Fire Destroys Centuries-Old Pitney Farm House In Mendham Twp.

MENDHAM TWP., N.J. – An overnight fire ruined one of Morris County’s oldest pieces of property as a blaze ripped through the Pitney Farm main house on Cold Hill Road Wednesday, authorities said.

A passerby called authorities at 2:37 a.m. and reported seeing smoke coming from the building, Lt. Ross Johnson said. By the time firefighters arrived on scene, the building was engulfed.

While the structure is still standing, it looks to be a total loss, Johnson said. There were no injuries reported.

The structure sustained a partial collapse, according to the Morris County Office of Emergency Management, and an excavator responded to the scene.

The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Investigation team conducted its own testing at the scene. Cold Hill Road was closed between Main Street and Route 24 for several hours Wednesday.

The property has been a source of contention over the last couple years after a group of Mendham Township residents formed to save the area from rezoning and ultimately potential redevelopment.

The Friends of Pitney put together a business plan to thwart the rezoning efforts and offer the township with other uses for the land. In December 2015, the township committee voted against a rezoning plan that would have opened to the door to the building of six residential lots.

Pitney Farm includes a total of 12 acres. Records show the home dates back to 1722.