History Marks the Spot: Rockaway Township, Part 1

by Anne Motto, F.M. Kirby Curator of Collections
January 20, 2026

Ford-Faesch Manor House: Built for Jacob Ford, Jr. around 1772, the Georgian-style stone house was leased by Swiss ironmaster John Jacob Faesch along with the surrounding land. Faesch eventually purchased the home and land from the Ford family and operated the Mt. Hope iron works there until his death in 1799. Soon after construction, Ford built another Georgian-style home to be his residence in Morristown which was later George Washington’s headquarters during the winter of 1779-80. During the Revolution, Faesch also supported the war effort with his furnace at Mt. Hope supplying shot, cannons, and tools for the Continental Army. His manor house, occupied until 1973, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Bought by the Township 10 years later, it is today interpreted by the Historical Society of Rockaway Township. Through funding from several grants, the exterior of the house has been restored, and the interior is currently process.

Mt. Hope Miner’s Church: Across the street from the Ford-Faesch House, the church was built in 1868 by the Mt. Hope Mining Company for use by its miners. A schoolhouse addition was made around 1870, and the church was re-sided in 1926 due to damage from the Lake Denmark explosion. It continued as a place of worship for another 58 years. Illustrating the influence mining had on the development of the area, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012 and today is a part of the Mt. Hope Historical County Park.

Methodist Episcopal Church of Hibernia: Built a year later and in a similar scale to Mt. Hope’s, the church was constructed by the New Jersey Mining Company for the use of the miners at the nearby Hibernia Mines. The Carpenter Gothic building was sold by the company to the congregation in 1933 and served as a church until the 1960s when it became a public library. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011 and is still today home to a branch of the Rockaway Township Public Library. Construction documents to guide its interior and exterior restoration were funded in 2025.

Split Rock Furnace: The complex, which originally included at least 14 separate structures, was built in 1862 by Andrew B. Cobb at a time when the Civil War significantly increased the need for ammunition and shot. One of the last of its type constructed in New Jersey, it was preceded by earlier ironworks at the site dating back to the 18th century. In 1896, Cobb’s son sold the property to the Montclair Water Company. The furnace was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Today, it is one of the only standing iron furnaces in the state and the ruins of the village that supported it can still be found nearby.