A Nearby Paradise: The South Mt. Reservation

Sun. April 10 at Durand-Hedden

 The familiar park with the awesome views to the east on the mountain above Maplewood and nearby towns has far more interesting origins than most hikers and dog-walkers realize. The South Mountain Reservation, now 2,110 acres, dates to 1895, the year the county commissioners established its parent body, the Essex County Park System, the first in the nation.

On Sunday April 10, at 2:00 p.m.  Dave Hogenauer, a South Mountain Conservancy member who leads popular hikes through the Reservation, will enlighten us about the owners of the land before it was preserved, who first dreamed of the park, where the paper mills, the railroad and the quarry were, who Painter’s Point was named for, the deer paddock, important contributions the young men of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) made in the 1930s and the rerouting of Cherry Lane. This hour-long slide presentation will feature historic photos and maps as well as pictures of what locations in the park look like today.

In addition, from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. the well-received exhibit The Woman’s Club of Maplewood: A Century of Service to Country and Community will be on view. The Country Store will also be open for unique book and gift shopping