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Originally published in 1939
Some of this information may no longer be current and in that case is presented for historical interest only.
Edited by GET NJ, COPYRIGHT 2003
Montague – Walpack Center – Flatbrookville – Rosencrans Ferry; Old
Mine Rd.
The southern part of Old Mine Road offers a glimpse into the history of
New Jersey. Running southward at the foot of Kittatinny Mountains, close
to the Delaware River, the route penetrates some of the State's most scenic
country, popular with hunters, fishermen, and city-sated week-enders. Some
of the farms are still owned by the descendants of the Dutch and French
Huguenot settlers of the seventeenth century. Much of the route coincides
with the traditional Old Mine Rd., which, it is believed, was built by the
Dutch before 1650 in order to explore the mineral deposits described to
them by the Indians. Nothing is known about these miners who laid the
path from Kingston, N. Y., to Delaware Water Gap, but records of the
Dutch West India Company indicate the existence of a rich iron mine
here. In 1777 Robert Erskine, Surveyor General for General Washington,
mapped the locality, placing the Old Mine Road exactly where it is today.
The whole countryside was frontier during the French and Indian wars.
Montague to Rosencrans Ferry, 19.8 miles
Few gas stations; occasional tourist homes.
Road graveled with small stretches macadamized; most parts unmarked, and though
occasional signs point to "Old Delaware Road," the route is difficult to follow
especially at junctions with other dirt roads. Rattlesnakes and copperheads abound
in region; advisable to exercise caution when walking.
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