Idylease: Where Thomas Edison was a Guest, Seeks Historic Listing
- Richard Zampella
- Aug 29, 2019
- 1 min read
WEST MILFORD — Idylease Inn, a turn-of-the-century health resort that counted inventor Thomas Edison among its famous guests, may soon make its bid for the National Register of Historic Places.
The inn, the first property named on the town’s list of historic sites, is a five-floor Dutch Colonial hotel and the last of more than a dozen similar facilities that stood in town during the tourism heyday of the early 20th century. Its guest book contains the names of many famous visitors, including New Jersey’s first female member of Congress, Mary Norton.
“It has a tremendous history,” said Richard Zampella, the property owner. “There used to be dozens of these resort hotels around northern New Jersey. Nearly all of them were lost to fire or neglect.”
Comments