-A view of the Orientation Center which has been remodeled beneath the structure of the old Farm Barn.
At the start of 2021, I lost my loyal lifelong buddy Obi. Obi was our thirteen-year-old Clumber Spaniel that saw me through kindergarten to my first year of college. This was my first experience with losing a pet and was completely unaware of all the ways a pet could be memorialized and the many choices we were faced with during such a sad time. We chose to have Obi cremated, placed in a small box and his paw-print impressed into air-dry clay, which now sits proudly on our bookshelf. Eventually, on one of the day trips that I took, I found myself thinking of Obi once again.
During May of this year, I had the opportunity to visit Duke's Farm, a recreational estate that spans over 1000 acres across Hillsborough Township, New Jersey. Dukes Farm was founded by James Buchanan Duke in 1899 to become a sprawling country estate to transform the farmland that took up most of the surrounding areas. "J.B. Duke" was an industrialist best known as the president of the American Tobacco Company and its creation of the first automated cigarette machine. The creation of the machine led to the beginning of cigarettes being mass-marketed in the United States and across the world. In addition, J.B. was also instrumental in applying the name "Duke" to a developing location around Trinity College in Durham, North Carolina. Also known as the site of Duke University. You may have heard of it.
-Two images of Duke's proposed mansion grounds, the left is the concept of the building itself and the right is the view of the stairs and foundation that is left today.
-Another set of views of the detailed terraced staircases leading across the meadow.
-An aerial view of the unfinished basement foundation, interestingly enough the large rectangular shape towards the right side of the mansion was supposed to an underground swimming pool.
Anyways, back to New Jersey...
Duke's Farm consists "of nine manmade lakes, over 18 miles of roads, over 45 buildings and a bucolic landscape, Duke Farms is a testament to J.B.’s ingenuity, resourcefulness and determination"(1). As the times continued, Duke hoped that his farm would end up being a home for him and his family, but unfortunately after he died in 1925, the farm fell into disrepair. With his inheritance bestowed to his daughter Doris Duke, the plan for the future of the farm became a key priority.
In an effort to restore her father's vision, Doris used her desire for conservation to her full advantage. Labeled "an environmentalist long before it was fashionable", Doris wanted the park's main goal to be based around conserving natural flora and fauna as well as practicing horticulture. Thanks to Doris' vision, the park opened to the public in 2014 and has since become a popular spot for families, cyclists, hikers, adventurists, and lovers of history and the outdoors. It hosts a wide variety of locations to visit on its property including its Orientation Center, Orchid Range, Coach Barn, the foundation of the Mansion, Hay Barn, lake and waterway system, and a Pet Cemetery, the inspiration for this story.
- A series of views showing the many must-see locations around the Farm.
Doris Duke was often referred to as "the richest girl in the world" and with this wealth, she also possessed a wide variety of pets, including two camels named Princess and Baby. Also included on these headstones are tributes to her pet toucan, two guard dogs (which were left $100,000 in her will), and her miniature horses. Other pets are in this cemetery too, with wonderful names like "Pablo", "Barney", "Emerson", and "Binky". Many of these stones are likely for those who worked at the park or who outside pet owners who wanted their beloved companion to be buried in a special location. (2)
I came across the Cemetery when I was once again adventuring with my friend Todd. We had visited many of the premier locations and were probably approaching the three or four-hour mark of our trip when we found another "pin" mark on our maps app. It simply said "Pet Cemetery at Duke Farms". Immediately we were intrigued by the idea of a pet cemetery considering that most people think of the Stephen King novel and movie adaption that holds a similar name. So on we went, riding our bikes down a steep hill onto the bank of Great Falls Lake. Our maps told us to follow the dirt trail up a steep winding path with dense vegetation surrounding it.
-A view beneath the bridge showing the dirt path that we would turn around and follow leading up to the cemetery.
As we saw the trees start to clear up, we got off our bikes and slowly approached the ominous headstones that still creeped us out even though it was a bright summer day.
-My first view of the cemetery entrance.
Eventually, I decided to go and take a closer look and wondered amongst the rows of headstones. While looking at the different names that were inscribed on the graves, I couldn’t help but think about my dog Obi and how important it is to pet owners to make sure their pets are remembered fondly. Just being able to walk along and see how many generations have had their pets buried here was really special.
This pet cemetery provided Doris's pets as well as many others with the opportunity to be commemorated even when they are not by our side, and I truly think this is one of the most interesting and unique places I have visited.
-Me and my best friend Obi from back in the day.
1. “About Duke Farms.” Duke Farms. Accessed December 20, 2021. https://www.dukefarms.org/about/.
2. Hayden, Larissa. “Doris Duke's Pet Cemetery.” Atlas Obscura. Atlas Obscura, October 18, 2021. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/doris-dukes-pet-cemetery.