Seventeen historic sites and museums will open their doors for the 6th Annual Explore Warren History Trail on Saturday and Sunday, November 7 and 8, 2026. In the year of America's 250th anniversary, this free, self-guided tour invites visitors to explore the landmarks and themes that shaped Warren County.
Each site will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on one day — either Saturday or Sunday — and visitors can see one site or several at their own pace. Printed trail maps will be available at every location. The event is free, held rain or shine, and suitable for all ages. Every site will have representatives on hand to share its history, and many will offer special tours, demonstrations, and festival activities. Full descriptions, daily schedules, and a digital map are available at WarrenHistoryTrail.org.
Long before Warren County was formally established in 1824, settlements were developing at places such as Greenwich, Oxford Furnace and Pahaquarry. Located near the confluence of the Delaware and Musconetcong Rivers, Greenwich became an important gateway for Quaker, German and Scots-Irish settlers moving westward from Philadelphia. At Oxford, early settlers arrived in the 1720s, followed by the construction of Oxford Furnace in 1741 which became an important center of commerce and industry and helped drive the region’s early population growth. Farther north along the Delaware, Abraham Van Campen established a mill in 1732 along the Old Mine Road—one of the oldest continuously used roads in America.
Together with 18th- and 19th-century advances in transportation and industry, the county's agricultural heritage forms an important chapter in the rural American tradition. Today, Warren County is known for the cleanest waterways and richest farmland in New Jersey.
Most trail sites are listed on the New Jersey State Register of Historic Places, and the majority are also on the National Register of Historic Places. Together they span roughly 170 years of county heritage, through the construction of Allamuchy’s Rutherfurd Hall in 1902.
The Explore Warren History Trail received an operating support grant from the Warren County Division of Cultural and Heritage Affairs with funds from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State. Additional funding was provided by the Warren County Public Information Department's tourism program, ExploreWarren.org.
For the full list of sites, schedules, and maps, visit WarrenHistoryTrail.org. A short video preview of the 17 participating historic sites is also available on YouTube at WarrenHistoryTrail.org.
For questions and additional information contact Tom Drake at 973-879-4887 or info@warrenhistorytrail.org.
Participating Sites: Each site will open 10am-4pm on one of the two days as follows:
Saturday, November 7
Millbrook Village, Old Mine Road and Rt 602, Hardwick
Van Campen Homestead, Old Mine Road, Hardwick
Vass Farmstead, 97 Stillwater Road (CR 521), Hardwick
Blairstown Historic District, Main Street, Blairstown
Johnsonburg, Historic District, 210 Main Street, Johnsonburg
Moravian Village of Hope, Route 519, Hope
Ramsaysburg Homestead, 140 Route 46, Delaware
Belvidere, 313 Mansfield Street, Belvidere
White Township Museum, 555A CR 519, Belvidere
VanNest-Hoff-Vannatta Farmstead, 3026 Belvidere Road (CR 519), Harmony Township
Sunday, November 8
Rutherfurd Hall, 1686 Route 517, Allamuchy
Hackettstown Historical Society Museum, 106 Church Street, Hackettstown
Shippen Manor/ Oxford Furnace, 8 Belvidere Ave, Oxford
Heritage Museum at Meadow Breeze Park, 54 Meadow Breeze Lane, Washington
Roseberry-Gess House, 540 Warren Street, Phillipsburg
Shimer Mansion, 401 New Brunswick Ave, Phillipsburg
Historic Asbury, 478 Main Street, Asbury
Self-Guided Explore Warren History Trail
Explore Shippen Manor, Blair's Town, Oxford Furnace, the Morris Canal and many more historic sites throughout Warren County. This is a free self-guided, county-wide driving tour, where you can visit one or multiple sites at your own pace each day. Sites in the county's northern region will be hosting visitors on Saturday, 11/7; and the southern destinations will be open on Sunday, 11/8. Each site will have a docent on hand to convey the history of the location, and some sites will host demonstrations and festival activities.
Millbrook Village
Millbrook Village is a representation of a late 19th Century rural community, rather than an exact restoration of the original Millbrook that has its origins in an 1832 grist mill that soon was surrounded by other businesses and homes.
Vass Farmstead
One of Hardwick’s early settlers was John Vass, who was born (tradition tells us) at sea, during his parent’s immigration voyage from Germany in 1764. Vass started life in Philadelphia but was, as a youth, indentured to a Hardwick citizen.
Ramsaysburg Homestead
Historical park. The public may access the river here for fishing or to launch small watercraft such as canoes or kayaks.
Warren County Historical & Genealogical Society
Library of genealogical materials and local historical documents available for research. Annual BBQ fundraisers, ghost walks, visiting psychic, special exhibits.
White Township Museum
Housed in an 18th-century home, the museum features a restored general store, 1800s artifacts, vintage photos, railroad memorabilia, and Native American relics.
Van Nest-Hoff-Vannatta Farmstead
This remarkably intact farmstead was listed on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places in 2005 as a representative illustration of the rural region’s architecture and agricultural practices during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Rutherfurd Hall
Historic mansion visited by FDR open for tours every Wednesday at 11am, 12pm and 1pm. Concerts are free to the public with a recommended donation of $10, Tea & Talk lecture series, Film Night, summer camps and more.
Hackettstown Historical Society
The Hackettstown Historical Society is a non-profit and provides information on people, places and more relating to life in Hackettstown, NJ and the surrounding areas.
Shippen Manor
Shippen Manor is a c.1754 iron master’s residence built by Dr. William Shippen, Sr. The Shippens were socially prominent members of a wealthy Philadelphia family. The museum offers guided tours on the 1st and 2nd Sundays from May to December, except on holidays.
The Heritage Museum at Meadow Breeze Park
This is a nonprofit museum covering history in the Warren County Pohatcong Valley in Northwest New Jersey.
Roseberry House
An 18th Century Georgian manor, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, undergoing preservation and restoration by the Phillipsburg Area Historical Society.