The Deserted Village — Attraction in Berkeley Heights

A place where nature and history meet for the delight of travelers

All residents of the Union County and neighbors should feel proud of having this beautiful piece of history around the corner of Glenside Avenue. If you do not want to travel through 78 West or East from Summit to Berkeley Heights, you should consider doing so through Glenside Avenue which runs parallel to 78. On your way, you will find several road signs pointing to both, Watchung Reservation and Deserted Village. The second one is within this reservation.

You have to leave you vehicle on the first parking lot once you enter. It is prohibited to visitors to drive their own car while in the Village. That is a great thing to be banned so you can actually enjoy the view of the tall trees, visit the cemetery where the first pioneers were buried and then witness and walk around the village. There are several old houses which were abandoned the the settlers. One thing I liked a lot was to imagine it was one of the first mountain resorts or intended to be.

You can find all the information while walking around the area. Lots of urban legends...

I walked into this place for the first time alone and as I started to see old run down antique homes, I decided that it was not a good idea for me to walk this place alone. I didn't want any of the Spirits of this hunted place (if any) to follow me home and wake me up in the middle of the night, no way Jose. I could feel a very different vibe here, not a pleasant one, it was intimidating, so after walking inside maybe 1.5 miles, I decided to head back out.

Okay, maybe one day, I will give it a try if is earlier than 4 pm and with friends, not alone. Trust me, I am cautious enough to track and keep my security measures and back up help wherever I go.

Yes, there is a lot of History and things to explore here, if you do it with a group and during earlier hours of the days. I really don't know too much about Spirits and I do not want to know, or like I say, take a chance of having Spirits follow me home....

The Deserted Village of Feltville is on the NJ and National registers of historic places, mostly for its development as a self-sufficient mill town in the mid-1800s. The site dates to the colonial era settlement of Peter's Hill. In 1845, it was developed by David Felt as a company town that ultimately had 175 residents, but by the 1870s the village was abandoned. In the 1880s, it was purchased and turned into a Victorian summer retreat named Glenside Park. During the 1920s, the Watchung Reservation was created to protect undeveloped natural land, and during the Great Depression the government did rent out houses in Feltville. Today, it appears NJ is restoring and preserving the site, with many buildings off limits for stabilization and preservation. We'll definitely be back to explore more of the site! It is a great...