The Grand Dames - Explore New Jersey’s Famous Estates & Historic Homes
Credit: Mid-Atlantic Center For The Arts & Humanities
Cape Mayâs Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts operates the Emlen Physick Estate, the townâs only Victorian house museum. This historic estate is a prime example of the late 1800s trend toward highly personalized architecture, a staple of the Victorian and Arts & Crafts periods. Designed in 1879 by renowned Philadelphia architect Frank Furness, this 18-room mansion was constructed for Dr. Emlen Physick, his widowed mother and his maiden aunt. The Physick Estate drew immediate attention because of its â Stick Styleâ design. The exterior is distinguished by a grid-like pattern (sticks) of timbers, gigantic (upside down) chimneys and hooded â jerkin-headâ dormers. Inside the house, visitors find many original decorations and furnishings reflecting Furnessâs unique style.
Whether it sits on a Revolutionary War battlefield, a village of times long past, or it’s the grand estate of a president, poet or industrial legend, New Jersey’s historic homes and grand estates are architectural and decorative masterpieces just waiting to be discovered. Spanning the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, you can learn more about these fantastic historic resources and their place in New Jersey history on your next getaway.
• While visiting Camden, venture to 328 Mickle Boulevard and find yourself at the humble dwelling of the “Good Gray Poet”, Walt Whitman. This modest two-storey, wooden-framed structure designed in Greek-revival style was the only home ever owned by the Leaves of Grass author. Today, as a New Jersey State Historic Site and a National Historic Landmark, the restored Whitman House welcomes visitors from around the world looking to experience the last worldly surroundings of America’s great “Poet of Democracy”. The renowned poet’s house is furnished with a number of pieces owned and used by Whitman himself from the time he bought the house in 1884 until his death in 1892.
Credit: New Jersey Travel & Tourism
When in the Ivy-league town of Princeton, explore Morven, the former New Jersey Governorâs Mansion and 18th-century home of Richard Stockton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The mansionâs museum features 13 elegant galleries exhibiting both public and never-before-seen private collections from New Jersey. Nearby is Drumthwacket, the official residence of the Governor of New Jersey. In fact, Drumthwacket is one of the most fabled and elegant of Americaâs executive residences. Its history contains the stories of three unique families that made immense contributions to New Jersey and American history. Charles Smith Olden began the construction of Drumthwacket in 1835, possibly using a design by architect Charles Steadman. For its name, he borrowed two Scottish Gaelic words meaning â wooded hill.â Typical of the Greek Revival style, the house features a large portico with six Ionic columns. Drumthwacket is on the National Register of Historic Places and has been the official governorâs mansion since the late 1980s.
• View the Ballantine House in Newark, a 27-room late-Victorian-style mansion built in 1885 for Jeannette and John Holme Ballantine of the celebrated Newark beer-brewing family. The House contains eight bedrooms and three bathrooms, and has been a part of The Newark Museum since 1937 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985. With two floors of the Ballantine House open to the public, including eight period rooms, two hallways and six galleries, visitors can see objects found in people’s homes from the 1650s to the present.
• Situated on Garret Mountain in Paterson is Lambert Castle built in 1892 for Catholina Lambert, an English immigrant who made his fortune in this “silk city of the new world.” Fashioned after an English castle, interior rooms reflect the eclectic styles of America’s “Gilded Age.” Naming the house “Belle Vista,” Lambert displayed his valuable paintings by Rembrandt, Renoir, Courbet, Monet and others in his three-storey skylight atrium. In the late 1990s, the entire castle was transformed into a museum, managed by the Passaic County Historical Society. Visitors to the first floor find restored period rooms, while the second and third floors showcase alternating exhibitions and the basement level is a complete historical research library.
Credit: New Jersey Travel & Tourism
Near the top of the state is Skylands Manor in Ringwood, the former estate of Clarence Lewis, a civil engineer and stepson of William Salomon, founder of the New York banking house. Built in 1924, the magnificent, Tudor-style stone mansion was designed by John Russell Pope, one of the foremost US architects during the countryâs turn-of-the-century â gilded age.â Every detail of Skylands Manor is a work of art, from decorative copper downspouts, iron fixtures and stair railings to carved American oak paneling with stained and leaded glass windows. Lewis and his wife were enthusiastic amateur horticulturists who hired Vitale and Geiffert, the most prominent landscape architects of the day, to create Italianate gardens. Purchased by the state in 1966, the 39 hectares surrounding the manor house are now designated as the New Jersey State Botanical Garden.
• Part of the National Historic Landmark District, Ringwood Manor in Ringwood is a beautiful country house that was home to a succession of well-known ironmasters for nearly 200 years. The manor house was constructed in 1807 by the Ryerson family in Federal-style and subsequent owners, the Abram S. Hewitt family, America’s foremost ironmaster, added Italianate and Gothic Revival styles to the estate. The resulting eclectic mix, totaling 51 rooms, was the largest house in America until the late 1800s. When the Hewitt family sold the manor in the early 1900s, the house remained as the family had left it, complete with family books, furniture, clothing, paintings and period furniture, providing a rare view of wealthy country lifestyles during the 19th century.
Credit: Shutterstock/makikSM
The whoosh of the cork pulled expertly from a bottle, the deep garnet color of a Cabernet Sauvignon or the clear sparkle of a crisp, white Chardonnay. Swirl the wine around the glass, hold it up to the light, and savour the bouquet and first sip.
Think you’re in Napa Valley or the wine region of Italy? Think again – it's Cape May County, New Jersey, an area blessed with a moderate climate, gentle winds and sandy soil. The Cape May Winery is New Jersey’s southernmost winery, within a few miles of both the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay, creating moderate temperatures that are perfect for growing grapes.
Locally produced wines from grapes grown in Cape May can satisfy anyone’s palette for great wines at moderate prices. Tours and tastings take place throughout the year, especially during late summer and early fall when acres of vineyards are heavy with perfect grapes, ready for harvest.
For more than 10 years, Cape May Winery has been producing award-winning wines, mainly from grapes grown in their own vineyards. Sample a glass of Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Grigio and Cabernet Savignon. Check out the Cape May Wine School, a joint venture of the Washington Inn and the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts and a great way to learn about wines, food pairings and special insights.
Many restaurants offer wines produced at the Cape May Winery on their menus which is a great way to decide on your favourites to take home. Or visit www.capemaywinery.com for ways to create your own tour in Cape May County, New Jersey.
As spring blossoms, now is the time to explore New Jersey’s historic homes and great estates. The attractive, rural areas of the Garden State that attracted wealthy industrialists and financiers of the past continue to attract thousands of visitors today to explore these grand, architectural works of art.
For more information, visit www.visitnj.org
