Saving sites 'lost to progress'

HAMBURG — Dan Barr has been a student of local history since he was in grade school. It was his fondness for his hometown of Hamburg that led Barr to create the Hamburg Historical Preservation Commission. And now, with the help of a statewide organization, Barr is helping to do just that: preserve some of Hamburg's historic places.

Last week he led a tour of the area for preservationists who'd put three of Hamburg's sites on their Top 10 list of "most endangered sites" in New Jersey.

The Wheatsworth Mill, Gingerbread Castle and the Hamburg lime kilns all recently made Preservation NJ’s annual top 10 list of “most endangered historic sites. The Trenton based non-profit organization, which assists local historical commissions and preservation societies in maintaining the landmarks they hold dear, made a special visit to Hamburg on June 22 to visit the decaying sites. A representative from the New Jersey Historic Trust also made the trip up from the state capital.

Then and now views Barr, a Hamburg Borough councilman, who notes that he is the only “home-grown” member of the borough council, gave a brief lesson on the history of the borough at the municipal building and then took the group on a walking tour. During the tour, he showed off his collection of local antique photographic postcards — giving the group a “then and now” view of Hamburg’s streets and architecture.

Cathy Goulet, principal historic preservation specialist for the New Jersey Historic Trust, asked why so much of the borough’s history had been torn down and replaced. Many of the buildings, Barr said, were “lost to progress....For decades, there was no sense of preservation.”

That lack of a sense of historic value is what prompted Barr to start up the borough's Historical Preservation Commission: “I’ve been studying the history of my town since the fifth grade,” Barr said, explaining that keeping as much of that history alive as possible is quite important to him. The Hamburg Preservation Commission chooses a property nearly every year to be designated as a historic landmark, which means that it cannot be torn down. To date, they've designated three landmarks, including the mill and castle, the lime kilns, and the Presbyterian Church. A fourth designation is in the works for this year, which will make Hamburg’s Main Street an official historic sight.

On the tour Barr’s tour led the group down Wallkill Avenue from the borough hall before turning onto the old Susquehanna Western railroad bed and out onto Gingerbread Castle Road for a stop at the mill and castle. Historic Hamburg, LLC, which owns the property, did not have a representative on hand, but had given Barr permission to tour the grounds with his guests. Pat Barton, owner of the corporation, apologized for not being able to make the meeting, but expressed his gratitude for the preservationists’ interest: “We’re very excited to get the recognition (the property) deserves as the landmark it is.”

From there, the tour continued along the Wallkill River, stopping at the Union Waxed Paper Mill, before concluding at the lime kilns.

Preservation NJ senior program director Stephanie Cherry-Farmer was impressed with the mill and castle, saying that Preservation NJ is ready to “facilitate whatever action we can to see this place saved.”

New Jersey Historic Trust preservation specialist Cathy Goulet mentioned that a grant is available for planning projects and wanted a chance to talk to Barr about the borough applying for the grant for one or both of the sites.

She added, “Having a chance to see the lime kilns is an added bonus!”