Compiled by: Pat Brunker, Iris Gaughan and Eileen DellaPenna
T. Robins “Robin” Brown of Riverton, New Jersey, passed away peacefully on September 27, 2024. She was a valued Historical Society member who took on the years’ long task of organizing the Society’s extensive artifact collection.
Robin was born in Norfolk, Virginia, the daughter of Raymond and Elizabeth Brown and sister of Randy, Ray Jr., and Ceci. She grew up in rural Gloucester County, VA and spent days swimming, crabbing, and exploring the Ware River and nearby forests and marshes. Robin learned curiosity and compassion from her father and determination and a love of gardening from her mother. She attended St. Catherine’s School and Mount Holyoke College. There, she cultivated a love of architectural history and made many cherished lifelong friends.
Robin went on to become one of the first women to get a Master’s degree in Architectural History at the University of Virginia. Upon seeing or walking into a historic house, Robin would start describing specific architectural features with staggering enthusiasm and detail. If a tour guide at a historic house made a factual error, Robin would correct it in the nicest way possible, then would share many more facts and observations.
Robin met Kieran Quinn, her future husband, at a party hosted by mutual friends. Kieran was nearly a foot taller than Robin and was twice as broad, but their shared intellectual curiosity and love of the outdoors brought them together. They married in 1975, moved to Nyack, NY in 1977, and welcomed sons Thaddeus (Thad) in 1978 and Edward (Ted) in 1981.
Robin juggled work, parenthood, hobbies, and civic engagement with boundless energy. She worked as a consultant in architectural history, as a development officer for several environmental nonprofits, and as Executive Director of The Hermitage in Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ. The Hermitage, a National Historic Landmark, was purchased by Ann Bartow DeVisme in 1767 who moved to Ho-Ho-Kus from Manhattan with five children. Among the visitors to the house during the Revolution were James Monroe, William Paterson, the Marquis de Lafayette, Alexander Hamilton, Lord Sterling, Peggy Shippen Arnold and Aaron Burr. In 1847, Elijah Rosencrantz, Jr. commissioned the well-known architect William Ranlett to construct a romantic Victorian residence which would incorporate the historic Colonial house. Robin was in charge of the now fourteen-room Gothic Revival house museum.
Robin’s family loved camping, paddling, and sailing together. Kieran became Commodore of the yacht club where they lived. Robin was a passionate gardener, finding joy in growing and sharing bulbs, seeds, and saplings. She volunteered for architectural review boards, historical societies, and planning committees and canvassed for local and national politicians. She and Kieran were adventurers and traveled the world. Robin explored places far and near, from a honeymoon in Peru and Bolivia to a 6,000 mile road trip in 2022 through the South and Southwest.
Robin and Kieran moved to Riverton, NJ in 2019 to be close to their grandchildren. They were attracted by living in a historic town, full of numerous architectural styles, and one with a Yacht Club. Robin started a new garden, became active in the Porch Club and Historical Society of Riverton, and was an active member of five book clubs.
Robin’s contribution to the Historical Society was immense. She had a passion for history. She was a meticulous cataloger and did extensive research on every item she came across, treating everything like it was her own. She collected and proudly displayed the artifacts for two recent HSR programs – “The History of the Riverton Yacht Club” and “Growing up in Riverton.” The presence of the artifacts at these programs added a great deal of factual depth to the presentations.
Robin knew how to – or found out how to – preserve every object in the collection, storing things in archival boxes. She would also clean objects for display and preservation if necessary and appropriate. Robin was tenacious, had a depth of knowledge, and did a heroic amount of work for the society. She developed a cataloging system for the items and placed the data on a computer in the archives for easy retrieval.
Robin also served on the Architectural Review Committee in Riverton, utilizing her depth of knowledge of architecture and preservation.
She was greatly loved and will be greatly missed.
Nicely written
Joe d
HSR was so lucky to have such a knowledgeable and enthusiastic, passionate person who embraced the history of her new home, Riverton. She is missed by so many family members as well as those who love historical documentation of their towns. My condolences.