Vernon Township

Vernon Township, located in the mountains of Sussex County, has grown from a town of farmsteads, mills, railroads, and schoolhouses to one of busy highways, lake communities, mountain resorts, and housing developments. Vernon's evolution from agriculture and industry to subdivisions and recreation, presented here in vivid historical photographs, will fascinate longtime residents, newcomers, and visitors alike. Vernon Township reveals a rare glimpse of the community in its early days.

From Ice Age mastodons to Colonial taverns to the Playboy Club Hotel, Vernon Township covers the vast sweep of the community's rich and diverse heritage. This tour of Vernon's past includes antique images of homes, farms, stores, taverns, businesses, schools, churches, and industries. Also depicted are the evolution of local transportation from horse to train to automobile, notable past residents, and the growth of recreation from summer camps to fine hotels. Many of the unique historical views, some of which were reproduced from the original glass-plate negatives, have never before been published.