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Press

Welcome to the Olde Mill Inn Press Room.  Please visit this page often as we will continue to update you on the latest Olde Mill Inn reviews, news and travel opportunities. Find out what people are saying about our Basking Ridge Inn, a premier central New Jersey hotel for vacationing visitors, business travel, weddings, meetings and social events. Discover the latest news on travel to Basking Ridge today!

Press Testimonials
01
Wed
Oct
2014

Olde Mill Inn Donates to the American Military Dream Wedding

Not just one, but two military couples were the winners of expense-paid American Military Dream Weddings, announced during the Taste of Bernardsville held on Monday, October 6th, at the Olde Mill Inn in Basking Ridge.  The announcement of the winners was the highlight of an evening that included tastings from a wide variety of local restaurants as part of an annual fundraiser for the Bernardsville Fire Company, Rescue Squad and Senior Citizens.

Winners were selected from six finalists based upon a Scavenger Hunt in Bernardsville on October 2nd.   Two teams were virtually tied for first place, and the idea for a second wedding grew even stronger.

The American Military Dream Wedding winners received expense-paid weddings that combined donated  services from a large group of wedding vendors in the Bernardsville area and beyond.  Originally the concept of Diamond Dreams in Bernardsville, NJ, the idea of giving back to veterans quickly gained momentum in the Bernardsville area.  Local businesses, including the Olde Mill Inn, fully supported the idea as a way to give back to veterans who have defended the American ideals and way of life.  As the donations for the military wedding continued to stream into the Bernardsville Chamber, the hope that two weddings could be given started to take root, but was kept secret until the evening of the event, creating a wonderful surprise for the second couple.

The excitement grew throughout the evening at the Olde Mill Inn as the six finalists and their future spouses circulated throughout the event, where they were easily identified by their military uniforms.  Family members were also in attendance to cheer on the finalists.  The first prize wedding went to a couple from Lake Hopatcong, Nicole Russo, and her fiancé Sgt. John Ondish, who is currently deployed in Bahrain with the Army National Guard.  Because Sgt. Ondish was serving overseas, Nicole enlisted the help of a friend, Angelique Onorati of Mendham, to stand in during the scavenger hunt.

The second wedding went to Katie Stelnick and Raymond Royce, a veteran from Edison who was injured while serving in Afghanistan from 2012-13.

During the Taste of Bernardsville, the prize continued to grow in scope throughout the event as two additional vendors volunteered to donate their services for the second wedding,  They were D. Becker Photography of Newton, NJ and ITM Photography of Piscataway, who photographed the event and respectively donated the wedding photography and videography for the upcomi2ng nuptials.

Each of the military couples who came in for third through sixth places in the Scavenger Hunt received a check for $500 plus another prize from the Bernardsville Chamber.  Chamber President Caesar Mistretta added, “I only wish we could have given a wedding to each one of the couples.”

When the announcements of the winners were made, Sgt. Ondish was present on his fiancée’s cell phone via Skype and was able to personally hear the loud cheers and resounding applause from the crowd as the winners were announced.

The Olde Mill Inn in Basking Ridge, NJ is an elegant country inn on a scenic 10-acre estate.  The hotel has a warm historic ambiance, and offers 102 guest rooms and suites that include several “PURE” rooms.  The Grain House Restaurant on the same property is housed in a building originally constructed in the 1760’s as a barn that stored grain for the Continental Army, and the structure was remodeled as a restaurant in the 1930s.  The Grain House is known for exceptional American cuisine.

The Olde Mill Inn and the Grain House Restaurant provide charming settings for large and intimate weddings, as well as for social and corporate events.  The Olde Mill Inn also offers a Meeting Center with state-of-the-art amenities.  The Olde Mill Inn and Grain House Restaurant are conveniently located at 225 Route 202 (GPS:  225 Morristown Road) and directly adjacent to Exit 30B of I-287.  For more information, please call 908-696-2315.

28
Mon
Jul
2014

Colonial Flair: Revolutionary Restoration

Courier News and Home News Tribune:  July 3, 2014

Read More
01
Thu
May
2014

The Olde Mill Inn and the Grain House Celebrate 20 Years of Service to the Somerset Hills

The Olde Mill Inn and the Grain House Celebrate an Important Milestone

(Basking Ridge, New Jersey – May 21, 2014) In June of 2014, the Bocina Group will celebrate twenty years of serving the Somerset Hills at the Olde Mill Inn and the Grain House Restaurant (1994 – 2014).

Although the property has a 20-year history of ownership by the Bocina Group, it has a very long and interesting history in the Somerset Hills. The original Olde Mill Inn was in the Grain House, which was first constructed as a barn 1768 by miller Sam Lewis to store grain for his wooden water-powered grist mill in Basking Ridge. The mill was later enlarged and then passed through several owners. Legend states that the Grain House barn was used to store the grain that fed George Washington’s Revolutionary Army during the winter of 1779 – 1780 at their encampment in Jockey Hollow, Morristown.

In 1929, well-known restaurateur William Childs purchased the Grain House “barn” and moved it away from the mill to the opposite side of Route 202 with the objective of turning it into an inn. The Childs family started a national chain of restaurants and ultimately owned 107 establishments up and down the East Coast.

To convert the Grain House “barn” into an inn, William Childs made the following changes: the wagon room was renovated for dining, the horse stable was turned into the grill room (now called the Coppertop Pub), the grain storage room was turned into the current Grain Room, and the haymow upstairs became seven small bedrooms and baths that were used into the 1970s as hotel rooms. These sleeping rooms originally featured historic “rope” mattresses. The Olde Mill Inn began serving food in the 1930s, and the Childs family owned the property until 1952.

There were other subsequent owners of the property, and a separate building was added in 1977 to be used as a hotel, as a venue for large social events, and as a full-service conference facility.

The Olde Mill Inn’s mortgage was sold by Carteret Savings after then-owner William Graulich & Associates went bankrupt. Carteret was absorbed by the Resolution Trust Company in December of 1992, and in March of 1993, the RTC sold the Olde Mill Inn property to the Bocina Group. At that time, the Inn was a total eyesore and had dilapidated to a point of complete disrepair and mismanagement.

After renovations, the restaurant of the Olde Mill Inn was renamed “The Grain House” and officially re-opened in February of 1994.

The Bocina Group restored the Olde Mill Inn as a unique country inn boutique hotel and as an area landmark. The hotel was redecorated in an upscale federalist colonial style. The Washington Ballroom at the Inn was decorated in English Country style with English gardens in the courtyard. The grand re-opening of the Inn was in June 2014.

Over the years since its beginnings, the Olde Mill Inn has been the site for many joyful gatherings and family celebrations including weddings, showers, christenings, anniversaries, graduation parties, birthday parties, holiday parties, sweet-16 parties, and numerous other types of events. These gatherings have continued through several generations of some area families. In addition, many special events are hosted at the Grain House throughout the holiday season, as well as for Easter and Mother’s Day.

The Coppertop Pub in the Grain House has become a meeting place for locals and hotel guests, and has twice been named as one of New Jersey Monthly Magazine’s “Coziest Spots for a Drink.” The Grain House has established a reputation for excellent casual American cuisine. During the winter, the various dining areas have fireside dining, and when the weather is warmer, outdoor dining is available on the Grain Room patio.

The Olde Mill Inn definitely has a place in the history of the Somerset Hills, but has also been ahead of its time under the ownership of the Bocina Group. The Inn and the Grain House have pioneered new ideas and practices regarding healthy natural cuisine in the Grain House Restaurant and the Olde Mill Inn banquet kitchen. They have also been very early adopters of many innovations to create environmentally friendly buildings and sustainable practices for the preservation of the environment.

May 2014 - Olde Mill Inn and Grain House Celebrate 20 Years Somerset Hills
01
Sun
Dec
2013

A Warm Welcome Awaits at the Historic Grain House Coppertop Tavern

December 2013 - A Warm Welcome Grain House CopperTop Tavern
01
Sun
Dec
2013

Olde Mill Inn & Grain House Restaurant; Two Whimsical Places to Spend the Holidays

ELS Magazine (supplement to Recorder Newspapers)

December 2013 - Olde Mill Inn and Grain House Holidays
01
Sun
Dec
2013

Connection Recommends the Olde Mill Inn & the Grain House

Connections Magazine:  November, 2013

November 2013 - Connection Recommends Olde Mill Inn and Grain House
22
Sat
Jun
2013

Grain House Restaurant Brings Its Values to the Table with Organic Garden

Morristown Daily Record:  August 23, 2013

August 2013 - Grain House Organic Garden
13
Wed
Feb
2013

The Olde Mill Inn Is Again Named as WeddingWire.com Bride’s Choice

WeddingWire.com, the nation’s leading online wedding marketplace, is thrilled to announce that the Olde Mill Inn has been selected as a winner of the prestigious WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards® 2013 for a wedding venue in Basking Ridge, NJ! The Olde Mill Inn has received this award three years running.

February 2013 - Olde Mill Inn WeddingWires Brides Choice
01
Mon
Nov
2010

Grain House to Host Revolutionary Affair Dinner on November 18, 2010

Join us for a revolutionary dinner at the Grain House.

10
Fri
Sep
2010

Flexible Weddings at the Olde Mill Inn Basking Ridge

In the current economy, the Olde Mill Inn has combined the experience of thousands of weddings and seasoned wedding planners to produce the “Flexible Wedding.” Using resourcefulness and a large team of tested vendors, the planners are able to maximize the budget to add the rich details that distinguish one wedding from all others. This is done while respecting financial and any other special circumstances, and without compromi2sing the dreams of the couple about to be married.

September 2010 - Flexible Weddings at Olde Mill Inn

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