High Breeeze farm tour Oct. 15

Vernon - The Vernon Township Historical Society is sponsoring a public tour of High Breeze farm on Barrett Rd. from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15. High Breeze was the home of the Barrett family for generations. The site is listed on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places. The farm consists of several buildings on a 170-acre site. Buildings include a blacksmith shop, a corn crib/wagon shed, a summer kitchen, a wagon shed, two chicken coops, a shed and round metal corncrib, and outhouses. There are also two red barns. The farmland and buildings are part of the Wawayanda State Park under the Division of Parks and Forestry. The house is in its original state since 1860. It has no plumbing and a single light bulb and minimum wiring was all the electricity in the kitchen when electric service was installed on Barrett Rd. in 1945. The Vernon Township Historical Society Friends of Wawayanda State Park have initiated a preservation effort to turn the High Breeze farm into a living history farm. It will be the only living history farm in Sussex County and the only one owned by the state of N.J. Suggested donation for the tour is $5 per person. The superintendent of Wawayanda State Park and park staff members will be on hand that day to answer questions. Friends of Wawayanda have also started a donor register list for persons donating $100 or more for the restoration of High Breeze farm. Checks should be made out to the Vernon Township Historical Society. For information, call 973-764-8989.