[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 135 (Thursday, October 1, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1851]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      COMMEMORATING RINGWOOD MANOR

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARGE ROUKEMA

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 1, 1998

  Mrs. ROUKEMA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to call attention to Ringwood 
Manor, an historic home in Ringwood, New Jersey, that has come to be a 
symbol of the area's unique heritage and history. I would also like to 
offer my congratulations to the Ringwood Women's Club and the Friends 
of Ringwood Manor, two civic organizations that have helped preserve 
Ringwood Manor and keep it open to the public as an historic site. 
Their initiative and leadership have made them role models for the 
nation.
  An elegant, 51-room mansion at the center of a 33,000-acre estate in 
Passaic County, Ringwood Manor served for two centuries as the home of 
the owners of the iron mines that were once the focus of the region's 
economy. Those huge mining operations made Ringwood the center of 
munitions production for U.S. forces in every major armed conflict from 
the French and Indian Wars to World War I. Ringwood Manor and the 
surrounding town of Ringwood have a place in our national history that 
should be recognized. The mines are gone but Ringwood Manor still 
stands, reminding residents of the area and tourists alike of 
Ringwood's place in history.
  Established in 1740, Ringwood was a center of iron making and 
munitions making from Colonial days. Three ironmasters oversaw the 
bustling operations over the years leading up to the Revolutionary War 
but the last, Robert Erskine, was destined to play a major role in the 
creation of the United States. Erskine had run the Ringwood mines for 
seven years when, in 1777, General George Washington appointed him as 
Georgrapher and Surveyor General of the Continential Army. In this 
important role as our nation's army's first geographer, he and his 
staff produced nearly 300 highly detailed maps. These maps played a 
major role in leading the colonies' troops to victory over the British. 
The Robert Erskine Militia performs ceremonial functions in modern-day 
Ringwood as a tribute to this early prominent citizen.
  The next prominent head of the mines was Martin J. Ryerson, who built 
the original portions of the existing manor house in 1807. (The 
original manor house burned in 1742.) Ryerson, who built a three-story 
home of 10 rooms decorated in Federal style, left Ringwood Manor to his 
sons. They, in turn, sold the house and surrounding 33,000 acres to 
Peter Cooper in 1854 for $100,000. Cooper and his business partner, 
Abram S. Hewitt, operated 32 working mines as Cooper Hewitt and Co.--
and were two of the most important industrialists who transformed our 
nation's economy during the 19th Century.
  In 1855, Hewitt married Cooper's daughter and the couple made 
Ringwood Manor their country home. Between 1864 and 1879, they greatly 
expanded the house, bringing it to a total of 51 rooms. Included were 
28 bedrooms, 24 fireplaces, 13 bathrooms and 250 windows.
  The Hewitts left the house to their children, who donated it to the 
State of New Jersey in 1936. The state opened the home to the public in 
1939.
  The present structures standing at Ringwood Manor reflect the period 
from 1854 to 1936, when the Hewitt family lived there. Among the many 
unusual features are gardens inspired by the grounds of the Palace of 
Versailles.
  Ringwood Manor has been preserved and kept open to the public through 
the efforts of two private civic organizations in addition to the State 
of New Jersey--the Ringwood Women's Club and the Friends of Ringwood 
Manor. Ringwood Manor is one of the many projects undertaken by the 
Women's Club, which also works closely with the Ringwood Public 
Library, local schools and projects such as planting flowers at local 
shopping centers. The Friends of Ringwood Manor provide a wide variety 
of volunteer services at the Manor, from gardening to administration. 
Both these organizations deserve our thanks.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask our colleagues here in the U.S. 
House of Representatives to join me in congratulating Ringwood Manor 
and these outstanding community leaders for this important contribution 
to maintaining the history of our great nation. As U.S. Supreme Court 
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. wrote in New York Trust Co. v. 
Eisner, ``A page of history is worth a volume of logic.''

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