| Union Farm, the residence of Colonel Stewart and family during the war, was rented from Allen & Turner of Philadelphia, the owners of the iron interests in this section. Mr. Taylor, Lewis H. Taylor�s grandfather, had resided here previous to his removal to the present mansion at the Taylor Iron Works at High Bridge. Union Farm originally belonged to Judge Johnson. It was purchased in 1811 by Mr. Exton, an English gentleman, father of Joseph Exton, the present owner. On approaching this celebrated spot one is struck with the beauty of the location and the classic appearance of the surroundings, which are full of suggestions of the history it bears. There is the long dark valley of Spruce Run, even now thickly wooded and a secluded haunt for those meaning mischief. We must confess that after we traversed it a few days since, and were overtaken by a gypsy wagon, with rough looking, cut-throat men inside, a big dog under the wagon, that growled and barked at us, and a little one that ran snapping and snarling at our heels�after killing a small copperhead snake that lay across the road�our ideas of its terrors seventy years ago were not diminished. In the days when the furnace was in full blast, long files of horses and mules plodded through these forest paths, bearing leather panniers filled with ore or metal; for nearly all of the carrying was done in this way in those days, when roads were a luxury not much indulged in in this secluded area. The old furnace is there yet, or rather its crumbling walls, and a grand old ruin it is too, its walls on two sides fallen and covered with sod, and while the two remaining sides stand firm, crowned with a luxuriant growth of ivy, the ancient windows appear like the embrasures of an ancient fortress. However, its appearance is anything but warlike, for under its shade several fine dairy cows were grazing, and the stream rippling gaily by told of sunshine, peace and joy. Several of the outbuildings at Union Farm are the same as a hundred years ago. These are, some of them, of brick, others of stone, and a part of the mansion house of frame. Mr. Exton says that the timber in that house was cut from the meadow, then a forest, now beautifully green with luxuriant grass. The old blacksmith shop is still in good repair. Here, the tools of the farm and furnace were made and repaired. A mill stood on the stream, a short distance above, and here the neighborhood grinding was done, and grists were carried to and fro on horseback. It was common thing to see a man or boy, mounted, with a bag of flour before and behind, with rifle in hand, thread these lonely paths. Numerous wild turkeys were shot on the hillside about a hundred yards east of the mansion, and deer frequently came down to the stream to drink, in full view and rifle range of the verandah. From pp. 143-4 of John Lequear�s �Traditions of Hunterdon,� originally published 1869-70. |
| Union Farm |