The Hillandale Estate/Sisters of St. John Orphanage & School

Somerset County is home to some of the most attractive and expensive residential homes in the state of New Jersey. Some of these estates are relatively new, while others were built centuries ago. The subject of this article, the Hillandale Estate, falls into the second category. 

Source: TFPNJ Postcard Archive

The foundation was laid for the beautiful mansion in 1906. Once completed, the structure would be home to George Mosle and his wife Katherine. Mostle was a wealthy sugar importer who made his fortune brokering sales with Cuban sugar plantations. Architect Grosvenor Atterbury designed the home in a handsome Craftsman style.

Like many other industrialists of the time, Mosle's business relied heavily on imports. This became a real problem for him when the first World War broke out. The company lost so many ships during the turmoil that by 1926 Goerge Mosle had to declare bankrupcy and leave Hillandale. 

The mansion and grounds were purchased by the Sisters of St. John the Baptist, a Roman Catholic organization. They quickly got to work transforming the property to better suit their needs. They cleared land for farming and added two new wings to either side of the home. The most impressive new feature was the large, well decorated chapel on the south wing. By the time construction was complete, the building was an intimidating 66,000 square feet.

The sisters operated an orphange at the convent for nearly a decade. After ending the program in 1937 they began to focus mainly on education. Private schools were relatively common in the Somerset Hills at the time. The St. John campus was not far from the well established St. Bernard School for boys, and the newly established Wychwood School for Girls as well The new St. John Academy boarding school became home to many catholic children from the area. 

Thirty sisters called St. John's home at its peak. By the 1950s an entire new school building was built along the driveway leading to the main building. The greatest feature of the structure was definitely the full sized gymnasium. Unfortunately the success of the educational instition began to wane over the decades. By 1992 the academy had closed, and the space was being rented to a different private school named the Montgomery Academy. 

In an attempt to raise funds the sisters sold a portion of the estate for $15 million to Morris County. They built a new sports field which they dubbed Mosle field in honor of George Mosle. There were only seven sisters still living at the facility by this time. Montgomery Academy found a new home in Basking Ridge three years later, leaving the large main St John's building mostly empty. More land was sold to the county, which became the Mosle preserve. The last few sisters moved out in 2013, and the property was put up for sale for nearly five million dollars. 

It wasn't until the following year that I first saw a photo of the outside of the main building. I had just created an account on Reddit and was busy skimming through all of the posts on the exploring boards that referenced New Jersey. Someone had posted the outside and labeled it "abandoned boarding school New Jersey". Inside the comments the user had mentioned that the local kids would go up to the school and dare each other to sneak inside the empty buildings. They also mentioned it was somewhere near Peapack-Gladstone. It was definitely the thing that stood out the most to me from this bout of research. I spent hours looking for the building, to no avail. I didn't end up tracking it down until 2015.

I was so happy to finally have found the place. I took the first opportunity I had to drive over to the place. I parked at the sports field and began to walk over. The property was quiet as I approached the structure. The first door I passed was just sitting ajar. I couldn't believe my luck! I popped inside, and was quickly met with the smell of Pine Sol and the sound of running fans. Lights were on in the basement, and I could hear the old steam system creaking and groaning. This building was absolutely not abandoned, but vacant. I wasn't very accustomed to being inside buildings like that before so I was quite nervous. I took my chances and bee lined it for the large, beautiful chapel I saw on the aerial view.  I got a few photos quickly and left before anyone figured out I was there. I came back with some friends shortly afterwards take some time to see more of the place.

The door I had left unlocked was shut again, but I was able to find another way in swiftly. We wandered around for a while, starting in the school and working our way through the mansion to the chapel.  At one point we ended up in an office in the front of the building. I looked at the calendar and was shocked to see it was marked for the exact day we were there. We quickly realized this was the caretakers active office and we needed to leave immediately. Around this time a developer named Jeffery Toia came forward with a solid plan to reuse the building. As reported in the Observer - Tribune, "The master plan creates a sense of estate, Toia said. “The mansion and school buildings being the castle so to speak and the townhouses being the village framing the castle. The existing rock walls and open spaces can then capture a whole host of activities that make up daily life. Architecturally, the materials for the townhouses mimic the original mansion with stone, brick and batten board.” Unfortunately his plan was shot down by the township. I don't think they had any idea what a mistake that was going to end up being.

A few years later the place regrettably turned up on Instagram. After seeing several of the usual "urban tourists" going we decided to revisit again before it started to get ruined. I was pleasantly surprised to see everything more or less in place, with the exception of some antique hardware going missing. We took our photos and headed out, assuming we would be able to come back at some point. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. I had missed an article that had come out in 2021 acknowledging that the entire campus, including the mansion, was to be demolished. In September 2022 I saw it posted on Instagram by @lockjaw.ny with the caption "RIP" and bugged out. Before long I was back at the property to see for myself. I drove right up the driveway and parked amongst the workers on the land where the mansion once stood. I was extremely distressed. There was absolutely no reason the mansion had to be demolished. This is yet another example of developer K Hovnanian Homes destroying an irreplaceable part of New Jersey's history to serve their own greed. The new development, disgustingly called "the Enclave at Hillandale", is a cluster of tacky, soulless buildings constructed quick and cheap. Surely they won't last as long as the incredible mansion that once graced the same land. 

St. Francis Health Resort and Convent

The land along Diamond Spring Road at the corner of Pocono sure looks a lot different now than it ever has in the past. What is now a sprawling modern senior care center started as a health resort all the way back in 1895. Thats when the Order of the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother purchased 200 acres of land and began the St. Francis Health Retreat.

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At the time the health resort started there were only a few structures on the land. The most prominent was the Glover Mansion, which at the time was already 75 years old. The retreat was founded around a man named Father Joseph Joch who was administering the "Kneipp Water Cure". St Francis was the first place on the east coast to offer such treatment. Joch, who was born in Austria, and seven Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother traveled all the way from Wisconsin to establish the community in Denville.

Denville was a very different town at the inception of the St Francis community. As a matter of fact, it wasn't even a town yet. It took until April of 1913 for the town to formally be incorporated. It is said by many long time residents of Denville that St. Francis was responsible for the town being founded in the first place. 

The community did a lot of farming on the land to sustain themselves. They even had their own boiler and steam system to heat the buildings during the harsh winter months.

The retreat was extremely successful. By the middle of the century the facility was drawing A list celebrities such as Judy Garland, Charlie Chaplan and Frank Sinatra according to multiple online sources. 

As time went on "water cures" were falling out of fashion, so around 1978 the health resort started to transition to senior care. I imagine it was around this time that much of the bland modernization work was done inside. 

The distinct interior of the Glover Mansion was almost entirely covered over or demolished during this time. In the early 1980's a new wing was added between Pocono Road and the chapel. This was the last large scale construction project the campus ever saw. 

Despite no longer offering resort services St. Francis was still a critical fixture for the town. I first remember hearing about the facility from the Hometown Tales podcast, where it was mentioned several times. One of the hosts served on the town council in Denville, and spoke fondly of the complex and the fundraising events they were holding at the time. 

Residents were shocked in June of 2021 when news broke that the facility was sold and set to close. A month later the sisters announced they were transferring the facility to a senior care company called Springpoint. 

At first the new owners claimed there were no firm plans for the campus. Locals scrambled to try and get the buildings landmarked in an effort to protect them from development. Unfortunately plans for a total demolition of the complex and construction of a new facility were announced shortly afterwards. 

Following the announcement, the movie "the Home" was filmed inside the buildings. The plot depicts a fictionalized St Francis as a horrible, sinister place full of secrets. It's really regrettable that this is how so many people are going to learn of the place, which offered so much to so many for so long. 

I found out about the complex's uncertain future right after the movie wrapped up. The following morning I got up early, grabbed my camera, and headed out the door. It was an exceptionally quiet and peaceful morning. I felt a great sense of calm as I walked the path off the road towards the gorgeous chapel. 

Sure enough I was able to slip inside quickly. It was really eerie wandering around alone inside the building. It had been used so recently, and was so full of stuff it really felt like I could come around the corner to an angry nun any moment. Fortunately, that wasn't the case.

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I was fortunate enough to be able to visit the buildings several times. I did have to dodge demolition workers who were inside removing stuff and prepping the building, but the old creaky floors gave me plenty of time to move when I heard anyone coming near. Sure enough  the buildings started coming down in 2022. They started with the wing of the convent that still held the 200 year old Grover Mansion, advancing towards the chapel which was the next victim. The 1980s wing and boiler house went next, followed finally by the resort building. The whole complex was decimated in a matter of months.

Shortly after demolition wrapped up the town released a powerful statement over the loss of the complex. They claimed they were sincerely distressed over the loss of the facility, which was such an important fixture in town. Every effort was made to land on another solution on the town's part, but the new owners wouldn't budge. Since the campus was not on any local or national register they couldn't even slow down the process. 

The loss of the St. Francis Health Resort should serve as a wake up call to all of us that absolutely nothing is safe from greed. Even if you can't imagine any circumstance where a building would ever be lost, start second guessing yourself. The most important thing we can do right now is make an effort to start getting more and more of our local historic sites listed on the state and national register. At this point, it's either landmark or landfill.

Elizabeth Edwards School

This old brick building which once stood along Route 9 in Barnegat originally served as the town's first high school. Many locals will remember passing the structure, which opened in 1931. 

 By 1957 the Barnegat Regional High School opened, rendering the original building obsolete. However it wasn't long before the structure reopened as an elementary school. The new school was renamed in honor of Elizabeth Edwards, who was a beloved local educator. 

 The Elizabeth Edwards School lasted for 47 years, but as the newest iteration of Barnaget High opened it fell out of use once again. The building continued to be used by the town for various administrative purposes. A theater group also used the old auditorium. 

One day the town decided to cut the utilities, rendering the building entirely uninhabitable. The school achieved momentary fame once again when it appeared on an episode of Ghost Hunters (S.9 Ep.24) in 2014. The team concluded that the school was indeed haunted by their standards. 

Nearly 20 years after the last class was held inside the school, the town announced the building would be demolished. They determined the building was too far gone to save and that the long vacant building was a hazard. After several items of historical significance were salvaged from the building, the structure was cleared out and demolished in 2022. I had been trying since around 2016 to get inside the old school. It was in sort of a tricky area though, which limited the amount of mornings I could dedicate to trying to sneak in.

When the news of demolition was first mentioned I put it on the top of my to do list. After getting up early one morning my partner and I ventured over to the school before daybreak. She hung out in the car while I made a desperate final attempt to find a way in. Under the cover of darkness I made my way up to the front of the building. I knew all the back entrances were well sealed, so my only hope was that I could get a window open. Fortunately it didn't take long for me to find one.  

I popped inside and walked over to the doors to see if I could get them unlocked. Sure enough it worked, so I ventured back over to my car to get my camera gear and my partner. After timing our moves to avoid the gaze of the early morning elderly speed walkers, we slid back in through the front doors like so many students had over the decades. We were fortunate enough to be able to spend a good amount of time inside, making sure to appreciate the details of each room. The most impressive space in the building was definitely the auditorium, but the whole structure was filled with relics of the past. I'm grateful we were able to get inside the building before anything was removed. The school didn't last much longer.

I'm sure people will continue to tell stories of the structure for years to come though. School buildings generally hold a special significance in the hearts of those who used to attend classes inside them. It's part of what makes them one of my favorite structures to document and write about. Unfortunately when I do it generally means they've been demolished, but at least the photos will be around long after the buildings.

689 River Drive

689 River Drive was a historic old farmhouse in Elmwood Park.

The home was built in 1900, with two additions added making the home 4340 sq. ft. total. The property functioned as a farm, as did the adjascent property. Both homes had large greenhouses and barns behind them.

By 1954 the farms were being surrounded by houses. Homestead Rd was cleared and developed, leaving little space around the greenhouses.

The farm at 689 ceased operations and the greenhouses were demolished in the 1970s.

 In the mid 1980s the home and neighboring farm were sold to be redeveloped into offices. The farm was demolished, but 689 was untouched aside from the demolition of a large barn that used to sit behind the house.

The property was sold in 2009 for $985,000 and sat completely abandoned until 2022 when the trees around the home were removed and the house was demolished.