg.
Continuing down Larger Cross Road, just past the intersection of Lamington Road is the estate once belonging to noted publisher Charles Scribner, a personal friend of Ernest Hemingway. Turn right on River Road. "Hickory Corner" farm on the right is the former home of billionairess, Jacqueline Mars Vogel, heir to the Mars candy fortune. A quick left on Bunn Road takes you past "Shale House" at "River Run Farm," once the home of publisher John L. McGraw, of McGraw Hill and Company.
After crossing the Route 78, Steve Forbes' estate, "South Down," will be on both sides of the road. At the corner, turn left on Burnt Mills Road. His home is the first on the left. In a couple of miles you’ll reach the quaint village of Pluckemin, worthy of a visit in itself, and from which you can easily access Routes 287, 202 or 206 and return to the real world.
Author: Bill Schleicher
cocomaux@aol.com
Order book from: The Lore Office
65 Harlan School Road
Somerville, New Jersey 08876
For more information, the following map and book are also available at the Somerset County Visitor Center for sale, 360 Grove Street, Bridgewater, NJ 08807. The Somerset County Business Partnership's Visitor Center also suggests several other trips/tours, area restaurants and hotels to add to your visit's fulfillment. Lists are available at the Visitor Center or on our website www.SomersetBusinessPartnership.com.
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