Tour the Ayres/Knuth Farm 

The Ayres/Knuth Farm is located at the juncture of Cooper Road and Route 10, in Denville, New Jersey and runs to Hill Road with portions on either end on Rt 10 west…forming a triangle.  The Shoppes of Union Hill sits on property that was parceled out of the Farm. The Township of Denville originally purchased with Morris County and municipal Open Space Funds 51.8 acres, approximately half of which was under cultivation at the time , the farm complex includes the main house and nine outbuildings. The property reaches its highest elevation at the center where Union Hill Farms farmstand is now located, and the terrain rolls gradually down to farmland and soccer fields at the north and wetlands to the south. Here, along what is now a small stream, are located a stone spring house and the ruins of a nineteenth century dam. On the south side of the stream are the stone foundations of the Billy Ayres Distillery, along with the other ruins of the industrial complex and to the west are the remains of a trout pond constructed during the early twentieth century.  Hundreds of rounded “pudding” stones dot this uncleared portion of the property, left behind by the terminal moraine of the Wisconsin Glacier which passed through this section of the county.

Using Morris County Open Space Grants, New Jersey Green Acres, and Denville Open Space funds “The Farm“ is now a total of 72 the contiguous acres of the original 150. Additionally, Denville Township has applied to Morris County Trail Grants for funding formal paths that circle the soccer fields and farming areas and into the preserved woods.

At the time of Farm  purchase it was determined there would be four components on the property as the entire parcel is on the State of New Jersey and National Historic Registers. Active Recreation includes two large soccer fields and practice field with gravel parking to protect the wetlands is one component. Passive Recreation protecting the woods and wetlands and future archaeological study. Active Farming supporting the historic designations is a third important component. Since 1986 Union Hill Farms has farmed. And the fourth component is the historic elements of the farm complex, industrial ruins, and Native American camp sites.

The farm complex of original Ayres and Knuth buildings, includes the farmhouse dating to the 1700s now closest to Cooper Road. Located directly behind the main residence is a tenant house, and a short distance to the south is the outhouse. North of the farmhouse is a semi-circular drive, grouped around which are a  garage, a barn, a corn crib, and a carriage house. Behind these are located two frame chicken coops, and a small stone smokehouse. Directly to the north of the barn, a high stone ramp and stone foundations are all that remain of the original banked large dairy barn, which burned in 1936. Other foundations and stone walls dividing meadows and farm fields remain on the Farm along with the remains of orchards

Join us on a tour of the Ayres/Knuth Farm grounds!

No metal detectors and/or ground disturbance are allowed on Historic Register sites.  Removal of related items is also not allowed