This could be a park and grab, a nice spot for a picnic and a cache, or part of a longer walk along the Goffle.
The John W. Rea House, a Dutch brown sandstone house, was originally called the Doremus House and was built around 1830. In 1857, a well-known minstrel comedian bought the house for his family. John W. Rea, whose stage name was Jack Raynor, toured across North America and Europe. While in Europe he bought the house unseen, which was then called a “farm.” It included 150 acres and cost $10,000. Rea retired from performing in 1875 and was elected Justice of the Peace of Manchester, and from then on was called “Squire Rea,” and settled small disputes. He also served as Superintendent of Manchester schools.
Sometime after Rea’s death in 1900, the house was sold to the Knapik family who operated the Knapik Inn and/or Goffle Inn starting in 1920. It was a tavern and hotel that was relatively short-lived, since only a decade later, they were forced to sell it for the creation of Goffle Brook Park. It was deemed historic then, and was preserved as part of the park. At one time it served as the Boys and Girls Club, Senior Citizen offices, and later Passaic County offices. Now it has been restored and is the Passaic County Arts Center. (Historical information from the Borough of Hawthorne Environmental Resource Inventory)