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Archiver > OHCLERMO > 2000-11 > 0974360947
From: HERMON B FAGLEY <>
Subject: Federal Lake Harsha,in East Fork State Park, built 1970-75 era
Date: Thu, 16 Nov 2000 02:49:07 -0500
Very s e Batavia twnsp, and nw Tate twnsp, and sw Williamsburg twnsp,and
even a bit
lying o the creeks in Monroe township was bought by the federal,or state
governments
1970-75 for the above. The lake also was called East Fork [of the Little
Mimi River] til
US Congressman Harsha retired. Normal pool of the lake is [?] 2000 acres,
but it's to impound flood
waters. The state park surrounding it is [?] 7000 acres. Few buildings
within their bounds
survivied,even those above flood waters. Old Bethel Methodist,and it's 5
acres churchyard,
dating from 1807,was the major survivier,thanks,in part,to REV Carl Ely,
,
and my parents,and like minded souls. There were some 1810 era stone
houses flattened,
and 1-2 log cabins removed to Burke Parke,Bethel, and many lives
up-rooted. 3 Suicides.
And attempt was made to save the Teegarden-Pinkham-Reece farm as a
tourist site,but that
failed. Nantucket whalers Pinkham's ran it as a New England industrial
farm. Meaning-maple
sugar, sorghum, cider mill, saw mill etc and doctoring,instead of entiely
farming. And it adjoined
Richard Collins mansion farm, which was a Southern plantation type, but
those were not the
norm. The original population in th park area of 1803-10 was mostly NJ.
Princeton and Atlantic City general
areas. I guess the park boundry bends around Concord Methodist,and
churchyard,
and the lake-park is just across a road from a former Methodist church
called today,
Greenbrier cemetary. Some places in Clermont,an area of 10,000 [?] acres
would have included
many family cemetaries, but the Jerseymen buried mostly in Methodist
churchyards.
I hiked the ex-farms quite a bt,til the bull dozers arrivied to clear the
lake bed. Last time I've
seen much of it. I courted my wife by driving across the former Twin
Bridges,now a main pool.
I could add many surnames,but it's the middle of the night. And I'm
biting my tongue [with my toothless
old gums] to keep from adding a few bitter remarks about it's building.
There was one
blessing,at least. George and Ruth Ann Mattox Rooks were moved in as
State Park managers.
And remain my dear friends. George's newspaper column of 2 weeks ago was
"Fisherman
says good bye to a dear friemd,Hermon Fagley" .And he still fishes with
my Dad's home made fly
rod. Crying--------------
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