Mueller Atlas of 1910: Gilded Age Estates, Part II

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by Anne Motto, Curator of Collections & Erin Feith, Research Assistant
October 17, 2023

Beginning in the late 19th Century, Morris County became a hub for Gilded Age millionaires, who constructed palatial estates that dotted the landscape. Nowhere was the volume of such wealth better captured than on the Atlas of Part of Morris Co., N.J. Embracing the Town of Morristown, The Boroughs of Madison, Florham Park, Chatham and Mendham, Morris Township and Parts of Chatham, Hanover, Mendham, and Passaic Townships, published by A.H. Mueller in 1910. In Part 2 of 2, catch a glimpse of the unmatched opulence once found in the area.

To explore more gilded age estates in the Mueller Atlas: Mueller Atlas of 1910: Gilded Age Estates, Part I

Plate 8, Florham Park: Investment banker Lloyd W. Smith purchased and expanded his childhood home into “Harvale Farms,” which had apple and peach orchards. Nearby, Carnot Meeker, third mayor of Florham Park, owned a 300-acre estate on Hanover Road, which later passed to his nephew, Carnot Meeker Ward, whose disappearance made headlines in the 1920s.

 

 

 

Plate 7, Florham Park: Dr. Leslie D. Ward, uncle to Carnot Meeker Ward, fittingly named his 1000-acre estate “Brooklake,” as it contained a lake spanning 12 acres, as well as a clock tower which was said to offer a view of the New York City skyline.

 

 

Plate 11, Morris Township: George G. Frelinghuysen’s property, “Whippany Farms” (today the Frelinghuysen Arboretum) featured sprawling formal gardens filled with plants from around the world. Just down the street his son, Peter H.B. Frelinghuysen constructed “Twin Oakes,” (today the Morris Museum) and used the land to breed award-winning Jersey cattle. At another impressive estate just down the road, Otto H. Kahn’s “Cedar Court,” two identical mansions overlooked a pond, tennis court, and golf course.

 

 

 

 

Plate 17, Morris Township: An avid sportsman, Eugene S. Higgins built his estate, “Glen Farm,” to include a polo field and a half-mile track, features that made it an ideal site for the exclusive Whippany River Club, whom Higgins leased the property to in 1903.