A general store is recreated for the Back in Time Yuletide Stroll last December in Stillwater. (File photo by Maria Kovic)
Horse-drawn carriage ride in Stillwater. (Photo courtesy of the Stillwater Historical Society)
Stillwater is celebrating the 200th anniversary of its incorporation.
The township has a beautiful country landscape in Sussex County.
Long before its incorporation, Stillwater was populated mostly by farmers. The low, flat land with rich pastures served well for dairy farming.
At 11 a.m. Saturday, June 7, there will be a ceremony celebrating the bicentennial on the lawn of Whitehall Farm, 921 Main St. This is the home of Roy and Susan Knutsen and is a historic place.
Roy Knutsen will portray Nathan Shafer, Stillwater’s first mayor, and mayors of three adjoining municipalities are expected to attend.
The Shafer family has had a long relationship with the area and retains an influence in Stillwater. Caspar Shafer became one of the earliest settlers in the mid-1700s. He was a German Palatine immigrant.
The German Palatine people, in general, came from a region of central Germany that was governed by princes from the time of the Holy Roman Empire. The struggles of the Protestant Reformation of the 1500s and 1600s, along with the English promising peasants free passage to plantations, produced the Great Migration of 1709.
German Palatine immigrants to America settled in significant numbers in Maryland, the Pennsylvania Dutch country, New York state along the Hudson River near Livingston and along the Mohawk River. They later fought in critical battles during the Revolutionary War. Some came from Philadelphia and into our area. Caspar was likely one of these.
He established a grist mill along the scenic Paulins Kill River, serving the local farming community. Abraham Shafer followed, along with Peter, Margaretta and Isaac Shafer.
The grist mill still stands and is a testament to the industry of the area and the diligent and unending work of the Stillwater residents.
Stillwater in the 1700s was along the frontier of the colonial Jerseys. Anthony Swartwout was one of the setters during those years and was involved in the Hunt-Swartout Raid of 1756 during the French and Indian War. Swartswood Lake is linked to him.
It sounds like a great celebration is planned Saturday. There will be a parade at 1:30 p.m. after a festival of traditional artisans, live music by Long Hill String Band, horse-drawn carriage rides, tours of Stillwater Gristmill and historic homes on Main Street, and traditional vittles at the General Store starting at 10 a.m.
In the afternoon, there will be food trucks, vendors, games, live music by the Snake Oil Willie Band (hey, thanks for the banjo lessons!) and a Tommy Knucklehead magic show for children at Veterans Memorial Park, 932 Pond Brook Road, Middleville, followed by fireworks after dark.
The rain date is Sunday, June 8. For information, go online to HistoricStillwater.org
Mayor Lisa Chammings says, “This anniversary is a testament to our forefathers who had a vision for a community that can stand alone and take care of our own.”
As the valuable and industrious local historian Andy Martin says, “A place like Stillwater matters. The town tells the stories of who we are and where we have been.”
Bill Truran, Sussex County’s historian, may be contacted at billt1425@gmail.com