Hiking Through History 07 Traditional Cache

This is the 7th cache in the Hiking Through History series. I will be placing 13 caches along the Warren Highlands Trail for my Girl Scout Gold Award. The trail currently leads from Phillipsburg NJ, up through Harmony, with plans to continue further to Allamuchy. The trail takes a combination of trails and road sections to complete the current route. There are many historical sites along this trail, which I have researched for my project. I then placed geocaches at each one to help share the significance of the sites. 

I hope that by searching for my caches, you will learn something new about the history of Warren County and have some fun along the way. 

The Van-Nest Hoff-Vannatta Farmstead, has been on the National Register of Historic Places for its signficiance in agriculture and architecure since 2005. The buildings illustreate the regions agricultural and architectural practices of the time during the 18th and 19th centuries. There are three notable examples. 

First, their circa 1824 bank barn which showcases a frame, a 6 bay upper level which is accessed by the earthen ramp on the northern side, and a lower stone level with a southern facing stable. Bank barns were brought to New Jersey by German Settlers from eastern Pennslyvania. They had one level above ground which housed livestock, this was usually the south side. The upper level was often made of a braced frame or stone loft. The bank barn at Van-Nest farmstead has a wooden upper level instead of a stone one. Bank barns were prevelant  through the 18th and 19th century, some even being built into the 20th. 

Next is the stone farmhouse which comprised of a double-pile and half story main block. It is unsure who built the original protion of the house. It could have been John Van-Nest or the next owner John Hendershot. The other notable location on the main section of the farmstead was the summer kitchen. Which displays a rare stlye of it's kind. It has two stories and still retains a cooking fireplace and in-tact baking oven. 

There are five other buildings on the property that date back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. There are three wagon houses with gable entrances, flanking corncribs, a smokehouse, and a privy.

The first owner was William Philips in 1751 when he bought the original tract of land. He sold it to John Van-Nest in 1763 who built a tavern on the land a year later. The tavern only lasted for 3 years.

There were many owners of the property, and they are as follows.

William Philips sold the property to John Van-Nest in 1763. In 1772, the land was sold to John Hendershot. The property was then given to Benjamin Hoff. When he died in 1796, brothers Abel and John Hoff inherited the farm from him. Benjamin Hoff died as a private serving in the Revolutionary War. He died intestate, meaning he had not created a will before he died.His widowed wife gave over possession of the farm to her sons, Abel and John

(If you are following the trail and are unsure where to go next, please refer to metrotrails.org for trail directions.)