Residents sound alarm over historic site's future Demolition begins at Van Mater farmstead property BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer One of the last remnants of Hazlet's history is in the process of being developed, a matter that concerns residents. The Van Mater homestead The land known as the Stone Road Meadows spans over 50 acres, but the 4.59-acre VanMater property at the corner of Stone Road and Poole Avenue is under development by Devino and Jackiewicz LLC, the owner of the historic Van Mater farmstead. Many in the township feel that development of the property will mean the loss of some of Hazlet's last historical structures and a piece of township history. The developer has owned the Van Mater property for more than 10 years and there has been talk of development for that long. In April the first step - demolition of some farm buildings - was taken that could spell the end of the Van Mater farm as it was over 150 years ago. Union Beach resident Lou Andreuzzi showed up at a Township Committee meeting a month ago with a handful of pictures and questions for the committee. The photos, showing structures that appeared to have just been demolished, were a cause for concern for Andreuzzi, who approached the committee to talk about a matter that he has brought up before. A view of the Van Mater tract "As you can see in these pictures the Van Mater construction has begun," Andreuzzi said. "I was wondering how it is going with asking the county and the freeholders to help with funds to purchase easement for the property." Deputy Mayor Kevin Lavan said that the issue of preserving the farm has been discussed, but that no funds have been allocated for the property. "They [freeholders] know of the situation," Lavan said. "We on our side have to procure the funds and that has not been successful." Andreuzzi said in an interview that he wishes he could find someone in Hazlet to save the day. "It would be great for a rich businessman to offer the money for the municipality," Andreuzzi said. "But we all know that's not going to happen. We still have time though to save this land." Hazlet resident Fran Donnelly said she went out and took photos when Andreuzzi heard that the developer was taking down structures on the property. "Basically I received a call to go take the pictures of what was done," Donnelly said. "I guess they finally did it." Stephen Gale, amember of the Society of Architectural Historians, has been doing research on the property for years and wrote a draft titled, "AHistory of Stone Road Meadows." In his narrative he goes into the history and architectural significance of the property. "Much of what remains of the Van Mater farmat Stone Road Meadows exists in an unaltered state and blends into the nature of the surrounding lands,"Galewrote in his report. "A configuration of small structures around a farmyard are of simple construction but unique to the purposes they historically served." Gale then went on to describe the farmhouses structure. "The unique nature of this building may be due to the fact that it was quickly built and enlarged to provide sleeping quarters for farmhands," Gale wrote. "That the quality and construction of these buildings is not the best, may be due to the fact that the lumber came fromlocal sawmills, as the one that existed on Flat Creek." Gale ends his report with his assessment of the property. "Nonetheless, these structures retain a form that was both unique and typical for small family farms, or truck farms, of which this is probably the last example in Hazlet," the report states. Gale said that he has lived in Keyport, "for a very long time" and that the history areas around the township have always been of interest to him. He said John Curran and Andreuzzi,who are fellowmembers of theHazletArea Quality of Life Alliance and the Bayshore Watershed Council, came to him as an architectural historian to do some research on the land that they hoped to preserve. He said through his research he learned more about the land than he thought he ever would. "There are buildings still on the property that you can see some of the structure dating back to the 1800s," Gale said. "Back when Hazlet was known as Raritan Township these structureswere common. Though some of these properties look like they have been added on or updated, you can still see some of the original structures." Gale broke his report up into four major areas: geographical significance, historical significance, a history of Stone Road Meadows and significant structures. "The original lands of Gilbert Van Mater consisted of over 50 acres inland of MonasconckNeck, a portion of the vast holdings along the Bayshore granted to Richard Hartshorne in 1676, part of which was acquired by Col. Richard Poole during the era of the RevolutionaryWar," the report states. The pact extended northward across what was to become Stone Road; and southward across what is nowHighway 36 to the center of Flat Creek." The deed from 1836 specifies that, "it's meandering course as it existed in 1836." Gilbert T. Van Mater was the only son of WilliamVanMater andwas born on the family farm in 1881. "He combined the attributes of his father and cousin by both continuing in agriculture while advancing in public life," the report states. "In 1919, he was appointed township clerk where he served for 29 years.His additional civic affairs included the Monmouth CountyHistorical Society, Raritan Township Board of Education and the Baptist Church in Keyport." Van Mater maintained and operated the farm, which was mentioned in a number of articles covering N.J. Horticultural Society in 1925 and the FarmBureauNews in 1927. "Van Mater's obituary lists him as a retired farmer," the report states. "It's clear from the number of ordinances, which carry his name over almost 30 years as clerk, that he was instrumental in the establishment of the community of Hazlet." Gale said he was surprised how Van Mater seemed to "slip through the cracks" of Hazlet's history. "The man was township clerk for almost 30 years and heldmany positions in the community," Gale said. "It's funny howhis obituary basically only listed him as a retired farmer." Curran and Andreuzzi are co-chairs of the Stone RoadMeadows/VanMater Farmstead Consortium, a group that has been looking for help in preserving the property. So far they have had zero luck, and Curran seeswhat the futuremay hold if the land is completely developed. "If allowed to proceed, the demolitionwill be followed by the overdevelopment of the VanMater farmstead property,"Curran said. "This will result in a high-density housing project squeezed onto a 4.59-acre parcel in an area which is virtually built out." He said that one of his main causes has been to build a park on the land that would serve residents of the Bayshore, which also would improve the area's quality of life. Andreuzzi agrees with Curran's assessment. "I just feel like there is something more we can do with this area as opposed to just continue developing," Andreuzzi said. "The other day Iwas considering going out and flying a kite and there is really no where to do so.Apark would be a perfect place for this." Andreuzzi said people in the Bayshore area need to look at what is important to their quality of life. "I'm going to continue my quest to keep this land preserved," Andreuzzi said. "How willwe teach children about the past and history if we have nothing to show them?" Curran said that he understandswhy the developing is being done just that he doesn't agreewith it and its affect on howpeople look at the history of Hazlet. "Mr. Devino has been very accommodating to us and has listened to our feelings," Curran said. Basically, without us raising funds, he had to do what he had to do." Curran said that though some buildings may already be down, he is not donewith his preservation effort. "It was just the first battle that was lost," Curran said. "The bigger battle in the end is preserving these lands or there is nothing to show the future about our generations. We haven't lost yet."