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Family's love of nature leads to preservation in Harmony

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HARMONY TWP., NJ – For a family of German immigrants who revered nature and the outdoors, the forest and stream in rural Harmony Township were a slice of heaven.

Hermann Haenssler bought property on what’s now known as Scott’s Mountain in the 1930s, with money loaned by his brother, Jakob. The Warren County site became a weekend retreat, a place for the family to enjoy hiking, picnicking and watching wildlife.

“For European immigrants at the time, that’s what they always dreamed of – to own their own land,” explained Ingeborg Bossert of Fanwood, Jakob Haenssler’s granddaughter. Her German ancestors, she added, had outdoor “wanderlust,” an irresistible impulse to meander through forests and fields, hills and valleys.

Outdoor lovers can now share the Haenssler family’s wanderlust. New Jersey Conservation Foundation has purchased the 60-acre property from Bossert, who inherited the land from her mother. The $260,000 bargain sale purchase was funded with grants from the state Green Acres Program and Warren County Municipal and Charitable Conservancy Trust Fund.

The land, adjacent to the Merrill Creek Reservoir and Environmental Preserve, will be used as a nature preserve.

Keeping the property in its natural state, said Bossert, is a fitting tribute to her grandfather and great uncle. “When they bought it, it was to be a retreat, a wildlife preserve,” she said. “So we haven’t broken the chain here. I feel very good about this.”

Lisa MacCollum, assistant director of land acquisition for New Jersey Conservation Foundation, feels equally good about the purchase. “It’s been in the same family since the 1930s and has not been timbered, so the forest is incredibly intact,” noted MacCollum. “There are almost no invasive species there, making it a unique and ecologically diverse property. The Lopatcong Creek, a pristine Category 1 stream, flows across almost the entire front of the property.”

Green Acres Program Administrator John Flynn said, "It was a pleasure to work with New Jersey Conservation Foundation on their purchase of this pristine forest.This acquisition enhances our ongoing efforts to preserve land near the Merrill Creek Reservoir and link together protected state, county, and non-profit lands for the Warren County trail corridor."

Warren County Freeholder Rick Gardner is also excited about the addition to the county’s open space inventory. “Once again, Warren County is both pleased and privileged to work in tandem with our non-profit friends at New Jersey Conservation Foundation,” he said. “The Bossert property is ecologically important, and strategically important with respect to its location near the Merrill Creek Reservoir.”

From Germany to Essex County

Bossert’s grandfather and great uncle were born in the town of Albershausen, in southwestern Germany. Hermann and his wife Rosine are believed to have come to the United States shortly before World War I; Jakob and his wife Luise arrived in about 1918. Both couples settled in Essex County but dreamed of having their own piece of forest.

Their dream came true with the purchase of land on both sides of Harmony-BrassCastle Road. At one point Hermann started to build a cabin for the family, noted Bossert, but for reasons lost to history he abandoned the effort. A few remnants of the cabin still remain.

Hermann and Rosine Haenssler had three children: Hermann Jr., Hildegard and Helmuth. When the siblings eventually split up the property, Hermann Jr. took the more level piece on one side of the road, while Hildegard and Helmuth kept the more steeply sloped 60-acre parcel with the Lopatcong Creek.

Hermann Jr. ultimately sold his land, but Hildegard and Helmuth – neither of whommarried – moved to a nearby house in Harmony Township. “They wanted to be close to their ‘wald,’ which is German for forest,” said Bossert.

Hildegard and Helmuth kept their beloved “wald” for the rest of their lives, refusing to sell the property even when an infusion of cash would have put an end to their financial worries. “That land meant more to them than anything they owned,” recalled Bossert. “They treasured that land.”

Hildegard and Helmuth bequeathed the property to their niece, Louise Bossert, who in turn left it to her daughter, Ingeborg. Louise also left a bequest toNewJersey Conservation Foundation when she passed away in 1998, which helped convince her daughter that the land should be permanently preserved.

“If I had kids, the property would probably still be in the family. But I don’t, so this seems the right thing to do,” commented Ingeborg Bossert, who obviously also inherited her family’s love of nature.

New Jersey Conservation Foundation will preserve the property in its natural state, opening it to the public for hiking, picnicking and nature study.

New Jersey Conservation Foundation is a private non-profit organization that preserves land and natural resources throughout New Jersey for the benefit of all. For more information about New Jersey Conservation Foundation’s programs and preserves, visit www.njconservation.org or call 908-234-1225.

PHOTO CAPTION: Lisa MacCollum, left, assistant director of land acquisition for New Jersey Conservation Foundation, walks through the preserved forest with Ingeborg Bossert.