How cool is this! Did you know that our Mane Street Parade is
actually traveling on part of an original old Stage Coach route.
A Stage run starting in Freehold the County Seat used to make stops at the
following locations that still are in business. The Clarskburg
Inn in Millstone, The Happy Apple Inn in Upper Freehold, DiMattias
which used to be the Allentown Hotel on our Mane Street and the Yardville Inn
of Hamilton Township then on to Trenton. This road still shows on a few road
signs in MillstoneTownship as Stage Coach Road.
ALLENTOWN AND UPPERFREEHOLDTOWNSHIP This stagecoach passed
through Allentown in 1907. The photograph, which appears in the new pictorial history by Mary
Clark, and appeared in the Allentown
Messenger and the Examiner newspapers.
Here’s some more Horse trivia related to Allentown’s
300 years and the relationship of the Horse.
The Farmers surrounding Allentown
used to bring their grain to the Old Mill by horse drawn wagon. The current mill
was built in 1855 by Abel Cafferty with 300,000
bricks made on the premises. It replaced the original “old” mill built in 1706
by Nathan Allen. A grist mill has operated on this site for more than 250
years, and it is now on the National Register of Historic Places.
While the farmers grain was being
processed, they would give their horses a break by pasturing them across
Doctors Creek up on the hill at a community pasture. What is now the parking lot for the PeteSensiPark
an old blacksmith shop stood.While the farmers were in town their horses feet could be trimmed and shoes fitted. The last
blacksmiths working here were Clarence Morris and Gary Bird. Appropriate that
Kevin McMinn a current farrier is also one of our
Parade organizers.
The Livery Stables in Allentown
were located behind the Allentown Hotel (stage stop also known as the
Cunningham Hotel) near 1 and 3 South Main Street
and behind the Library (former Baptist church) and Post Office.
In the winter many Farmers in the area did not have the
capability of handling the amount of hay needed to keep their work horses fed
over the winter.
In the late fall after harvest was over a horse drive was
conducted starting in Freehold at the old livestock auction. Local Farmers were
given a date to have their horses at an intersection on Route 537 (the old
Monmouth Road) so they could have them sent to the Helis Stock farm in Jobstown
where for a fee the horses would be wintered over.
A second Horse drive was then repeated in the spring when
the Farmers could retrieve their stock from the herd to have them for the new
years work.
According to an article Published in the Asbury Park Press 3/18/04, in 1855 A carriage factory is
established at Allentown by William
Cafferty.
Part of the Parade will travel through Pondview
Estates and 62 North Main Street.
This property was Owned by the Merillat
Frost Family and was one of the last properties in Allentown
to have horses on it. Mrs. Frost was a breeder of welsh ponies and in 1982 was
recognized by the N.J. Equine Advisory
Board as New
Jersey’s
Horseman of the Year.
In 1983 The Horse Park of New Jersey opened in UpperFreeholdTownship
just outside of Allentown. Last
year 2006, it was the Home of the final round of selection for the US Olympic
Team just prior leaving for AthensGreece.
Trustees of the HorsePark
will be riding in our Mane Street Parade!
Allentown has a long
and valued Horse History. See you on the Sept 16th, the Day of the
Horse!
