The Hancock House was the home of a prominent
“Salem County family and is an excellent example of English Quaker
patterned end wall brick houses (see my picture) associated with
the lower Delaware Valley and southwestern New Jersey. It was also
the scene of a British led massacre during the Revolutionary War.
Architectural
Significance
The Hancock House earned a place in history on that fateful day in
March 1778. Yet the story of its architecture also is important.
With its distinctive patterned end wall brickwork, simple lines and
little ornamentation, it reflects the building traditions of the
Quaker’s English Homeland.
Other elements of this architectural style include Flemish bond
brickwork; a pent-roof that wraps around the front and back of the
house; simple entrance steps; interior paneling and the use of such
local materials as Wistarburg glass.
The Revolutionary
War
n the 18th century, largely English Quakers who were opposed to
violence and armed conflict inhabited Salem County. Yet many
supported the cause. This stance inevitably brought the tragedy of
war to hearth and home.
The winter of 1777 found George Washington and his Army encamped
at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The British occupied Philadelphia.
Both armies needed food and supplies. In February of 1778, General
Washington ordered General “Mad” Anthony Wayne to forage for food,
cattle and horses in South Jersey. A month later, Sir General
William Howe dispatched 1500 British troops and loyalists under
General Charles Mawhood to do the same.
Mawhood’s foraging activities met with considerable resistance
from the Salem County militia and local patriots. Repulsed at the
Battle of Quinton’s Bridge, a key transportation link to the
fertile fields of Cumberland and Salem Counties, the British were
frustrated and angry with the people of Salem County for their
support of the Continental Army.
On March 20, 1778, Mawhood issued the following mandate to his
British troops: “Go - spare no one - put all to death - give no
quarters.” At approximately five o’clock in the morning of March
21, 1778, these orders were carried out.
With local Tories (British Loyalists) and their slaves acting as
guides, Major John Graves Simcoe and approximately 300 troops
attacked the Hancock House where they knew the local militia was
stationed. Everyone inside was bayoneted; not a shot was fired.
Among the 10 killed and five wounded, was Judge William Hancock. He
died several days later.
A New Jersey State Historic Site
Administered by NJ Department of Environmental Protection
Division of Parks and Forestry
State Park Service
Open
Wednesdays through Saturdays:
10 a.m. to noon, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Sundays: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Closed
Mondays and Tuesdays, most state and federal holidays, and
Wednesdays following Monday or Tuesday holidays.
