Historic Timeline

The Lenni-Lenape are the ancient and traditional peoples of the land on which the Farmstead now sits. The “grandfathers” or “ancient ones” as the Lenni-Lenape are known, were the historic inhabitants of large swaths of the Northeastern United States, including New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland.

John Harrison (unknown – 1725) an agent of the East Jersey Proprietors, acquires a 3,000- acre parcel of land from Chief Nowenoik of the Lenapes for 50 pounds. The parcel, known as “Harrison’s Neck,” encompasses the southeastern portion of present day Bernards Township. Property is surveyed into farms 150-200 acres in size.

Nathaniel Rolph (1712 – unknown) acquires a property listed as “Lot #117, a tract of 83 acres on “Harrison’s Purchase”

Moses Doty (1710 – 1775) a farmer and yeoman, purchases the property for 180 pounds, moves to the property and expands his holdings to over 300 acres.

The Farmhouse is estimated to have been built in some fashion around 1750.

REV. SAMUEL KENNEDY (1720 – 1787) Purchases the Doty farm in 1762 for 1,200 pounds. Born in Scotland and educated at the University of Edinburgh, he and his family arrived in New Jersey before 1757. He was ordained in 1757 by the Presbytery in New Brunswick and was the fourth pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Basking Ridge from 1751 – 1787. During this time, Rev. Kennedy greatly added to the Farmstead, including building the English Barn.

In addition to being a physician and minister, Rev. Kennedy, in 1755, established a classical school, designed to prepare young men for college. A August 1764 advertisement placed in a New York City newspaper by Rev. Kennedy gives reason to believe the school was on the Farmstead. “The Reverend Samuel Kennedy,of Baskinridge,… designs to have the learned languages, and liberal arts and sciences, taught under his inspection, in a school house now built on his own plantation… There are Scholars there now learning the Latin and Greek Languages in said school” (The New York Mercury, August 27, 1764).

The property is listed for auction by Reverend Kennedy. An advertisement in the New York Mercury touts a “Dwelling House with three Rooms and two fireplaces on the lower floor, situate at a small distance from the brink of said Passaic River,” as well as 300 acres of which 70+ acres was plough land, over 200 apple trees and a good barn with stables.

COL. EPHRAIM MARTIN (1733-1806) is listed as the owner of the Farmstead in the late 1770s. He lived on the Farmstead for the next 17 years. In 1778 he was assessed for 340-acres of improved land in Bernards Township along with livestock, a slave and riding chair. Military maps of 1779 and 1780 depict a house on the property.

He was a Colonel in the Revolutionary War after being commissioned as a Colonel of the 2nd Regiment, Sussex County in 1776 and then as a Colonel of the new 4th NJ Battalion of the Continental Army in 1776, he was stationed at Princeton in 1777 and passed a portion of winter at Valley Forge. He resigned from the army in 1779 and then served as a New Jersey state legislator. In 1789 had a prominent role in securing the NJ State Legislature’s approval of the Bill of Rights of the US Constitution, making NJ the first state to ratify the Bill of Rights.

STELLE FAMILY (1794-1945) Members of the Stelle Family, related to Colonel Martin through his third marriage, own and occupy the farmstead for 150 years, from1794 until 1945, namely Oliver Stelle (1756 – 1832); his son Clarkson Stelle (1798—1850); Clarkson’s son-in-law Isaac S. Runyon (1819 – 1892), and finally Isaac’s daughter Rachel (Runyon) Codington (1864 – 1936), along with her husband, William.

Over this time period the Stelle’s acquire extensive property holdings in Bernards Township and vicinity, including farmland adjoining the homestead, several houses, a cider mill and a distillery. A cow barn is built, and hay barracks are added to the existing barn. In 1851, Clarkson’s heirs are instrumental in founding the Millington Baptist Church and provide half an acre for the Millington Baptist Society meeting house.

Under the stewardship of Rachel and William Codington, a dairy operation is established on the property, called River-Edge Farm, which focused on the raising and breeding of Guernsey cattle. An inventory of the property at William’s death counted 28 cows.

GERALD PEARSON (1905 – 1987) and family purchase a 36 acre-lot of the Farmstead in 1945 and live there for 15 years. A physicist whose work, in conjunction with two others, on silicon rectifiers at Bell Labs led to the invention of the solar cell and the first practical use of a silicon solar cell (power for handheld devices such as calculators and remote controls). One of his crucial contributions was to build thin semiconductor filaments less than a hundredth of an inch thick which could be used instead of the metal leads in a point-contact transistor making for a transistor that was easier to build. In 2008, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

GEORGE E. GEIER, SR (1913 – 2007) purchased the property. While operating his Aquamarine Contracting Company in Brooklyn, New York, (he was owner and founder) he and his family continued with limited farming on the property – first hay and then later growing Christmas trees.

BERNARDS TOWNSHIP purchases the property using Open Space Funding. When the property was purchased, the outer buildings you see today were in disrepair.
• Somerset Historical Society lobbied against township plans to raze the property.
• A survey of the community shows that residents desire a performing arts space in Bernards Township and Somerset County.
2000 – 2002
• Preservation Plan of the Kennedy Martin Stelle Farmstead including architectural and archeological studies
• Preparation of National & State Historic Site Register nomination with the goal of preserving the site and building an arts organization.
2002 – 2004
• Emergency preservation of the English Barn, Cow Shed and Wagon House – in preparation for restoration work.

THE FRIENDS OF KENNEDY MARTIN STELLE FARMSTEAD
Founded as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization in 2004 whose mission is to:
Restore, preserve and operate the Kennedy Martin Stelle Farmstead as Farmstead Arts Center (a not-for-profit center for fine, performing and practical arts).
The Friends of the KMS Farmstead lease the property from Bernards Township and, together with the board, members and volunteer work to continue restoration and preservation of the property as well as manage the arts center.
2004 – 2010
• Restoration of the Farmhouse, English Barn
• Reparation of the buildings and property for adaptive re-use as an arts center

Farmstead Arts Center opens!
• Uses the grounds and the buildings of the Kennedy Martin Stelle Farmstead
• Home to a center for fine, performing and practical arts offering art classes, workshops, art exhibits, as well as annual programming which includes concerts, theater performances, classes, art exhibitions, and special events.
2010 – today
• Continued restoration of Farmhouse, English Barn
• Restoration of Icehouse
Tomorrow……
• Adaptive re-use of the Cow Shed for historic displays and event support
• Planning and restoration of the Wagon House
• Ongoing restoration and preservation of buildings and property