“Trying to kill two birds with one stone”  I was looking to do a history article,  I wanted to showcase a specific site and also bring attention to the upcoming, Explore Warren County’s History Trail event November 6^th & 7^th.  I then remembered Ramsaysburg Homestead. 

It was in my early years as Director Open Space position with Allamuchy Township and the Mayor of Allamuchy, Robert Resker, was also beginning his new position as Director at Warren County’s Dept. of Land Preservation and he was very busy with Ramsaysburg! 

This past Friday, I took a ride down to the Ramsaysburg Homestead to take some photos.  Don’t you just love it, sun is mostly out during my ride down!  Park the car and get out – Where did the sun go??  Well at least I got my next Photo of the Week article!

The Ramsaysburg Homestead is a historical Park.  Twelve wooded acres along the Delaware River, are located just south of the famous Delaware Water Gap.  The property is leased by the Township of Knowlton from the State of New Jersey Green Acres program.  The site provides public access to the river for fishing or to launch small watercraft such as canoes or kayaks.  The property and the structures on it are the remains of a fifty-acre tract settled in 1795 by Irish immigrants James and Adam Ramsay in what was then New Jersey’s northwestern frontier. The original site had a tavern continued by the Ramsays.  They established a store, followed by a post office, lumberyard, a storehouse, a blacksmith shop, tenant houses and other buildings, either built or acquired by the Ramsays, these all comprised the principal elements of the homestead and hamlet bearing the Ramsey name.  The buildings that you see presently are a tavern, barn, cottage, smokehouse and shed that were built from 1800 to 1870 and represent the activity that occurred at the homestead during its heyday.

The Ramsaysburg Homestead is a late 18^th century Georgian style wood-frame structure, significant for its association with the timber rafting trade.  The house was used as a tavern, catering to both road and river traffic and commerce became the center piece of a 50 acre homestead.  This was a prime location, complete with a tributary cascading from the mountains into the Delaware River, it held unlimited potential.

The Homestead is located at 140 Route 46, Delaware, NJ, at the intersection of Ramsayburg Road and Route 46 east of the village of Delaware.  From Interstate 80, Exit 4, take Rt 46 eastbound approximately 4 miles.

RIVER BIG PART OF RAMSAYSBURG SITE

The Ramsaysburg Homestead’s location along the Delaware River highlights the importance of the waterway for commercial traffic during the 18^th and early 19^th centuries.  Colonial entrepreneurs harvested the vast forests of northeastern Pennsylvania, and then assembled the logs into large rafts, that they steered down river for milling.  These huge flotillas also carried materials such as railroad ties, slate and flagstone from quarries upriver.

Later locally manufactured Durham boats, up to sixty feet in length, carried iron, coal, molasses, applejack and other goods. After delivering goods downstream the boats were polled and hauled upstream with goods destined for delivering to distribution sites such as Ramsaysburg.

As commerce declined along the Delaware in the late 19^th century, the river and its serene mountain environs, attracted tourists from in and around urban centers such as New York and Philadelphia.  Vacationers enjoyed luxurious lodgings in the numerous hotels and lodging camps, while exploring the natural beauty and scenic surroundings of the Delaware Water Gap region.  The Ramsaysburg Homestead location was one of these resorts, Spring Brook Resort.

NOTE:  The Ramsay family heirs retained ownership of the entire property until 1885, when a portion was sold.  The remainder was lost in a court-ordered sale in 1950.  Both portions apparently became owned or managed by Myron Gilbert, who successfully ran the Spring Brook Farm Hotel resort, begun by a previous owner in 1901, after the sale of the first portion of the Ramsaysburg property.  Gilbert is said to have run the resort for many years.  The hotel, along with some of its original property, was sold in 1987 to new owners, whose plans were to open a bed-and-breakfast there, but their plans were dashed when the building was destroyed by a 1997 fire.

A STORY OF PRESERVATION

My father’s sentiments, “ALWAYS REMEMBER!  Preserved places of value, whether Natural Sites or created originally, as part of our Cultural Heritage, don’t just appear out of the blue!!”  “Every site has its own story, of dedicated individuals, groups, organizations and governments, ALL, working hard together for a better world!”  “BE THANKFUL-ENJOY-LEARN-PRESERVE & PASS ALONG FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS!”

Green Acres acquired the property in the year 2000 to become a part of the Beaver Brook Wildlife Management Area.  However, the Department of Environmental Protection was unable to maintain or protect any of the structures of this hamlet.  The Knowlton Township Historic Commission worked with the Township of Knowlton to arrange a lease of the property from the NJDEP.  Although they.ve seen their share of abuse and neglect, the remaining structures are relatively true to their original form, AND are irreplaceable.  They have survived flood and fire, as well as demolition in our modern era of fast-paced real estate development.

Saving Ramsayburg required state, county and local funding to stabilize the buildings.  There was also extensive research required and completed, to support listing the site, on the New Jersey and the National Register of Historic Places.  Since 2002, the Knowlton Township Historic Commission has applied for and received grants from the Warren County Cultural & Heritage Commission, Warren County Municipal, Charitable and Conservancy Trust Fund, Delaware River Greenway Partnership, Garden State Historic Preservation Trust Fund, New Jersey Historic Trust and the National Park Service/Martins Jacoby Watershed Association.

***Many of Warren County’s historic sites have coordinated plans for a self-guided county-wide tour, with family activities at each location, on the weekend of November 6-7, 2021. Join the crowd for a weekend of fun and discovery as each stop along the trail offers something different and exciting for the whole family. Start at any site and pick up your map and guide. Mark your calendar, and keep an eye on warrenhistorytrail.org for more information!***

Please check out the website below!!  This site has many ongoing diverse activities throughout the year!!

Please visit this informative website – Ramsaysburg Historic Homestead | Knowlton Township, Warren County, New Jersey

Enjoy Your Open Space, Charlie Fineran

Director Open Space, Chair, Allamuchy Township Environmental Commission, Allamuchy Historical Society – President