Ringwood Manor

Ringwood Manor was home to a number of well-known ironmasters from the 1740s to the late 19th century. During the American Revolution, Robert Erskine managed ironmaking operations from Ringwood, and became George Washington's first geographer and Surveyor General, producing maps for the Continental Army; Washington visited the Manor House several times. Ringwood iron was used in the famous Hudson River Chain, and for tools and hardware for the army. Martin J. Ryerson purchased the historic ironworks and began building the present Manor House in 1807 while still operating the iron mines and forges on the property. Ryerson ran 5 forge-furnace complexes in three counties from his headquarters at Ringwood for the next half century. Ryerson made shot for the war of 1812 and negotiated land and water rights with the Morris Canal Company for expansion of Long Pond (Greenwood Lake) and construction of the Pompton Feeder on the Morris Canal. The Ryerson Steel Company is still in operation today. New York's Peter Cooper, a remarkable inventor and industrialist and his young son-in-law, Abram S. Hewitt, purchased Ringwood in 1854. One of the Manor's last owners was Abram S. Hewitt, ironmaster, educator, lawyer, U.S. Congressman, and mayor of New York City.

A 479-acre (194 ha) area including the manor house was declared a National Historic Landmark District in 1966. The Ringwood Manor NHL area is the entire 479 acre Ringwood Manor State Park. One out building houses a working coal-fired, bellows-fed, forge. It was rebuilt in the 1960's and has briefly been operated by volunteer blacksmiths from time to time since.

The Ringwood Manor State Park is now part of a larger Ringwood State Park that includes Skylands Manor and a recreational area. It is located three miles (5 km) east of Hewitt, New Jersey, off Route 23.