Susan Lynch helps lead decades-long effort to restore Wallisch Homestead

Susan Lynch is the treasurer, membership coordinator and all-round volunteer for the Friends of Wallisch Homestead. She joined the organization in 2013 after reading a newspaper article about efforts to save the deteriorating property. More than a decade later, she remains committed to seeing the restoration completed.

Lynch and her family have ties to West Milford and the Wallisch family. When her grandparents bought an apartment building on Greenwood Lake, the attorney for the closing was a Wallisch family member. She remembers when the town’s parades featured a baby elephant, representing the Republican-based town. However, despite being staunch Republicans, her parents attended President Kennedy’s memorial in Washington DC.

Lynch grew up in West Milford where her father was a plumber. She lived in the Upper Greenwood Lake area before moving “down the mountain” in 1963. She attended West Milford schools and was part of the first middle school graduating class at Marshall Hill School. After graduating from West Milford High School, she attended William Paterson College (now William Paterson University) while working at the West Milford Pharmacy. Having 60 college credits, she qualified for employment with the Passaic County Board of Social Services. She worked as a caseworker in West Milford and surrounding towns where she handled Medicaid and Welfare cases. She particularly enjoyed investigating welfare fraud since she had a degree in criminal justice.

Lynch retired in 2020 but continues with volunteer work. Until COVID shut it down, she served on the Juvenile Conference Committee, which handled certain juvenile cases outside the formal court process. The committee was known for their novel punishment for juvenile offenders. For instance, the committee has assigned essays to juvenile offenders thus giving them insight into their offenses. This approach freed up the courts and was successful in preventing future offenses. Lynch also served as a Girl Scout leader, church lunch aid and worked with the West Milford Women’s Shelter.

Lynch had a life changing experience beginning with a Dave Mason concert at Great Gorge. While attending the concert, an unknown person shot her in the arm causing a compound fracture. She required 30 days in traction. This gave her ample time to reflect on her life, and she decided it was heading in a direction she did not like. She eventually found renewed purpose through the Christian faith. Years later, at a meet-and-greet with Dave Mason, she had him autographed the police report from the shooting while others were having him sign album covers.

Lynch met her husband, Mark, at a pig roast and they were married in 1984. They have two daughters: one is a physical therapist, and the other is an occupational therapist. Her husband shares in her commitment to the Wallisch Homestead where he is Vice President and Co chair; Construction Director.

Kerry O’Brien founded the Friends of Wallisch Homestead in 2013 in response to the property’s deterioration. Lynch read about the organization in the paper and decided to join. At that time, ownership was divided between West Milford Township and the Board of Education. There were plans to turn the ownership over to the Township; however, that did not work out. In September of 2013, the group approached the Township Council with its intention to restore the property and received approval. The first major undertaking was the barn, which had been used for storage by the Board of Education and so needed a lot of work to simply empty the building. Volunteers secured the building, painted it and undertook roof and window repairs. What began as an effort to prevent future deterioration has become a long-term commitment to bringing the historic property back to life.

The second building to be restored was the creamery. Between volunteers and tradesmen donating repairs, the restoration was complete. They were even able to furnish it with period furnishings, including some original items that returned to the farm. Each Christmas season the building is decorated with 1930s period decorations. Visitors can peep through the windows to see cookies baking in the kitchen and “It’s a Wonderful Life” showing on the vintage TV. The latest completed project was the red barn, and the future project is the most ambitious one— the home. The interior needs to be gutted and all the electricity and plumbing replaced. When complete, the home will be part museum and part program space.

Funds for the restoration is raised through a creative mix of grants and events. Some of the events include square dancing, art shows, garage sales, corn hole leagues and tournaments, and car shows. The barn is available for special event rental.

The Friends of Wallisch Homestead have five board members, including Susan and Mark Lynch and five active members. There were approximately 60 friends. Sue serves as the treasurer, handles membership and takes on many other responsibilities.

Lynch sometimes questions whether the considerable time she devotes to the Friends of Wallisch Homestead should instead be spent serving her church and community in other ways. However, after reflecting on her commitment and seeking guidance through her faith, she has concluded that restoring the historic property is itself a meaningful form of community service. She stays determined to see the project through.

Her favorite memory of the farm is when she and her husband completed decorating the creamery for Christmas one year and sat together enjoying the Christmas lights, the 1930s atmosphere and the result of their hard work.

Lynch welcomes additional volunteers and she is seeking anecdotes and recollections from people for a special historical project. She encourages former residents, visitors and others with memories of the property to contact the Friends of Wallisch Homestead (wallischhomestead@gmail.com) so the memories can be memorialized.

Lynch has fond memories of growing up in West Milford, where she currently lives. Through her and the volunteers of the Friends of Wallisch Homestead, they are helping ensure that other generations will have fond memories as well.