Rich and I spent a long time playing around at Millbrook Village today. It was my first time there and we had a lot of fun!
Afterward, of course, we had to search for a few benchmarks. The first one, Z 33, is located on an old bridge over Vancampens Brook that has been demolished.
Next we made our way to WARNER, an NJGS station on a nearby ridge between Old Mine Road and Walpack-Flatbrook Road. This turned out to be quite an adventure! A September investigation into the datasheet to-reach was a dead end as it led only to a gated (and possibly impassable) road. Today Rich and I decided to attack the problem from a different direction: we headed north along the Old Mine Road toward Flatbrookville. Passing Smith Ferry (and a possible entry point for our upcoming hike to GIRR (LY2633)) we made our way toward WARNER from the west.
According to our topo map, a road should have led from N 41°08.546' W074°54.878' directly to the Warner farm, but we could find no sign of a road heading east at that point. We continued east along Pompey Road and another avenue soon presented itself at N 41°08.660' W074°54.114'. This gravel access road intersected a farm road that in turn led us directly to abandoned fields and buildings—what we presume to have been the Warner farm.
A quick bushwhack to the top of the knoll (where we emerged onto a track road that we could have driven to the top) and we were closing in on the station. We followed the remains of the rock fence about thirty yards northwest through the thorns and brush, and the mark was at our feet. Unfortunately, our best efforts at finding the reference marks were unsuccessful. Without measurements or diagrams, we had almost nothing on which to base our search. We couldn’t even find another piece of outcropping bedrock anywhere nearby.
The station disk is in good condition, and this was the first time we’ve seen a “NJ Department of Conservation and Development” disk.
Intriguing historical detective work in a scenic area is one of my favorite activities for an unseasonably warm December day such as this, and discovering new roads and abandonments along the way is always a special treat. Dinner at the Walpack Inn afterward was a delicious ending to the day, as usual!