Although Smithville has been around since the American Revolutionary War, most of the town remained very rural until the 1960s when the Smithville Towne Center, a tourist attraction containing over 80 shops, opened. The Towne Center was expanded to include numerous rides and other shops named "The Village Greene", which was the centerpiece of a large planned community developed since the 1980s.
James Baremore built what is now the Smithville Inn in 1787, a single room along a well-traveled stagecoach route. However, historians debate whether it was originally planned as an inn. By 1874 the inn had grown to six times its original size. Its success was well established, but it was eventually abandoned at the turn of the 1900s. In 1952, a local couple purchased the inn and restored the building, opening it as a restaurant with 42 seats. The inn was declared a historic landmark in 1964 by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
In 1990, the newly-formed Smithville Development Company began construction on the second part of the Smithville Towne Center, named "The Village Greene", which includes more stores and other activities, such as paddleboats, miniature golf, a carousel, an old-fashioned steam train, and several other attractions. In addition to The Village Greene, the company embarked on a Planned Unit Development containing 6,800 condominium units. Due to legal disagreements, the number of units was reduced to 4,000. Soon after, a recession forced the construction to stop in 1991, leaving around 1,600 completed units. In 1995, the remaining land was sold to KHovnanian of Red Bank. KHovnanian reduced the number of planned residences from 2,500 condominium units to a 2,000-unit retirement community.[2] The project was later renamed "Four Seasons at Historic Smithville", which was built in several phases. As of 2009, the construction of the final phase of Four Seasons at Historic Smithville is still ongoing.[3]
seemly never to get tired as the 10-20 photographers commanded her attention and snapped away. I was alittle hesitant to sign up at first since the driving time alone was two hours from Staten Island but I have never been to the Towne of Historic Smithville before and it is always good to get away for a bit.
Being a member of an association in your industry definitely has it benefits, as a member of www.PPANJ.com all classes, workshops and Statewide lectures are free so it is a no brainer to join
and go to the meetings etc. You will learn to be a better photographer. Period.
