Shippen Manor & Oxford Furnace
Shippen Manor and Oxford Furnace are intertwined and related as one was the residence of the iron master (until the 1860s) and the other was the industry. There is also a complex history related to the individuals and families who owned the Furnace and Manor in Oxford.
Shippen Manor, constructed in 1754, is a rare surviving example of a New Jersey ironmaster’s residence constructed on a grand scale. For over a hundred years, Shippen Manor served as the iron master’s or furnace owner’s residence.
From the mid-eighteenth century through the early-twentieth century the ironworks of Oxford fueled New Jersey’s development as a major industrial center. The Oxford Furnace, established in 1741, produced an enormous variety of iron products, such as firebacks, nails, stoves, and iron pots, as well as pig iron made from the raw iron ore extracted from the nearby mines. Eventually this bustling enterprise gave rise to a complete company town. Today 385 buildings remain from the former factory town, which comprise the Oxford Industrial Historic District.
8 Belvidere Ave, Oxford, NJ 07863