Built in 1845, this 10 building settlment was originally known as Feltville after New York businessman David Felt, yet another mill owner looking for cheaper real estate outside of New York. Felt sold the property 1860s, and after several successive business ventures failed to revive the community, Feltville became known as the “Deserted Village.” The area was given new life in the 1882, when it was was bought by Warren Ackerman, renovated and transformed into a summer resort named Glenside Park. This business too soon failed though, and the place was once again abandoned.
However, as mountain resorts fell out of favor due to increasing popularity and buildup of the Jersey Shore, the resort closed in 1916. Soon after the Union County Park System was formed in 1921, this area was incorporated into the Watchung Reservation, one of America’s first county parks. In 1980 Feltville Ghost Town was listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. Today Feltville Ghost Town consists of eight homes, a combination general store and church building. Many of the original structures still stand and the tucked away town is a popular tourist site for New Jersey history.
