Rickey Farm listed on state register

The Rickey Farm has been listed to the New Jersey Register of Historic Places, the Vernon Township Historical Society said.

The society nominated the farm three years ago.

The nomination includes historic text, the architectural and archaeological significance of the property, extensive mapping and site plans, and photographic documentation.

The society then paid historic architects Connolly & Hickey $5,000 to complete the nomination, which was submitted to the state Historic Sites Review Board.

The board met Nov. 16 to review the nomination.

Once a property is listed on the New Jersey Register, it is recommended for the National Register.

Jessi Paladini, who was president of the historical society for 15 years, said she was ecstatic about the news.

The society also won designation of Vernon Township as a state scenic byway, the Western Highlands Scenic Byway, and in February 2022 won designation of the Western Highlands Scenic Byway as a national scenic byway.

In June, Paladini said the state Department of Transportation began creating the signage, which is expected to be erected during the next few weeks.

With nearly $300,000 in state funding, the society also created a marketing plan and a corridor management plan for the byway.

The society was founded and incorporated in 1970 by Dr. Roswell Coles. In addition to creating educational programs, it applies for grants and funding for various projects and historic markers for the community.

One of the group’s projects was to create a curriculum for Vernon schools on the Lenape culture called “Bringing the Past to the Present: Teaching About the Lenape Indians through the Black Creek Site.”

Funding has been made available in part by the New Jersey Historical Commission through the County Historical Partnership Program, as administered by the Sussex County Arts & Heritage Council.