Isaac Van Campen Inn: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

Mealey, James

The Isaac Van Campen Inn cultural landscape is part of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (NRA), which encompasses 67,210 acres along both sides of the Delaware River in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Established in 1965, the park provides unique opportunities to experience tranquil landscapes, rich human history, and striking scenery along 40 miles of the longest free-flowing river east of the Mississippi. The park acquired the Isaac Van Campen Inn property, located in Sussex County, New Jersey, in 1970 in conjunction with the since-cancelled Tocks Island Dam project. The Isaac Van Campen Inn cultural landscape is situated along Old Mine Road, a 250-year old route comprised of several roads that form the park’s main north-to-south passageway in New Jersey. Within the stretch where the Inn is located, Old Mine Road is a narrow country lane surfaced with compacted earth and gravel. The road bisects the 272-acre property and occupies the transition between two distinct landforms. West of Old Mine Road, a broad plain known as Shapanack Flats stretches to the eastern bank of the Delaware River, which marks the cultural landscape’s western boundary. Agricultural fields, presently farmed under special use permits administered by the park, occupy Shapanack Flats, as they have since at least the eighteenth century. Woodlands have long grown along the riverbank, but the establishment of trees between the fields and the road are not historic. East of Old Mine Road is the steep western slope of Walpack Ridge. The Isaac Van Campen Inn cultural landscape’s eastern boundary runs near the top of Walpack Ridge, which is elevated approximately three hundred feet above Shapanack Flats. The ridge’s western slope is densely wooded, a condition that differs from that of the historic period, when large portions of the slope were kept open for pasture and other uses. The cultural landscape’s only extant historic building is its namesake, the Isaac Van Campen Inn. The two-and-one half-story stone house was constructed of local limestone in ca.1746 at the foot of the hill. Separated from Old Mine Road by a stone retaining wall, the building is oriented west toward Shapanack Flats and the Delaware River beyond. The home historically enjoyed broad westward views across the floodplain, but the historic views are now obscured by woods that have grown up west of Old Mine Road. The house was built by Harmen Rosenkrans, a colonist of Dutch descent, and during the second half of the eighteenth century was owned and occupied by Isaac Van Campen, a prominent member of the surrounding agricultural community who held various roles in local, state, and national government. At the time of its construction, the house was distinctly grand and could have been favorably compared to mansions constructed in Philadelphia during the same period. The house today is surrounded by maintained lawns and a few mature trees that transition to the wooded hillside slopes. Outbuildings associated with the property are no longer extant. A privy, smokehouse, tenant cottage, and chicken coops were historically located near the house, as was a Colonial-era fortification known as Fort Shapanack (Fort Johns). Today, only remnants of these historic features remain in the dense woods, along with traces of farm lanes and a military supply road now maintained as a trail. Two barns and a carriage house were situated on the west side of Old Mine Road, in an area now maintained with mown grass. The Isaac Van Campen Inn is managed by the Walpack Historical Society, a local non-profit organization, in partnership with Delaware Water Gap NRA. The society leads tours of the historic house and provides other interpretive opportunities for park visitors. Public access to the house is only permitted as part of a guided tour and during special events. Park visitors can access the Isaac Van Campen Inn cultural landscape via Old Mine Road and the Military Road Trail, which leads to historic Walpack Center on the eastern side of Walpack Ridge. A standard National Park Service sign identifies the Isaac Van Campen Inn.

Isaac Van Campen Inn: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

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