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The Village of Three Lives: Exploring Feltville and Glenside Park

Tucked away in the dense woods of the Watchung Reservation in Union County, at the end of a winding, dead-end road, lies a place where time seems to have folded in on itself.

Known today as the Deserted Village of Feltville, this site is a rare New Jersey anomaly: a perfectly preserved “company town” that has survived three distinct incarnations. It has been a Utopian industrial colony, a posh Gilded Age mountain resort, and a quiet residential haven during the Great Depression. Today, it stands as a silent teacher of New Jersey’s boom-and-bust history.

The Industrial Dream: Feltville (1845–1860)

The story of the village begins with David Felt, a successful New York stationer known to his employees as “King David.” In 1844, Felt sought to escape the grime of the city to build a self-sufficient manufacturing utopia in the wilderness.

He purchased 760 acres along the Blue Brook, harnessing the water power first utilized by a colonial settler named Peter Willcocks.

• The “Invention” Factory: Between 1845 and 1847, Felt built a massive printing and paper mill. He produced blank books, stationery, and “marbleized” paper. Everything printed here bore the prestigious imprint: Stationers Hall Press, Feltville, N.J.
• The Community: Because the site was so remote, Felt had to build a city from scratch. He erected a grand mansion for himself and 24 sturdy Greek Revival double-houses for his workers.
• The “Holistic” Employer: Unlike many “robber barons” of the era, Felt provided for his workers’ souls and minds. The second floor of the company store served as a non-denominational church where he invited priests, ministers, and rabbis to speak. He also built a one-room schoolhouse for the 175 residents who called the valley home.

By 1860, Felt—then 67 and without an heir—sold the property. Without his driving will, the fires in the forge went out, and for twenty years, the forest began to reclaim the buildings. It was during this eerie silence that locals first dubbed it “The Deserted Village.”

The Gilded Escape: Glenside Park (1882–1916)

In 1882, the village was “rescued” by Warren Ackerman. He saw the decaying mill town not as a factory, but as a rustic paradise for the wealthy elite of Newark and New York City.

Ackerman transformed the worker cottages into summer “villas” and renamed the property Glenside Park.

• Victorian Luxury: He added wide, Adirondack-style porches with cedar posts and decorative dormers to the simple Greek Revival homes.
• The Resort Life: The old company store was topped with a bell tower and converted into a social hall for dancing and dining. Guests enjoyed golf, tennis, horseback riding, and “mountain air” while staying at the Glenside Inn.

The resort flourished until the rise of the automobile. As families gained the freedom to drive further to the Jersey Shore or the Poconos, the allure of the “nearby” Watchung mountains faded. Glenside Park closed its doors in 1916.

Preservation and the “Ghost” Today

The property was eventually acquired by the Union County Park Commission in the 1920s. During the Great Depression, the county used the cottages as affordable housing for families who had lost their homes—a final act of utility for David Felt’s sturdy 19th-century architecture.

What Remains Today:

• The Cottages: Several of the original 1845 double-houses still stand, their Greek Revival lines still visible under the Victorian porches added during the resort era.
• The Company Store: This iconic building has been restored and serves as a visitor center.
• Masker’s Barn: Built in 1882 to house the resort’s carriage horses, this massive structure has undergone a full restoration and is now used for community events.
• The Graveyard: Nearby, the small Willcocks-Badgley cemetery holds the remains of the very first settlers who harnessed the brook.

If You Visit

The Deserted Village is part of the Watchung Reservation and is open to the public daily from dawn to dusk. It is a hauntingly beautiful place for a walk, particularly in the autumn when the leaves turn.

• Location: Cataract Hollow Road, Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922.
• The Experience: Follow the self-guided walking tour signs. While most cottage interiors are closed to the public, the sheer scale of the village layout offers a vivid picture of 19th-century life.
• Pro Tip: Keep an eye out for the “mural” remnants inside some of the buildings, which date back to the different eras of occupancy.

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For More Information

Union County Parks & Recreation (www.ucnj.org/parks)