The White Hill Mansion, Fieldsboro (Burlington County)

The White Hill Mansion is Fieldsboro was built in 1722 by Robert Field. Field was a successful merchant and an advocate of the American Revolution, but in 1775 he mysteriously drowned in the Delaware River. After Field's death, his young wife Mary was left the house where she also cared for their three children. During the Revolutionary War, Mrs. Field was reported by her loyalist neighbors as a rebel supporter after she had dinner with American naval Captain Tom Houston and his officers. Soon after her home was invaded by the British in search for hidden soldiers. In 1777, General Washington put orders for Colonial Captain Thomas Read and Captain John Barry to dock the American ships at White Hill. Mrs. Field eventually ended up marrying Commodore Thomas Read in 1779 and he made White Hill Mansion his home until his death in 1788. The home remained a private residence even housing a U.S. Senator, entrepreneurs, and rum runners. In 1923, Heindrich and Katrina Glenk turned it into Glenk's Mansion House Restaurant. The restaurant served New Jersey's upper-class for the next 50 years. In 1999, the property had fallen into disarray and there was talk of it being abolished. The local community seeking the preservation of the home came to rescue and by 2012 it was placed on the New Jersey State Register of Historic Places. It is reportedly haunted with sightings of a featureless “shadow man” and other incidences including ghost chatter, sounds of children playing in the nursery, and sounds of footsteps at the stairs in the middle of the night

 

The Dey Mansion, Wayne (Passaic County)

The Dey Mansion, located in Wayne, played an integral role in the American Revolutionary War. Built by Colonoel Theunis Dey in 1770's it served as Washington's Headquarters on several occassions. During his stay Washington and his advisers stayed in the mansion; he also had numerous visitors including Benedict Arnold. It is here where Washington learned that the French allied support had landed in Newport, Rhode Island, and during his stay at the Dey Mansion General Benedict Arnold's treason became evident.

 

The Great Auditorium, Ocean Grove (Monmouth County)

The Great Auditorium in Ocean Grove was constructed in 1894. The wooden building rests on bridge-like steel trusses laid on stone foundations and it features numerous "barn door" entrances with colored glass, dormers, and panels that open for ventilation.. Originally the Auditorium was claimed to hold 10,000 people, but over the years many of the smaller wooden seats were replaced, reducing the capacity to 6,250 people. The Auditorium has superb acoustics resulting from its barrel-vaulted wooden ceiling; famed conductor Leonard Bernstein once compared it to Carnegie Hall. The illuminated Memorial Cross was placed on the Auditorium's front façade at the end of WWII in 1946. It houses a pipe organ that is one of the 20 largest in the world.

 

Ramapo Valley County Reservation, Mahwah (Bergen County)

The Ramapo Reservation located in Mahwah is a very popular Bergen County Park. Many visitors walk around Scarlett Oak Pond, a former gravel quarry. The park offers wide varieties of hikes, from scenic waterfalls to challenging mountain trails along the eastern tier of the Rampo Mountains. Several of its trails connect Ringwood State Park to the west, Ramapo Mountain State Forest to the southwest, and Camp Glen Gray to the south, making possible a wide variety of rugged day-long hikes.

 

Washington's Crossing State Park, Titusville (Mercer County)

On December 25, 1776, the icy waters of the Delaware River provided the setting for one of the pivotal events of the American Revolution. The Continental Army had little to celebrate that Christmas and seemed beat by hunger and cold. After crossing the rough winter river at night, General George Washington and the Continental Army landed at Johnson’s Ferry, at the site now known as Washington Crossing State Park. At 4 am, they began their march to Trenton where they defeated the Hessian troops in an unexpected attack. This battle was quickly followed by the Second Battle of Trenton on January 2, 1777, and the Battle of Princeton on January 3, 1777.