The sun., 1919-07-20
Descendants of the
Early Settlers Live
T O. d ay in tn e
Original Thirteen
Houses That Date
Almost Back to
Hendrick Hud-
!. sons Time

A NDORRA, that little republic
~ which has succeeded in main
tanning its independence for
centuries under the menace of its
powerful neighbors, France and Spain.
has nothing on Chapel Hill, N. j.
Chapel Hill, n. j.. was hamlet Of
thirteen houses and a blacksmith's
--Aop many years before Lord Howe,
occupying New York. was threatening
Washington's army and keeping 1t on
the march and countermarch. in West.
chester. 1t is a hamlet Of thirteen
houses still, the same thirteen houses.
and almost the solitary change that
has been made there since Revolu-
tionary days is one for the worse,
caused by the transformation of the
historic building which gave the
place its name from a church into a
barn and garage.
From time almost immemorial there
have been Mounts. Conovers, Halls,
Taylors, Pierces, Hagemans and Hop
pings living in Chapel Hill. They
have sent branches all over the State
of New Jersey and particularly over
that strip of 1t which evidently was
intended by nature to be mans play
ground, the shore. No matter how
many sons and daughters the village
has sent out into the world, like the
widows oil cruise it has been mex
haustible of Mounts, Conovers, Hop
pings and the rest. Their descendants
are living in Chapel Hill to-day and
most of them under the same old
names. II new names have crept into
the census It is because a Mount or a
Hopping daughter married out of the
set and brought her matrimonial catch
TO live in one of the old houses. This
has not been the rule which, in fact,
was one OF intermarriage.
Back to Hendrick Hudson.
II tradition is to be credited only a
cecade elapsed from the time when
Hendrfck Hudson maneuvred his Half
Moon into the river to the right of
High Point (the old name for Chapel
HID, and from a spring there sup
piled his ship with fresh water before
sailing around Sandy Hook into the
upper bay and SO on up the Hudson
before a pioneer had settled on the
point and built himself a rude home
The honor, a traditional one, is divided
between Sam Cooper and Jacob Loot
barrow with odds in favor of the latter
History begins a little later when II is
known that John Loofbarrow. son OF
Jacob, built himself a mill on Maclise
Creek. which was then navigable fol-
sloops and schooners. While there
may be question of historical right
the village on Chapel Hill naturally
believes in accepting tradition. and sc
In its plans for a celebration this year
It prefers to accept the tradition that
High Point was settled 800 years
ago.
For history, 1t should be remem.
bered, in attributing this choice OF
date TO the present inhabitNhts o.
Chapel Hill. is not that Roman or Gre.
clan dame with scant flowing draperS
as she is usually painted, but an an
Client doddering person with white
hairs three inches long growing on hel
chin. bushy eyebrows and lacking o.
teeth who commonly figures as gossip
But what does a trifie OF half a cen
fury matter when dealing with legends
connected with Chapel Hill. The fac
OF interest is that the sounding empti
ness OF the spot in the seventeenth
century Is sounding emptiness still. tn,
sound produced by the restless sea a
its feet and the emptiness by the scat
tered ancient dwellings. And the rea
interest is afforded by the curious
changelessness, OF the village.
Where is Chapel Hill? Everybod,
in New Jersey has heard OF It but few
have visited It or can tell the strange
how TO get there. On the coast. o
course, and not far south of Atlantis
Highlands 1t lies between Monmouth
and Red Bank. But while these direc
lions are accurate SO far as they &c
TO follow them woIld not lead you L
High Point. Another way to go Is t
start from Middletown and follow tn
road which would fall into the oceal
over the eminence OF Chapel Hill II
went so far Really a detour Is re
quired, but the lighthouse Is sure I
guide you This Chapel Hill Light
house is one OF the range lights estab
lished by Act Of Congress In 1852.