The Burlington County Commissioners marked the 50th anniversary of Historic Smithville Park’s preservation during the annual May Faire festival on Sunday. Officials announced plans for further restoration work and a new trail connection as part of ongoing efforts to enhance the park.
“Burlington County is a destination where residents want to live and raise families. A big part of Burlington County’s appeal is because of places like Smithville Park and the entire Burlington County Park System,” said Burlington County Commissioner Deputy Director Allison Eckel, who serves as liaison to the Department of Resource Conservation and Parks. “Smithville’s transformation over the past five decades is one of our County’s biggest success stories and we continue to make investments to protect and enhance this special place.”
Smithville, situated along Rancocas Creek in Eastampton, was originally known as Shreveville before industrialist Hezekiah B. Smith purchased it in 1865. Under his leadership, the area became an industrial center producing woodworking machines and American Star bicycles. The town also introduced what was considered the nation’s first bicycle railroad.
Hezekiah Smith and his wife Agnes Gilkerson Smith expanded the mansion, constructed an opera house, and developed a local newspaper with a vision for creating an ideal industrial town. However, after the decline of Smith’s manufacturing company in the early 1900s, many buildings were abandoned or demolished, train service ended, and eventually the mansion was sold.
By 1975, when Burlington County acquired Smithville for just over $595,000 with plans to create its first county park, much of its former vibrancy had faded. Over five decades since then, more than $17.5 million has been invested in preserving historic structures like Smithville Mansion and enhancing park amenities such as playgrounds, pavilions, art galleries housed in historic buildings, and a floating trail across Smithville Lake.
Historic Smithville Park now spans 312 acres that include forests, meadows, streams and wetlands within New Jersey’s largest county by area (827 square miles), according to information from Burlington County’s official website. The site also features two art galleries—the Mansion Annex Gallery and Worker’s House Gallery—and houses the Underground Railroad Museum in a former worker’s cottage.
Officials outlined upcoming projects aimed at stabilizing remaining structures within Smithville Park. These include planned restoration at Pike Farmhouse—built in 1750—and repairs to both a former warehouse building and walls surrounding Smithville Mansion. The county intends to seek grant funding from the New Jersey Historic Trust for these efforts.
Additionally, plans are underway for a new 1.25-mile walking and biking trail called the Smithville Park Spur Connector that would link Smithville Park with Woodcrest and Powell roads in Eastampton. This proposed handicapped-accessible trail would connect with Rancocas Valley Regional High School athletics complex off Millcreek Road as well as an existing Eastampton bike path; construction costs are estimated at $1.5 million pending potential support from a New Jersey Department of Transportation grant.
There are also proposals for state funding toward designing and constructing another four-mile trail connecting Smithville Park with Pemberton Township—providing safe pedestrian crossings on Route 206—and ultimately forming part of a larger Rancocas Creek Greenway Trail envisioned to span 30 miles along Rancocas Creek.
“Smithville was not only our first County park, but it continues to be our park system’s crown jewel. It’s a symbol of our ongoing commitment to preserve and protect our county’s history and environment,” said Commissioner Eckel. “These projects are important investments to safeguard Smithville’s historic buildings and make the park even more accessible.”
Burlington County operates under a Board of County Commissioners consisting of five at-large members led by county administrator Eve Cullinan according to its official website. The county includes three cities among its forty political subdivisions spread across six boroughs and thirty-one townships.
