The Shoe Tree in Belvidere, Warren County, NJ
“Everything changes,” they say, “except God and Belvidere.” Pretty as a picture postcard, the tiny town of Belvidere, New Jersey (population about 2,681 according to the 2010 census), lies along the east bank of the Delaware River close to the Delaware Water Gap. “It is a serene and peaceful blend of finely maintained Colonial and Victorian mansions,” according to a Belvidere Chamber of Commerce Victorian Days flyer dated September 10, 1988.
Belvidere was first settled in the 1700’s by Robert Patterson, a tinman. In 1824, the town park was donated to the residents by General Garret D. Wall of Trenton, who owned much of the land that is now Belvidere. Wall divided his holdings and presented the town sites for a court house, county buildings, park, and Methodist and Presbyterian churches.
Belvidere today remains a lovely historical town. It is the home of the Warren County Court House. There are many interesting stories that center on this special little town of tree-lined streets and its lovely park known as Wall Park.
One beautiful tree on Oxford Street is known as the “Shoe Tree.” It was used by barefoot country folk who would sit under the tree to put their shoes on before they went to worship across the vilage green. Today it is one of Belvidere’s historical sites.
The Shoe Tree is a 350-year-old white oak tree that stands approximately 80-feet-tall with a circumference of 15 feet, according to Waymarking.com’s Exceptional Trees, posted October 19, 2008. White oaks are native to the eastern half of the United States.
Jack Walsh with Gladys Garromone. Jack’s house on the left.
“The white oak tree is one of the most majestic of all oak trees. The trees spread out at the top, and when found in open areas, a mature oak produces a picture-perfect fullness; it is sometimes wider than it is tall. A white oak’s leaves have rounded lobes five to nine inches long and two to four inches wide. Their acorns mature in one season, and the shells are hairless inside. Their meat is not bitter,” according to the guide Trees of North America.
This majestic tree sits in front of the home of Jack Walsh of 703 Oxford Street. Jack is a retired 84-year-old gentleman who has had the pleasure of seeing this tree daily since he and his wife Gwen moved to the town of Belvidere over 30 years ago.
Jack, a member of the Warren County Historical Society and a retired social worker, met his wife Gwen while working for Catholic Charities in Brooklyn, NY. He was drafted in the Korean war as an Army social worker and sent to Germany. In 1952, he and Gwen married in Munich, Germany, and honeymooned in Switzerland. After the war they both took jobs as social workers in Southern NJ, before settling in the tiny town of Belvidere. There he enjoyed living next to the famous Shoe Tree. His wife Gwen has since passed away.
“For many years I have enjoyed talking to the people who stop by to look at the tree. They read the historical marker and take pictures. I have the pleasure of seeing it every day,” says Jack.
So this majestic oak remains at Oxford Street and intersection of Third Street in Belvidere. If traveling west on Oxford Street from Route 519, you will see it on the right just past the High School and the Belvidere Cemetery.