The sixth annual Farm-to-Table Dinner to benefit the Schiff Natural Lands Trust will feature a dressage freestyle at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation stable at Hamilton Farm in Gladstone, N.J., Feb. 21.
Pan American Games medalist Kim Herslow of Upper Creek Farm in Stockton, N.J., will perform a musical ride on Feymar during the event.
Historian and Schiff trustee W. Barry Thomson will give an illustrated presentation about the history of James Cox Brady’s 5,000-acre Hamilton Farm estate, with a focus on its iconic stable and carriage barn, now the headquarters of the United States Equestrian Team Foundation.
Completed in 1917 – and now listed on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places – the elegant Hamilton Farm stable has a rich and varied history.
After serving as the Brady family’s private stable and carriage barn, and frequent meeting place for the Essex Fox Hounds, during World War II the stable’s equestrian-related functions gave way to activities in support of the war effort.
Before the United States entered the war the stable served as a canning factory for fruits and vegetables grown on the estate. Some 36,000 quarts of food were shipped to England during the Battle of Britain and the Blitz.
After Pearl Harbor, the building was converted into a fully staffed and functional emergency hospital, complete with an operating room, for use in the event of an enemy attack on the East Coast. Later, the building served as a convalescent and rehabilitation facility for merchant mariners injured in trans-Atlantic war convoys.
Beginning in 1961, the Hamilton Farm stable reverted to its original use when it became the training center and headquarters for the United States Equestrian Team. Through the years, it has been instrumental in shaping American equestrianism while remaining a beacon for land conservation efforts. Today, Gladstone continues to host events and training clinics, supported by the USET Foundation, ensuring the preservation of its rich legacy and the surrounding landscape for future generations.
The dinner will be prepared by Chef Anthony Bryant. The fresh ingredients for the Farm to Table menu are curated within 10 miles of Schiff Nature Preserve Mendham. A vegetarian/gluten free menu option will also be available.VIP tickets are sold out, but full event tickets ($275) and cocktails and dinner tickets ($225) are available. Click on this link to get tickets.