Former Bobolink dairy barn in Vernon destroyed

Fire remains under investigation; nothing suspicious, police say, BY CHRIS WYMAN VERNON, N.J. — An early morning fire on the Gerard farm on Meadowburn Road last Thursday destroyed the dairy barn that was up until recently the home of the Bobolink Dairy and Bakeyard. Lt. Randy Mills of the Vernon, N.J.,Police Department was part of the investigation and reported that as of this week, the cause has yet to be determined. Police have found nothing suspicious at this time, but the investigation continues. Vernon firefighter John Auberger said he was called to the fire at around 4:30 a.m. but by the time he arrived on site, the barn was fully engulfed in flames. Auberger and the other firefighters focused their attention on ensuring that the fire did not spread to nearby structures that include a second barn. This was not the worst fire he has seen in his years of service to the township, Auberger said, but it was severe enough to call in neighboring fire departments from Sussex and Passaic counties and Orange County to help fight the blaze. The farm site is just over the boundary with Warwick. Auberger also commented that it was fortunate Bobolink Dairy had already moved, so that no animals were killed. Alison Gerard, who owns the farm with her husband C.H. Coster Gerard, said she was not sure how old the barn actually was, although she mentioned that their home, which is located across the road, was built in 1750. Jonathan White, who had just moved along with Bobolink to Hunterdon County, said by phone that he was greatly saddened by the fire and poetically recalled his family’s time on the farm. “It is certainly sad that a grand old barn, whose adz-hewn beams with multiple sets of peg holes bespoke of two centuries of use and re-use, has met such a wasteful end.” White reminisced: “Having spent perhaps 30,000 hours milking our cows in that barn, over our eight years as tenants, I’m sure I’ll never forget its quiet soulfulness.”