Celebration of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence

Saturday, July 4th, 2009, Ringwood Manor, Ringwood State Park

10am-1pm Tours of Ringwood Manor available to the public (no charge)
1pm-4pm Market/Town Green Atmosphere- Suttlers/craftspeople/displays/demonstrations
1pm Event Opens- Welcome & Greeting
2:15pm Militia Muster & Public Debate between Rebels & Loyalists
2:30pm Delivery of the Declaration of Independence to the House
3:00pm Flag Ceremony & Salute to New Nation
3:10pm Ringing of the Manor Bell Thirteen Times
3:20pm Blacksmith Demonstrations for the public - Blacksmith shop open to public all day
3:20pm General Activities Resume

A great Family Event! Join us as we celebrate our nation’s 233rd birthday by reenacting a traditional reading of the declaration of independence. Reenactors help to create a lively 18th century town atmosphere. Activities include: Colonial Games, Colonial Crafters, drilling with the Militia, Sign your own Declaration of Independence, Revolutionary War map making, Colonial Dancing, and blacksmith shop demonstrations. Event begins at 1:00pm; Declaration of Independence is Read at 2:30pm. Historic House tours will be available in the morning. Free watermelon for visitors! No cost for event, $5 per car parking fee to enter park. Sponsored by the North Jersey Highlands Historical Society and Ringwood State Park. Participants in this year’s event include: NJ Militia – Heard’s Brigade, The Department of the Geographer to the Army, Friends of Long Pond Ironworks, the 5th NJ Regiment, the 35th Regimental Society, the North River Colonial English Dancers, and various individual reenactors and volunteers.

Calendar of Events

Download Calendar as Word Document

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Ringwood Manor’s Historic Blacksmith Shop to Open for 2009 Season

Sundays: July 5, August 2, Sept. 6, Oct. 4, Nov. 1

10 a.m.-4 p.m.

After being closed through the cold winter months, the historic blacksmith’s shop at Ringwood Manor will once again be open to the visiting public. Starting on May 3rd, visitors to Ringwood State Park will be able to see 18th and 19th century blacksmithing demonstrations, interpreted by our skilled volunteer blacksmiths, Pete Marchetto and Tim McQuaid. The blacksmiths will light up the historic forge using the huge bellows to keep the air flow to the fire consistent and to maintain the very high temperatures needed to heat the iron rods. These rods are then pounded by hand on anvils and carefully shaped into various historic tools and decorative objects. The public is invited to come and watch the skill and artistry of the blacksmiths as they hand forge iron necessities of the colonial period. Their handcrafted items will be available for purchase, with proceeds benefiting the preservation and maintenance of the blacksmith shop.

The smithy at Ringwood Manor is over two hundred years old and had been used continually until 1936. During the Revolutionary War period, General George Washington’s expense records indicate that he had his horses shod at the blacksmith shop at Ringwood while passing through the area or when visiting with Robert Erskine. In the late-19th century, the Hewitt family employed Sammy Morgan, who was known to be quite skilled as a blacksmith. After the estate was established as a State Park, the blacksmith shop was used intermittently by blacksmiths, but it was not until last year that the building was utilized on a regular basis. Thanks to efforts of the volunteers, the blacksmith shop will be open to visitors the first Sunday of each month through November and additional days each month as the volunteers’ schedules allow. Ringwood State Park is pleased to be able to open the building to allow the public to witness historic blacksmithing demonstrations.

Ringwood State Park is open year round from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Ringwood Manor is open Wednesday through Sunday, year round, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free tours are offered at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3 p.m. There is a $5 per car parking fee to enter the park on weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

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The Forges and Manor of Ringwood is an historic center, sacred ground to the Native Americans and a site of important American developments, both industrial and social, during the Colonial, Federal, and Victorian periods. The manor and the surrounding lands provide a window into New Jersey history.

During the American Revolution, Ringwood was a supply center, transportation route, strategic headquarters, and site of George Washington's critical defense mapping agency. Ringwood and the surrounding Highlands iron works supplied the ore for three wars, urban growth and rail systems.

Later, Ringwood grew into a "Great Estate," a place which influenced the flow of our nation's cultural, political and industrial history. Due to the influence of Abram Hewitt and Peter Cooper, Ringwood was referred to as the "second White House."

With historical structures in an original setting (on 582 acres of the original 38,000) and extensive historical collections illustrative of family life, community, industry and culture, The Forges and Manor of Ringwood is recognized as a National Historic Landmark District and a unique repository of American history.