On Sunday afternoon, September 18, 2022, Hunter Research Vice-President Patrick Harshbarger was the featured speaker and tour leader at the annual meeting of the Hopewell Valley Historical Society. This event was held at the Watershed Institute, aka Brookdale Farm, aka the Drake Farmstead, a delightful pastoral setting at 31 Titus Mill Road in rural Hopewell Township roughly midway between the boroughs of Hopewell and Pennington.
Patrick’s topic was the history of the farm property that serves as the headquarters of the Watershed Institute, central New Jersey’s first environmental group and one of the largest and most respected watershed associations in the country. The farm has a fascinating history that encompasses seven generations of Drake family ownership and a period in the mid-20th century when it was the home of the famed psychoanalyst and humanitarian, Muriel Gardiner Buttinger. The property is currently under review for acceptance into the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places, the nomination documentation for which was prepared by Patrick and other Hunter Research staff. Patrick’s presentation was followed by a walk-about of the farm and its impressive collection of agricultural buildings.
