RISLEY HOMESTEAD

Tour an authentic circa 1790 cottage!  The Risley Homestead is one of two 18th century houses in Atlantic County individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  It was the home for many generations of Risley oystermen and their families.  This small cottage is a combination of 18th and 20th century construction.  Its early core is a two-room farmhouse with a sleeping loft where ten children were raised during the mid-1800s.  The Atlantic Heritage Center received the Homestead and all of its furnishings by bequest from Virginia Risley Stout in 1989.  Now it's yours to discover, explore and tour!

	Location:   8 Virginia Avenue   (near 400 block of Shore Road)   Northfield, New Jersey  08225   Free on-street parking.
	Hours of Operation:   April through October:   Saturdays - 10am-4pm   Sundays - 1-5pm   Closed major holidays   Holiday tours selected weekends   in December.

Admission / Fees:

Admission to the Risley Homestead is FREE.  Admission fees may apply for special events held at the Risley Homestead - refer to the Events page for details.

Accessibility:

We apologize, but the Risley Homestead facility is not handicapped accessible.

Driving Directions to the Risley Homestead:

We are located on Virginia Avenue, just off the 400 block of Shore Road in Northfield.

Click for a printable version of driving directions (in .pdf format).

Click for a map of the Risley Homestead location.

From the Atlantic Heritage Center in Somers Point, NJ:

1. Follow Shore Road (Route 585) northbound approximately 5.5 miles - Virginia Avenue will be on your left.
2. Turn left onto Virginia Avenue.  Risley Homestead will be on your left.
3. Free on-street parking.  The Homestead visitor entrance is at the rear of the building.

From Philadelphia and points West:

1. Atlantic City Expressway eastbound to Garden State Parkway southbound (exit 7S).
2. Garden State Parkway southbound to exit 36 (Northfield / Egg Harbor Township).  This exit puts you on Tilton Road (Route 563) heading East.
3. Straight on Tilton Road 3 miles until you reach a traffic light at Shore Road (Route 585).   Make a left at the light onto Shore Road heading North.
4. Follow Shore Road about 1 mile - Virginia Avenue will be on your left.
5. Turn left onto Virginia Avenue.  Risley Homestead will be on your left.
6. Free on-street parking.  The Homestead visitor entrance is at the rear of the building.

From Delaware and points South:

1. Cape May Lewes Ferry to Cape May, New Jersey.
2. Garden State Parkway northbound to exit 36 (Northfield / Egg Harbor Township).
3. Turn left at the exit traffic light onto Fire Road.
4. Make a right at the next traffic light onto Tilton Road (Route 563) heading East.
5. Straight on Tilton Road 3 miles until you reach a traffic light at Shore Road (Route 585).   Make a left at the light onto Shore Road heading North.
6. Follow Shore Road about 1 mile - Virginia Avenue will be on your left.
7. Turn left onto Virginia Avenue.  Risley Homestead will be on your left.
8. Free on-street parking.  The Homestead visitor entrance is at the rear of the building

From North Jersey and points North:

1. Garden State Parkway southbound to exit 36 (Northfield / Egg Harbor Township).  This exit puts you on Tilton Road (Route 563) heading East.
2. Straight on Tilton Road 3 miles until you reach a traffic light at Shore Road (Route 585).   Make a left at the light onto Shore Road heading North.
3. Follow Shore Road about 1 mile - Virginia Avenue will be on your left.
4. Turn left onto Virginia Avenue.  Risley Homestead will be on your left.
5. Free on-street parking.  The Homestead visitor entrance is at the rear of the building.

History of Risley Homestead

A guided tour of the Risley Homestead offers an “up close and personal” look at the life of the Risley family and the evolution of this historic home.

The land that the house sits on is part of an original 100-acre parcel called Risley Plantation, purchased in 1724 by Virginia Risley Stout’s great-great-great-great grandfather, Jeremiah Risley, Sr. The tract extended from the bay northwest to what is now Fuae Avenue.

This small cottage is a combination of 18th and 20th century construction. Its early core is a two-room farmhouse with sleeping loft constructed circa 1790. In the mid-1800s, the ten children of Jonathan and Elizabeth Jeffries Risley were born and raised here. Two or more generations of the Risley family were born in this house, and it was occupied continuously by descendents of Jeremiah Risley Sr. from the late 1700s through 1913, and again from 1931 through 1988.

Virginia Risley was born in 1901 and her family lived in the red house on Shore Road 100 feet to the east of the Homestead. Her great grandmother Elizabeth Jeffries Risley, who was widowed in 1890, continued to live in the Homestead until she died in 1913 at the age of 97. From 1913 until 1931, the Homestead was abandoned and used as a storage barn.

In 1920, grandfather Ephriam Risley announced he was going to tear down the house. Virginia, then 19 years old, persuaded him to sell the property to her for $500.00. It was fortunate that someone so young had the foresight to preserve her family’s heritage!

In 1928, Virginia married Howard Ackerman (Bud) Stout Jr., an architect involved in the design of many significant building projects in Atlantic City. In 1931, Bud and Virginia decided to move into the Homestead, a leaky, drafty two-room farmhouse in serious disrepair. They needed an inexpensive place to live, since the Great Depression caused severe unemployment for architects like Bud.

In the 1930s and 1940s, Bud Stout designed modest additions to the home including a kitchen, dining room, and bathroom to provide the space and conveniences needed for modern living. He carefully preserved the early beam ceilings, hand-planed wood paneling, cupboards, fireplace, a window, and an enclosed stairway.

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