Torne Brook Farm centered on an elegant mansion of eclectic styles built in the early 1870's by Charles T. Pierson. His grandfather, Jeremiah H. Pierson, founded the Ramapo Iron Works, which operated nearby from 1795 to 1851. In 1864, Charles T. Person opened the Ramapo Car Works, reviving local industry. At the confluence of Torne Brook and the Ramapo River, the farm included stables, a carriage house, a horsetrack, a tennis court, gardens, and swimming ponds.