2 Historic Mendham Sites Recommended For Preservation Funding

MENDHAM, NJ — The Morris County Board of County Commissioners is adding their support to the preservation of two historic sites in Mendham Borough.

The board was asked earlier this week to approve $3.6 million in grants from the county's Preservation Trust Fund to help restore, preserve, and protect 23 historic sites in 15 towns throughout Morris County.

Among these were the Phoenix House and Scott Farm Barn, both in Mendham Borough.

Approximately 88 percent of the funding recommended by the Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund Review Board is directed toward construction grants for 17 of the projects.

These grants will pay for design and specification work for future construction on four sites, preservation planning for one, and research and development for another in order to submit a nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.

The borough applied for $214,029 in funding for the Phoenix House and $129,572 for the Scott Farm Barn.

The Phoenix House, built in 1820, is a Federal-style inn on the Washington Turnpike. In 1840, the portico was added, and in 1936, it was listed as a Historic District by the Historic American Buildings Survey. The property is currently used as the municipal building for the Borough of Mendham.

The proposed grant will cover exterior restoration projects such as masonry repairs, new porch roofing, and porch extensions.

In 2003, the borough received $100,000 in grant funding to repaint the building, $15,808 for preservation plan updates in 2014, and in 2020, $32,050 for construction documents. In 2017, the county gave the borough building its historic marker.

Scott Farm Barn, a banked English barn built in 1825, is a fine example of a 19th-century banked barn with a forebay. It is part of the individually listed Stephen Cary House property and was continuously farmed until the 1990s.

It is also known as the Cary Barn, officials said.

According to the commission, the recommended grant will help with barn rehabilitation, which is expected to cost $845,490 and will include structural upgrades and a front foundation wall.

"I want to commend the staff and all the volunteers. They do a phenomenal job evaluating these applications and making recommendations on how to invest our dollars. People often thank the Commissioners for the money, but it ultimately comes from the taxpayers, who always overwhelmingly support these programs and it’s fortunate that they do," Commissioner Stephen Shaw said.

Since 2003, when grants were first issued for protecting historic sites through Morris County's Preservation Trust Fund, Morris County has awarded 512 grants totaling nearly $46 million to assist in the preservation, protection, and restoration of 122 historical properties.