Story behind the Photo of the Week: 

Saturday was my birthday. Every year it comes to mind my mother telling me, ‘You was born at 6:30 a.m., on a snowy day!’  I thought I better check this out! Google the date, Feb. 8, 1945, to verify my recollections.  Weather for the vicinity of Newark, near where I was born, and it was … snow – three inches on the ground and a chilly 28-34 degrees.  Okay, my memory still works!! 

I had also been wondering and pondering what my topic for Photo of the Week was going to be, as I haven’t had much time for any photo visits.  Weather begins to spin around in my mind.  Weather has been part of conversations several times this week. Examples: We have been fortunate up to this point OR This has been a non-winter! 

Suddenly, I am remembering my photo tour of Allamuchy during the Presidents Day Blizzard of 2003!  Don’t ask me how or why this 17-year-old memory popped into my head, BUT, we really haven’t had much snow at all, AND, I thought it might be fun to show some photos from the past, depicting a really impressive Blizzard!!

Going to my archives, I selected some photos from my two tours, inside and outside the gates of Panther Valley and created a Flickr album showing photos of the blizzard.

The Blizzard of 2003, also known as the Presidents Day Storm II, was a historic and record-breaking snowstorm on the East Coast of the United States and Canada, which lasted from February 14 to February 19, 2003. It spread heavy snow across the major cities of the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states, making it the defining snowstorm of the very snowy winter of 2002-03.  From Washington, DC, to Boston, cities – including Allamuchy and the rest of Warren County – were covered in 15-30 inches of snow, bringing life to a standstill.

QUESTION:  How bad was the Winter of 2002-2003? 

ANSWER:  The Winter of 2002-2003 was one of the 10 snowiest in the state. It was also the snowiest winter since the Winter of 1995-96, which was the snowiest winter on record.

DISCLAIMER:  Now that I have talked about this non-winter, I HOPE I haven’t jinxed us into a cold and snowy second half of Winter!!!  Please don’t hold me responsible!!!

NOTE:  As you look at the photos in my Flickr album, keep in mind, you are looking back 17 years!!  Notice the Allamuchy Freight Depot is still in the process of being restored.  See the photos of the Allamuchy Fire House before the new addition was added on. The NJ Highlands Law was not signed into law yet. Allamuchy had only one elementary school building and the Sisters still owned Villa Madonna, now Rutherfurd Hall!! Some of our younger viewers were not even born yet!!  Enjoy your journey!!

Enjoy Your Open Space

Charlie Fineran

Director Open Space
Allamuchy Township Environmental Commission – Chairman
Allamuchy Historical Society – President