An overnight fire has badly damaged historic Pitney Farm.  The colonial-era mansion in Mendham Township was gutted in an early morning blaze Wednesday, February 24.

Firefighters responded to the unoccupied mansion on Cold Hill Road, parts of which date back to the 1720s, at about 2:37 a.m. to find the home engulfed in flames.  The cause of the blaze is under investigation by the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.

“We’re all shocked and devastated,” said Omie Ryan, President of the Friends of Pitney Farm, on Wednesday morning.  “Until we get an understanding of exactly what survives, it is hard to speculate how we go forward. The emphasis of the Friends was to save the mansion and the character of the property.”