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Blairsden

------Blairsden is a mansion located in Peapack, NJ in Somerset County. Found in the Bernardsville Mountains, it was originally owned by the banker/railroad magnate/stock exchange tycoon Clinton Ledyard Blair. Construction of the 62,000 sq. foot Italian style mansion began in 1898 and was completed in 1903. It was designed by architects Carrere and Hastings, who later designed the New York Public Library. The mansion is constructed of steel beams and reinforced concrete with 30 inch thick brick and limestone walls and a slate roof. Inside is imported marble and tile, exquisite chandeliers, intricate plasterwork and stonework, and beautifully carved millwork of walnut, oak, and mahogany. The mansion has 26 uniquely detailed fireplaces, a full size swimming pool, tennis courts, a squash court, a private boathouse, and a farm. The driveway leading to the mansion is a mile long. The landscape architect for the grounds was James Greenleaf who also landscaped the Lincoln Memorial. He created beautiful gardens, fountains, and a 300 foot long reflecting pool leading to the entrance of the mansion. A dam was built across the Raritan River to create what is now Ravine Lake. Also there's a beautiful waterfall which flows over the dam. Blair built a private bridge below it that leads to the rear gate of Blairsden. In today's market, the mansion would have cost Blair $25 million.

------Blair died in February of 1949. In 1950, his heirs sold Blairsden plus 50 acres of land to the Sisters of Saint John the Baptist for $60,000. During the many years of ownership, the nuns rarely had any contact with the outside world.

------There are many legends surrounding the Blairsden mansion. According to one of them, the Mother Superior would meet the grocery boy every week at the back gate to pick up the groceries. One week she didn't show up. The grocery boy figured that she forgot so he left and came back the next week. When she wasn't there a second time he got concerned and called the police. They visited the property and found the torn up, bloody bodies of all the nuns. From this day on, no one knows who or what killed them.

------Another legend states that the Mother Superior practiced Paganism and wanted to convert her Sisters. After refusing, the Sisters (including guests who were rooming there at the time) were tortured then killed by the Mother Superior. She then took her own life. This legend may be related to the legend above.

------A third legend says the mansion was not only a convent, but also an orphanage, with 25 nuns and 25 orphans living there. One day the nuns brought the orphans to the waterfall and pushed them all over the edge. They then jumped in themselves. All 50 drowned.

------Yet another legend proclaims that there are two ghosts on the path leading from the back gate to the back steps of Blairsden. The first ghost is the "warning" ghost. He was an insane man who was tortured and killed in the mansion. He can be found at the halfway point of the path where two trees cross eachother making a doorway. This ghost will try to scare you away, preventing you from going any further. If the warning doesn't frighten you and you choose to continue down the path, you will see the ghost of the Mother Superior, herself. She will be waiting for you at the bottom of the mansion steps. She will then try to lead you into the mansion only to torture and kill you.

------ There is also a story of a guy who went crazy and drove his car into Ravine Lake. Supposedly, if you go there at night and look into the lake, you can see his headlights still on. Another legend that occurs at the lake is the sighting of a disappearing man on a boat.

------Presently, the Somerset Lake Gun Club patrols the area on horseback so if you decide to trespass, beware! Many people have gotten arrested and fined. The nuns are now trying to sell Blairsden for $6 million. One of the perspective buyers is a nonprofit organization called The Blairsden Association. If bought, they are planning on making it open to the public. They have recently received $500,000 dollars in funding from the government to preserve the mansion.