Shippen Manor in Oxford was one of the Sunday stops last weekend on the Explore Warren History Trail.
An 18th-century, Georgian-style stone house overlooking the village of Oxford, the manor was home to several generations of iron masters who operated the nearby mines and furnaces.
The house was built in 1754, give or take a year, for William Shippen and his brother, Joseph Shippen, both of whom owned the nearby Oxford Furnace. The Shippen Manor served as the headquarters for the furnace, which operated from 1741 to 1882, producing iron.
“The History Trail is really important because it gets people out to our historical sites throughout the county,” said Gina Rosseland, assistant administrator of cultural and heritage affairs for Warren County and director of Shippen Manor. “And today we’re doing our Civil War history, but we also want to contribute to the county history as well. And that’s what people will see when they visit.”
The 27th Regiment of New Jersey Volunteers, a living history group, reenacted an 1862 encampment at the manor in honor of the many people from Oxford who fought in the civil war.
One of the Jersey Volunteers, Joe Mongi, said their goal was to illustrate what it was like in a town like Oxford during the Civil War.
“We’re out here today doing a living history presentation,” Mongi said, stepping out of character momentarily. “Teaching the general public about some of the things that Civil War soldiers had to do. Just basics about their everyday life. Things that they used, things that they saw.”
And plenty of people had an opportunity to experience that. Rosseland said more than 100 people visited Shippen Major during the History Trail.
“We had Revolutionary War and Civil War men that have fought and lived here,” she said. Other programs at the manor include honoring Oxford veterans from World War I and World War II.
Shippen Manor is located at 8 Belvidere Avenue in Oxford, just off the Route 31/Wall Street intersection. It’s open the first and second Sunday, May–Dec., 1–4 p.m.
Admission is free.
Joe brings decades of journalism experience to the Ridge View Echo, covering everything from local school boards to the U.S. Supreme Court. A former National Law Journal editor and Columbia Law School press officer, he now enjoys telling community stories in Blairstown, where he lives with his wife, Rose, and their two dachshunds.
- Joe Phalon, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/joe-phalon-contributing-writer/
- Joe Phalon, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/joe-phalon-contributing-writer/
- Joe Phalon, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/joe-phalon-contributing-writer/
- Joe Phalon, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/joe-phalon-contributing-writer/
