Mount Tabor: A Victorian Haven in Northern New Jersey

Published June 26, 2023 by New Jersey Digest

By Lisa Kintish

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.

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