High Breeze

Story and photos by Rosa Kasper VERNON - High Breeze Farm, also known as Barrett Farm, is one of the treasures of the Vernon landscape, and the Vernon Historical Society wants to see it restored as a living museum. The only thing that stands between the desire and the fulfillment is the shadow of the thousands of dollars it will take to get the work done. The society is trying to raise the money by sponsoring art shows and a house tour, and kicking off a "100 for 100" campaign, which offers donors of $100 the opportunity to have their names listed on a donor registry. Delores Dobbs, president of the Vernon Historical Society, says that society members have long dreamed of restoring the farm as a living museum. Working with the Division of Parks and Forestry as "Friends of Wawayanda," the society is exploring all alternatives, including writing grant proposals and sponsoring fundraisers and membership drives. On Aug. 20, the society opened the farmhouse for a tour. "The interior of the house is in rough condition," said Ronni Goebel of Highland Lakes. "But you can see what it could be if restored." Goebel's brother, Bill Becker has leased and farmed the property for the past 24 years. The State Division of Parks and Forestry now owns the 168-acre property, which was designated a National and State Historical Site 1989, and is part of Wawayanda State Park. Becker raises beef cattle, cultivates an organic garden, harvests shagbark hickory nuts and makes maple sugar in the spring from the sap of the many sugar maples on the property. True to the farm's 19th century heritage, Becker uses many traditional agricultural techniques, including organic gardening. The Hereford and Angus cattle he raises are grass-finished. The canopy of tree limbs creates deep shade over Barrett road. As a traveler mounts past decaying houses and farm buildings, the hush is profound. No historical markers identify High Breeze, but even so it is unmistakable. The house and surrounding land have changed little in the past century, and High Breeze has retained all the qualities of a 19th century New Jersey Highlands farm. Built around 1828 by Samuel and Sarah Demarest, the High Breeze Farm entered the Barrett family when David Barrett bought the property in 1860. The farm remained in the Barrett Family until the death of Luther Barrett in 1986. "Barrett was such a character," said Becker. "He used to heat his house with wood, and he used his two horses, a Morgan and a Belgian carthorse cross, to drag the logs from the woods. Barrett wouldn't have dreamed of using a tractor." In 1990, the N.J. Division of Parks and Forestry received a $421,716 grant from the New Jersey Historic Preservation Bond Program to help stabilize the buildings. But far more needs to be done to restore the farmstead, which includes the two houses, two barns, a corncrib, two chicken coops, a summer kitchen and a privy. Just up the road from the farm, the society operates the Barrett House Museum. The building, which is owned by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, was opened to the public in August 1999. For more information or to contribute, call (973)-764-8554