Ramsey Historic Virtual Tour

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The Historical Division put together a Virtual tour of Ramsey New Jerseys historical sights. What you are about to read is that tour. Ramsey's historical sites offer a tale of the lasting effects of a community that has witnessed everything from the revolutionary war onwards. This blog post is for those who wish to look back and explore Ramsey's past and experience what is left behind of those who came before us.

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The Old Stone House

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This historic house off of Route 17 was built around 1747. It originally sat on a 360-acre farm and was made of irregular stones, clay mortar, chopped straw, and hog hair. It is unclear who built the house, but it is speculated to have been built by Jan Westervelt. The Westervelts were the home's original owners, but it has had many owners throughout the years. This house also acted as a tavern for some time in the late 1700s and early 1800s and played a role in the American Revolution. Soldiers would often look to the house for refuge and sometimes headquarters. Today, it is maintained by the Ramsey Historical Association after being sold to the state of New Jersey in 1955. 

An Image of The Old Stone House

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The Trolley

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This trolley started in 1908 and originally ran from Suffern, NY, to Ridgewood, NJ. It was eventually extended to Paterson, NJ. There is a little rubble stone building next to the trolley that used to ask as the ticket stop and waiting area for the trolley. This building still stands today, and is an active collectibles store. The trolley service was originally ran by a privately owned company, but an expensive fatal accident in 1911 caused the company to shut down. The trolley line was taken over by the Public Service System by 1927, but shut down two years later. Today, the Elanor Rooney bike path runs through the original trolley’s path.

An Image of the Ramsey Trolley Station when it was still operating

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The Train Station

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The Ramsey Train Station is the oldest passenger train station in New Jersey that is still in service. It was built in 1868 by the Paterson & Ramapo Railroad on land purchased from a man named Peter Ramsey. A major restoration took place in 2004, but the historic charm of the interior is still present thanks to the Ramsey Hisorical Association.

An Image of the Old Ramsey Train Station

You can read more about The Old Stone House on https://visitingamuseum.com/tag/the-old-stone-house-ramsey-nj/