Seasonal & Holidays
Step Into Famous Bergen County Family's 300-Year-Old Stone Home For Holidays
A 1730 stone home in Bergen County, owned by a famous family, will be open with live music and holiday decorations just for one day.
BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — This weekend, you can take a break from decorating your house for the holidays and step inside someone else's — and learn a little local history as well.
The Zabriske House in Wyckoff will be open for visitors, with live music and decorations.
"Come tour Wyckoff's oldest home for the Holidays!" said organizers. "Festive live music will be playing and the house will be decorated for the event. Bring the whole family and make this an annual tradition."
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According to organizers, the the stone “Zabriskie House” was built around 1730 by William Van Voorhees and is believed to be the oldest building in Wyckoff.
"The house was also used as a village store and tavern at the time of the Revolutionary War," notes the history on the house's website. "The well-known house is a classic Jersey Dutch farm house with a Dutch door, classic gambrel room and other features characteristic of this unique style."
Find out what's happening in Wyckofffor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The family did well enough that William’s son Albert built a large addition to the home in 1824, when he was 86 years
old.
The family engaged in dairy farming and grew grain, corn, potatoes, apples, and grapes.
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Uriah Quackenbush purchased the property in 1867. He and wife Keziah had only one child who survived into early adulthood, John, but John he passed away young. So the Quackenbushes raised their granddaughter, Grace.
Grace married Judge John Zabriskie in Wyckoff in 1906. (Their grandchild is the actress Grace Zabriskie, who appeared in "Norma Rae" and in TV's "Twin Peaks.")
Over time, according to the history, "Grace restored the house and filled it with period antiques and furnishings. She also established three classic formal gardens. When Mrs. Zabriskie died in 1973, she left the house and property to the Township for the people of Wyckoff."
The house opens up to the public for house tours and has even been reviewed on TripAdvisor.
This weekend, the home will be open for the event on Saturday, Dec. 2 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
It's located at 421 Franklin Ave, Wyckoff, NJ, 07481.
The event is free, but donations are welcome.
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