Town of Patterson 5.6 acres.
The Plunkett Preserve is part of the Laurel Ledges Natural Area. It was a acquired through a bargain sale from Frank & Catherine Plunkett in May of 2007. These purchase funds were provided by the first NAWCA grant awarded to the Friends of the Great Swamp (FrOGS). The preserve is contiguous to the Lushinsky and Turtle Pond Preserves and is a bridge property that was important to protect because it allows wildlife access across Rte 164 to the Brandon Farm Preserve.
The property had been in the Plunkett/Brandon family since 1898. That year, Catherine’s grandfather Patrick Brandon and his wife Martha Blaney purchased the property when the previous owner, Benjamin Baker, passed away. It was farmland until 1975.
In the photo above, the Plunkett Preserve in on the hill in the background, to the left of the house in the center of the picture. A portion of the top of the hill is the Lushinsky Preserve – also a part of the Laurel Ledges Natural Area.