The Upper Freehold Historic Farmland Byway snakes through Upper Freehold Township and Allentown and is 24 miles long. The byway has been in place for a number of years and in November 2006 was designated by the New Jersey Department of Transportation as a State Scenic Byway.
The byway traces its origins to 2003, when a group of Upper Freehold and Allentown residents decided they wanted to preserve the area’s history.
The byway was recognized by Monmouth County in 2010 and received the Monmouth County Planning Award. It was honored by the New Jersey chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects in 2011 for developing a corridor management plan, and it has received the Landscape Planning and Analysis Award.
According to Byways.org, a website operated by the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Upper Freehold Historic Farmland Byway takes about one hour to drive.
“The 24-mile scenic tour offers a glance of over 12,000 acres of preserved farmland and a tour of three watersheds — Assunpink Creek, Doctors Creek and Crosswicks Creek,” said Tim Greeley, a press officer with the state DOT. “There are numerous working farms, including the Horse Park of New Jersey, along the tour. There are many historic sites and districts [along the byway, such as] Allentown, Walnford, Imlaystown and the Old Yellow Meeting House. A visit to Upper Freehold and Allentown offers visitors the opportunity to view history in a working agricultural area.”
The byway begins at the Allentown Presbyterian Church, Route 539 (High Street), Allentown, and ends at the dead end of Walnford Road where it meets Walnford Mill in Upper Freehold.
The DOT defines a State Scenic Byway as a transportation corridor with regionally outstanding significance in one of the six intrinsic qualities: scenic, natural, recreational, cultural, historic, or archaeological, where each corridor acts as a representation of the uniqueness and diversity of the state and uses these intrinsic qualities to create a unifying theme to tell a story about New Jersey’s heritage, recreational opportunities and beauty. — Greg Kennelty