General John Frelinghuysen House
General John Frelinghuysen House | |
 Frelinghuysen Homestead | |
    | |
| Location | Somerset Street and Wyckoff Avenue Raritan, New Jersey |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°34′5″N 74°37′46″W / 40.56806°N 74.62944°W |
| Built | Frame wing before 1756 Brick section after 1801 |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000513[1] |
| NJRHP No. | 2578[2] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | March 4, 1971 |
| Designated NJRHP | February 1, 1971 |
The General John Frelinghuysen House is a historic building located in Raritan, New Jersey. The older west wing was originally a tavern, built sometime before 1756 by Cornelius Bogert, when it also served as the town's meeting hall. It was bought in 1801 by John Frelinghuysen and then came to be known as the Frelinghuysen Homestead. It is an excellent example of early 19th century Federal architecture in New Jersey.[3] In 1975, it was donated by Peter Frelinghuysen, Jr. to the borough and now serves as the Raritan Public Library.
History
[edit]The house has two historic sections: the main two-story brick house, built sometime after 1801, and an older frame wing on the west, built sometime before 1756.[4][5]
Derrick Middagh bought the property on May 1, 1709, from Peter Van Nest. Cornelius Middagh then inherited it from his father, Derrick. Cornelius Bogert built a house here, which was used as a tavern, and served as the town's meeting hall from 1756 to 1769.[6][7] The house was later sold to John Arrison and then to Henry Traphagen, before being bought by John Frelinghuysen. This forms the older west wing of the current building.[6][8]
John Frelinghuysen purchased the house from Traphagen in 1801, but c. 1804, at the death of his father, Frederick, went to the Millstone family estate to manage the property there and take care of his brothers, Theodore and Frederick. He returned to this property in 1810.[9] At some time he built the brick section of the building, using imported Dutch brick.[8] He served in the War of 1812 and was promoted to brigadier general.[10] Thus the full name of the property is the General John Frelinghuysen House.
The family sold the property in 1924 to the Glazier family.[11]
The house was renovated in the early 1970s by architect John M. Dickey.[12]
Architecture
[edit]In 1936, the house was described as "a veritable mansion compared to the majority of Dutch houses."[13] It had an early 19th-century doorway and a neo-classic portico. The interior rooms had very high ceilings.[13]
Raritan Public Library
[edit]The Raritan Public Library, founded June, 1961, was initially located in the Relief Home Company No. 2 Engine House. In 1975, Peter Frelinghuysen, Jr. donated the family homestead, the General John Frelinghuysen House, to the borough for use as the library.[14]
The library contains memorabilia dedicated to the memory of Medal of Honor recipient John Basilone.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Somerset County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. April 5, 2013. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 16, 2013.
- ^ Lunny, Robert M. (1970-08-06). "NRHP Nomination: The General John Frelinghuysen House". National Park Service. p. 3.
- ^ Lunny, Robert M. (1970-08-06). "NRHP Nomination: The General John Frelinghuysen House". National Park Service. p. 2.
- ^ Germond; Stugart (1941). "A Research Paper on the History of Raritan: Raritan Chronology". Raritan Online - Celebrating Raritan's History. p. 62.
- ^ a b Snell (1881), p. 656.
- ^ Snell (1881), p. 662.
- ^ a b Germond; Stugart (1941). "A Research Paper on the History of Raritan: Landmarks of Long Ago". Raritan Online - Celebrating Raritan's History. p. 47.
- ^ Snell (1881), p. 586.
- ^ "Frelinghuysen, Theodorus Jacobus". Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. 1898. see Gen. Frederick's eldest son, John section
- ^ Williams, Seymour (1937). General John Frelinghuysen House (PDF). Vol. HABS NJ, 18-RAR, 1. Historic American Buildings Survey. p. 2.
- ^ "Frelinghuysen House". Philadelphia Architects and Buildings.
- ^ a b Bailey (1936), p. 447.
- ^ "Raritan Library News" (PDF). Raritan Public Library. October–December 2011.
- ^ "John Basilone Digital Archives". Raritan Public Library.
Bibliography
[edit]- Bailey, Rosalie Fellows (1936). Pre-Revolutionary Dutch Houses and Families in Northern New Jersey and Southern New York. New York: William Morrow & Company.
- Snell, James P. (1881). History of Hunterdon and Somerset Counties, New Jersey. Philadelphia: Everts & Peck.
External links
[edit]
Media related to General John Frelinghuysen House at Wikimedia Commons- Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. NJ-332, "General John Frelinghuysen House"
- "Library History". Raritan Public Library. Archived from the original on 2019-05-30. Retrieved 2012-07-27.
- "General John Frelinghuysen House". New Jersey Historic Trust.
| Topics |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Lists by county | ||
| Other lists | ||
- Frelinghuysen family residences
- National Register of Historic Places in Somerset County, New Jersey
- Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey
- Federal architecture in New Jersey
- Raritan, New Jersey
- Houses in Somerset County, New Jersey
- New Jersey Register of Historic Places
- Historic American Buildings Survey in New Jersey