NOTES

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Originally a much more humble Dutch American style home, The Hermitage was visited by the likes of James Monroe, William Paterson, Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and Lord Stirling during the Revolutionary War.

 

In 1847, the home was completely remodeled in the exquisite Gothic Revival style it still exhibits; it became the home for the Rosencrantz family from 1807 until 1970, when it was bequeathed to the State of New Jersey as a historic landmark.

 

While a non-profit group maintains the property and offers tours of the Hermitage, these public visits have been curtailed through the pandemic. Our visit was a free-range exterior walk around the grounds, which was punctuated by our awkward injection into a "living historical weekend" of Spanish-American War re-enacters, who had set up a period-correct camp on the grounds for a, shall we say, exclusive overnight event.

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We didn't interfere in their event, but appreciated the period costumes and camp equipment being utilized fully.

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If visiting Ho-Ho-Kus, we also recommend a visit to the Ho-Ho-Kus Inn & Tavern for some excellent food and cocktails— they've been serving guests since 1790 and some of the interior architecture has many stories to tell.