A Walk in the Park … exploring Historic Walnford Park

By:  | July 14, 2024 |  Local |  Monmouth County

By Bob Meyer

It was like an episode of The Twilight Zone. One minute, I was driving along the crowded Jersey

Turnpike, and the next, my GPS led me to a tree-lined single lane road and straight into the 18th Century. 

On a sunny day in late May, I’d been transported to a farm in the days before the American

Revolution. 

Historic Walnford, in Upper Freehold, is set on 36 acres, with centuries-old buildings scattered

throughout. And on this day, I was lucky enough to be the ONLY visitor there when I arrived, adding

to the time travel experience. The beautiful park has benches and picnic tables, and a lazy stream

rolls by the old grist mill it once powered. But its isolation really makes it special. And as you walk

the grounds, there’s almost nothing that would be out of place from those earlier days, except for

the signage in each building that tells of the farm’s historic past. There’s also some original

signage. On the door of the grist mill office, you have to strain to read the posted warning - “do not

spit on the floor.” Always good advice. 

Walnford Park was a working farm as late as the 1950s. It was first developed in 1734, with the

building of a grist mill (a plant that turned grain into flour). In 1772, a Pennsylvania merchant

named Richard Waln answered an ad for a 100-acre site that included a family home, five tenant

homes, three mills, a blacksmith shop and more. A year later, the Philadelphia Quaker built the

home you now find at the park’s center – the largest pre-Revolutionary War home in New Jersey. It

was built in the Quaker tradition – “of the best sort, but plain.” Five generations of the family lived

and worked there. 

Waln’s son Richard, and his wife Sarah, took over in 1799. After Richard died, Sarah Waln and her

daughter, Sallie, ran the farm and businesses, expanding the property to 1300 acres. Over the

years, they rebuilt after a devastating fire, invested in new buildings, even adding a Post Office. 

Because of their efforts, and future generations of Waln women, the park is on the New Jersey

Women’s Heritage Trail. In 1973, after 200 years of ownership, the family sold the property. The

new owners donated the site to the Park System in 1985. 

Rangers will take you on a tour of the home, or you can wander through it by yourself. There’s the

kitchen as it looked 150 years ago, and the dining and living rooms. Upstairs is an exhibit that

explores the role of art in uniting the country during World War I – posters, uniforms, and music,

playing quietly. 

There are demonstrations at the grist mill on weekends from April through November. Call the park

to arrange guided tours for groups up to 25. Check the park’s website for other events throughout

the year, most held on weekends. The site can be rented for weddings. Parking is free and it’s open

every day of the year, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

The day I was there, I found a small sign on the door of the family home that said it’s open for tours,

just find a park ranger to unlock the door for you. I found Ranger Janelle – the only other person

there during my visit. What’s it like to be a caretaker for this little corner of American history?

“Peaceful,” Janelle told me. “Most days, it’s just a peaceful place to be.”   I couldn’t have said it better.