Feltville Historic District

After visiting the Trailside Center many times over the years, Feltville was an unexpected pleasure to find & it’s even better to know it’s within a short drive of my home so I can hopefully go back often and even experience the leaves changing color. You do need to watch closely for the Cataract Hollow/​Watchung Reservation sign by the side of the road, otherwise it’s easy to miss the small parking lot. However once you locate that it’s a very moderate walk along a mostly paved trail to get to the welcome center and the rest of the village. You can veer of the main trail and visit the old cemetery or one of the other «side» trails into the woods if are feeling adventurous and want to spend more time. Once you leave the parking lot, it’s wonderfully peaceful and serene in the village & there are benches/​spots to sit long the way so I found myself wanting to linger.
Our first stop was the visitor’s center, and we enjoyed reading some history (who knew they filmed part of a movie in the village?!) and looking at the old pictures displayed. They have a little old fashioned school scene set up there and kids seem to enjoy that. We then walked to Masker’s Barn and back, stopping along the way to spot interesting birds and trees. In one place, we saw that someone had carved a chair into a massive tree trunk and another tree had decades of lover’s initials carved into it. While a few of the cottages are marked as private residences, you can get closer looks at the «deserted» ones though they are in such disrepair it’s not safe to get too close.
It seems that the restoration of the village is a work in progress mainly reliant on volunteers so it will be nice to see the progress they make with it. It has great potential and I could almost see it eventually becoming something along the lines of East Jersey Old Town Village in Piscataway, where you can visit the inside of the Feltville cottages someday and perhaps even see exhibits on local history. All in all, it’s quite nice to disconnect and spend some quiet time in the woods, taking a step back in time and even letting your imagination run a bit wild about what — or who — you might find roaming around. I think if you adjust your expectations accordingly, you will find Feltville definitely worthwhile to visit.

Four stars may be a bit high for Union County’s Deserted Village but the surrounding land is genuinely beautiful. The buildings themselves are not in good shape and there is only one you can go into. If you had to pay, I’d take it down a star or two. You could spend a long time on the various trails or just walk to where the buildings are and around them which will take less than an hour. What is amazing about this place is, it seems so isolated but is only minutes from RT 78, RT 22 and the downtown’s of Summit and New Providence. Got to the graveyard up the hill behind the visitors center. Aim for good weather– it rained hard while we were there. We took shelter on a porch of one of the houses. there is also an event space here you can rent.

Such a cool place to wander around. Super informative and interesting pamphlets distributed by Union county can be picked up near the entrance and are worth a read. After exploring the village you can check out some of the surrounding trails and paths. Could make for a full day trip or just a pleasant afternoon.

History and Mystery
The deserted village or the Feltville/​Glenside Park is one of 25 historic sites across Union County. Some also refer to it as Peter’s Hill. Peter Willcocks and his wife Phebe Badgley Willcocks settled in the area and gave the place its first name. Later it became Feltville when David Felt bought the land. Eventually it became a summer resort — as cities were deemed unhealthy during summer — and became Glenside Park.
The Glenside Park resort owners did not tear down the building but gave them a face-​lift. So the buildings that you would see would, I guess, date back to the mid-1700’s. There are headstones in a cemetery with the same day that suggest some people died on the same day. Rumors hold that the Willcocks may have converted their mill to a covert gun powder factory to supply George Washington’s army. Could there have been an accident? I would imagine that after dark the place would assume the atmosphere for the Haunted Hayrides during Halloween.
But you don’t need to conjure up spirits to enjoy the place. There is a self guided walking tour that you can take. You can relax at one of the benches and wonder what people did during the day when they walked these same paths and lived in these houses.
On Saturday and Sunday, visitors can, I have read, take part in guided tours and view exhibits in the restored Church/​Store. We went on a weekend and could not figure it out. If you choose to visit I would suggest read about the place a bit before you go. There are a number of PDF files available on the internet. The parking was free when I went. There is a clean restroom with a pay phone during the park hours. If go there to enjoy a day in the sunshne you will enjoy the place.