Eagle Scout's Mount Tabor project offers unique tour of historic NJ neighborhood

William Westhoven, Morristown Daily Record
·3 min read
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With its rich history as a 19th-century religious retreat and its ornate "gingerbread" Victorian homes gathered around a central park, Mount Tabor in Parsippany is one of the most unique neighborhoods in all of New Jersey.

Naturally, the Mount Tabor Historical Society's annual House Tour is a big draw. This year's event is scheduled for September 30, but thanks to a local Eagle Scout candidate, members of the public can now conduct their own walking tours, guided by their own smartphones.

Eashan Iyer's innovation will get a decidedly old-school launch this Saturday, when the society hosts a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the self-guided virtual tour. The ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. at Trinity Park and will feature Eashan, who created the guide as his Eagle Scout community project for Troop 173.

Eashan Iyer, 16, outside the recently reopened Mount Tabor Library, next to a sign with a QR code for a self-guided walking tour of the neighborhood designed and installed by the Eagle Scout candidate.
Eashan Iyer, 16, outside the recently reopened Mount Tabor Library, next to a sign with a QR code for a self-guided walking tour of the neighborhood designed and installed by the Eagle Scout candidate.

Over the past year, Eashan, 16, worked with the historical society to develop a route of 20 designated stops in the neighborhood that spotlights some of its historic sites and significant buildings. Acting as project manager, he raised more than $600 to fund the project, and led a team of volunteers who erected landmark signs with QR codes that visitors can scan.

Once connected, the QR codes will guide visitors around the neighborhood and link to corresponding webpages describing the history of a given location. Online maps and historic photos will be available for visitors as well. Many photos, pulled from the Mount Tabor Historical Society archives, have rarely been seen by the public.

“Over the past few years, I have seen QR codes gain popularity as we enter an increasingly touchless society," Eashan explained. "I thought this trend would lend itself well to a walking tour, allowing people access to the rich historical archives of Mount Tabor at their fingertips.”

He found willing partners in the historical society.

“The society had a general idea for a walking tour, but without Eashan, this project would not have become a reality," society President Michelle LaConto Munn said. "This project is the first to use modern technology to help increase awareness of our history and potentially reach new audiences.”

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The tour includes neighborhood highlights such as the “Golden Stairs,” the site of the old Arlington Hotel, streetscapes that juxtapose yesterday’s perspectives with today’s views and iconic buildings including a Tabernacle, library, and firehouse, all in use today.

“I crafted this project to leverage my skills in many disciplines and provide genuine value to our community," Eashan explained. "Opening a QR code, you will see web pages I developed working with volunteers. Looking at the signposts, you will see brackets that connect the sign plates to the post. I custom-designed these brackets to place the signs at an angle, making them easier to read and scan.”

Eagle Scout candidate Eashan Iyer with Mount Tabor Historical Society Present Michelle LaConto Munn outside the gated entrance to the historic Mount Tabor neighborhood in Parsippany.
Eagle Scout candidate Eashan Iyer with Mount Tabor Historical Society Present Michelle LaConto Munn outside the gated entrance to the historic Mount Tabor neighborhood in Parsippany.

The digital walking tour is free and can be taken any time of year. The tour is also available online at www.MountTaborNJ.org.

Founded as a Methodist camp meeting ground in 1869, Mount Tabor evolved from a Methodist Church retreat to a summer resort to a year-round neighborhood within the Parsippany community. Canvas tents were gradually replaced with year-round residences.

"Stepping into the community of Mount Tabor feels like stepping back in time," New Jersey's Office of Historic Preservation explains in its own online writeup. " Most of the streets are named for early pastors and religious leaders of the Methodist faith."

The historic district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com 

Twitter: @wwesthoven

This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Mount Tabor house tour: digital guide created for historic Morris site