Doctor's Pond?

Ben Ruset

Administrator
Site Administrator
Oct 12, 2004
7,619
1,878
Monmouth County
www.benruset.com
Switlik? Excuse me if I brought this up before. Was he into parachutes or dirigibles at one time?

Yes. He bought the Lahaway tract after J. Turner Brakeley died. He built a huge tower there to test his parachutes. Amelia Earhart jumped from there.

Switlik's family sold the tract to the Girl Scouts, and then Great Adventure bought it, much to the chagrin of the Switlik family.
 

Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
26,011
8,779
On what other pine barrens website, or any website for that matter, can you learn so much about a single 100 acre piece of property in the pines and one of it's previous owners. We owe quite a bit to that man from his inventions to his sale of some of the best pieces of property in the pines.

Kudos gentlemen on your input!

Guy
 

lgench

Explorer
Jan 19, 2005
125
0
Bristol, PA
Hope you don't mind my adding to Switlik story. I did a service call for the elder (Stanley) Switlik in the late sixties or early seventies. I was given the exact miles to the tenth to drive up Rt 537 from Rt 539 and to look for a sandy trail on the right. When I turned in, I was on a sandy, one-lane trail. Shortly, this trail turned into a wider, blacktop road leading back to a beautiful home with lawns, gardens, lake and a helicopter pad. Truly a beautiful location. While doing the repair, Mr Switlik spoke briefly to me. I remember his being elderly and very kind. On the way out, I noticed a white frame building on the right that looked like it may have been a church. What I found fascinating was that all the people driving by there would never think that typical Jersey trail led to such an estate.

Lynn
 
Top