With its rich history as a 19th-century religious retreat and its ornate “gingerbread” Victorian homes gathered around a central park, Mount Tabor in Parsippany is one of the most unique neighborhoods in all of New Jersey.
Naturally, the Mount Tabor Historical Society’s annual House Tour is a big draw. This year’s event is scheduled for September 30, but thanks to a local Eagle Scout candidate, members of the public can now conduct their own walking tours, guided by their own smartphones.
MOUNT TABOR, NJ – The Mount Tabor Historical Society will be hosting a Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony on Saturday, August 26, 2023 at 10 am in Trinity Park.
The Ribbon Cutting is in celebration of the official launch of Discover Historic Mount Tabor, a digitally enhanced walking tour designed as the Eagle Scout Project of Eashan Iyer a member of BSA Troop 173, Parsippany, NJ.
PARSIPPANY, NJ – The idyllic neighborhood of Mount Tabor is soon to be featured in an upcoming photographic exhibit in Morris County. The exhibit is called: Morris County Through the Lens of Time: A Photographic Journey by Xiomáro.
A special preview will be held from July 9th – August 13th at Acorn Hall at the Morris County Historical Society. The formal opening will take place in September of 2023.
A small community in northern New Jersey packed with Victorian-style cottages featuring gingerbread embellishments, vibrant colors, and cozy front porches could be mistaken for Ocean Grove, except for the setting. The ocean is about an hour south and the houses are set upon a steep hill. This is Mount Tabor, located in the Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills in Morris County. It has much in common with the seaside town but is also a different place altogether.
Both towns were founded in 1869 by the Methodist Church and designed to be permanent Camp Meetings. Apparently, as the church was celebrating 100 years in America back in 1866, the leaders worried about the pull of the cities and their many evil temptations waiting to lure away the faithful. The New Jersey delegation at the National Centenary conference in Washington, D.C., decided to keep everyone on the right path by organizing a tent revival in a pastoral setting as had been done at Wesley Park on Martha’s Vineyard.
The Mount Tabor Historical Society is pleased to announce that a ceremony unveiling the National Register Marker commemorating the listing of the Mount Tabor Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places was held on Sunday, March 19, 2017.
Several dignitaries were present to congratulate the Mount Tabor Historical Society on this great achievement including Morris County Freeholder Christine Myers, Parsippany Troy Hills Mayor James Barbario, Parsippany Council members Robert Peluso and Loretta Gragnani, Parsippany Town Historian Randy Tortorello and Camp Meeting Association President Richard Morgan. Also attending the unveiling ceremony were Mount Tabor Historical Society members and other community residents. Mount Tabor Historical Society President Michelle LaConto Munn had the honor to unveil the newly placed National Register Marker located in a garden near the post office parking on Simpson Avenue. A reception was held immediately following in the Bethel Pavilion.
The listing marks a major milestone for the community and those involved in the nomination process, which started in January of 2011 with the assistance of grants from the Morris County Historic Preservation Trust to help fund the creation of a Mount Tabor Historic Preservation Master Plan and a National Register Nomination. This nomination required extensive research and documentation over several years utilizing a team of historic preservation specialists and historic architects overseen by HMR Architects. Educational outreach was provided through a series of meetings, programs and speakers presented to the public by the Mount Tabor Historical Society.
The Mount Tabor Historic District was officially listed on the New Jersey Register on January 8, 2015, and approved for listing on the National Register for Historic Places on March 3, 2015. Six years after the process began, it is gratifying that the historical significance of this neighborhood is thoroughly documented and officially recognized with an historic marker. The hope is that this recognition creates more awareness and sensitivity to the unique historical characteristics that contribute to making Mount Tabor such a special place to live.
A crew from the Skylands Visitor Magazine paid Mount Tabor a visit recently. Here is a link to their informative article in the Spring 2016 issue. Take the advice in the article and explore this unique historic community in the heart of the “Skylands” of northwestern New Jersey. See our Directions page to pay us a visit. http://njskylands.com/tour-mount-tabor
Our recently-passed member Lynn Brunskill was one of the leaders in the efforts to save the historic Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital. Her contributions are described in a Star-Ledger article July 17, 2015: