Category: Exploring Historic Sussex County NJ

Sparta Historical Society/Van Kirk Homestead 336 Main Street Sparta, NJ 07871

Sparta Historical Society/Van Kirk Homestead

336 Main Street

Sparta, NJ 07871

(973) 726-0883

https://www.vankirkmuseum.org/gardens.htm

https://www.sussexskylands.com/listing/sparta-historical-society-van-kirk-homestead-museum/90

Admission: The admission is free except when there is a special event and price is determined by the event

Open: Sunday 1:00pm-4:00pm (Second & Forth of each month)/Monday-Saturday Closed

The Museum is open from April-December. Please check website for seasonality.

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46839-d10259673-r1074643204-Sparta_Historical_Society-Sparta_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

The front of the Van Kirk family home which serves as the headquarters of the Sparta Historical Society

The History of the Site:

(from the museum website)

The Van Kirk Homestead, as it stands today, is 3.5 acres. There is one outbuilding both dating from 1930s – the red carriage barn. A detached garage, dating from the 1970s, is across from the carriage barn. The original log cabin is gone but its site is known (Sparta Historical Society website).

The house that exists today is from 1780s but because it was lived in by generational Van Kirks’ it has had a few expansions. It is this house which has been revamped into a museum. The original part of the house has a stone basement that was opened in 2019 as two exhibit galleries. The first floor has two original fireplaces comprised of four exhibit galleries. The second floor has the original wide plank floors and has another three exhibit galleries (Sparta Historical Society website).

The sign in the Main Street

The historical description of the house

The main part of the house was closed due to a renovation and the members were going to be opening a new exhibition upstairs. So I toured the lower level kitchen area.

The lower level of the house which was used for the kitchen and storage areas

The history of the kitchen at the Van Kirk House:

(from the museum website)

A two-year major restoration of century comparison period kitchens with the addition of several new gifts and collection purchases. This exhibit shows the original fireplace colonial kitchen, reopened after 100 years, and the numerous transitions experienced by American families during the Industrial Revolution and its effect on kitchen appliances (Sparta Historical Society website).

The kitchen and dining area with family China and cookware in the background

The prep area, washing equipment and summer storage area

The baking and prep area

The wash equipment and ice box and tongs in the back

The Mining Exhibition just off the kitchen:

(from the museum website)

Opened in October 2019, this permanent exhibit features original Edison artifacts, a scale model of Lime Crest Quarry, and a large fluorescent mineral display. Through these and other rare artifacts, the exhibit explores the town’s mines and the people who worked at them. Housed in the 1780 section of the Van Kirk Homestead Museum, expect insights into, and understanding of, the past which supplements our understanding of our once primary iron and lime industry in Sparta and elsewhere in Sussex County. It also provides a glimpse into the time-consuming, labor-intensive methods used in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries to prepare, and ship minerals (Sparta Historical Society website).

The other side of the kitchen has an exhibition on the Mining Industry which is a big fabric of the community. The exhibition included a model of the Lime Crest Quarry and the Sterling Quarry.

The sign for the Lime Crest Quarry Model

The Mining exhibition-the Lime Crest Quarry model

The Men, Mines and Minerals exhibition with the lights off

The minerals and the clock from the mines

The Mineral exhibition with the lights off

The iron ore and the magnet exhibition

After touring the inside exhibition, I then explored the grounds which are still being used for gardens and vegetable beds for the society.

The back of the house grounds. They were setting up for an afternoon concert

The grounds of the house and the garage in the background

The family garage on the property exhibition:

(from the museum website)

Opened in August 2019, this permanent old fashioned transportation exhibit is located in the multi-year restoration project of the Nicholson Family Wagon House. On display at the Historic Transportation exhibit, you will discover a horse drawn carriage wagon, an old horse drawn sleigh, an old antique car Model T Ford and transportation artifacts. Learn how horse buggies, vintage carriages and old antique cars set the path for historic transportation to the present (Sparta Historical Society website).

The inside of the garage had a Model T car in perfect shape, a buggy and a sleigh.

The inside of the garage

The Model T car

The buggy and the sleigh in the back of the garage

The Studebaker Doctor’s buggy sign

The buggy

The Sturtevant-Larabee Sleigh sign

The sleigh

Also in the garage is various pieces of equipment and even an old gas pump

The sign for the Gilbert and Baker Self-Measuring Gas Pump

The old fashioned gas pump in the garage

Along all the walls were old pictures of the farm when it was still active and under family control

The gardens an grounds in the distance

One of the old sheds was converted into a school house and the room was set up as an old fashioned on room school house. Here kids of various ages were taught the fundamentals of Math, English and History.

The One Room Schoolhouse

The history of the Schoolhouse from the early 1900’s:

(from the museum website)

Step back in time to when classes consisted of all ages together! Welcome to our One Room Schoolhouse exhibit which opened in 2023. Sparta had four one room schoolhouses. The first school was built at the Presbyterian Church in 1812 and was replaced in 1860 after a fire destroyed it. The one-room schoolhouses were established in New Jersey when a 1819 bill funded public education, and they remained active through the 1930’s, when regional schools were established. Students from grades one to eight attended these schools. Four of the structures that housed the one-room schoolhouse remain (Sparta Historical Society website).

Our schoolhouse replicates schools that were generally equipped with a teacher’s desk, student desks, a flag, a globe or map, books, a slate board, and a clock. Our schoolhouse has an 1860 map of Sussex County. At the back of the room is an old stove similar to those used to heat the room (Sparta Historical Society website).

The inside of the One Room Schoolhouse

The Teacher’s desk

The Grounds and Gardens of the Museum:

(from the museum website)

Besides the two fenced Sparta Community Gardens, the homestead grounds have a fir pine grove, a New Jersey Champion Big Tree, a herb garden, and a continual seasonal flowering landscape (Sparta Historical Society website).

The last thing I toured at the museum was the open vegetable gardens which looked like they were getting ready to harvest.

The vegetable gardens in the back of the schoolhouse

The inside of one of the flower and vegetable gardens

The entire museum complex of the Van Kirk House, grounds with the sheds and garage and gardens on both sides.. The grounds are beautifully maintained.

Video on the site from the Sparta Historical Society:

The tour of the house:

Tour of the house and the grounds:

Historical Tour of Sparta, NJ:

The museum has interesting exhibitions and an array of special events through December 13th when the museum closes for the season. It reopens again in April with the warmer weather.

Take time to stroll the grounds and take a look at all the exhibits. It is an interesting look into New Jersey’s past.

Old Schoolhouse and Firehouse Museum 6 Passaic Avenue Ogdensburg, NJ 07439

Old Schoolhouse and Firehouse Museum

6 Passaic Avenue

Ogdensburg, NJ 07439

https://www.sussex.nj.us/561/Old-Schoolhouse-Fire-Museum

https://www.facebook.com/oburghistoricalsocietypage

Ogdensburg Historical Society

Open: Sunday 1:00pm-4:00pm (Only on the forth Sunday of the Month) Monday-Saturday Closed-Check the website for seasonality.

Admission: Free but a donation is appreciated

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/R4960NKjustinw/mediabatch/14495681?m=19905

The front of the museum

I recently visited the Ogdensburg Old Schoolhouse and Firehouse Museum at 6 Passaic Avenue in Downtown Ogdensburg and discovered the community’s rich history of farming and mining in its past and its current destination as a weekend vacation spot and a up and coming bedroom community of New York City.

The County still has some farming and agriculture going on as the County continues to be built up with expats from the City, and Bergen and Morris Counties. The first floor is dedicated to the history of the Ogdensburg Fire Department with an old Engine and Ladders trucks, artifacts from the Sterling Mine just up the road and township property such as an old voting booth. You can read about the history of the Ogdensburg family as you head to the outside gallery.

The second floor has displays of various town departments including the Rescue, the Police Department and Fire Department. There are various displays of the town’s school system and various clubs in town. There are displays on the town’s mining and agricultural past with items such as farm advertising and mining equipment and minerals. Each display plays a role in the development of the community and how it progressed from farming to mining to manufacturing to the bedroom community it is today.

History of the Building:

“Built in 1910 as Ogdensburg’s fifth public school, it was adapted for re-use in 1930 as the Borough’s first firehouse replacing the one built in 1872. In 1984, with the aid of two state grants, the Ogdensburg Historical Society adapted it for re-use and dedicated it as the Old Schoolhouse and Firehouse Museum in 1987.

After 97 years, the Museum continues to serve the Borough of Ogdensburg as an historical learning and preservation center, and as a meeting hall. On June 10, 2006 it was dedicated as an Ogdensburg Historic Site.”

The historic sign of the museum

The Borough of Ogdensburg is the host of this marker commemorating the rich history provided by this building. This building has been maintained with much thought and care and remains as a museum and meeting place for the residents of the town. The marker is located in front of the building on Passaic Avenue just off Main Street by the Ogdensburg Elementary School. This marker was part of the 2008 placement (Museum website).

The outside of the museum which served as a school and a firehouse

The first floor of the building has the fire trucks, the history of the fire department and Ogdensburg’s 250th Anniversary of the United States on display.

The museum artifacts from the 250th celebration of the Country

The museum is on the heart of mining country of Sussex County, NJ and the museum has an interesting mineral collection along with their collection of mining artifacts.

The Mineral and Mining Collection

The museum being home to the Ogdensburg Fire Department contains the history of the local fire department along with vehicles and artifacts from the department.

https://www.facebook.com/oburgfd

Fire Department

The history of the Ogdensburg Fire Department

One of the early Ladder Trucks

The history of the department

One of the early Engine Trucks

The history of the department

One of the early pull hose beds pulled by men and then by horses

The first floor also contains the history of the Ogden family in the region.

The history of the Ogden family in the community

The town voting booth and a turn of the last century phone

The second floor gallery used to serve as offices and living space of the fire department.

The main gallery on the second floor

The gallery case lines are filled with memorabilia from different aspects of the community telling the story of the growth of the community that included Mining and Farming. It explains the growth into the modern suburbs of today. This includes the Fire and Police and Rescue Departments, the School System and cultural events in the community.

The main gallery on the second floor of the museum

The main gallery on the second floor

The display case of Ogdensburg departments including school, fire and police departments

The display of the Ogdensburg Police Department

https://www.facebook.com/people/Ogdensburg-NJ-Police-Department/61590226020577

Police Department

The display of the Ogdensburg First Aid Squad

Blanket with historical sites and artifacts of the town of Ogdensburg, NJ

The businesses including schools and the domestic and farming industries

Each of the display cases represented different aspects of the town and has a variety of pictures and memorabilia from a variety of eras. The case lines show how the community changed over time from a mining community to the changes of a bedroom community of Newark and New York City.

The school system with classes and sports teams

https://www.obboe.org/apps/events

Household, town and business artifacts

Military and early Native American artifacts

The Glenbrook Farm Milk Bucket

The Domestic home display

The Entertainment display of recorders, phonographs, radios and early record players

The influence that Thomas Edison had on the community with new technology. Several pieces of Thomas A. Edison memorabilia are on exhibit to honor the ten years Edison spent mining iron ore at the old Edison Ore Milling Company on Sparta Mountain. Several of his phonographic inventions were created here (Ogdensburg Historical Society website).

Close up view of record players and Victrola’s

The Ogdensburg School system display

The Ogdensburg Presbyterian Church display of artifacts from inside the church

The NJ Zinc Mine display with minerals and equipment

The NJ Zinc Mine and Mineral display is a small s as molding of the museum down the street and the importance of the mining industry at the turn of the last century.

A closer look at the minerals display

A replica of a working mine operation. The machine shows how workers descending and brought up rock from the mines.

The Dedication to Mr. Waco Hadowantez, the town historian

The last display as you leave the museum is dedicated to the man who founded the historical society, Waco Hadowantez.

The museum tells an interesting story of the history of Ogdensburg and the surrounding area. It shows the importance of the Mining Community at the turn of the last century and how the community is pivoting towards tourism to tell its story.

Please contact the museum directly for seasonal hours and tours.

Skylands Manor-New Jersey Botanical Garden 5 Morris Road Ringwood, NJ 07456

Skylands Manor-New Jersey Botanical Garden

5 Morris Road

Ringwood, NJ 07456

(973) 962-9370

http://www.ringwoodmanor.org/Victorian-Christmas.html

Open: Check website for details

Fee: Check the website for details

The Skylands Manor at Christmas time.

Note: The Skylands Manor is decorated for the holidays during the first week of December and only for one weekend as it used for a banquet facility the rest of the time and as a hotel. The first weekend of December is when local Gardening groups are assigned one room to decorate and they have one week to put it together, display their ideas and explain how they did it to the public.

The front of the Skylands Manor during Christmas time.

The best day to go is the Thursday afternoon opening as it is the quietest day of the four day event with Saturday being the busiest. The best time on Thursday to come is in the morning.

The side entrance to the Skylands Manor.

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g46774-d1140628-Reviews-The_Castle_at_Skylands_Manor-Ringwood_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

Skylands Manor during Christmas Time:

The Manor home decorated for Christmas.

In 2019:

In 2019, the decorations were not as elaborate as the previous two years. The snow storm before the event may have put a damper on a few of the groups decorating. Still the best day to visit the manor is Thursday afternoon as it is the quietest time and you can take the best pictures.

The two best rooms in the manor in 2019 were the Entrance Hall and Grand Staircase decorated by the Magnificent Seven, a group of volunteers whose theme was ‘The Secret Life of Gnomes’ and the trees and staircases were studded with gnomes, large and small, on the trees and wreathes surrounding the stairs.

The other room that was very impressive was the Center Hall whose theme was the “Enchanted Forest, full of little fairies and painted rocks and jeweled winged ornaments. When you looked at the detail work of the trees and table displays you could see the work that went into the decor. Each little fairy on the stands and trees had immense detail and took a lot of time. This display was done by the Friends of Laurelwood Arboretum in Wayne, NJ.

The rest of the rooms in the manor were really pared down from 2018 and did not have the same elaborate details to them. The Library and Study did not have half of the display items that they did in the past.

The Carriage House on the estate.

The Carriage House was used as a restaurant and a gift shop during the event.

The fee to enter the home is still $10.00. The carriage house is being used for a cafe with Chicken Salad sandwiches and hot dogs with toppings. There are all sorts of crafts for sale.

The Carriage House for Lunch.

The menu at the pop-up restaurant at the Skylands Manor.

Watch the calendar for 2024 in early December for the next display.

Visiting Skylands Manor in 2023:

I was able to visit on Thursday morning and the crowds were very small. This is the best time to come to the Skylands Manor.

The front door leading inside of the house.

The house looked amazing as usual and because I came the first day in the morning, it was the perfect time to visit the manor while the crowds were away.

The entrance to the self-guided walking tour of Skylands Manor.

The tour was really spectacular in 2023. The whole house was decorated so beautifully.

The entrance to the house was decorated by the Passaic County Parks and Recreation. This display was based on the magic of the Scottish Highlands.

After passing through the entrance of the house, it was off to the Ladies Parlor of the home and the decorations of the Garden Club of Teaneck. Then off to the Dining Room that was decorated by the Master Gardeners of Bergen County.

The Dining Room was just breathtaking.

The Dining Room was festive with lots of lit Christmas trees.

The Dining Room was quite elaborate.

The Master Gardeners of Bergen County were very detail orientated with their display spreading the Christmas cheer as you entered the house. The next room was the Breakfast Room with beautiful sunlight coming into the room and views of the gardens that are dormant at this time.

The theme of the Breakfast Room was that of enchanted forests with sacred fairy springs and moss covered meadows. The Breakfast Room was decorated also by the Master Gardeners of Bergen County.

A beautiful view of the Breakfast Room done by the Master Gardeners of Bergen County.

The decorations of the Breakfast Room were quite elaborate.

The side of the Breakfast Room.

As I left the Breakfast Room, I entered The Center Hall where the many faucets of Robert Burns, the Scottish author of “My Heart is in the Highlands” themed room was decorated by the Ringwood Garden Club.

The Center Hall of the manor house.

The Center Hall led to the back porch that was decorated by the Demarest Garden Club.

The Back Porch of the house just off the Center Hall.

The room was done with the theme “We wish you Blythe Yule as you enter a pastoral view of Holidays in the Highlands”.

The next room I visited the was The Great Hall, which is a Jacobean style interior designed to impress with its arched beams, paneled walls and spectacular stained glass windows (Skylands pamphlet).

The Great Hall Christmas tree

The Great Hall by the stained glass window.

The Great Hall decorations by the fireplace off to the side.

I next walked through The Octagonal Hall, that is the transition room between The Great Hall and The Withdrawing Room/Living Room. This was transformed into a boutique lounge with custom made furniture and decor. Festive pops of pattern and color create a merry, modern vibe (Skylands pamphlet). The Octagonal Hall was designed by Stephanie Graham and Diane Simon.

The entrance to the Octagonal Hall

The decorations of The Octagonal Hall

The statuary in the room beautifully embellished.

The Living Room was decorated to celebrate a Hip Highland Holiday and transformed into a boutique lounge with custom made furniture and decor. The Living Room/Withdrawing Room was designed by local artists Nicole Cohen (Teaneck), Brenda Gallagher (Upper Saddle River) and Lisa Williamson (Ridgewood).

The Living Room in full view.

We were joined by the Winter Queen in the Living Room who was roaming around the manor home engaging with all the guests who attended that morning.

A modern twist to the Christmas tree in the Living Room.

The display by the stained glass windows.

The festive trees of the Living Room

Transitioning out of the Living Room into the The Study, this room with its window seat is the perfect place to curl up with a good book or share stories of Christmas on a snowy afternoon. The study was designed by artist Linda Karen.

The window seat in The Study.

The dark wood paneling of The Study.

The last room on the tour was The Library that is resplendent with the holiday tree decorated with hundreds of lights and a myriad of ornaments representing the Scottish heritage of its owners (Skylands pamphlet). This room was designed by the Master Gardeners of Passaic County.

The Library at the Skylands Manor decked out for the holidays.

The Library in full view.

The fireplace in The Library is beautifully decorated for the holidays.

The Library in all its Christmas glory.

The Living Room was the last decorated room in the manor home for the holidays. I exited by the back door and then explored the grounds and the dormant gardens and look out areas of the estate that must look quite spectacular in the Spring and Summer months. I headed back to the Carriage House to look at the menu and explore the gift shop. This display is only open the first weekend of December and then for the rest of the year, the manor house is used for banquets and meetings and as a B & B. Until next year.

The front of the Carriage House where the restaurant and gift shop were located during the event.

History of the Skylands Manor & People:

The entrance to the manor that morning.

Clarence McKenzie Lewis bought Skylands in 1922 from the estate of Francis Lynde Stetson, who founded Skylands in 1891. Mr. Lewis was educated in England and Germany. While he was there, his widowed mother, Helen Forbes Lewis married William Salomon, founder of the New York banking house. Upon his return, Lewis attended Columbia University, where he received a Civil Engineering degree in 1898. In 1908, he married and bought a country place in Mahwah; it was there that Lewis became interested in horticulture.

The front of the manor home.

Helen Lewis Salomon, the mother of Clarence Lewis, was widowed in 1919. Not only thereafter, she and her bereaved son agreed to a joint project; she wanted a Tudor-style showplace; he wanted plants and gardens. Mrs. Salomon worked closely with the architect on Skylands Manor but she died in 1927 before its completion.

The entrance to the Walled Gardens.

John Russell Pope (1874-1937) “an architect born to work, in the grand style” was educated at City College, Columbia University, the American Academy in Rome and the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. He trained under Bruce Price, the master builder of Tuxedo Park. Pope designed many outstanding public buildings, such as the Jefferson Memorial and the National Gallery of Art.

The estate gardens overlooking the mountains and the valley below.

Tutor Architecture originated in England in the late Gothic period and continued to be popular into the Renaissance. It features half-timbering on the exterior, crenelated walls, large groups of rectangular windows, oriel or bay windows and intricate chimney complexes The interiors usually had large central halls, wood paneling, molded plaster ceilings and elaborately carved staircases. Tudor Revival became a popular style for the elegant country houses of wealthy Americans.

The estate grounds.

The builder of Skylands was the Elliot C. Brown Co., of New York City, which also built the country homes of Franklin Delano Roosevelt at Hyde Park and E. Roland Harriman (Arden House).

The house as you enter the drive.

Samuel Yellin (1885-1940) decorative metal designer and craftsman, who performed to call himself “the blacksmith”, fashioned the lanterns. electrical fixtures, lamps, gate, and spiral staircase rail for Skylands Manor.

The side of the estate that afternoon in the late fall.

Native Granite for the exterior walls of Skylands was quarried at Pierson Ridge above Emerald Pond in the eastern part of the property in Bergen County.

Mrs. Salomon purchased a collection of antique Stained Glass Medallions from an English collector. The 16th century German, Bavarian and Swiss panes were set in leaded windows by Heinegke & Smith of New York City.

The entrance to the Botanical Garden.

Disclaimer: This information on the details of the history of Skylands Manor was taken directly from their pamphlet and I give them full credit for it. Please call the manor for times that it is open as it is used a banquet/catering facility and a B & B.

The NJ Botanical Gardens just off the Manor House:

I visited the NJ Botanical Gardens in the Fall of 2026 just as all the Fall flowers were in bloom. With the foliage in the background mountains, it gave the whole garden colorful effect on the late afternoon. I will have to remind myself to visit the gardens again in the Spring and early Summer next year. There is a real complexity to these gardens during each season. This warrants a visit again in the Spring and Summer of 2027.

Skylands Manor Garden:

The Pump House at the start of the Gardens

The Pump House used to irrigate the estate

The Orchard on the lawn of the edge of the estate

The Butterfly Garden sign

Even though Fall began the early Fall flowers were still in bloom

The main part of the Gardens

The Gardens with the Fall foliage in the way

The foliage was just beginning in the Gardens

I noticed this beautiful seating area in the corner of the Gardens

Looking at the length of the gardens from the center point stonework

The center point stone vase

The Rose Garden in the second set of Gardens was still in bloom

The Gardens were filled with statuary. Mostly little angels and fairies

The Fall flowers were in full bloom

The second set of Gardens were lined with small bushes and more colorful flowers

The beautiful flowers of the Fall

The Perennial Garden was still in bloom at the time of my visit

The Fall foliage served as a backdrop for the Gardens

The Gardens were so beautifully maintained

The archway into the Gardens from the main house

The beautiful flowers lining the edges of the Gardens

The Rock Garden

I thought this was so beautiful

I thought this garden was so pretty in the third set of Gardens

I though of the angels as a good sign

The flowers were so colorful by the archway

The full view of the Gardens from the lawn and orchard

The view of the mountains in the distance

The Rose Garden on the edge of the lawn

The variety of flowers on the Gardens

The view of the lawn and mountains on the background

The lawn looking north

Leaving the Gardens to head back to the parking lot

The view from the parking lot

Ringwood Manor-A New Jersey State Park 1304 Sloatsburg Road Ringwood, NJ 07456

Ringwood Manor-A New Jersey State Park

1304 Sloatsburg Road

Ringwood, NJ 07456

Phone: (973) 962-7031/Fax: (973) 962-2247

http://www.ringwoodmanor.org

http://www.ringwoodmanor.org/

http://www.ringwoodmanor.org/tours.html

Fee: Adults $3.00/Children 6-12 $1.00/Children 5 and under Free

Donation for the holidays: $10.00

Open: Please see website for details during the seasons.

Review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46774-d9564482-Reviews-Ringwood_Manor-Ringwood_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

Ringwood Manor in Ringwood Park at Christmas time:

I have visited the Ringwood Manor during the Christmas holidays over the last four years and it keeps getting better. Each room in the house is tastefully decorated for the holidays. The West Milford Garden Club does an excellent job decorating every year and in the post-COVID environment, it is nice to see such a beautiful and well thought out display for Christmas.

The outside of the house was decorated with garland and ribbons and welcomed visitors with Christmas cheer.

The entrance of Ringwood Manor.

The entrance to the estate.

The patio of Ringwood Manor.

The outside of the house was tastefully decorated in garland and bows.

The decorated front door on the Ryerson side of Ringwood Manor.

History of Ringwood, NJ:

Colonial Ringwood:

Long before the Forges & Manor of Ringwood existed this property was occupied by the Native American people. Prehistoric artifacts found on the grounds confirm their inhabitants back to the Archaic and Woodlands periods. Living in a hunting and farming paradise, these Munsee-speaking Lenape peoples dwelled at the head of the Topompock or Ringwood River Valley. This paradise attracted colonial prospectors, who by 1740, came for the iron ore found in the ground. Recognizing the rich magnetite ores, Cornelius Board settled here in 1739 and first utilized the property for iron mining. He was followed shortly thereafter by the Ogden family who established the Ringwood Company and built the first blast furnace here in 1742.

After twenty years of production, a German promoter, Peter Hasenclever, organized the American Iron Company to exploit the resources in colonial North America, purchasing the Ringwood area in 1764. He would also develop forges at Long Pond and Charlotteburg but made Ringwood the center of his iron empire. Hasenclever established iron plantations and developed the production of flax and timber across 50,00 acres of land stretching through New Jersey and New York, from present day Butler to New Foundland and Nova Scotia. The iron was said to have been “the best iron in the American colonies.” Robert Erskine, the last ironmaster of the American Iron Company, was sent from England in 1771 and would manage the company during the Revolutionary War.

(History of Ringwood, NJ)

The decorated carriage house.

When you walk into the home, the first rooms is decorated tastefully around a collection of antique guns and hunting equipment. The Great Hall was decorated with garland and ornaments with a large tree in the corner.

The Great Hall of the Ringwood Manor when you enter for Christmas.

The Great Hall upon entering.

The Chamber Gun display.

The Chamber Gun display in the Great Hall of Ringwood Manor.

The Great Hall fireplace decorated for the holidays.

The formal dining room was set for Christmas dinner for the family after church. The elegant china was set on the table with poppers and small Christmas gifts for the guests. The side boards were set with the dinner entrees and sides for the family meal. There was a little discussion of how the Hewitt family would entertain during the holidays and in 2019 and in 2023, they opened up the kitchen and Butler’s pantry for touring.

The Hallway leading to the formal Dining Room.

The decorated staircase in the Great Hall

The Great Hall hallway

The Dining Room sign

The Dining Room at the Ringwood Manor.

The Dining Room set for Christmas dinner.

Dining Room set for Christmas dinner beautifully.

The details of the Dining Room

The Dining Room paintings and details.

Preparing for the holidays in the Dining Room

The statuary of the Dining Room

The lighting fixtures of the Dining Room.

Each room was set for the holidays with garlands, trees and decorations. As it was explained to me on another house tour during the holidays, the Victorians would normally only decorate one or two rooms for the holidays and not the whole house. The whole house might be decorated based on the wealth of the family and the amount of servants to take care of the home. Needles would have to cleaned up and the trees would have to be attended to on a daily basis.

the Butler’s Pantry just off the Dining Room

The Butler’s Pantry in preparation for Christmas dinner

The Christmas treats in the Butler’s Pantry.

I then walked back through the house and passed by the Office on my way to the social rooms of the first floor. The office is where business was taken care by Mr. Hewitt when he was in residence.

Mr. Hewitt’s Office decorated for Christmas

Mr. Hewitt’s office at Christmas time.

The Christmas tree in Mr. Hewitt’s office.

Before I left this part of the house, I passed the Breakfast Room which is just off the Dining Room. It had beautifully decorated for a Christmas breakfast.

The Breakfast Room sign

The Breakfast Room was decorated with desserts and sweets for the Christmas holidays.

The Breakfast Room beautifully decorated for the holidays.

The Breakfast Room for a Christmas feast.

The Christmas tree in the Breakfast Room.

Before entering the Great Hall, I visited the Receiving Room, where guests waited until dinner was served.

The Waiting Room

The Waiting Room was for guests to relax and wait for Mr. & Mrs. Hewitt.

The Waiting Room fireplace is nicely decorated.

The ‘Birdcage’ in the Waiting Room

Passing through the Great Hall again, I entered what had once been the original Ryerson House built in the early 1800’s. The first room on the tour of this side of the house was the French Drawing Room decked out for the holidays. This room was used by the ladies after dinner was over to converse and get away from their husbands, who would have still been in the dining room.

French Drawing Room, the “Withdrawing” room.

The French Drawing Room

The French Drawing Room in all its Christmas glory.

The Christmas tree in the French Drawing Room

The fireplace in the French Drawing Room.

On the other side of the house is the original Ryerson mansion that was added on by the Hewitt’s when they bought the house. The older house had the original moldings and windows from the early 1800’s and that side of the house had a different feel to it starting with the original entrance and staircase.

The Ryerson Staircase and foyer sign

The Ryerson Staircase and foyer

The decorated Ryerson staircase.

One of the nicest rooms that was decorated was the screened in porch. Here there was a tree set with presents, hot house flowers and garland lining the room. The sunlight shined throughout the room and the decorations sparkled.

The South Ryerson Parlor

The South Ryerson South Parlor

The fireplace in the South Parlor.

The latest addition to the house was the screened in porch, The Glass Piazza, of the house which was used in the summer months for rest and relaxation. The screen in porch was beautifully decorated for the holidays with all sorts of Christmas trees and decorations.

The Glass Piazza, the screened in porch of the main house.

The Glass Piazza decked out at Christmas time.

The doll mini tea service in the Glass Piazza.

The Glass Piazza set for tea at the holidays.

The Glass Piazza at Christmas time.

The beautiful Christmas tree in the Glass Piazza in 2023.

When you leave the Glass Piazza, you enter the original part of the house again with the North Ryerson Parlor. This room was used by the family for less formal affairs but it was still decked out of the holidays.

The North Ryerson Parlor

The Ryerson North Parlor decorated for tea.

The Ryerson North Parlor fireplace decorated for Christmas time.

The last room I visited on the tour was the Music Room in the original Ryerson House. The room was used by both the Ryerson’s and the Hewitt’s for social occasions and the Hewitt’s were all musically inclined.

The Music Room at the Ringwood Manor

The Music Room at the Ringwood Manor.

The Music Room at the Ringwood Manor.

The fireplace in the Music Room decked out for the holidays.

The Music Room during Christmas time.

Each room had a docent to explain the decor or what the room’s use had been in the family’s time. A visitor can roam the house at their leisure and see the rooms as many times as they want. There is also a gift shop in a room off the formal dining room that contains some beautiful Christmas crafts for sale by the Women’s Club of New Milford. Some of these women are very creative and sell the most amazing Christmas ornaments made of glitter, wood, branches, walnuts and moss.

The decor of the home changes over time and there are different things to see every year. The barn also on the property as you drive in has more artwork and crafts. In the Gardener’s Shed next to the house, the Society has a small cafe with sandwiches, desserts and coffee/tea/hot chocolate.

The Carriage House was used as a gift shop and a place to get something to eat.

The tour of Ringwood Manor is wonderful during the holiday season and the rest of the house opens up during the warmer months of the year.

History of the House:

This 582 acre historic site is open to the public year round. The historic house museum, Ringwood Manor is open Wednesday to Sundays year round.

History of 19th Century Manor House and Landscape:

The present manor house was begun by Martin J. Ryerson in 1807. He and his sons controlled not only the iron mines and forges on the property but also operated productions at four other locations in the area. The Ryerson family resided in their 10 room Federal style home for almost 50 years.

The entrance to the historical home.

In 1853, the Ryerson’s house and property were purchased by business partners Peter Cooper and his son in law Abram S. Hewitt. The 22,000 acre ironworks and the Ryerson’s home were purchased for a sum of $100,000. Their company, Cooper-Hewitt & Company, grew to be the fifth largest corporation in the United States. The Hewitt’s, one of the most influential and wealthiest families of the 19th century, fell in love with the Ringwood estate.

The expanded Ringwood Manor estate in the winter months.

Ringwood manor at the holidays.

They decided to make this site of their summer home, naming it The Forges and Manor of Ringwood. They enlarged the home of the Ryerson’s, constructing major additions or renovations in 1864, 1875, 1900 and 1910. The completed 51 room house is 226.5 feet long and features 28 bedrooms, 24 fireplaces and 13 bathrooms and more than 250 windows. The house was built in an eclectic style, typical of the Victorian period. In 1875, the Manor House was an excellent example of the Gothic Revival style of architecture. By 1900, the Hewitt’s changed the exterior facade to its present appearance, adding the neo-classical portico and columns of the front porch and affixing white stucco to the exterior walls. The furnishings of the house reflect the varying tastes and styles of the family and time period.

Ringwood Manor during the holidays.

(From the Ringwood Manor website)

The formal gardens surrounding the Manor House were developed by Mrs. Hewitt and her daughter, Eleanor around 1900. Their design was influenced by the Hewitt’s many trips overseas. The gardens possess a mysterious old world charm that captivates visitors as they enjoy the serenity of reflecting pools and the progression of blooms from early spring to late fall. Placed throughout the garden are French and Italian statuary and garden ornaments as well many interesting architectural items from New York City acquired while Abram Hewitt served as Mayor and Congressman. Examples of these features include columns from the old New York Life building, gates from the Astor family’s home and gate posts from Columbia College. Relics from the iron company that are found on the grounds include a trip hammer and anvil, cog wheel and a Dictator-class mortar the base of which was created by the Hewitt’s company and used at the Battle of Vicksburg in Mississippi during the Civil War.

The Ringwood Manor in the Fall of 2026:

I visited the park again in October of 2026 after taking a tour of the NJ Botanical Gardens down the road at the Skylands Manor. The grounds were just changing colors during all the cool weather we were having and the grounds could not have been more picturesque.

The lawn of the estate in the early Fall in 2026