Meeka Kulkarni, Weichert Realtors, 142 Main Street, Chester, NJ 07930

About Chester Township

The Chesters are comprised of the Borough and the Township. The Borough of Chester is located in southwestern Morris County at the intersection of State Highway 24 and U.S. Highway 206.

The Borough is a bustling town center comprised of 1.45 square miles.

The Township is the doughnut surrounding the Borough and is 29+ square miles in size. The Borough and Township is devoted to single family housing. The rural feel of the area has been maintained as the Chesters are largely in the Highland Preservation Area and development is restricted. Also, about 30% of the land area of the Chesters has been established as permanently preserved farms and passive and active recreational space.

History

Historic Chester, NJ once known as “Black River” was established in the early 1700’s. Its rich history includes professions in the early days such as farming the area’s rich lands, mining, milling and inn keeping until iron ore brought prosperity to the area in the latter half of the 1800’s.

The majority of the buildings erected along Main Street in the Borough during this boom period were used as shops for the merchants. Today many of these same buildings are still used in that same capacity. Mining declined and the area returned to farming and tourism.

Education

Dickerson School educates grades K – 2nd grade.

Bragg School educates grades 3rd – 5th grades.

Black River Middle School contains grades 6th – 8th grades.

West Morris Mendham High School contains grades 9th – 12th

Parks and Recreation

The Borough and Township have actively preserved farmland and open space for both passive and active recreation. The parks are free and open to the public. A partial list includes:

Chubb Park: Donated by the Chubb family, this 85-acre area consists of playing fields, skating, ponds, and sledding.

Tiger Brook Park: Purchased with the assistance of the New Jersey Green Acres Program in 1980, this 270-acre preserve contains a 10-acre reservoir with walking trails.

Hacklebarney State Park: This 890-acre park was established in 1924 with the donation of 32 acres. The State Park is primarily wooded and provides passive recreation in the form of picnicking, fishing and hiking. The Black River, which bisects the park, is one of the premier trout fishing streams in New Jersey.

Black River Fish and Wildlife Management Area: This area consists of 3,020 acres in the northern portion of the Township. It was purchased for recreational activities, including fishing, hunting, canoeing, cross-country skiing and hiking.

MacGregor Preserve: This 159.51 mostly wooded acres is adjacent to the Township's existing Tiger Brook Park and together, the two parks provide 430 acres of contiguous open space. Peapack Brook, a major tributary of the North Branch of the Raritan River and a state classified Trout Production stream flows through the park.

Evans Family Forest Preserve: The 110-acre Evans Family Forest Preserve is primarily wooded. Catch-and-release fishing for trout in Ayers Brook is permitted but restricted to artificial lures with barb-less hooks only.

Highlands Ridge Park: The 113 acre Highlands Ridge Park is directly adjacent to the Evans Family Forest Preserve. The two parcels combined provide a total of 223 acres of contiguous parkland.

Allen & Knight Tracts: The Knight property and the Allen property, acquired in 1998, are large wooded tracts located in the southwest portion of the Township. These properties provide connections between Morris County’s Kay Environmental Center and Bamboo Brook and Willowood Arboretum. Combined, these properties consist of almost 400 acres of heavily wooded land.

Other Local Parks and Recreation Facilities include:

Grove Street Park on Grove Street is a Green Acres Park with two tennis courts, a basketball court, a volleyball court, a sanded playground area, picnic tables and swinging benches. The park is open from dawn to dusk.

Memorial Field on Main Street in Chester has a Babe Ruth Field with a Fieldhouse, and Gazebo. This field is where the Concerts in the Park, the Annual Antique Show and the Annual Craft and Arts Festival are held. The park is open from dawn to dusk.

Chester Park is off Collis Lane. This park has a Little League field and a new play structure. There are plans to put in a park like setting by the play equipment. The park is open from dawn to dusk.

Chester Area Pool: The Chester Area Pool is located on 4.7 acres and currently consists of a 60’ x 150’ heated main pool, (handicapped accessible), a 76’ x 52’ shallow interactive pool, a filtered infant pool with a nearby play structure, waterslide, and concession stand.

Alstede Farm: The Alstede Family opens their 365 acre beautiful and scenic farm all year round to the public. Homemade ice cream, hayrides, P. Y. O., corn maze, animals and more.

The Cooper Mill: This mill is the oldest existing mill in Morris County and is on the National Historic Register. Built in 1826 and renovated in the 1980's, it provides visitors with an opportunity to see how grain was processed in the 1800's. The mill is part of Black River Park containing 578 acres used for fishing and other passive recreational activities.

Chester also has a theater group (The Black River Playhouse), clubs and other organizations to appeal to a number of interests.

Meeka has lived and raised her family in Chester for more than 18 years.

I am always happy to answer any questions you may have about real estate in town. Please use the form below to email me, or give me a call.

Office: (908) 879-7010

Cell: (908) 334-4605

Meeka Kulkarni, Weichert Realtors Chester.