The Equestrian Heritage of the Somerset Hills

Local historian W. Barry Thomson, co-author of the two-volume work, “New Jersey Country Houses: The Somerset Hills,” will present a free illustrated talk on the rich and varied equestrian heritage of the Somerset Hills at Bernardsville Public Library on Wednesday, June 20 at 7:00 pm.

Since the late 19th century, when families of wealthy and socially prominent industrialists and financiers first began to establish lavish country estates in the area, the history and culture of the Somerset Hills has been inextricably linked to various equestrian pursuits, including trail riding, foxhunting, polo, steeplechase racing, gymkhana events, carriage driving, and international competitions under the auspices of the United States Equestrian Team.

After first providing a broad contextual overview of the development of the so-called "Mountain Colony" and these many equestrian activities, Mr. Thomson will focus on two of them: the history of the “Farmers’ Day” races that have evolved into the Far Hills Race Meeting steeplechase event held each October and the history and art of the elegant four-in-hand road coaches that were owned and driven by the area's wealthy estate owners. Mr. Thomson will also tell the little-known story of the elegant four-in-hand English road coach that once ran a scheduled route between Morristown and Bernardsville.

After leaving a corporate career in New York, where he last served as Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Woolworth Corporation, Mr. Thomson, who grew up in Peapack, has been engaged as a management consultant and has worked on several historic preservation and architectural history projects and as an author and lecturer. Mr. Thomson has written and co-written several articles on other aspects of the history of the Somerset Hills that have appeared in The Black River Journal and other publications, and he has prepared nominations of historic sites for the National Register of Historic Places. In addition to his research and writing, Mr. Thomson frequently gives lectures on various aspects of architectural and local New Jersey history.

There is no charge to attend the lecture, but advance sign-up is requested. Register online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org and follow the link from Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.