| Landholders before the Revolution – There is tradition that before the Revolution the river front had been divided among at least five proprietors, a Van Riper, Vreeland, Speer, Joralemon and King. …
Old Stone Houses – … The Van Riper House, also on the Passaic, is a rambling old homestead of different periods of construction. It has long been known as Four Maples, from the great trees on its front slope. The original part, which has been torn down, was at the north end, and is believed to have been built before the end of the 17th century by one Bradbury, and Englishman. The house is constructed of dressed stone and is in an excellent state of preservation. The Van Riper House also has as tablet in the rear upon which is inscribed I L V R Pr The name of Van Riper (also spelled Van Reiper, Van Reyper, Van Ryper, Van Ripen, Van Reypen and Van Reipen) is derived from the town of Ripen, in Jutland, Denmark, from which came the ancestor of the family of this vicinity, Juriaen Tomassen. With thirteen others he received the Acquackanonck Patent of 1684. His grandson was Abraham, born in 1716, who married Elizabeth Bradbury, of the stone house by the Passaic. John Abraham, their son, was born in 1753, and married Leah Winne in 1776, and came to live in the old stone house. Their initials are those of the tablet which is said to belong to the largest addition to the original Bradbury house. Some years ago a silver spoon was found in the garden marked “Letche Van Riper.” Source: History of Nutley by Elizabeth Stow Brown, For more information, write to (Donations & sweat-equity, new members welcome) The Van Riper Historic Restoration Trust of Nutley (Source: |