Rita Hilbert

Mount Olive Rita Hilbert

Mount Olive Township, located in northwest Morris County, is comprised of two diverse communities: Flanders and Budd Lake. Flanders is a quiet, pastoral village settled in 1750, with the Flanders Methodist Church as its center. Budd Lake's most dominant feature is the largest natural lake in New Jersey. Both communities were farming, mining, and milling areas, and Budd Lake was also a bustling summer resort area from the mid-nineteenth into the twentieth century. As the township celebrates its 130th anniversary, Mount Olive brings together the history of these two different communities. Photographs in this collection include those of the gristmills and farms, the neighborhoods surrounding them, and the resort areas around the lake. The book beautifully portrays an era and a way of life long past. Mount Olive begins with the township's earliest days and includes the recollections of longtime residents and a newcomer's delight.