Essex County is inviting the public to take a candlelight tour of Kip’s Castle on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays in December.
The tours, which will be held at 7 p.m., will begin on Thursday, December 6, and continue through Saturday, December 29. Admission is $10 and includes coffee, hot chocolate and cookies. Registration is required and can be done online. Space is limited and is on a first-come, first-served basis. Visitors should meet at the front door of the Castle for the tour. Please note that not all areas of the tour are handicapped accessible.
Kip’s Castle is 9,000-square-foot mansion constructed between 1902 and 1905 by Frederic Ellsworth Kip, a wealthy textile inventor, and his wife, Charlotte. She is credited with the design of building, which includes stained glass windows attributed to Louis Comfort Tiffany. The estate went through several owners after Charlotte Kip’s death, falling into a state of disrepair.
Essex County preserved the Castle and 11-acres of property in 2007 using grants from the New Jersey Green Acres Program and the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund. Since the 30-room medieval-style Castle, carriage house and 11-acre property were added as the 18th park in the historic Essex County Park System, the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs has hosted a variety of free community events at the site. In addition, the Castle is the headquarters for the Essex County Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs.
Essex County Kip’s Castle Park is located at 22 Crestmont Road in Verona.
