Historic Walnford

Located within the Monmouth County Park System, Historic Walnford features the Waln family estate and farm alongside an 18th-century industrial village. The Waln house and a 19th-century grist mill highlight this collection of farm buildings found within Crosswicks Creek Park.

This 36-acre site is listed on both the state and national Registries of Historic Places. It provides an educational journey through the history of the Waln family and the evolution of Walnford over 200 years of social, technological, and environmental development.

Richard Waln was as a merchant trader and Quaker from Philadelphia who purchased the site after seeing a 1772 newspaper ad. He renamed the land Walnford in 1773, the same year the family house was constructed.

At the time of the purchase, the site featured three mills, blacksmith and cooper’s shops, a large two-family brick house, five tenant houses, farm buildings, 100 plowed acres, two orchards, and the grist mill.

In 1799, control of Walnford was transferred to Richard’s son Nicholas and his wife Sarah. They expanded Walnford into 1,300 acres that housed approximately 50 residents.

The carriage house, constructed in 1879, is topped by a running stag weathervane and is home to the Waln family carriage and sleigh. Historic Walnford also features a corn crib, barn, wagon house, well house, caretaker’s cottage, a tool house, as well as a dam and smokehouse.

After 200 years of occupancy by the Walns, Edward and Joanne Mullen took ownership in 1973. In 1985, they donated the site and land to the park system.