The Elias Cole Restaurant, a treasured establishment for as long as I can remember, has closed.
It was a token of the way life in our county used to be, still with us until the last day—Sunday, July 26, 2026. Every time we made it up the Route 23 hill on the way to High Point, the highest mountain in New Jersey, it seemed it was always busy. We would frequently stop in. And we would always see people we knew. I wrote about that about two years ago, where the total was seven different individuals from various locations and from back in time, seeing each other there by coincidence for a brunch after church. From grammar school, high school, work around the county, and relatives, these people make up the backbone of Sussex County.
The last day for the Elias Cole was a comfort. From having their unique homemade white bread and a good pot of coffee along with the meal, it all was nostalgic. I think I had the last piece of their signature apple pie. I was a lover of the cherished pumpkin pie that we obtained around Halloween. Their pies were a treasure sought after in the cold days of November before Thanksgiving when we’d make the trip up there. On the way up to the Elias Cole, I used to hum the tune “over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go...” thinking about a time long ago when we’d sing that classic in second grade at that time of the year as the days grew colder with the onset of winter. Days gone by for me in school, and now memories captured from the times at the Elias Cole Restaurant.
The last day, all employees were moving at high speed to fulfill the many orders. Long time waitresses Veronica and Roxy were at the top of their game getting orders sent to the short order cook Rolland. The resources were getting thin—bacon was gone mid-morning and then the bread gave out. While this hectic commotion meant that business was good, it takes a toll on them all. The owner, Cindy, had gotten to the age that she wanted to retire from the very demanding job; this is why it closed.
On this last day, we sat next to Molly Harraje, who was a bowling friend of Mom. A little later a classmate of mine, Anita, came in with some other friends. We had gone to school for 13 years in Franklin. Yes, the Elias Cole has been a long-standing locale where friends meet and time kind of stands still. There has even been a fellow who would bring his family in by horse and buggy wagon and “park” the mare in the lot tied to a tree.
What a beautiful section of Sussex County this part of Wantage is. The hillsides and the grazing grounds, fields of corn and vista views. During the last five months as we celebrated the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War (I hope you enjoyed the episodes) we spoke about the Battle of Minisink and Major Meeker collecting our local Minutemen to go north to many of the militiamen’s deaths. Several roads in this area still bear the family names of those who served our country back then. This is the legacy that the area retains of our common heritage.
During the 1800s the name Elias Cole came about. Colesville is taken from the family. Checking the Hopkins 1860 map, one can see three or four properties in the vicinity with the name Cole associated with it. On a personal basis, I see four Roleson families there also. The Roleson’s came up right after the Revolution to the area from Elizabethtown, and one was my great great grandfather on my mother’s side. One Roleson had a store in the middle of Colesville in the mid-1800s, and the white building still stands on the corner of Route 23.
There’s much interest in the past, with present day changes blurring how we can see the first days of our nation and the lethal defense of our freedom with those militiamen from Wantage and environs. Today we still have fresh fruit, corn, grazing cattle and beautiful views in the Colesville section of Sussex County. I, for one, will remember my own three quarters of a century on this land, will honor the past, and will look to preserve our heritage.
Bill Truran, Sussex County’s historian, may be contacted at billt1425@gmail.com He is the author of “Voices of ‘76: Americans Speak of our Freedom.”