(above) Washington Rock Spring Water Bottles
During the past two months, we talked about “The Path” (Cardinal Lane), where General Washington was led up to a lookout referred as Washington Rock. In the mid-1800’s, the same path was used as a stagecoach route to bring guests from the city to the Plainfield Train Station and then by stage to the Washington Rock Mountain House hotel across from the Rock.
Although surprising, the top of the Watchung had many fresh water springs. In the late 1800’s, the Berliner family had the foresight to buy acreage in Washington Rock State Park on the west side of what is now Rock Road East. In the 10 years or so before 1900, the Berliner family formed the Watchung Spring Water Bottling Company and commenced operations on two productive wellheads on the property. Many of the bottles produced had raised lettering saying “Washington Rock Spring Water Bottling Co.” For over 10 years, they were able to fill small and large glass bottles with the crystal clear quality spring water. There were no cars or trucks in those days, so how to get the product down to the public, was the question. The bottles were too heavy to carry by hand. The common transportation back then was the wagon. And so, water was hauled by wagon down the Lane. If one looks carefully, the wagon trail can still be detected across the picnic area to where it connects to Cardinal Lane. Spring water was then brought to local distribution points or to the Plainfield Train Station for transport.
But all good things must come to an end. In about 1903, when the wellheads slowed down their flows, operations ceased.
When visiting Washington Rock, the two acres surrounding the monument is all that there is to the property. However, the current park is actually 51.3 acres – 26 acres to the west of Rock Road East and 25 acres to the south, including the side of the mountain. Charles McCutcheon of Plainfield was both patriotic and wealthy. Just before 1900, he realized that Mr. Garretson, who owned the quarry that can be seen when driving up Washington Avenue to the left, had designs on quarrying the front side of the mountain, including the historic Washington Rock. That was unacceptable, so he got to work.
In 1911, he was able to get the NJ Legislature to allocate $5,000 to the Washington Rock Commission to purchase up to 100 acres to start a State Park. McCutcheon was highly regarded and he got his friends to donate 28 acres to the project. For the princely sum of $11, it included the acreage of the now dormant wells of the Berliner family. As an update, the Watchung Spring Water Bottling Company is alive and well. After several moves, they are located in Lakewood, where they distribute Poland Spring Water and other products.
