FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Richard Sgritta, Executive Director, (201) 445-8311, ext. 22,
rsgritta@thehermitage.org
TEE OFF FOR THE HERMITAGE!
Benefit Golf Outing at High Mountain Golf Club Franklin Lakes, NJ
Thursday, September 20, 2012, 11 am
HO-HO-KUS - Area golfers and history enthusiasts can take swings for The Hermitage
on Thursday, September 20. Tee-off time for the benefit, to be held at the scenic High
Mountain Golf Club in Franklin Lakes, is 11 am. The 2012 Hermitage Benefit Golf
Outing is sponsored by Peter C. Marron Jr. of Marron Gildea Realtors.
The price for an individual day of golf including lunch and an evening cocktail
reception at the Club is $200. Tickets for those wishing to attend only the cocktail
reception are $65 per person.
The Annual Golf Outing supports history education and cultural programs at the
Hermitage National Historic Landmark in Ho-Ho-Kus. The Hermitage’s connection to
golfing began in the late 1880s, when William Dayton Rosencrantz was introduced to the
game while on a business trip to Europe and started hitting balls around the front lawn of
The Hermitage. The sport caught on quickly, and with friends and associates, William
formed the Hohokus Golf Club in 1893. In the first decade of the twentieth century, the
club constructed a new course at Maple and Linwood avenues and became the
Ridgewood Golf Club in 1910. William also encouraged his young daughter, Mary
Elizabeth, to take up the sport. She did so with great vigor and grace, competing in many
tournaments and taking home several trophies.
Mary Elizabeth Rosencrantz, the last family member to live at The Hermitage,
died in 1970, leaving the historic property to the State of New Jersey. In January 1972,
the Friends of the Hermitage was formed to manage the preservation of The Hermitage,
provide tours of the restored home to the public, run extensive education programs for
area schools and community groups, and raise funds to operate the museum.
This year marks the fortieth anniversary of the founding of the Friends of the
Hermitage. Proceeds from the Sixth Annual Benefit Golf Outing will allow the Friends to
continue their efforts to bring a unique part of the history of early Bergen County to its
residents and all who live in New Jersey.
Additional sponsorship opportunities are still available. For information about
sponsorships, to register an individual golfer or a foursome, or to purchase tickets to the
cocktail reception, contact the Museum Office at (201) 445-8311, ext. 36, or visit or
website at www.thehermitage.org.
The Hermitage, a National Historic Landmark, is one of the nation’s outstanding
examples of domestic Gothic Revival architecture. The historic house incorporates a
stone structure that was visited during the Revolutionary War by George Washington and
was the site where Aaron Burr met and married Theodosia Prevost. The house’s
architectural appearance dates to the 1847 remodeling and enlargement designed by the
architect William H. Ranlett. Today, the historic house’s furnishings reflect the late
Victorian lifestyle of the Rosencrantz family. The museum collection is notable for its
historic clothing as well as for personal items and papers related to the Rosencrantz
family who owned and lived in the home from 1807 to 1970.
The Friends of the Hermitage, Inc., a nonprofit membership organization,
manages The Hermitage, a New Jersey State Park. The Friends offer tours of the historic
house, exhibitions based on the collections, and diverse educational programming. For
information about The Hermitage, contact Friends of the Hermitage by mail at 335 North
Franklin Turnpike, Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ 07423; by phone at (201) 445-8311 between (9:00
a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday); or visit our website at
www.thehermitage.org.
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