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Historic Preservation Committee

E-mail Recollection

  1. Name:

    Peter Hartmann

  2. Mailing address:

    Clifton NJ 07013

  3. When and where were you born?

    1949, Hackensack Hospital

  4. When did you come to Mountain Lakes?

    February, 1962

  5. Tell us something about your family. Did your parents also live here?

    My two older brothers started in Mountain Lakes HS, but transferred to New York Military Academy, graduating in 1964 and 1965. My sister was only seven when we moved to ML, so most of her education was in ML public schools. My mother was the director of The Hartmann School, nursery and kindergarten, which was in our garage and one porch of the house. She grew up in Bergenfield. My father grew up in New Milford - they met at a regional high school in Dumont.

    Carl, the oldest brother, now lives on the west side of Indianapolis, working in software support. Jeff, the middle brother, lives in Gramling, SC, and is a pilot for a NASCAR team - formerly Skoal Bandit until they had to give up tobacco sponsorship. Heide lives and works as a chiropractor in Chino Valley, Arizona. My parents, Helen and Carl, live next door in Chino Valley. They are in good health at ages 84 and 85.

  6. Where have you lived in the Borough? In which houses?

    We lived at 47 Condit Road, just a block from the water tanks.

  7. What do you remember particularly about the houses and properties where you lived?

    I particularly enjoyed the proximity to the woods with paths to Birchwood Lake to the left and the Tourne to the right.

  8. What are some of your special memories growing up in Mountain Lakes?

  9. Where did you go to school? What particular memories do you have from your school years? Are there any special stories you associate with that time of your life?

    I started in mid-7th grade at Briarcliff. After MLHS I went to Rutgers, with a semester at County College of Morris and a year at Muhlenberg and then returning to Rutgers to graduate with BA in Economics in 1972.

  10. Where did you and your family shop?

    We shopped for clothing and shoes in Denville, and occasionally at the outlet store in Mountain Lakes on Rt 46 just above Cherry Hill Road.

  11. What were the roads and the lakes like?

    The roads were all well maintained. I can't believe we didn't have more collisions - only major roads like the Boulevard had stop signs.

  12. Are there any special people you remember who contributed to the life of the town? Why do they stand out in your mind?

  13. What did you do for fun formal recreation, sports and entertainment in general?

    Bowling at the shopping center on Rt 46 at Rt 202. Skiing at Great Gorge on Wednesday night was the greatest.

  14. Are there any special events that stand out in your mind?

    Choral concerts and the GAA show at the high school.

  15. Did your parents and the parents of your friends work nearby? In New York or elsewhere? How did they get to work? How did commuting change over your time here?

    Mother worked at home. Father commuted originally to Newark, then to Cranford, and before moving out in 1976 he commuted to Tarrytown for a couple of years. Too bad 287 didn't go past Montville then.

    At age 17 I had a summer job at my father's office in Newark, so before taking driver's ed I spent two months commuting - Rt. 202 to Columbia Turnpike/South Orange Avenue into Newark. Driving that Pontiac Bonneville around town at 15 miles per hour with the driver's ed instructor didn't help much.

  16. How did various laws affect the way people lived?

  17. Did you have a sense of Mountain Lakes as a unique place in its lifestyle, its homes, as a community?

    I knew then that it was pretty rare. I believe there are some similar communities around Chicago, but I don't believe anything can match the combination of hills, lakes, and the style of stucco construction.

  18. How did the world's events -- World War I, the Depression, World War II, the Korean War, the assassination of JFK, Viet Nam, Watergate, etc. -- affect you and fellow Mountain Lakes residents when you were growing up?

  19. What made living in Mountain Lakes special to you, as you think back over your life here?




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