Millbrook Village in Hardwick Township, New Jersey, is an original and re-created village on the Old Mine Road in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

The living history village is one of the most notable attractions in the area. Several structures from the 1800s survive, and skilled and dedicated volunteers exhibit and occasionally demonstrate aspects of pioneer life.

Millbrook started in 1832 when a local farmer named Abram Garris built a gristmill along the newly-finished Columbia-Walpack Turnpike, crossing Van Campen’s Mill Brook stream. Within no time, other area farmers brought their grain to Garris for processing.

Within a few short years, a small village grew around the mill, including a blacksmith shop and a general store. Soon, other tradesmen also opened businesses, and the village of Millbrook was born. The village stretched out in a line along both sides of the turnpike.

Isolated by its location between the Delaware River and mountains, the village was self-sufficient. Residents grew or made much of their needs and obtained other goods from the general store or local tradesmen. The community continued to grow until just after the Civil War, when it peaked with 19 significant buildings, including a Methodist Church, a school, a hotel, and approximately 75 residents.

However, the latter half of the 19th century brought technological advances to much of the United States. The tiny village soon found that the old mill was less efficient than the newer ones, and the small farmers couldn’t compete. When the railroad bypassed Millbrook, it was a death knell for the village. Soon, young people were moving to the cities for jobs, and as the population declined, businesses and tradesmen went elsewhere. Garis’ mill closed just after 1900.

Over the years, many of the town’s buildings deteriorated or were condemned to make way for the ill-fated Tocks Island Dam project in the 1960s. When the dam project failed, the land acquired through eminent domain was returned to the National Park Service. It became part of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and was officially established on September 1, 1965.

However, some of the buildings did survive, and the Millbrook Village Society was formed to bring the village back to life. With assistance from the Millbrook Village Society, the National Park Service moved some structures to Millbrook, which replaced original buildings that were long gone. In the 1970s, other structures were moved here as outbuildings for the village. A reproduction grist mill was reconstructed on the site of the original. Millbrook Village has about the same number of buildings as it had around 1900. The roadbed of the old turnpike is now the “main street” running through the village.

Through the hard work of the volunteers, the Millbrook of today represents a late 19th-century rural community rather than an authentic restoration of the original Millbrook.

Several buildings are open to the public on summer weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The Millbrook Village Society and other volunteers in period costumes demonstrate the folkways of that era between 10 AM and 4 PM. The village comes alive each year on the first weekend in September for Millbrook Days, when more than 150 volunteers of the Millbrook Village Society demonstrate crafts and skills of rural living in the young nation. The event is held rain or shine. Other events are also held throughout the year. Admission is free. The village can be visited all year.

Millbrook Village is 12.2 northeast of the Kittatinny Point Visitor Center in Columbia, New Jersey. From here, visitors should head north on the River Road and continue onto the Old Mine Road to the village.

More Information:

Millbrook Village Facebook Page
Old Mine Road & Millbrook Rd
Hardwick, New Jersey
908-841-9531

© Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated March 2025.

Also See:

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

Ghost Towns Across America

New Jersey Main Page

Old Mine Road

Sources:

Millbrook Village Facebook Page
National Geographic
New Jersey Leisure Guide