This Memorial Day, we remember John Abraham Van Riper, who fought for our country’s freedom in the Revolutionary War as a member of the local Essex County militia. He is thought to have enlarged the Van Riper House after the war, leaving a date stone with his and his wife Leah’s initials over its back door.
In late 1776, George Washington’s army retreated from Fort Lee following an invasion of New Jersey by Lord Cornwallis’ British troops. They crossed the Passaic River at Acquackanonk on November 21, where Exit 11A on Route 21 is now. The following day, they retreated down River Road to Newark, where they would have passed the Van Riper House. British and Hessian troops followed a few days later, likely also passing our historic landmark.
This makes the Van Riper House Nutley’s closest tie to the Revolution, a direct witness to the fight for independence. About 244 years later, it still stands as a silent reminder of our country’s birth.
Sourced from: https://www.revolutionarywarnewjersey.com/
Stryker, W. S., New Jersey Historical Records Survey Project. (1872). Official register of the officers and men of New Jersey in the revolutionary war. Trenton, N.J.: W.T. Nicholson & co., printers. Page 804