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Zone 16
No. 13 Vol. 7
www.mypaperonline.com
April 11, 2017
Pequannock Historical Society Saves Slice Of History By Preserving Martin Berry House
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5 p.m. and 10 p.m., Pizza One in Wayne will donate 10 percent of each purchase to the preservation effort when customers mention the Martin Berry House. “The plan is to make this a place for the community,” said Ed Englebart of the Pequannock Township Historic Preservation Commission, “a museum and a place for lectures and events.” The six bedroom house was built as early as 1720, according to HMR Architects, the firm hired by the township to study the property and help design a plan to prepare it for public use.
By Nicole Greco he Martin Berry House sits on the corner of Route 23 and Jackson Road in Pequannock Township and was built there decades before the Declaration of Independence. This past January, at the behest of a group of dedicated residents, the township purchased the property for preservation. Now the plans are laid to transform the house into a museum and community space, and the Pequannock Township Historical Society is raising funds to start the fix-up. On April 11, between
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It was originally situated on more than 300 acres and was built by Martin Berry, a member of one of the first families to settle in Pequannock. It was designed in Dutch Colonial style, complete with a gambrel roof, wide floor boards, Colonial-era window glass, and seven fireplaces with interior chimneys. Engelbart
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said the house was built in a way that would protect the owners in the event of an attack from members of the Lenape tribe. “At one point there were 14 people living in this house,” said Engelbart, “the owner’s family and their servants.” Civil War hero James Evans owned the house
during the 1800’s. According to the U.S. Army Center of Military History, Evans received a Medal of Honor because he “went out in front of the line under a fierce fire and, in the face of the rapidly advancing enemy, rescued the regimental flag with which the color bearer had fallen. After returning from war,
Engelbart says Evans settled in Pequannock where he served in a number of civic leadership positions including a stint as justice of the peace. Over the years, and 12 families later, the house is in remarkably good condition. According to Engelbart, previous owners had continued on page 2
DC Landscape Design Celebrates Anniversary With Deluxe Package
ue to its success in the past and in celebration of its 11 year anniversary, DC Landscape Design is once again offering its affordable deluxe package to new homeowners at only $292.50 per month for nine months. The landscape package is almost a full year, April through December. The package covers almost all property maintenance needs to keep a beautiful
and healthy looking property year round. Owned and operated by Dennis Coyle, DC Landscape has been offering complete property maintenance and specializing in landscape design and installation since he graduated college in 2007 with a degree in agriculture and business. Coyle is proud to be serving Pequannock, continued on page 2