The Hermitage

Hubby and I set off this morning to see The Hermitage in Ho-Ho-Kus. It started to snow as we were driving, but by the time we reached our destination it stopped. The Hermitage is a Gothic Revival style house. Aaron Burr was married to Theodosia Prevost in the dining room of the house. After a series of owners, it was the Rosencrantz family who became prosperous with their cotton mill. Still, whenever times were hard, the family would sell some of its property. Before the Depression, the owners ran a tearoom to make money. That was one of the details I found interesting because I could use it in a story. :^)The last owner of the house died in 1970--and at that time the house had electricity in only one room. There was no gas. In the kitchen there is a wood stove--rather rustic living conditions.

As usual, I asked if there were any ghosts in the house. I always ask that question whenever we tour an old house. However, the woman who gave us the tour claimed there were none. I found her answer difficult to believe since so many people lived there. It seems to me there should be at least one ghost.

We also checked out the town of Ho-Ho-Kus. Beautiful Ho-Ho-Kus Brook runs right through the town. There's a wonderful antique shop named Granny's Attic which was fun to browse through.