In the video above, Herman Rademacher relates some of the history of the property on which Larison’s Turkey Farm sat. He also explains land use issues when Route 31, now Route 206, was being built in Chester. The original building shown in the image previously belonged to the Topping family. When New Jersey originally planned Route 31, it had been mapped to be built directly where the house was located. After some political wrangling, the Toppings suggested that the highway be built on land alongside of the house — land which belonged to Herman Rademacher, Sr. The state split the difference and built the highway between the two properties.

After the Toppings moved away from Chester, the property was vacant for some time before the Larison family bought it.  They previously had cooked and sold Sunday dinners at a farm on Fairmount Avenue. They owned and operated the Larison’s Turkey Farm restaurant for many years.

The image of the postcard shows a two-and-a-half story white farmhouse with a covered front porch and a lush green lawn. In back of the house are red-painted farm buildings and other white out-buildings. Four chimneys can be seen on the top of the farmhouse. The house has no shutters.

Video transcription available here: History of Larison’s Turkey Farm Video Transcription.

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Exhibit Publication Date: Published in 2015. ©Copyright Chester Public Library