More on Milford

So about three months and we are finally getting acquainted with the town where our congregation is.  And we think it's time to give you a some  of the  Milford backstory.





It was established in 1790something.  Milford is really an appropriate name since there truely was a mill over the ford.  It burned down but was rebuilt and it is still a working mill and a cutesey little restaurant in part of it.

 After service a few weeks ago our cargroup made a stop to check it out.

Okay here is another interesting bit of Milford history. One area of Milford is called Dingmans Ferry.  You may remember we shared some pictures of Dingmans falls a while back.  Well apparently there is a special bridge in that area called Dingmans Bridge (i guess where the ferry used to be?) over the Deleware River.   What makes the bridge special is that it is the one of the last privately owned bridges in the country!  So it is manned by this one family and they personally take the $1 toll fee per car and they do all the maintenance on the bridge year round.  Apparently the state monitors the care VERY closely because they want to own the bridge but can't.   

And THEN there is this:  Milford was the home of the start of the US  Forest Service and Nature Conservation!  The man who essentially got it started lived in a beautiful palace (quite literally) called Gray Towers in the heart of Milford.  It was privately owned until recently when it went to the state as a historic location.  But Mr. Gilfford Pinchot used his home as the brainstorming location for all sorts of naturalists of the time, like Mr. Muir (of the Muir Woods giant redwoods park in California).  In fact Mr. Muir named one of his famous redwood trails Pinchot Pass.

Anyway Gray Towers is now used as the backdrop location for all sorts of natural and cultural expos.  This weekend featured wood cutting.  Have you ever seen some homeowner take a partially chopped down tree and have it chopped up by an expert chain-sawer (I don't know if that's a word - sorry) into an art form?  Like this:

It's pretty cool. [and not cheap]






So we milled around the grounds this afternoon and admired the landscaping and the stone walks and arches and gazebos and the trees and the 75 year old wisteria vines and the general splendor of the place.  It is incredible to think that this man (who died in 1940 something) had a bare hillside and he and his wife transformed it into this!  One interesting quote from him before he died was: 
 "By George, I'd like to come back a hundred years from now and see my trees."

It's neat to know he will. :)

 

So here are some of the photos of the outside tour. It's probably an excessive amount of pictures, but when have I ever been in moderation when it comes to communication? {don't answer that}

 

 

 Hope you all are enjoying the natural beauty around your neck of the woods!