Mount Tabor, New Jersey
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Mount Tabor was founded as a Methodist camp meeting in what is now Parsippany-Troy Hills, in Morris County, New Jersey, United States.
[edit] Founding
Camp Meetings, which are outdoor religious revival services, began for the purpose of revitalizing faith, particularly in the aftermath of the American Civil War. In 1866 the “Newark Conference Camp Meeting Association of Methodists”, under the authority of the officers of the Newark Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, operated several annual Camp Meetings at Lake Speedwell near Morristown, NJ. When the owner of the land eventually told the Camp Meeting Association that he was going to sell the property, a group of the men began searching the countryside for a new campsite; they chose a wooded spread of land thick with underbrush and set upon a hill, which they named "Mount Tabor", after the location mentioned in the Bible as the place of Christ’s Transfiguration.
The hill they found for the relocation of the Newark Conference camp meeting was part of a piece of farmland owned by Stephan Dickerson. Dickerson's farmhouse was located on the first hole of what is now the Mount Tabor Country Club. The house was torn down years ago, but its cornerstone is now located in the chimney of a house formerly owned by a member of the Dickerson family at the corner of Route 53 and Durbin Avenue).
Two relatives of Stephan Dickerson had him declared an "incorrigible drunk" by the Morris County, NJ Orphan's Court. After the relatives were given control of Stephen's financial affairs, they sold much of Stephan Dickerson's farm to the camp meeting association. In return the two relatives were given the right to operate a store within the campground.
[edit] Incorporation of the camp meeting in 1869
On March 17, 1869, the incorporation of the "Camp Meeting Association of the Newark Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church" came about by virtue of the passage of New Jersey Chapter Law 185 of the Legislative Session of 1869, enacted into law by the both the New Jersey Senate and the New Jersey General Assembly.
The chapter law gave the Newark Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church the right to operate a religious camp meeting and allowed the church to exercise specific, limited municipal powers with regard to its camp grounds in Mount Tabor.
The Mount Tabor camp meeting was located in what was then Hanover Township. In 1928, Hanover Township was divided into three municipalities and Mount Tabor became part of the newly formed Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills.
In 1889, the same year Mount Tabor was incorporated, the Newark Conference began to establish another camp meeting in Ocean Grove, at the Jersey Shore. This was the premier camp meeting of the Newark Conference and one of the jewels in the crown of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Mount Tabor saw significant popularity as a religious retreat in its early days, but its popularity declined as the general interest in the Methodist religious revival movement gradually decreased over the years. Mount Tabor ceased to have any aspects of a true religious camp meeting by about 1891.
Its status as a church-run municipality continued until December 31, 1979, when, as a result of a lawsuit brought against Ocean Grove regarding separation of church and state, the New Jersey Supreme Court took away all municipal powers from Mount Tabor and Ocean Grove. The state supreme court forced each community to become officially incorporated into the neighboring municipalities of Parsippany-Troy Hills and Neptune Township, respectively.
Today, the Camp Meeting Association of the Newark Conference of the Methodist Church no longer exists. The Methodist Episcopal Church ended its existence on May 10, 1939 when it merged with two other denominations of Methodism to form the Methodist Church of America, and so ended the legal existence of the Newark Conference of the M.E. Church and its camp meeting at Mount Tabor.
At present, a group of twelve people act as the trustees of the Camp Meeting Association of the Newark Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, an organization that ceased to exist in 1939. The trustees also claim their unincorporated association is the owner of the land in Mount Tabor. Based on the findings of various historical title searches by local residents and interested parties, the claim of ownership by the current association is not supported by deeds on record with the County Clerk of Morris County, NJ.
Mount Tabor homeowners own their houses but lease the land on which the homes are built (a land-lease arrangement). The land is leased from the association, which does not own any of the property in Mount Tabor. The Mount Tabor original church-owned camp meeting grounds were never deeded to any other entity, secular or religious, by the owner - the Newark Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
[edit] Camp Meetings
In August of 1869, the crowds of Methodist campers, many of whom were from the large industrial cities in northern New Jersey, gathered in the rustic area for the ten day camp meeting. Before living in tents, many members set up home in their horse driven wagons in which they rode to the camp meeting. Many tent owners built wooden floors and cabinets inside their tents to protect belongings from the long, cold winter when the campers returned home (you can see still see this unique style of summer tent living in Ocean Grove today). Over the years the more affluent members of the community, prominent lawyers, ministers and doctors from the Jersey City, Newark, Peterson, Elizabeth and Morristown areas, were building decorative Victorian-style homes (albeit small enough to fit on 16- by 32- foot the tent lots), to make their encampment in the summer more comfortable.
The annual camp meetings, held for about ten days each August, were facilitated by the camp meeting association trustees under the oversight of the Newark Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The main focus of the camp meeting was to conduct religious services, which included preaching and prayer, and for the purpose of religious education.
Religious services were held once a day (Monday through Saturday), and three times on Sunday. During one early Sunday camp meeting it was said that such an enormous crowd of people (10,000) gathered that, besides the three regular services, two additional ministers preached simultaneously at different areas in Trinity Place, sometimes known as “The Circle”. In addition to attending services, families strolled along trails which wound their way through the woodlands of Mount Tabor and Tabor Lake.
Those campers unaccustomed to "roughing it" in tents the country could choose to board at the new Arlington Hotel. The hotel was built in 1877 by Trustee David Campbell with the understanding that when he had reimbursed himself from its income, the building would become the property of the association. The association allowed the quaint Arlington to fall into such disrepair it had to be taken down many years ago. Part of the foundation remains and is being used as a retaining wall for a parking lot, until it collapses from lack of maintenance.
Over the years, the crowds that swarmed into Mount Tabor for the annual Camp Meeting diminished except for a few hundred persons who decided to stay and set up year-round homes where tents once stood. Some older residents who attended the camp meetings believed the decreasing crowds were caused by regulations such as the one that prohibited parking of wagons on the campgrounds. This measure was enacted to deal with the numbers of people who came to the camp meetings purely for the pleasure of the surroundings. Traffic in the town would be banned from midnight Sunday to midnight Monday, much as it was in Ocean Grove until 1980. In 1911, as allowed by the charter of 1869, homes were established under a ninety-nine year lease to the Camp Meeting Association (home prices ranged from $300 to $2,500). In 1969, the ninety-nine year leases ended and were renewed as a perpetual lease. Mount Tabor homeowners (known as "Leaseholders") paid a yearly Camp Association rent for their lots with their town assessment and township taxes. The association rent is now proportionately low; two dollars per year for small lots and four dollars a year for the larger ones.
As the tents gave way to small cottages, development in Mount Tabor developed spread out from Trinity Place, an area that included three octagonal buildings - the Tabernacle and Bethel, and Ebenezer pavilions. Since there were no longer crowds of people, the Bethel was large enough to house the townspeople during Sunday service. A minister was hired each Sunday by the CMA to lead services in this building. Used as a court when Mount Tabor was a municipality (with the basement acting as the jail), the Bethel is now used for civic affairs, and by the Board of Trustees for monthly public meetings.
[edit] Children's Day
What has come to be known as Children's Day started in the 1870s as a Sunday School parade around Trinity Place, the original location of the camp meeting religious services. Following the parade the children were treated to ice cream, compliments of Day’s ice cream tent (a Day's Ice Cream Store still exists in Ocean Grove).
The Children's Day custom is known as “Walking Day” in England, where churches organize parades, provide refreshments to participants and generally have a holiday. Children's Day has evolved into a unique, cult-like festival in Mount Tabor and is still a focal point of summer on "The Hill".
[edit] Mount Tabor Fire Department
The Mount Tabor Fire Department was organized on June 11, 1910, to provide fire protection services to the community. Today, the department has expanded to include a large portion of Parsippany, but still covers Mount Tabor. In addition to this, the Mount Tabor Fire Department has expanded beyond its single firehouse located on Simpson Avenue to a total of three fire houses throughout the southwest part of Parsippany.[1]
[edit] Mount Tabor Country Club
At the end of the summer of 1900, the Tabor Field Club was organized. Since its incorporation in 1904 the name has been changed to the Mount Tabor Country Club. In 1901, this Club opened a golf course consisting of six holes and used tin cans as cups! In 1908, the lowest meadow, previously a marsh, was reclaimed and the golf course extended into nine holes. In the year 1911 the present club house was built. A long-term lease has been negotiated in which remuneration is paid to the CMA by the Mount Tabor Country Club.
[edit] Development as a community
Water has been, by necessity, an important aspect in the development of Mount Tabor. From the beginning, shallow lines existed to provide water to residents. However, they had to be drained for the winter for fear of freezing, thus preventing year-round occupancy. In the year 1909 deep water mains were laid in the streets and a stand pipe erected, allowing water to be provided to winter residents. As the years passed, water from the Tabor wells became affected by vegetable matter, and it was found necessary to employ water from township wells. A contract was entered into with Parsippany-Troy Hills Township, and this is how we get our water today. Now the water tower in St. John's park functions only as a reminder of our past, as do the ruins of the pump house in the woods by the pond.
In the Great Depression, many properties were allowed to decay and deteriorate and large sums of unpaid assessments accumulated. In the year 1932 there was still $8,000 of the bonds of 1909 outstanding, but by careful management and diligent collection of back assessments these bonds were paid off and the mortgage burned on October 1, 1934. Since then there has been no debt and Mount Tabor is running strictly on a cash basis, with a budget of approximately a quarter million dollars. If assessments are paid promptly, the Board of Trustees expects to continue public improvement out of annual income.
As the years rolled by, many cottages were converted into winter residences by connection with deep water mains and by the modernization of walls and heating apparatus. A chestnut blight came and devastated the stately trees in the town. In the year 1935, 62 cottages were occupied during winter; in 1938 this number increased to 109. At this writing, we only have one summer resident.
The late 1940's brought many physical changes to Mount Tabor. Among these were the hard surfacing of the roads and the renovating of the basement of the Tabernacle for the CMA, the fire department, and the post office. After World War II, Mount Tabor felt that the time had come for a real church building. Former Pastor Robert Simpson recently related that they decided against putting the church in the midst of the Hill (St. Johns park area was under consideration) because they did not want it to be a "small town church", but rather one that would welcome everyone from both Tabor and the rest of the world.
Property was set aside in what was then the Main Park for the United Methodist Church of Mount Tabor, which rose in 1948 through the combined efforts of the members of the church and the citizens of Mount Tabor (many of whom were not members). This coalition, called the "Builder's Club" that has since dissolved, was another demonstration of the bond of friendship that guided the citizens of Mount Tabor through the years. When completed, it offered a practical and convenient meeting house: it was in Tabor; it was large enough; and it was heated. Thus, it replaced the other buildings for the purpose of services and other church related functions.
[edit] Recent history
In the 1950's, a parking lot was built in the Main Park to provide space for the influx of automobiles. This decade also saw the formation of the Tabor Junior Rifle Club. This organization proved its usefulness when, after the dump closed, it became rat infested. Then each weekend, members practiced on these moving targets, thus controlling the varmint colony and keeping it from invading the town.
The sixties evidenced Mount Tabor's concern for its children. A playground was constructed in the main park, a basketball court was built at the golf course, and a skating rink was built below the old pump house.
In the decades of the 1970's and 1980's, the changes that were occurring in the US were reflected in Mount Tabor. Many houses and buildings were not maintained as well as they should have been, and rebellious youth made their presence known. Fortunately, this trend has been reversed in the last decade, and an appreciation for the past has become strongly evident. In this period septic systems (some of which were under the buildings they served, some were community systems serving more than one residence) were filled in and replaced with a city sewer system. The unsightly steel tank next to the water tower was removed, and one by one, CMA started refurbishing the buildings they owned to their former glory; so far the old firehouse, the Town Manager's house, and the Tabernacle have had facelifts and more. In addition, through the cooperative efforts of the citizens of Mount Tabor, the Trinity Park fountain was installed. The fountain was designed in the image of the previous fountain, which had been removed many years before. In 1980, Mount Tabor became part of Parsippany as a result of litigation initiated in Ocean Grove; at this point Mount Tabor ceased to exist as a separate municipality.
In the early 1990's, Parsippany enacted an ordinance to designate the whole of Mount Tabor, along with a number of other sites, as having landmark status. After opposition from residents to the blanket designation, the ordinance was eventually amended to exclude Mount Tabor. However, the Parsippany Town Council did state that the CMA was to have authority for determining what external changes to structures were in line with preservation of historic heritage. This authority has been challenged and overturned since that time.
[edit] Statistics
- Number of Houses........................350
- Number of Streets.........................35
- Number of Residents....................1,200
[edit] Purpose of the Camp Meeting Association
The purpose of the CMA is to provide a quiet and healthy environment for persons desiring to reside within the geographic confines of the Corporation, and to provide for the safety and well being of the community.
The CMA has the authority to lease, rent, acquire and dispose of lots and properties . . .to adopt such rules and regulations as may be needed to conduct its affairs and to regulate and protect the interests of leaseholders of the (CMA) and residents of Mount Tabor. All leaseholders and residents shall be subject to such rules, regulations and by-laws as the Trustees shall, from time to time, adopt and all leaseholders shall be subject to such assessments as the board of Trustees shall, from time to time, approve as being necessary and proper to support the community.
[edit] Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees, composed of twelve (12) resident leaseholders of Mount Tabor, manages the affairs of the CMA. The trustees are elected by leaseholders at the annual meeting in groups of four for three-year terms; the terms are divided so that four trustees are chosen each year. The officers of the CMA are President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Each officer is elected annually by the Board of Trustees. Residents are encouraged to run for the Board; stop by the CMA office for details on how to do it.
Monthly public meetings of the CMA are held at the Bethel on the third Thursday of each month, at 8:00 pm, and at any other time as needed. Residents are urged to attend and let their opinions be heard. The meetings are run according to Robert's Rules of Order, and minutes are typed and posted on the bulletin board by the Post Office. Agendas are posted there before the meeting.
The Board organizes its members into several different committees, each chaired by a member; a complete listing of committee members is attached. Residents who are not members of the Board may serve, at the Board's favor, as Ad Hoc members. If you are interested in serving on such a committee, please contact that Committee Chairperson.
[edit] Town employees
Mount Tabor employs two people in capacities as Town Manager and Town Clerk. In addition, Mount Tabor contracts for certain services, as needed.
[edit] Mount Tabor Record
Beginning at the time of the Camp Meetings, and ending some time after the start of the 20th century, the Mt. Tabor Record chronicled the comings and goings in Mt. Tabor. Text of the Sunday sermons, who was staying with whom, and sketches of everyday life on the Hill were regular features in this weekly newspaper. There are some copies still available at the Library, and they make great reading. For example, the following article, which describes a walk up Wesley Place, appeared in the original MTR on August 18, 1877.
"WESLEY PLACE
Centrally located and running southward from Simpson Avenue, containing many fine cottages and tents, and such beauties in the way of outdoor ornaments as to bring it into prominent notice. We have not space, nor time, to give it the consideration it should receive at hour hands, and in lieu of further remarks must direct our readers to it as a charming avenue that will well repay a careful inspection. We first notice the cottages and tents on the West side. Mrs. Pell, of Morristown, occupies a roomy and pretty cottage, corner of Simpson Avenue, which is dignified with a bay window and other appendages. A rockery surmounted with flowers, two moss covered stumps, and a little plot, every inch of which displays taste in floral ornamentation, add greatly to the exterior. The cottage of William Hixon, of Montville, occupied by his family and that of Mr. Arndt, the grocer, comes next, showing neat architectural design and a spacious, well arranged interior. Especial care seems to have been taken in the matter of floral decoration, and the grounds show many tasteful designs in stumps, ferns, moss and flowers, the effect of which is heightened by tasteful borders and combinations of limestone. Rev. W. B. Wigg, of Newark, is quartered in a tent adjoining, and at considerable pains has decorated his grounds artistically with moss-concealed stumps and rock-bordered flower beds. 'The cottage of Mr. Calvin Tompkins, of Tompkins’ Cove, on the Hudson River, was among the original structures, having been built early in the second year of the meeting. Its principal floral attractions are baskets and other designs in rustic work.Mrs. Jas. Porter, the assistant in Arndt’s store occupies a tent, which is set off by a pretty rockery of limestone, bordered with flowers, at the base of a tree in front. A tent adjoining is occupied Mr. Thos. H. Jackson, of Newark. Rev. W. F. Blakeslee, of Phillipsburg is the occupant of a neat little cottage adjoining, which displays taste in every feature, and has in front a moss bordered flower bed and fernery, which is one of the handsomest on the grounds. Messers. Melick and Bodine, of Peapack, occupy a tent next door. The next tent is that of Mr. Chas. Birch, who for eleven years has been the faithful and efficient Superintendent of tents of the Association - three years at Speedwell, and since at Mt. Tabor. Wm. N. Ackerman occupies a tent above, and then comes another which resides Mr. Parcells, of Green Village. The cottage of Wm. C. Hutton, of Newark, is among the prominent structures, being of fine architectural proportions and containing all the modern improvements. Peter Hough, of Newton, occupies the tent adjoining.
Crossing Morris Avenue we come to the tent of Rev. Mr. Hayes, and the new cottage of Rev. Thos. H. Smith, Presiding Elder, of the Newton District, just completed. It occupies a commanding position, is large, architecturally beautiful, tastefully adorned, and furnished with all modern improvements. Returning, on the East side, the tent of Miss. Annin of Newark comes first, and is adjoined by the pretty cottage of Mrs. E. C. Aber, of Morristown, ornamented by tastefully designed flower beds at the bases of the trees in front.
We pass next the tent of Chas. McCabe, of Jersey City, and come to the neat looking cottage of Rev. S. N. Bebout, who has made the bases of the trees in front to show forth the beauties of flower and fern. Next is the handsome ornamental tent of Rev. S.W. Clark, of Newark, the leader of the Children’s Meetings, which is the most attractive we have yet noted. His pretty plot in front, displaying the most artistic designs in moss, ferns, flowers, stumps and rocks, is worth a visit to see.
Rev. David Walters of Phillipsburg occupies the next cottage, a cosy, inviting structure which displays a tasteful flower bed, made at the base of the trees. “Aunt” Margaret, of Bloomfield, known by all for her earnest piety and soul in all good works, occupies a little tent adjoining. The next cottage is one belonging to President Campbell, and occupied by his daughter, Mrs. Clark. It possesses attractive architectural form, new and comfortable arrangements, and a convenient basement beneath. Rev. Thos. Watters, of Paterson, is the possessor of the last cottage in this pretty avenue. It is a good-sized prepossessing building, with balcony in front and rear, and the grounds about it abounding in tasteful floral ornamentation, are in keeping with the many others on this most beautiful avenue."'
