Holmdel Park
Encyclopedia
Holmdel Park is located in Holmdel Township, New Jersey
and is part of the Monmouth
County Park System. The initial park land was established in 1962, with an additional 227 acres (91.9 ha)
section added in 2001
.
Holmdel Park is also the home of the Holmdel Arboretum
; aka David C.
Shaw Arboretum and the Longstreet Farm, a living history farm set in the 1890s
.
The park is a popular destination for local elementary school
trips and cross-country
runners.
picnic areas, tennis courts, playgrounds and 10 miles of hiking trails. Ice skating
and sledding are permitted when conditions are deemed safe.
The park contains four distinct visitor areas, each with its own parking, three are accessed
via the main park entrance while the forth is located at the activity center further north
on Longstreet Road.
The Pond View area provides access to the arboretum,
Longstreet Farm, Upper and Lower ponds and the shelter building, the shelter building also houses
a seasonal concession. The Forest Ridge area provides access to group picnic areas, trails
and activity fields, the Forest Ridge parking lot also acts as an overflow lot
for the Pond View area. The Hill Top area as the name implies is located at the
top of a fairly step hill, this area provides parking for the parks tennis courts as well
as access to additional trails. The Activity Center provides indoor facilities for scheduled county sponsored activities
.
farm that recreates agricultural life of the 1890s.
The interpreters dress in period costume and perform typical year round farming and domestic
actives including seasonal planting and harvesting of crops and raising livestock. The
farm is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
The farm was purchased by the Monmouth County Park System in 1967 to preserve
the county's rural past. The farm opened to public in 1972.
Longstreet Farm is a fairly complete example of a typical nineteenth-century
farm created by Dutch settlers in New Jersey. The farmstead consists of a 14 room
Federal-style
farmhouse, a Dutch barn, and a collection of nineteenth-century farm outbuildings
.
Longstreet Farm is open daily year round, free of charge.
and is named for a former superintendent. The arboretum initially
started with 87 trees but now boasts nearly 3000 specimens
.
Foot traffic only trails
Multi-use trails
Holmdel Township, New Jersey
Holmdel Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 16,773. Holmdel Township was formed by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 23, 1857, from portions of Raritan Township .Holmdel is a suburb of...
and is part of the Monmouth
County Park System. The initial park land was established in 1962, with an additional 227 acres (91.9 ha)
section added in 2001
.
Holmdel Park is also the home of the Holmdel Arboretum
Holmdel Arboretum
Holmdel Arboretum , also known as the David C. Shaw Arboretum, is an arboretum located in Holmdel Park, on Longstreet Road in Holmdel Township, New Jersey...
; aka David C.
Shaw Arboretum and the Longstreet Farm, a living history farm set in the 1890s
.
The park is a popular destination for local elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
trips and cross-country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
runners.
Activities and Facilities
The park's recreational offerings include fishing (with permit), individual & grouppicnic areas, tennis courts, playgrounds and 10 miles of hiking trails. Ice skating
and sledding are permitted when conditions are deemed safe.
The park contains four distinct visitor areas, each with its own parking, three are accessed
via the main park entrance while the forth is located at the activity center further north
on Longstreet Road.
The Pond View area provides access to the arboretum,
Longstreet Farm, Upper and Lower ponds and the shelter building, the shelter building also houses
a seasonal concession. The Forest Ridge area provides access to group picnic areas, trails
and activity fields, the Forest Ridge parking lot also acts as an overflow lot
for the Pond View area. The Hill Top area as the name implies is located at the
top of a fairly step hill, this area provides parking for the parks tennis courts as well
as access to additional trails. The Activity Center provides indoor facilities for scheduled county sponsored activities
.
Longstreet Farm
The Longstreet Farm is a living historyLiving history
Living history is an activity that incorporates historical tools, activities and dress into an interactive presentation that seeks to give observers and participants a sense of stepping back in time. Although it does not necessarily seek to reenact a specific event in history, living history is...
farm that recreates agricultural life of the 1890s.
The interpreters dress in period costume and perform typical year round farming and domestic
actives including seasonal planting and harvesting of crops and raising livestock. The
farm is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
The farm was purchased by the Monmouth County Park System in 1967 to preserve
the county's rural past. The farm opened to public in 1972.
Longstreet Farm is a fairly complete example of a typical nineteenth-century
farm created by Dutch settlers in New Jersey. The farmstead consists of a 14 room
Federal-style
farmhouse, a Dutch barn, and a collection of nineteenth-century farm outbuildings
.
Longstreet Farm is open daily year round, free of charge.
David C Shaw Arboretum
The David C Shaw Arboretum is a 20 acres (8.1 ha) horticultural display created by the Monmouth County Shade Tree Commission. The arboretum was created in 1963and is named for a former superintendent. The arboretum initially
started with 87 trees but now boasts nearly 3000 specimens
.
Trails
The park hosts 11 trails of varying difficulty.Foot traffic only trails
- Paved Trail .5 mile paved loop
- Pond Walk .4 mile loop
- Beech Glen .5 mile
- Marsh Trail .8 mile
- Ridge Walk 1.2 mile loop
- Cross Country Trail 3.1 mile
- High Point Trail .6 mile loop
- Fitness trail .8 mile
Multi-use trails
- Ramanessin Trail 2.1 mile
- Steeplechase Trail 1.4 mile
- Homestead Trail .25 mile
- Fern Trail .25 mile