[ back ]
Wortendyke Barn re-opens
(by Kathryn A. Burger - April 29, 2008)
The Wortendyke Barn
|
Where: 13 Pascack Road, Park Ridge
|
Museum: Open Wednesdays and Sundays noon to 4 p.m. now through October; handicapped accessible
|
Admission: Free
|
Parking lot is off Hillside Avenue.
|
| Group tours can be arranged by calling 201-336-7267, or 201-930-0124 during museum hours.county historic site |
Every day, hundreds of people drive by the Wortendyke Barn on Pascack Road. Most have no idea that this “New World Dutch Barn” was built in the 1700s at its current location and was used for the purposes for which it was constructed well into the 20th century.
Another “well-kept secret” is that the barn is also a museum that is open from April to October on Wednesdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. and admission is free.
What makes this barn different from the familiar English-style red barns? One need only read the blue historic marker at the site that was installed in 1975 and sponsored by the Pascack Historical Society. It reads, in part, “Broader than deep, the structure is entirely supported by four H-frames tied with massive anchor beams. Front and rear wagon doors permit through access to the threshing floor, which is flanked by side aisles for animals.”
According to the county Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs, the Wortendyke Barn is one of only six pure Dutch barn types in Bergen County. The county purchased the barn in 1973 to save it from demolition. In 1997, it opened as a museum with exhibits on agriculture that include 18th and 19th century farm implements and tools; the history of the Wortendyke family farm, and the history and evolution of farming in Bergen County and the Hudson Valley.
 |
|
Staff Photos By Kathryn A. Burger
The Wortendyke Barn Museum, 13 Pascack Road, Park Ridge is now open to the public on Wednesdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. through October. This view shows the south-facing front of the barn and to the left is Pascack Road. The blue Bergen County Historic Site marker can be seen at left, by the fence. The pre-Revolutionary War structure is at the corner of Pascack Road and Hillside Avenue; parking at the site is accessible from Hillside Avenue.
|
he barn opens this season with a new curator, C.F. William “Bill” Maurer, a well-known and highly regarded historian and author. Maurer, a longtime Park Ridge resident, recently retired as a park ranger/interpreter at the Statue of Liberty National Monument and is the former director of the Gomez Mill House, in Orange County, New York, the oldest house in the county on the National Historic Register. He is also the former Park Ridge borough historian. He is the author of “Dragoon Diary: The History of the Third Continental Dragoons.”
While his professional credentials are impressive, one is immediately struck by his genuine enthusiasm for and knowledge of a wide range of historical topics, including of course, the Pascack Valley. Speaking to him a few days before the official re-opening of the barn (April 27), a request for comments on the barn and his new position as curator inspired a lively conversation ranging from the Pascack Valley’s rich Dutch heritage to how, over the years, the Wortendykes distributed their original 800 acres of farmland among their offspring.
“Many people don’t realize the extent of the area’s Dutch heritage. We are familiar with the Indian names – Kinderkamack and Pascack – but many Dutch families settled here including the Blauvelts and the Demarests,” he said. “All you have to do is drive down Pascack Road and see the historic Dutch homes,” which are made from sandstone and have distinctive sloping slate roofs.
He also spoke enthusiastically about the importance of children learning about the history of the area. He said there is an old photograph in the museum of a Dutch village, and a wagon in the photo looks much like the Conestoga wagons that American pioneers used. The wagon design moved west with the Dutch settlers and further west with the pioneers, Maurer said. “After we look at the photo, I show the students our replica of a Conestoga wagon,” It’s important that children have a timeline.”
 |
This marker, installed in 1975, describes the Wortendyke Barn. All-weather informational displays are also on the barn property. The barn’s museum is open to the public on Wednesdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. now through October.
|
School, scout and summer camp groups are welcome during the museum’s regular hours, but appointments are suggested. Hours for groups are also available Monday through Friday by reservation. For information or to make a group appointment, call the Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs at 201-336-7267 or e-mail jstrom@co.bergen.nj.us. Information is also available by calling the 201-930-0124 during barn museum hours.
Kathryn A. Burger's e-mail address is burger@northjersey.com.
[ back ]
