Two Families, Two Farms - United in Purpose in the Past, Present and Future

Aerial of the de Groot Farm. Route 34 and Colts Neck in the background.

Motoring through the peaceful countryside of Monmouth County in 1936, thousands of acres are under constant cultivation. Lazy cattle grazing, narrow brooks winding their way through the meadows, horses and men busy in the fields are all familiar sights.

A farmer plows his field in preparation for planting crops.

Residential development closes in on a Monmouth County farm circa 1955.

New home development advertisement for Sea Girt, NJ circa 1936.

This same year, 6-year-old Claire Sindlinger, now Claire de Groot, moved with her family to a 60+ acre farm in Atlantic Township. A sleepy rural town, known today as Colts Neck Township, where everyone knew your name.

Twenty-two years later, ever-increasing residential development pressures farmers and their farmland. Agriculture was on the decline and much of rural Monmouth County was being lost to development.

1958 was the year the Druesne Family moved to a 20-acre farm in what’s known as the Scobeyville section of Colts Neck - a place that was no longer all that sleepy.

It was here that Mary and Maurice Druesne would raise their children, Maeve and Barry.

Claire met her husband Ward while attending Red Bank High School and together they raised four children - Robin, Dana, Gretchen and Douglas - moving every two years due to Ward's career in the United States Navy.

Their farm, on the outskirts of the Clover Hill section of Colts Neck, has been the backdrop for a lifetime of family memories.

“We always referred to the farm as our Homeland,” recalls Claire. “It was always a place where time seemed to stop, and we could spend endless hours together enjoying the outdoors.”

In the last 83 years, Colts Neck transformed from a rural farm town to a desirable residential estate community.

Although the town still retains much of its rural character, the familiar sight of agriculture in this once robust farming community is not the norm today. Thousands of homes have been built and thousands of acres of natural land have been lost to development forever.

Two years ago, Barry and Maeve Druesne were presented an offer to sell their family farm for development into several mansions in conjunction with the unfortunate development of a 20-acre farm next door.

numerous mansions was heartbreaking. They had no control over the fate of their neighbor’s farm, but the Druesne Family had a different plan for theirs.

In 2006, the Claire and Ward de Groot preserved 23 acres of their land, and today their children have chosen to follow in their parent's footsteps and preserve the remaining 40 acres.

These two families chose to protect their family memories, the irreplaceable natural resources and the fertile land from development. Protecting it today, tomorrow and forever regardless of who comes to call it home.

The local zoning for both farms, totaling 60 acres, allowed for 2-acre housing lots that could have been developed into as many as 30 homes.

Thanks to your generous support, Monmouth Conservation, partnered with Colts Neck Township, Monmouth County and the NJ State Department of Agriculture to protect these farms from future development.

However, our work is far from over.

We need to be prepared to act immediately to save what precious natural resources we have left. Development is on the rise. Protecting land is a natural solution to climate change and saves wildlife and ecosystems. Your support is critical.

A view of the farm fields on the de Groot Farm.

Claire de Groot with one of the beautiful American Beech trees on the wooded portion of her farm.

The Reserve at Holmdel Toll Brothers development at Bell Works, Holmdel, NJ

Eastmont Orchards, Colts Neck, NJ circa 1940.

“From all the places we lived, this place always felt like home. It was always like a little slice of heaven to us,” Claire explained. “We knew that we could never allow this beautiful land that holds so many cherished family memories to become covered with houses.”

Aerial of the Druesne Farm.The Reserve at Colts Neck, a Toll Brothers development coming soon on the left, and a 45-acre preserved farm on the right.Due Process Country Club in the background.

Barry Druesne among the hay field on his farm.

A curious racoon peeking out from behind a tree.

“Our decision to preserve the farm is something that gives me peace when I go to bed at night,” Claire remarked. “No matter what happens, this land will remain a farm and part of the community.”