Waterloo Village NJ: A Historic Restoration

Guide to Waterloo Village NJ Historic Site.  A 19th century restored village along the once prosperous Morris Canal

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Waterloo Village is a 19th-century restored village that covers the time from a 400-year-old Lenape (Delaware) Indian village to a bustling port along the once prosperous Morris Canal.

The Village is a working mill complex with gristmills and sawmills, a general store, blacksmith shop, and several historic houses.
During the summer months, there are classical and popular music concerts.

Waterloo Village is rich in history, dating back to the time of the Munsee (Lenape) Indians who inhabited northern New Jersey and used the rich natural resources and the abundance of the landscape and waterways.

With the discovery of rich veins of iron nearby, the Andover Forge was established here, making bar iron for shipment to England before the American Revolution.

The valleys of Northwest New Jersey, created by the earth's glacial retreat, left a fertile area with wildlife that eventually was settled at first by the Paleo Indians around 8000 BC, and the Lenape, or Delaware tribes. The Lenape tribe was among the most advanced and civilized in the eastern US.

The culture flourished until the first European fur traders arrived in the mid-1600s and the inevitable procession west, spurred by copper mining near the Delaware River and trade along the old mine road from Philadelphia to Kingston, NY.

The Lenape Village at historic Waterloo Village was created to help visualize the past.

Located on an island in Waterloo Lake, the Lenape Village, called Winakung ("Place of Sassafras"), is surrounded by thousands of acres of wooded forests, stone cliffs, streams, and marshes, home to beaver, osprey, and the occasional bear. It is a place of wonder and a land left alone by time.

Here you can walk 400 years into the past and experience an ancient and gentler way of life. Dotted with bark wigwams, longhouses, native gardens, fishing, hunting, and cooking areas, the village revives the Lenape world as it might have been in 1630 when European traders visited Indian communities to barter metal pots, iron axes, scissors, cloth, glass beads, and other items for the Indians' furs and skins.

Presently, Waterloo Village is operated by the New Jersey State Park Service (SPS). They work with Friends of Waterloo Village Inc. Thanks to significant restoration over the years, Waterloo Village continues to grow.

For a more relaxing experience, picnicking in Waterloo is a wonderful way to enjoy your outing. Bring a blanket and park under a shady tree. Picnic tables and facilities are available at nearby Stephens State Park including group picnic facilities, a group picnic shelter, and playgrounds.

Popular Annual Waterloo Village Events

In addition to being known for its historic buildings, Waterloo Village also hosts diverse cultural programs of classical and popular music, festivals including:

Waterloo Canal Day - Held annually in late June early July
A two-day music festival will be held to raise money to restore two historic buildings at the 19th-century village in Sussex County. It will feature an eclectic assortment of 15 bands on two stages, with a leaning toward country and country rock, with some bluegrass.

Canal Heritage Days - Held on the second and fourth Saturdays during July through October, rain or shine Admission free.
The village will be open to the public, guided tours will be offered of the village and the canal, our New Jersey Canal Museum will be open, and on most of the dates our boat ride on the canal will be offered. Smith's Store, the Rutan Cabin, the Blacksmith Shop and the Gristmill will be also be open for interpretation

Highlands Festival at Waterloo
During the month of September
An environmental festival celebrating local food, music, arts, history, cultural and natural resources of New Jersey. The festival features live entertainment with two days and two stages with entertainment by New Jersey musicians. There will be local food vendors offering locally source food with cooking demonstrations and tastings by New Jersey chefs, --- and much more!

The Winakung at Waterloo
Offers educational, environmental, and cultural programming and tours for groups at Waterloo Village.

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