The celebrated Titan of the Telecaster, Bill Kirchen, will inaugurate the Ramsaysburg Homestead Riverside Amphitheater with a solo performance on Sunday, August 26 at 3:15pm. Mike Esposito, master of the resonator guitar, will perform at 2:30.
Bill Kirchen is no stranger to Knowlton Township, having performed at Riverfest six times!

Grammy nominated guitarist, singer and songwriter Bill Kirchen first gained national recognition as a founding member of Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen. His trademark guitar licks drove their Hot Rod Lincoln cut into the Top Ten in 1972. He has released ten CDs on his own, and recorded and/or played guitar live with a who’s who of Americana and Roots Rock ‘N’ Roll, among them Gene Vincent, Link Wray, Bo Diddley, Hazel Dickens, Doug Sahm, Hoyt Axton, Emmylou Harris, Maria Muldaur, Dan Hicks, Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello.

Bill is an architect of what is now known as Roots Rock ‘n’ Roll and Americana, and still continues to be one of its most active proponents, playing, writing and performing throughout the world. Named a “Titan of the Telecaster” by Guitar Player Magazine, he celebrates a musical tradition that embraces rock ‘n’ roll, blues and bluegrass, Texas Western swing and California honky-tonk.

Bill received his Grammy nomination in 2001. A winner of multiple Wammies over the years, in 2002 he was one of three artists inducted into the Washington D.C. Area Music Association Hall of Fame along with Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters) and John Philip Sousa.Nick Lowe describes Bill as “… a devastating culmination of the elegant and funky… a really sensational musician, with enormous depth.”

In demand on the lecture circuit, he has spoken at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC as part of the “Electrified, Amplified and Deified – The Electric Guitar” exhibition and at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. He was interviewed on the national TV special “Yesterday and Today: Honky Tonk & Western Swing” at the Broken Spoke in Austin, TX, where he performed along with Hank Thompson, Doug Sahm, Don Walser and more. Bill was a keynote speaker at the International Conference on Elvis Presley in Memphis and currently finds time to lead workshops and instruct at Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch and the Augusta Heritage Center.

Justly famous for his indelible Telecaster sound, Bill Kirchen has been everywhere over the span of a 40-plus-year career: he was a founding member of the legendary Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen; he released eight critically acclaimed solo albums; he toured internationally with Nick Lowe and has performed with Doug Sahm, Gene Vincent, Elvis Costello, Dan Hicks, Emmylou Harris, Bruce Hornsby and Link Wray.

Now living in Austin Texas, Bill maintains his rigorous and far-reaching tour schedule and also teaches at Augusta Heritage Center, Centrum Voiceworks and Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch.

Artist Website: www.billkirchen.com

To many, Mike Esposito is one of the finest country/blues guitarists to be found anywhere, especially with his exquisite touch on the Dobro and National Steel resonator guitars.

A New Jersey native and resident, Mike  is unique in the world of American roots music; his live shows are a virtual panorama of this country’s musical tradition. It’s blues, it’s bluegrass, country, rhythm & blues, rock n’ roll, Appalachian folk, New Orleans jazz and even a little bebop for good measure. A virtuoso performer on bottleneck slide, Dobro, lap steel, acoustic and electric six-string guitar and even electric bass and ukulele, Mike could easily adopt a swaggering air of braggadocio, the blues man’s traditional stock in trade, yet he remains a humble man, quietly exuding confidence in his talent and abilities. With interest in American roots music at an all-time high, guitar ace Mike Esposito, as a solo act and with his band, is a unique and talented performer who will be impressing his loyal followers for years to come with feats of instrumental and vocal virtuosity.

The new Riverside Amphitheater at Ramsaysburg.

The Riverside Amphitheater is positioned under a canopy of trees between the historic barn and the Delaware River. It was recently developed by members of the Knowlton Township Historic Commission with help from Ramsaysburg Historic Homestead supporters.   This beautiful setting is available for concerts, weddings and community events. The Sunday, August 26^th concert with Bill Kirchen will debut the use of the Riverside Amphitheater.

Concert at the Barn

Great American Songbook in the Classic Jazz style featuring alto saxophonist.
Come early to picnic and enjoy the Homestead property. 5:00 barn doors open Rain or Shine. More about the Eric Mintel Quartet…

“Aduna” (The Tree of Life) group will  hold a drum circle to unite people and listen to the healing rhythms of West Africa: Senegal, Mali, Guinea and Ivory Coast .

The event will be hosted by Laura Dempsey, lead drummer, Shelley Janes, lead drummer, Lori Gold, back up drummer, and guests.
Some of the instruments we will perform with are Djembe, Djun Djun, Congas.
The group is always growing, changing, learning, studying the vast rhythms of Africa.
Drum circles are a unique experience, healing of the soul, lots of fun, and a great way to unite people.

All are welcome. No experience is necessary to come and join us at 6pm in the barn.

Hosted by Knowlton Township Historic Commission (KTHC), the annual Memorial Day Community Picnic will take place on Monday, May 28th, 2018. All are welcome to attend from the community and surrounding region. The event begins at 12:00 noon, rain or shine.

An Inaugural Flag Raising Ceremony will take place at our newly installed flag pole. The flag pole installation is an Eagle Scout project for Kameron Steckel, member of Belvidere Boy Scout Troop #141. The flagpole was generously donated by the First Hope Bank. Boy Scout Troop #141 will perform the Flag Raising Ceremony. The Belvidere High School Band will perform patriot music in celebration of the flag raising.

The community is welcome to enjoy a self-guided hike through Ramsaysburg Homestead’s newly established interpretive trail through a mature forest adjacent to the Homestead. Interpretive signaae highlights the geology and hydrology indigenous to the Delaware River Valley. This trail was dedicated in October 2017 through the accomplishment of Boy Scout Alex Hicks of Belvidere Troop #141 in achieving his Eagle Scout merit.

All are invited to arrive by canoe or kayak. Take a self-guided kayak and canoe journey by floating down the Delaware River from the Columbia, NJ boat launch to the landing at the Ramsaysburg site. The distance between the two points is approximately 3 miles down-river. River travelers should look for the large brown sign stating “Ramsaysburg – Landing” at marker 204.0 along the left bank (NJ side).

The Knowlton Township Historic Commission will host the annual “Riverside Fall Festival” at the Ramsaysburg Historic Homestead on SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017 from 10am to 4pm.
A special ceremony at 12 noon will celebrate the Commission’s 20th anniversary with esteemed dignitaries and members of the community, honoring former Mayor Frank Van Horn and former Committeeman Rene Mathez . Van Horn endorsed the 1997 creation of the Knowlton Historic Commission at the urging of local residents, and Mathez was instrumental in arranging the lease of the Ramsaysburg site to the commission.

Over twenty years the Knowlton Township Historic Commission, a volunteer organization that functions as part of the township’s government, has worked to raise awareness of Knowlton’s historic resources and to educate the community on the importance of preserving the township’s unique agricultural heritage: the historic farms, barns, wagon sheds and outbuildings that reflect the legacy of farming and river trade that established the area. Under the leadership of Chairperson Hal Bromm, the Commission has organized historic barn tours, walking tours of potential historic districts, ice cream socials, and other community-based activities. The commission has also nominated several of Knowlton’s hamlets and villages for inclusion on the State and National Registers of Historic Places, including Delaware Village, Hainesburg, Columbia and Ramsaysburg. Delaware Village was awarded a position on the registry in 2003.

The commission’s most important achievement is the fifteen-year endeavor for the restoration of the Ramsaysburg Historic Homestead. To save the Ramsaysburg site, the Commission worked with elected officials, led by Mr. Mathez, to lease the property from the State of NJ following acquisition of the site by the NJ Green Acres program. Mathez was instrumental in bringing the recreational attributes of the site to the attention of the Department of Environmental Protection, focusing on its riverfront location comprising nearly twelve acres. Facing imminent demise, the severely deteriorated structures on the property were stabilized thanks to a 2003 emergency grant from the Delaware River Greenway, and have since been restored through grant funding generously awarded by the NJ Historic Trust, Garden State Historic Preservation Trust Fund, Warren County Municipal and Charitable Conservancy Trust Fund, and other generous donors. Restoration work will continue with a newly awarded Transportation Alternatives Program grant to fully restore the structures at the Ramsaysburg Historic Homestead.

Named for Irish immigrants, James and Adam Ramsay, the 1795 settlement was a key location for trade along the Delaware River. Among the Ramsay brothers’ many ventures was a thriving lumber business. The river launching point where the homestead property now stands served as both a terminus for lumber rafts coming from upriver and for shipping downriver to the ports of Easton and Philadelphia. Prosperous trade continued throughout the early and mid-1800s until the development of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad in the early 1850s by Warren County native John I. Blair. With the advent of the more economical train transportation, river commerce faded.
The Commission hosts a series of annual events at the Ramsaysburg Historic Homestead, a twelve-acre riverfront property located on Route 46 at Ramseyburg Road. These include the Memorial Day picnic, the Riverside Fall Festival and Christmas in the Country, Plein Air Painting, as well as a series of summer Barn Concerts. An interpretive nature trail is near completion at the site, which also offers car-top launch access to the Delaware River for kayaks and canoes.

2017 Fall Festival activities will include: quilting exhibits, a ribbon-cutting of our newly established interpretive trail, Boy Scout demonstrations of pioneer skills, lace making, apple tasting, cider making, smokehouse demonstration with Myron Baley’s famous bacon, woodworking exhibitions, and more. Humpty Juniors will be offering tasty, seasonal refreshments. At two o’clock East Stroudsburg University Associate Professor of History Martin Wilson will present “Resorts Along the Delaware.”

The third and final of this year’s Concerts in the Barn Series at Ramsaysburg features Desire, who will perform their special brand of vocal harmony, singing oldies classics, doo-wop, acappella and street corner harmonies that you won’t be able to resist!

The second of this year’s Concerts in the Barn Series at Ramsaysburg features the renown vocalist/bassist Nancy Reed and guitarist Spencer Reed. Artistically consistent and always the consummate professional, Nancy has performed for the last thirty-five years in a wide variety of settings. Mr. Reed’s resumé is equally impressive. Joined by Matt Vashlishan on woodwinds and Storm Heter on drums, four decades of jazz collaboration promise an evening full of inventive jazz vocals and instrumentals.

The Warren County Department of Land Preservation will host the annual Warren County Preservation Day at the Ramsaysburg Homestead on Saturday, May 21 from 10am to 4pm. By exposing numerous groups who have been working to protect open space, farmland, and historic sites across the County, the annual event builds greater awareness and support of all organizations engaged in local preservation efforts. This year’s event will feature wildlife presentations, a medicinal plants hike, musical performances, and river kayaking programs by the Delaware River Sojourn. There will be food vendors, a smokehouse bacon demonstration, and reenactors for both the French & Indian and Civil War eras. Dozens of exhibitors will provide information and answer all your questions about other historical sites, outdoor recreation, environmental issues, and other facets of Warren County’s vibrant heritage. If you have questions or want additional information, download  this brochure or call (908) 453-2650. Please join us!

Come share our Christmas celebration at the Farmstead from 1-3 pm on December 10. Activities will include the annual tree lighting, a visit from Santa, caroling, and a Christmas performance by the Knowlton Fine Arts Homeschooled Choir. Refreshments will include comfort foods provided by Humpty Junior’s.

A special thanks to Triple Creek Farm and Nursery for fresh-cut wreathes and a beautiful tree!

Ramsaysburg’s beautiful location on the riverbanks of the Delaware River is the perfect spot to experience early frontier life while taking in the colorful fall foliage. Tours will illuminate the rich history of this historic early settlement and will be available for those attending the event. Members of the Historic Commission will be on hand to meet and talk with visitors who are interested to learn about the history of Ramsaysburg and its important river trade role in the development of the area prior to John Blair’s railroads.

There will be  informal tours of the historic main building, barn, smokehouse and cottage with architectural historian Dennis Bertland, pumpkin painting, corn husk dolls and games, plus storytelling by the campfire. Appetites will be tantalized with homemade chili and artesian breads, cider donuts and more. A fun time for all!

Please join us from 1-4pm. There is no admission fee.