Smoke Rise (community)

Smoke Rise is an upscale gated community within Kinnelon in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The community was created out of the estate of Francis Kinney, a 19th-century industrialist who founded Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company. The Kinney estate dates back to 1884, when Francis Kinney, a pioneer in the tobacco industry, built a huge "summer cottage" here. His son, Morris Kinney, for whom the borough of Kinnelon was named 41 years later, lived most of his life on the estate.

The community encompasses the 19 acres Lake Kinnelon and more than 900 homes located on 3500 acres. Smoke Rise was planned with philosophy that no two homes would look alike with a minimum size of 2500 sqft located on wooded lots of 1 to 10 acres.

Located in the north woods of New Jersey, the gated lakeside community provides 24-hour security, activities, clubs and special events.

History


When Morris Kinney died in 1945, he left the estate to John Talbot Sr. a longtime friend and real estate developer, former mayor of the borough, and a founder of Chilton Memorial Hospital in Pompton Plains, as a tribute to their lifetime friendship and shared love of Smoke Rise.

In 1946, when the need for suburban housing became evident, John Talbot Sr., founded The Smoke Rise Club, one of the earliest community club plans in the United States. Unlike so many developers, he insisted that the land be kept in its natural state as much as possible.

When friends asked to purchase land on the estate to build homes, Talbot decided to develop a planned community designed primarily to serve New York corporation executives. The Smoke Rise Club was the result in November 1946. The name (Smoke Rise) is a translation of the Pequannock Indian name for the mountainous area, where a heavy mist often rises at sunset.

The private family friendly community is located entirely in Kinnelon, whose name comes from Francis S. Kinney, who purchased 5,000 acre of land in the 1880s for an estate that included Lake Kinnelon and the surrounding mountainous area. Smoke Rise is administered by residents elected to the Board of Governors of the Smoke Rise Club, which must approve all residents' building plans. Inside the community, which can be entered only through two gates (North Gate & East Gate), there are over 40 mi of roadway and approximately 900 houses on 2,500 acre.

St. Hubert's Chapel
Smoke Rise is notably home to Lake Kinnelon and Kitty Ann Mountain, the highest point in Kinnelon. On an island in the lake is St. Hubert's Chapel, built by Mr. Kinney in 1886 and named after his favorite patron saint of the hunt. It was built in the style of an 8th-century stone chapel in tribute to the saint who lived in the 7th and 8th centuries. Kinney later commissioned Louis C Tiffany to expand and enhance the chapel including a Celtic cross stained glass window and a Tiffany-signed mosaic floor among other things. The Chapel is owned by the Smoke Rise Club who can be contacted for more information including tours. Kitty Ann mountain offers views of northern New Jersey and the distant New York City skyline at an elevation of 1140 ft from the Smoke Rise Tower.

Community
The neighborhood also includes one church, the Community Church of Smoke Rise, the Smoke Rise Village Inn, the Smoke Rise Tennis Club and other recreation facilities. It is home to the Kinnelon Volunteer Fire Company - Company 3 Fire House. The Village Inn and the Community Church are open to members and non-members of the community.

Location
Smoke Rise residents enjoy the close proximity to New York City. Nearby highways include Interstate 287, Route 23, and Route 208. The population consists of a vast variety of professionals, entrepreneurs, and executives.

The community has two entrances: one from Route 23 south (North Gate) and the other from Kinnelon Road (East Gate).

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Smoke Rise include:
 * Rand Araskog (1931–2021), manufacturing executive, investor, and writer who served as the CEO of ITT Corporation
 * Missy Elliott (born 1971), rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and philanthropist
 * Herbert O. Fisher (1909–1990), test pilot and an aviation executive
 * Oz Griebel (1949–2020), banker, lawyer, and political candidate who ran for Governor of Connecticut
 * Rene Joyeuse (1920-2012), World War II operative, spy and saboteur with the OSS, who was a physician, professor and researcher, co-founder of the American Trauma Society and the first person born in Switzerland to be honored with a burial in Arlington National Cemetery
 * Stearns Matthews (born 1984), cabaret singer, recording artist, director, teacher and pianist
 * John Alden Talbot Jr. (1920-2006), Founder of the Smoke Rise Company / Smoke Rise Community - Founder of Smoke Rise, one of the first private, gated communities in the United States.
 * Harry L. Towe (1898–1977), Congressman who represented New Jersey's 9th congressional district from 1943 to 1951