Education Programs and Resources for Adults

Group Tours

We welcome clubs, senior organizations, and other formal and informal groups to schedule tours of The Hermitage (minimum group size of 10; maximum size of 40). Group tours are available Monday through Friday between 10 a. m. and 3 p. m. Reservations are required and must be made at least two weeks in advance. 

The fee for a standard group tour is $7.00 per person and includes a docent-led tour of the historic house museum and the opportunity to view exhibitions in the gallery. Custom tours that include a special presentation and discussion are available for an additional fee.  

To make a reservation, please complete the reservation form and return it to us by 

• Faxing it to 201-445-0437, Attn: Education Department; or

• Mailing it to Friends of the Hermitage, Attn: Education Department, 335 N. Franklin Turnpike, Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ 07423

Upon receipt of the form, we will contact you to confirm or reschedule your tour. For groups of 25 or more, a non-refundable deposit is required. 

If anyone in your group has special needs, please call ahead. The Hermitage Education & Conference Center and the first floor of the historic Hermitage are ADA accessible. 

The Hermitage does not have a dining area, but we can suggest local restaurants that welcome groups. 

The Hermitage History Roundtable

The Hermitage History Round Table on local and New Jersey history meets at the Hermitage Education & Conference Center (unless noted otherwise) at 7:30 p.m. the last Wednesday of each month from September to May (except December). The group includes local historians, professors and teachers, and others interested in discussing history. The presentations are most often by people doing research and testing it out with the group and inviting feedback. Members of the group are encouraged to do and present research, but those who are interested in just hearing the presentations and the discussions are also welcome. There is no cost, and professional development credit is available to teachers who lead roundtable discussions. 

September 21, 2011, 7:30 pm.  Jeffrey Steccato, Haviland Photography,  Images of Yesteryear: A Photographic Journey.  Exhibit tour and gallery talk.

October 26, 2011, 7:30 pm.  Don Smith. The Goffle Road Murders of Passaic County: The 1850 Van Winkle Killings.  Lecture and book signing!

November 30, 2011, 7:30 pm.  Charlie Carrera, Mahwah Museum. Les Paul.  Special joint meeting to be held at the Ridgewood Public Library, 125 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood.

January 25, 2012, 7:30 pm.  Tom Dunn. Mahwah and Mount Laurel: The Growth of Housing in Mahwah, 1900-2000.

February 29, 2012, 7:30 pm.  Leap Day Celebration!

March 28, 2012, 7:30 pm.  Lou Moore. Black Suffrage in New Jersey after the Civil War.

April 25, 2012, 7:30 pm.  Henry Bischoff. Victorian Gothic: The Rosencrantz Family at the Hermitage, 1807-1970.  Lecture and book signing.

May 30, 2012, 7:30 pm. Joe Suplicki. The Roucleres: Ridgewood's Magical Family.     

The Hermitage History Lecture Series

The program is now being set for our 2012 Lecture Series. Dates and titles of upcoming lectures will be posted shortly on our Calendar page.

The Hermitage History Lecture Series offers presentations on a wide range of topics related to national, New Jersey, and local history. The presenters are college and university professors and local history experts. The lectures are followed by questions, comments and discussion.  

Friends of the Hermitage, Inc. is a registered Professional Development Provider with the New Jersey Department of Education and attendees of lectures can receive professional development credit. 

High school students are very welcome to attend the lectures, with some teachers giving their American History students extra credit for attending the lectures. Through these lectures, students have gained increased knowledge and interest in history by being participants in public presentations and discussions of history. The lectures are an opportunity for the students to hear history presented by college and university professors.  

Lectures are held at The Hermitage Education and Conference Center and begin at 7:30 p.m. Please call 201-445-8311, x36, for reservations. 

Research Opportunities

The Hermitage Archives and Research

The Hermitage has an extensive, primarily nineteenth-century document collection. It features Rosencrantz family correspondence, books, diaries, and finances, and Rosencrantz cotton warp mill records. Most of the papers have been put into order and are accessible to scholars who wish to pursue research in the archives. If you are interested, please make an appointment with the curator by calling 201-445-8311.