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.

 

Weehawken Dueling Grounds, Weehawken (Hudson County)

The Weehawken Dueling Grounds is the location of where Vice-President Aaron Burr shot and killed former Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. Burr and Hamilton had a strong dislike for each other for years prior to the duel, but tensions reached a boiling point when Burr alleged Hamilton defamed his character during Burr's 1804 New York gubernatorial race. A duel was scheduled for July 11, 1804 in Weehawken, New Jersey.

 

Cheesequake State Park, Old Bridge (Middlesex County)

Cheesequake State Park's uniqueness lies in its geographical location. Not only is it situated in the middle of the urban north and the suburban south, it lies in a transitional zone between two different ecosystems. Open fields, saltwater and freshwater marshes, a white cedar swamp, Pine Barrens, and a northeastern hardwood forest are the main characteristics of the park.

 

Cape May Lighthouse, Cape May (Cape May County)

The Cape May Lighthouse was built in 1859 and continues operation to this day. It is the third fully documented lighthouse to be built at Cape May Point; the first was built in 1823 and the second in 1847, but the exact locations of the first two lighthouses are now underwater due to erosion. There are 199 steps to the top of the Lighthouse; the view at the top extends to Cape May City and Wildwood to the north.

 

Iviswold Castle, Rutherford (Bergen County)

Originally built in 1868 by the New York newspaperman and land developer Lloyd W. Tomkins, this structure was a two-story home. But after David Brinkerhoff Ivison, president of the American Book Company, bought it in 1887 he turned the building into a three-story turreted mansionwith25 rooms, including a music room and a carriage porch. In the 1930's and indoor pool was installed on the second floor, the walls of which can still be seen in parts of the castle. It was bought in the 1970's by Farleigh Dickinson University and they built a campus around it.

 

Brooksbrae Terracotta Brick Factory, Manchester Township (Ocean County)

In its heyday, the Brooksbrae Brick Company had the ability to produce thousands of bricks a day; however, many doubt the factory ever reached operational status. The owner of the factory, William J. Kelly, died in 1908 before the factory was up to full speed. Due to complications within his will, all of Kelley's assets were frozen, halting all of the facilities' operations. In 1915, railroad workers from Central Railroad of New Jersey went on strike near Brooksbrae. To avoid any damages to the factory, a caretaker was assigned to watch over the property. One winter night, the elderly caretaker and his wife lit a fire in the stove to warm up the residence. However, they didn't check or clean the chimney's flue causing a massive fire, killing the couple. After the issues with Kelley's will were resolved, the factory was sold. Due to the deaths on the property the factory was left incomplete. The area is now a popular graffiti and art spot.

 

Hacklebarney State Park, Chester (Morris County)

Hacklebarney State Park has the freshwater Black River as its centerpiece, cascading around boulders in the hemlock-lined ravine. Two tributaries, Rinehart and Trout Brooks, also course their way through the glacial valley, feeding the Black River. This park is a favorite place for avid anglers, hikers and picnickers, yet in the 19th century the park was a mined iron ore site.

 

Lake Solitude Dam, High Bridge (Hunterdon County)

The Lake Solitude Dam (Waterfall) was originally constructed in 1859 to provide hydro-power and hydro-electric power to the Taylor Iron and Steel Company. This dam structure is the earliest example of a steel reinforced dam, and the last remaining example of a buttress dam left in the state of New Jersey.

 

Mary Ellis Burial Site, New Brunswick (Middlesex County)

The Mary Ellis grave is marked by an 1828 gravestone located in the parking lot of movie theater in New Brunswick. The Mary Ellis grave is one of several on the small plot, all the interred being interrelated. After Mary Ellis's burial, the family home and property eventually became part of a developed shopping center. The grave remained in what became a parking lot for many businesses. It rest about seven feet above the level of the parking lot ever since the site was re-graded for development.