Westbrook-Bell Farm: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, National Park Service
Mealey J. 2023. Westbrook-Bell Farm: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, National Park Service. Cultural Landscapes Inventory Report. 300082. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, Boston, Massachusetts / CRIS-CL Database
Westbrook-Bell Farm is part of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (NRA), which encompasses 67,210 acres along both sides of the Delaware River in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Established in 1965, the park provides unique opportunities to experience tranquil landscapes, rich human history, and striking scenery along 40 miles of the longest free-flowing river east of the Mississippi. The park acquired the Westbrook-Bell Farm, located in Sussex County, New Jersey, in 1972 in conjunction with the since-cancelled Tocks Island Dam project. The Westbrook-Bell Farm is situated on the western side of Old Mine Road, a 100 mile road system that connects Kingston, NY with the Delaware Water Gap. The 11.8-acre farm is perched on a terrace overlooking the Delaware River and Minisink Island. Dense woodlands that were formerly cultivated fields cover most of the cultural landscape, except along a gravel driveway that leads to a clearing near the center of the site, where the ca.1725 Westbrook-Bell House, two nineteenth century barns, and twentieth century privy are located. This open space is characterized by mown lawns dotted with specimen shade trees. The historic Westbrook-Bell House is the oldest documented structure within Delaware Water Gap NRA. The one-and-one-half story stone house was built by Johannes Westbrook, a colonial settler of Dutch descent who moved to the Delaware River Valley from New York. Westbrook and several other Dutch settlers established a small agricultural community on the eastern bank of the Delaware River, near Minisink Island, sometimes referred to as “Minisink Village.” The farm remained in the Westbrook and, by marriage, Bell families, until the middle of the twentieth century, and through that period its acreage fluctuated as parcels were acquired and sold. By 1931 the farm included a cluster of at least six outbuildings around the house, but by 1972 only three remained, including the two extant barns. The Westbrook-Bell House was used for park housing until 2007, and the house and farm have since sat vacant. The farm is accessible from the drive at Old Mine Road, but posted signs indicate that only emergency and authorized vehicles may enter the site. There are currently no interpretive features, and the house and barns are not publicly accessible. Two markers, placed in 1934 and 2003, are located at the historic drive’s entrance. The Westbrook-Bell Farm Cultural Landscape Inventory (CLI) documents the landscape’s location, size, physical development, landscape characteristics, character-defining features, and condition. The information contained in the CLI is compiled from primary and secondary sources and through onsite surveys of the landscape. The CLI includes historic maps, drawings, and images; photographs of existing conditions; and a site plan that indicates major features. The CLI documents the existing condition of park landscape resources and identifies impacts, threats, and measures to stabilize condition. This inventory was completed as part of a national effort to document all cultural landscapes in the national park system. The National Park Service Cultural Landscapes Inventory (CLI) includes landscapes that are listed, or eligible for listing, on the National Register of Historic Places, or are otherwise managed as cultural resources, which the National Park Service has, or plans to acquire, legal interest. The completed inventories are included in the Servicewide Cultural Resources Information System (CRIS-CL) database.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Mealey, James
- Date of Issue
- 2023
- Publisher
- U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
- Units
- DEWA , NER
- Keywords
- Agricultural Field, Agricultural Outbuilding, Agriculture, Agriculture/Subsistence, American Exploration and Settlement, Archeology, Architecture, Barn, Bell Farm, Colonial (1600-1730), Colonial Exploration and Settlement, Developing the American, Developing the American Economy, Domestic (Residential), Economy Native American Economy (pre-1776), Ethnohistory of Indigenous American Populations, Exploration – Settlement, Expressing Cultural Values, Forest, Historic Site, Historic Vernacular Landscape, Historic-Non-Aboriginal, Institutional Housing, Landscape, Leisure-Passive (Park), Minisink Historic Landmark, Native Contributions To The Development Of The Nation’s Cultures, Natural Area, Old Mine Road Historic District, Orchards), Peopling Places, Single Family Dwelling, Single Family House, Small-Scale Commercial Agriculture (Crops, Trade/Barter, Westbrook Farm, Westbrook-Bell House