The Farley Blacksmith Shop was
originally located along a section of Burnet Street in New Brunswick near
Commercial Avenue and State Highway Route 18, that disappeared under urban
redevelopment and highway construction in the 1960s. The shop consisted of an
open wood framed one story building constructed around 1850.
Cornelius
Farley founded the blacksmith shop after he and his wife emigrated from
Ireland. They had six children in New Brunswick and by 1868, Cornelius’ son,
Patrick, was listed in the New Brunswick City Directory as a blacksmith with a
business at 54 Burnet Street and a residence at 76 Burnet. He ran the business
after his father passed away. Patrick’s four sons eventually joined into the
family business and between 1897 and 1961 had different levels of involvement
By 1908 the business was known as “PJ Farley
& Sons,” and consisted of Patrick, Harry, Cornelius, and John Farley. As
the years progressed, Patrick eventually retired and passed on, while his
younger sons William and Joseph later joined the family trade and continued the
three-generation old tradition. By 1960, only three of the five Farley brothers
were still operating the forge at their grandfather’s establishment. John,
William, and Harry Farley, in their seventies and eighties, remained faithful
to the business.
In early 1961, the Farley blacksmith shop was
lifted onto a flat bed truck and moved to the southern portion of Johnson Park
in Piscataway. The building was fully restored and opened as a historical site
preserving not only the structure but the blacksmith skills as well. Almost
fifteen years later the shop was moved again, this time to the northern section
of Johnson Park where East Jersey Old Town Village is today.
Return to East Jersey Old Town Village