Finesville is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Pohatcong Township in Warren County, New Jersey, United States, that was defined as part of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

.New Jersey: 2010 – Population and Housing Unit Counts – 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH-2-32)
United States Census Bureau, p. III-5, August 2012. Accessed June 4, 2013. "Warren County—Name Changes: Beattystown CDP name corrected from Beatyestown; New CDPs: Allamuchy (formed from part of deleted Allamuchy-Panther Valley CDP), Anderson, Asbury, Blairstown, Brainards, Bridgeville, Broadway, Brookfield, Buttzville, Columbia, Delaware, Delaware Park, Finesville, Great Meadows (formed from part of deleted Great Meadows-Vienna CDP and additional area), Greenwich, Hainesburg, Harmony, Hope, Hutchinson, Johnsonburg, Lopatcong Overlook, Marksboro, Mountain Lake, Mount Hermon, New Village, Panther Valley (formed from part of deleted Allamuchy-Panther Valley CDP), Port Colden, Port Murray, Silver Lake, Stewartsville, Upper Pohatcong, Upper Stewartsville, and Vienna (formed from part of deleted Great Meadows-Vienna and additional area)" As of the 2010 Census, the CDP's population was 175.DP-1 – Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Finesville CDP, New Jersey
, United States Census Bureau. Accessed June 3, 2013.

History

The community is located along the Musconetcong River between

Pohatcong Mountain Pohatcong Mountain is a ridge, approximately 6 mi (10 km) long, in the Appalachian Mountains of northwestern New Jersey in the United States. It extends from west Phillipsburg northeast approximately to Allamuchy Township, New Jersey. Th ...

and

Musconetcong Mountain Musconetcong Mountain is a ridge in the Highlands region of New Jersey running south of and parallel to the Musconetcong River. The ridge travels through Alexandria, Holland, Bethlehem and Lebanon Township. Prominent Features *Point Mountai ...

, about a mile east of the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...

in a section of the Musconetcong Valley called the Musconetcong Gorge. The settlement was named for Philip and John Fein (often misspelled Fine by locals) who settled in the area from Germany. They built a dam and ran an oil mill, gristmill, sawmill, hotel and a store. The area was first built up as a permanent settlement due to the construction of Chelsea Forge, built in 1751, a charcoal-iron forge on the Musconetcong. The forge helped to provide the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

with weapons to defend Valley Forge. The Shank Brothers ran a ferry across the

from the point where the Musconetcong empties into it prior to 1800. The Fein gristmill burned and was later rebuilt as the Riegel Paper Corporation's paper mill and became the Taylor Stiles and Company knife factory.

Historic district

The Finesville–Seigletown Historic District is a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

encompassing the community along County Route 627 (Riegelsville-Warren Glen Road); Mountain, Musconetcong, Mount Joy and Bellis roads, and extending into Holland Township, Hunterdon County. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 10, 2010, for its significance in architecture, industry, engineering, and exploration/settlement. The district includes 97

contributing buildings In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

, 6

contributing structures In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

, and 5 contributing sites. With accompanying 21 photos () The district includes the Seigle Homestead, listed individually on the NRHP in 1977 and located in the Seigletown section of community. There are over twenty early stone houses in the community. Many architectural styles are represented, including Colonial Revival,

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

, and Queen Anne. File:181, 183 County Route 627, Finesville, NJ.jpg, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival houses on County Route 627 File:380 Mount Joy Road, Finesville, NJ.jpg, Stone house on Mount Joy Road in Holland Township File:237 County Route 627, Finesville, NJ.jpg, Stone house with Victorian embellishment File:137 County Route 627, Finesville, NJ.jpg, House with Gothic Revival influences

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Finesville had a total area of 0.325 square miles (0.841 km²), all of which was land.US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990
United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.

Demographics

Census 2010

Places of worship

The Finesville Church was built in 1877. The Finesville United Methodist Church was built in 1879 and displays Greek Revival influences. Both are contributing properties of the historic district. File:191 County Route 627, Finesville, NJ.jpg, Finesville Church File:150 County Route 627, Finesville, NJ.jpg, Finesville United Methodist Church

Transportation

The Mount Joy Road Bridge crosses the Musconetcong River and connects Pohatcong and Holland Townships. This Pratt truss bridge, a contributing structure of the historic district, was built and is the only known example made by G. M. Russling of Hackettstown. County Route 627 (Riegelsville-Warren Glen Road) runs northeast-southwest through the community and intersects with Mountain and Mount Joy Roads.

Points of interest

*Hunts Meadow – named for patriot Edward Hunt who dug the millrace here and wintered sixty cavalry horses for the

in 1778.Finesville Historical Markers
/ref> *Seigletown – named for Benjamin Seigle, a Revolutionary militia captain, who lived here and made red clay pottery called Seigleware. The family owned a farm, a gristmill, clovermill, blacksmith shop and

hematite Hematite (), also spelled as haematite, is a common iron oxide compound with the formula, Fe2O3 and is widely found in rocks and soils. Hematite crystals belong to the rhombohedral lattice system which is designated the alpha polymorph of . ...

mine.

Wineries

Alba Vineyard Alba Vineyard is an American winery in the Finesville section of Pohatcong Township in Warren County, New Jersey. Formerly a dairy farm, the vineyard was first planted in 1980, and opened to the public in 1982.Sullivan, Kathy"Alba Vineyard and Wi ...

Villa Milagro Vineyards Villa Milagro Vineyards is a winery in the Finesville section of Pohatcong Township in Warren County, New Jersey. The vineyard was first planted in 2003, and opened to the public in 2007.Eilenberger, Andrea"Villa Milagro Vineyards clears hurdle ...

References

External links

* {{NRHP in Warren County, New Jersey Census-designated places in Warren County, New Jersey Pohatcong Township, New Jersey