Stories About Bernardsville New Jersey : The Two Bernardsvilles
I recently read a very interesting story about Bernardsville "back in the day." As the story goes, for close to 70 years following the Civil War, Bernardsville was unofficially split between the Mountain Colony and the Village. The Mountain Colony was the summer home of about 60 millionaires and their families; the Village comprised about 3000 year-round families of upper, middle and lower incomes, whose livelihood was fueled by serving the needs of the freely spending elite of the Mountain Colony.
Excerpted from "Among the Blue Hills. Bernardsville . . . A History"
Compiled by the Bernardsville Local History Committee, 1999
"The village originally was a hamlet with roots in the Colonial period when it was called Vealtown. It began growing with the establishment of the Mountain Colony after the Civil War. The population soon included a large block of immigrants and their families. They were lured to the village by the promise of jobs on the Mountain Colony estates. Working age villagers included carpenters, plumbers, electricians, painters, masons, gardeners and laborers. Most villagers depended on work provided by the rich.
In 1929 the flow of money from the Mountain Colony to the Village suddenly began to dry up. Financial losses suffered by the millionaires in the stock market crash of that year put a crimp in their life style of freely spending money. As the Great Depression of the 1930s took its grip on the nation . . ."
For the full story of "The Two Bernardsvilles" and others, visit the Bernardsville Library where you can borrow "Among the Blue Hills. Bernardsville . . . A History" or purchase this wonderful book about the history of our town for ten dollars. A worthwhile addition to your library.
Stories About Bernardsville New Jersey : The Two Bernardsvilles
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