Hackettstown's history questions
I love history. I love hearing stories and knowing what kind of things happened in the areas I live in. Does anyone have any links or photos of Hackettstown's past? From any time -- 10 years ago or stories that happened hundreds of years ago...
Also, when did the Hackettstown Diner open/close? When was it torn down? Why did it go out of business?
checkonetwo The Hist Soc web site would be a good place for you to start:
http://www.hackettstownhistory.com/
GC 
botheredbyuu2 Surprised there isn't another restaurant that wants to call themselves Hackettstown Diner then. Has anyone tried?
Thanks to both of you.
DiaHillRes2 The Hackettstown Diner wasn't even in Hackettstown. It was in Washington Township.
checkonetwo, there is a book about downtown Hackettstown retail history. I have it at home and it's fascinating if you like that kind of thing. I don't remember where I got it and I couldn't find it with a quick internet search, but maybe the Historical Society or someone on the forum knows how to get it.
Aquarius I kind of like the sign that remains of the Hackettstown Diner. And yes, the two owners did it and got very injured in the process.
ess Aquarius: I also have the book of past retail businesses in Hackettstown. I obtained mine through the Hackettstown Historical Society. Look in there under 205 Main St. (that was the location of the dress shop I owned in the early 80's)..
joyful Will do, joyful!
I think I got my copy at the Book Loft, in the "local interest" section. Alas, that is no more.
http://www.hackettstownlife.com/forum/191281
May 20, 1998 - Hackettstown Diner 12/25/96 - Two business partners, one severely disfigured by fire, pleaded guilty yesterday to one count each of aggravated arson, for torching their Washington Township diner on Christmas Day 1996 to collect insurance money. The men face between five and 10 years in prison when they will be sentenced on June 19. One of the two was caught in the blaze and burned over 70 percent of his body. He admitted to the judge that he poured gasoline inside the diner and threw lit matches onto the accelerant. They had originally stated that they were checking the diner when a natural gas explosion occurred. Investigators, however, found evidence of gasoline in the debris and on their clothing. At the time of the fire, they were eight months behind on mortgage payments to the diner owner, as well as in arrears to vendors and utility companies.
skippy Historic Main Street, Hackettstown, New Jersey is available at the Historical Society museum at 106 Church St., Hackettstown. Hours there are Wed., Fri, & Sun. from 2 - 4 pm. If you do not live locally, one can be ordered using the following link:
http://www.hackettstownhistory.com/docs/book_flyer_final_c.pdf
wcguy botheredbyuu2, I don't think there's any controversy calling that Washington Township, LOL. But then again on this forum you never know.
Sure about what, that the Hackettstown Diner wasn't actually in Hackettstown? Yeah, she's sure. Once you cross the bridge before the Pump House, you're in Morris County... first Mount Olive, then Washington Township.
Read Skippy's post... the newspaper account also clearly states "Washington Township diner".
ianimal I think its Htown. Further down 46, Target area, is Washingtin township.
Anyone want to prove me wrong, go for it. Im sure some will. Lol
OH NO!!!!! Not this again!!!! LMAO
It's not H'town. ianimal is correct in his post.
Calico696 botheredbyuu2, it was on the wrong side of the river to be Hackettstown. Nothing on that side of the river is Hackettstown - it's all Morris County once you cross there.
The border between Washington and Mount Olive on that side is Drakestown/Mine Hill Road, which comes out on Route 46 shortly before the Pump House heading west.
Christine Thanks ianimal. Know I can always count on you. ;)
Not about the Htown Diner, Christine.
On my way to Target from Mansfield. Im guessing there's 10 towns I need to go thru. Better leave now. Its a long trip. Haha!
If you take East Ave, you can skip the long 3 second drive through Mount Olive entirely (-;
Hackettstown diner used to have those little jukeboxes on each table. Spent a lot of time there when I was in high school. 4 of us pooling coins for one plate of fries and gravy and playing 'Tequila Sheila' :-) Good times.. good times.
hktownie 
I borrowed a bunch of Hackettstown books from poster OldMan. It's amazing to see how it used to be here and it makes me wish I was a live back then to see it and wish it were still like the old days. Main street would look A MILLION times better, that's for sure.
Here's a picture of Buck Hill!!!!
Smack One side of tet mine hill/ drakestown rd is washington Twp & the other is mt olive
Like I said in another post where I used to live in the drakestown rd apartments used to be a mine hill rd address and my kids were zoned for Cucinella and west morris HS the kids across the street would wait for the mt olive twp buses for school
Crazy stuff! I'm just glad I moved back to the "right "side of Htown now!
H-town Mama Like most of you are saying, the border of Morris and warren county is the river by the Pump House. But they have a mailing address of hackettstown, in fact the A&P and most of the car dealers in Budd Lake have a hackettstown mailing address.
Onlooker"And they burned up the diner where I always used to find her..."
Hackettstown history in a song.
mohepinoke "And they burned up the diner where I always used to find her..."
They said they ran out of cash, insurance was to be their stash
All the love I felt, was almost as good as the diner's Patty Melt.
I remember her still, the girl with green eyes from Mine Hill
"Ya wouldn't believe what I've been thru
You've been so long
Well it's been so long
And I've been putting out fire
with gasoline
putting out fire
with gasoline"
mistergoogle Lol ok. I guess him lending me his books was all a dream and so was him and I digging at an old htown dump.
Smack got the books from me and not oldman Smack got the user names mixed up is all
MisterC checkonetwo -Join the Facebook page "U Know Ur From Hackettstown If..."
A lot of interesting facts and pictures about H'town and surrounding area
GeneK Lol. I thought you used to be "old man". My apologies for the confusion as it's an embarrassing one. lol
Check out www.fultonhistory.com , it will give you the opprotunity to search the Hackettstown Gazette and related papers from the last 100 years or so. A saint of a man in NY state digitized them for posterity,and its free!
Oldtimer 
justintime We were in the crepe shop during Oktoberfest and there is that huge and beautiful old fireplace in the back. I remember reading somewhere that Obadiah Ayers owned most of the land East of Main St around 1750 and is considered the first town settler of record.
Does anyone know if that was his fireplace or his house? I've looked at a couple of old maps, there were a number of shops there later on as well. Saw one in about the right position on the street owned by a Cooke.
John C maybe?
According to the book "Historic Main Street Hackettstown New Jersey" written by Ray Lemasters and Leonard Frank, 205 Main Street where Enjoy Creperie is was built between 1850 and 1860. It was a private dwelling until the 1920's when it became a barber shop. It states that an 1860 map shows Eben Winton the editor of the Warren Democrat (later the Hackettstown Gazette) as a tenant there from 1854-1861. In 1860 it was occupied by George King.
I'm sure our own Joyful could expand on the building and some of its later commercial tenants as she owned a boutique there in the 1980's.
Greg Commenting is no longer available.