Caroline Rose Foster
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Caroline Rose Foster (6 April 1877 – 26 July 1979) was an American
farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer m ...
and philanthropist who managed Fosterfields, a working farm in Morristown, New Jersey, United States. Foster was a member of over 30 civic and historical organizations including the Washington Association, Washington Valley Community,
Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...
Historical Society, Canal Society of N.J., Morris County Golf Club, Morristown Lawn Tennis Club, the Woman's Club of Morristown, and the Morris County Historical Society. She was skilled in fishing, writing,
local politics Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...
, and carpentry. Beginning in 1910 and throughout her life, Foster challenged
gender role A gender role, also known as a sex role, is a social role encompassing a range of behaviors and attitudes that are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for a person based on that person's sex. Gender roles are usually cent ...
s of the
Progressive Era The Progressive Era (late 1890s â€“ late 1910s) was a period of widespread social activism and political reform across the United States focused on defeating corruption, monopoly, waste and inefficiency. The main themes ended during Am ...
by wearing men's clothing including men's hats, pants, shoes, and tuxedos. Upon her death in 1979, she donated much of her estate (historic objects, Revere home, and
farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used ...
) to the
Morris County Park Commission The Morris County Park Commission (MCPC) is a board of commissioners that manages parks, facilities, and historic sites in Morris County, New Jersey. It is the largest county park system in New Jersey. Russel Myers was its first Secretary-Direct ...
in order to "preserve her beloved home and open it to visitors." She lived 99 of her 102 years on the Fosterfields property. In 2009, Foster was among 100 women honored by the
National Women's History Project The National Women's History Alliance (NWHA) is an American non-profit organization dedicated to honoring and preserving women's history. The NWHA was formerly known as the National Women's History Project. Based out of Santa Rosa, California sinc ...
as "women taking the lead to save our planet".


Early life

Caroline "Cara" Rose Foster was born on April 6, 1877, in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
to Emma Louise Thompson and Charles Grant Foster. Her mother, Emma Louise Thompson (1842–1880), was born in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
in 1842. Thompson's father was James Burnet Thompson of Mendham. Her father, Charles Grant Foster (1842–1927), was born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1842. During the 1861-1865 Civil War, Foster's father served as a
lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...
for the
Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...
. Foster's father later became a member of the New York Product Exchange. He co-founded Ward & Foster, a New York City-based warehouse and grain business; he worked there as a
commodity broker A commodity broker is a firm or an individual who executes orders to buy or sell commodity contracts on behalf of the clients and charges them a commission. A firm or individual who trades for his own account is called a trader. Commodity contra ...
. Emma Louise Thompson and Charles Grant Foster were wed on November 12, 1869. After they married, they lived with Charles's sister Harriet Foster and her husband John Seely Ward on Pierrepont Street in the
Brooklyn Heights Brooklyn Heights is a residential neighborhood within the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Old Fulton Street near the Brooklyn Bridge on the north, Cadman Plaza West on the east, Atlantic Avenue on the south, ...
. Charles and Emma had two sons before Caroline: Ward (1870-1873) and Charles, Jr. (1874-1877). They both died in childhood, before Foster was born. By 1878, her mother was suffering with
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...
. With her infant daughter, Emma Foster travelled to
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
and other Southern states with a nurse to receive medical care. However, Emma Foster died of tuberculosis in February 1880. She was buried in the family plot in Brooklyn's
Green-Wood Cemetery Green-Wood Cemetery is a cemetery in the western portion of Brooklyn, New York City. The cemetery is located between South Slope/ Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, Kensington, and Sunset Park, and lies several blo ...
.


Move to Fosterfields

From 1878 until 1880, the Fosters rented a mansion and farm estate from General Joseph Warren Revere, a Union general of the
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
and grandson of
Paul Revere Paul Revere (; December 21, 1734 O.S. (January 1, 1735 N.S.)May 10, 1818) was an American silversmith, engraver, early industrialist, Sons of Liberty member, and Patriot and Founding Father. He is best known for his midnight ride to a ...
. This was possibly to stay near Morristown to provide Emma Foster with TB treatment prior to her death in 1880. In 1881, a year after Emma Foster's death, Charles G. Foster bought the Morris County farm from the family of Joseph Warren Revere. Revere had died the previous year of a heart attack. Included in the purchase was The Willows, the Gothic Revival mansion partially designed by Revere, and all of the art and furniture within. Foster renamed it Fosterfields, and from 1881 to 1915 developed it as a farm breeding
Jersey cattle The Jersey is a British list of cattle breeds, breed of small dairy cattle from Jersey, in the British Channel Islands. It is one of three Channel Island cattle breeds, the others being the Alderney (cattle), Alderney – now extinct – and th ...
. In 1882, Charles Foster travelled to the island of
Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the l ...
to buy
Jersey cattle The Jersey is a British list of cattle breeds, breed of small dairy cattle from Jersey, in the British Channel Islands. It is one of three Channel Island cattle breeds, the others being the Alderney (cattle), Alderney – now extinct – and th ...
for the farm, and continued to do so with his brother in 1883. In 1884, Charles Foster travelled again to Jersey, this time bringing Caroline Foster and her aunt Carrie Thompson along. Referring to a memory from 1883, Foster has stated:
At the mature age of six, my greatest joy was to sit by the side of acob Arnold's roadand watch the world go by in buggies, farm wagons, ahorse and afoot.
After the move, Foster's aunt, Caroline "Carrie" Thompson, joined the household to care for Foster in her youth. From about 1880 to 1890, Foster recalled traveling to
Castle Garden Castle Clinton (also known as Fort Clinton and Castle Garden) is a circular sandstone fort within Battery Park at the southern end of Manhattan in New York City. Built from 1808 to 1811, it was the first American immigration station, predating ...
(New York's immigration center before
Ellis Island Ellis Island is a federally owned island in New York Harbor, situated within the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, that was the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United States. From 1892 to 1954, nearly 12 mil ...
) to hire young women as soon as they arrived from Ireland. The Fosters had as many as 3 Irish maids work and sleep in an upstairs room of The Willows.


Education

Beginning in 1886, Foster attended Miss Dana's School for Young Ladies in Morristown. According to historian Becky Hoskins, this was the best education available in Morristown. At Miss Dana's, she studied a classical curriculum, including
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
, art skills, and astronomy. She engaged in school plays. In 1896, Foster graduated from Miss Dana's. Her social debut was held on April 7, 1896, at 11 PM in McAlpin Hall in Morristown, a venue that often hosted dances and entertainments at the time. 125 to 150 guests were invited. Its refreshments were catered by the upscale Wilbur F. Day's Restaurant, Confectioner and Caterers at 40 Park Place in Morristown. Day's Restaurant was best known for its ice cream, of which Foster was a lifelong fan, as well as elaborate
wedding cakes A wedding cake is the traditional cake served at wedding receptions following dinner. In some parts of England, the wedding cake is served at a wedding breakfast; the 'wedding breakfast' does not mean the meal will be held in the morning, but ...
.Fosterfields digital files at Historic Sites\FosterFields\Morristown History\Wilbur F Day restaurant The debut's catered menu included chicken and lobster croquettes, chicken salad, "boned turkey,"
Neapolitan ice cream Neapolitan ice cream (in Ireland and the U.K., sometimes colloquially mispronounced as Napoleon ice cream), also sometimes called Harlequin ice cream, is a type of ice cream composed of three separate flavors (vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry) ar ...
, "ice cream fruits," Tortoni cake,
Afghan Afghan may refer to: *Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia *Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity ** Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pas ...
biscuits, bon-bons, frappés, lemonade, and a
punch bowl A punch bowl or punchbowl is a bowl, often large and wide, in which the drink punch is served.''The Language of Drink'' Graham and Sue Edwards 1988, Alan Sutton Publishing Origins The word ''punch'' is a loanword from Hindi. The original drin ...
. Henry Giesmann's Orchestra performed at the event. In 1979, at age 101, Foster recalled that all her friends from Miss Dana's were there, and the boys were home from college for spring break; she stated, "Everyone danced with me - they had to, it was my party." She also stated that the punch was "weak." The local Morristown paper reported that dining and dancing went on until early in the morning. The following day, her friends all signed and gifted her a "coming out fan," a decorative bamboo and paper
hand fan A handheld fan, or simply hand fan, is any broad, flat surface that is waved back-and-forth to create an airflow. Generally, purpose-made handheld fans are folding fans, which are shaped like a sector of a circle and made of a thin material (su ...
with a golden Japanese-inspired floral pattern. Her friends wrote their signatures on the fan, congratulating Foster on her official entry into adult society. The fan is currently owned by the Morris County Park Commission and it can be viewed online. Foster's father did not allow her to attend college. In 1975, regarding how her gender affected her opportunities, Foster has stated,
I could have been a lawyer, but back in my day, women had nothing. All they could do was sit on the piano bench and
sew Sewing is the craft of fastening or attaching objects using stitches made with a sewing needle and thread. Sewing is one of the oldest of the textile arts, arising in the Paleolithic era. Before the invention of spinning yarn or weaving fabri ...
or crochet.
Also in 1896, at the age of 19, Foster attended
William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...
's presidential inauguration in Washington D.C. and met him in a receiving line.
Morris County Park Commission The Morris County Park Commission (MCPC) is a board of commissioners that manages parks, facilities, and historic sites in Morris County, New Jersey. It is the largest county park system in New Jersey. Russel Myers was its first Secretary-Direct ...
digital file archive at Historic Sites\FosterFields\FOSTER Family History Info\Caroline Foster\CRF Quotes.
She later recounted this experience to
Pat Nixon Thelma Catherine "Pat" Nixon (''née'' Ryan; March 16, 1912 – June 22, 1993) was First Lady of the United States from 1969 to 1974 as the wife of President Richard Nixon. She also served as Second Lady of the United States from 1953 to 1961 wh ...
at the Seeing Eye.


Life at Fosterfields

By the year 1900, Caroline Foster had lived on Fosterfields for 19 of her 23 years. In 1900, Foster joined the Morristown Lawn Tennis Club.E2 Project Management LLC. ''Historic Structures Report: The Willows at Fosterfields: An update to the 1983 Historic Structures Report by Robert P. Guter'', 2015. Accessible via the archives of the Morris County Park Commission. In 1903, Foster joined the Morris County Golf Club. She was also involved in the Morristown Library's Modern Mondays, a monthly reading club that included anthropologist Ethel Cutler Freeman, author
Dorothy Kunhardt Dorothy Kunhardt (née Dorothy Meserve; September 29, 1901 – December 23, 1979) was an American children's-book author, best known for the baby book ''Pat the Bunny.'' She was also a historian and writer about the life of U.S. President Abraha ...
, and Elinor Parker, manager of Scribner's Book Store. By 1901, Charles Foster had repeatedly referred to "Cara's garden" in his weather journal, suggesting that she had begun skilled gardening at the age of 24 years old. This may have been the same garden beside which Foster later built her Temple of Abiding Peace from 1916 to 1919. In 1907, Foster and her father were included in a directory of prominent New York families' homes (referred to as "fashionable addresses") in Dau's New York
Blue Book A blue book or bluebook is an almanac, buyer's guide or other compilation of statistics and information. The term dates back to the 15th century, when large blue velvet-covered books were used for record-keeping by the Parliament of England. The ...
. From the 1880s to the 1920s, Morristown was a hub for millionaires to erect mansions and socialize, comparable to Rhode Island's Newport or Long Island's North Shore. She socialized with wealthy local families including the Twombleys, the Frelinghuysens, and the Moores, despite the fact that her family was not as wealthy and socially elite; they enjoyed tea parties, dog shows, dinners, and sporting events. Around 1910, Foster first adopted masculine clothing in her daily life. In place of women's dresses customary to the era, photographs display Foster in masculine clothing including men's hats, ties, shirt, jacket, and shoes paired with a skirt. Although it was unusual for the time, her radical clothing furthered her popularity. In the 1977 Morristown ''Daily Record'', Foster explained,
I was never a slave to fashion and always found this most comfortable for all occasions.


Construction of cottage

Foster was skilled in carpentry and woodworking. In 1911, she constructed chicken coops for the farm. In 1915, after the 1774 Ogden farmhouse burned down at Fosterfields, she assisted Morristown contractor George Mills in rebuilding the farmhouse based on her memories of its layout and interior. The Temple of Abiding Peace is a cottage and garden in Fosterfields. Both of these were designed, constructed, and established by Caroline Foster. In 1915, Foster became a member of the Garden Club in Morristown. In 1916, at the age of 39, she began to construct a one-room Cape Cod-style cottage outside of the mansion, in order to have a respite from the main house. Around this time, she had daily supervision of the farm employees, and her father was also losing his hearing, which biographer Becky Hoskins claims "must have been frustrating" for Foster. Foster determined to complete construction on her own. She dug the foundation by hand and built the framework herself. She gathered stones from the woods for the fireplace; sand from the nearby brook (for the foundation; a proportion of 2 cement to 6 sand & gravel); barn boards from
lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...
store C. W. Ennis; and flooring from the Thebaud house. Tools used included a hammer, a
ripsaw A ripsaw (or rip saw) is a wood saw that is specially designed for making a rip cut, a cut made parallel to the direction of the wood grain. Design The cutting edge of each tooth has a flat front edge and it is angled backward by about 8°, in ...
, a crosscut saw, a ruler, a shovel, and a
trowel A trowel is a small hand tool used for digging, applying, smoothing, or moving small amounts of viscous or particulate material. Common varieties include the masonry trowel, garden trowel, and float trowel. A power trowel is a much larger gas ...
. The cost of building was $200. Foster included the
door knocker A door knocker is an item of door furniture that allows people outside a house or other dwelling or building to alert those inside to their presence. A door knocker has a part fixed to the door, and a part (usually metal) which is attached to t ...
which was found in the ashes of the original 1774 Ogden house. In journals and blueprints, she referred to the cottage as "The Temple of Abiding Peace," likely as a response to the conflict of the
Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. Of the cottage's construction, Foster recalled:
Pa said I couldn't do it, but at night he would sneak out and see what I'd done, then boast to his friends about it.
Foster completed construction in 1919. Sources do not indicate whether she hired carpenters for the effort. The Temple of Abiding Peace was used as her
workshop Beginning with the Industrial Revolution era, a workshop may be a room, rooms or building which provides both the area and tools (or machinery) that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods. Workshops were the on ...
, to entertain
guests Guest or The Guest may refer to: * A person who is given hospitality * Guest (surname), people with the surname ''Guest'' * USS ''Guest'' (DD-472), U.S. Navy ''Fletcher''-class destroyer 1942–1946 * Guest appearance, guest actor, guest star, e ...
, and to craft birdhouses with friends. Historic landscape consultant Marta McDowell considers the cottage's flower garden historically significant because it "displays features that span the history of the 19th- and 20th-century American gardening: the
Romantic era Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...
of the early 1800s, the
Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archit ...
of 1876 onwards, and the imported English perennial borders of the early 20th century." The garden historically included lilacs,
peonies The peony or paeony is a flowering plant in the genus ''Paeonia'' , the only genus in the family Paeoniaceae . Peonies are native to Asia, Europe and Western North America. Scientists differ on the number of species that can be distinguished, ...
, irises,
phlox ''Phlox'' (; Greek φλόξ "flame"; plural "phlox" or "phloxes", Greek φλόγες ''phlóges'') is a genus of 67 species of perennial and annual plants in the family Polemoniaceae. They are found mostly in North America (one in Siberia) in di ...
, and daisies, as described in Foster's diary entries and illustrated in her close friend Hattie Evans's 1920 watercolor landscape of the cottage. About a decade later, Evans created a second watercolor painting of Foster working in the garden.


World War I

On Caroline Foster's 40th birthday (April 6, 1917), the United States entered the Great War. Foster's 1918 Wanamake
diary
indicates her involvement in the
Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and ...
, the canning committee, and WWI
liberty bond A liberty bond (or liberty loan) was a war bond that was sold in the United States to support the Allied cause in World War I. Subscribing to the bonds became a symbol of patriotic duty in the United States and introduced the idea of financi ...
s. Circa 1918, Foster details a
WWI World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
-related event on April 4:
Spoke at the Palace and Park theatres on behalf of the Red Cross. Some ordeal but it can be done & why should I refuse to do my part more than another?
Circa 1918, from March to October, Foster canvassed the Morristown community to fundraise for
Liberty bond A liberty bond (or liberty loan) was a war bond that was sold in the United States to support the Allied cause in World War I. Subscribing to the bonds became a symbol of patriotic duty in the United States and introduced the idea of financi ...
s to expend the Allies in the
Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. In one entry, Foster says she "paid call upon Mrs. Kountze. Poor pathetic lady, old & alone. Procured $10,000 for Liberty Loan." Mrs. Kountze was the widow of American banker
Luther Kountze Luther Kountze (October 29, 1841 – April 17, 1918) was an American banker, responsible for helping the city of Denver, Colorado in a time of need and leaving a philanthropic legacy in Morristown, New Jersey. He founded a late-19th century na ...
of the Kountze Brothers in New York City. She lived on their farm estate, "Delbarton," which later became the
Delbarton School Delbarton School is a private all-male Catholic Church, Catholic college-preparatory school in Morristown, New Jersey for young men in seventh grade, seventh through twelfth grades. It is an independent school directed by the Benedictine monks ...
. On October 8, 1918, regarding her feelings during the war, she wrote:
If this war were only over that one might enjoy the beauty of the countryside - The corn like tents of an army camped and beyond, the green of the wheat, a promise of a greener spring. Through the trees sun setting in a glory of gold. What more could the heart desire.
When armistice was announced on November 11, 1918, Foster wrote,
Peace officially confirmed everyone has gone mad..great news Dinner HBE attie Evansref name=":6" />
Around this time, while Foster was in her 40s, her eyesight began to deteriorate. This would lead to almost total blindness later in her life. In April 1917, Foster's uncle, Sheriff William H. Thompson (1914–16), appointed Foster as the first female deputy sheriff in Morris County. By 1918, her and close friend Hattie Evans drove Evans's
Hupmobile Hupmobile was an automobile built from 1909 through 1939 by the Hupp Motor Car Company of Detroit. The prototype was developed in 1908. History Founding In 1909, Bobby Hupp co-founded Hupp Motor Car Company, with Charles Hastings, for ...
to patriotic World War I rallies,
Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and ...
meetings, and fishing expeditions. In 1921, Foster was elected to the Morris County Republican Committee and held the position until 1961. She also served as a challenger at polling booths.


Automobile ownership

By 1920, most of Foster's friends had automobiles while she did not. Foster wanted to own an
automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarde ...
, and it can be assumed her family had the wealth to afford it, but her father's opposition to vehicles prevented her from doing so. Instead, Foster travelled to social events, civic events, and fishing-holes by
horse and carriage ] A horse and buggy (in American English) or horse and carriage (in British English and American English) refers to a light, simple, two-person carriage of the late 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, drawn usually by one or sometimes by two h ...
or hitching a ride on a friend's automobile, such as her friend Hattie Evans who owned a Hupmobile circa 1918. For Christmas, Christmas Day, 1922, when Foster was 45 years old, Foster's friends had pooled their money and bought her a
Model T Ford The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. The relati ...
coupe A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...
for $450-$500. One of the friends behind the gift claimed it was "the best and greatest surprise I think Cara ever got in her life. First time anybody had ever put their minds on what she needed."Model T Ford Day at Fosterfields
/ref> The chauffeur of Henry Rawle's family at Knox Hill Road drove the car to Fosterfields to deliver it on Christmas Day. The car was adorned with a red ribbon, red bows, and two white decorative doves. When Charles Foster saw the vehicle driven onto the property, the following exchange occurred: The following day, Foster left at 8 am to drive 2 hours to Hartford, Connecticut, to visit her aunts Alice and Emma Phelps Foster. She took her lunch and 5 gallons of gas for her Model T
town car The Lincoln Town Car is a model line of full-size luxury sedans that was marketed by the Lincoln division of the American automaker Ford Motor Company. Deriving its name from a limousine body style, Lincoln marketed the Town Car from 1981 to ...
. Its electric starter and crank method were dangerous to maneuver; its crank drew gasoline into the engine cylinders to ignite it, and if improperly handled, the crank could knock back and break bones. Because she immediately was able to drive, it can be assumed that her friends Hattie Evans and Mildred Eddy allowed Foster to drive their automobiles. In 1968, Foster recalled;
As I drove along those 150 miles of deep rutted
dirt road A dirt road or track is a type of unpaved road not paved with asphalt, concrete, brick, or stone; made from the native material of the land surface through which it passes, known to highway engineers as subgrade material. Dirt roads are suitable ...
s at 20 miles per hour, I scarcely passed another car. Traveling then was much easier than today. You could enjoy the ride and watch the scenery and stop at the side of the road for lunch.
At 8 PM, she arrived at her aunts' house in
Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...
and went right to bed, presumably from exhaustion. Once she returned to New Jersey, her father refused to allow Caroline Foster to park it on the property; Foster had to use her neighbors' garage. Charles Foster later relented and built a one-bay garage for the Model T.


Death of Charles Foster

When Foster's father fell ill and retired from business, Foster's responsibility to manage the farm increased. In 1927, Foster's father Charles Grant Foster died at the age of 85; his obituary was published in the ''Daily Record'' on August 12, 1927. Caroline Foster inherited the 213.4-acre Fosterfields property and she chose to step into her father's role as the superintendent of the farm; friend claims she "became more outspoken, but in most ways, lived as before." Assuming control of the farm, she continued to perform physical labor and instructed employees in carpentry. She kept 6 dogs around The Willows mansion, usually mutts and strays. Foster ensured maintenance of the Reveres' mansion to reflect its
19th-century The 19th (nineteenth) century began on 1 January 1801 ( MDCCCI), and ended on 31 December 1900 ( MCM). The 19th century was the ninth century of the 2nd millennium. The 19th century was characterized by vast social upheaval. Slavery was abolis ...
appearance Appearance may refer to: * Visual appearance, the way in which objects reflect and transmit light * Human physical appearance, what someone looks like * ''Appearances'' (film), a 1921 film directed by Donald Crisp * Appearance (philosophy), or p ...
, including intricate trompe-l'oeil wall murals by Joseph Warren Revere. Like her father, Foster exhibited
frugality Frugality is the quality of being frugal, sparing, thrifty, prudent or economical in the consumption of consumable resources such as food, time or money, and avoiding waste, lavishness or extravagance. In behavioral science, frugality has been ...
in running the farm, despite her wealth. While investing in diversified stock market portfolios, she regularly visited Morristown to demand detailed accountings of her holdings from her banker. Other anecdotes include scavenging used lumber from Epstein's Department Store to build a doghouse and insisting that her relatives should pay for the farm's dairy products like any other consumer.


Later life and historical preservation

In 1955, when Foster was 78, she met Washington Valley historian Barbara Hoskins, who invited Foster to collaborate on ''Washington Valley: An Informal History''. Hoskins asked Foster to record her family's life at Fosterfields and investigate Joseph Warren Revere's life at The Willows mansion. Foster accepted and dedicated herself to this task, hiring an assistant to read documents to her (due to Foster's blindness) and reporting information to Hoskins each day. Hoskins later became a close friend of Foster's. Published in 1960, when Foster was 83, their collaborative nonfiction book was written, in part to prevent the historic Washington Valley district from being converted into a
reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
by the Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority. Hoskins has stated, "If aroline Fosterhad lived in another era, she could have been a great lawyer or master mechanic...I never knew anyone like her and I never expect to again." On March 19, 1958, Foster received a letter from Russell Myers, Secretary-Director of the
Morris County Park Commission The Morris County Park Commission (MCPC) is a board of commissioners that manages parks, facilities, and historic sites in Morris County, New Jersey. It is the largest county park system in New Jersey. Russel Myers was its first Secretary-Direct ...
. In the letter, Myers agreed with her desire to preserve the land and suggested it be donated as a park to the Morris County Park System. This letter "initiated a 20-year friendship" between Foster and Myers, who had weekly
tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...
while discussing the future of the farm and property. Rather than a park, Foster and Myers decided it would be a
living museum A living museum, also known as a living history museum, is a type of museum which recreates historical settings to simulate a past time period, providing visitors with an experiential interpretation of history. It is a type of museum that recrea ...
. Whereas Foster's collaboration with Hoskins focused on documenting past historic sites, many of which have since been demolished, her friendship with Myers concerned the future of the farm, particularly after her death. In 1965, she received a permit to purchase a handgun, although she was blind by this time. Circa 1968, she stated in an interview with Barbara Hoskins,
They expected farm places to smell. Now, nobody can stand a load of manure going by or they can't stand a dog barking or a cow mooing or a chicken crowing. I like those sounds; I think they're homelike. Good manure smell, you can't beat it!
In 1972, she was invited to meet First Lady
Pat Nixon Thelma Catherine "Pat" Nixon (''née'' Ryan; March 16, 1912 – June 22, 1993) was First Lady of the United States from 1969 to 1974 as the wife of President Richard Nixon. She also served as Second Lady of the United States from 1953 to 1961 wh ...
at the Seeing Eye because, at 95, Foster was "the oldest Republican Committee woman in Morris County." In 1972, when she was 95 years old, Foster donated 120 acres of land to the Morris County Park Commission, but she retained the right to hay the field. That year, when a reporter quoted her as having said, "I'm a tough old broad," she responded, "I never use that kind of language! I said 'I'm a tough old bird.'" Despite this, Barbara Hoskins claimed Foster "could swear like a trooper" and had a "tremendous temper." Circa 1975, Morristown artist Louis Absalon created an oil-painted
portrait A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this r ...
of Caroline Foster at age 98. It shows her in a gray suit with
pocket square A handkerchief (; also called a hankie or, historically, a handkercher or a ) is a form of a kerchief or bandanna, typically a hemmed square of thin fabric which can be carried in the pocket or handbag for personal hygiene purposes such as wip ...
, blue plaid bow tie, and hair in a
bun A bun is a type of bread roll, typically filled with savory fillings (for example hamburger). A bun may also refer to a sweet cake in certain parts of the world. Though they come in many shapes and sizes, buns are most commonly round, and are g ...
before a blue background. The portrait was based on a black-and-white photograph from 1975 that had appeared in a newspaper article announcing Foster's 100th birthday. Foster continued to live in The Willows and supervise the farmhands until the end of her life. While writing her will in 1974, Foster arranged to bequeath Fosterfields to the
Morris County Park Commission The Morris County Park Commission (MCPC) is a board of commissioners that manages parks, facilities, and historic sites in Morris County, New Jersey. It is the largest county park system in New Jersey. Russel Myers was its first Secretary-Direct ...
to be preserved as a " living historical
farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used ...
" - a type of
open-air museum An open-air museum (or open air museum) is a museum that exhibits collections of buildings and artifacts out-of-doors. It is also frequently known as a museum of buildings or a folk museum. Definition Open air is “the unconfined atmosphereâ ...
. She requested that the property "be kept as simple as possible, and that the natural condition of the property be maintained to the extent possible in order that the
wildlife Wildlife refers to undomesticated animal species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wild in an area without being introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous to game: those birds and mammals that were hunted ...
and trees and flowers…may be protected and preserved." Fosterfields became the first living historical
farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used ...
in New Jersey. The farm presently depicts farm life during the Gilded Age of Morristown.


Death and legacy

On July 26, 1979, Foster died at 102 years of age. Foster spent 98 of her 102 years at Fosterfields. Her funeral was held on July 29, 1979 at her home. Upon her death in 1979, she donated "a sizable sum from her estate" to New Jersey's DPH Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired. She also donated a "substantial endowment" to the Joint Free Public Library of Morristown and Morris Township. Foster also bequeathed 87
Currier and Ives Currier and Ives was a New York City printmaking business that operated between 1835 and 1907. Founded by Nathaniel Currier, the company designed and sold inexpensive, hand painted lithographic works based on news events, views of popular cult ...
prints to the
New Jersey Historical Society The New Jersey Historical Society is a historical society and museum located in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United States. The Historical Society is housed in the former headquarters of the Essex Club. It has two floors of exhibition spac ...
, 37 of which were displayed from March to November 1981 in an exhibit titled "Country and Sporting Life by Currier & Ives." They contained illustrations of ice skating, horse racing,
fisticuffs Bare-knuckle boxing (or simply bare-knuckle) is a combat sport which involves two individuals throwing punches at each other for a predetermined amount of time without any boxing gloves or other form of padding on their hands. It is a regulated ...
, farm activities, and leisurely country life. These were displayed alongside 10 Currier & Ives prints from the Harry T. Peters Collection, which were on loan from the
Museum of the City of New York A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...
, including a rare print from the "Life of a Hunter" series. On April 8, 1980, her friend Ruth Cheney Streeter stated in an interview, "Cara was a character, she enjoyed being a character and we enjoyed her being a character." In 1986, the Friends of Fosterfields & Cooper Mill was formed to help preserve the farm and honor Foster's memory. Their restoration projects included The Willows, the Temple of Abiding Peace, Foster's original
Model T Ford The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. The relati ...
, and the cottage garden. The Friends of Fosterfields also created a documentary titled "Caroline Foster: A Life and Legacy." In 2010, Fosterfields
historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...
Rebecca Hoskins published a biography of Foster titled ''Caroline Foster and Fosterfields Living Historical Farm:  A Life and a Legacy.'' A book signing occurred at Fosterfields in April 2011 by author Hoskins. The biography was published by Friends of
Fosterfields Living Historical Farm Fosterfields, also known as Fosterfields Living Historical Farm, is a farm and open-air museum at the junction of Mendham and Kahdena Roads in Morris Township, New Jersey. The oldest structure on the farm, the Ogden House, was built in 1774. List ...
and Cooper Gristmill''.'' In 2016, the "Friends of Fosterfields" volunteer group celebrated their 30th anniversary by re-planting Caroline Foster's cottage garden to resemble its historic arrangement. As of 2022, a scholarship named for her, The Caroline Rose Foster Scholarship for Independence and Self-Determination, offers $1,000 to students based on an essay contest and standardized test scores. It is sponsored by the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, part of the
New Jersey Department of Human Services The New Jersey Department of Human Services (DHS) is the largest state government agency in New Jersey, serving about 1.5 million New Jerseyans. DHS serves seniors, individuals and families with low incomes; people with developmental disabilities ...
, to which she donated in 1979.


See also

* Mary Crane Hone (1904–1990), a Morristown actress and political activist who donated her nearby historic
Acorn Hall Acorn Hall is an 1853 Victorian architecture, Victorian Italianate mansion located at 68 Morris Avenue in Morristown, New Jersey, Morristown, Morris County, New Jersey. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 3, 1973, f ...
estate in 1973 *
Nettie Metcalf Nettie Metcalf (née Williams; October 13, 1859 – 1945) was an American farmer from Warren, Ohio. She is best known for creating the Buckeye chicken breed, which was officiated by the American Poultry Association in February 1905. Metcalf att ...
(1859–1945), contemporary woman farmer in Ohio *
History of New Jersey The history of what is now New Jersey begins at the end of the Younger Dryas, about 15,000 years ago. Native Americans moved into New town reversal of the Younger Dryas; before then an ice sheet hundreds of feet thick had made the area of northe ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Caroline Rose 1877 births 1979 deaths Farmers from New Jersey American philanthropists American conservationists People from Morristown, New Jersey People from Morris Township, New Jersey American women farmers