Van Campen Inn
Van Campen Inn located in Walpack Township, Sussex County, New Jersey (41.164859, -74.892128). The house, built about 1746 (first section) and about 1754 (larger main and remaining section) was home to Isaac Van Campen (1721-1801), Great Uncle to Moses Van Campen (1757-1849). The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
The story of the Van Campen Inn and the lives of those who lived in it are wonderfully told in A Place Called Home…A History of the Van Campen Inn and the Families who Lived There, written by Arlene Aust Hutson and Robert L. Williams and published by the Walpack Historical Society in 1992.
An excerpt from the Authors’ Foreword reads, “The goal of the two authors of this book was to present a glimpse of the daily life of those who lived in the Rosenkrans-Van Campen house, generally referred to as the Van Campen Inn, and of the impact upon them of the environment and nearby settlers. This has been addressed from two different points of view.
The first approach involved the study and interpretation of the genealogy of the owners of the house from the mid-18th Century period of its construction through the 19th Century. The revelations of the identity of these family owners – a picture of who they were – were enhanced, again, by other resources such as census records, deeds and wills, and published and privately printed studies of local history. These contributions were assembled by genealogist Arlene A. Hutson and comprise the first four chapters of the book.
The second approach, through the residents’ recollections of the events in their lives and their relationships with neighbors and family members, develops a picture of life of a small community, spanning the decades of the 20th Century. Obtained through interviews with owners and tenants of the house, these reminiscences have been illustrated by photographs from family collections and other documents such as letters and newspaper accounts. These memories were compiled by Robert L. Williams, historian, who has also contributed his own experiences of the restoration of the Van Campen Inn.”
The Library of Congress provides additional photos, architectural details and historical reference.
“His Christianity was pure,
his views of religion sound
and scriptural, and his fidelity
and integrity of character
were like his own well aimed rifle,
true to the mark.”
– Rev. Thomas Aitken
Obituary of Moses Van Campen
“I was nurtured in the school of the rifle and the tomahawk.”
– Moses Van Campen
“The notes of war are hushed,
The rage of battle o’er,
The warrior is at rest,
He hears our praise no more.
The soldier nobly fought
For all we dearly love,
He fought to gain a heavenly crown,
And now he reigns above.
– Rev. Thomas Aitken
Inscription, Moses Van Campen’s Headstone
© 2026 Moses Van Campen … In Tribute